Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Youichi Kazama

Koichiro Tanaka

Eiji Kato

Hiroki Yonezawa

Hideo Noro

Kazuko Suzuki

Kazuko Sukuki

A camera server includes a video transmitting part for transmitting a video signal of a video camera to each of a plurality of camera clients in response to their request to acquire the control right of the video camera and their requests to transmit video information of the video cameras, a permission command issuring part for issuing a command to permit control of the video camera in response to the request to acquire the control right of the video camera, and an automatic control part for executing automatic control of the video camera if the command to permit control of the video camera is not issued.

Camera control system

A camera control system permits a variety of types of cameras to be connected thereto, and makes it possible to control a plurality of cameras by using standardized camera control commands to enable a user to control them without worrying about the difference in type of cameras connected thereto. The camera control system is also capable of supplying the information on the cameras connected to a user. In a camera server, the information on a video camera connected to the camera server is entered, the input of the information on the video camera that has been entered is determined, and the information on the video camera which has been determined is stored. If an external signal is received, then the external signal is converted to a control signal compatible with the video camera according to the stored information on the video camera.

Camera control system controlling different types of cameras

In observing images picked up by a plurality of cameras connected to a network in a surveillance camera system or the like, the conventional arrangement necessitates a client device to switch an image display obtained from one camera over to an image display obtained from another by a manual operation, which has been troublesome. To solve this problem, a camera control system is arranged to automatically switch an image display obtained from one camera over to an image display from another at suitable intervals. The camera control system is further arranged to automatically control the image pickup directions of each camera and, in the event of occurrence of an error in any of the cameras, to carry on its automatic control operation by skipping the camera at which the error has occurred.

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Machida, Japan

Youichi Kazama