JP2000354188A - Camera control system, its control method and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a camera control system in which no problem such as infringement of privacy and copyright takes place. SOLUTION: This system is provided with a camera server device 10 that captures and delivers a video image from a camera 11 and controls the operation of the camera 11 and with a camera client device 20 that displays a video image sent from the camera server device 10 and can control remotely camera control by the camera server device 10. The storage of a video image by the camera client device 20 is inhibited within a specific control range of the camera 11.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a camera operation system including a camera server device for capturing and delivering an image from a camera, and a camera client device capable of remotely controlling camera control by the camera server device. The present invention relates to a control method and a storage medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a system capable of observing an image of a video camera from multiple points in a remote place, there is a system in which a pan / tilt angle and a zoom magnification of the camera can be remotely controlled in addition to simply observing the camera image. For example, a system has been developed that connects a computer that can be controlled by a computer to a WWW (World Wide Web) server on the Internet and that not only delivers real-time video captured by the camera to an accessor but also controls the camera. ing.

[0003]

In such a system in which the camera can be controlled and the image can be distributed to a plurality of persons, the image may be stored in a certain area but may not be shown in a certain area. is there. For example, if the zoom magnification is operated and the video is saved when the zoom magnification is very high at a specific angle, privacy or copyright infringement may become a problem.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a camera operation system, a control method, and a storage medium which do not cause problems such as privacy and copyright infringement. is there.

[0005]

Means for Solving the Problems The above-mentioned problems are solved,
In order to achieve the object, a camera operation system according to the present invention captures and delivers an image from a camera, and displays a camera server device that controls the operation of the camera and an image transmitted from the camera server device. Along with
A camera client device capable of remotely controlling camera control by the camera server device, wherein storing of video in the camera client device is prohibited in a specific control range of the camera.

In the camera operation system according to the present invention, a button for saving an image is not displayed on the camera client device while the saving of the image is prohibited.

Further, in the camera operation system according to the present invention, the camera server device adds data indicating whether or not to permit saving of the image to the image data transmitted to the camera client device. .

Further, in the camera operation system according to the present invention, the camera server device sets a storage permission level in the video storage method.

Further, in the camera operation system according to the present invention, the storage permission level is characterized by three levels of savable, low-resolution savable, and non-savable.

Further, in the camera operation system according to the present invention, the specific control range is a range that defines a pan angle, a tilt angle, and a zoom magnification of the camera.

Further, a control method for a camera operation system according to the present invention includes a camera server device for capturing and delivering an image from a camera and controlling the operation of the camera.
A camera operation system control method for controlling a camera operation system including a camera client device capable of displaying an image transmitted from the camera server device and remotely controlling camera control by the camera server device In a specific control range of the camera, storage of an image in the camera client device is prohibited.

Further, in the control method of the camera operation system according to the present invention, a button for saving an image is not displayed on the camera client device while the saving of the image is prohibited.

Further, in the control method of the camera operation system according to the present invention, data indicating whether or not to permit the image storage is added to the image data transmitted from the camera server device to the camera client device. And

Further, in the control method of the camera operation system according to the present invention, a storage permission level is set in the video storage method.

Further, in the control method for a camera operation system according to the present invention, the storage permission level is characterized by three levels of savable, low-resolution savable, and non-savable.

Further, in the control method of the camera operation system according to the present invention, the specific control range is a range that defines a pan angle, a tilt angle, and a zoom magnification of the camera.

Further, the storage medium according to the present invention captures and distributes an image from a camera, displays a camera server device for controlling the operation of the camera, and displays an image transmitted from the camera server device. A storage medium storing a control program for controlling a camera operation system including a camera client device capable of remotely controlling camera control by a camera server device, wherein the control program is configured to control a specific camera. The control range is characterized by having a code for a step of prohibiting the camera client device from storing an image.

Further, in the storage medium according to the present invention, while the control program prohibits the storage of the video, the camera client device further includes a code for a step of not displaying a button for storing the video. It is characterized by having.

Further, in the storage medium according to the present invention, the control program stores the video data transmitted from the camera server device to the camera client device,
It is characterized by further comprising a code of a step of adding data indicating whether or not the image storage is permitted.

Further, in the storage medium according to the present invention, the control program further comprises a code for a step of setting a storage permission level in the method of storing the video.

Further, in the storage medium according to the present invention, the storage permission level is characterized by three levels of storable, low-resolution storable, and non-savable.

In the storage medium according to the present invention, the specific control range includes a pan angle of the camera,
It is characterized in that it is a range that defines a tilt angle and a zoom magnification.

[0023]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(First Embodiment) In the first embodiment, a video image received from a server device for distributing a camera image is transmitted to a client side of the camera image within a preset pan / tilt / zoom range. This is to make it impossible to save.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the camera operation system according to the first embodiment.

Reference numeral 10 denotes a camera server device, reference numeral 20 denotes a camera client device (display operation terminal), which are connected by a network 30. The camera server device 10 captures the video from the video camera 11 and distributes the video to the client device 20, and receives a camera control command from the client device 20,
The zoom magnification of the video camera 11 and the movable pan head 12 are controlled.

Although the number of camera servers 10 and the number of camera client devices 20 connected to the network 30 are not particularly limited, in the present embodiment, it is assumed that one camera server device and one camera client device are each connected for convenience of explanation. The network 30 may be any digital network such as the Internet or an intranet having a sufficient band for passing a camera control signal and a compressed video signal described later. Here, TC is used as the network protocol.
Assuming a P / IP (UDP / IP) protocol, the following address refers to an IP address. Further, the camera server device 10 and the client device 2
It is assumed that an IP address is assigned to each of the 0s.

The camera server device 10 includes the video camera 1
1. Movable head device 12 for controlling the pan / tilt angle of the video camera, camera / head controller 13 for controlling the zoom magnification and pan / tilt angle of video camera 11 and movable head device 12, and video camera 11 A video input unit 15 for capturing the video, a video compression unit 16 for compressing the captured video data, a communication control unit 14 for delivering the compressed video data to the network 30, and interpreting commands from the client 20 via the network 30. , A command interpreting / executing unit 17 for controlling each unit of the camera server device, and a storage device 18 used for data transfer of each unit.

The video input unit 15 is connected to the video camera 11
After receiving the NTSC video signal from the
It is assumed that the data is compressed by the TionJEPG, passed to the communication control unit 14, and transmitted to the network 30. Although the video compression format is Motion JEPG compression here, the present invention is not limited to this compression format.

Next, the camera client device 20 will be described.

The compressed video data delivered from the camera server device 10 is received through the communication control unit 21.
The image is expanded by the image expansion unit 25 and displayed on the image display unit 26. It is also assumed that camera control, image storage / save operation, and the like can be performed by operating a user interface on the camera client device 20. It is assumed that the display control unit 24 controls these screen displays and operations.

The video display unit 21 includes a bitmap display, and a window system capable of forming a screen as shown in FIG.
0, and a user interface screen as shown in FIG. 2 is displayed. In FIG. 2, 5
Reference numeral 1 denotes an image display panel on which an image is displayed; 52, a camera control panel for operating the camera;
The pan, tilt, and zoom of the camera can be controlled by operating the scroll bar. Also 74 ~
Pan / tilt control of the camera is also possible with the 77 button. Note that these camera controls are operable only while the camera controls are valid. To enable the camera control, the camera operation start button 71 is depressed, and a command is sent to the camera server apparatus 10, so that if the camera operation right is acquired, the camera can be operated.

Reference numerals 61 and 62 denote buttons for instructing the start and end of image storage, respectively.

FIG. 3 is a process configuration diagram of the present embodiment. Here, the process means a process of the multitasking operating system. In the steady state, it is assumed that all of the processes 81, 82, 91, 92, and 101 are operating at the same time.

The camera server device 10 performs the following operation.

Camera control server process 81: receives a camera control command issued by the client process 101 and issues a command to the camera / head control unit 13 to perform control.

Camera state notification process 82: The state of the camera, such as the pan / tilt angle, is detected and notified to the client process 101.

Video server process 91: Manages the transmission destination of camera video.

Image acquisition / transmission process 92: Capture / transmission of camera image.

The capture restriction flag 111, the transmission destination list 112, and the camera status register 114 are shared memories used for transferring data between processes.
Reference numerals 113, 121, and 122 are registers for temporarily holding data. Details of the operations of the processes 81 to 92 are shown in flowcharts of FIGS.

On the other hand, a client process 101 is operating on the camera client device 20, and details of the operation are shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, the operation of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

Note that a packet having a format as shown in FIG. 7 is generated and transmitted to the network 30. Strictly speaking, the format used for packets such as TCP / IP and UDP / IP will be used, but in FIG. 7, only the packet information necessary for the description of the embodiment is described.

First, the camera control process and the camera status notification process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

When the camera control server process 81 is started (step S400), the camera status notification process 8
2 (step S402), and waits for a camera control connection request (FIG. 7A) from the client process 101 (step S403).

When there is a connection request from the client process 101, connection acceptance processing (returning Ack) is performed (step S404), and the connected client process 1 is executed.
01 (see FIG. 7)
Wait for (2) to (4)) (step S405). In addition,
In the connection reception processing step S404, a timer is set, and the camera control connection is disconnected after a certain period of time (referred to as "control time") (step S407).

Camera control commands (FIG. 7 (2)-
When (4)) comes, the zoom magnification of the video camera 11 and the pan / tilt angle of the movable camera platform device 12 are controlled through the camera / camera platform controller 13 in response to the command (step S409). Until the control time is over, the camera control command is received from the client process 101,
The camera is controlled according to the command through the command interpreting unit 17 and the camera / head control unit 13. In this embodiment, the following commands are assumed to be camera control commands for the purpose of explanation.

Pan angle change command PANθ Tilt angle change command TILφ Zoom magnification change command ZOMα where θ, φ, and α are parameters representing the pan angle, tilt angle, and zoom magnification, respectively. There are various types such as backlight correction, auto focus, manual focus value setting, etc.
Here, the description is omitted.

When the control time has expired, a connection disconnection process (step S407) is performed.
07, a camera control connection end command (FIG. 7)
(7)) is returned to the client process 101. Then, it waits for a connection request again (step S40).
3). The camera control server process 81 accepts a camera control connection request from an arbitrary client process similarly implemented, and implements camera control. However, as can be seen from FIG. 4, it cannot connect to a plurality of client processes at the same time. Therefore, this connection is a connection-oriented connection such as TCP / IP.

While the camera state notification process 82 generated in step S402 is operating, the camera state is constantly checked. That is, the pan / tilt angle of the camera and the zoom magnification (= (p, t, Z)) are set in the camera / head control unit 1.
3 is read in by inquiring of 3 and written into the camera status register 114 (step S422).
Compared to the camera image storage restriction information set in
Whether the capture restriction flag 111 is turned ON or OFF is determined depending on whether the camera state is within the set range (step S423), and the camera state is transmitted to the client process 101 transmitting the video (FIG. 7 (8) ) Is notified (step S426).

The camera storage restriction information 113 may be, for example,
If the camera state (p, t, Z) read in step S423 is within the range of the pan angle, the tilt angle, and the zoom magnification, the capture restriction flag 111 is turned off. Then, the capture restriction flag 111 is turned on.

Next, the video server process and the video acquisition / transmission process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

When the video server process 91 is started (step S500), a video acquisition / transmission process 92 is generated (step S502), and the client process 1 is started.
Wait for an event from 01 (step S503). Here, the event is a video display start request command (FIG. 7).
If (6)) (step S504), the source address of the packet included in the video display request packet is confirmed and added to the video destination list 112. If the command is a video display end request command (step S506), the source address of the packet included in the video display request packet is similarly confirmed and deleted from the video destination list 112. Note that the video transmission destination list 112 holds the addresses of the video transmission destinations in a list format.

When the video acquisition / transmission process 92 is started, the following operation is repeated. That is, the camera video is captured as a frame (step S522), compression is performed (step S523), and the compressed video data is packetized into the format shown in FIG. Is transmitted (step S525). At this time, in step S524, the camera status register 114 and the capture restriction flag 111,
Further, the time at that point in the server is read and written into the compressed video data in the “capture restriction” portion of FIG. 7 (9).

FIG. 6 shows the operation of the client process 101.

First, at the time of starting the process, the address (IP address, here, "
ADDR_C "), and transmits a video display start request to the camera server device corresponding to ADDR_C. The packet format is (5) in FIG. 7. Here, the camera server device corresponding to ADDR_C. From Ac
If k is not returned (step S603), the client process is terminated (step S604) because the operation is abnormal, such as an incorrect address. If Ack is returned, the display is successful (step S603), and the process waits for an event, that is, a user interface operation from the user or various packets from the camera server device 10 (step S605).

Here, when the user presses the operation start button 71 (step S606), the control right flag 121 checks whether or not the user has already started camera control (step S607). Step S60
Return to 5. If no operation is being performed, a camera control connection request (FIG. 7 (1)) is issued to the camera control server process (step S608), and permission (Ack) is waited for (step S609). If Ack is returned here, connection to the camera control server process is established, the control right flag 121 in the storage unit 29 of the client device is turned on (step S611), and the operation of the camera control panel 52 is enabled. I do. Note that the camera control server process accepts a connection request only at the time of waiting for a camera control connection request in step S403.

When the connection is established and the "control time" ends, a camera control connection end request (FIG. 7 (7)) is returned from the camera control server process. When this is received (step S614). Set the control right flag 121 to O
FF (step S615), the camera control panel 5
Operation 2 is invalidated (step S616).

While the operation of the camera control panel 52 is valid, a camera control command corresponding to the operation of the camera control panel 52 is generated and issued to the camera server process 20 (step S618).

The generation process of the instruction is omitted here.

When the save start button 61 is pressed (step S619), a file for saving the video data is opened (step S620), and the video saving flag 122 is set to 0N (step S621). Conversely, when the save end button is pressed (step S622), the file for saving the video data is closed (step S623),
The image storing flag 122 is turned off (step S6).
24). While the image storing flag 122 is ON,
As will be described later, the video file is stored in the secondary storage unit 28 in the format shown in FIG. While video capture is prohibited (while the capture restriction flag described later is ON),
The save start button shall be disabled.

In response to a client process end request (step S626) issued by an operation such as a menu, a video display end request (FIG. 7 (7)) is issued (step S627), and the client process is ended (step S627). S628).

When the packet arrives (step S
625), if it is video data (FIG. 7 (9)) (step S629), the compressed video data in the video data is read out, decompressed, and then the video display panel 51 is used by using this video frame data. Is updated (step S630). Further, the image storing flag 12
If 2 is ON, the segment of the capture restriction flag in the video data packet is confirmed, and if the capture restriction flag is OFF, this video data is written to a file. When writing the video file, the video is additionally written in frame units. At that time, the time, pan, tilt angle, zoom magnification, and capture restriction flag included in the video data packet are recorded as a header. If the capture restriction flag is ON, video data is not written out to a file. It should be noted that a time stamp is added to video data so that it can be used for reproduction.

The arrival packet is a camera status notification (FIG. 7).
In the case of (8)) (step S636), the scroll bar 7 for operating the pan / tilt angle and the zoom magnification is used.
The display positions of the notches 2, 73 and 78 are changed to the corresponding positions using the parameters included in the packet. This means that the information is updated when another client process is controlling the camera.

The designated range as shown in FIG. 9 is not limited to one, and a plurality of designated ranges may be provided.

When the designated range in FIG. 9 is all set to 0, any pan / tilt angle and zoom magnification are always treated as storage prohibition.

As in the present embodiment, only within the specified specified pan / tilt angle and zoom magnification range,
By enabling video preservation, and otherwise prohibiting video preservation, privacy can be obtained by not allowing preservation, even if the video is allowed to be shown in the acquisition of camera video in places where you do not want to store the video. And copyright protection issues can be solved.

(Second Embodiment) In the second embodiment,
Solving the privacy and copyright problems by reducing the resolution by thinning out the pixels of the video when saving, instead of making it impossible to save within the storage limit range in the first embodiment. Things.

(Third Embodiment) In the first embodiment, instead of turning the capture restriction flag 111 ON / OFF, a numerical value indicating the level of the capture restriction is set. 1: Prohibition of image storage.

Level 2: When saving an image, the image is saved at a reduced resolution.

Level 3: storable. And so on. Therefore, as a method of specifying the limit range, the above-mentioned level is specified by the range. By doing so, the first
In addition, more detailed privacy protection can be performed than in the second embodiment.

(Fourth Embodiment) In the fourth embodiment, in addition to the first to third embodiments, video access from a camera client device other than a specific restricted camera client device (referred to as group A) is also provided. By restricting the storage of the video when it occurs, it is possible to prevent confidential leakage or the like due to storage of a specific camera video by a specific person.

(Fifth Embodiment) In the fifth embodiment, when the range where the camera is shooting is over a storage limit range and a range where the storage restriction is not applied, for example, the range where the storage is not restricted is set. Only, or only the video processing (mosaic,
Or, it is painted black).

Further, another object of the present invention is to supply a storage medium (or a recording medium) on which a program code of software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments is recorded to a system or an apparatus, and to provide the system or the apparatus. It is needless to say that the present invention can also be achieved by a computer (or CPU or MPU) reading and executing the program code stored in the storage medium. In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium implements the functions of the above-described embodiment, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention. The functions of the above-described embodiments are not only realized by the computer executing the readout program code, but also the operating system running on the computer based on the instructions of the program code.
It goes without saying that the (OS) performs part or all of the actual processing and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into the memory provided in the function expansion card inserted into the computer or the function expansion unit connected to the computer, the program code is read based on the instruction of the program code. Needless to say, the CPU included in the function expansion card or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.

When the present invention is applied to the storage medium, the storage medium includes the storage medium described above (shown in FIGS. 4 to 6).
The program code corresponding to the flowchart is stored.

[0076]

As described above, according to the present invention,
By restricting the storage of a shooting screen in a specific pan / tilt angle range of the camera, privacy and copyright issues can be solved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a camera image display system according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a process configuration.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a camera control server process.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a video server process.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a client process.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a packet format.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a storage format of a video file.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the contents of camera storage restriction information.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 camera server device 11 video camera 12 movable head 13 camera / head control unit 14 communication control unit 15 video input unit 16 video compression unit 17 command interpretation unit 18 storage unit 20 display / operation terminal 21 communication control unit 22 command generation unit 23 Camera operation unit 24 Display control unit 25 Video decompression unit 26 Video display unit 27 Storage control unit 28 Secondary storage unit 30 Network

Claims (18)

[Claims] 1. A camera server device for capturing and delivering an image from a camera, controlling the operation of the camera, displaying an image transmitted from the camera server device, and remotely controlling a camera by the camera server device. A camera client device that can be operated from a camera, and prohibiting the camera client device from storing video in a specific control range of the camera. 2. The camera operation system according to claim 1, wherein a button for saving an image is not displayed on the camera client device while the saving of the image is prohibited. 3. The camera operation system according to claim 1, wherein the camera server device adds, to the video data to be transmitted to the camera client device, data indicating whether or not the image storage is permitted. . 4. The camera operation system according to claim 1, wherein the camera server device sets a storage permission level for the video storage method. 5. The camera operation system according to claim 4, wherein the storage permission levels are three levels of savable, low-resolution savable, and non-savable. 6. The camera operation system according to claim 1, wherein the specific control range is a range that defines a pan angle, a tilt angle, and a zoom magnification of the camera. 7. A camera server device for capturing and delivering a video from a camera and controlling an operation of the camera.
A camera operation system control method for controlling a camera operation system including a camera client device capable of displaying an image transmitted from the camera server device and remotely controlling camera control by the camera server device A method for controlling a camera operation system, wherein saving of an image in the camera client device is prohibited in a specific control range of the camera. 8. The control method according to claim 7, wherein a button for saving an image is not displayed on the camera client device while the saving of the image is prohibited. 9. The camera operation system according to claim 7, wherein data indicating whether or not the image storage is permitted is added to the image data transmitted from the camera server device to the camera client device. Control method. 10. The method according to claim 7, wherein a storage permission level is set for the video storage method. 11. The storage permission level indicates that storage is possible,
The control method of the camera operation system according to claim 10, wherein there are three levels of storable and non-storable at low resolution. 12. The control method according to claim 7, wherein the specific control range is a range that defines a pan angle, a tilt angle, and a zoom magnification of the camera. 13. A camera server device for capturing and delivering an image from a camera, controlling the operation of the camera, displaying an image transmitted from the camera server device, and remotely controlling the camera by the camera server device. A storage medium storing a control program for controlling a camera operation system including a camera client device that can be operated from a camera client device, wherein the control program includes: A storage medium having a code for a step of prohibiting storage of a video in an apparatus. 14. The method according to claim 14, further comprising the step of not displaying a button for saving an image in the camera client device while the control program prohibits the saving of the image. 14. The storage medium according to claim 13. 15. The method according to claim 15, wherein the control program further includes a code for a step of adding data indicating whether or not to permit video storage to video data transmitted from the camera server device to the camera client device. 14. The storage medium according to claim 13, wherein 16. The storage medium according to claim 13, wherein the control program further has a code of a step of setting a storage permission level in the video storage method. 17. The storage permission level indicates that storage is possible,
17. The storage medium according to claim 16, wherein the storage medium has three levels of storable and unstorable at a low resolution. 18. The storage medium according to claim 13, wherein the specific control range is a range that defines a pan angle, a tilt angle, and a zoom magnification of the camera.