JPH07154673A - Television system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a television camera system in which the selection of plural television cameras is realized with a simple configuration. CONSTITUTION:A field for a color frame outputting an internally generated video signal is preset to each television camera. When plural television cameras are connected in series, a video output in which internally generated video signals from the plural television cameras are arranged in a predetermined sequence in the unit of fields is obtained from a television camera of a final stage. A changeover device 1 specifies each color frame from the video output and the internally generated video signals of the plural television cameras are stored separately in a picture memory 23 according to the specified color frame. A video signal of a desired television camera is read from the picture memory 23 and reproduced on a monitor.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a television camera system, and more particularly to a television camera system capable of connecting a plurality of television cameras and displaying an image from a desired camera on a monitor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a conventional television camera system. In the figure, a plurality of television cameras 101 to 104 are connected in parallel to a sequential switcher 105, and one of the video signals is selected by the sequential switcher 105 and displayed on the monitor 106.

However, the above-mentioned structure has a problem that the wiring work is complicated because the same number of cables as the TV camera is required to connect the TV camera and the sequential switcher.

Therefore, a video camera system device shown in FIG. 5 was proposed (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 232758/1988).
Issue). In the figure, a plurality of TV cameras 101,
One of the video signals from 102 ... Is selected by the switches 201, 202, ... Provided corresponding to each camera, and is displayed on the monitor 501 through the sequential switcher 401. The operation of each switch is controlled by a selection signal from the sequential switcher 401 via the receiving circuits 301, 302 ....

[0005]

However, in the camera system disclosed in the above publication, in order to transmit the selection signal from the sequential switcher to each switch,
It is necessary to provide a line for transmitting the selection signal, and further it is necessary to provide each television camera with a circuit for receiving the selection signal.

An object of the present invention is to provide a television camera system which realizes switching of a plurality of television cameras with a simple structure.

[0007]

A television camera system according to the present invention has a plurality of television cameras connected in series and a switching device, and presets a timing such that a video signal of each television camera can be specified. The switch selects and outputs the video signal from the desired TV camera according to the setting.

Each of the television cameras has a selecting means for selecting and outputting to the outside either a video signal input from the outside or a video signal generated inside, and the predetermined timing period defined for each of the television cameras. Setting control means for controlling the selecting means so as to select the internally generated video signal. Then, the output of the selection means of each TV camera is connected so as to be an external input video signal of the TV camera of the next stage.

The switching device receives the video signal output from the selecting means of the last-stage television camera, and detects the video signal generated by which television camera according to the predetermined timing period. An image memory in which the video signals generated by the plurality of television cameras can be separately written according to the detection output of the video signal specifying means, and a reading means for reading out the video signals of a designated television camera from the image memory. With.

[0010]

Since a predetermined timing period for outputting the internally generated video signal is set for each TV camera, when a plurality of TV cameras are connected in series, the TV cameras at the last stage are connected to the plurality of TV cameras. A video output in which the internally generated video signals are arranged at a predetermined timing is obtained. The switch can specify a predetermined timing period from this video output and store the internally generated video signals of the plurality of television cameras separately in the image memory according to the predetermined timing period. It is possible to read out a video signal of a desired television camera from this image memory and reproduce it on a monitor.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a system block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a television camera system according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a television camera in this embodiment, and FIG.
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a color frame setting state in the present embodiment.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the four TV cameras C1 to C4 are connected in such a manner that the video output terminal ET of the TV camera of the preceding stage is connected to the synchronization input terminal ST of the TV camera of the succeeding stage. Are connected in series by coaxial cables CA1 to CA3. Furthermore, the last TV camera C
4 is connected to the color frame switching unit 1 by a coaxial cable CA4, and the color frame switching unit 1 selects one of the video signals of the television cameras C1 to C4 and displays it on the monitor 2.

First, each of the television cameras C1 to C4 has the structure shown in FIG. TV camera Cn (n = 1,
2, 3, 4) are provided with an external synchronization circuit 10n for external synchronization, and separate and generate a synchronization signal from an external input video signal input through the synchronization input terminal STn. However, an external synchronization signal is input to the first stage TV camera C1.

According to the synchronization signal generated by the external synchronization circuit 10n, the video signal generation circuit 11n outputs the internally generated video signal En imaged by the television camera Cn to the multiplexer 12n.

The multiplexer 12n selects either the external input video signal input from the synchronous input terminal STn or the internally generated video signal En generated by the video signal generation circuit 11n according to the control signal from the color frame setting circuit 13n. , And outputs it to the next stage from the video output terminal ETn as the video output of the television camera Cn.

The color frame setting circuit 13n receives, for example, a vertical synchronizing signal from the video signal generating circuit 11n.
The color frame setting circuit 13n includes the television camera C.
The timing period (field of color frame n) in which n video signals En should be output is preset.
Accordingly, the color frame setting circuit 13n causes the multiplexer 12 to operate during the field period of the color frame n.
n selects the video signal En, and selects the external input video signal in the other timing periods.
Control 2n. As described above, the color frame setting circuit 13n that outputs the control signal only during the predetermined timing period can be easily configured by using a timer, a flip-flop circuit, or the like.

When the television cameras C1 to C4 in which the color frames 1 to 4 are respectively set are connected in series, the video output terminal ET4 of the television camera C4 at the last stage is connected.
As shown in FIG. 3, the video signals output from the video signals E1 to E4 are sequentially arranged for each field.

Next, the color frame switch 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the color frame switching device 1 inputs a video signal in which video signals E1 to E4 are sequentially arranged through a coaxial cable CA4, selects a video signal of a desired television camera from among them, and monitors it. Two
Can be output to.

First, the signals in which the video signals E1 to E4 are sequentially arranged are input to the color frame detection circuit 21, and the color frame numbers of the video signals E1 to E4 to be sequentially input are sequentially detected for each field to select a color frame. It is output to the circuit 24. The video signal after the color frame number is detected is digitally converted by the A / D converter 22 and output to the memory 23.

The memory 23 is provided with field memories M1 to M4 for separately storing the video signals E1 to E4. Note that instead of individual field memories,
The memory 23 may be provided with four memory areas M1 to M4.

The color frame selection circuit 24 is a memory 23.
Is a kind of addressing circuit for selecting one of the memories M1 to M4. Here, the drawing of the memory control circuit for controlling the writing and reading of the memory 23 is omitted.

First, the write control of the memory 23 is executed by the color frame selection circuit 24 designating one of the memories M1 to M4 according to the color frame number. Therefore, the video signal E1 of the field of the color frame 1 is stored in the memory M1, the video signal E2 of the field of the color frame 2 is stored in the memory M2, and the video signals E3 and E4 of the color frames 3 and 4 are stored in the memory M1, respectively.
3 and M4 are written. That is, the field video signals E1 to E4 captured by the television cameras C1 to C4 are separately stored in the memories M1 to M4, respectively.

Further, the read control of the memory 23 is executed by the color frame selection circuit 24 designating any one of the memories M1 to M4 in accordance with the designation of switching automatically or manually. For example, when the video of the television camera C2 is manually switched, the color frame selection circuit 24 addresses the memory M2 corresponding to the specified color frame 2 and only controls the reading of the video signal E2. As a result, only the video signal E2 of the television camera C2 is read out, converted into an analog signal by the D / A converter 25, and displayed on the monitor 2 as an image. The same applies to the case of manual switching to another TV camera.

If automatic color frame switching is set in the color frame selection circuit 24, the images of the television cameras C1 to C4 can be sequentially and sequentially displayed on the monitor.

In this embodiment, the case of four TV cameras has been described, but the TV camera system of the present invention is not limited to this, and the same applies when a plurality of TV cameras are connected. Applicable.

[0027]

As described above in detail, in the television camera system according to the present invention, since a predetermined timing period in which the internally generated video signal can be output is set for each television camera, a plurality of television cameras are connected in series. However, a video output in which the internally generated video signals of a plurality of TV cameras are arranged at a predetermined timing can be obtained from the TV camera at the last stage. Therefore, the switch for outputting the desired video signal to the monitor can separately store the internally generated video signals of the plurality of TV cameras in the image memory according to the predetermined timing period, and the desired TV camera can be stored in the image memory. It is possible to read out the video signal of and reproduce it on the monitor.

That is, since the video signals of each TV camera can be specified only by sequentially flowing the video signals of a plurality of TV cameras connected in series toward the switching device, the selection signal from the sequential switcher as in the prior art. Need not send. Therefore, a transmitter circuit and a receiver circuit are not required, and wiring for them is not required, so that the system configuration is simplified.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a television camera system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a television camera according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a setting state of a color frame in the present embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a system block diagram showing an example of a conventional television camera system.

FIG. 5 is a system block diagram showing another example of a conventional television camera system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Color Frame Switcher 2 Monitor 10n External Synchronous Circuit 11n Video Signal Generation Circuit 12n Multiplexer 13n Color Frame Setting Circuit 21 Color Frame Detection Circuit 22 A / D Converter 23 Memory 24 Color Frame Selection Circuit 25 D / A Converter C1 to C4 TV camera CA1 to CA4 coaxial cable E1 to E4 internally generated video signal M1 to M4 field memory STn synchronization input terminal ETn video output terminal

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A television camera system having a plurality of television cameras and a switcher for selecting and outputting a video signal from a desired television camera, wherein each of the television cameras is a video signal input from outside or an inside. And a setting means for controlling the selecting means so as to select the internally generated video signal only for a predetermined timing period predetermined for each television camera. The control means is connected so that the output of the selection means of each TV camera becomes the external input video signal of the TV camera of the next stage, and the switching device is output from the selection means of the TV camera of the last stage. A video signal specifying means for inputting the video signal and detecting from which television camera the video signal is generated in accordance with the predetermined timing period; An image memory in which the internally generated video signals of the plurality of television cameras can be respectively written according to the detection output of the video signal specifying means, and a reading means for reading out the video signal of the designated television camera from the image memory. , A TV camera system characterized by the following. 2. The television camera further comprises an external synchronization circuit for extracting a synchronization signal from the external input video signal in order to synchronize the external input video signal with the internally generated video signal. Item 1. The television camera system according to Item 1. 3. The television camera system according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined timing period defined for each television camera is one field period.