Monitoring camera apparatus and control method for monitoring camera apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9344687-B2
Application number	US-201113268227-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 7, 2011
Priority date	Oct 19, 2010
Publication date	May 17, 2016
Grant date	May 17, 2016

Abstract

A monitoring camera apparatus including a processing unit configured to process a video image input by an imaging unit, an upload control unit configured to upload the video image processed by the processing unit to a server via a network, a setting unit configured to set a parameter for the imaging unit to perform imaging or a processing parameter for the processing unit, and a transmission control unit configured to stop uploading of the processed video image to the server when the setting unit is in use.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A monitoring camera comprising:
a processing unit configured to perform a restriction process for restricting viewing a part of an image to be captured by the monitoring camera;
a transmitting unit configured to transmit the image data without the restriction process to a privileged client apparatus according to a request from a privileged client;
a setting unit configured to set a parameter for restricting viewing a part of the image to be captured by the monitoring camera according to an instruction from the privileged client apparatus while image data captured by the monitoring camera without the restriction process is transmitted to the privileged client apparatus;
a determination unit configured to determine whether the image data captured by the monitoring camera without the restriction process is transmitted to the privileged client apparatus while the parameter for restricting viewing a part of the image to be captured by the monitoring camera is being set; and
a control unit configured to prevent image data without the restriction process from being uploaded to a server via a network if the determination unit determines that the image data captured by the monitoring camera without the restriction process is transmitted to the privileged client apparatus while the parameter for restricting viewing a part of the image is being set by using the captured image without the restriction process and configured to upload image data captured by the monitoring camera to the server via the network in accordance with an event if the determination unit determines that the image data captured by the monitoring camera without the restriction process is not transmitted to the privileged client apparatus while the parameter for restricting viewing a part of the image is not being set by using the captured image without the restriction process.

2. The monitoring camera according to claim 1 , wherein if a predetermined event occurs and the control unit determines to upload the captured image data to the server, the control unit executes uploading to the server.

3. The monitoring camera according to claim 1 , wherein the processing unit performs the restriction process on viewing of a part of the captured image data input by an imaging unit by performing mask processing in which privacy mask processing is performed on the captured image data.

4. The monitoring camera according to claim 1 , wherein the processing unit performs the restriction process on viewing of a part of the captured image data input by an imaging unit by performing visible range restriction processing in which a visible range is restricted.

5. The monitoring camera according to claim 1 , wherein the processing unit performs the restriction process for restricting an imaging range that can be captured by an imaging unit by performing preset limitation processing in which a movable position is limited to a preset position.

6. The monitoring camera according to claim 1 , wherein the processing unit performs the restriction process for restricting an imaging range that can be captured by an imaging unit by performing angle of view processing in which an angle of view of the imaging unit is set according to a control instruction to the imaging unit for the angle of view by a client apparatus having an authority to instruct the processing unit to perform the restriction process.

7. The monitoring camera according to claim 1 , wherein the processing unit performs the restriction process for compositing and recording a panoramic image with use of captured image data whose privacy mask is invalid.

8. The monitoring camera according to claim 1 , wherein the processing unit performs the restriction process toward a plurality of client apparatuses on viewing of a part of the captured image data input by an imaging unit, and
wherein the control unit stops uploading of the captured image data to the server if the restriction process which restricts at least one client apparatus among the plurality of client apparatuses from viewing the captured image data input by the imaging unit is performed.

9. The monitoring camera according to claim 1 , further comprising a notification unit configured to notify a client apparatus of a reason why uploading of the captured image data to the server stopped, when uploading is stopped.

10. The monitoring camera according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit controls a transmission unit to transmit designated image data as dummy image data to the server if the processing unit is performing the restriction process.

11. The monitoring camera according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to stop uploading the captured image data to the server if the processing unit performs the restriction process.

12. The monitoring camera according to claim 1 , wherein the monitoring camera is connected to a first client apparatus having an authority to instruct the processing unit to perform the restriction process and is connected to a second client apparatus not having the authority, and
wherein the control unit is configured to stop uploading to the server the captured image data during the processing unit performing, according to the instruction from the first client apparatus, the restriction process.

13. The monitoring camera according to claim 1 , wherein the image data uploaded to the server is seen by a user using a client apparatus connected to the monitoring camera.

14. The monitoring camera according to claim 1 , wherein the processing unit performs the restriction process for compositing and recording a panoramic image with use of captured image data.

15. The monitoring camera according to claim 1 , wherein the determination unit further determines if the image data without the restriction process is required for the privileged client according to the request, the transmitting unit transmits the image data without the restriction process if the request is for setting the parameter for restricting viewing a part of the image, and the transmitting unit transmits image data according to an authority of the privileged client if the request is not for setting the parameter for restricting viewing a part of the image.

16. The monitoring camera according to claim 1 , wherein the setting unit invalidates a parameter which has already been set for restricting viewing a part of an image if a flag for preventing image data without the restriction process from being uploaded to a server via a network is valid.

17. A method for controlling a monitoring camera, the method comprising:
a processing step for performing a restriction process for restricting viewing a part of image to be captured by the monitoring camera;
a transmitting step for transmitting the image data without the restriction process to a privileged client apparatus according to a request from a privileged client;
a setting step for setting a parameter for restricting viewing a part of an image to be captured by the monitoring camera according to an instruction from the privileged client apparatus while image data captured by the monitoring camera without the restriction process is transmitted to the privileged client apparatus;
a determining step for determining whether the image data captured by the monitoring camera without the restriction process is transmitted to the privileged client apparatus while the parameter for restricting viewing a part of the image to be captured by the monitoring camera is being set; and
a control step for preventing image data without the restriction process from being uploaded to a

Assignees

• Kozakura Masato
• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Kozakura Masato

Classifications

• H04N23/661

  Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet · CPC title

• H04N23/698

  for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture · CPC title

• H04N7/188 Primary

  Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position (signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253) · CPC title

• G08B13/19656

  Network used to communicate with a camera, e.g. WAN, LAN, Internet · CPC title

• H04N5/23206

  Electricity · mapped topic