JP2003008973A - Remote control universal head system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a remote control universal head system where a compression circuit built in a universal head converts a video image of a television camera supported by the universal head into compression data proper to Internet distribution with a format such as the MPEG-4 and transmits the data to a controller so as to distribute the video image photographed by the television camera to the network in a simple system configuration while providing convenience to the user for an image providing service onto the network. SOLUTION: A housing 10A of the universal head 10 containing the television camera 12 incorporates a compression circuit 22 that compresses a video signal of the television camera 12 so as to convert the video signal into compressed moving picture data. The moving picture data are sent to the controller 14 through a communication cable or the like and an Internet access function of the controller 14 distributes the data onto the Internet.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a remote control pan head system, and more particularly to a remote pan head system for remotely controlling a pan and a television camera supported by the pan by a control device by communication.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a platform for supporting a television camera,
Connect to the control device with a communication cable or communication line (telephone line, etc.), and pan /
2. Description of the Related Art There is known a remote control platform system that transmits a control signal for instructing tilt, focus, zoom, etc. to a platform to allow remote control of a platform and a TV camera. (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-171014) Further, conventionally, when a pan head is installed at a place distant from a broadcasting station, an image captured by a TV camera on the pan head is FPU.
(Field Pickup Unit) is generally used to convert to a radio signal and transmit it to a broadcasting station.

[0003]

By the way, in recent years,
The number of services for distributing moving images on the Internet is increasing, and it is considered that the use of the remote control platform system described above for such services will increase in the future. For example, not only when the service provider operates the pan head and the TV camera to unilaterally distribute the video to the client on the Internet, but the client operates the pan head and the TV camera from its own terminal to There are many uses, such as a service that allows users to see.

In providing such a service, the conventional moving image distribution means needs a measure to prevent the deterioration of the image, which causes a problem that the system becomes complicated. For example, when distributing a moving image shot by a TV camera on a pan head on the Internet, the moving image shot by the TV camera is transferred to an external device, and the video signal is compressed by the external device by an image compression means such as MPEG-4. It is necessary to compress it by using and convert it into a signal that can be distributed on the Internet. Therefore, there is a problem that the image is deteriorated while the moving image of the television camera is transmitted to the external device by the cable, and the cable has to be as short as possible in order to reduce the deterioration as much as possible. Further, an equalizer amplifier for adjusting an image is required to prevent the image from deteriorating, resulting in a complicated system and an increase in cost.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an image captured by a camera can be distributed on a network without deterioration by a simple system configuration, and an image on the network can be distributed. It is an object to provide a remote-control pan head system that is convenient to use in the provided service.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is such that a camera platform that supports a camera and a control device that remotely controls the camera platform and the camera perform predetermined communication. In the remote control platform system connected by means, image data compression means for compressing image data of an image taken by the camera, the image data compression means being built in the platform and the image data compression means. Image data transmitting means for transmitting the image data compressed by the communication means from the camera platform to the control device.

The invention described in claim 2 is the same as claim 1
In the invention described in (3), the image data is moving image data, and the image data compressing means is means for compressing moving image data.

The invention described in claim 3 is the same as claim 1
Alternatively, the invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the control device has a function of distributing the image data acquired from the camera platform to the clients on the network.

The invention according to claim 4 is the same as claim 1
Through the invention according to any one of claims 3 to 3,
The control device is characterized in that, when an abnormality occurs, an electronic mail for notifying the abnormality is transmitted to a predetermined target person through a network.

The invention described in claim 5 is the same as claim 1
To the invention according to any one of claims 4 to 4,
The control device is characterized by including means for automatically storing image data acquired from the platform in a storage device.

The invention according to claim 6 is the same as claim 1.
The invention according to any one of claims 5 to 5 is characterized in that the control device controls the camera platform and the camera based on an operation of a device connected through a network.

According to the present invention, the image data compression means for compressing the image data of the image taken by the camera is built in the camera platform, so that the distance for transmitting the image of the camera as an analog signal can be shortened, and Since the image is transmitted as digital compressed data from the platform to the control device, there is little limitation on the length of the transmission cable, and the system components such as the platform and the control device can be freely installed. In addition, by using the remote-controlled pan head system according to the present invention, it is possible to easily perform a service of delivering an image taken by a camera to a client through a network such as the Internet.

When an abnormality of the system is detected,
When this system is applied to a surveillance system and a suspicious individual is detected in the image captured by the camera, e-mails that notify them of abnormalities are sent to the specified target persons (system administrator, etc.).
Since it is transmitted to the system administrator, the system administrator or the like can know the abnormality regardless of the location and can promptly deal with it. In such a case, by operating the camera platform or camera from a terminal device such as a mobile phone via a network, it is possible to operate the camera platform or camera from any place when an abnormality occurs. It is convenient because you can do it.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Preferred embodiments of a remote-controlled pan head system according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a remote-controlled pan head system according to the present invention. As shown in the figure, the remote-control pan / tilt head system according to the present invention mainly includes a remote-control pan / head 10 (hereinafter simply referred to as pan / head 10), and a TV camera 12 (hereinafter, referred to as a housing and support in a housing 10 A of the pan 10). , Simply called camera 12)
A control device 14 with a server function (hereinafter simply referred to as control device 14), an operation unit 16,
It is composed of a video recording medium (hard disk 18, tape streamer 20) and the like.

The pan / tilt head 10 is equipped with a pan / tilt mechanism for electrically panning and tilting the camera 12 held in the housing 10A by a pan-tilt head 10B. Further, it has a communication function for exchanging various signals with the control device 14 through a communication cable or a communication line such as a telephone line. For example, from the control device 14, control signals (control information) relating to various controls such as pan / tilt of the camera platform 10 and focus and zoom of the camera 12 are transmitted to the camera platform 10 by communication, and the camera platform 10 performs control. A response signal to the control information given from the device 14 and video information (moving image data) of the camera 12 are transmitted to the control device 14 by communication as described later. Of the control information transmitted from the control device 14 to the camera platform 10, the control information regarding the camera platform 10 is given to the control unit of the camera platform 10 and the camera 12 is controlled.
The control information regarding the information is provided to the control unit of the camera 12. As a result, the platform 10 and the camera 1
2 is controlled by the control information transmitted from the control device 14.

The control device 14 is, for example, an arithmetic processing device such as a personal computer equipped with a communication function, transmits a control signal to the camera platform 10 by communication as described above, and
Various signals are exchanged with the platform 10, such as receiving image information from the platform 10.

Further, the control device 14 is
Alternatively, it has an Internet connection function for indirectly connecting to the Internet via an Internet server, and is capable of distributing the video information acquired by communication from the platform 10 to the Internet.
The distribution of video information on the Internet will be described later.

The operation unit 16 is provided with various operation members and a detector (potentiometer, switch, etc.) for the user to operate the pan / tilt of the platform 10 and the focus and zoom of the camera 12 and the like. The operation of the member is detected by the detector and the detection signal is given to the control device 14. The control device 14 transmits the control information to the camera platform 10 based on this detection signal. Thereby, according to the operation of the operation unit 16, the platform 10,
The camera 12 is controlled.

Hard disk 18 and tape streamer 2
For video recording media such as 0, the control device 14
0 is a device for storing video information and the like acquired from 0. For example, the hard disk 18 temporarily stores the video information, and the tape streamer 20 transfers the video information and the like temporarily stored in the hard disk 18 for long-term storage. To be done. The control device 14 controls the camera 12 as described above.
It has a function of automatically recording the video information captured by the camera platform 10 and transmitted from the camera platform 10 together with the date and time data on the image recording medium. For example, the image captured by the camera 12 of the camera platform 10 is used as moving image data. , The hard disk 18 is temporarily stored with a minimum data capacity, and the tape streamer 20 or the like automatically transfers the temporarily stored moving image data to the hard disk 18 in a large-capacity removable storage device. It can be stored for a long time.

Next, Internet distribution of video information in the remote control platform system will be described. A compression circuit 22 that compresses a video signal is built in a portion closest to the camera 12 mounted on the platform 10, for example, in the housing 10A that houses the camera 12. The compression circuit 22 does not necessarily have to be built in the housing 10A as long as it is built in a predetermined portion of the platform 10. The compression circuit 22 uses, for example, a high compression codec suitable for Web distribution such as MPEG-4.
-4 is converted to highly compressed video data. At this stage, the image is digitized, so the equalizer amplifier required for transmitting analog video is unnecessary, and for long-distance transmission such as RS-485, which is used for long-distance data transmission on personal computers. The communication means can be used. For this reason, there is an advantage that the control device 14 and the platform 10 can be installed at a distant place compared with the case of transmitting an analog image, and the freedom of installation is increased.

On the other hand, the control device 14 has a server function for receiving moving image data as video information, and is compressed by the compression circuit 22 as described above.
The moving image data transmitted from the platform 10 can be acquired. Further, the control device 14 has a function of connecting to the Internet directly or indirectly via an Internet server, and the moving image data acquired from the platform 10 can be distributed to clients on the Internet. You can do it. Therefore, if the device has a browser function, the control device 14 reproduces the moving image data distributed on the Internet,
An image taken by the camera 12 of the platform 10 can be seen. As a device equipped with a browser function, a personal computer,
Various terminal devices such as mobile phones can be used.

Further, the control device 14 is equipped with an abnormality monitoring software, and the control device 14 has a function of judging an image and a function of detecting an abnormality of the remote-control pan head system by activating the abnormality monitoring software. Equipped. If this software detects an abnormality (such as an operation abnormality) of the remote control platform, or if a suspicious person is detected when this system is used as a monitoring system, the abnormality or intrusion of a suspicious person is detected. Is provided with a function of notifying a predetermined target person such as a system administrator or a person in charge by e-mail.
As a result, the system administrator or the like who has received the e-mail can know that the abnormality has occurred at any place such as his / her home, and can quickly take necessary measures. At this time, if the destination is a mobile phone having a browser function, the system administrator, etc.
The image taken by the camera 12 can be checked, and the details of the abnormality can be known.

In the above embodiment, the pan head 10 and the television camera 12 are controlled by the specific operation unit 16, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the pan head may be controlled by a device connected to the control device 14 via the Internet. It is also possible to control 10 and the TV camera 12. For example, FIG. 2 shows a system in which the camera platform 10 is controlled using a mobile phone having a browser function. It should be noted that members having the same or similar actions as in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. When the mobile phone 24 is connected (logged in) to the control device 14 via the Internet, the moving image distributed from the control device 14 is displayed on the LCD of the mobile phone 24. At this time, for example, with the 2 key of the mobile phone 24,
It is possible to move the pan-tilt head 10b vertically and horizontally by pressing the number keys such as the down key, the 4 key left, the 1 key upper left, and the like. Also, in the case of a personal computer, it is possible to move in that direction by using the numeric keypad or by clicking the direction indicator displayed on the screen with the mouse while displaying the moving image on the display.

However, when a plurality of clients log in their respective devices to the control device 14, it is not preferable to control the pan / tilt head 10 by the respective devices at the same time because it is not preferable because of the characteristics of the pan / tilt head 10. It is preferable to limit the number to one. For that purpose, a method of restricting to the one having a high priority or the one logged in first from the communication partners whose login names, passwords, and system authentication numbers match is considered from the viewpoint of security.

In the above embodiment, the case where the moving image data is distributed on the Internet has been described, but the present invention can be applied to the case where the moving image data is distributed on the network. Further, the present invention can be similarly applied not only to distribution of moving image data but also to distribution of image data of a still image.

[0027]

As described above, according to the remote control pan head system according to the present invention, since the pan head includes the image data compression means for compressing the image data of the image photographed by the camera, the image of the camera can be analogized. Since the distance transmitted as a signal can be shortened and the image is transmitted from the camera platform to the control device as digital compressed data, there is no limitation on the length of the transmission cable, and the system such as the camera platform or control device can be used. It is possible to install components freely. In addition, by using the remote-controlled pan head system according to the present invention, it is possible to easily perform a service of delivering an image taken by a camera to a client through a network such as the Internet.

When a system abnormality is detected,
When this system is applied to a surveillance system, when a suspicious person is detected in the image captured by the camera, e-mails that notify them of abnormalities are sent to a predetermined target person (system administrator, etc.) The system administrator or the like can know the abnormality at any place and can promptly deal with it. Also, in such a case, it is possible to operate the camera platform or camera from a terminal device such as a mobile phone through a network so that the camera platform or camera can be operated in the event of an abnormality. It is convenient because it can be done.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a remote-controlled pan head system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a system configuration diagram showing an embodiment in which a camera platform is controlled using a mobile phone having a browser function.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... Remote control platform, 10A ... Housing, 12 ... TV camera, 14 ... Control device with server function, 16
... operation unit, 18 ... hard disk, 20 ... tape streamer, 22 ... compression circuit, 24 ... mobile phone

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Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A remote control platform system in which a platform for supporting a camera and a control device for remotely controlling the platform and the camera are connected by a predetermined communication means, wherein image data of an image captured by the camera is provided. Image data compression means for compressing the image data, and image data compressed by the image data compression means, and image data compressed by the image data compression means is transmitted from the platform to the control device by the communication means. A remote control pan head system comprising image data transmitting means and. 2. The remote control platform system according to claim 1, wherein the image data is moving image data, and the image data compression means is means for compressing moving image data. 3. The control device has a function of distributing the image data acquired from the camera platform to the clients on the network.
Remote control pan head system. 4. The control device, when an abnormality occurs, sends an e-mail notifying the abnormality to a predetermined target person through a network, according to any one of claims 1 to 3. Remote control pan head system. 5. The remote control platform according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control device includes means for automatically storing image data acquired from the platform in a storage device. system. 6. The remote control pan head system according to claim 1, wherein the control device controls the pan head and the camera based on an operation of a device connected through a network.