Patent ID: 8044990

Claim:
A camera controller for controlling the imaging range of a camera provided with a driver for changing the viewing direction of the camera, the camera controller comprising: face position detection means for detecting a human face position from an image signal obtained by the camera; registration means for calculating face direction information on the basis of the result of the detection performed by the face position detection means and information about the current viewing direction of the camera, and registering the calculated face direction information in storage means; timing means for measuring a hold time for which the viewing direction of the camera is held fixed and the imaging range of the camera is retained; drive control means for, in a case where the hold time has elapsed before the drive control means has received voice direction information generated by a voice detector for detecting a direction from which the voice of a person to be imaged by the camera is coming, changing the viewing direction of the camera by controlling the driver in accordance with the voice direction information, and in a case where the hold time has not elapsed before the drive control means has received the voice direction information generated by the voice detector for detecting a direction from which the voice of a person to be imaged by the camera is coming, and if a predetermined time has elapsed since a previous movement of the viewing direction changing the viewing direction of the camera by controlling the driver in accordance with the voice direction information; and hold time control means for acquiring the result of the detection performed by the face position detection means, and setting the hold time on the basis of the acquired result of the detection, wherein in a case where the face position detection means has not detected a human face in the imaging range moved in response to the change in the viewing direction of the camera, the hold time is set to be shorter than that set in a case where the face position detection means has detected a human face.