Automatic tracking control apparatus for camera apparatus and automatic tracking camera system having same

An automatic tracking control apparatus for a camera apparatus having a panning or tilting function, comprising:

• an object recognition unit configured to recognize an object in a picked-up image from the camera apparatus;
• a tracking object setting unit configured to set the object recognized by the object recognition unit as an object to be tracked;
• an output position setting unit configured to set an output position, which is a position in the picked up image at which an image of the object to be tracked is to be output;
• a control computing unit configured to output to the camera apparatus a drive signal for driving the camera apparatus to pan or tilt in such a way that the object to be tracked is located at the output position set by the output position setting unit;
• an image output unit configured to output an image in which an indication for distinguishing the object to be tracked from another object and a mark to be used to reset the output position are superimposed on the picked-up image;
• and
• an output position resetting unit configured to shift the position of the mark in the picked-up image and to set the position of the mark as an updated output position,
• wherein when the output position is to be changed during automatic tracking, the mark is shifted in the picked-up image by the output position resetting unit to set the updated output position, and the control computing unit outputs to the camera apparatus a drive signal for driving the camera apparatus in such a way that the image of the object to be tracked is output at the updated output position.

An automatic tracking camera system comprising:

• a camera apparatus having a panning or tilting function;
• an automatic tracking control apparatus connected to the camera apparatus, the automatic tracking control apparatus for a camera apparatus having a panning or tilting function, comprising:
• an object recognition unit configured to recognize an object in a picked-up image from the camera apparatus;
• a tracking object setting unit configured to set the object recognized by the object recognition unit as an object to be tracked;
• an output position setting unit configured to set an output position, which is a position in the picked-up image at which the object to be tracked is to be output;
• a control computing unit configured to output to the camera apparatus a drive signal for driving the camera apparatus to pan or tilt in such a way that the object to be tracked is located at the output position set by the output position setting unit;
• and
• an image output unit configured to output an image in which an indication for distinguishing the object to be tracked from another object is superimposed on the picked-up image,
• wherein when the output position is to be changed during automatic tracking, automatic tracking is suspended, the camera apparatus is driven to change the position of the object to be tracked in the picked-up image, the position of the object to be tracked in the picked-up image is set as an updated output position by the output position setting unit, and automatic tracking is restarted by outputting, by the control computing unit to the camera apparatus, a drive signal for driving the camera apparatus in such a way that the object to be tracked is located at the updated output position;
• and
• a display unit connected to the automatic tracking control apparatus to display an image output from the image output unit of the automatic tracking control apparatus.