JPH0698225A - Video camera control system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To control a video camera by a computer and also to recover a control state secured before the video camera is turned off. CONSTITUTION:A video camera 1, a computer 9, a converter 12, etc., are connected to a digital video interface 3. The control data given from the computer 9 are supplied to the converter 12. Then the converter 12 converts the control data into the command data for the camera 1. The command data outputted from the converter 12 are supplied to the camera 1 via the interface 3. Meanwhile the control signal supplied to the converter 12 is stored in a memory of the computer 9.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a video camera, and more particularly to a video camera control system for controlling a video camera used for still image shooting.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A still image recording apparatus for recording a still image by combining a disk drive unit having a recording medium such as a magneto-optical disk and an image pickup means such as a video camera has been developed. Usually, a strobe, a strobe light detector, a remote control switch, and the like are connected to such a still image recording device in addition to a disc drive unit and a video camera. In addition, the above-mentioned disk drive unit is connected to a computer, and a computer is used to synthesize a predetermined character or figure with a still image recorded in a still image recording device and record it on a recording medium.

By the way, control of RGB gain and iris gain of a video camera is performed by operating a control switch attached to the video camera or operating a commander or the like connected to the video camera by a cable or the like. When the video camera is controlled by operating the commander, serial command data is supplied from the commander to the video camera. This allows various controls for the video camera.

[0004]

When the still picture recording apparatus described above is turned off and then turned on again to start shooting in the same state as the previous control state, the control setting of the previous video camera is changed. The state is judged only by various control knobs provided on the video camera main body or the inclination of the control knobs provided on the commander.

As described above, since the control setting of the video camera at the start of shooting is made by the user's eyes,
It is extremely difficult to start shooting in exactly the same state as before the power was turned off. Therefore, a system that can reproduce the control state before the power is turned off when the power is turned on is desired.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a video camera control system in which the video camera is controlled by a computer and the control settings of the previous video camera can be reproduced when the power is turned on.

[0007]

According to the present invention, there is provided a video camera for picking up a still image, a still image storage means for storing an image pickup signal picked up by the video camera, and a control means for controlling the operation of the video camera. The video camera is a video camera control system characterized by being controlled by control data applied from the control means via the still image storage means.

[0008]

The control data from the computer is converted into the command data of the video camera by the converter. This command data is supplied to the video camera via the still image storage device. In addition, if the control state before turning off the video camera control system is stored in the memory of the computer and then shooting with the same video camera settings as before turning off, the control stored in the memory of the video camera is stored. The data is supplied to the video camera through the converter and the digital video interface device.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a video camera control system to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to FIG. For example, in the video camera 1 that shoots a subject by the PAL signal system, in addition to an on-off button, a record button, a play button, a focus / zoom button, etc.
Various adjustment buttons (iris gain, RGB gain, etc.) are provided. Along with this, a commander (not shown) that enables remote operation is prepared. The video camera 1 is bidirectionally connected to a digital video interface (hereinafter referred to as DVI) device 3 via a cable 2. The image pickup signal taken by the video camera 1 is stored in the DVI device 3. The strobe 5 connected to the DVI device 3 via the drive circuit 4 emits light in synchronization with the time of capturing the image pickup signal into the DVI device 3. The timing of capturing the image pickup signal is controlled by turning on / off the foot switch 6.

The image pickup signal taken into the DVI device 3 is supplied to the monitor 7, whereby the user can confirm the image of the image pickup signal. In addition, the image pickup signal from the DVI device 3 is sent to the SCS via the SCSI bus cable 8.
It is supplied to the computer 9 as I data. To the computer 9, for example, a disk drive unit 10 having a magneto-optical disk and a mouse 11 for creating a figure are connected. The SCSI data via the computer 9 is
It is recorded on a magneto-optical disk provided in the disk drive unit 10.

The RS-232C connector (not shown) attached to the back of the computer 9, for example, is connected to the converter 1
Connected to 2. The converter 12 converts the data transmitted from the computer 9 in the data format of RS-232C into the data format of the DVI device 3, and transmits it to the DVI device 3 as command data of the video camera 1. That is, the serial output data of the converter 12 is used as command data of the video camera 1, and this data controls RGB gain, pedestal level, iris gain, knee correction, etc. of the video camera 1, for example.

As described above, by converting the control data output from the computer 9 into the command data of the video camera 1 by the converter 12 and supplying the command data to the video camera 1 through the DVI device 3, various kinds of data for the video camera 1 can be obtained. The adjustment can be done on the computer 9. Also,
The converter 12 is provided in the memory provided in the computer 9.
By storing the command data transmitted to the converter 12 and supplying the memory data to the converter 12 when the power is turned on again, the control state before the power is turned off can be easily reproduced. In addition, the converter 12 is the DVI device 3
Even when it is embedded in the, it is possible to obtain the same effect as described above.

FIG. 2 is a circuit block diagram of the DVI device 3. Note that the circuit block diagram shown in FIG. 2 shows only the R signal for the sake of simplification of description, and actually comprises three circuits including circuits for the G signal and the B signal. In FIG. 2, a video signal of the video camera 1 input from the video input terminal 21 is supplied to a clip circuit 24 and an A / D converter 25 via an amplifier 22 and a low pass filter (hereinafter referred to as LPF) 23. A / D converted.

This digital signal is supplied to the selector 27 via the delay circuit 26. A test generation circuit 28 is connected to the selector 27. The selector 27 switches between the test signal supplied from the test generation circuit 28 and the video signal supplied from the delay circuit 26. The video signal from the delay circuit 26 is sent to the selector 27.
And the Y signal generation circuit 41 via the adder circuit 29. The G signal and the B signal are supplied to the Y signal generation circuit 41 via the same circuit. Y signal generation circuit 41
The Y signal output from the
It is supplied to the PC circuit 30.

On the other hand, a computer 9 is bidirectionally connected to the SPC circuit 30 via a SCSI bus cable 8. In the SPC circuit 30, the image data and the input data from the computer 9 are converted into SCSI data. S
The data of the computer 9 via the PC circuit 30 is C
It is supplied to the PU 31, the graphic memory 32, the information memory 33, the ROM 34, the RAM 35, and the reference memory 36, and these are controlled by the CPU 31. The control data output from the ROM 34, the RAM 35, and the reference memory 36 is supplied to the memory controller 37.

By the control signal from the memory controller 37, the video signals stored in the VRAMs 38 and 39 are respectively supplied to the adder circuit 29 via the delay circuit 40. The adder circuit 29 adds the video signal from the selector 27 and the video signal called from the VRAMs 38 and 39. After that, the video output signal from the adding circuit 29 is supplied to the SPC circuit 30 via the Y signal generating circuit 41 and the controller 42. In the SPC circuit 30, the output signal of the controller 42 is SCS.
Computer 9 after conversion to I data format
Is displayed on the screen.

The video output signal of the adder circuit 29 is supplied to the mixer 43. Along with this, the mixer 43 has V
The video signals stored in the RAMs 38 and 39 are supplied as reference video signals. The video output signal of the mixer 43 is supplied to the mixer 44. Data from the graph memory 32 and the information memory 33 is input to the mixer 44 via the controller 45. Therefore, the mixer 44 outputs a video signal on which characters are superimposed. The video output signal of the mixer 44 is converted into an analog video signal by the D / A converter 45 and supplied to the LPF 46. L
In the PF 46, only the low frequency component in the video signal is extracted and supplied to the buffer amplifier 48 and the buffer amplifier 57 via the buffer amplifier 47.

The video signal passed through the buffer amplifier 48 is output as a video signal to the monitor 7 through the video signal output terminal 49. The video signal that has passed through the buffer amplifier 57 is supplied to the Y signal generation circuit 58. The Y signal generation circuit 58 is supplied with the video signals from the G signal circuit and the B signal circuit, respectively. Y signal generation circuit 58
Then, a luminance signal is generated based on the supplied signal,
It is output from the return video output terminal 59.

The sync signal in the video signal is input to the sync signal input terminal 50, and is supplied to the sync separation circuit 52 via the amplifier 51. The sync separation circuit 52 separates a horizontal sync signal and a vertical sync signal. The sync signal output from the sync separation circuit 52 is supplied to the sync generation circuit 54 via the PLL circuit 53. From the synchronization generation circuit 54,
The reference signal fs or the like is output to a predetermined circuit. The output signal of the synchronization generating circuit 54 is the buffer amplifier 5
The signal is supplied to the sync signal output terminal 56 via 5. The strobe 5 shown in FIG. 1 is connected to the synchronization signal output terminal 56. The synchronization signal supplied from the synchronization signal output terminal 56 controls the light emission timing of the strobe 5. That is, the signal from the sync signal output terminal 56 synchronizes the timing at which the video signal from the video camera 1 is taken into the DVI device 3 and the timing at which the strobe 5 emits light.

The control data output from the computer 9 is supplied to the converter 12. In the converter 12, the supplied control data is converted into command data for the video camera 1. The command data from the converter 12 is input to the command data input terminal 60. This command data is sent via the DVI device 3
It is supplied to the command data output terminal 61 to which the video camera 1 is connected. This allows the computer 9 to perform various controls for the video camera 1.

FIG. 3 shows a flow chart of the operation when shooting is performed by the above-mentioned video camera control system. In FIG. 3, when the subject is set (step 71), the iris of the video camera 1 is opened (step 72). From this state, the angle of view of the video camera 1 is adjusted until the optimum angle of view for the subject is obtained (step 73). When the angle of view adjustment is completed,
The light intensity of the strobe 5 is controlled (step 7).
4).

When the photographing conditions for the subject are set in this way, various settings (RGB gain, pedestal level, iris gain,
Knee correction, etc.) data from the computer 9 to the DVI device 3
(Step 75). The DVI device 3 makes various settings for the video camera 1 in accordance with the control data supplied from the converter 12 (step 76). When the control of the video camera 1 ends, the computer 9 saves the file (control state) of the DVI device 3 to S
Read out via CSI bus cable 8 (step 7)
7). A screen generated based on this file is displayed on the display of the computer 9, and the screen color is confirmed (step 78). The image data displayed on the display takes into account the color temperature and the like, and is the same image data as the print output from a printer (not shown) connected to the computer 9, for example.

When the image data is corrected, the process returns to step 76. When the displayed image data and the still image that the user is trying to obtain match, and the user wants to shoot again in the same state, the video camera 1 is controlled in the memory provided in the computer 9. The data is stored (step 79) and the video camera control system is turned off (step 8).
0).

When the system is turned on to start photographing (step 81), a series of processing is repeated from step 75. That is, when the subject is photographed in the same state as before the system is turned off, the control data stored in the memory of the computer 9 is converted into the converter 1.
It is supplied to the DVI device 3 via 2 and the video camera 1 is controlled based on this data (step 7).
5). Hereinafter, from step 76 to step 80, the same processing as described above is performed. On the other hand, when it is not desired to shoot in the same state as before the system was turned off, the computer 9 applies new control data to the converter 12 again to update the shooting setting state of the video camera 1. Note that step 73 and step 7
In the decision block of 4 and step 78, when the respective operations are denied, the processing is repeated from step 71.

[0025]

According to the present invention, the setting state of the video camera can be controlled from the computer. Along with this, the control state before turning off the video camera control system is stored in the memory of the computer, and when shooting is performed with the same video camera setting as before turning off, the DVI device is stored in the memory of the video camera. It can be easily realized by simply supplying the stored control data.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a video camera control system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a circuit block diagram of a digital video interface device.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the video camera control system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Video Camera 3 Digital Video Interface Device 9 Computer 12 Converter 60 Command Data Input Terminal 61 Command Data Output Terminal

Continued Front Page (72) Inventor Atsushi Sakai 6-735 Kitashinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Sony Corporation

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A video camera for taking a still image, a still image storage means for storing an image pickup signal of an object photographed by the video camera, and a control means for controlling the operation of the video camera. The video camera control system, wherein the video camera is controlled by control data applied from the control means via the still image storage means. 2. The video camera control system according to claim 1, further comprising conversion means for converting control data from the control means into command data for the video camera. 3. The control means is provided with a memory, the control data of the video camera is stored in the memory, and the transitional setting state of the video camera is set based on the control data. The video camera control system according to claim 1. 4. A video camera for taking a still image, a still image storage means for storing an image pickup signal of an object photographed by the video camera, a control means for controlling the operation of the video camera, and the control described above. A video camera control system comprising serial / parallel conversion means for converting a serial control signal supplied from the means into a parallel control signal.