Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Shinji Nojima

Shugo Horikami

Hitoshi Kato

Akino Inoue

Susumu Okada

Satoshi Kageyu

Masaki Sato

Tomoko Matsuzawa

Masaki Sohma

Eimei Nanma

A camera control apparatus and method, in that angles required for cameras to train on a position designated by an operator, are calculated from the designated position and directions in which the cameras are currently oriented. On the basis of the thus-calculated angles, a camera requiring the minimum angle from among the plurality of cameras is determined as the camera capable of being trained on the designated position most quickly.

Camera control apparatus and method

Providing picture transmission apparatus, a picture transmission method and a recording medium, and a picture transmission program that can transmit the latest picture data in real time depending on the situation of the network bandwidth. The aforementioned picture transmission apparatus comprises a picture extracting sectionfor extracting pictures stored in the video camera, a picture converterfor converting the pictures to a format for transmission to picture receiving apparatusvia the network, a picture transmitterfor transmitting the converted pictures to picture receiving apparatusvia the network, a transmission time measuring sectionfor measuring the time required for picture transmission and saving the measurement result, a transmission time predicting sectionfor using a predetermined number of the saved measurement results to predict the time required for picture transmission, and an operation timing controllerfor determining the start timing of picture conversion in the picture converterbased on the predicted transmission time and the time required for picture conversion.

Picture transmission apparatus, a picture transmission method and a recording medium, and a picture transmission program

Method and apparatus for controlling moving picture synthesis

Multimedia applications including a video and an audio are transmitted at respective adapted transfer rates in a server connected with a networks. The server operates on an operating system which permits a multithreading by allocating time slices to thread. For each application, data on a required transfer rate indicative of a permitted lowest transfer rate for the application is prepared. Threads are generated for respective applications. An initial number of slices are allocated to each thread to let said threads transmit said respective applications. A transfer rate of each thread is measured at a time interval. A number of slices to be allocated to each thread is calculated such that the measured transfer rate of each thread (i.e., each application) becomes equal to the required transfer rate of the application transmitted by the thread.

Multimedia server

A video transmitting apparatus having a plurality of transmission medium for transmitting multiplexed video information, a plurality of video information receiving units each connected to a corresponding transmission medium to receive specific video information on the corresponding transmission medium, a video displaying unit for displaying video information, a switcher for connecting the video displaying unit to any one of the video information receiving units to supply video information to the video displaying unit, and a video display requesting unit for communicating with each of the video information receiving units and the switcher to request to display specific video information on the video displaying unit by giving instructions to a relevant video information receiving unit which can receive the specific video information and the switcher.

Video transmitting apparatus

A picture transmission system capable of establishing arbitrary picture connections with picture inputting units exceeding in number channel resources of a transmission medium for multiplexing and transmitting video information taken through the picture inputting units. A picture sending state storage unit provided corresponding to each of the picture inputting units virtually retains channel resources whose number equals the number of picture outputting units to which the picture inputting units are in connection. For picture connection switching from one picture outputting unit to a different picture inputting unit, the picture sending state storage unit gives its channel resource to the different picture inputting unit. The system is provided with a picture connection managing unit for controlling the picture connections between the picture inputting units and the picture outputting units. The picture connection managing unit accepts a picture connection request to perform the centralized management of channel resources of the transmission medium to allow dynamic channel resource allocation. Under control of the picture connection managing unit, the picture connection between the picture inputting unit and the picture outputting unit takes place through an allocated channel resource.

Picture transmission system

In a CATV-LAN in which a plurality of modems transmit messages asynchronously from respective terminal apparatuses to an upstream transmission path and receives messages from a downstream transmission path, when a modem is transmitting a message, the resultant data which are received by that modem are compared with data of that message which have already been transmitted, and transmission is interrupted if the received data do not correctly match the transmitted data, due to conflict with data transmitted by some other modem. Each message contains information specifying its length, and when a non-transmitting modem receives a set of data whose actual length does not match a length value which is specified within the data, the data are discarded. It thereby becomes unnecessary to provide beat detection circuits in the modems, for detecting data conflict, so that system cost can be reduced.

Growing community of inventors

Hadano, Japan

Shinji Nojima