Patent ID: 6122005
Filing Date: 2000-09-19
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
A camera control system having at least one camera unit connected to a predetermined line, and at least one control unit for controlling said camera unit via said line, said camera unit comprising:a camera capable of being panned, tilted and zoomed; andmanagement means for managing said camera and controlling said camera in accordance with a control command from said control unit; andsaid control unit comprising:display means for displaying a user interface which includes symbol buttons for controlling said camera unit;memory means for storing camera names of connectable cameras and address information for specifying each camera unit on the line;accumulating means for accumulating, for each camera, time during which a camera is controlled, so as to obtain the total time period of controlling each camera in the past;sorting means for deciding an order of displaying of the camera names on a list based upon a length of time period accumulated by said accumulating means;list display means for displaying a list of the camera names that is in accordance with the order of display decided by said sorting means;detecting means for detecting whether any camera name in the displayed camera list has been designated; andsending means for converting input information, which has been designated on the displayed user interface, to information having a predetermined format and sending the information having the predetermined format to a camera unit designated by address information corresponding to a camera name detected by said detecting means.