JPH10164419A - Camera controller and its method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To inform it to the user, when a double booking takes place in reservation of image-pickup in a system in which an image-pickup condition of a camera is remotely controlled in a prescribed network. SOLUTION: Upon the receipt of reservation information, including an image- pickup time and an image-pickup condition from an external device via a network, a reservation duplicate discriminating section 1102 checks duplicate with an image-pickup time having been reserved and registered. When duplication exists, it is informed to the external device 1002. When no duplication exists, a reception code is provided to the reservation information received by a reservation registering section 1014 and the resulting information is registered. When a time limit section 1015 detects a reserved image-pickup time, image-pickup is conducted under the reserved image-pickup condition by a camera control section 1017 and a reserved video image is stored. Moreover, a reception code storage instruction section 1101 informs the reception code and an access address to acquire the reserved video image to the external device 1002 by using a cookie header.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a camera control apparatus and method, and more particularly to a camera control apparatus and method for remotely controlling a camera via a network.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Cameras are remotely controlled (for example, pan,
Systems for tilting, zooming, etc.) are generally known.

[0003] In such a system, even if it is performed via a network, a device that controls the camera and a device on the client side are based on unique specifications (protocols and control information). It is not universal.

[0004] In recent years, however, the Internet has been rapidly spreading, and there has been an increasing demand for end users to view videos taken by remote cameras via the Internet.

[0005] One possible method for responding to this demand is that a server connected to a camera periodically saves images shot by the camera as a file in its own storage device and sends it to a terminal (client) that has accessed the server. Forward to On the end user side, for example, the browser may be activated and viewed.

[0006] However, this method cannot meet the demand for viewing only a fixedly shot video, for example, for viewing a little more to the right, or for wide-area or more enlarged viewing. This is because conventional camera remote control is based on unique specifications,
This is because it cannot be brought to the Internet as it is.

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the present applicant provides in Japanese Patent Application No. 8-193729 an environment in which a video camera can be easily remotely controlled through a general-purpose network such as the Internet to an end user. A camera control device and method that makes it possible is proposed.

According to Japanese Patent Application No. 8-193729, WWW
It has been proposed that in a system for transmitting information via the Internet as described above, it is possible to make a reservation for camera attitude control and shooting from a remote location, and to display the video at a later time. According to this proposal, the user transmits the photographing time and pan, tilt, and zoom control information to the camera control device via the Internet, for example, and makes a reservation for the photographing. The camera control device issues a reception code to the user in response to the reservation. The user acquires the reserved video from the camera control device using the reception code.

[0009]

However, depending on the setting contents of various conditions, such as the reserved time and the contents of control of the camera attitude, the photographing is not always executed as received. For example, when a plurality of videos of different directions are reserved at the same time, it may not be possible to capture all the reserved videos.

[0010] Further, in order to display the reserved video,
It is necessary for a user to generate an HTML document including a reception code by a CGI program and to input a reception code corresponding to a reserved video. However, it is difficult to prepare a CGI program, and it is easy for a user to input a reception code to make a mistake, which impairs usability of the control device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and in a system capable of remotely controlling a photographing condition of a camera in a predetermined network, when a photographing reservation is duplicated, the fact is notified. It is an object of the present invention to provide a camera control device and method capable of performing the above.

Another object of the present invention is to input a reservation reception code or display a CG image when displaying a reserved image.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a camera control device and a camera control method capable of displaying a reserved video easily without the need to dynamically generate an HTML document by an I program.

[0013]

A camera control apparatus according to the present invention for achieving the above object has, for example, the following arrangement. That is, a camera control device that is connected to a predetermined network and that can control shooting conditions of a camera, and a receiving unit that receives reservation information including a shooting time and shooting conditions from an external device via the network. Determining means for determining whether the reservation is possible based on the photographing time of the reservation information received by the receiving means and the photographing time already registered, and the determining means determines that the reservation cannot be accepted. Notification means for notifying the external device to that effect, and when the determination means determines that the reservation can be accepted, the identification information is associated with the reservation information received by the reception means. Registration means for registering and notifying the external device of the identification information; controlling a camera based on the reservation information registered by the registration means; Control means for storing the identification information in association with the information, and when acquisition of a video together with the identification information is requested from an external device, the video information corresponding to the specified identification information of the video information held by the control means Output means for outputting.

A camera control device having another configuration according to the present invention for achieving the above object has, for example, the following configuration. That is, a camera control device that is connected to a predetermined network and that can control shooting conditions of a camera, and a receiving unit that receives reservation information including a shooting time and shooting conditions from an external device via the network. Registration means for registering identification information in association with the reservation information received by the receiving means, and notifying the external device of the identification information;
The identification information includes an access address and specific information to be added when accessing the access address, and controls the camera based on the reservation information registered by the registration unit.
A control unit for holding the obtained video information in association with at least the specific information corresponding to the reservation information; and a video information held by the control unit when an acquisition of a video together with the specific information is requested from an external device. Output means for outputting video information corresponding to the specified identification information.

Note that the photographing time in the present invention is a time relating to photographing, and may be any time such as a photographing start time and a time at which setting of photographing conditions for photographing is started.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<First Embodiment> FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a camera control device according to a first embodiment. In the figure, reference numeral 1001 denotes a camera control device, which is based on, for example, a personal computer. Reference numeral 1003 denotes a video camera (hereinafter, simply referred to as a camera) to be controlled by the camera control device 1001, and the control content includes not only zoom as a shooting condition, but also pan and tilt, exposure, and the like. For this reason, the camera 1003 has a camera platform (not shown). The camera 1003 and the camera control device 1001 are, for example, RS2s normally provided in a personal computer.
They are connected by a 32C interface.

Next, the configuration of the camera control device 1001 will be described below. Reference numeral 1017 denotes a camera control unit that outputs various control signals to the camera 1003 via the interface. Reference numeral 1018 denotes an image input unit that inputs an image captured by the camera 1003 using an image capture device. Reference numeral 1011 denotes a network adapter or the like. A communication interface for exchanging information with the device. Also,
In addition to these resources, the command interpreter 10 is implemented as a program and memory data using resources such as a CPU, a storage device, and an auxiliary storage device of a computer.
12, a reception code generation unit 1013, a time limit unit 1015, an image storage unit 1019, a reservation registration unit 1014, a reception code storage instruction unit 1101, and a reservation duplication determination unit 1102.

The external device 1002 is, for example, a WWW server or a WWW browser.
Communicate by protocol. That is, from the WWW browser, the WW, which is the storage destination of the document data and image data,
The information is presented to the W server in accordance with the URL indicating the storage location of the target data. In response, the WWW server returns corresponding document data or image data to the WWW browser.

In this embodiment, the communication interface 1
011 uses a method realized by a WWW server. That is, communication is performed using the HTTP protocol, and the control device 1001 of the present embodiment uses
Acts like a WWW server. This is WW
This can be realized by using the communication method of the W server also in the present control device.

Generally, when image data is pasted into a WWW document, the following description is used. <img src = "http://www.foo.co.jp/image001.gif"> ... (1) This means the image of the WWW server www.foo.co.jp
This indicates that transfer of the image data stored in the file 001.gif is requested, and the transferred image is displayed on the screen of the browser. In the present embodiment, while utilizing such specifications as they are,
It is intended to control the camera remotely.

That is, in the present embodiment, the character string corresponding to the above file name is interpreted as a command. In short, the pan, tilt, zoom, etc. that specify the camera angle are the letters “P”,
These are represented by “T” and “Z”, and thereafter, the respective control amounts are represented by numerals.

For example, the pan angle is from -50 degrees to 50
It is assumed that there is a camera that can select eight levels of degrees and tilt angles from -20 degrees to 20 degrees and zooms from 1 to 8. In this case, for example, if the user wants to shoot with a pan angle of 20 degrees, a tilt of 5 degrees, and a 2 × zoom and paste the image data as gif format image data, the description is as follows. In addition,
The network address of this camera controller is cam.foo.
co.jp. <img src = "http://www.foo.co.jp/P20T5Z2.gif"> ... (2) If there is an HTML document description as described above, WWW
The external device 1002, which is a server of the browser, outputs the above-described HTML description character string to the camera control device 1001 and requests image data.

When this request is input to the camera control device 1001 via the communication interface unit 1011, the command interpreting unit 1012 is activated and interprets the request (the above-mentioned HT).
Processing of an ML character string) and a response thereto is started.

An example of the processing is as shown in the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 2 shows a command interpreter 1 according to the present embodiment.
It is a flowchart explaining the control procedure in 012.

First, in step S101, a command described as a file name is interpreted. That is, if the head of the request is “P” as in the description string in (2) above, the request is recognized as a shooting command, and the process proceeds to step S102. here,
The camera 1003 is operated with the specified pan, tilt, and zoom values via the camera control unit 1017 (step S102), and the captured image is converted into the image format of the specified method, and the communication interface unit 1011 is operated.
To the requesting external device 1002 via the. The external device 1002 stores the image data and transfers it to the original source. At this time, since the communication interface unit 1011 uses the HTTP protocol, content type information and status information according to the image format are added to the head. Then, the present process ends.

As a result, it is as if W
Video taken like image data stored in a file of the WW server is pasted and displayed.

In the condition determination in step S101, if the start of the request is "R" as in the description example of (3) described later, it is recognized as a shooting date / time reservation command, and the condition determination in step S104 is performed. The process proceeds to step S701.

The reservation command starts with the letter "R",
Year, month, day, hour, and minute are each represented by an integer, followed by a period separated by a period. Then, instructions for panning, tilting, and zooming, which are shooting conditions, follow, and finally, a name representing an image format is given. If there is no shooting condition, the camera angle at the shooting date and time is adopted.

For example, for a camera control device 1001 having a network address of www.foo.co.jp, 1
At 13:15 on July 6, 996, if you want to make a reservation for shooting a 3x zoom image with a pan angle of 25 degrees and a tilt angle of 0 degrees in gif format, use <img src = "http://www.foo. co.jp/R1996.7.6.13.15.P25T0Z3.gif "> Described as (3). Such a URL may be directly specified by the user, or may be an HTML form or CG.
It may be synthesized by an I program.

When the reservation command as described above is specified to the camera control device 1001, in step S701, the reservation duplication determination unit 1102 determines the specified date and time (in the above case, at 13:15 on July 6, 1996 at 13:15). From the minute), it is determined whether or not the reservation times overlap. If the reservation times are the same, the process proceeds to step S703, and information indicating that the reservation cannot be accepted is returned to the requesting external device 1002 via the communication interface unit 1011.

If there is no collision of reservations and it is possible to perform reservation photographing at the designated time, the flow advances to step S105.
In step S105, a unique identification number is received as a reception code from the reception code generation unit 1013.
The generation of the unique identification number may be realized using, for example, a counter incremented by one for each generation request, or may be realized by a numerical value representing the requested time.

Then, the reception code, the reservation time, the photographing condition, and the information of the image format are registered in a storage device (not shown) of the reservation registration unit 1014 (step S10).
6). Then, in step S702, the reception code storage instructing unit 1101 returns a reception code (a code for notifying the reception) and a reception code storage instruction to be described later to the external device 1002 of the request source via the communication interface unit 1011. .

As a result of the above-described reservation processing, the storage device in the reservation registration unit 1014 stores, for example, as shown in FIG.
Various types of information are stored in the form of a table. In addition,
Here, the storage device included in the reservation registration unit 1014 itself has been described as an example, but the image storage unit 1019 of the camera control device 1001 may be used, for example, and the storage unit may be of any type. Returning to the description, FIG. 3 shows the registered contents of the reservation example according to the description of (3) above, and shows the state when the reception code is “817b7abda93043a1a15d4546ca779bc16”. The registration content includes shooting date and time information, a reception code, a shooting condition, and an image format (image format). In the reservation overlap determination by the reservation overlap determination unit 1102, the “shooting time” registered by the reservation registration unit 1014 is compared with the “shooting time” specified by the current reservation request, and the overlap is determined. Find out.
In this example, it is assumed that the zoom setting, panning, and tilting angle of the camera 1003 can be set in one minute, and the duplication is managed every minute.

When the reservation processing is performed as described above, when the reservation time registered in the reservation registration unit 1014 comes, the camera control device 1001 controls the camera 1003 with the registered camera angle and shoots the image. Then, the file name is stored in the image storage unit 1019 in a designated format using an appropriate name, for example, a reservation number. Thereafter, when a fetch command is sent from the external device 1002, image data conforming to the fetch command is read from the image recording unit 1019 and is read.
2 (corresponding to the end user's terminal) in the specified format.

The extraction command has G as a path name, followed by a reception code, and finally added with a name representing an image format. Here, the reception code is a code returned to the external device 1002 in step S702 when the reservation is made. For example, when "817b7abda93043a1a15d4546ca779bc16" is returned as a reception code, and when taking out an image reserved for shooting after shooting, <img src = "http://www.foo.co.jp/G/817b7abda93043a1a15d4546ca779bc16.g if"> ... ( 4) Use the following description.

Note that a character string added to the end of the take-out command and indicating image formation (in this case, "gi
f ", but it must be the same as when booking. However, if different, the camera control device
The image stored in the image storage unit 1019 with the reservation number may be converted into a newly instructed format and transferred.

The image storage unit 1019 manages image data in a format as shown in FIG. 4, for example. Here, a reception code (corresponding to a reservation code and having the same meaning as a file name), an image format, and actual image data are stored. Although the image storage unit 1019 may be any type of storage device, it is desirable that the image storage unit 1019 has a sufficient capacity. Specifically, it is a hard disk device or a magneto-optical disk device.

As described above, the processing procedure when an extraction command is actually received will be described below again with reference to FIG.

If it is determined in step S101 that the path name is "G", the process proceeds to step S104, and the determination here is also negative, so the process proceeds to step S108. Here, since the command is recognized as an image fetch command, the process proceeds to step S109, and based on a reception code included in the fetch command (in this example, the reception code is added by a "cookie" header, which will be described later). Then, data stored in the image storage unit 1019 is searched.

Then, it is determined whether or not the image data is stored with the same value as the reception code described as the image fetching command (step S110).
The data is transferred to the requesting external device 1002 via the communication device 11. Also at this time, since the communication interface unit 1011 uses the HTTP protocol, content type information, status information, and the like corresponding to the image format are added to the top (step S111). Then, step S11
In step 2, the column of the image storage unit 1019 in which the image data just taken out is stored is deleted. Then, the present process ends.

If it is determined in step S110 that the image data corresponding to the designated reception code is not stored, it means that the target image has not been photographed or has already been transferred and deleted. External device 1002 as a request source via communication interface unit 1011
And ends this processing.

In step S108, the external device 10
If the request is not a take-out command, error information indicating that the command is an undefined command is returned to the requesting external device 1002 via the communication interface unit 1011 and the process ends.

As described above, information exchange between the external device 1002 and the control device 1001 of the present invention is performed.

Next, the time limiter 1015 for controlling the camera, shooting and storing the shooting result based on the reservation data registered in the reservation register 1014 will be described.

In the time limiter 1015, a time limit program is started at fixed time intervals, for example, every one minute. This can be achieved by using a computer timer.

The operation of the timed program will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, the current time is stored in the control device 1
001 is read from the timer (step S201), and the process proceeds to step S202.

In step S202, the reservation registration unit 101
The registered reservation items are extracted one by one in order from 4. If it is determined in step S203 that all items have been taken out, the process ends. If the reservation items have been taken out, the process proceeds to step S204, and it is determined whether the set time in the target reservation item is later than the current time. If it is determined that the current time has not reached the set time, the processing after step S202 is repeated.

If it is determined that the current time is equal to or longer than the set time, the process proceeds to step S205, and the camera control unit 10 executes the process according to the shooting condition of the taken out reserved item.
The camera 1003 is controlled via the camera 17 to shoot an image. Then, the photographed image is converted into the image format of the method specified by the reservation item, and the image data is stored in the image storage unit 1019 as shown in FIG. 4 together with the reception code and the image format information (step S206). continue,
The currently retrieved reservation item is deleted from the reservation registration unit 1014 (step S207), and the process returns to step S202 to repeat the above processing.

In the manner described above, the photographing is performed as scheduled, the result is stored, and when an image retrieval command is requested from the external device 1002, this image data is returned. .

In the present embodiment, the instruction to save the reception code by the reception code storage instruction unit 1101 is performed in the form of a cookie. That is, in the HTTP response header, an instruction to save the reception code is issued using the “Set-Cookie” header. That is, Set-Cookie: ID = 817b7abda93043a1a15d4546ca779bc16; path = / G /; domain = www.foo.co.jp (5) This is because the reception code (ID) is "817b7abda93043
a1a15d4546ca779bc16 "and later," http: // domain
When "http://www.foo.co.jp/G/" is accessed as "/ path", it indicates that the above reception code should be added and transmitted.

Next, the processing procedure of the external device 1002 will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a control procedure in the external device of the present embodiment. In FIG. 6, a process when a reception code is received and a process when an access is performed by designating a URL are extracted and shown. The external device 1002 that has received the reception code saving instruction prepares this reception code (ID) and domai
The n and path are stored (steps S301 and S303).

When the reserved video is displayed on the external device 1002, a request is issued to the control device 1001 at the URL http://www.foo.co.jp/G/ (6). When the user specifies the URL according to the description in (6), the external device 1002 determines whether any of the settings (domain, path) instructed to be saved matches the URL to be requested of the control device 1001. (Step S7)
05). If there is no match, the specified do
Request HTML page with main name and path name.

On the other hand, in step S705, if any of the settings instructed to be saved matches the specified URL, a reception code (ID) corresponding to the specified URL is acquired, and the specified URL is used to set the HTML page. "Cook
Include the ie ”header in the request header and send the acceptance code in the following format:

Cookie: ID = 81b7abda93043a1a15d4546ca779bc16 (7) This is the reception code 81b7abda93043a1a15d4546ca779bc
16 shows an example.

The URL used when requesting an image here
(= http: //www.foo.co.jp/G/) is unique for all acceptance codes. Then, since the external device 1002 automatically sends out the acceptance code, there is no need for the user to input the acceptance code or to dynamically generate an HTML document corresponding to the acceptance code.

The control device 1 which has received the request of the above format
001, as described above, in the condition determination to step S108, it is determined that the request is a video extraction request, and step S1
Go to 09. Then, the receiving code is extracted from the request header, and the process proceeds to step S110.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the contents of communication between the camera control device 1001 and the external device 1002 in this embodiment. In order for the external device 1002 to make a shooting reservation,
When a reservation URL is issued as shown in the above description example (3), the camera control device 1001 determines whether or not there is a reservation overlap (step S701). If there is no overlap, the reception code and the code storage instruction are returned to the external device 1002 (for example, in a cookie format) (step S702). When the external device 1002 issues a duplicate reservation command, the camera control device 1001 detects a reservation duplication and returns an error (step S703). The external device 1002 displays this on a display device, for example.

If the URL of the image display by the external device 1002 is designated before the reservation time after the registration of the reservation, an error is returned (step S113). Then, the external device 1002 performs a display based on the received error.

In the camera control device 1001, the time limit unit 10
Reference numeral 15 detects the time at which the reservation is registered, and when the reservation time comes, the camera control unit 1017 starts control of the camera 3 (in this example, control of zoom, pan, and tilt angles). Camera 3
Is completed, image input is started by the image input unit 1018, and the image storage unit 1019 stores the input image.

When the URL of the image display by the external device 1002 is designated after the reservation time, the camera control device 100
1 attaches the specified image to the specified HTML page and transmits it to the external device 1002 (step S11).
1). The external device 1002 displays the reserved video by displaying the HTML page. As shown in FIG. 6, when the photographing at the reserved time fails, an error may be returned in response to the removal command.

The expiration date may be specified by specifying "expires". When the expiration date is specified, the video is stored until the expiration date, and when the expiration date has passed, the stored video is deleted. Also, in the event that shooting fails for any reason, the reservation status is saved until the expiration date, and a detailed response to the error request can be made to the video retrieval request.

In steps S702 and S703, the content of the response to the external device 1002 may be only error information or status information indicating completion of reception, but may include an HTML document explaining the situation to the user. Good.
Such an HTML document is shown in FIGS. FIG.
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an HTTP response issued to the external device 1002 in step S702 when the reservation is successful, and a display state of the external device 1002 based on this response. As described above, the response header includes the Set-Cookie header. FIG.
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an HTTP response issued to the external device 1002 in step S703 when a reservation has failed, and a display state of the external device 1002 based on this response. As described above, the reservation contents can be confirmed, so that the operability is improved.

As described above, according to the above embodiment, the camera control device is connected to the network of the WWW system, and the URL of the camera control device of the embodiment in which the description of the photographing condition of the camera is added to the URL of the image data. Just by describing as a source, a live image obtained by operating a remote camera can be easily pasted into a WWW document.

Further, it is possible to make a reservation for camera photographing to the camera control device 1001 and fetch the result to a WWW page later for display. In particular, even when trying to shoot with a remote camera during a time when the network is congested, it takes time to transfer the image, and the image data cannot be collected as desired. However, according to the present embodiment,
In that time zone, a reservation is made in advance for a required time at a specific camera angle, and the stored image data can be taken out and used when the network goes down, such as at night.

In particular, it is possible to obtain a large effect that it is possible to photograph a plurality of images at short intervals at the same camera angle regardless of the transmission capacity of the network.

Of course, here, the interface with the external device 1002 has been described as the HTTP protocol, but any communication interface may be used.

When notifying the above-mentioned reservation code to the sender, a password may be issued and notified, and the next time when the reservation code is taken out, the password may be added together with the reservation code so that the transmission is possible. At least, in this way, it is possible to avoid the problem that the file is deleted because the third party happens to issue the transfer request with the same reservation number.

Although the reservation time is set in minutes, it may be extended to seconds or milliseconds. In this case, if a time interval longer than the maximum time required for the attitude control of the camera and the photographing cannot be obtained, it is determined that the reservation times overlap.

Although the gif image format is used as an example, JPEG may be represented by a jpg file extension so that either one can be switched.

Although the file name is regarded as a command, a parameter description of a URL may be used. For example, if pan, tilt, zoom, and image formats are 25 degrees, 5 degrees, 2 times, and gif, respectively, <img src = "http://cam.foo.co.jp/cameraimage?P=20, T =
5, Z = 2, F = gif ">.

Further, a WWW server may be simultaneously mounted on the control device. In this case, for example, it can be realized by giving the name of camctl.exe to the program of the command interpreting unit 1012 as a CGI program of the WWW server and describing as follows. <img src = "http: //cam.f
oo.co.jp/cgi-bin/camctl.exe?P=20,T=5,Z=2,F=gif "> Furthermore, in the above embodiment, once the transfer of the reserved image is completed, Although the image data (file) has been deleted, it may not be deleted at this point in some cases.

That is, an appropriate time is kept after actually photographing and saving as a file, and when the time has elapsed, it is deleted irrespective of whether it was transferred or not. In this way, at least a plurality of end users can have an opportunity to see the same image.

In some cases, a password may be given, and the data may be transferred only when the password matches the password.

<Second Embodiment> In the first embodiment,
Although the cookie function was used for the acceptance code saving instruction, the method of executing the saving instruction is not limited to this. For example, a Plug-in for receiving an acceptance code storage instruction may be prepared on the browser side. In this case, the UR containing the acceptance code
By storing L in the bookmark, even if the browser (external device 1002) does not have a function of automatically transmitting the acceptance code, a request for video display can be issued by selecting the URL from the bookmark. For this reason,
As a result, it is possible to obtain an effect as if it has a function of automatically transmitting a reception code.

As described above, according to each of the above-described embodiments, in a system in which a camera is controlled through a network to capture an image, it is possible to prevent overlapping of reservations for camera control and reservation of imaging.

Further, according to each of the above embodiments, when displaying the reserved video, it is not necessary to input the reception code notified at the time of the reservation, and the HTML document is dynamically generated on the server side by the CGI program or the like. Does not need to be generated. Therefore, the operability on the user side is improved, and the configuration on the server side is also simplified, so that the reserved video can be displayed easily.

The present invention may be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices or to an apparatus composed of one device.

An object of the present invention is to provide a storage medium storing a program code of software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or an apparatus, and to provide a computer (or CPU or MPU) of the system or apparatus. Needless to say, this can also be achieved by reading and executing the program code stored in the storage medium.

In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium implements the functions of the above-described embodiment, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a floppy disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, CD
-R, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, a ROM, or the like can be used.

When the computer executes the readout program code, not only the functions of the above-described embodiment are realized, but also an OS or the like running on the computer is actually executed based on the instructions of the program code. It goes without saying that a part or all of the above-described processing is performed, and the functions of the embodiments are realized by the processing.

Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into a memory provided in an extended function board inserted into the computer or an extended function unit connected to the computer, based on the instruction of the program code, It goes without saying that the CPU provided in the function expansion board or the function expansion unit performs a part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.

As described above, according to the present invention,
When duplication of the shooting reservation occurs, it is possible to notify the fact, and the operability of the shooting reservation in the remotely operable camera is improved.

According to the present invention, when displaying a reserved video, it is not necessary to input a reservation reception code or dynamically generate an HTML document by a CGI program. It can be displayed.

[0085]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block configuration diagram of a camera control device according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure in a command interpretation unit according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data format registered by a reservation registration unit according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a management format of data stored in an image storage unit according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation processing procedure of a time limit unit according to the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure in the external device of the present embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating communication contents between a camera control device and an external device according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an HTTP response issued to an external device when a reservation is successful, and a display state of the external device based on the response.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an HTTP response issued to an external device when a reservation has failed, and a display state of the external device based on the response.

Claims (20)

[Claims] 1. A camera control device connected to a predetermined network and capable of controlling shooting conditions of a camera, receiving reservation information including shooting time and shooting conditions from an external device via the network. Receiving means; determining means for determining whether or not the reservation is possible based on the photographing time of the reservation information received by the receiving means and the photographing time which has already been registered; and the determining means cannot accept the reservation. When it is determined, the notifying means for notifying the external device to that effect, and when the determining means determines that the reservation can be accepted, identification information is added to the reservation information received by the receiving means. Registration means for registering in association with each other and notifying the external device of the identification information; controlling a camera based on the reservation information registered by the registration means; and obtaining the obtained video information as the reservation information. Control means for storing the identification information in association with the corresponding identification information; and when the acquisition of the video together with the identification information is requested from an external device, the control means corresponds to the specified identification information of the video information held by the control means. An output unit for outputting video information. 2. The receiving means receives a character string described in a file transfer format used on the network, analyzes the character string received by the receiving means, and specifies a photographing time and a designated photographing time. The camera control device according to claim 1, further comprising an analysis unit that obtains reservation information including a shooting condition. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining unit determines that the reservation cannot be accepted if the shooting time registered by the registration unit matches the shooting time of the received reservation information. Item 2. The camera control device according to item 1. 4. When the time interval between the photographing time registered by the registering means and the photographing time of the received reservation information is less than a predetermined time, the judging means makes it impossible to accept the reservation. The camera control device according to claim 1, wherein: 5. The camera control device according to claim 1, wherein the identification information notified by the registration unit includes an access address and specific information to be added when accessing the access address. 6. The camera control device according to claim 5, wherein the access address is a URL on the Internet, and the specific information is a cookie header included in a request header. 7. A camera control device connected to a predetermined network and capable of controlling shooting conditions of a camera, receiving reservation information including a shooting time and shooting conditions from an external device via the network. Receiving means; registering the reservation information received by the receiving means in association with identification information; and registering the identification information to the external device; and identifying the identification information with an access address and accessing the access address. Control means for controlling a camera based on the reservation information registered by the registration means, and holding the obtained video information in association with at least the specific information corresponding to the reservation information. In a case where acquisition of a video together with the specific information is requested from an external device, the specified identification information of the video information held by the control unit The camera control apparatus according to an outputting means for outputting the corresponding video information. 8. The camera control device according to claim 7, wherein the access address is a URL on the Internet, and the specific information is a cookie header included in a request header. 9. The notification of the identification information in the registration means causes the external device to register a character string obtained by linking the access address and the specific information in a bookmark as a URL. Camera control device. 10. A control method of a camera control device connected to a predetermined network and capable of controlling shooting conditions of a camera, comprising: a reservation information including a shooting time and a shooting condition from an external device via the network. A receiving step of receiving, a photographing time of the reservation information received in the receiving step, and a judging step of judging whether or not the reservation is possible based on the photographing time already registered in the reservation, and When it is determined that the reception is not possible, a notification step of notifying the external device of that fact, and when it is determined that the reservation can be received in the determination step, the reservation information received in the reception step A registration step of registering identification information in association with each other, and notifying the external device of the identification information; controlling a camera based on the reservation information registered in the registration step; A control step of storing the identification information in association with the identification information corresponding to the reservation information; and, when an acquisition of a video together with the identification information is requested from an external device, the identification information specified in the video information held by the control step An output step of outputting video information corresponding to the camera control method. 11. The receiving step receives a character string described in a file transfer format used on the network, analyzes the character string received in the receiving step, and specifies a designated shooting time and 11. The camera control method according to claim 10, further comprising an analysis step of obtaining reservation information including a photographing condition. 12. The method according to claim 1, wherein when the shooting time registered in the registration step matches the shooting time of the received reservation information, it is determined that the reservation cannot be accepted. Item 11. The camera control method according to item 10. 13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining step determines that if the time interval between the shooting time registered in the registration step and the shooting time of the received reservation information is equal to or less than a predetermined time, the reservation cannot be accepted. The camera control method according to claim 10, wherein: 14. The identification information notified by the registration step,
11. The camera control method according to claim 10, wherein the camera control method includes an access address and specific information to be added when accessing the access address. 15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the access address is a URL on the Internet, and the specific information is a cookie header included in a request header. 16. A control method of a camera control device connected to a predetermined network and capable of controlling a photographing condition of a camera, wherein reservation information including a photographing time and a photographing condition from an external device via the network. And a registration step of registering the reservation information received in the reception step in association with the identification information, and notifying the external device of the identification information, and the identification information includes an access address and the access address. It includes specific information to be added when accessing, controls the camera based on the reservation information registered in the registration step, and holds the obtained video information in association with at least the specific information corresponding to the reservation information. A control step; and when an acquisition of an image together with the specific information is requested from an external device, a designated one of the image information held by the control step is specified. Camera control method characterized by an output step of outputting image information corresponding to the identification information. 17. The camera control method according to claim 16, wherein the access address is a URL on the Internet, and the specific information is a cookie header included in a request header. 18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the notification of the identification information in the registration step causes the external device to register a character string obtained by linking the access address and the specific information in a bookmark as a URL. Camera control method. 19. A computer-readable memory that is connected to a predetermined network and stores a control program for camera control capable of controlling shooting conditions of a camera, wherein the control program stores the computer in the network. Receiving means for receiving reservation information including a photographing time and a photographing condition from an external device via an external device; and the reservation based on the photographing time of the reservation information received by the receiving means and the photographing time already registered. A determination unit for determining whether or not the reservation can be accepted; a notification unit for notifying the external device that the reservation is determined to be unacceptable by the determination unit; and a reception of the reservation by the determination unit is possible When it is determined that registration information associated with the reservation information received by the receiving unit is registered in association with the identification information, the registration unit that notifies the external device of the identification information, A control unit that controls the camera based on the reservation information registered by the registration unit, and stores the obtained video information in association with the identification information corresponding to the reservation information; A computer-readable memory functioning as output means for outputting video information corresponding to specified identification information among the video information held by the control means when acquisition is requested. 20. A computer-readable memory which is connected to a predetermined network and stores a control program for controlling a camera capable of controlling shooting conditions of a camera, wherein the control program stores the computer in the computer. A receiving unit for receiving reservation information including a photographing time and a photographing condition from an external device via a network; registering the reservation information received by the receiving unit in association with identification information; and notifying the identification information to the external device. Registration means for registering, and the identification information includes an access address and specific information to be added when accessing the access address; controlling the camera based on the reservation information registered by the registration means; And control means for holding at least the specific information associated with the reservation information, and an external device together with the specific information. If the acquisition is requested, a computer readable memory, characterized in that it comprises a function as output means for outputting image information corresponding to the specified identification information in the video information held by said control means.