JP4035211B2 - Video control apparatus, control method, and storage medium - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a video control apparatus, a control method, and a storage medium, and more particularly to a video control apparatus, control method, and storage medium for transferring an input video toward the client in accordance with a request from a remote client.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The applicant of the present invention has already developed a system in which a captured video can be viewed from a client by connecting to a remote camera server (device for controlling the camera and transferring the captured video to the client) via an existing network. Several applications have been filed.
[0003]
The camera server has a form in which a general-purpose device such as a personal computer or a workstation is used, a card (or board) having a video capture function is attached thereto, and a video camera is connected to the card. In addition, in order to enable the client to control the camera angle (pan, tilt, zoom, etc.) of the camera server, the camera device can change the zoom value, and the camera device is mounted on a predetermined pan head. There is also a proposal to output a signal for controlling the angle from the camera server main body to the camera device via a predetermined interface (for example, a serial interface that a personal computer has as a standard).
[0004]
On the other hand, the client is also composed of a general-purpose device such as a personal computer or a workstation.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above proposal, even though it is possible to confirm a video shot by a remote camera, information on the displayed individual object is not obtained more than the video of the object.
[0006]
The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a video control apparatus, a control method, and a storage medium that make it possible to confirm details of an object in a video.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
  In order to solve this problem, for example, the video control apparatus of the present invention has the following configuration. That is,
  From a remote clientControl of cameras received over the networkEntered as requestedFrom the camerathe imageThe requester via the networkA video control device that transfers data to a client,
  A position indicating the position of each of a plurality of network devices connected to the networkStorage means for storing information;
  Camera control means for controlling the camera according to the requested angle when receiving a control request for the camera angle from the client;
  A determination unit for determining which network device is included in the field of view of the camera based on the position information of each network device stored in the storage unit when the camera control unit controls the angle of the camera; ,
  When the determination unit determines that a network device is included in the field of view of the camera, an acquisition unit that acquires first information about the corresponding network device;
  Based on the angle control request from the client, calculate the position of the network device in the field of view of the camera, in the vicinity of the calculated position in the captured image obtained by the control of the camera control means, An image indicating the acquired first information is superimposed, and the superimposed image is displayed.First transfer control means for incorporating the predetermined information and transferring the image so that the instruction request information is returned when there is a predetermined instruction on the client side;
  From the clientSaidRequest for instructionsReturn of informationIf there isRespond to the predetermined informationRequest for instructionsinformationin accordance with,A second relating to the network device that is the target of superimposition by the first transfer control means;A second forwarding information to the clienttransferControl means.
[0008]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, before explaining an example of an embodiment concerning the present invention in detail, the premise part is explained. Thereafter, the embodiment will be described.
[0009]
<Overview>
Proposal that allows the client side to view the video of the camera connected to the remote camera server via the existing network and control the angle (pan, tilt, zoom value, etc.) from the client side As described above, the present applicant has proposed.
[0010]
One of the main features of this proposal is that a general-purpose network (Internet) protocol is used instead of a publicly known surveillance camera, and the camera is controlled within the protocol.
[0011]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the camera server apparatus, which is configured by the following units. Reference numeral 1003 denotes a camera capable of controlling camera angles, shooting conditions, and the like. Reference numeral 1001 denotes a control device that controls the camera 1003 in response to an instruction from the external apparatus 1002 and responds to shot images, and is realized based on, for example, a personal computer. The control device 1001 outputs a control signal to the camera 1003 via an RS-232C interface and the like, a camera control unit 1017 that controls the camera angle, a video input unit 1018 that inputs a captured video of the camera 1003 with an image capture device, and the network It has a communication interface unit 1011 for exchanging information between this apparatus and another apparatus using an adapter or the like. And in addition to these resources, it implement | achieves as a program and memory data using each resource, such as CPU of a computer, a memory | storage device, and an auxiliary memory device, and has the following parts.
[0012]
That is, 1012 is a command interpretation unit, 1013 is a reception code generation unit, 1015 is a time limit unit, 1019 is an image storage unit, and 1014 is a reservation registration unit (which will be apparent from the description below).
[0013]
The external device 1002 is, for example, a WWW server or a WWW browser. When the external device 1002 is a WWW server, this device is placed under the management of the WWW server, and the WWW browser (client) sends the document data and image data to the WWW server. The information is presented according to the URL L indicating the storage location of the target data. In response to this, the WWW server returns corresponding document data and image data to the WWW browser.
[0014]
If the external device 1002 is a WWW browser, it may be interpreted that the functions of the WWW server are incorporated in the present device.
[0015]
However, in order to simplify the explanation, the external device 1002 is a WWW server and communicates with them using the HTTP protocol, and the control device 1001 of this configuration example functions as a WWW server in the application of video data. An example will be described. This can be realized by using the communication method of the WWW server also in this control apparatus.
[0016]
It is well known that the following description is generally used when pasting image data into a WWW document.
[0017]
<img src = "http://www.foo.co.jp/image001.gif">
This means that the image data stored in the file image001.gif in the WWW server www.foo.co.jp is transferred, but the file name portion in the subsequent stage is interpreted as a command.
[0018]
As an example, pan, tilt, and zoom that specify a camera angle are indicated by alphabetic characters “P”, “T”, and “Z”, respectively, and then each control amount is represented by a number. For example, with respect to a server having a camera capable of selecting eight stages of -50 degrees to 50 degrees, tilt angle of -20 degrees to 20 degrees, and zoom from 1 to 8, the pan angle is 20 degrees and the tilt is 5 degrees. If you want to take a picture at 2x zoom and paste it as gif-format image data (you want it to be transferred), write it as follows. Note that the network address of this device is cam.foo.co.jp.
[0019]
<img src = "http://www.foo.co.jp/P20T5Z2.gif">
When there is an HTML document description as described above, the external device 1002 which is a WWW browser makes a request for image data to the control device 1001. That is, when a request is input to the control device 1001 via the communication interface unit 1011, the command interpretation unit 1012 is activated, and the interpretation of the request and processing of a response to the request are started.
[0020]
An example of the process is shown in the flowchart of FIG. First, in step S101, a command described as a file name is interpreted. That is, if the head of the request is “P”, it is recognized as a shooting command, and the process proceeds to step S102. Here, the camera is operated with the specified pan, tilt, and zoom values via the camera control unit 1017 (step S102), and the captured image is converted into the image format of the specified method, and the communication interface unit A response is made to the requesting external device 1002 via 1011.
[0021]
At this time, since the communication interface unit 1011 uses the HTTP protocol, content type information, status information, and the like corresponding to the image format are added to the head. Then, this process ends.
[0022]
As a result, an image captured as if it were image data stored in a file of the WWW server is pasted and displayed on the HTML document.
[0023]
In the condition determination in step S101, if the head of the request is “R”, it is recognized as a reservation command, and the process proceeds to step S105 via the condition determination in step S104.
[0024]
The reservation command is a service for reserving the capture of the captured video and transferring the captured video to the client later. In this case, it begins with the letter “R”, followed by a year, month, day, hour, and minute each represented by an integer, separated by a period. Then, pan / tilt / zoom instructions that are photographing conditions follow, and finally a name representing the image format is given.
[0025]
For example, if you want to make a reservation for shooting a 3x zoom video with a pan angle of 25 degrees and a tilt angle of 0 degrees at 13:15 on July 6, 1996, the following description is used.
[0026]
<img src = "http://www.foo.co.jp/R1996.7.6.13.15P25T0Z3.gif">
When the reservation command as described above is designated, the camera server transfers a unique identification number as a reception code from the reception code generation unit 1013 to the external apparatus 1002 in step S105. The external device 1002 that has received the information can later transfer the reception code to the camera server to capture the reserved and photographed video. The reception code may be realized, for example, as a counter that is incremented by 1 for each generation request, or may be realized by a numerical value that represents the time of the requested date.
[0027]
Then, the reception code, reservation time, shooting conditions, and image format information are registered in the reservation registration unit 1014 (step S106), and the reception code is returned to the requesting external device 1002 via the communication interface unit 1011 (step S106). S107).
[0028]
Also at this time, content type information and status information indicating that the response content is a reception code are added to the head. Then, this process ends.
[0029]
If you simply create an HTML document that includes such a shooting reservation and try to display it with a general WWW browser, the reception code will return instead of the image data. Although it is not displayed, the reservation reservation is made to the control device 1001 by the same method as the WWW browser by the CGI program of the WWW server, and when the reception code is obtained, the reception code is designated by an image retrieval command described later. If an HTML document including an image data description is generated, when the generated document is displayed on a WWW browser, photographing is performed as reserved and the image data is displayed.
[0030]
The retrieval command starts with the letter “G”, followed by a reception code, and finally has a name indicating the image format. This reception code is returned when a reservation is made to the external apparatus 1002.
[0031]
For example, when “12543” is returned as an acceptance code, the following description is used when an image reserved for shooting is taken out after shooting.
[0032]
<img src = "http://www.foo.co.jp/G12543.gif">
The reservation registration unit 1014 can be realized in the storage device or auxiliary storage device of the control device 1001 in the form of a table as shown in FIG. 3, for example. For example, in the case of the above reservation example, when the reception code is “12543”, it is recorded as in the first column.
[0033]
When the reservation registration is completed, a time-limit unit, which will be described later, performs photographing as instructed at the reserved time, and image data is held in the image storage unit 1019.
[0034]
The image storage unit 1019 can be realized in the storage device or auxiliary storage device of the control device 1001 in the form of a table as shown in FIG. 4, for example. For example, the photographing result of the above reservation example is recorded as image data according to the designated format, together with the reception code and the image format information, as in the first column.
[0035]
In the condition determination in step S101, if the head of the request is “G”, it is recognized as an image extraction command, and the process proceeds to step S109 via the condition determination in steps S104 and S108, and is stored in the image storage unit 1019. Search for data.
[0036]
Then, it is determined whether or not it is stored with the same value as the reception code described as the image retrieval command (step S110). If registered, the image data is retrieved, and the request source is retrieved via the communication interface unit 1011. To the external device 1002.
[0037]
At this time, since the communication interface unit 1011 uses the HTTP protocol, content type information, status information, and the like corresponding to the image format are added to the head (step S111). In step S112, the column of the image storage unit 1019 in which the image data just extracted is stored is deleted. Then, this process ends.
[0038]
If it is determined in step S110 that image data corresponding to the designated reception code is not stored, error information indicating that the target image has not been captured is returned to the requesting external device 1002 via the communication interface unit 1011 and The process ends.
[0039]
If the head of the request from the external device 1002 is not “G” in step S108, error information indicating an undefined command is returned to the requesting external device 1002 via the communication interface unit 1011. Exit.
[0040]
As described above, information is exchanged between the external device 1002 and the control device 1001 of the present invention.
[0041]
Next, the time limit unit 1015 that performs camera control, shooting, and storage of shooting results based on reservation data registered in the reservation registration unit 1014 will be described.
[0042]
In the time limit unit 1015, a time limit program is started at regular time intervals, for example, every one minute. This can be realized by using a timer of a computer. The operation of the timed program will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
[0043]
First, the current time is read from the timer of the control device 1001 (step S201), and the process proceeds to step S202. In step S202, the reservation items registered one column at a time are extracted from the reservation registration unit 1014. If it is determined in step S203 that all the items have been extracted, the process ends. If the reserved item has been extracted, the process proceeds to step S204. When the set time in the target reservation item is in the future from the current time, the process returns to step S202 and the process is repeated. Otherwise, it is determined that the set time has come, the process proceeds to step S205, and the camera 1003 is controlled via the camera control unit 1017 according to the shooting condition of the retrieved reservation item, and shooting is performed. Then, the photographed image is converted into the image format of the method specified by the reservation item, and this image data is stored in the image storage unit 1019 together with the reception code and the image format information (step S206). Subsequently, the currently retrieved reservation item is deleted from the reservation registration unit 1014 (step S207), and the process returns to step S202 to repeat the process.
[0044]
As a result, photographing is performed as scheduled, the result is stored, and when an image retrieval command is requested from the external device 1002 later, this image data is returned.
[0045]
As described above, simply connecting the camera control device to the network of the WWW system and describing the URL of the camera control device address plus the description of the shooting conditions of the camera as the source of the image data makes it easy to connect a remote camera. It becomes possible to paste the operated live image (that is, the current video) into the WWW document. In order to realize only this, each of the reception code unit 1013, the time limit unit 1015, the image storage unit 1019, and the reservation registration unit 1014 is unnecessary, and the steps after step S104 of the command interpretation unit 1012 are unnecessary. .
[0046]
In addition, by providing a time limit unit 1015, an image storage unit 1019, and a reservation registration unit 1014, if a CGI program of a WWW server is used, a camera shooting is reserved, and the result is later displayed on a WWW page for display. It becomes possible to do. In particular, even if you try to shoot with a remote camera in a time zone where the network is congested, it takes time to transfer the image and you cannot collect image data as you think, but according to this configuration example, Reservation is made in advance for a necessary time at a specific camera angle, and the accumulated image data can be taken out and used when the network is exhausted at night or the like.
[0047]
In particular, it is possible to take a plurality of images at the same camera angle at short intervals regardless of the transmission capacity of the network.
[0048]
Of course, the interface with the external device 1002 has been described as the HTTP protocol here, but any communication interface may be used.
[0049]
In this configuration example, the reception code is used to identify the shooting data for the reservation. However, without using the reception code generation unit, a unique request number is generated on the external device 1002 side that requests an image, and the reservation is generated. A request may be made as a part of the command, and the control device may use a method of identifying target image data by a combination of the external device 1002 and the request number.
[0050]
In addition, although the reservation time is in minutes, it may be extended to seconds or milliseconds.
[0051]
In addition, although gif is given as an example of the image format, JPEG may be expressed by a file extension of jpg, and either of them may be switched, or other file formats may be adopted.
[0052]
Further, although the file name is regarded as a command, a URL parameter description may be used. For example, when the pan, tilt, zoom, and image format are 25 degrees, 5 degrees, 2 times, and gif, respectively, the following description may be made.
[0053]
<img src = "http://cam.foo.co.jp/cameraimage?P=20,T=5,Z=2,F=gif">
Moreover, you may mount a WWW server simultaneously in this control apparatus. In that case, for example, it can be realized by giving the name camctl.exe to the program of the command interpretation unit 1012 as the CGI program of the WWW server and performing the following description.
[0054]
<img src = "http://cam.foo.co.jp/cgi-bin/camctl.exe?P=20,T=5,Z=2,F=gif">
<Second example>
In the above configuration example (first example), only one image can be reserved for shooting at a time. In this configuration example (second example), a file extension representing the image format is added to the file name formed by combining a plurality of reservation commands with “+” to reserve a plurality of times and camera angles at a time. enable.
[0055]
For example, when shooting at 3 times zoom with a pan angle of 25 degrees and a tilt angle of 0 degrees at 13:15, 30, 30 and 45 minutes on July 6, 1996, and taking out three images in gif format later, Write like this.
[0056]
<img src = "http://www.foo.co.jp/R1996.7.6.13.15P25T0Z3+R1996.7.6.13.30P25T0Z3+R1996.7.6.13.45P25T0Z3.gif">
Here, the character string enclosed by ““ ”and“ “” may be displayed over two or more lines, but the actual description is described in one line that does not include line breaks.
[0057]
If the date and time are the same or the camera angles are the same, they may be omitted. In that case, the same reservation as above can be described as follows.
[0058]
<img src = "http://www.foo.co.jp/R1996.7.6.13.15P25T0Z3+R....30+R....45.gif">
The second example is the same as the first example except for the following changes.
[0059]
That is, the command interpreting unit 1012 can interpret the above description in step S106, step S111, and step S112 of the program.
[0060]
That is, in step S106, the requested command is not limited to one, but is analyzed as a plurality of reserved commands combined with “+”, and the reservation code generated in step S105 is the same as the image format information. The reservation time and shooting conditions specified by the reservation command are registered in the reservation registration unit 1014 as a plurality of reservations.
[0061]
On the other hand, in step S111, a plurality of pieces of image data registered with the same reservation code are taken out, reformatted as one piece of image data including a plurality of pieces of image data, and the request source is transmitted via the communication interface unit 1011. It returns to the external device 1002. Also at this time, since the communication interface unit 1011 uses the HTTP protocol, content type information, status information, and the like corresponding to the image format are added to the head.
[0062]
In step S112, the column of the image storage unit 1019 corresponding to each of the plurality of extracted image data is deleted.
[0063]
By configuring as described above, many reservations can be made at one time, and it is possible to handle them collectively as one image data composed of a plurality of images, and a plurality of receptions corresponding to each image data. Saves you the trouble of managing your code.
[0064]
Further, when applied to intermittent photography such as plant growth recording, it is possible to handle a plurality of photographed images as a pseudo moving image that is stored in one image data.
[0065]
<Third example>
In the second example, even when intermittent shooting is performed with the same camera angle at the same time interval, it is necessary to connect and designate reservation commands as many as the number of shooting. In the third example, the end time and the intermittent time are added immediately after the time designation of the reservation command, and then the photographing conditions such as the camera angle and the image format are designated. For the end time, specify the time following “t”, and for the intermittent time, specify the time in minutes following “e”.
[0066]
For example, on July 6, 1996 at 13:15, 30, and 45 minutes (that is, every 15 minutes), a pan angle of 25 degrees and a tilt angle of 0 degrees were taken with a 3x zoom, and three images in gif format. When it is taken out later, it is described as follows.
[0067]
<img src = "http://www.foo.co.jp/R1996.7.6.13.15t1996.7.6.13.45e15P25T0Z3.gif">
Here, the character string enclosed by ““ ”and“ “” may be displayed over two or more lines, but the actual description is described in one line that does not include line breaks.
[0068]
Of course, in this case, if the date and time of the end time are the same, it may be omitted. In that case, the same reservation as above can be described as follows.
[0069]
<img src = "http://www.foo.co.jp/R1996.7.6.13.15t....45e15P25T0Z3.gif">
The basic configuration of the third example is the same as that of the first example except for the following changes.
[0070]
That is, the command interpreting unit 1012 is capable of interpreting the above description in step S106, step S111, and step S112 of the program.
[0071]
However, the reservation registration unit 1014 at this time needs to have the configuration of the management table as shown in FIG. That is, as shown in the figure, the item of intermittent time is required.
[0072]
In step S106, if the requested reservation command has an end time and an intermittent time, the reservation time is registered in the reservation registration unit 1014 together with the reception code, the shooting condition, and the image format as the shooting time. If the requested reservation command is a simple reservation and does not have an end time and an intermittent time, the end time is set to be the same as the photographing time and the intermittent time is set to 1.
[0073]
In step S111, a plurality of pieces of image data registered with the same reservation code are taken out, reformatted as one piece of image data including a plurality of pieces of image data, and sent from the request source via the communication interface unit 1011. It returns to the external device 1002.
Also at this time, since the communication interface unit 1011 uses the HTTP protocol, content type information, status information, and the like corresponding to the image format are added to the head. In step S112, the column of the image storage unit 1019 corresponding to each of the extracted image data is deleted.
[0074]
On the other hand, in step S3207, the time limit unit 3015 adds the intermittent time of the retrieved reservation item to the shooting time, updates the registered reservation information, and if the shooting time is later than the end time, this item is set. And deleted from the reservation registration unit 2014.
[0075]
With the configuration described above, intermittent photographs can be easily taken with a short command.
[0076]
In particular, when taking intermittent photographs over a long period of time, in the case of the method as in the second example, the command is very long, and in many cases it cannot be practically realized. This can be realized if the storage capacity of the storage device for storing data is sufficient.
[0077]
<Fourth example>
In the third example, the result of intermittent shooting is taken out as a plurality of still image data. However, in this configuration example, a form of taking out as moving image data is also added.
[0078]
When extracting as video data, set the file extension to “mpg”. For example, it is described as follows.
[0079]
<img src = "http://www.foo.co.jp/R1996.7.6.13.15t....45P25T0Z3.mpg">
The basic configuration of this configuration example is as shown in FIG. This is the same as the third example except for the following changes. That is, a moving image compression unit 2021 such as an MPEG1 compression device is added, and a command interpretation unit 3012 can interpret and execute the command.
[0080]
For example, at step S111, if the image format designation is a still image format such as jpg or gif, a plurality of image data registered with the same reservation code is extracted, and a new one containing a plurality of image data is included. The image data is re-formatted as image data and is returned to the requesting external device 1002 via the communication interface unit 1011. If the image format is specified as mpg, a plurality of image data registered with the same reservation code is taken out, each image is restored, delivered to the moving image compression unit 2021, and compressed, and the resulting moving image Data is returned to the requesting external device 1002 via the communication interface unit 1011.
[0081]
Also at this time, since the communication interface unit 1011 uses the HTTP protocol, content type information, status information, and the like corresponding to the image format are added to the head.
With the configuration as described above, compression using the relationship between image frames is performed, and particularly in intermittent photographs that do not change so much, image data is greatly compressed. The amount of communication can be reduced, and the communication time can be greatly shortened.
[0082]
<Fifth example>
In the third example, the camera angles to be photographed are the same. However, in the fifth example, the definition of the control variable is added immediately before the time designation of the reservation command, the time designation is performed thereafter, and then the camera is designated. Enables repeated shooting with specified shooting conditions such as angle and image format. It tries to be able to specify the reference of the control variable in the time specification and shooting conditions.
[0083]
The definition of the control variable is
It begins with "$ (", has a definition body, and ends with ")".
[0084]
There are two ways to write the definition body. One is a method of specifying an initial value, a closing price, and an increment, and it is further divided into two writing methods depending on whether the increment is positive or negative. Another format is to write down all the values of control variables.
[0085]
Ie
$ (<Control variable> = initial value, upto closing price, up increment)
$ (<Control variable> = initial value, downto closing price, down increment)
Or
$ (<Control variable> = value 1, value 2, value 3, value 4, ... value n)
It is.
[0086]
Here, <control variable> is a character string consisting of one or more English characters and is an identifier of the control variable.
[0087]
Control variable references are
It begins with "$ (", has a reference body, and ends with ")". The reference body is a four-rule arithmetic expression including control variables.
[0088]
For example, when it was 13:15 on July 6, 1996
3x zoom with 25 ° pan angle and 0 ° tilt angle
3x zoom with 30 ° pan angle and 0 ° tilt angle
3x zoom with a pan angle of 35 degrees and a tilt angle of 0 degrees,
If you take a picture with (and actually change the angle, there will be a time lag between them), and if you take out three images later in the gif format, you would write:
[0089]
"http://www.foo.co.jp/R$(pan=25,upto35,up5)1996.7.6.13.15P$(pan)T0Z3.gif"
Or
"http://www.foo.co.jp/R$(pan=0,upto10,up5)1996.7.6.13.15P$(pan+25)T0Z3.gif"
Or
"http://www.foo.co.jp/R$(pan=35,downto25,down5)1996.7.6.13.15P$(pan)T0Z3.gif"
Or
"http://www.foo.co.jp/R$(pan=25,30,35)1996.7.6.13.15P$(pan)T0Z3.gif"
Here, the character string enclosed by ““ ”and“ “” may be displayed over two or more lines, but the actual description is described in one line that does not include line breaks.
[0090]
This configuration example is different from the second example in that the above description can be interpreted in the command interpretation unit 2012, but the others are the same.
[0091]
For example, the inside of step S106 is shown in FIG.
[0092]
If the character next to “R” is $, this is the definition of a control variable, so that it becomes the reserved command of the fifth example. In step S501, one control variable definition starting with “$ (” and ending with “)” is acquired, and it is checked in step S502 whether all definitions have been extracted. After all the control variable definitions are extracted, the initial value is bound to the control variable in step S503.
[0093]
In step S504, the remaining part of the command is scanned to search for control variable references beginning with "$ (" and ending with ")", and all references are replaced with bound values. In step S506, the character string obtained as a result is analyzed as a reservation command for the repeated shooting described above. The conditions are registered in the reservation registration unit 1014 as a plurality of reservations. This is repeated until all control variables are closed.
[0094]
With the configuration described above, intermittent photographs with different camera angles can be easily taken with a short command.
[0095]
In the explanation, only one control variable definition is used, but a plurality of definitions can be written. In this case, the definitions are interpreted as nested.
[0096]
In this configuration example, the introduction of the repetitive syntax has been described, but in the same manner, syntax such as a condition determination syntax, variable definition, variable assignment, and four arithmetic operations can be introduced.
[0097]
That is, the command interpreter can be realized as a program interpreter, and the contents of the URL can be regarded as a program and held for interpretation. In this way, complicated camera control and the like can be automatically executed.
[0098]
<Sixth example>
In the fifth example, all camera angle designations for shooting must be described in the same URL. In the sixth example, a part of the reservation command can be separately registered as a macro library. An example will be described in which data describing the time designation and shooting conditions is stored in an external device.
[0099]
For the sake of explanation, for example, it is assumed that shooting is performed in order from 13:00 on July 6, 1996 to the following camera angles in order every minute.
[0100]
3x zoom with 25 ° pan angle and 0 ° tilt angle
3x zoom with 30 ° pan angle and 0 ° tilt angle
3x zoom with a pan angle of 35 degrees and a tilt angle of 0 degrees,
4x zoom with a pan angle of 35 degrees and a tilt angle of 1 degree,
4x zoom with a pan angle of 30 degrees and a tilt angle of 2 degrees,
5x zoom with a pan angle of 35 degrees and a tilt angle of 3 degrees
5x zoom with a pan angle of 35 degrees and a tilt angle of 4 degrees
6x zoom with a pan angle of 35 degrees and a tilt angle of 5 degrees
7x zoom with a pan angle of 35 degrees and a tilt angle of 5 degrees,
8x zoom with a pan angle of 35 degrees and a tilt angle of 5 degrees
A command for instructing this is sent to the second external device.
http://www.bar.co.jp/camcon-a.ctl
Store it in.
[0101]
This is, for example, as follows.
[0102]
R1996.7.6.13.0P25T0Z3 + R1996.7.6.13.1P30T0Z3 + R1996.7.6.13.2P35T0Z3 + R1996.7.6.13.3P35T1Z4 + R1996.7.6.13.4P35T2Z4 + R1996.7.6.13.5P35T3Z5 + R1996.7.6.13.6P35T4Z5 + .7.6.13.3P35T5Z6 + R1996.7.6.13.4P35T5Z7 + R1996.7.6.13.3P35T5Z8.gif
A command given to the control device to use this is an external reference command that starts with “% 23 (”, continues with the URL, and ends with “)”. An example is as follows.
[0103]
"http://www.foo.co.jp/%23(httpd%3e//www.bar.co.jp/camcon-a.ctl)"
In this case, www.bar.co.jp corresponds to the second external device. That is, it means that the camera server www.foo.co.jp is requested to control according to the contents described in www.bar.co.jp/camcon-a.ctl. In camcon-a.ctl, the above description of “R1996...” is stored.
[0104]
The sixth example is shown in FIG. Compared to the fifth example, the command interpretation unit 6012 is different in that the command can be interpreted, and the others are substantially the same.
[0105]
The operation of the command interpretation unit 6012 will be described with reference to FIG.
[0106]
In step S621, the command described as the file name is interpreted. If the head of the request is “% 23”, it is recognized as an external reference command, and the process proceeds to step S622. In step S622, the part between “(” and “)” is regarded as a specified URL of the file in which the command is described and stored, and a request is sent according to the URL. In the above example, a request is issued to the second external device 1004. In step S623, a response is awaited.
[0107]
As a response, for example, a long reservation command as described above is returned.
The external reference command interpreted here is expanded and replaced so that it can be applied to subsequent command interpretation (step S624). Then, the process proceeds to step S101.
[0108]
If it is determined in step S621 that the command is not an external reference command, the process proceeds to step S101.
[0109]
Since the process after step S101 is the same as FIG. 2 used when the description of the first example is performed, the description is omitted. In addition, the extension from the second example to the fifth example can be applied similarly.
[0110]
With the configuration as described above, it is possible to easily take a complicated time reservation and intermittent photographs with complicated camera angle changes with a short command.
[0111]
Here, for the sake of explanation, the control device and the external device have been described as different devices, but the two devices may be the same. In that case, the URL could be described as follows:
[0112]
"http://www.foo.co.jp/%23(httpd%3e//www.foo.co.jp/camcon-a.ctl)"
Or
"http://www.foo.co.jp/%23(camcon-a.ctl)"
Of course, if the command is stored in the external device that makes the request first, the address may be used. At that time, the second external device is unnecessary.
[0113]
<Description of Embodiment>
As described above, in the first to sixth examples, various description methods can be used, and although raw images and reserved and photographed images can be viewed with a WWW browser, more than that can be used. It is impossible to obtain information, that is, more detailed information (additional information) of a desired object in the displayed video. Therefore, this embodiment enables this.
[0114]
In order to simplify the explanation, in the present embodiment, a case will be described in which a device serving as a camera server and a client are provided on a network installed in the company. Of course, there may be a plurality of camera servers and clients.
[0115]
In general, when a network is constructed, various servers can be installed there. In particular, in recent years, attempts have been made to construct an integrated system by connecting apparatuses that have been used as stand-alone until now, such as copiers and facsimile machines, to the network.
[0116]
When a network is constructed and printing is performed by, for example, a remote print server, output of print data is completed in a very short time from the viewpoint of the client. This is because the print server spools the print data. Since the print server can receive print data from any number of clients, the print data is output to the printer in the spooled order.
[0117]
The problem here is when the print server is not in close proximity to the client. When several clients perform printing at the same time, the print data is queued, and it is often the case that another print is still performed as a result of collecting the print results. .
[0118]
In this embodiment, when a remote camera is controlled and a target printer is seen within its field of view, the status of the printer is added to the camera video as additional information and transferred to the client. It also makes it possible.
[0119]
FIG. 11 is a block diagram of the server according to the embodiment, which includes the following units.
[0120]
Reference numeral 1003 denotes a camera capable of controlling camera angles, shooting conditions, and the like. Reference numeral 1001 denotes a control device that controls the camera 1003 in response to an instruction from the external apparatus 1002 and responds to shot images, and is realized based on, for example, a personal computer.
[0121]
The control device 1001 further includes a camera control unit 1017 that controls the camera 1003 with an RS-232C interface, a video input unit 1018 that inputs a captured video of the camera 1003 with an image capture device, a network adapter, and the like. Have a communication interface unit 1011 for exchanging information, and in addition to these resources, the following units realized as programs and memory data using each resource such as a computer CPU, storage device and auxiliary storage device Have
[0122]
That is, 1012 command interpretation unit, 1013 reception code generation unit, 1015 time limit unit, 1019 image storage unit, 1014 reservation registration unit, and video processing for processing video obtained from video input unit 1018 as necessary. Part 7020. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the anchor generation means 7031 for generating an anchor to be clicked (instructed) by the user with a pointing device such as a mouse on the display screen of the client, interprets the clicked anchor information. Anchor interpreting means 7032.
[0123]
The external device 1002 is, for example, a WWW server or a WWW browser, and performs communication using the HTTP protocol between them. That is, the WWW browser presents the information to the WWW server, which is the storage location of the document data and image data, according to the URL indicating the storage location of the target data. In response to this, the WWW server returns corresponding document data and image data to the WWW browser.
[0124]
The copier system 1007 is a copier provided with a network interface, and responds with status information of the copier at that time in response to a status information request via communication. For example, if the copier's identifier (name) is "copier_445" and printing is in progress when a status information request is received, the response including the print progress and print settings is returned as follows: To do.
[0125]
("copier_445" client: Kurosawa printing "80%" "1 copy, 23 pages, duplex"
"http: //www.foo.co,jp/netdevices/copier_445/snmp.html")
Here, “client: Kurosawa” is a client name (or ID) on the network that is the transmission source of the job currently being printed. However, kurosawa, “1 copy”, “double-sided”, and the like of the print request source depend on the print job, and “80%”, “page 23”, and the like change with time. The item of information to be returned is not limited to this, and any information may be used. For example, when there is no recording paper and recording is not possible, a message to that effect is returned.
[0126]
The copier system 1007 also functions as a normal printer or image scanner. Further, since it is impossible to return the above-mentioned state unless the total number of pages of one print job is known, a large-capacity hard disk or the like that can queue the print job is provided in the copier system 1007. An external storage device is provided. Further, when the copying machine system 1007 is constituted by a single copying machine, the external storage device described above is required. When configured, the general-purpose device manages individual jobs. Therefore, the function for managing this job is possible if there is an external storage device and a program for performing the processing, and may be provided in the apparatus 1001.
[0127]
In this configuration example, the communication interface 1011 uses a method realized by a WWW server. That is, communication is performed using the HTTP protocol, and the control device 1001 of this configuration example behaves as if it is a WWW server in the application of video data. This can be realized by using the communication method of the WWW server also in this control apparatus.
[0128]
<Explanation of procedure>
The external device 1002 requests video information by issuing the following description according to the first to sixth examples described above.
[0129]
$ (pan = 0, upto180, up10) P $ (pan) T0Z2
Here, the address of the control device 1001 corresponding to the camera 1001 requesting the video (assuming “camera_122”) is “www.camera122.foo.co.jp”, and the time zone for requesting the video is “1996”. Assuming 1:18 pm at 1 minute interval from 1:00 pm on November 11, 2011, the above request is described as follows. In practice, this is described on a single line.
[0130]
http://www.camera122.foo.co.jp/R$(pan=0,upto180,up10)1996.11.11.13.0t1996.11.11.13.18e1$(pan)T0Z2.mpg
On the other hand, the camera control device 1001 operates as follows.
[0131]
As for the given control information, as in the first to sixth examples described above, the camera is operated in accordance with it and the video information is photographed. However, when it is determined that a device such as a copying machine is within the field of view (a management table of angle information in which the copying machine exists is stored in a predetermined storage device in advance) The device is inquired about the current situation, and the description of the information is used as an anchor to compose the image captured by the camera.
[0132]
For the management for determining whether to enter the field of view, for example, a management table as shown in FIG. 17 is stored in a predetermined storage device (for example, a hard disk device or the like) and used. In this table, the first column indicates a management target (address or ID on the network) such as a copying machine or a printer. The second column shows the position where the device is located. In this example, the floor is designated indoors where the device is placed and designated by three-dimensional coordinates (unit centimeter) within the floor. The third column shows the size of the device (unit centimeter). For example, the first line shows that the device with the identifier “printer_231” is 300 centimeters in the north-south direction, 450 centimeters in the east-west direction, and 100 It is placed at a centimeter, and its size means 30 centimeters long, 80 centimeters wide, and 75 centimeters deep.
[0133]
Specifically, the command interpretation unit is expanded as described below, and video addition means 7020, anchor generation means 7031, and anchor interpretation means 7032 are added and added accordingly. This will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
[0134]
First, in step S701, the control content is interpreted as follows to predict the field of view.
[0135]
First, a control item to be executed is extracted according to the control syntax of the control information. Next, the obtained control items are interpreted, the field of view when the control content is given to the camera 1003 is predicted, and whether or not a device such as a copier registered in the management table 11 is included in the field of view. judge.
[0136]
As a result of the determination, if it falls within the field of view, it communicates with the target device and obtains state information 7021. The state information 7021 is as follows, for example.
[0137]
("copier_445" client: Kurosawa printing "80%" "1 copy, 23 pages, duplex")
In step S101, the command described as the file name is interpreted. That is, if the head of the request is “P”, it is recognized as a shooting command, and the process proceeds to step S102. Here, the camera is operated with the specified pan, tilt, and zoom values via the camera control unit 1017 (S102), and the captured image is converted into the image format of the specified method.
[0138]
Thereafter, in step S702, video composition is performed. That is, the position in the video of the target device is calculated from the control information at the time of shooting the video, and an image based on the status information 7021 obtained by the previous communication is generated in the vicinity of the target device in the video. Combine the shot video with the image. The synthesis result is, for example, as shown in FIG.
[0139]
Then, it progresses to step Sstep S802 and an anchor is produced | generated. Here, a combination similar to the image map of the clickable map method generally used on the www can be used. That is, after setting the anchor interpretation means 7032 as the interpretation means when the target video is clicked,
<a href="http://www.xxx.co.jp/cgi-bin/imagemap/camera122.map">
<embed SRC = camera122.wvp.width = 290 height = 179> </ embed>
</a>
The above-mentioned video composite area is added to the management information file of the clickable map, and a “copier management page” obtained by communication with the target device is set as the link destination.
[0140]
Specifically, using the status information 7021 obtained by communication, link information of this “copier management page” is displayed.
http://www.foo.co.jp/netdevices/copier_445/snmp.html
And the area where the state information is combined (relative position in the image) is a rectangle whose upper left and lower right vertices are <15, 8> and <135, 39>, respectively, clickable map management information You can enter the following information.
[0141]
rect http://www.foo.co.jp/netdevices/copier_445/snmp.html 15,8 135,39
Thereafter, the composite result is returned to the requesting external device 1002 via the communication interface unit 1011 (step S103).
[0142]
At this time, since the communication interface unit 1011 uses the HTTP protocol, content type information, status information, and the like corresponding to the image format are added to the head. Then, this process ends.
[0143]
By doing so, the captured image is displayed as if it were image data stored in the file of the WWW server in the HTML document displayed on the client side, and When the user clicks on the combined portion with a mouse or the like, the display is switched to this “copier management page”.
[0144]
For example, if the file www.foo.co.jp/netdevices/copier_445/snmp.html is a hypertext file as shown in FIG. 19 (shown in a format that can be seen by a browser in the figure), When the client user clicks in the vicinity of the copier, the contents shown in FIG.
[0145]
In the condition determination in step S101, if the head of the request is “R”, it is recognized as a reservation command, and the process proceeds to step S105 via the condition determination in step S104. The reservation command is as described above. It starts with the letter “R”, and represents the year, month, day, hour, and minute as integers, followed by a period, and then the shooting conditions. A certain pan / tilt / zoom instruction follows, and finally a name representing the image format is given. For example, if you want to make a reservation for shooting a 3x zoom video with a pan angle of 25 degrees and a tilt angle of 0 degrees at 13:15 on July 6, 1996, the following description is used.
[0146]
<img src = "http://www.foo.co.jp/R1996.7.6.13.15P25T0Z3.gif">
When the reservation command as described above is designated, a unique identification number is received as a reception code from the reception code generation unit 1013 in step S105.
This may be realized, for example, as a counter that is incremented by 1 for each generation request, or may be realized by a numerical value that represents the time of the requested date.
Then, the reception code, reservation time, shooting conditions, and image format information are registered in the reservation registration unit 1014 (step S106), and the reception code is returned to the requesting external device 1002 via the communication interface unit 1011 (step S106). S107).
[0147]
Also at this time, content type information and status information indicating that the response content is a reception code are added to the head. Then, this process ends.
[0148]
If you simply create an HTML document that includes such a shooting reservation and try to display it with a general WWW browser, the reception code will return instead of the image data. Although it is not displayed, the reservation reservation is made to the control device 1001 by the same method as the WWW browser by the CGI program of the WWW server, and when the reception code is obtained, the reception code is designated by an image retrieval command described later. If an HTML document including an image data description is generated, when the generated document is displayed on a WWW browser, photographing is performed as reserved and the image data is displayed.
[0149]
Note that, as described above, the retrieval command also begins with the letter “G”, is followed by a reception code, and finally has a name representing the image format. This reception code is returned when a reservation is made to the external apparatus 1002.
[0150]
For example, when “12543” is returned as an acceptance code, the following description is used when an image reserved for shooting is taken out after shooting.
[0151]
<img src = "http://www.foo.co.jp/G12543.gif">
The reservation registration unit 1014 can be realized in the storage device or auxiliary storage device of the control device 1001 in the form of a table as shown in FIG. 3, for example.
[0152]
For example, in the case of the above reservation example, when the reception code is “12543”, it is recorded as shown in the first column of FIG.
[0153]
When the reservation registration is completed, a time-limit unit, which will be described later, performs photographing as instructed at the reserved time, and image data is held in the image storage unit 1019.
[0154]
The image storage unit 1019 can be realized, for example, in the storage device or auxiliary storage device of the control device 1001 in the form of a table as shown in FIG. For example, the photographing result of the above reservation example is recorded as image data in accordance with the designated format as shown in the first column of FIG. 4 together with the reception code and the image format information.
[0155]
In the condition determination in step S101, if the head of the request is “G”, it is recognized as an image extraction command, and the process proceeds to step S109 via the condition determination in steps S104 and S108, and is stored in the image storage unit 1019. Search for data.
[0156]
Then, it is determined whether or not it is stored with the same value as the reception code described as the image retrieval command (step S110). If registered, the image data is retrieved, and the request source is retrieved via the communication interface unit 1011. To the external device 1002. At this time, since the communication interface unit 1011 uses the HTTP protocol, content type information, status information, and the like corresponding to the image format are added to the head (step S111).
[0157]
In step S112, the image data that has just been extracted is stored.
The column of the image storage unit 1019 is deleted. Then, this process ends.
[0158]
If it is determined in step S110 that image data corresponding to the designated reception code is not stored, error information indicating that the target image has not been captured is returned to the requesting external device 1002 via the communication interface unit 1011 and The process ends.
[0159]
If the head of the request from the external device 1002 is not “G” in step S108, error information indicating an undefined command is returned to the requesting external device 1002 via the communication interface unit 1011. Exit.
[0160]
As described above, information is exchanged between the external device 1002 and the control device 1001 of the present invention.
[0161]
Next, the time limit unit 1015 that performs camera control, shooting, and storage of shooting results based on reservation data registered in the reservation registration unit 1014 will be described.
[0162]
In the time limit unit 1015, a time limit program is started at regular time intervals, for example, every one minute. This can be realized by using a timer of a computer.
[0163]
The operation of the timed program will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
[0164]
First, the current time is read from the timer of the control device 1001 (step S201), and the process proceeds to step S202. In step S202, the reservation items registered one column at a time are extracted from the reservation registration unit 1014. If it is determined in step S203 that all the items have been extracted, the process ends. If the reserved item has been extracted, the process proceeds to step S204. When the set time in the target reservation item is in the future from the current time, the process returns to step S202 and the process is repeated. Otherwise, it is determined that the set time has come, the process proceeds to step S205, and the camera 1003 is controlled via the camera control unit 1017 according to the shooting condition of the retrieved reservation item, and shooting is performed.
[0165]
Thereafter, in step S703, video composition is performed. That is, the position of the target device in the video is calculated from the control information at the time of shooting the video, and the state information 7021 obtained by communication is synthesized in the vicinity of the target device in the video. Since the synthesis result is the same as that in step S702 described above, description thereof is omitted here. Subsequently, since the anchor generation processing in step S803 is the same as that in step S802, description thereof is also omitted. The synthesis result is as shown in FIG. 14, for example.
[0166]
Then, the synthesized image is converted into the image format of the method designated by the reservation item, and this image data is stored in the image storage unit 1019 together with the reception code and the image format information (step S206). Subsequently, the currently retrieved reservation item is deleted from the reservation registration unit 1014 (step S207), and the process returns to step S202 to repeat the process.
[0167]
As a result, photographing is performed as scheduled, the result is stored, and when an image retrieval command is requested from the external device 1002 later, this image data is returned.
[0168]
As a result of the above, the client can observe the video shot by controlling the camera of the remote camera server as well as the object registered in advance (integrated copying machine in the above example) from time to time. You can check the state that changes. On the client side, when a specific position in the displayed video is clicked, if the anchor is provided there, the content information can be viewed.
[0169]
In this embodiment, an example of synthesizing the state of the copying machine has been described. However, this is not limited to the copying machine, but may be an OA device such as a facsimile or a printer, or another AV device. May be.
[0170]
In the present embodiment, an example in which only one anchor is combined in a video has been described. However, if a plurality of pieces of information are entered in the management information of the clickable map, a plurality of anchors may be expressed in one video. You can understand what you can do. For example, the following clickable map management information is prepared.
rect http://www.foo.co.jp/netdevices/copier_445/snmp.html 15,8 135,39
rect http://www.foo.co.jp/netdevices/facsimile_28/snmp.html 20,18 55,39
rect http://www.foo.co.jp/netdevices/colorprinterr_4/snmp.html 55,21 135,39
rect http://www.foo.co.jp/netdevices/printer_266/snmp.html 15,8 135,39
Further, in the embodiment, an example in which management information is accessed in a hypertext style when a device such as a copying machine is connected to the network online, a management table as shown in FIG. 18 is prepared. In this way, the information officer can be linked more directly. That is, this is a method in which the information shown in the fourth column “link destination URL” item of the management table of FIG. 18 is directly used as the link destination of the anchor.
[0171]
It can be easily understood that another program for changing the link destination item in the fourth column in FIG. 18 at any time is prepared.
[0172]
In the embodiment, the example in which the WWW URL is overlaid with the anchor has been described, but the same applies to the case in which the other hypertext anchor is overlaid.
[0173]
<Second Embodiment>
In the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the camera server placed in the office gives control information such as zoom and pan / tilt from the input device, and the camera information is combined with the control information. The point of adjusting the camera and adding added value to the projected image is the same, but the image processing unit for the image is different.
[0174]
In particular, the present embodiment is different in that, when an office image to be output includes an employee's seat and the employee is absent at a meeting or the like, the meeting room image or the like is superimposed.
[0175]
In this example, as shown in FIG. 15, instead of the image processing means 7020, the anchor generation means 7031, and the anchor interpretation means 7032 of the first embodiment, an extended image processing means 7120, an extension anchor generation means 7131, an extension anchor, respectively. By using the interpreting means 7132, it is characterized in that the anchor information is directly added to the video information and sent to the client.
[0176]
The extended video processing unit 7120 is substantially the same as the video processing unit 7020, but in addition to the video information of the synthesis result, anchor information called “anchor script” generated by the extended anchor generation unit 7131 is attached and sent to the client. The point is different.
[0177]
In addition to simple interpretation of video data, the client adds a function of interpreting an anchor script received using the extended anchor interpretation unit 7132 and searching for an appropriate link destination when a click is detected. As a method for providing the extended anchor interpretation means 7132 to the client, a technique such as a plug-in or a helper application may be used.
[0178]
Further, the extended anchor generation unit 7131 generates an appropriate anchor script from the video field of view prediction obtained as a result of interpreting the control content and the position information and link destination information of each device shown in the management table of FIG.
[0179]
Hereinafter, these operations will be described.
[0180]
In order to realize the above, steps S702 and S802 in the description of the “camera control device” of the first embodiment are changed to the following steps S702 ′ and 802 ′.
Step S702 '
First, the video is synthesized according to step S702, and then the anchor script generated by the extended anchor generation means 7131 is added to the video information.
Step S802 '
First, in the same manner as in step S701, the imaging field of view is predicted from the interpretation of the control content. Next, an anchor script as shown below is generated from the predicted field of view, the position information of each device shown in the management table of FIG. 18, and the link destination information. Here, link
“Http://www.foo.co.jp/netdevices/copier_445/snmp.html”
An anchor named a1 is generated, and it is connected to rectangular areas whose top left and bottom right vertices are <15,8> and <135,39>, respectively.
<anchors>
<a href="http://www.foo.co.jp/netdevices/copier_445/snmp.html"> a1 </a>
<embed a = a1 range = 15,8 + 135,39> </ embed>
</ anchors>.
[0181]
As described above, here, by interpreting the control information given to the video input means and predicting the video taken by the video input means in advance, the video is not limited to a simple video information service, but has a higher added value. It is characterized by creating information.
[0182]
In the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the example of synthesizing only one anchor in the video has been described. However, the anchor list is expanded to express a plurality of anchors in one video. It will be easy to understand. For example, the following anchor script can be generated.
<anchors>
<a href="http://www.foo.co.jp/netdevices/copier_445/snmp.html"> a1 </a>
<a href="http://www.foo.co.jp/netdevices/facsimile_28/snmp.html"> a2 </a>
<a href="http://www.foo.co.jp/netdevices/colorprinter_4/snmp.html"> a3 </a>
<a href="http://www.foo.co.jp/netdevices/printer_266/snmp.html"> a4 </a>
<embed a = a1 range = 5,8 + 15,19> </ embed>
<embed a = a2 range = 20,18 + 35,39> </ embed>
<embed a = a3 range = 55,21 + 135,39> </ embed>
<embed a = a4 range = 30,30 + 135,45> </ embed>
</ anchors>.
[0183]
In the anchor script described in the present embodiment, the arrangement of the anchor in the video is specified using a two-dimensional coordinate such as “range = 15,8 + 135,39”. It is also easy to specify using. For example, as shown in FIG. 16A, the first quadrant (upper right portion) in the video display area (window) divided into four is designated as “range = 1/4”. Similarly, when the video display area is divided into nine as shown in FIG. 16B, numbers are assigned in order from the upper left area, for example, the sixth area is set to “range = 6/9”. Just decide.
[0184]
Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the method of attaching anchor information to each screen in the video has been described, but it is also possible to improve efficiency by attaching anchor information for a series of scenes. For example:
<anchors>
<a href="http://www.foo.co.jp/netdevices/copier_445/snmp.html"> a1 </a>
<a href="http://www.foo.co.jp/netdevices/facsimile_28/snmp.html"> a2 </a>
<a href="http://www.foo.co.jp/netdevices/colorprinter_4/snmp.html"> a3 </a>
<a href="http://www.foo.co.jp/netdevices/printer_266/snmp.html"> a4 </a>
<embed a = a1 scene = 132714 + 50 range = 5,8 + 15,19> </ embed>
<embed a = a2 scene = 132730 + 20 range = 20,18 + 35,39> </ embed>
<embed a = a3 scene = 132720 + 40 range = 55,21 + 135,39> </ embed>
<embed a = a4 scene = 132714 + 50 range = 30,30 + 135,45> </ embed>
</ anchors>.
[0185]
In the first and second embodiments described above, the case has been described in which an object whose state changes from moment to moment (in the embodiment, a copying machine) is displayed by remote control, but the state is fixed. For a typical object, it is not necessary to be connected to a special network and the object need not be electrically operated.
[0186]
For example, when an image in the office is displayed and a desired desk is clicked, information on the owner of the desk can be displayed.
[0187]
In the first and second embodiments, for example, when an object (copier) is placed within the field of view of the camera, the state information of the object is combined with the video and displayed, and the object is clicked. Further details of the copying machine are displayed in the above, but it may be displayed when the status information and the detailed information are clicked.
[0188]
Note that the present invention can be applied to a system (for example, a copier, a facsimile machine, etc.) composed of a single device even if it is applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices (for example, a host computer, interface device, reader, printer, etc.). May be.
[0189]
Another object of the present invention is to supply a storage medium storing software program codes for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus, and the computer (or CPU or MPU) of the system or apparatus stores the storage medium. Needless to say, this can also be achieved by reading and executing the program code stored in.
[0190]
In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.
[0191]
As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a floppy disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, a ROM, or the like can be used.
[0192]
In addition, by executing the program code read by the computer, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also the OS running on the computer based on the instruction of the program code performs the actual processing. Needless to say, a case where the function of the embodiment is realized by performing part or all of the processing, is also included.
[0193]
Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written to the memory provided in the extension function board inserted in the computer or the function extension unit connected to the computer, the function extension is performed based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that the CPU or the like provided in the board or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.
[0194]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible not only to provide an object as a video, but also to provide a video service with higher added value such as providing a video that has been appropriately processed using the video as a material. become.
[0195]
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block configuration diagram of a system for explaining a premise part of an embodiment;
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing operation processing contents of a command interpretation unit in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of registration information generated by a reservation registration unit in FIG. 1;
4 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in an image storage unit in FIG. 1. FIG.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing processing contents of a time limit unit in FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of registration information generated by a reservation registration unit in the third example of the premise unit of the embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a block configuration diagram of a system in a fourth example of the premise part of the embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating processing contents of a reservation content registration unit of a fifth example of the premise unit of the embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a system in a sixth example of the premise part of the embodiment.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an operation content of a command interpretation unit 6012 in the sixth example of the premise part of the embodiment.
FIG. 11 is a block configuration diagram of a system in the first embodiment.
12 is a flowchart showing processing contents of a command interpretation unit in FIG. 11; FIG.
FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing processing contents of an eleventh time limit unit.
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of time transition of video transferred from the server in the first embodiment.
FIG. 15 is a block configuration diagram of a system according to a second embodiment.
FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining a region designating method according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 17 is a diagram showing the contents of a management table in the embodiment.
FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a modification of the contents of the management table in the embodiment.
FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of information displayed when an anchor is clicked in the embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
1001 Camera control device
1002 External device
1003 Camera
1007 Copier system
1011 Communication interface
1013 Reception code generator
1014 Reservation Registration Department
1015 time period
1017 Camera control unit
1018 Image input unit
1019 Image storage unit
7012 Command interpreter
7020 Video processing department
7021 Status information
7031 Anchor generating means
7032 Anchor analysis means

Claims (9)

A video control device for transferring an image from a camera input in accordance with a camera control request received from a remote client via a network toward the requesting client via the network ,
Storage means for storing location information indicating the location of each of a plurality of network devices connected to the network ;
Camera control means for controlling the camera according to the requested angle when receiving a control request for the camera angle from the client;
A determination unit for determining which network device is included in the field of view of the camera based on the position information of each network device stored in the storage unit when the camera control unit controls the angle of the camera; ,
When the determination unit determines that a network device is included in the field of view of the camera, an acquisition unit that acquires first information about the corresponding network device;
Based on the angle control request from the client, calculate the position of the network device in the field of view of the camera, in the vicinity of the calculated position in the captured image obtained by the control of the camera control means, The acquired image indicating the first information is superimposed, and the image is transferred by incorporating predetermined information so that the instruction request information is returned when the client side has a predetermined instruction on the superimposed image. First transfer control means for
If there is return of the instruction request information from the client, according to an instruction request information, the second information about the network device was a superimposition target by said first transfer control means clients responsive to said predetermined information And a second transfer control means for transferring the image to the image control device. It said first transfer control means, said instruction request includes generation means information generating an anchor for generating, according anchor information generated in the first claims, characterized in that transmitted with the image Video control device. The video control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second information is a hypertext file. The first information includes information regarding an operating state of the network device at the time of receiving a camera angle control request, and the second information includes information for specifying a manufacturer of the network device. The video control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. A video control device that controls the camera in accordance with a camera angle control request received from a remote client via a network and transfers an input image from the camera to the requesting client via the network . A control method,
When the camera is angled, it is determined which network device is included in the field of view of the camera based on position information indicating the position of each of a plurality of network devices connected to the network stored in the storage unit in advance. A decision process to
If it is determined by the determination step that a network device is included in the field of view of the camera, an acquisition step of acquiring first information related to the network device;
Based on the angle control request from the client, the position of the network device in the field of view of the camera is calculated, and the acquired in the vicinity of the calculated position in the captured image obtained by the control of the camera. First, an image indicating the first information is superimposed, and when the client side has a predetermined instruction on the superimposed image , the instruction request information is returned and the image is transferred by incorporating the predetermined information. 1 transfer control process;
If from the client was a return of the instruction request information, according to an instruction request information that responds to the predetermined information, the second information about the network device was a superimposition target by the first transfer control step And a second transfer control step for transferring the data to a client. It said first transfer control step, the includes a generating step of generating an anchor for generating instruction request information, wherein the anchor information generated in the fifth claims, characterized in that transmitted with image information Control method for video control apparatus. The video control apparatus control method according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the second information is a hypertext file. The first information includes information regarding an operating state of the network device at the time of receiving a camera angle control request, and the second information includes information for specifying a manufacturer of the network device. The control method of the image | video control apparatus of any one of Claim 4 thru | or 7. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program that causes a computer to function as a video control device that transfers an image input from a camera according to a camera control request from a remote client to the client when the computer reads and executes the computer There,
Camera control means for controlling the camera according to the requested angle when receiving a control request for the camera angle from the client;
When the camera control means controls the angle of the camera, based on the position information indicating the position of each of a plurality of network devices connected to the network stored in advance in the storage means, any network device is the field of view of the camera. A determination means for determining whether it is included in,
When the determination unit determines that a network device is included in the field of view of the camera, an acquisition unit that acquires first information about the corresponding network device;
Based on the angle control request from the client, calculate the position of the network device in the field of view of the camera, in the vicinity of the calculated position in the captured image obtained by the control of the camera control means, The acquired image indicating the first information is superimposed, and the image is transferred by incorporating predetermined information so that the instruction request information is returned when the client side has a predetermined instruction on the superimposed image. First transfer control means for
If there is return of the instruction request information from the client, according to an instruction request information, the second information about the network device was a superimposition target by said first transfer control means clients responsive to said predetermined information Second transfer control means for transferring to
A computer-readable storage medium storing a program that functions as a storage medium.

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