Control device, control method, and program

Abstract

To provide a technique that enables control of multiple terminals without switching a terminal to be controlled.SOLUTION: A control device for controlling multiple terminals comprises: association means for associating a control terminal to be controlled among the multiple terminals with a terminal other than the control terminal as an associated terminal; storage means for storing control information for controlling the multiple terminals, including information indicating the associated terminal associated by the association means; reception means for receiving an instruction to control one of the multiple terminals; determination means for determining the terminal to be controlled on the basis of the association means and the control information; and control means for controlling the multiple terminals on the basis of the control instruction and the control information received by the reception means. When a predetermined instruction is received by the reception means, the determination means determines to control both the control terminal and the associated terminals on the basis of the control information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control device, a control method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, network cameras and video production control devices that can remotely control imaging devices have become widespread. By operating a control device via a network, users can remotely configure imaging settings such as the imaging direction of the imaging device and camera platform.

[0003] Controllers that control multiple imaging devices are also becoming widespread. By switching between imaging devices to be controlled, multiple imaging devices can be controlled with a single controller. In video production using multiple imaging devices, there is a demand for reducing the complexity involved when users operate multiple imaging devices. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an imaging system in which a parent camera is controlled so that a child camera located in a different position captures the same subject as the subject captured by the parent camera. In this case, by operating the parent camera, the pan, tilt, and zoom of the parent camera and the child camera that is not the subject of control can be changed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-348428 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the method described in Patent Document 1 does not allow the user to control the slave camera.

[0006] In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention has an object to control a plurality of terminals without the need to go through the procedure of switching the terminal to be controlled. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is a control device for controlling a plurality of terminals, comprising: an association means for associating a control terminal among the plurality of terminals to be controlled with a terminal other than the control terminal as an associated terminal; a storage means for storing control information for controlling the plurality of terminals, including information indicating the associated terminals associated by the association means; a reception means for receiving an instruction to control one of the plurality of terminals; a determination means for determining the terminal to control based on the association means and the control information; and a control means for controlling the plurality of terminals based on the control instruction and control information received by the reception means, wherein when a predetermined instruction is received by the reception means, the determination means determines to control both the control terminal and the associated terminals based on the control information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to control a plurality of terminals without having to go through the procedure of switching the terminal to be operated. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a control system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a controller according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of connected terminal information according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an operation interface according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] 1A is a diagram showing a setting screen for related terminal information according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing related terminal information according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] 4 is a flow chart showing a control process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of connected terminal information according to the second embodiment. [Figure 8]FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a setting screen for related terminal information in the second embodiment. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing a process of setting associated terminal information according to the second embodiment. [Figure 10] 10 is a flow chart showing an example of a control process in the third embodiment. [Figure 11] 13 is a flow chart showing an example of a display control process according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 12] 10A is a diagram showing an example of a GUI displaying information about a control terminal according to the fourth embodiment, and FIG. 10B is a diagram showing an example of a GUI displaying information about a control terminal and associated terminals according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 13] 10A is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an operation interface that reflects information about a control terminal according to a fourth embodiment, and FIG. 10B is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an operation interface that reflects information about a control terminal and associated terminals according to the fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention claimed. Although multiple features are described in the embodiments, not all of these multiple features are necessarily essential to the invention, and multiple features may be combined arbitrarily. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0011] (First embodiment) FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a control system according to this embodiment. In the control system according to this embodiment, a controller 100, which is an information processing device, and four terminals 10a to 10d are connected via a network 200; however, this is not limiting. For example, the connection may be via a serial digital interface (SDI) or a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI, a registered trademark). The controller 100 can control the terminals 10a to 10d and acquire information about the terminals based on a camera control communication protocol. In particular, the terminal 10d is a camera platform compatible with the camera control communication protocol, and can be controlled from the controller 100, enabling changes in height and rotation of the base via communication. In this embodiment, a total of four terminals, including the cameras of the terminals 10a to 10c and the camera platform of the terminal 10d, are connected; however, the number and type of terminals are not particularly limited.

[0012] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the controller 100 according to this embodiment. The controller 100 includes a communication unit 101, a non-volatile memory 102, a display unit 103, an operation interface 104, a control unit 105, and an internal bus 106 that enables mutual communication.

[0013] The communication unit 101 is a network interface that communicates with external devices via a LAN (Local Area Network), and is responsible for communication with terminals (devices) via a communication medium such as the Internet. Here, communication refers to sending and receiving control commands to the terminals 10a to 10d, and receiving captured images. When communication with a terminal is performed based on an instruction from the control unit 105, it is performed via the communication unit 101.

[0014] The nonvolatile memory 102 is a nonvolatile storage device such as a flash memory, HDD, SSD, or SD card. The nonvolatile memory 102 is used as a permanent storage area for storing the OS, various programs, various data, and other programs used by the control unit 105 to control the controller 100, and is also used as a short-term storage area for various data. In this embodiment, the nonvolatile memory 102 is configured as an SSD, but is not limited to this.

[0015] The display unit 103 is configured, for example, with a liquid crystal panel and a backlight, and is a display unit for displaying captured images and setting screens acquired from the terminals. In this embodiment, the display unit 103 displays captured images captured by the terminals 10a to 10c and settings of the terminals 10a to 10d. Note that, although an example is shown in this embodiment in which the controller 100 has a display unit, this configuration is not limiting. For example, a configuration may be such that a display monitor for displaying captured images and a controller are separately present.

[0016] The operation interface 104 is an interface for receiving operations from the user on the controller 100. It is also an interface for inputting operation information (control instructions) from a plurality of buttons, a joystick, and the like provided on the housing of the controller 100. The user operates operation members such as a joystick, which is the operation interface, or a GUI (Graphical User Interface) displayed on the display unit 103, to input operation information to the control unit 105. This allows the settings of the controller 100 itself and control of a terminal connected to the controller 100. A detailed description will be given later.

[0017] The control unit 105 outputs the IP address of the target to be controlled and a packet to be sent to that IP address to the communication unit 101. This packet contains the type of target function, such as pan or tilt, and a command specifying what control to perform on that function, and when the terminal receives this command, it performs a predetermined operation on the terminal side. In addition, when the communication unit 101 receives a response packet from the terminal, it outputs the received information to the control unit 105, and based on that information, the control unit 105 obtains the status of the terminal and determines whether communication was successful.

[0018] The control unit 105 includes a volatile memory (not shown), which loads a program stored in the non-volatile memory 102 into the volatile memory and executes the loaded program to control each block of the controller 100. The volatile memory (not shown) is a storage device such as a DRAM, and temporarily stores the computer program executed by the control unit 105. The volatile memory also provides a work area into which the OS, various programs, and various data are loaded and which the control unit 105 uses when executing processing. It is also used as a work area for the OS and various programs. The control unit 105 manages connected terminals and stores connected terminal information consisting of the terminal name, terminal number, IP address of the terminal, and, if selected as a control terminal to be controlled, the terminal number of an associated terminal that is controlled in association with the terminal. FIG. 3 shows an example of connected terminal information. The terminal name and terminal number can be set by the user. The user can also set any terminal as an associated terminal related to the control terminal to be controlled, and settings related to the associated terminal can be stored as associated terminal information. The associated terminal information will be described later. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the user sets terminal 10d as an associated terminal of terminal 10c, but this is not limited to this. For example, when the control unit 105 acquires information indicating that camera C and the camera platform are connected via communication between the devices, the control unit 105 may set the camera platform as an associated terminal of camera C and retain this setting as associated terminal information.

[0019] Furthermore, the control unit 105 displays a menu screen on the display unit 103, and when it receives operations in accordance with this menu screen via the operation interface 104 (receiving means), it performs settings on the controller 100 and controls the connected terminals. For example, when related terminals are registered and control settings for the related terminals are made through operations on the menu screen, when an operation set as control for the related terminals is made, it performs processing to send control instructions to the related terminals. Details of the control processing for the related terminals will be described later.

[0020] <How to operate the operating parts> An example of the housing of the controller 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 4. The controller 100 is configured with a display unit 103 and an operation interface 104 that includes a selection button 401, a zoom rocker 402, dials 403a-c, a focus dial 404, and a joystick 405. The configuration of the controller in this embodiment is not limited to this, and for example, a GUI (Graphical User Interface) that displays the selection buttons 401 on the display unit 103 may be used. The selection buttons 401 are buttons provided on the housing of the controller 100, and each button is assigned a number from 1 to 10. For example, when the display unit 103 displays a screen for switching the device to be controlled, pressing the number 1 on the selection button 401 selects the device with terminal number 1 as the device to be controlled. At this time, the device with terminal number 1 selected as the device to be controlled can be operated using a zoom seesaw 402 or joystick 403, which will be described later. The zoom seesaw 402 is provided on the housing of the controller 100, and by operating it, zoom control of the device to be controlled can be performed. The joystick 403 is installed on the housing of the controller 100, and can pan and tilt the terminal to be controlled by operating it in the left, right, up, and down directions.

[0021] Furthermore, by pressing the Enter button while the preset registration / deletion screen is displayed on the display unit 103, it is possible to instruct the connected terminal to register a specific number as a preset number. Preset registration will be described later. Furthermore, by selecting a registered preset number on the preset execution screen, it is possible to instruct the connected terminal to execute preset execution.

[0022] <Settings for related devices> The registration of related terminals and the setting of their operation will be explained below with reference to Fig. 3 and Fig. 5(a) and (b). Fig. 5(a) is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen for related terminal information, and Fig. 5(b) is a diagram showing an example of related terminal information held by control unit 105.

[0023] In this embodiment, the registration of an associated terminal is performed on the menu screen shown in Fig. 5(a). The terminal displayed in item 501 is the control terminal to be controlled, and the control terminal can be switched by changing item 501. In this embodiment, the terminal for setting an associated terminal is set to the terminal name Camera C (terminal 10c).

[0024] With the menu screen shown in Fig. 5(a) displayed on the display unit 103, the user operates the operation interface 104 and specifies the setting value of item 502 as the terminal number of the terminal to be associated with the control terminal, thereby setting an associated terminal. It is also possible not to set an associated terminal by specifying "Not set" as this setting value. When an associated terminal is set in item 502, information about the associated terminal is stored in the control unit 105. Furthermore, when an operation on an associated terminal is acquired via the operation interface 104, the control unit 105 transmits a control command to the specified associated terminal via the communication unit 101.

[0025] Next, an associated terminal to be associated with terminal 10c can be set by inputting item 502. In this embodiment, the camera platform (terminal 10d) is set as the terminal to be associated with terminal 10c, but the type of terminal is not limited to this. For example, camera A (terminal 10a) may be set as the associated terminal of camera C (terminal 10c). Also, in this embodiment, the terminal name registered in the connected terminal information of FIG. 3 is specified in item 501, and the terminal number is specified in item 502, but this is not limiting. For example, any information that can identify the target terminal may be used, such as the terminal name, terminal number, and IP address registered in the connected terminal information of FIG. 3, or a GUI (Graphical User Interface) such as an icon indicating the location of the terminal.

[0026] <Operation settings for related devices> Next, settings related to the operation of associated terminals will be described using Figures 5(a) and (b). Items 503 and 504 are items related to settings for sending control commands to associated terminals by operating operating members of the operation interface 104, and item 504 is a setting related to a function for sending control commands to both the control terminal and associated terminals. When terminal 10c is selected in item 501 as the terminal to be controlled, and operations set in the items shown in items 503 and 504 are performed, control is performed on the associated terminals. Specifically, a case will be described in which terminal 10c and terminal 10d are registered as control terminals and associated terminals of terminal 10c. When the user operates dial 403a of the operation interface 104, the control unit 105 sends a command indicating pan control to terminal 10d.

[0027] The menu items shown in items 503 and 504 are settings for the linked control that is performed when the operation interface 104 is operated, and if not set as shown in item 503, it is treated as an operation on the control terminal. In other words, when the joystick 405, zoom rocker 402, focus dial 404, and dial 403c of the operation interface 104 are operated, control is performed on terminal 10c, which is the control terminal. When set as shown in item 504, it is treated as an operation on an associated terminal. In other words, when dials 403a and 403b are operated, control is performed on terminal 10d, which is registered as an associated terminal.

[0028] <Preset operation settings> Item 505 is a setting related to the preset function, trace function, etc. When this setting is on, a corresponding control instruction is sent to the control terminal and associated terminals. In the control system of this embodiment, the control unit 105 can store information about registered terminals as preset settings by associating the information with a preset number. For example, if a PTZ camera is connected, the positions of the PTZ camera's pan driver, tilt driver, and lens driver can be registered as preset positions (settings) by associating them with preset numbers. If a camera is registered in the control terminal and a pan head capable of moving up and down is registered in the associated terminal, the preset positions of the two terminals can be registered by associating information about the camera's lens driver or zoom magnification and the height of the pan head with preset numbers. When the user enters a specific preset number through the operation interface 104 with the preset linkage on, the control unit 105 sends a control instruction to the terminal to drive the terminal to the preset position corresponding to the preset number. Note that the terms "preset" and "trace" referred to here refer to functions for recalling settings and operation history stored on the terminal side. In this example, when a command to recall a preset is issued to the terminal to be operated, a command to recall a preset is also issued to the terminal to be controlled in conjunction. When a terminal receives a control command instructing the registration of a preset, including a preset number, it records information about the current position and settings on the terminal side. After registration, when the controller 100 sends a control command including the preset number to the terminal, the terminal recalls the stored position and settings and reflects the movement and settings in the preset position. Similarly, the trace function records the operation history to a specified number, and controls the terminal based on the operation history stored when the controller 100 sends a control command instructing the execution of the trace function. Furthermore, when a preset position is registered, if an associated terminal is set to the control terminal, the associated terminal also registers the preset position to the same preset number as the control terminal.

[0029] <Control processing for control terminals and related terminals> Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of control processing for terminals in this embodiment. The control processing for terminals by the control unit 105 will be described below using the flowchart in Fig. 6. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, terminals 10a to 10d are connected to the controller 100, and this information is held by the control unit 105 as connected terminal information. Furthermore, the description will be made assuming that terminal 10d is set as an associated terminal of terminal 10c, and that the control unit 105 holds this information as associated terminal information (control information for associated terminals).

[0030] The flowchart shown in Fig. 6 starts when an operation by a user is acquired via the operation interface 104. This flow ends when the control unit 105 performs control based on the user's input. This flowchart shows that the OS, various programs, and various data are loaded into a volatile memory that temporarily stores a computer program executed by the control unit 105, and the control unit 105 executes this processing. The flowchart in Fig. 6 is executed when the control unit 105 acquires information about an operation from a user via the operation interface 104 and performs control processing on the terminal based on the information about the operation.

[0031] In step S101, the control unit 105 acquires operation information input via the operation interface 104. The control unit 105 writes the acquired operation information into the non-volatile memory 102, and the process proceeds to step S102.

[0032] In step S102, the control unit 105 determines whether the operation information acquired in step S101 is operation information for the connected terminal. If the control unit 105 determines that the operation information is for the connected terminal, the process proceeds to step S103, and if the control unit 105 does not determine that the operation information is for the connected terminal, the process proceeds to step S109. Operation information for the connected terminal refers to, for example, operation information related to control of the connected terminal. For example, if a joystick is operated, the control unit 105 determines that the information is for the connected terminal to be controlled, and the process proceeds to step S103. Furthermore, if an operation related to changing the settings of the controller is performed, the control unit 105 determines that the information is not for the connected terminal, and the process proceeds to step S109.

[0033] In step S103, the control unit 105 acquires the connected terminal information from the non-volatile memory 102 and determines whether there is an associated terminal associated with the control terminal to be controlled. If the control unit 105 determines that there is an associated terminal, the process proceeds to step S104, and if the control unit 105 does not determine that there is an associated terminal, the process proceeds to step S108.

[0034] In step S104, the control unit 105 determines, based on the related terminal information, whether the operation information acquired in step S101 is operation information for only the related terminal. If the control unit 105 determines that it is operation information for only the related terminal, the process proceeds to step S106, and if it does not determine that it is operation information for the related terminal, the process proceeds to step S105. In this embodiment, the related terminal information shown in FIG. 5(b) sets the operation of dials 403a and b as control instructions for the related terminal. If operation information related to the operation of dial 403a or b is acquired, the control unit 105 determines that it is operation information for the related terminal, and proceeds to step S106.

[0035] In step S105, the control unit 105 determines whether the operation information acquired in step S101 is operation information for a predetermined function based on the related terminal information. If the control unit 105 determines that the acquired operation information is operation information for a predetermined function, the process proceeds to step S106, and if it does not determine that the operation information is operation information for a predetermined function, the process proceeds to step S108. In this embodiment, if the preset function is set to on in the related terminal information shown in FIG. 5(b) and operation information instructing execution of the preset function is acquired via the operation interface 104, the process proceeds to step S106.

[0036] In step S106, the control unit 105 (determining means) performs control on the associated terminals based on the associated terminal information, and the process proceeds to step S107. In this embodiment, when the dial 403a or b is operated on the terminal 10c based on the associated terminal information shown in Fig. 5(b) and when the preset function is executed, control is performed on the terminal 10d, which is an associated terminal. Specifically, when the dial 403a is operated, a pan control instruction is transmitted, and when the dial 403b is operated, a tilt control instruction is transmitted, and when the preset function is executed, a preset call instruction is transmitted.

[0037] In step S107, the control unit 105 determines whether the operation information includes control over the control terminal. If it does, the process proceeds to step S108; if it is not determined that the operation information includes control over the control terminal, the process skips step S108 and returns to the beginning of the loop process. In this embodiment, it is assumed that whether control is performed only on associated terminals is predetermined for each setting item. On the menu screen shown in FIG. 5(a), it is assumed that items other than preset and trace are used to perform control only on associated terminals, and when an instruction to execute preset is received from the control terminal via the operation interface 104, the process proceeds to step S107.

[0038] In step S108, the control unit 105 controls the control terminal, and then ends this flow.

[0039] In step S109, the control unit 105 controls the controller 100, and then this flow ends.

[0040] As described above, according to this embodiment, the controller 100 can register other terminals as associated terminals with the control terminal, and can be configured to send control commands to the associated terminals or both the associated terminals and the control terminal in response to a specific operation. This allows multiple terminals to be operated simultaneously without switching the control terminal. For example, when issuing a control instruction to multiple terminals simultaneously for a single operation, the same control instruction can only be sent. However, according to this embodiment, by specifying the associated terminal as the control target for part of the operation, desired operations can be performed on each terminal. This allows operations such as a PTZ camera having a pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) driver to drive the PTZ driver and a camera platform that can move up and down simultaneously. In this embodiment, a control command including preset number information is sent to each terminal, as in the case of a preset function. However, this is not limited to this. For example, the controller 100 may store preset numbers and preset settings of the terminals, allowing different control commands to be sent simultaneously.

[0041] In the present embodiment, an example has been described in which one terminal is registered as an associated terminal for one terminal. However, the number of terminals registered as an associated terminal is not limited to one. For example, it may be possible to set control to be performed with the associated terminal for each operation. In addition, in the present embodiment, an example has been described in which the control to be performed when operation information is acquired via the operation interface 104 is set as the content of the control setting. However, the setting of the control to be performed may be omitted. For example, the control to be performed with the associated terminal may be fixed to the same as the control to be performed with the operation target when not linked. In addition, in the present embodiment, a case has been described in which the control setting is set for the operation of an operation member or a function corresponding to the operation. However, the linked control setting may be linked to other conditions rather than being associated with an operation member or function. For example, it may be determined whether to perform control depending on the state of the terminal to be operated. In addition, in the present embodiment, it has been described in advance based on a setting item whether to perform control only with the associated terminal when control is executed. However, it may be possible to individually set for each setting item whether to perform control only with the associated terminal when control is executed.

[0042] (Second embodiment) In this embodiment, the interlocking control setting when there is a function that is not supported by the terminal to be operated will be described. The configuration of the controller according to this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, so a description thereof will be omitted. Below, differences from the first embodiment will be described. In the first embodiment, the user performed the operation settings of the related terminal, but in this embodiment, the controller 100 acquires the functions supported by the terminal and performs the operation settings of the related terminal without the user's intervention.

[0043] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of operation setting of an associated terminal in this embodiment. Hereinafter, the operation setting of an associated terminal by the control unit 105 will be described using the flowchart of FIG. 9. In this embodiment, in addition to the connected terminal information of FIG. 3, an example of a flow until the associated terminal information of FIG. 8 is set when the associated terminal of terminal 10a is set as terminal 10b and the connected terminal information state of FIG. 7 is shown. Here, it is assumed that the operation of the zoom rocker 402 is assigned to control the zoom function. It is also assumed that terminal 10a does not support the zoom function but supports all other operable functions of the controller 100. This flow starts when the associated terminal is set as shown in FIG. 7 and ends when the assignment of the corresponding function is completed. After completion, it is assumed that the settings are as shown in FIG. 8.

[0044] In step S201, the control unit 105 acquires information on functions supported by the connected terminal, and proceeds to step S202. That is, information on functions (function information) is acquired from the terminal held in the connected terminal information.

[0045] In step S202, the control unit 105 selects a setting item of the operation interface 104, and proceeds to step S203. That is, the control unit 105 selects buttons and GUIs of the operation interface 104 as items for which operation setting of the associated terminal is possible. In this embodiment, the items for which operation setting is possible correspond to six items: the joystick 405, the zoom rocker 402, the focus dial 404, and the dials 403a to 403c.

[0046] In step S203, the control unit 105 determines whether the control terminal supports the function corresponding to the operation of the item determined to be applicable in step S202. If the result of this determination is that the operation target is a supported function, the process proceeds to step S204, and if the operation target is an incompatible function, the process proceeds to step S205. Here, in the case of terminal 10a, since the zoom function is not supported, the process proceeds to step S205 for the setting item of the zoom rocker, and proceeds to step S204 for other setting items.

[0047] In step S204, the control unit 105 sets the selected setting item as unset, and the process proceeds to step S206.

[0048] In step S205, the control unit 105 turns on the setting of the set setting item and proceeds to step S206. In this embodiment, the control content of the associated terminal is set to be the same as the control performed on the control terminal. That is, if the zoom rocker is operated when the zoom rocker item is on, as in this embodiment, the control unit 105 issues a zoom control instruction to the associated terminal.

[0049] In step S206, if the selection of all setting items has been completed, the control unit 105 ends the process, and if not, the process proceeds to step S202.

[0050] As described above, according to this embodiment, when the controller 100 performs operation settings for the associated terminal, the operation settings for the associated terminal are automatically performed for functions that are not supported by the control terminal. This eliminates the need for operations when performing operation settings for the associated terminal for functions that are not supported by the control terminal. Note that this embodiment has described a case where settings for functions that are not supported by the control terminal are automatically performed. Furthermore, this setting may be changed later by the user.

[0051] (Third embodiment) In this embodiment, a case will be described in which related terminal information is set, but the related terminal is not connected to the controller. The configuration of the controller according to this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, so a description thereof will be omitted. Below, differences from the first embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, when control for only the related terminal is input, if the related terminal is connected, it is used to control the related terminal. On the other hand, if the related terminal is not connected, it is used to operate the control terminal.

[0052] Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the interlocking control process of the terminal in this embodiment. The terminal control process by the control unit 105 will be described below using the flowchart in Fig. 10. The processes from step S101 to step S109 are the same as those in the flow described above, so their description will be omitted.

[0053] In step S301, the control unit 105 determines the connection status of the associated terminal. If it is determined that the associated terminal and the controller 100 are not connected (disconnected), the flow proceeds to step S108. If it is determined that the associated terminal and the controller 100 are connected, this flow ends. Here, in this embodiment, the connection status of the associated terminal is determined based on the control of step S106. If the control of step S106 is performed normally, it is determined that there is a connection, and if it is not performed normally, it is not determined that there is a connection. For example, if the associated terminal information shown in FIG. 5(a) is set, when the dial 403a is operated, if the terminal 10d is not connected, panning control is performed on the terminal 10c, which is the control terminal.

[0054] As described above, according to this embodiment, when an associated terminal is disconnected from the controller, the control target of an operation set for the associated terminal is assigned to the terminal that is the target of operation. This allows a control command to be sent as an operation for the control terminal, even if the operation is set in the associated terminal information, when the associated terminal is disconnected. Note that this embodiment describes a case where the control instruction sent to the control terminal when the associated terminal is disconnected is the same as the control instruction that was intended to be sent to the associated terminal. Alternatively, the control instruction to be sent to the associated terminal and the control instruction to be sent to the terminal that is the target of operation when the associated terminal is disconnected may be set independently.

[0055] (Fourth embodiment) In this embodiment, the GUI display control of the controller when an associated terminal is set will be described. The configuration of the controller according to this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, so a description thereof will be omitted. Below, differences from the first embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, the GUI display control process is changed to a different form depending on whether an associated terminal is set or not.

[0056] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a GUI display control process of a terminal in this embodiment. The terminal control process by the control unit 105 will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0057] In step S401, the control unit 105 acquires, from the non-volatile memory 102, connected terminal information of the terminal whose information is to be displayed on the GUI, and determines whether there is an associated terminal associated with the terminal. If the control unit 105 determines that there is an associated terminal, the process proceeds to step S402, and if it does not determine that there is an associated terminal, the process proceeds to step S404.

[0058] In step S402, the control unit 105 determines the connection state of the associated terminal. If it is determined that the associated terminal and the controller 100 are connected (connected), the process proceeds to step S403, and if it is not determined that they are connected (not connected), the process proceeds to step S404.

[0059] In this embodiment, the connection status of the associated terminal is determined to be connected if terminal information can be acquired based on the camera control communication protocol, and not connected if it cannot.

[0060] In step S403, the control unit 105 acquires predetermined information from the control terminal and the associated terminals. Here, the predetermined information includes, for example, various setting information of the control terminal and the associated terminals, captured images of the control terminal, and, if the associated terminal is a camera, captured images of the associated terminal.

[0061] In step S404, the control unit 105 displays a GUI including information about the associated terminal on the display unit 103 based on the predetermined information acquired in step S403, and ends this flow. In this embodiment, the various control information and captured images acquired in step S403 are displayed on the display unit 103 as predetermined information, but this is not limited to this. For example, the various setting information may not be the information acquired in step S403, but may be information transmitted by the controller 100 to the control terminal.

[0062] In step S405, the control unit 105 acquires predetermined information from the control terminal, including, for example, various setting information of the control terminal and captured images of the control terminal.

[0063] In step S406, the control unit 105 displays a normal GUI that does not include information about the related terminal based on the predetermined information acquired in step S403, and ends this flow. In this embodiment, the display unit 103 displays the various control information and captured images acquired in step S405 as predetermined information, but this is not limited to this. For example, the various setting information may be information transmitted by the controller 100 to the control terminal, rather than information acquired in step S405.

[0064] FIG. 12 shows a GUI displaying an image captured by a terminal to be controlled. FIG. 12(a) shows a GUI that does not include information about related terminals, and FIG. 12(b) shows a normal GUI that includes information about related terminals. That is, while FIG. 12(a) displays only an image captured by the terminal to be controlled, FIG. 12(b) also displays an image captured by the related terminal on a sub-screen 1201. Here, if an associated terminal is associated with an object that does not have an imaging unit, such as a camera platform, control may be performed to display information such as various setting values. That is, in this embodiment, the case where there is only one type of GUI that includes information about the related terminal has been described. On the other hand, when displaying an image on a sub-screen as in FIG. 12, if the associated terminal does not have a function for distributing captured images, other information such as the status of the associated terminal may be displayed.

[0065] 13A and 13B show GUIs that display the status of various setting values ​​of the terminal to be controlled, with Fig. 13A showing a GUI that does not include information about related terminals, and Fig. 13B showing a GUI that includes information about related terminals. Fig. 13A shows only information about various setting values ​​of the terminal to be controlled and information about functions (1301-1303) assigned to dials 403a-c. However, Fig. 13B also shows information about terminals (1304-1305) that are being controlled in conjunction with dials 403a-c.

[0066] As described above, according to this embodiment, when related terminals are set and information about the related terminals can be acquired, a GUI including information about the related terminals is displayed in GUI display control. As a result, when related terminals are set, it is possible to determine whether interlocking control is being performed on the related terminals by checking the GUI without switching the terminal to be controlled.

[0067] The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program.The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 101 Communications Department 104 Operation Interface 105 Control Unit

Claims

1. A control device for controlling a plurality of terminals, an association means for associating a control terminal to be controlled among the plurality of terminals with a terminal other than the control terminal as an associated terminal; a storage means for storing control information for controlling the plurality of terminals, the control information including information indicating the associated terminals associated by the associating means; a receiving means for receiving an instruction to control any one of the plurality of terminals; a determination means for determining a terminal to be controlled based on the association means and the control information; a control means for controlling the plurality of terminals based on the control instruction and the control information received by the receiving means; and When the receiving means receives a predetermined instruction, the determining means determines to control both the control terminal and the associated terminal based on the control information. A control device characterized by:

2. The control instruction received by the receiving means is If the information in the storage means is for the associated terminal, determining to control the associated terminal; If the information in the storage means is for the control terminal and the associated terminal, determining to control both the control terminal and the associated terminal; If the information in the storage means is for the control terminal, it is determined to control the control terminal; 2. The control device according to claim 1.

3. the control device accepts an operation by a user, 2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein a user selects the control terminal and the associated terminal to be associated with the control terminal from among the plurality of terminals.

4. The control information for controlling the plurality of terminals includes information set by a user.

2. The control device according to claim 1.

5. an association means for associating the control terminal with a plurality of terminals different from the control terminal as associated terminals among the plurality of terminals; further comprising 2. The control device according to claim 1.

6. and acquiring means for acquiring information about the functions of the plurality of terminals, The control information is set based on the information acquired by the acquisition means.

2. The control device according to claim 1.

7. a determination means for determining a connection state between the associated terminal and the control device, If the determination means does not determine that the associated terminal and the control device are connected, the control terminal is controlled.

2. The control device according to claim 1.

8. a display means for displaying information relating to the status of the control terminal; a display control means for displaying the information displayed on the display means and information relating to the status of the associated terminal when the associated terminal is stored in the storage means; further comprising 2. The control device according to claim 1.

9. a display means for displaying information relating to the status of the control terminal; When an associated terminal is stored in the storage means, the acquisition means acquires information about the associated terminal, and the acquisition means has a display control means for displaying the information to be displayed on the display means and information about the status of the associated terminal.

7. The control device according to claim 6.

10. A control method for controlling a plurality of terminals, comprising: an associating step of associating a control terminal to be controlled among the plurality of terminals with a terminal other than the control terminal as an associated terminal; a storage step of storing control information for controlling the plurality of terminals, the control information including information indicating the associated terminals associated in the associating step; a receiving step of receiving an instruction to control any one of the plurality of terminals; a determination step of determining a terminal to be controlled based on the association step and the control information; a control step of controlling the plurality of terminals based on the control instruction and the control information received in the receiving step; and When a predetermined instruction is received in the receiving step, the determining means determines to control both the control terminal and the associated terminal based on the control information. A control method comprising:

11. A computer program for causing a computer to function as each of the means of the control device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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