Video camera with automatic zoom adjustment based on distance between user's eyes

Claim 2

A video camera having: a zoom lens capable of varying its focal distance; image sensing means for image-sensing a user via said zoom lens and outputting an image signal of the user; and signal processing means for converting the image signal into a display signal, comprising: memory means for storing the image signal outputted by said image sensing means; calculation means for detecting images of user's eyes from the image signal as a feature of the user and calculating a change of a distance between a right eye and a left eye of the user's eyes by comparing the image signal stored in said memory means and the image signal outputted from said image signal sensing means; and zoom driving means for driving said zoom lens such that the calculated distance is maintained at a predetermined value.

Claim 3

The video camera according to claim 1 , further comprising a light projection mean for projecting light on the user at fixed time intervals, and wherein said calculation means extracts light reflected from retinas of the user's eyes when said light projection means projects light on the user, and calculates the distance between the user's eyes based on the extracted light.

Claim 4

The video camera according to claim 2 , wherein said calculation means calculates the distance between the user's eyes based on a reference clock from said image sensing means and horizontal and vertical scanning signals of said video camera.

Claim 5

The video camera according to claim 2 , wherein said light projection means projects light having a wavelength within a range of red light signal of said image sensing means.

Claim 6

The video camera according to claim 4 , wherein the light is infrared light.

Claim 7

The video camera according to claim 1 , wherein said light projection means projects light having a wavelength within a spectral sensitivity range of said image sensing means.

Claim 8

A video camera having: image sensing means for image-sensing a user and outputting an image signal of the user; and signal processing means for converting the image signal into a display signal, comprising: detecting means for detecting an image signal of user's eyes from the image signal outputted by said image sensing means; calculation means for calculating a change of a position of the user's eyes based on the image signal outputted from said detecting means; and pan head control means for controlling an external pan head or pan head of said video camera for changing a direction of said video camera such that the calculated position of the user's eyes is substantially maintained at a predetermined position of an image screen.

Claim 9

A video camera having: image sensing means for image-sensing a user and outputting an image signal of the user; and signal processing means for converting the image signal into a display signal, comprising: detecting means for detecting an image signal of user's eyes from the image signal outputted by said image sensing means; calculation means for calculating a change of a position of the user's eyes based on the image signal outputted from said detecting means; and pan head control means for controlling an external pan head or pan head of said video camera for changing a direction of said video camera such that the calculated position of the user's eyes is substantially maintained at a predetermined position of an image screen.

Claim 10

The video camera according to claim 7 , wherein said calculation means extracts light reflected from retinas of the user's eyes when said light projection means projects light on the user, and calculates the distance between the user's eyes based on the extracted light for calculating a change of a position of the user's eyes.

Claim 11

The video camera according to claim 8 , wherein said calculation means calculates the distance between the user's eyes based on a reference clock from said image sensing means and horizontal and vertical scanning signals of said video camera.

Claim 12

The video camera according to claim 8 , wherein said light projection means projects light having a wavelength within a range of red light signal of said image sensing means.

Claim 13

The video camera according to claim 10 , wherein the light is infrared light.

Claim 14

The video camera according to claim 7 , wherein said light projection means projects light having a wavelength within a spectral sensitivity range of said image sensing means.

Claim 15

An image sensing device comprising: a zoom lens capable of varying its focal distance; image sensing means for image-sensing a user via said zoom lens and outputting an image signal of the user; detecting means for detecting an image signal of user's eyes from the image signal outputted by said image sensing means; calculation means for calculating a distance between the user's eyes and change of a position of the user's eyes based on the image signal outputted from said image sensing means; zoom driving means for driving said zoom lens such that the calculated distance is maintained at a predetermined value; and pan head control means for controlling an external pan head or pan head of said image sensing device for changing a direction of said image sensing device such that calculated position of the user's eyes is substantially maintained at a predetermined position of an image screen.

Claim 16

An image sensing device comprising: a zoom lens capable of varying its focal distance; image sensing means for image-sensing a user via said zoom lens and outputting an image signal of the user; detecting means for detecting an image signal of user's eyes from the image signal outputted by said image sensing means; calculation means for calculating a distance between the user's eyes and change of a position of the user's eyes based on the image signal outputted from said image sensing means; zoom driving means for driving said zoom lens such that the calculated distance is maintained at a predetermined value; and pan head control means for controlling an external pan head or pan head of said image sensing device for changing a direction of said image sensing device such that calculated position of the user's eyes is substantially maintained at a predetermined position of an image screen.

Claim 17

The device according to claim 13 , further comprising a light projection means for projecting light on the user at fixed time intervals, and wherein said calculation extracts light reflected from retinas of the user's eyes when said light projection means projects light on the user, and calculates the distance between the user's eyes based on the extracted light.

Claim 18

The device according to claim 14 , wherein said calculation means calculates the distance between the user's eyes based on a reference clock from said image sensing means and horizontal and vertical scanning signals of said image sensing device.

Claim 19

The device according to claim 14 , wherein said light projection means projects light having a wavelength within a range of red light signal of said image sensing means.

Claim 20

The device according to claim 16 , wherein the light is infrared light.

Claim 21

The device according to claim 13 , wherein said light projection means projects light having a wavelength within a special sensitivity range of said image sensing means.

Claim 22

A control method for a video camera comprising: an image sensing step of image-sensing a user using an image sensor to produce an image signal of the user; and a signal processing step of converting the image signal into a display signal by detecting the user's eyes from the image signal obtained in said image signal obtained in said detecting step; and sensing step; calculating a change of a position of the user's eyes based on the image signal obtained in said detecting step; and controlling an external pan head or pan head of the video camera for changing direction of the video camera such that the calculated position of the user's eyes is substantially maintained at a predetermined position of an image screen.

Claim 23

A control method for a video camera comprising: an image sensing step of image-sensing a user using an image sensor to produce an image signal of the user; and a signal processing step of converting the image signal into a display signal by detecting the user's eyes from the image signal obtained in said image signal obtained in said detecting step; and sensing step; calculating a change of a position of the user's eyes based on the image signal obtained in said detecting step; and controlling an external pan head or pan head of the video camera for changing direction of the video camera such that the calculated position of the user's eyes is substantially maintained at a predetermined position of an image screen.

Claim 24

The method according to claim 19 , wherein the calculating includes determining a change of distance between the user's eyes as the change of a position of the user's eyes.

Claim 25

The method according to claim 19 , further comprising projecting light on the user at fixed intervals, and wherein the calculating extracts light reflected from retinas of the user's eyes when the light is projected on the user during the fixed intervals, and calculates a distance between the user's eyes based on the extracted light for calculating a change of a position of the user's eyes.

Claim 26

The method according to claim 21 , wherein the calculating determines the distance between the user's eyes based on a reference clock signal outputted from the image sensor and horizontal and vertical scanning signals of the video camera.

Claim 27

The method according to claim 21 , wherein the light projecting projects light having a wavelength within a spectral sensitivity range of the image sensor.

Claim 28

The method according to claim 21 , wherein the light projecting projects light having a wavelength within a range of red light signal of the image sensor.

Claim 29

The method according to claim 24 , wherein the light is infrared light.