(19)
(11) EP 1 646 240 A8

(12) CORRECTED EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION
published in accordance with Art. 158(3) EPC

(15) Correction information:
Corrected version no 1 (W1 A1)

(48) Corrigendum issued on:
05.07.2006 Bulletin 2006/27

(43) Date of publication:
12.04.2006 Bulletin 2006/15

(21) Application number: 03817431.4

(22) Date of filing: 11.07.2003
(51) International Patent Classification (IPC): 
H04N 7/18(1968.09)
B60R 1/00(1968.09)
 H04N 5/225(1985.01)
(86) International application number:
PCT/JP2003/008896
(87) International publication number:
WO 2005/006756 (20.01.2005 Gazette 2005/03)
(84) Designated Contracting States:
DE FR

(71) Applicant: Hitachi, Ltd.
Tokyo 100-8280 (JP)

(72) Inventors:
  • MURAMATSU, Shoji c/o Hitachi, Ltd. Intell.Prop.Grp
    Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8220 (JP)
  • OTSUKA, Yuuji c/o Hitachi, Ltd., Intell.Prop.Group
    Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8220 (JP)
  • TAKENAGA, Hiroshi c/o Hitachi, Ltd. Intell.Prop.Gr
    Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8220 (JP)
  • MONJI, Tatsuhiko c/o Hitachi, Ltd., Intell.Prop.Gr
    Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8220 (JP)
  • TAKEZAKI, Jiro c/o Hitachi, Ltd., Intell.Prop.Grp
    Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8220 (JP)
  • FURUSAWA, Isao c/o Hitachi, Ltd., Intell.Prop.Grp
    Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8220 (JP)

(74) Representative: Beetz & Partner 
Patentanwälte Steinsdorfstrasse 10
D-80538 München
D-80538 München (DE)

   


(54) IMAGE PROCESSING CAMERA SYSTEM AND IMAGE PROCESSING CAMERA CONTROL METHOD


(57) An object of this invention is to make one image pickup device sharable, with high reliability, among the multiple application programs that dynamically vary camera parameters.
In order to achieve this object, the invention includes an image pickup device 6 that acquires images, an image pickup device controller 13 that accepts image acquisition requests from the multiple application programs 151 to 15N and controls the image pickup device, an application scheduler 14 that selects application programs to be executed. The invention further includes an element 17 that stores the image data volumes and image data acquisition rates required in the multiple application programs 151 to 15N, an element that selects multiple concurrently executable application programs on the basis of the above image data volumes and image data acquisition rates, and an image acquisition scheduler 14 that determines the timing and intervals at which the multiple executable application programs repeat acquiring image data from one image pickup device without overlapping in terms of time. In addition, an operations section that explicitly presents concurrently executable application programs to a user and commands the startup of these programs is displayed on a navigation screen menu 19.
According to this invention, one image pickup device can be shared, with high reliability, among multiple application programs. Also, the user can start up executable application programs without hesitation.