Video camera apparatus with zoom control based on the pan or tilt operation

Abstract

A video camera apparatus for a video conference is arranged to detect the zoom level of a zoom lens by a zoom level detecting circuit and to control a motor control circuit according to the result of detection in such a way as to lower the speed of a panning or tilting operation on a video camera accordingly as the position of the zoom lens shifts from a wide-angle position to a telephoto position. In panning or tilting the video camera in a zoom-in state, this arrangement makes the panning or tilting speed lower than the speed of panning or tilting performed in a zoom-back state, so that the movement of objects on a picture displayed on a monitor can be effectively moderated to make the details of the display easily discernible without any unpleasant impression. The arrangement thus facilitates the operation on the video camera.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A video camera apparatus comprising: 
 a) a video camera having a zoom lens;    b) a support base arranged to carry said video camera and to permit at least a panning operation or a tilting operation on said video camera;    c) detecting means for detecting a zoom ratio of said zoom lens; and    d) driving means for driving said support base to perform the panning operation and/or the tilting operation at a speed corresponding to an output of said detecting means.    
     
     
         2 . An apparatus according to    claim 1   , further comprising a monitor arranged to display image information picked up by said video camera.  
     
     
         3 . An apparatus according to    claim 2   , further comprising pictorial frame setting means arranged to permit a pictorial frame corresponding to the zoom ratio to be displayed by said monitor together with the picked-up image information.  
     
     
         4 . An apparatus according to    claim 1   , wherein said support base has a mirror part which is rotatably carried, said mirror part being arranged to reflect an object image and to have the reflected object image incident on said video camera.  
     
     
         5 . An apparatus according to    claim 4   , further comprising image processing means arranged to invert an image picked up by said video camera with regard to right and left.  
     
     
         6 . A video camera apparatus comprising: 
 a) a video camera having a zoom lens;    b) a support base arranged to carry said video camera and to permit at least a panning operation or a tilting operation on said video camera;    c) driving means for driving said support base to perform the panning operation or the tilting operation; and    d) control means for varying a zoom ratio of said zoom lens according to the panning operation or the tilting operation of said support base.    
     
     
         7 . An apparatus according to    claim 6   , further comprising zoom ratio detecting means for detecting the zoom ratio of said zoom lens.  
     
     
         8 . An apparatus according to    claim 6   , further comprising speed detecting means for detecting the speed of the panning operation or the tilting operation of said support base.  
     
     
         9 . An apparatus according to    claim 6   , further comprising first detecting means for detecting the zoom ratio of said zoom lens, storage means for storing a result of detection made by said first detecting means, and second detecting means for detecting the speed of the panning operation or the tilting operation of said support base.  
     
     
         10 . An apparatus according to    claim 9   , wherein said control means is arranged to vary the zoom ratio of said zoom lens according to a zoom ratio which is obtained before the panning operation or the tilting operation of said support base and which is stored in said storage means and according to a result of detection made by said second detecting means.  
     
     
         11 . An apparatus according to    claim 6    or    10   , further comprising a monitor arranged to display image information picked up by said video camera.  
     
     
         12 . An apparatus according to    claim 11   , further comprising pictorial frame setting means arranged to permit a pictorial frame corresponding to the zoom ratio to be displayed by said monitor together with the picked-up image information.  
     
     
         13 . An apparatus according to    claim 6   , wherein said support base has a mirror part which is rotatably carried, said mirror part being arranged to reflect an object image and to have the reflected object image incident on said video camera.  
     
     
         14 . An apparatus according to    claim 13   , further comprising image processing means arranged to invert an image picked up by said video camera with regard to right and left.  
     
     
         15 . An video camera apparatus comprising: 
 a) a video camera having a zoom lens;    b) a support base arranged to carry said video camera and to permit a panning operation or a tilting operation on said video camera;    c) driving means for driving said support base to perform the panning operation or the tilting operation;    d) distance determining means for determining a distance between said video camera and a speaker; and    e) control means for varying a zoom ratio of said zoom lens according to the distance determined by said distance determining means when said video camera is directed toward said speaker.    
     
     
         16 . An apparatus according to    claim 15   , further comprising direction detecting means for detecting a direction in which said speaker is located, said distance determining means being arranged to determine said distance on the basis of the direction in which said speaker is located as detected by said direction detecting means.  
     
     
         17 . An apparatus according to    claim 15   , further comprising automatic focusing means, said distance determining means being arranged to determine said distance on the basis of information obtained from said automatic focusing means.  
     
     
         18 . An apparatus according to    claim 16   , wherein said direction detecting means includes a microphone.  
     
     
         19 . An apparatus according to    claim 18   , wherein said microphone is disposed on said video camera.  
     
     
         20 . An apparatus according to    claim 15   ,    16    or  17 , wherein said control means is arranged to vary the zoom ratio of said zoom lens in such a way as to equalize image sizes of speakers irrespectively of difference in distance from said video camera to the speakers.  
     
     
         21 . An apparatus according to    claim 15   , wherein said support base has a mirror part which is rotatably carried, said mirror part being arranged to reflect an object image and to have the reflected object image incident on said video camera.  
     
     
         22 . An apparatus according to    claim 21   , further comprising image processing means arranged to invert an image picked up by said video camera with regard to right and left.  
     
     
         23 . A video camera apparatus comprising: 
 a) a mirror part arranged to reflect an object image;    b) a video camera arranged to be capable of picking up the object image reflected by said mirror part; and    c) driving means for driving said mirror part to turn within a required range of angle.    
     
     
         24 . An apparatus according to    claim 23   , further comprising image processing means arranged to invert an image picked up by said video camera with regard to right and left.  
     
     
         25 . An apparatus according to    claim 24   , further comprising a storage part arranged to store a position to which said mirror part is to be turned.  
     
     
         26 . An apparatus according to    claim 25   , wherein said driving means is arranged to drive said mirror part to turn to a position which is preliminarily stored in said storage part.