JP2003174640A - Image photographing system, photographing apparatus, and photographing controller - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image photographing system easily adopting a plurality of photographing apparatuses installed therein by downsizing the photographing apparatuses for photographing a supervisory image so as to install them all over the place and reducing the cost of the photographing apparatuses. <P>SOLUTION: The photographing apparatus 2 provided with an imaging element 7 and an imaging element control section 8, and a photographing controller 3 provided with a temporary storage section are configured to be separated apparatuses. Then the photographing apparatus 2 and the photographing controller 3 are interconnected via a communication network 4. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image capturing system used in applications such as surveillance cameras.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in companies, stores, houses, etc.
2. Description of the Related Art A monitoring system that monitors an abnormality inside and outside a room by using a monitoring device including an image sensor (monitor camera) has been put into practical use. As such a monitoring system, there is a system that includes monitoring devices installed at a plurality of locations and a monitoring server that centrally manages these monitoring devices. In this monitoring system, the image information taken by each monitoring device is transmitted to the monitoring server via the communication network, and the monitoring server determines whether there is an abnormality. There is also a system in which the monitoring server is connected to a central management server installed in a security company, for example, via a wider communication network. In the case of such a system, the security company can grasp the monitoring status of each monitoring device based on the information transmitted from each monitoring server.

Here, regarding the configuration of a conventional monitoring device,
This will be described below with reference to FIG. 7. As shown in the figure, the monitoring device 51 includes an image sensor 52 and an image sensor controller 5.
3, image compression unit 54, temporary storage unit 55, and communication unit 5
6 is provided.

The image pickup device 52 includes an image pickup tube and a CCD (Charge).
It is a block that is configured by a Coupled Device or the like and that converts the input light into an electric signal to convert the surrounding image into an electric signal. Then, the image signal obtained by the image pickup device 52 is converted into digital image data by being subjected to synchronization processing, A / D conversion processing, or the like by the image pickup element control unit 53. Then, this digital image data is compressed by the image compression unit 54 and then temporarily stored in the temporary storage unit 55. After that, the communication unit 56 transmits the image data shot toward the monitoring server, for example.

[0005]

In the conventional monitoring apparatus as described above, the image compression section 54 is, for example, a DSP (Digital) which realizes a compression algorithm of digital image data.
Signal Processor) or dedicated LSI (ASI
C) and the like. The configuration of such DSP and dedicated LSI is a relatively expensive member. The temporary storage unit 55 is, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory).
Composed of memory such as. This temporary storage unit 55
The data stored in is compressed digital image data, but a memory having a relatively large capacity is required to store the data of a plurality of images.

As described above, the conventional monitoring device is relatively expensive, and installing the monitoring device in a large number of places increases the cost burden.
Therefore, it is very expensive to construct a surveillance system provided with a large number of expensive surveillance devices, and its use has been limited to only some systems. Therefore, it has been difficult to widely disseminate this type of monitoring system in general households, for example.

Further, in the conventional surveillance system, as the operation control of the surveillance device by the surveillance server, for example, start / stop control of photographing, photographing direction control and the like are performed. In the case of such control, for example, the following problems have occurred.

It is conceivable that an extremely bright region and an extremely dark region exist in the photographing region of the monitoring device. For example, it is assumed that a bright area in which the sun is present and a dark area in which the sun is shaded are mixed in the background of the shooting target. In this case, if you set the aperture and shutter speed according to the bright area, the image in the dark area becomes unclear, and if you set the aperture and shutter speed according to the dark area, the image in the bright area becomes unclear. Becomes unclear. That is, it becomes impossible to properly monitor the blurred area.

Further, when trying to obtain a detailed monitoring image,
The data size of the image data transmitted from the monitoring device to the monitoring server becomes large. Then, the traffic in the communication network between the monitoring device and the monitoring server increases, and it becomes impossible to transmit the image data within an appropriate time. Conversely, if the data size of the image data sent from the monitoring device to the monitoring server is reduced in consideration of the traffic of the communication network, only the monitoring image with coarse image quality can be obtained, and the state of the monitoring area can be accurately determined. It becomes impossible to grasp.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to reduce the size of a photographing device for photographing a surveillance image so that the photographing device can be installed at any place. In addition, it is an object of the present invention to provide an image capturing system that can easily introduce a system in which a plurality of image capturing devices are installed by reducing the cost of the image capturing devices.

[0011]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an image capturing system according to the present invention includes an image sensor for converting input light into an electric signal, operation control of the image sensor, and The image pickup device includes: an image pickup device control unit that performs a process of converting an electric signal obtained in the image pickup device into digital image data; and a storage unit that stores digital image data output from the image pickup device control unit. An image capturing device including an image sensor control unit and an image capturing control device including the storage unit are configured as separate devices, and the image capturing device and the image capturing control device are connected via a communication network. It is characterized by that.

Conventionally, for example, in a surveillance camera,
The configurations such as the image pickup device, the image pickup device control unit, and the storage unit were provided in one device. On the other hand, in the above configuration, the image pickup device, the image pickup device control unit, and the storage unit are provided in different devices, and the data transfer between them is performed via the communication network. It is like this. Therefore, the image capturing apparatus itself needs to include only the image sensor and the image sensor control unit, so that the apparatus size of the image capturing apparatus can be reduced and power saving can be achieved. When used as a surveillance camera or the like, the imaging device is installed in various places. However, if the imaging device is small in size as described above, restrictions on the installation place can be reduced. It will be possible. Therefore, according to the above configuration, it is possible to provide an image capturing system capable of responding to a place where the user wants to install the image capturing apparatus as much as possible.

The image capturing system according to the present invention is
In the above configuration, a plurality of the image capturing devices may be provided, and the image capturing control device may be connected to the plurality of image capturing devices via the communication network.

With the above arrangement, a plurality of photographing devices can share and use one photographing control device. That is, since the storage unit in the image capturing control apparatus can be shared by a plurality of image capturing apparatuses, it is possible to reduce an increase in cost when a system including a plurality of image capturing apparatuses is provided. Therefore, it becomes possible for the user to reduce the cost burden when constructing an image capturing system provided with a large number of image capturing devices, and it is possible to promote the introduction of such an image capturing system. Furthermore, in the future, many camera functions (for example, real-time change of the number of frames / second for photographing, etc.) will be added, and in many cases, the functions can be added to the photographing control device.

The image capturing system according to the present invention is
In the above configuration, the shooting control device may further include an image compression unit that performs a process of compressing digital image data received from the shooting device.

According to the above arrangement, the photographing control device can store the digital image data received from the photographing device in the storage unit after compressing the digital image data. Therefore, the storage capacity of the storage unit can be reduced, so that a cheaper storage unit can be used. Further, since the image compression unit is provided in the image capturing control device, it is not necessary to add a configuration to the image capturing device. That is, even if such a compression processing unit is provided, the merit of downsizing of the image capturing apparatus as described above cannot be lost.

Further, the image capturing system according to the present invention is
In the above configuration, the shooting control device further includes a shooting command unit that generates shooting command data for controlling the operation of the image sensor and the image sensor control unit in the shooting device, and the shooting device is the shooting control device. A configuration may be provided in which the imaging control unit controls the operation of the imaging device and the imaging device control unit based on the imaging command data received from the imaging command unit via the communication network.

According to the above arrangement, it is possible to control the photographing operation of the photographing device from the photographing command section of the photographing control device. Therefore, the control of the shooting operation in the shooting device can be centrally controlled by the shooting control device.

Further, the image capturing system according to the present invention is
In the above configuration, the image sensor control unit in the image capturing apparatus further includes an image size setting unit that changes the data size of the digital image data output from the image capturing apparatus, and the image capturing instruction unit in the image capturing control apparatus includes the image data setting unit. It is also possible to output the shooting command data designating the size and to control the operation of the image size setting unit according to the data size information included in the shooting command data, while the shooting control unit in the shooting device.

With the above arrangement, it is possible to specify the data size of the digital image data output from the photographing device from the photographing command section in the photographing control device.
Therefore, for example, when a photographic image is urgently required, the communication time is reduced by reducing the data size, and when a detailed image is required, the image size is increased by increasing the data size. It is possible to perform control such as acquisition of image data capable of grasping the details of the above.

Further, the image capturing system according to the present invention is
In the above configuration, the photographing control device may include an image processing unit that performs a process of combining a plurality of pieces of digital image data stored in the storage unit.

According to the above arrangement, the image processing unit can perform a process of combining a plurality of digital image data stored in the storage unit. Therefore, for example, the following shooting sequence can be realized. That is, first, the shooting device is made to shoot the same scene under different shooting conditions. Then, from these digital image data of a plurality of sheets, only a region in each image in which the photographing state is good is extracted and a process of combining these is performed. With this kind of processing,
Since it is possible to generate an image in which the shooting state is good in all areas in the image, it is possible to obtain a clear image in all areas in the shooting area.

The image capturing system according to the present invention is
In the above configuration, the image capturing control apparatus may further include a control unit that recognizes the state of the image capturing target area by analyzing the digital image data stored in the storage unit.

According to the above arrangement, the control unit can recognize the condition of the area photographed by the photographing device. Therefore, for example, it is possible to detect an abnormality in the shooting target area based on this recognition result,
For example, in the case of a system including the above-described shooting command unit, it is possible to perform control such as changing the shooting operation of the shooting device based on the recognition result of the control unit.

The image capturing system according to the present invention is
In the above configuration, the communication network connecting the image capturing apparatus and the image capturing control apparatus may be a wireless local area network.

In the above arrangement, a wireless local area network is used between the photographing device and the photographing control device. Here, for example, when a public communication line is used between the photographing device and the photographing control device, the following problems occur. For example, when the Internet or a mobile phone packet communication network is used as an ordinary public communication line, there is a problem of transmission delay in the network, which is a problem when, for example, it is desired to urgently acquire a monitoring image. Also, for example, as a public communication line,
When using the Internet etc., there are security problems. For example, when the above-mentioned image capturing system is applied as a surveillance camera system, the surveillance image is basically a private image, so it is not preferable that the data leaks to the outside. In addition, when a public communication line is used, communication costs will be incurred, which causes a problem that the maintenance cost of the image capturing system increases. From the above, it is preferable that the communication network does not use a public line between the photographing device and the photographing control device. In other words, a system that utilizes a wireless local area network, which has been remarkably popularized recently and is capable of securing high-speed and high-quality communication in a stable and inexpensive manner, is fundamental.

As the above-mentioned wireless local area network, it is preferable to use a wireless LAN conforming to IEEE 802.11 or a high-speed wireless communication network such as Bluetooth (registered trademark).
If such a wireless communication network is adopted, the installation of the image capturing apparatus will be even simpler, and it will be a factor in widespread use of this system in, for example, ordinary households.

The image capturing system according to the present invention is
In the above configuration, the photographing control device further includes an image processing unit that performs a process of synthesizing a plurality of pieces of digital image data stored in the storage unit, and the photographing device issues a photographing command in the photographing control device. Based on the image capturing command data received from the image capturing device via the communication network, the image capturing device includes an image capturing control unit that controls the operation of the image capturing device and the image capturing device control unit. And instructing shooting of a plurality of images with different aperture amounts and / or shutter speeds in the image sensor control unit, and the shooting control unit performs a shooting operation of a plurality of images in accordance with the instruction from the shooting command unit. , The image processing unit selects an area in a good shooting state from each digital image data shot by the shooting apparatus. It may perform the process of generating one digital image data out.

According to the above arrangement, for example, even when an extremely bright area and a dark area are mixed in an area to be photographed, it is possible to accurately grasp the state in the photographing area. Can be obtained. Therefore, for example, even if halation occurs on the shooting screen,
It is possible to accurately grasp the situation in the shooting area.

Further, the image capturing system according to the present invention is
In the above configuration, the shooting command unit causes the shooting device to shoot two images in succession,
The shooting operation is instructed so that the data size of the first image is smaller than the data size of the second image, and the shooting control unit follows the instruction from the shooting command unit to shoot the two images. May be performed, and the captured images may be sequentially transmitted to the imaging control device.

According to the above configuration, even if the communication speed in the communication network is relatively low, for example, an image with a high degree of urgency, that is, an image of the first report of abnormality detection,
It is possible to construct a system in which a relatively small image size is transferred from the shooting device to the shooting control device, and then a time delay occurs, but an image with a large image size is transferred from the shooting device to the shooting control device. it can.

[0032]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.

The monitoring system (image capturing system) 1 according to the present embodiment has a structure as shown in the block diagram of FIG. That is, the monitoring system 1 is configured to include a plurality of photographing devices 2, ..., A photographing control device 3, a photographing communication network (communication network) 4, a monitoring server 5, and a communication network 6. Although FIG. 2 shows an example in which only one shooting control device 3 is connected to the monitoring server 5, a plurality of shooting control devices 3 are connected to the monitoring server 5 and each shooting control device 3 is connected to the monitoring server 5. 3 may be a system in which each is connected to a plurality of photographing devices 2.

The plurality of photographing devices 2 ... And the photographing control device 3 are communicably connected via a photographing communication network 4. The photographing communication network 4 is, for example, a wired LAN (Local Area Network), a wireless LAN, or a Bluetooth.
It is realized by OOTH (registered trademark), infrared communication, etc.
A communication network based on a wireless communication system such as wireless LAN, Bluetooth, or infrared communication is preferable.

The photographing control device 3 and the monitoring server 5 are communicably connected via a communication network 6. The communication network 6 is, for example, a public network such as a telephone network, the Internet, a mobile phone packet communication network, or the like.
It is realized by a wide area leased line network. Although it is possible to configure the photographing communication network 4 by the public network, the following problems will occur when the public network is used.

First, when the Internet or a mobile phone packet communication network is used as the photographing communication network 4, there is a problem of transmission delay in the network. Specifically, for example, it may take several seconds to transfer data. Such signal delay is
For example, it becomes a problem when a surveillance image is to be acquired urgently.

Further, when the Internet is used as the photographing communication network 4, a security problem occurs. Since such a surveillance image is basically a private image, it is not preferable that the data leaks to the outside. However, it is possible to ensure security by using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) or the like on the Internet or by performing processing such as encryption processing on data.

If the public network as described above is used as the photographing communication network 4, communication costs will be incurred. Therefore, there is a problem that the maintenance cost of the monitoring system 1 increases. Considering the above,
The photographing communication network 4 is a LAN as described above.
It is preferable to use Bluetooth or Bluetooth.

As will be described in detail later, the photographing device 2 is a device having only the function of performing a process relating to image pickup in the conventional surveillance camera. Such a photographing device 2 is installed in a place where the photographing of the surveillance image is required. Further, the image photographed by the photographing device 2 is immediately transmitted to the photographing control device 3 via the photographing communication network 4.

As will be described in detail later, the photographing control device 3 is a device having only the function of performing image compression processing, image data temporary storage processing, etc. in a conventional surveillance camera. Image data from a plurality of image capturing devices 2 is transmitted to the image capturing control device 3, and the image capturing control device 3 performs timely compression processing and temporary storage processing on these image data. In addition, the image capturing control device 3 uses the monitoring server 5 to temporarily store the temporarily stored image data via the communication network 6.
Send to. Further, the photographing control device 3 also has a function of issuing a command regarding control of a photographing operation in the photographing device 2.

The monitoring server 5 centrally manages the image data transmitted from the plurality of photographing control devices 3. Examples of the process in the monitoring server 5 include a process of saving the received image data, a process of activating an alarm when an abnormality occurs and a process of contact, a process of instructing control of the photographing control device 3, and the like. Further, the monitoring server 5 may be connected to a central management server installed in a security company, for example, via a wide area communication network.
With such a configuration, it becomes possible for the security company to grasp the monitoring status of each image capturing device based on the information transmitted from each monitoring server, and for example, it is possible to perform security while away.

When the monitoring system 1 having the above-mentioned configuration is applied to, for example, a general house, the photographing device 2 is installed at a position for monitoring a region such as a front door, a window, a garden, a veranda, and the photographing control device 3 is used. It is conceivable that a system may be installed at a predetermined position such as a living room or a front door, or at a place for collectively managing several houses in the neighborhood. According to such a system, the monitoring status of each image capturing device 2 can be controlled by the image capturing control device 3 and can be centrally managed by the monitoring server 5.

Next, details of the photographing device 2 and the photographing control device 3 will be described with reference to the block diagram shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the imaging device 2 includes an imaging device 7, an imaging device control unit 8, a communication unit 9, and an imaging control unit 1.
It is configured with 0. In addition, the photographing control device 2
Is a communication unit 11, an image compression unit 12, a temporary storage unit 13a.
13b, an external communication unit 14, a photographing instruction unit 15, an image processing unit 16, and a control unit 17.

First, each component of the photographing device 2 will be described. The image pickup device 7 converts an image of the surroundings into an electric signal by converting the input light into an electric signal,
It is a so-called imager block. As shown in FIG. 3, the image pickup device 7 includes a lens / diaphragm section 21.
And the image sensor 22. The lens / diaphragm section 21 includes a lens system and a diaphragm, and adjusts the focus and the diaphragm. The image sensor 22 is composed of a solid-state image pickup device such as a CCD or CMOS type image pickup device, or an image pickup tube.

The image pickup device control section 8 is a block for controlling the image pickup operation of the image pickup device 7 and for processing the image signal picked up by the image pickup device 7. As shown in FIG. 3, the image sensor control unit 8 includes a sample hold unit 23, an A / D converter 24, and an image size setting unit 2.
5, timing generator 26, and synchronization generator 27.

The sample hold unit 23 is a block for temporarily holding the image data as an analog signal photographed by the image sensor 22 in units of samples. The sample hold unit 23 is provided for the following reason. Image sensor 2
The image data as an analog signal photographed by 2 is converted into a digital signal in the A / D converter 24 in the subsequent stage. Generally, the A / D converter takes a little time to perform the A / D conversion for one sample. Therefore, when the value of the input signal greatly changes during conversion, a correct digital signal cannot be obtained. Therefore, a circuit that holds the value of the input signal when A / D conversion starts until one sample A / D conversion ends is required. The sample hold unit 23 plays this role.

The A / D converter 24 is a block for converting image data as an analog signal photographed by the image sensor 22 into a digital signal. As a result, the image data as digital data can be obtained, and the pixel number conversion processing in the image size setting unit 25 in the subsequent stage can be performed.

The synchronization generator 27 is a block for generating a synchronization clock which is the basis of various operations within the photographing apparatus 2. Further, the timing generator 26, based on the synchronization clock generated by the synchronization generator 27, the image sensor 22, the sample hold unit 23,
And a block that generates a timing signal that defines each operation timing in the A / D converter 24.
By operating the image sensor 22, the sample hold unit 23, and the A / D converter 24 based on this timing signal, the process from image capturing to A / D conversion can be accurately performed without error.

The image size setting unit 25 is a block for changing the image size of the image taken by the image sensor 22, that is, the number of pixels. For example, if the number of pixels in the image sensor 22 is VGA (Video Graphics Array)
If it is (about 310,000 pixels), for example, this is QVGA.
(Approximately 80,000 pixels), CIF (Common Intermediate Format)
(About 100,000 pixels), QCIF (about 25,000 pixels), etc. are changed. The pixel number changing process here is
For example, the nearest neighbor method or the linear interpolation method is used.

The communication section 9 is a block for communicating with the image capturing control device 3 via the image capturing communication network 4. In FIG. 3, a configuration including a wireless communication unit 28 that performs wireless communication as the communication unit 9 is shown. The communication unit 9 transmits image data of a captured image, receives image capturing command data from the image capturing control device 3, and the like.
A buffer for adjusting the communication speed of the communication unit 9 may be provided between the image size setting unit 25 and the communication unit 9.

The photographing control section 10 is a block for controlling various processes in the photographing device 2. Specifically, the aperture control for the lens / diaphragm unit 21, the shooting start control for the timing generator 26, the shutter speed control, the shutter interval control during continuous shooting, and
The number of output pixels is set in the image size setting unit 25. Then, these controls are performed by the photographing control device 3
Is performed based on the shooting command data received by the communication unit 9 from the. Furthermore, the addition of new functions to the camera that will occur in the future and the absorption of the setting of the shooting environment conditions from the camera using system to the camera are realized by this shooting control device 3.

The image sensor 7 and the image sensor controller 8
, Various dedicated LSIs in which these are integrally formed have been commercialized. With such a dedicated LSI, it is possible to change shooting specifications such as exposure control (aperture and shutter speed) and output image size by changing parameter values in initial settings when the power is turned on. . In the present embodiment, the control operation as described above in the imaging control unit 10 is realized by using this parameter changing function. In addition, the change of the shooting specification is a special L
Of course, it does not matter if the above control is performed by a command without depending on the initial setting parameter of SI, for example, if it is possible by some command.

Next, each component of the photographing control device 3 will be described. The communication unit 11 is a block that communicates with the imaging device 2 via the imaging communication network 4. The communication unit 11 receives image data of a captured image from the image capturing device 2, and transmits image capturing command data sent from the image capturing commanding unit 15 described later to the image capturing device 2. In addition, the communication unit 11 is capable of communicating with a plurality of photographing devices 2.

The temporary storage unit (storage unit) 13a is the communication unit 1
1 is a block for temporarily storing the image data received with the number 1 waiting for image processing and further storing the image processed image data until the image is compressed.

The image compression unit 12 applies to the image data stored in the temporary storage unit 13a, that is, the image data received from the photographing apparatus 2 by the image processing unit 16. This is a block that performs compression processing. This compression processing aims to reduce the data size of the image data, and is performed based on the existing compression algorithm. The compression algorithm may be lossy compression or lossless compression.

The temporary storage unit 13b is a block for temporarily storing the image data compressed by the image compression unit 12. The image data stored here is read by the image processing unit 16 as necessary and used for various image processing.

The external communication unit 14 is a block for communicating with the monitoring server 5 via the communication network 6. In the external communication unit 14, a process of transmitting the image data stored in the temporary storage unit 13b to the monitoring server 5 and
A process of receiving any instruction signal from the monitoring server 5 is performed.

The image processing section 16 is a block for reading the image data stored in the temporary storage section 13a and converting it into a data format according to the required specifications of the application executed by the control section 17.

The control unit 17 analyzes the image sent from the image processing unit 16 and, based on the analysis result, gives an instruction to the photographing instruction unit 15 or gives an instruction to the monitoring server 5 via the external communication unit 14. It is a block that performs a process of transmitting information to the device. The following two processes are specific examples of the process in the control unit 17. As the first process, when it is determined that the image sent from the image processing unit 16 has an extremely bright and dark image, the aperture amount is changed to two types toward the photographing device 2 and 2 There is a process of giving an instruction to capture one captured image. The second process is
When the monitoring image is urgently needed, the photographing device 2 is instructed to promptly transmit the captured image as image data having a small number of pixels first and then transmit it as image data having a large number of pixels. There is processing. Details of these processes will be described later.

The photographing instruction section 15 is a block for performing processing for transmitting photographing instruction data to the photographing apparatus 2 via the communication section 11 based on a photographing instruction from the control section 17. As the shooting command data, as described above, the control of the diaphragm for the lens / diaphragm unit 21, the control of the shooting start for the timing generator 26, the control of the shutter speed, and the continuous shooting are performed as described above. Control of the shutter interval and setting of the number of output pixels for the image size setting unit 25 are included.

The structure of the photographing control device 3 has been described above with reference to the functional block diagram shown in FIG. 1. Next, with reference to FIG. 4, for the structure when the photographing control device 3 is actually realized. While explaining. As shown in the figure,
The photographing control device 3 includes a wireless communication unit 31, an image memory 32, an image compression unit 33, an external communication unit 34, and a CPU (Centr).
al Processing Unit) 35, a work memory 36, and a non-volatile memory 37.

The wireless communication unit 31 is the communication unit 1 described above.
It is a member corresponding to No. 1 and performs communication by a wireless system in this example. Examples of the wireless communication system include a wireless LAN compliant with IEEE802.11b, Bluetooth (registered trademark), and infrared communication. Note that, as described above, the communication unit 11 is not limited to one that performs wireless communication.

The image memory 32 is the temporary storage unit 13 described above.
It is a member corresponding to a.13b, and is composed of, for example, a DRAM. In the configuration shown in FIG. 4, the image memory 32 and the work memory 36, which will be described later, are shown as separate members, but the image memory 32 is a single memory.
The work memory 36 and the work memory 36 may be combined.

The image compression section 33 is the image compression section 12 described above.
Is a member corresponding to, and is configured by, for example, a dedicated LSI or DSP. The image compression unit 33 may be configured to be realized by executing the compression program by the CPU 35. External communication unit 34
Is a member corresponding to the external communication unit 14 described above, and is configured by, for example, a modem or a terminal adapter.

The CPU 35 is a block for controlling various processes in the photographing control device 3 by executing a corresponding program, and the photographing command unit 15 and the image processing unit 1
6 and the function of the control unit 17 are realized. Programs for realizing these functions are stored in the non-volatile memory 37, and the CPU 35 appropriately reads these programs onto the work memory 36 and executes them. The work memory 36 is composed of, for example, a DRAM, and the non-volatile memory 37 is composed of, for example, a flash EEPROM (electrically erasable / programmabl
e read only memory) and hard disk drive.

A photographing sequence in the photographing device 2 and the photographing control device 3 having the above-mentioned configurations will be described below. First, in the image capturing control device 3, image capturing command data indicating a change in image capturing specifications by the image capturing device 2 is generated in response to a request from the camera body application function in the control unit 17. Then, the shooting command data is transmitted from the shooting command unit 15 to the shooting device 2 via the shooting communication network 4.

When the photographing device 2 receives the photographing command data from the photographing control device 3, the contents of the photographing command data are displayed first.
Be transmitted to. The image capturing control unit 10 performs various parameter value setting operations in the image sensor 7 and the image sensor control unit 8 based on the content of the image capturing control command from the image capturing control device 3. The parameters include the aperture amount, shutter speed, shutter interval during continuous shooting, and the number of output pixels in the image size setting unit 25. Then, the shooting control unit 10 issues a shooting start instruction after the setting of these parameters is completed.

When an instruction to start photographing is given, the image pickup device 7
Also, the image sensor control unit 8 performs a shooting operation based on the various parameters that have been set. Then, the photographed image data is transmitted to the photographing control device 3 via the communication unit 9.

When the photographing control device 3 receives the photographed image data from the photographing device 2, the image processing section 16 performs various image processing on the received image data and then controls the image-processed image data. The image is passed to the application in the section 17, and the image analysis processing is performed.

Next, an example of a specific photographing sequence will be described below. First, as a first example, a shooting sequence in the case where an extremely bright region and an extremely dark region exist in a captured image will be described. As described above, such a captured image (hereinafter referred to as a halation image for convenience) has a mixture of a bright region where the sun is present in the background of the subject and a dark region where the sun is a shadow. This is an image that occurs when there is such a situation. In this case, if it is a shot image in which the aperture and shutter speed are set according to the bright area, the image in the dark area becomes unclear, and conversely, it is a shot image in which the aperture and shutter speed are set according to the dark area, The image in bright areas becomes unclear. Therefore, in such a monitoring image, there is a problem that the state of the image in the unclear area cannot be accurately grasped.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, when it is detected that such a halation image is captured, two images with different aperture values are captured, and these are combined to make the image unclear. The area is deleted. Details of this processing will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. Note that, in the flowchart shown in FIG. 5, the processes of the image capturing device 2, the image capturing control device 3, and the control unit 17 are shown side by side in the vertical direction, but the process of the columns of the image capturing control device 3 is other than the control unit 17. Processing in the photographing control device 3 (for example, the image processing unit 16, the photographing instruction unit 15, the temporary storage units 13a and 13b, etc.) is shown.

First, it is assumed that the image photographed by the photographing device 2 is transmitted to the photographing control device 3, and this image is analyzed by an application in the control unit 17 and is determined to be a halation image. In this case, the control unit 17 shoots two images and transmits a request to perform image processing to combine these images to the shooting command unit 15 (step 1, hereinafter referred to as S1).

When the photographing instruction unit 15 receives the above request from the control unit (S2), the photographing device 2
Shooting command data indicating that two images are to be shot with different aperture amounts and shutter speeds is transmitted (S3). Here, the respective aperture amounts and shutter speeds of the two images are set based on the result of image analysis by the control unit 17. That is, for shooting one image, the aperture amount and shutter speed are set so that the exposure in the bright region is appropriate, and for shooting the other image, the aperture amount and the shutter speed are set so that the exposure in the dark region is appropriate. Just set the shutter speed.

When the photographing device 2 receives the photographing command data from the photographing command unit 15 in the photographing control device 3 (S
4) In the photographing control unit 10, first, the lens / diaphragm unit 2
For 1, the instruction to change the aperture amount in the first shooting to the instructed value is given (S5). Here, it is assumed that the amount of aperture is set to a relatively large value, as the shooting is first performed so that the exposure in the bright area is appropriate. Then, the image capturing control unit 10 further instructs the image sensor 22 to change the shutter speed in the first image capturing to the instructed value (S6). Here, it is assumed that the shutter speed is set to a relatively high value.

In the above example, both the aperture amount and the shutter speed are changed, but the present invention is not limited to this, and control is performed to change only one of them. I don't mind. Further, the shutter speed may be determined by the speed of the object to be monitored, and in this case, it is preferable to perform control so that only the aperture amount is changed.

The aperture amount and the shutter speed are set as described above, and when it is confirmed that these settings are completed, the photographing operation is started (S7). Then, the image signal captured by the image sensor 22 is converted into digital image data by the sample hold unit 23 and the A / D converter 24 in the image sensor control unit 8,
The image size for transmission is generated by the size being determined by the image size setting unit 20 (S8).
It should be noted that the image size setting unit 20 complies with the shooting command data from the shooting control device 3 when the shooting command data includes information about the image size, and when it does not, sets the default image size. To generate image data.

Thereafter, the image data is transmitted to the photographing control device 3 by the communication section 9 (S9). Then, when this image data is received on the side of the photographing control device 3, it is stored in the temporary storage unit 13a as image data with a large aperture amount (S10).

On the other hand, in the photographing apparatus 2, when the photographing of an image with a large aperture amount is completed, the photographing control unit 10 again instructs the lens / aperture unit 21 to indicate the aperture amount for the second photographing. An instruction to change to is issued (S12).
Here, it is assumed that the aperture amount is set to a relatively small value, as the shooting is performed so that the exposure in the dark area is appropriate. Then, the image capturing control unit 10 further instructs the image sensor 22 to change the shutter speed in the second image capturing to the instructed value (S12). Here, it is assumed that the shutter speed is set to a relatively slow value. Here, similarly to the above, control may be performed such that either one of the aperture amount and the shutter speed is not changed, but only one of them is changed.

The aperture amount and the shutter speed are set as described above, and when it is confirmed that these settings are completed, the photographing operation is started (S13). Then, the image signal captured by the image sensor 22 is transferred to the sample hold unit 23 and the A / D unit of the image sensor control unit 8.
The image data for transmission is generated by being converted into digital image data by the converter 24 and the size being determined by the image size setting unit 20 (S1).
4).

Thereafter, the image data is transmitted to the photographing control device 3 by the communication section 9 (S15). Then, when the image data is received on the side of the photographing control device 3, it is stored in the temporary storage unit 13a as image data with a small aperture amount (S16).

By the above processing, the temporary storage unit 13a of the photographing control device 3 stores two pieces of image data photographed with a large aperture amount and image data photographed with a small aperture amount. Will be. Then, the image processing unit 16 performs image processing to combine these two image data (S17). Specifically, an image of a bright area portion of image data shot so that the exposure is appropriate in a bright area and an image of a dark area portion of image data shot so that the exposure in a dark area is appropriate. Processing for combining the image is performed. As a result, the combined image is in proper exposure in both bright and dark areas,
It is possible to accurately grasp the state of the image in any part.

When the combination processing of the two images is completed in this way, the control unit 17 is notified that the combination processing of the images is completed (S18). Upon receiving this notification, the control unit 17 reads the image data that has been subjected to the combining process and executes the image analyzing process (S19).

By performing the above-described processing, it is possible to accurately grasp the state in the monitoring area even when there are extremely bright areas and dark areas mixed in the area where the monitoring image is to be captured. It is possible to obtain an image that can be obtained. Therefore, depending on the time of day, even if the sun enters the monitoring area, or if there are areas with strong illumination and areas without illumination at night, etc. It becomes possible to accurately grasp the situation of, and it becomes possible to strengthen the monitoring situation.

Next, as a specific example of the second photographing sequence, when the communication speed of the photographing communication network 4 is low (for example, about several Kbps to several tens of Kbps), a highly urgent image is transmitted. The shooting sequence will be described. In this way, the shooting communication network 4
When the communication speed is low, if the image data having a large data size is to be transmitted, it takes a long time to transmit the image data. Therefore, it becomes impossible to adapt to the case where it is desired to obtain a monitoring image in real time without any time delay.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, when an image with a high degree of urgency is required, the image data having a small data size is first transmitted from the photographing device 2, and then there is a time delay, but the same. The image is transmitted as image data having a large data size. Details of this processing will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. In the flowchart shown in FIG. 6, the photographing device 2, the photographing control device 3, and the control unit 17 are included.
The processing in each is shown in the vertical direction,
The processing of the columns of the photographing control device 3 indicates the processing in the photographing control device 3 other than the control unit 17 (for example, the image processing unit 16, the photographing instruction unit 15, the temporary storage unit 13a, etc.).

First, the control unit 17 is required to urgently need a monitor image, and this request is issued by the photographing command unit 1
5 is transmitted (S21). The shooting command unit 15
When this request is accepted (S22), the photographing apparatus 2 is instructed to first transmit image data having a small data size and then transmit image data having a large data size. Specifically, first, image data of QCIF (about 25,000 pixels) is transmitted, and then VGA (about 3 million pixels).
Shooting command data is sent to the shooting device 2 so as to send image data of 10,000 pixels (S23).

When the photographing device 2 receives the photographing command data from the photographing command section 15 in the photographing control device 3 (S
24), in the photographing control unit 10, first, with respect to the image size setting unit 25, the image size in the first photographing is set to
An instruction is given to change the image size to the instructed image size (S25). In this example, the image of the first shot is set in the image size setting unit 25 as a QCIF image.

Further, in the photographing control section 10,
For example, the lens / diaphragm unit 21, the image sensor 22, and the like are instructed to change the aperture amount and the shutter speed in the first shooting to the instructed value (S2).
6). In addition, in the shooting command data from the shooting control device 3,
If the information about these parameters is included, the information is conformed to, and if not included, the default parameter values are set to perform imaging.

As described above, the image size and other parameters are set, and when it is confirmed that these settings are completed, the photographing operation is started (S27).
Then, the image signal captured by the image sensor 22 is converted into the sample hold unit 2 in the image sensor control unit 8.
3. The image data for transmission is generated by being converted into digital image data by the A / D converter 24 and being converted into the image size of QCIF by the image size setting unit 20 (S28).

Thereafter, this image data is transmitted to the photographing control device 3 by the communication section 9 (S29). Then, when the image data is received on the side of the photographing control device 3, the image data of QCIF is accumulated in the temporary storage unit 13a (S30).

When the processing up to this point is completed, the control unit 17
Is notified that the QCIF image capturing operation and the receiving process are completed (S31). Upon receiving this processing completion notification, the control unit 17 reads the QCIF image stored in the temporary storage unit 13a and performs image analysis processing (S32). The time from the instruction to start shooting to this point is extremely short because the size of the image data to be transmitted is relatively small. Therefore, QC
With respect to the IF image, the control unit 17 can perform image analysis processing almost in real time as in the shooting operation.

On the other hand, when the photographing of the QCIF image is completed in the photographing device 2, the photographing control unit 10 causes the image size setting unit 25 to set the image size in the second photographing to the instructed image size. Is changed (S33). In this example, the image of the second shot is set in the image size setting unit 25 as a VGA image.

Then, in the photographing control section 10,
For example, the lens / diaphragm unit 21, the image sensor 22, and the like are instructed to change the aperture amount and the shutter speed in the second shooting to the instructed value (S3).
4). In addition, in the shooting command data from the shooting control device 3,
If the information about these parameters is included, the information is conformed to, and if not included, the default parameter values are set to perform imaging.

As described above, the image size and other parameters are set, and when it is confirmed that these settings are completed, the photographing operation is started (S35).
Then, the image signal captured by the image sensor 22 is converted into the sample hold unit 2 in the image sensor control unit 8.
3. The image data for transmission is generated by being converted into digital image data by the A / D converter 24 and being converted into the image size of VGA by the image size setting unit 20 (S36).

Thereafter, the image data is transmitted to the photographing control device 3 by the communication section 9 (S37). Then, when this image data is received on the photographing control device 3 side, it is stored as VGA image data in the temporary storage unit 13a (S38).

When the processing up to this point is completed, the control unit 17
Is notified that the VGA image capturing operation and the reception processing are completed (S39). Upon receiving the processing completion notification, the control unit 17 reads the VGA image stored in the temporary storage unit 13a and performs the image analysis process (S40). Although it takes a relatively long time from the shooting start instruction to this point, it is possible to obtain a detailed image, and thus it is possible to analyze the monitoring image in detail.

By performing the above processing, even if the communication speed in the photographing communication network 4 is relatively slow, an image with a high degree of urgency, that is, an image of the first report of abnormality detection,
A system for transferring an image having a relatively large image size from the image capturing apparatus 2 to the image capturing control apparatus 3 with a time delay after that is transferred to the image capturing control apparatus 3 from the image capturing apparatus 2 with a relatively small image size. Can be built. As a result, it becomes possible to perform real-time monitoring with the first image, and then to grasp the abnormality in detail with the second image, so that it is possible to provide an advanced image monitoring system.

In the photographing sequence shown in FIG. 6, the image data having a relatively small image size is transmitted and then the image data having a relatively large image size is always transmitted. However, it is not limited to this. For example, basically, when a shooting instruction is issued, image data having a relatively small image size is transmitted, and only when an abnormality is found in the monitoring image, the image size is relatively large. It is also possible to use a sequence for transmitting image data. In the case of such a sequence, if there is no abnormality,
Since image data having a relatively small image size is transmitted, it is possible to suppress traffic in the photographing communication network 4 and improve the communication state. Then, since the image data having a relatively large image size is transmitted only when the abnormality occurs, it is possible to grasp the abnormality in detail.

Here, another configuration example of the photographing device 2 and the photographing control device 3 shown in FIG. 1 and the like will be described. In the above-described example, the image compression unit 12 is configured to be included in the shooting control device 3. However, the image compression unit may be provided in the image capturing apparatus 2 instead of the image capturing control apparatus 3. In this case, the image compression unit is provided between the image sensor control unit 8 and the communication unit 9 in the image capturing device 2. With such a configuration, it becomes possible to transmit the image data captured by the image capturing device 2 to the image capturing control device 3 in a state of being compressed by the compression processing unit. That is, since the size of the image data transmitted in the photographing communication network 4 can be further reduced, such a configuration is effective when the communication speed of the photographing communication network 4 is slow.

However, if the image pickup device 2 is provided with the compression processing section, the cost of the image pickup device 2 increases, so that the cost rises when a plurality of image pickup devices 2 are provided in the system. It gets even bigger. Further, when the image pickup apparatus 2 is provided with the compression processing unit, the size of the apparatus also increases. Since it is preferable that the image pickup apparatus 2 can be attached to various places and it is preferable that the image pickup apparatus 2 be inconspicuous, it is not preferable that the size of the image pickup apparatus 2 itself increases. For the reasons described above, it is basically not preferable to provide the image capturing apparatus 2 with the compression processing section, but which configuration should be selected may be determined in consideration of the communication speed.

Further, in the above example, the photographing device 2 is provided with a member for adjusting the focus and the aperture as the lens / diaphragm portion 21, but it is further provided with a zoom function and the like. It may be configured. Further, it may be configured to further include a mechanism for changing the shooting direction in the shooting device 2. With such a configuration, it is also possible to construct a system capable of remotely controlling zoom adjustment, shooting direction adjustment, and the like under the control of the shooting control device 3.

However, if the image pickup apparatus 2 is provided with such a zoom mechanism or rotation mechanism, the cost of the image pickup apparatus 2 increases and the size of the image pickup apparatus 2 increases. In addition, such a mechanical mechanism is highly likely to cause a failure, and maintenance such as lubrication is required.
There is also a demerit that handling becomes complicated. Therefore, the unit price of the photographing device 2 is reduced by making the photographing device 2 to have a necessary minimum configuration rather than providing the zoom mechanism and the rotation mechanism to the photographing device 2, and it is determined that the monitoring area is narrow in one photographing device 2. In such a case, it can be said that it is preferable to propose a usage method in which another photographing device 2 is installed.

[0103]

As described above, in the image photographing system according to the present invention, the image pickup element for converting the input light into an electric signal, the operation control of the image pickup element, and the electric signal obtained by the image pickup element. An image sensor control unit that performs a process of converting the image data into digital image data; and a storage unit that stores the digital image data output from the image sensor control unit. The image sensor and the image sensor control unit are provided. The photographing apparatus and the photographing control apparatus including the storage unit are configured as separate apparatuses, and the photographing apparatus and the photographing control apparatus are connected via a communication network.

As a result, the image pickup apparatus itself need only include the image pickup element and the image pickup element control section, so that the apparatus size of the image pickup apparatus can be reduced and power consumption is inevitably saved. You can also plan. Therefore, there is an effect that it is possible to provide an image capturing system capable of responding as much as possible to a place where the user wants to install the image capturing apparatus.

Further, the image photographing system according to the present invention is
A plurality of the above-mentioned photographing devices may be provided, and the above-mentioned photographing control device may be connected to the plurality of photographing devices via the above-mentioned communication network.

As a result, in addition to the effects of the above configuration, it is possible to reduce an increase in cost in the case of a system having a plurality of photographing devices, so that the user can take an image photographing system having a large number of photographing devices. It is possible to reduce the cost burden when constructing the.

Further, the image photographing system according to the present invention is
The photographing control device may further include an image compression unit that performs a process of compressing the digital image data received from the photographing device.

As a result, in addition to the effect of the above configuration, it is possible to reduce the storage capacity of the storage unit, and thus it is possible to use a cheaper storage unit. Further, even if such a compression processing unit is provided, the merit of downsizing of the image capturing apparatus as described above cannot be lost.

Further, the image photographing system according to the present invention is
The shooting control device further includes a shooting command unit that generates shooting command data for controlling the operation of the image sensor and the image sensor control unit in the shooting device, and the shooting device is configured to operate from the shooting command unit in the shooting control device. A configuration may be provided in which a photographing control unit that controls the operation of the image pickup device and the image pickup device control unit based on the photographing instruction data received via the communication network is provided.

As a result, in addition to the effects of the above configuration, it becomes possible to control the photographing operation in the photographing device from the photographing command section in the photographing control device, so that the photographing operation control in the photographing device is controlled. This has an effect that it is possible to control the device as a whole.

Further, the image photographing system according to the present invention is
The image pickup device control unit of the photographing apparatus further includes an image size setting unit that changes the data size of the digital image data output from the photographing apparatus, and the photographing instruction unit of the photographing control apparatus specifies the data size. In addition to outputting the command data, the shooting control unit in the shooting device may control the operation of the image size setting unit according to the data size information included in the shooting command data.

As a result, in addition to the effects of the above configuration, for example, when a photographed image is urgently required, the communication time can be reduced by reducing the data size, and a detailed image is required. In this case, there is an effect that it is possible to perform control such as acquiring image data capable of grasping the details of the image by increasing the data size.

Further, the image photographing system according to the present invention is
The photographing control device may include an image processing unit that performs a process of combining a plurality of pieces of digital image data stored in the storage unit.

Thus, in addition to the effects of the above configuration, for example, in a plurality of pieces of digital image data, it is possible to perform processing for extracting only the areas of each image in which the photographing state is good and combining these areas. As a result, it is possible to obtain a clear image in all areas of the shooting area.

Further, the image photographing system according to the present invention is
The photographing control device may further include a control unit that recognizes the situation of the photographing target area by analyzing the digital image data stored in the storage unit.

Thus, in addition to the effects of the above configuration, for example, it is possible to find an abnormality in the imaging target area based on this recognition result, or, for example, a system equipped with the imaging command section described above. In this case, it is possible to perform control such as changing the shooting operation of the shooting device based on the recognition result of the control unit.

Further, the image photographing system according to the present invention is
The communication network connecting the photographing apparatus and the photographing control apparatus may be a wireless local area network.

Thus, in addition to the effects of the above configuration, it is possible to solve the problems of signal delay, security, cost, etc. when using a public line.

Further, the image photographing system according to the present invention is
The photographing control device further includes an image processing unit that performs a process of combining a plurality of pieces of digital image data stored in the storage unit, and the photographing device causes the photographing command unit in the photographing control device to operate the communication network. An imaging device and an imaging device control unit in the imaging device, the imaging command unit performing operation control of the imaging device and the imaging device control unit based on the imaging command data received via Instructing shooting of a plurality of images with different aperture amounts and / or shutter speeds, and the shooting control unit performs a shooting operation of the plurality of images according to an instruction from the shooting command unit, and the image processing unit However, each of the digital image data captured by the above-mentioned image capturing apparatus extracts a region in a good image capturing state and outputs a single digital image. It may perform the process of generating the image data.

Thus, in addition to the effects of the above configuration, it is possible to accurately grasp the situation in the shooting area even when halation occurs on the shooting screen, for example.

Further, the image photographing system according to the present invention is
The shooting command unit continuously sends 2 to the shooting device.
At the same time as photographing the one image, the photographing operation is instructed so that the data size of the first image is smaller than the data size of the second image. A configuration may be adopted in which two images are photographed according to an instruction and the photographed images are sequentially transmitted to the photographing control device.

Thus, in addition to the effects of the above configuration, even when the communication speed in the communication network is relatively slow, for example, the images of high urgency, that is, the images of the first report of abnormality detection are compared in image size. The effect of being able to construct a system in which an image having a large image size is transferred from the image capturing device to the image capturing control device, although a time delay will occur after that, by making the size of the image capturing device smaller and transferring the image to the image capturing control device, Play.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a photographing device and a photographing control device included in a surveillance system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the monitoring system.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the image capturing apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the photographing control device.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a shooting sequence when a halation image is detected.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a shooting sequence when transmitting an image with a high degree of urgency.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a conventional monitoring device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Monitoring system (image capturing system) 2 Imaging device 3 Shooting control device 4 Shooting communication network (communication network) 5 Monitoring server 6 Communication network 7 Image sensor 8 Image sensor controller 9 Communication section 10 Shooting control unit 11 Communications Department 12 Image compression unit 13a and 13b Temporary storage unit (storage unit) 14 External communication section 15 Shooting command section 16 Image processing unit 17 Control unit

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Makoto Tochihara             Shiokyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto Prefecture             801 Kudo-cho Omron Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 5C022 AA01 AA13 AB01 AB21 AB61                       AB65 AB68 AC52 AC69 CA00                 5C054 AA02 CC05 CE15 DA06 EA01                       EA03 EA07 EB05 ED01 EG05                       EH07 FC12 FE02 FF01 GA01                       GA02 GA04 GB01 GD09

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. An image sensor for converting input light into an electric signal, an operation control of the image sensor, and an image sensor controller for performing processing of converting an electric signal obtained by the image sensor into digital image data. And a storage unit for storing digital image data output from the image sensor control unit, and an image capturing apparatus including the image sensor and the image sensor control unit, and an image capturing control apparatus including the storage unit. An image photographing system characterized in that the photographing device and the photographing control device are configured as separate devices and are connected to each other via a communication network. 2. The image photographing system according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the photographing devices are provided, and the photographing control device is connected to the plurality of photographing devices through the communication network. 3. The image photographing system according to claim 1, wherein the photographing control device further comprises an image compression unit that performs a process of compressing digital image data received from the photographing device. 4. The photographing control device further comprises a photographing command section for generating photographing command data for controlling the operation of the image sensor and the image sensor control section of the photographing device, and the photographing device is the photographing control device. The imaging control unit that controls the operation of the imaging device and the imaging device control unit based on the imaging command data received from the imaging command unit via the communication network is provided. The image capturing system according to any one of 3 above. 5. The image pickup device control unit in the image pickup device,
An image size setting unit for changing the data size of the digital image data output from the photographing device is further provided, and the photographing command unit in the photographing control device outputs the photographing command data designating the data size and the photographing device The image capturing system according to claim 4, wherein the image capturing control unit controls the operation of the image size setting unit according to the data size information included in the image capturing command data. 6. The image-capturing control device includes an image processing unit that performs a process of combining a plurality of pieces of digital image data stored in the storage unit.
The image capturing system according to any one of items 1 to 5. 7. The photographing control device further comprises a control unit for recognizing the situation of the photographing target area by analyzing the digital image data stored in the storage unit. 7. The image capturing system according to any one of items 1 to 6. 8. The image photographing system according to claim 1, wherein a communication network connecting the photographing device and the photographing control device is a wireless local area network. 9. The photographing control device further comprises an image processing unit for performing a process of synthesizing a plurality of digital image data stored in the storage unit, and the photographing device gives a photographing command in the photographing control device. From the image capturing device via the communication network, the image capturing device includes an image capturing control unit that controls the operation of the image capturing device and the image capturing device control unit. And instructing shooting of a plurality of images with different aperture amounts and / or shutter speeds in the image sensor control unit, and the shooting control unit performs a shooting operation of a plurality of images according to the instruction from the shooting command unit. The image processing unit extracts regions with good shooting conditions from the digital image data taken by the shooting device. The image capturing system according to claim 4, wherein the image capturing system performs a process for generating one piece of digital image data. 10. The photographing command section causes the photographing device to photograph two images in succession, and the data size of the first image is smaller than the data size of the second image. It is characterized in that a photographing operation for reducing the size is instructed, the photographing control section performs a two-image photographing operation in accordance with an instruction from the photographing instruction section, and sequentially transmits photographed images to the photographing control apparatus. The image capturing system according to claim 5. 11. A photographing device used in the image photographing system according to any one of claims 1 to 10. 12. A photographing control device used in the image photographing system according to any one of claims 1 to 10.