Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
  • H04N17/00—Diagnosis, testing or measuring for television systems or their details
  • H04N17/002—Diagnosis, testing or measuring for television systems or their details for television cameras
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
  • H04N23/00—Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
  • H04N23/60—Control of cameras or camera modules
  • H04N23/66—Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
  • H04N23/661—Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet

Definitions

• This invention relates to programmable electronic cameras. More particularly, the invention relates to a method for the calibration of an electronic camera according to the preamble of the first claim.
• the invention further encompasses an arrangement for the calibration of an electronic camera, a data processing system for the calibration of an electronic camera, and a computer readable medium, having a program recorded thereon, where the program is to make a computer execute a procedure for the automatic calibration of an electronic camera, as defined in the further independent claims .
• CMOS complementary metal oxide semiconductor
• the invention is based upon the idea to have the camera calibrated by a remote expert who does not need to be close to the camera.
• the remote expert communicates with the camera via bi-directional telecommunication means, preferably electronic and/or optical telecommunication means such as the internet, a leased or switched telephone line, or an optical data link.
• the method for the calibration of an electronic camera according to the invention comprises the steps of:
• Said at least one image is transmitted via telecommunication means from said local site to a remote site and evaluated at said remote site.
• the arrangement for . the calibration of an electronic camera comprises means for placing the camera located at a local site; an image presentation device such as a video or computer monitor, a slide projector, a transparency or overhead projector, or a printed-paper projector, located at a local site; means for evaluating an image acquired by the camera, such as an electronic controlling device; and means for determining parameters influencing the camera properties, depending on the evaluation of said image, such as a computer.
• an image presentation device such as a video or computer monitor, a slide projector, a transparency or overhead projector, or a printed-paper projector
• Said image-evaluating means and said parameter-determining means are located at a site remote from said local site, and said local site and said remote site are connected by bidirectional telecommunication means, preferably electronic and/or optical telecommunication means preferably comprising a worldwide data transmission network such as the internet, a leased or switched telephone line, or an optical data link.
• bidirectional telecommunication means preferably electronic and/or optical telecommunication means preferably comprising a worldwide data transmission network such as the internet, a leased or switched telephone line, or an optical data link.
• the data processing system for the calibration of an electronic camera includes a display and an operating system. Said data processing system comprises: means for selecting an optical stimulus; means for transmitting said optical stimulus via telecommunication means to the camera; means for receiving via telecommunication means an image acquired by the camera; means for evaluating said image; means for determining parameters influencing the camera properties, depending on the evaluation of said image; and means for transmitting said parameters via telecommunication means to the camera.
• the computer readable medium has a program recorded thereon, where the program is to make a computer execute procedure to select an optical stimulus; to transmit said optical stimulus via telecommunication means to a camera; to receive via telecommunication means an image acquired by the camera; to evaluate said image; to determine parameters influencing the camera properties, depending on the evaluation of said image; and to transmit said parameters via telecommunication means to the camera .
• Figure 1 shows a block diagram of an arrangement according to the invention.
• Figure 2 shows a flow diagram of the method according to the invention.
• the block diagram of Figure 1 represents an embodiment of an arrangement for the remote calibration of an electronic camera 1 according to the invention.
• the electronic camera 1 can send acquired image data to a local controller/interface device 2, using a custom or standard output data interface 12.
• the output interface 12 preferably complies with an analog video standard such as CCIR, PAL, RS-170 or NTSC (cf. P. Seitz, "Solid-State Image Sensing", in "Handbook of Computer Vision and Applications", Vol. 1, edited by B. Jahne, H. Haussecker and P. Geissler, Academic Press, 1999, p. 165-222) , or with a digital interface standard such as RS- 232, USB, Firewire or Ethernet (cf. L.
• the input interface 21 preferably complies with an industrial standard such as RS-232, I2C, USB, Firewire or Ethernet.
• the local controller/interface device 2 also controls an image presentation device 3, using a custom or standard video data interface 23.
• the video interface 23 preferably complies with an analog video standard such as CCIR, PAL, RS-170 or NTSC, or with a digital interface standard such as RS-232, USB, Firewire or Ethernet.
• the image presentation device 3 is preferably a video or computer display or monitor, a slide projector, a transparency or overhead projector, or a printed-paper projector. Images are displayed by the image presentation device 3 and observed by the electronic camera 1 that is positioned in such a way as to observe the image presentation device 3.
• the local controller/interface device 2 is connected to a remote controller/interface device 5, using custom or standard bi-directional telecommunication means 25.
• the telecommunication means 25 are preferably electronic and/or optical telecommunication means and preferably comprise a worldwide data transmission network such as the internet, a leased or switched telephone line, or an optical data link.
• the remote controller/interface device 5 interacts via appropriate interaction means 45 with a "remote expert" 4.
• This "expert” 4 might be a human person interacting with the remote controller/interface device 5 via output and/or input means 45 such as a display or monitor, a keyboard, a mouse etc.
• the "expert” 4 might be an electronic controlling device, e.g., a computer driven by an appropriate software, that carries out an automated procedure.
• the "expert” 4 might as well be a combination of the above-mentioned alternatives, i.e., a human person supported by a computer-based expert system.
• the remote expert 4 Upon request from the local site, e.g., of the camera proprietor, the remote expert 4 causes the steps of the method according to the invention to be performed.
• Figure 2 shows a flow diagram of an embodiment of the method according to the invention.
• the boxes of the flow diagram are arranged such that the steps performed at the site of the remote expert 4 are on the left-hand side, whereas the steps performed at the site of the camera 1 are on the right-hand side.
• a crossing of the dashed line symbolically separating the two sites means a transmission of data from the local controller/interface device 2 to the remote controller/interface device 5 or vice versa, via the telecommunication means 25.
• the embodiment shown in Fig. 2 is a rather simple one; other embodiments with further transmissions of data and/or commands between the local controller/interface device 2 to the remote controller/interface device 5 or vice versa are possible.
• the remote expert 4 For (re-) calibrating the electronic camera 1, (re-) programming it or adapting it to local environments, the remote expert 4 essentially proceeds one or several times through the following steps: (a) An optical stimulus is presented 206 to the camera 1, using the local image presentation device 3.
• the optical stimulus is preferably selected and transmitted 204 to the camera 1 by the remote expert 4 ; alternatively, the optical stimulus may already be situated at the local site, e.g., stored on a storage medium purchased together with the camera 1.
• the optical stimulus may be one single image or a series of images presented one after the other to the camera 1.
• the images may be selected from a database and/or instantly generated by the remote expert 4; they may be, e.g., random or pseudo-random patterns.
• the local camera 1 is instructed to acquire 207 one or more images of the optical stimulus that is presented 206 by the image presentation device 3.
• the acquired images are transmitted 208 to the remote expert 4 for evaluation and possibly stored 209 by the remote expert 4. Possibly, depending 210 on the algorithm used, the remote expert 4 may select and transmit 204 to the camera 1 further optical stimuli.
• the image acquired 207 and transmitted 208 by the camera 1 is evaluated 211 by the remote expert 4.
• the evaluation 211 may comprise, e.g., a comparison of the acquired image (instantaneous value) with a desired image (set value) .
• the remote expert 4 may determine 214 new, optimized parameters and/or modified camera firmware/software, which are subsequently transmitted 202 to the camera 1 and installed 203 locally, e.g., written into the program memory of the camera 1.
• the term "parameter” denotes any data that influence any camera properties, and particularly also program codes .
• the camera 1 may be programmed 203 with parameters or firmware/software of the remote expert's 4 choice 201. This step is optional in the calibration procedure if such parameters are already stored in the camera memory, e.g., by the camera manufacturer.
• the camera 1 is preferably instructed again to acquire 207 one or more images of an optical stimulus in order to check 213 the validity of the new parameters, i.e., the new camera configuration.
• the image acquired 207 with the satisfactory camera parameters is transmitted 208 again to the remote expert 4.
• the determination or optimization of a certain property of the camera 1, such as its linearity requires the acquisition 207 of several images for different optical stimuli before the evaluation 211 of the acquired imagery can be done by the remote expert 4. It is also possible that it is necessary to step through the above procedure several times in sequence, for example to optimize a certain property of the camera 1 by means of iteration.
• Examples for properties of an electronic camera 1 that might need recalibration or optimization according to the present invention by employing appropriate optical stimuli include the following:

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Multimedia (AREA)
• Signal Processing (AREA)
• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Biomedical Technology (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Studio Devices (AREA)
• Testing, Inspecting, Measuring Of Stereoscopic Televisions And Televisions (AREA)

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• 2001
  • 2001-10-12 EP EP01810993A patent/EP1303147A1/en not_active Withdrawn
• 2002
  • 2002-09-16 WO PCT/CH2002/000508 patent/WO2003032650A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2002-09-16 JP JP2003535478A patent/JP2005506010A/ja active Pending
• 2004
  • 2004-04-08 US US10/820,383 patent/US20040189805A1/en not_active Abandoned

Patent Citations (2)

Non-Patent Citations (2)

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