JPH0946668A - Access control method - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To allow a camera owner to freely restrict access by other users. SOLUTION: For each camera connected to a network, an access right is set to each user other than the camera owner. Access rights can be set for each of audio reception, video reception, and camera control. There are permission and non-permission for receiving video and audio, and permission, non-permission and partial permission for camera control. The camera owner can change the setting of the access right to the camera owned by the other user, and the result is notified to the camera management server 68. The camera management server 68 manages information regarding access rights. The camera control client 72 notifies the camera management server 68 of the setting change of the access right. When the setting of the access right is changed, the camera management server 68 notifies all the camera control clients 72 of the information.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method of controlling access to an information input device (for example, a video camera, a microphone, etc.), and more specifically, one or a plurality of information input devices via a network. The present invention relates to an access control method in a network system in which one or more persons can selectively use.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A network system in which a computer to which a video camera is connected is networked so that a camera connected to any other computer can be operated remotely and an image from any camera can be received is provided. It has been proposed as a surveillance system or as a teleconferencing system. In such a video transmission system,
Conventionally, an arbitrary computer has been capable of remotely controlling an arbitrary camera and acquiring an image from the arbitrary camera. When a microphone is installed together with the camera, it is possible to receive an image from an arbitrary camera and at the same time receive an input voice from a microphone installed accompanying the camera.

[0003]

As described above, there is no restriction in the conventional example regarding the remote operation and the reception of the video / audio (however, for the camera being remotely operated by another user,
There is a de facto limitation that it cannot be controlled remotely. ) So
The user of the computer directly connected to each camera, that is, the owner of the camera, cannot restrict the other party to whom the image of the camera is transmitted, nor the one that can be remotely controlled.

The present invention solves such inconveniences and proposes an access control system in which the camera owner can freely set the acquisition right of the input information of the camera (and the microphone) he owns and the remote operation right. To aim.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an access control method for controlling access to an information input device in a computer network.

[0006]

According to the present invention, the owner of the local camera can set the access right to the local camera by the remote user. This allows the camera owner to protect his or her privacy according to his or her own judgment.

[0007]

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

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a video communication apparatus, which is a basic element in one embodiment of the present invention, that is, a computer system to which a plurality of cameras and microphones are connected. One or more computers having the configuration shown in FIG. 1 and one or more computers having a similar configuration are connected to each other via a computer network.

In FIG. 1, 10 (10-1, 10-
2, 10-3, ... are video cameras and 12 (12
-1, 12-2, 12-3, ...) are microphones substantially attached to the respective video cameras 10, 14 (14-1, 1,
4-2, 14-3, ...) are video cameras 10
(10-1, 10-2, 10-3, ...) Pan, tilt, zoom, focus adjustment and diaphragm, and microphone 1
A control device for directly controlling 2 (12-1, 12-2, 12-3, ...) Voice inputs according to an external control signal, 16
Is an input selection device that selects which video camera 10 (and microphone 12) is to be output and which output signal (video signal and audio signal) is to be captured. Examples of the control signal line include RS-232C, but it is obvious that the present invention is not limited to this.

Reference numeral 20 controls the input selection device 16 and sends a control command to the desired control device 14 via the input selection device 16 to control the video camera 10 and the microphone 12 associated with the control device 14. A control terminal or a computer. 22 is a CPU that controls the entire control terminal 20, 24 is a main memory, 26 is a secondary storage device (for example, a hard disk device), and 28 is a pointing device.
A mouse as a device and a keyboard 30.

Reference numeral 32 connects the input selection device 16, supplies control commands and the like to the input selection device 14, and attaches the microphone 12 to the camera 10 selected by the input selection device 16.
, An I / O port for capturing the output audio signal of the video camera 34, a video board for capturing the output video signal of the video camera 10 selected by the input selection device 16 and displaying various video on the bitmap display 35, 36
Is a network interface for connecting the control terminal 20 to a computer network or a communication network,
37 is a speaker, 38 is the CPU 22 to the speaker 37.
It is a system bus that interconnects each device.

The network interface 36 can send a camera control signal from a remote place to the control terminal 20 via the network to control any camera 10 (and the microphone 12).

The input selection device 16 includes a plurality of control devices 12.
To control the video output and the audio output from the selected control device 12 to the video board 34 and the I / O port 32, respectively, and to connect to the selected control signal device 12. The signal line is logically connected to the I / O port 32. As the format of the video signal, for example,
NTSC composite signal or NTS with luminance / color difference separation
There is a C signal. The video board 34 is the input selection device 1.
Capture the video output selected by 6. The captured video signal is displayed as a moving image in a predetermined window of the bitmap display 35, or is transmitted to another. Input voice is I / O port 32 and system bus 3
It is taken into the main memory 24 via 8, and is output as voice from the speaker 37 or is transmitted to another.

The secondary storage device 26 stores the initial setting information of the camera 10 (and the microphone) and the management information regarding the access right. Details of these pieces of information will be described later.

When only one camera 10 (and microphone 12) is connected, the input selection device 16 is unnecessary,
The controller 14 is directly connected to the I / O port 32. When no voice is input, the microphone 12 becomes unnecessary. If both video and audio are not input, the camera 10, microphone 12, control device 14, and input selection device 16 become unnecessary.

In this embodiment, at least one camera 1
It is assumed that 0 is installed near the control terminal 20.

The device shown in FIG. 1 is connected to a network as shown in FIG. 2, for example. The terminal A has the same configuration as the device configuration shown in FIG. 1, and the terminal B has one camera 1
Since only 0 and the microphone 12 are connected, its control device 1
4 is directly connected to the I / O port 32, and the terminal C is not connected to the camera 10 and the microphone 12. Generally, terminals A, B, and C having such various configurations are mixed in one network.

The network used in this embodiment is
LA with sufficient transmission bandwidth for transmitting digital video data, digital audio data and remote control signals
N or WAN is assumed. Although the moving image data and the audio data are information-compressed according to the existing compression encoding method at the time of transmission, the compression / decompression process itself is not directly related to the present invention, and therefore the description thereof is omitted. This is because if sufficient transmission capacity is secured, such information compression becomes unnecessary.

The video board 34 has the video capture function as described above, and not only supplies the captured video data to the bit map display 35 for image display but also via the bus 38. CPU2
It also supplies 2. Audio data from the selected microphone is also sent to the CPU 22 via the I / O port 32 and the bus 38.
Is supplied to. The CPU 22 packetizes the video data and the audio data and outputs them to the network via the network interface 36. network·
Control commands including a camera operation command and a camera switching command are also packetized and transmitted from the interface 36 to the network. Furthermore, information about the entire system is also packetized and sent to the network. These information are the contents of the data to be transmitted and if necessary,
It is transmitted to the specified transfer destination or to all terminals.

The same applies to reception. That is, when the packetized video data and audio data, the camera operation command, and the camera switching command are received, the devices A, B, and C each directly connect the received video data and audio data to the camera and the microphone. The same as the input data from, and the received camera operation command and input switching command are treated like the same internal command. The information about the entire system is used for updating the system display of the user interface described later.

FIG. 3 shows the software configuration of this embodiment. In FIG. 3, regarding the camera operation, the software (server) installed in the terminal to which the camera device is directly connected and the software (client) installed in the terminal to remotely operate the camera device are shown separately. There is. Of course, in a normal usage mode, both software will be installed in one terminal.

In FIG. 3, the workstations 50, 5
2, 54 and 56 are connected to a network 57, a workstation 50 is connected to a camera device 58 with a microphone corresponding to the camera 10 and a microphone 12, and workstations 52 and 54 are connected to a monitor (bitmap display, respectively). ) Speakers 60B, 6 on 60A, 62A
It is assumed that the video / audio output devices 60 and 62 that are integrated with 2B are connected. The workstation 56, which will be described in detail later, manages a camera that can be remotely operated via a network within one network, the right and usage status of each user, and the like.

In the workstation 50, the video / audio information obtained by the camera device 58 with a microphone is transferred to the other workstations 52, 54 via the network 57.
The video / audio transmission / reception software 64 to be transmitted to and the camera control server (software) 66 for controlling the camera device 58 with a microphone according to the camera control signals from the other workstations 52 and 54 are stored.

A camera management server (software) 68 is installed in the workstation 56.
The camera management server 68 manages all camera devices connected to the network 57. Camera management server 68
May be stored in any one terminal connected to the network 57.

Upon startup, the camera control server 66 reads the initial setting information of all the camera devices 58 with microphones to be connected, and obtains the camera names and initial states (installation position, initial direction and zoom value) of all camera devices. Report to the camera management server 68. In response to the registration request from the camera control server 66, the camera management server 68 registers in the camera list that the camera device 58 of the workstation 50 is actually available via the network 57.

In the workstations 52 and 54, the video / audio transmitting / receiving software 70 for receiving the video / audio information from the workstation 50 and outputting it from the video / audio output devices 60 and 62, and the camera device connected to the network 57 (here In addition, a camera control client (software) 72 that displays the state of the camera device 58), displays a camera display control panel for remotely controlling the operable camera, and processes the operation is stored.

The users of the workstations 52 and 54 can refer to, enter, and correct various information managed by the camera management server 68 by the camera control client 72. Details will be described later. When the camera management server 68 permits remote control of the camera (here, the camera device 58) of another workstation, the camera control client 72 sends the camera control signal to another camera without passing through the camera management server 68. It can be transmitted to a workstation (here, the camera control server 66).

In normal use, each workstation is normally connected to both a video / audio output device and a camera device with a microphone (a monitor / display and a camera when audio is omitted). Therefore, the video / audio transmitting / receiving software 64, 70 usually has both functions of transmitting / receiving video / audio. Generally, software is a single program or a group of programs.
It consists of modules. The terminal A shown in FIG. 2 is the workstation 50 shown in FIG. 3, the terminal C shown in FIG. 2 is the workstation 52 or 54, and the terminal B shown in FIG. 2 is the workstation 52 or 54. . The workstation 56 shown in FIG.
Terminal A, B or C.

The camera management server 68 is the network 5
It is software that manages all the camera devices (and microphones) connected to 7. That is, the camera management server 68
Holds information such as camera names, host names, installation positions, directions, use states, and access rights of all cameras connected to the network 57, and registers and separates from the network 57 when the cameras are connected to the network 57. In addition to each erasure process associated with the deletion, access permission / denial to the camera access request from the user is managed, and further, various information of the cameras connected to the network 57 is periodically or in response to the request. The control client 72 is notified via the network 57.

FIG. 4 is an example of a video display / operation screen displayed on the bitmap display 35 by the camera control client 72. In the bitmap display 35, it is assumed that a window system capable of simultaneously displaying a plurality of windows is operating. This video display operation screen 80 includes a video display section 82 for displaying a camera video, a camera status display section 84 for displaying a camera status, an access status display section 86 for displaying an access status, a pan,
The camera control buttons 88 to 100 for tilt and zoom, an audio level display section 102 for displaying an audio level, an access setting button 104 and an end button 106 are provided.

The camera status display section 84 displays a camera status list as shown in FIG. The information displayed includes, for all cameras connected to the network 57, the camera name, the host name of the terminal to which each camera is connected, the pan / tilt angle, the zoom, the owner, the usage status, and the like. The camera name, the unique name for identifying each camera, and the pan / tilt angle are the shooting directions of each camera. The owner is a user who has the right to set access rights for that camera,
Usually, the user uses a terminal to which the camera is directly connected. The usage status displays the name of the user who remotely controls the corresponding camera. The usage status is blank (unused display) when no one is remotely controlling. In the following, the information on the configuration shown in the camera status display section 84 will be referred to as a camera list.

The access status display section 86 displays the user name for receiving the video and audio output from the terminal owned by the user and the user name for remotely controlling the camera connected to the terminal owned by the user. Is displayed.

The camera control buttons 88 to 100 are, specifically, tilt buttons 88 and 90 in the vertical direction of the camera,
Left and right pan buttons 92, 94, home position button 9 for instructing return to home position
6, a zoom up (enlargement) button 98 and a zoom down (reduction) button 100.

The audio level display section 102 shows the audio level of the speaker output.

For example, when the user wishes to access (remote operation or receive video / audio) of any camera connected to any other terminal, the user selects the corresponding one of the camera lists displayed on the camera status display section 84. Double-click the line you want to edit. The camera control client 72 sends an access request for the selected camera to the camera management server 68.
As will be described in detail later, the camera management server 68 determines whether to permit / deny the access in consideration of the setting status of the access right and notifies the camera control client 72 of the request source. When the access is permitted, the camera control client 72 can access the designated camera, the image of the camera is displayed on the camera image display unit 82, and the sound is output from the speaker. Camera control buttons 88-10
0 can be used to remotely control the direction and zoom of the camera.

A method of setting an access right in this embodiment will be described. First, the concept of access rights will be described. In this embodiment, the access right is set for an individual (user), and the login name is used for recognizing the individual. In the present embodiment, access rights can be set for three points: video reception, audio reception, and camera control. The access right relating to video reception and audio reception relates to whether or not a user having a management right of a camera permits another user to receive the video and audio of the camera. Similarly, the access right for camera control relates to whether or not a user who has the management right of a certain camera allows another user to perform camera control such as panning, tilting, and zooming of the camera. In this embodiment, regarding camera control,
Partial permission is provided between permission and non-permission. That is,
In the partial permission mode, camera control is permitted by limiting the range of camera control such as pan, tilt, and zoom.

The access right for audio reception and the access right for video reception can be set independently, but the access right for video control is subordinate to the access right for camera control. That is, although there are only audio reception, only video reception, and simultaneous audio and video reception, there is no camera control that does not receive video. Camera control and video reception are always allowed together.

In this embodiment, the user is a computer
Similar to network access management, it is classified into three types: system administrator, camera owner, and general user. The system administrator is a so-called super user and has the right to change the access right of all cameras. A camera owner is
Although it has the right to change the setting of the access right, it will follow the decision of the system administrator until the camera owner changes the setting by the system administrator again. A general user is a user who is not a system administrator and who wants to access a camera owned by another person.

The camera owner is a person who installs the camera (referred to as an installation user) and a person who is currently using a terminal to which the camera is connected (sometimes temporarily logged in to the terminal). This is called a login user because it is possible.). The installed user and logged-in user are generally not the same. At least the logged-in user
It is preferable to have the right to change the setting of the access right for the camera installed near the logged-in terminal and capable of displaying itself.

In the present embodiment, the following law is applied as a method of determining the camera owner. That is, the camera owner is primarily the installation user, but if a login user exists, the login user is set as the camera owner.

From the viewpoint of video / audio transmission restriction, the restriction of the access right given to the general user by the camera owner becomes the most important. FIG. 6 shows an example of setting access rights. FIG. 6 shows an example of the contents of access rights set by the owner of a camera to general users 1 to n for a camera. Audio reception, video reception, and camera control are permitted or not permitted for each of the general users 1 to n. When the camera control is partially permitted (for example, user 2), a table indicating the permitted range (or the prohibited version range) is separately prepared and linked.

In FIG. 6, the access rights of user 1 and user 3 are the same. In the method of managing the access right for each user, the management becomes troublesome when the number of general users increases. Therefore, it is convenient to collect users who set the same access right into one user group and set / change the access right in group units. By grouping them into user groups, it becomes easy to set / change access rights having the same contents. FIG. 7 shows an example of setting access rights to user groups. Figure 7
In the example shown in FIG. 6, users having the same access right are organized into groups.

Depending on the status of the camera owner, it may be desired to dynamically change the access right. For example, there are cases where the camera owner wants to concentrate on work, he wants to use the camera himself, or he wants to fully utilize the capabilities of the terminal. In the present embodiment, it is preferable that the camera owner can dynamically change, that is, limit the access right of each general user regardless of the access right set for each general user.

However, dynamically changing the access rights of all the user groups is troublesome. Therefore, multiple access modes with different access rights are provided,
By switching between multiple access modes depending on the situation, the contents of access rights can be easily changed. An example of the access mode is shown in FIG.

In FIG. 8, three access modes of open, normal and closed are provided. FIG. 8 (a)
In the open mode shown in (1), the group 1 and the group 2 are permitted to perform the voice communication, the video communication, and the camera control, and the other groups are not permitted to control the camera only.
In the normal mode shown in FIG. 8B, voice communication, video communication, and camera control are permitted for group 1, only voice communication and video communication are permitted for group 2, and voice communication, video are permitted for the other groups. Neither communication nor camera control is allowed. In the closed mode shown in FIG. 8C, only the video communication is permitted for the group 1 and all are prohibited for the group 2 and other groups.

Even if the concept of the user group and the access mode is introduced, it is troublesome for the camera owner to set these settings from scratch each time the system is started, and therefore it is usually well known. As described above, the setting state of each user and user group is filed in an access right setting file, and the access right is automatically set by referring to this access right setting file at startup. Of course, the state at the time of the previous system termination is automatically saved in this access right setting file.

When the system is started for the first time,
The access right setting file may not exist. In that case, the system sets a default value with a predetermined content. The camera owner may make changes as necessary based on the default settings.

There are also cameras that do not need to have access rights set, such as cameras installed in corridors or public places. For such a camera, access may be permitted to all users. Therefore, a private (private) mode in which the access right is set and a public (public) mode in which the access right is not set are provided.

Generally, the access right is set for each camera. However, if a user is the owner of multiple cameras and wants to set the same settings for some of the multiple cameras, define those cameras as a camera group and set the same access rights. It would be convenient to be able to do so. The function of such a camera group is provided to a GUI (graphical user interface) for setting the access right.

Next, the operation of setting / changing the access right in this embodiment will be described in detail. In the software configuration shown in FIG. 3, the camera control server 66 and the camera management server 68 cooperate to manage the access right and control the access. That is, the camera management server 68 manages information on the entire system, such as the usage status of each camera and the access right setting status. The camera management server 68 also permits or denies access to requests for audio and / or video transmission and camera control according to the set access right. When the control range of camera parameters such as pan, tilt and zoom is limitedly permitted, the camera control server 66 rejects a camera control request that exceeds the control permission range.

The basic structure of the access right control in this embodiment will be described in detail below by dividing it into system startup, access request, and access right setting.

The procedure for starting the camera control server 66, the camera management server 68, and the camera control client 72 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 12. FIG. 9 shows the mutual relationship between the camera control server 66, the camera management server 68, and the camera control client 72. FIG. 10 shows a flowchart of the startup processing of the camera control server 66, and FIG.
Shows a flowchart of the access setting process of the camera management server 68 for the registration request of the camera control client 72, and FIG. 12 shows a flowchart of the access permission process of the camera management server 68 for the access request from the camera control client 72.

The camera management server 68 is activated before all the software (S1). Camera management server 68
Holds a camera list as shown in FIG. 5 and an access right setting list as shown in FIG. In the access right setting list, the access right setting states of all users are recorded for all cameras constituting the system. The camera management server 68 also holds a list of login users who activate the camera control client 72. After starting, the camera management server waits for the connection of the camera device.

Next, the video / audio transmitting / receiving software 6
4, 70 are activated. At the same time, the camera control server 66 is activated (S6). The camera control server 66 reports the camera name, the host name, the installed user name, and the camera status to the camera management server 68 at the time of startup. The camera management server 68 registers the camera information in the camera list and initializes the access right (S2). The camera management server 68 also reports to the camera control clients 72 connected to the system that a new camera has been registered.

When the camera is installed near the control terminal, the initial setting of the access right differs depending on the presence or absence of the logged-in user, as described above. The existence of the login user can be known from the login user list held by the camera management server 68. As shown in FIG. 10, when there is a logged-in user (S21),
This user's initialization file is read and access rights are set (S22). If there is no login user (S21), the installation user's access rights initialization file is read and access rights are set (S2).
3).

Next, the camera control client 72 is activated (S9). The camera control client 72 registers the login user in the camera management server 68 immediately after starting (S3), receives system information such as a camera status list, and displays it. In some cases, it is necessary to reset the access right as shown in FIG. That is, if the camera control server 66 is also activated on the same control terminal (S31), the camera management server 68 confirms whether the registered login user and the installed user are the same (S32). If the two are different (S32), the access right is changed to that of the login user (S3).
3).

Although one camera management server 68 is always activated, the camera control server 66, the video / audio transmission / reception software 64 and 70, and the camera control client 72 are activated in each terminal as necessary.

Next, the access procedure will be described. First,
The camera control client 72 requests access to the camera management server 68 (S10). The camera management server 68 processes the access request as shown in FIG. That is, first, the requested camera control client 7
2 refers to the access right setting list shown in FIG. 13 to check whether or not the camera has an audio reception access right (S41).
A value indicating permission for voice reception is set in the voice reception column of the return value (S42). Similarly, it is checked whether or not the requesting client has an access right for video reception with respect to the camera (S43), and if the access right is granted, a value indicating video reception permission is set in the video reception column of the return value. (S4
4).

When video reception is permitted (S4
3) Further, it is checked whether or not the camera control is permitted (S45). If the permission is granted, it is confirmed by referring to the camera list whether or not another user is using the camera ( S46), if not used by another user (S46), a value indicating camera control permission is set in the camera control column of the return value (S47).

After the above processing, the camera management server 68
Returns a return value indicating the result of the access request to the requesting camera control client 72 (S48). When there is a change in the access state, the access management server 68, at the same time, changes the access state to another camera control client 72.
Report changes in access status to. The camera control client 72 that has issued the request accesses the target camera regarding the permitted items (S10, S8). The camera control server 66 accepts the camera control within the access permission range when the access right to the user who controls the camera is partially permitted (S8).

The other camera control clients 72 are
The display content of the camera status display unit 84 is updated based on the information from the camera management server 68.

Next, the procedure for setting the access right will be described. Examples of GUIs for setting access rights are shown in FIGS.
It is shown in FIG. 26 and 27 are flowcharts of the processing associated therewith.

When changing the setting of the access right, first, the target camera is selected from the camera list displayed on the camera status display portion 84 (FIG. 4) of the video display operation screen 80 displayed by the camera control client 72. After selecting, click the access right setting button 104. In response to clicking the access right setting button 104, the camera control client 72 communicates with the camera management server 68,
When the user who desires to change the access right is the owner of the camera, that is, the owner of the camera, first, the access control panel shown in FIG. 14 is popped up.

When the access control panel shown in FIG. 14 pops up, the current access right setting state is displayed. When this panel window is displayed for the first time after the system starts up, that is, when there is no information regarding the setting of the access right (S51), the camera owner tries to read the access right description file preset (S51).
52) If the file also does not exist, the camera automatically becomes a public camera. If the camera is changed to private (private) after this, the setting for each access right mode becomes the standard setting as shown in FIG. 8, and all the users belong to the “other” group.

The access control panel shown in FIG. 14 displays a camera name list, a toggle button for selecting public or private, an access mode change button, an access right setting button, a decision button and a cancel button. The setting can be completed by pressing the enter button, and the setting can be canceled by pressing the cancel button (S53).
In the camera name list, the members of the camera group to which the specified camera belongs are displayed.

The information about the camera groups is also saved in the access right description file. However, if this file does not exist, the settings of the camera groups are initialized and only one specified camera belongs to each group. It becomes a state not to do. After the above display, the event waiting loop (S54) is entered.

When one camera in the camera name list is designated and double-clicked (S55), the camera information window shown in FIG. 15 pops up to display the camera information (S56). In the camera information window,
Information such as the camera name, connection host name, camera owner, login user, and camera installation user is displayed. Clicking the delete camera button in the camera info window will remove the camera from the camera group and pop up the camera info window. Deleted cameras form a single independent group. It should be noted that at least one camera belongs to the camera group.

To register to the camera group, select the desired camera in the camera list displayed in the camera status display section 84 (FIG. 4) and drag and drop it to overlay it on the camera name list. Just do it. When adding a camera to a group, the camera control client 72 communicates with the camera management server 68 to see if the user is the owner of the camera. The cameras added to the camera group thereafter have the same access right setting state as that group.

After performing the above operation, if the return button at the bottom of the camera information window is pressed, the camera information window pops down.

As an operation of setting the access right, first, it is selected whether the camera (camera group) is public (Public) or private (Private) (S57). When set to public, access rights cannot be regulated as described above,
All users can freely receive the video / audio of the camera and control it remotely. The area below the access mode change button on the access control panel (FIG. 14) is grayed out, and input cannot be performed. That is, when an event occurs, access mode new (S60)
The input of the access right setting button (S62) is canceled (S59). On the other hand, if the camera is privately owned,
The portions below the access mode of the display screen, that is, the access mode setting button and the access setting button are in a state where they can be selected and input.

When it is desired to change the access mode,
Click the access mode change button (S6
0). The access mode change button is a menu type selection button. When the button is clicked, a selection menu as shown in FIG. 16 is displayed, and a plurality of preset modes can be selected (S61).

To make more detailed settings, click the access right setting button (S62). As a result, the access right setting window shown in FIG. 17 pops up. The access right setting window shown in FIG.
It consists of a camera owner display, an access mode setting menu, an access right display change section, a cancel button, a default button and an enter button. Access rights can be set in detail for each access mode, user groups can be set, and modes can be added / deleted. When the access setting window pops up, the access mode is set to the current mode.

FIG. 27 shows a detailed flowchart of processing of the access right setting window. In the access right setting window shown in FIG. 17, the current camera owner is displayed in the camera owner column. When the access mode setting button is clicked (S72), the window shown in FIG. 19 pops up, and the access mode can be changed by the same operation as the selection menu shown in FIG. And can be deleted (S73 to S77). The access right display change part,
Access mode specified in the access mode setting menu
View and set mode permissions. The horizontal axis of the access right display change unit shows access items for audio / video / camera control, and the vertical axis shows groups to which access permission is given.

When the user group portion of the access right display changing portion is clicked, a list of group members as shown in FIG. 22 is displayed (S78). By dragging and dropping the row of the members belonging to one group to the member display area of another group, any member can be added to any group and deleted. Click the Create Group button to add a new group. When the group is deleted, the group to be deleted is selected and then the group delete button is clicked (S79).

The access rights that can be set are in the form of a menu as shown in FIG. 18. Two items, permission and non-permission, are provided for audio and video, and permission is provided for camera control.
Select from the three items of partial permission and non-permission (S80 to S
85). In case of partial permission of camera control (S83),
A camera control range setting window as shown in FIG. 25 pops up, and the control range can be specified for each item of pan, tilt, and zoom (S84).

After the above settings are completed, by clicking the OK button, the access right setting in the access right setting window shown in FIG. 17 is completed (S8).
7) Then, the input contents so far are reflected in the current access right (S88).

After completing all the processing for setting the access right, the setting of the access right is ended by clicking the enter button on the access control panel shown in FIG. 14 (S65). After the setting is completed, the camera control client 72 reports the new setting state of the access right to the camera management server 68 (S66, S11) and updates the initial setting file (S67). In addition, when the access right regarding camera control is partially permitted, the setting state of the access right is also reported to the camera control server 66. On the other hand, the camera management server 68 and the camera control server 66
Updates the access state table and the like (S5, 8).

[0078]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, with respect to the protection of the privacy of the camera owner, fine setting according to the user's request is realized.
Also, regarding the setting of the access right, the operability is improved by using the user interface that hierarchically sets from the rough setting to the finer setting.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a basic configuration of a computer system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a hardware configuration of the present embodiment in a network.

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a software configuration of this embodiment in a network.

FIG. 4 is an example of a display screen of a camera control client 72.

FIG. 5 shows an example of the structure and contents of a camera list.

FIG. 6 is an example of an access right setting table.

FIG. 7 is an example of an access right setting table in consideration of user groups.

FIG. 8 is a setting example of an access mode.

FIG. 9 is a procedure of activation, access request, and access setting.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a startup process of the camera control server 66.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of access right setting when registering a camera control client.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of an access permission process.

FIG. 13 is an access right setting list in the camera management server 68.

FIG. 14 is a screen (access control panel) of a root menu of an access right setting GUI.

FIG. 15 is a camera information window of an access right setting GUI.

FIG. 16 is an access mode selection menu of an access right setting GUI.

FIG. 17 is an access right setting window of an access right setting GUI.

FIG. 18 is a selection menu of the access right display changing unit of the access right setting window.

FIG. 19 is a selection / operation window for the access mode of the access right setting window.

FIG. 20 is a new mode window of the selection / operation window shown in FIG.

FIG. 21 is a mode deletion window of the selection / operation window shown in FIG.

FIG. 22 is a user / group setting window for the access right display changing unit of the access right setting window.

FIG. 23 is a window for group deletion of the window shown in FIG. 22.

FIG. 24 is a window for creating a group of the windows shown in FIG. 22.

FIG. 25 is a camera control range setting window.

FIG. 26 is a flowchart of a basic process of setting an access right for an operation of the access control panel shown in FIG.

FIG. 27 is a flowchart of a process for operating the access right setting window shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 (10-1, 10-2, 10-3, ...): Video camera 12 (12-1, 12-2, 12-3, ...): Microphone 14 (14-1, 14-) 2, 14-3, ...): Control device 16: Input selection device 20: Control terminal 22: CPU 24: Main memory 26: Secondary storage device 28: Mouse 30: Keyboard 32: I / O port 34: Video -Board 35: Bitmap display 36: Network interface 37: Speaker 38: System bus 50, 52, 54, 56: Workstation 57: Network 58: Camera device with microphone 60, 62: Video / audio output device 60A, 62A: Monitor (bitmap display) 60B, 62B: Speaker 64: Video / audio transmission software 66: Camera control server 68: Camera management server 70: Video / audio transmission / reception software 72: Camera control client 80: Video display operation screen 82: Video display section 84: Camera status display section 86: Access status display section 88-100: Camera control button 102: Audio Level display section 104: Access setting button 106: End button

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A video / audio communication / camera control system for selecting one from a plurality of externally controllable camera devices connected to a network to display video, output audio, and control camera parameters. An access control method characterized in that the owner of the local camera sets an access right to the local camera by a remote user. 2. The access control method according to claim 1, wherein there are a plurality of users who have the right to set the access right, and one of them is the user who exercises the right to set the right according to the situation. 3. The access control method according to claim 1, further comprising means for collectively setting access rights having the same contents for a plurality of cameras having access right setting rights. 4. The access control method according to claim 1, further comprising means for classifying users who are given the same access right into one group and setting the access right in group units. 5. The access right can be set to allow or disallow for audio transmission and video transmission, and can be set to allow, partial permit or disallow for camera control, and partially permit camera control. The access control method according to claim 1, further comprising means for designating a control range of camera parameters such as pan, tilt, and zoom. 6. The access control method according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of access modes having different access right setting states, and setting the access right of a desired content by designating the access modes. 7. The access control method according to claim 6, wherein a plurality of access modes are prepared in advance as initial values of the system, and the user can change these as necessary. 8. The access control system according to claim 1, further comprising means for hierarchically and visually setting access rights.