Remote control of PTZ cameras. CCTV camera remote control PTZ camera control

The Line video surveillance system controls PTZ cameras using an RS-485 interface converter. IP PTZ cameras are controlled by the system via Ethernet interface. Combined use of PTZ and overview cameras is possible, which allows you to automate the transition of a PTZ camera to the zone of motion detected. This function of the program is useful for protected objects with a large territory.
You can restrict access to control PTZ cameras any user. Just uncheck the box in its settings.

Supports major control protocols (PTZ):

Pelco D / Pelco P;
Lilin v. 1 / Lilin v. 2;
Samsung SCC-C;
Panasonic;

Panasonic New;
TOA;
ZC-NAF27.

Standard

By launching the widget, you can fine-tune the position of the camera and go to the preset. All possible presets have a preview mode.

Visualization of memorized PTZ camera presets has been implemented, allowing you to see the location of the camera before starting to navigate to the selected preset. When saving a preset, the program automatically remembers a snapshot of the camera screen, which allows the user to visually determine the desired transition.

Advanced

When you hover the cursor over the center of the picture, a joystick appears. By holding down the mouse button, you can turn the camera in the direction of the joystick movement. The further the joystick is from the center, the faster the camera turns.

Click on the image to view

Control methods

PTZ cameras can be controlled using a mouse, joystick or USB remote control. There are also keyboard shortcuts.

(starting from version 7.3.2) you can rotate and zoom the PTZ camera of the interlocutor (including the camera of the remote terminal). In the classic application, it was possible to control only SIP cameras and H.323 devices through the server gateway.

How to enable remote control of SIP / H.323 cameras through your server?

This section is intended for TrueConf Server administrators

Permissions for remote control of cameras with SIP and H.323 connections are set separately from each other, in different menus of the server control panel.

To enable this function, enter the section of the gateway you need (in the list on the left, select the itemNetwork → SIP gateway or Network → H.323 gatewayrespectively). In the sectionGlobal settingsenable the checkboxEnable remote camera control via Q.922 / H.224 / H.281(it is named the same in the configuration menu of the SIP gateway and the H.323 gateway, but in fact they are two different checkboxes responsible for different resolutions). Don't forget to press the buttonApplyto save your changes.

How to regulate access to control your camera when making a call from TrueConf for Windows

If a subscriber participates in a conference through the TrueConf client application, then his camera can be remotely controlled only if he uses the client application version 7.3 or newer.

By default, control of a PTZ camera of a subscriber using TrueConf for Windows 7.3+ is available to any other user.on request ... This means that when you try to take over control of the camera, a window will appear in front of the camera owner, where he will have to confirm that he permits to do this.

In the settings of the client application, you can disable this mechanism - you can prohibit sending requests (thereby making the camera in principle inaccessible for external control) or allow all users to access the camera with one click of the mouse, without asking and confirming permission.

To do this, enter the menuSettings → Video and Sound → PTZ Camera Controland at the very bottom under the headingWho can control my camerachoose one of the options:On request, All users or Nobody.

How do I control the camera?

To start camera control, right-click on the interlocutor's video window and selectShow camera control.

If the interlocutor has selected the optionOn request, then the application will prompt you to send such a request. In the new application, this is done in the form of a text message, and in the classic one, an icon appears in the upper right corner of the video window, by clicking on which a request will be sent.

After gaining access, the camera control panel will appear in the corner of the video window.

When the panel is closed, a small icon of crossed arrows will appear in its place in the corner, clicking on which you can return the window

Can I control the camera of the interlocutors during a group conference?

Yes, you can. But this can only be done .

How to control your own PTZ camera from TrueConf for Windows

If you have selected a PTZ camera in the client application (version 7.3 or newer), then an icon of crossed arrows will appear in the corner of your video window, clicking on which will open the control panel for your camera.

The CNB-M1360PL PTZ (controlled) camera fell into the hands of a short time. This type The cameras are controlled via the Rs-485 interface, usually using the Pelco-D protocol. From the control capabilities, the protocol supports: horizontal rotation, vertical tilt, zoom control, focus, iris, OSD (On Screen Display), various settings and various other features. But not always all of the above may be present on the selected camera, the camera that has fallen into the hands of the available ones: zoom, focus and on / off.

In the article I will share my experience of communicating with this camera, a description of the Pelco D protocol, a program for testing such video cameras and an example of implementing a camera control code over Rs-485 using the Pelco D protocol.

Larger camera view.

This, one might say, modular, without a box-type video camera, it is one of the cheapest and most affordable, the average price is around 6000r (at the time of writing the article 11/04/2017). True, it is without a turntable included, which is a little sad for the first acquaintance with such cameras... The camera is equipped with 12x optical zoom and up to 120 digital zoom, auto focus, day / night mode switching and other functionality standard for custom video cameras. From the controls on this camera are available: zoom, focus and on / off.

It can be equipped with a camera OSD menu control board, which also contains a BNC connector for video output, connectors for power and Rs-485 lines, and a UART-Rs485 interface converter. In this case, only the Tx line with a logic level of 5V goes to the camera.

In the photo of the control board, top view, 1 pin is signed on the connector.

The on-screen menu is controlled by 5 buttons using the ad-key interface, which I have already considered using the example of a simple modular video camera -. The connection diagram of the buttons is slightly different from the one drawn earlier, but the meaning is the same.

The buttons in this camera are responsible not only for navigating the on-screen menu, but also for controlling the zoom and focus.

In the OSD, in addition to the image settings, you can select one of the two control protocols Pelco D or DXP and set the camera number for addressing it on the Rs-485 line. Several cameras with the same numbers can be put on one line in order to control them simultaneously or with different numbers for separate control. Interface settings: 2400 baud rate and standard 8N1. Other cameras may have different speeds, but they are in the standard range of 2400 to 115200.

Pelco D

Pelco Protocol Brief D.
Sends of 7 bytes are sent to the cameras from the remote control:

Checksum - 1 byte is equal to the sum of 5 bytes: from 2 to 6.

The Pelco D protocol can send 15 standard commands to control cameras, it can be used to remotely configure cameras (but not all cameras support this or their manufacturers use non-standard / their own commands and carefully hide them) and control the on-screen OSD menu (also not all cameras support). Because Since the copy on hand only supports a limited set of standard commands, I will not consider additional options for remote camera settings.

Standard commands:

	bit 7	bit 6	bit 5	bit 4	bit 3	bit 2	bit 1	bit 0
Team 1	Sense	eserved	Reserved	Auto / Manual Scan	Camera on / off	Iris Close	Iris open	Focus Near
Team 2	Focus far	Zoom wide	Zoom tele	Tilt down	Tilt up	Pan Left	Pan right	Always 0

The Sense bit is used in conjunction with the Auto / Manual Scan and Camera on / off bits.

Note that after turning on the commands for movement along the axes or focus and zoom, the camera will move until it reaches the extreme position. You can stop the movement with the "stop" command.

On the Internet you can find detailed description Pelco-D protocol in English.

When working with the camera, I connected it to a computer through a 2-dollar USB-Rs485 converter (in the first photo in the lower right corner), built on the basis of a USB-UART ch340 interface converter and a UART-Rs485 MAX485 converter. This, the cheapest converter, has no galvanic isolation and only 2 outputs Rs485 A + and A-, there is no common wire! When connecting equipment via 485 lines, it is advisable to use galvanic isolation and also connect the converters with a common wire, because if the power circuits of the devices are not combined by them at long distances, the devices may work incorrectly, malfunction or burn out. What happened to me, but with a wire length of ~ 60cm. The converter was connected to the computer, and the camera was powered by a laboratory power supply, but the power supply did not have a ground wire (I forgot that the used power supply unit does not have a grounding on the mains plug, all other laboratory equipment and a computer at the workplace have), which when turning it on and off caused the MAX485 chip in the Chinese converter to burn out. Be careful and, better, do not skimp on converters and wires.

Utility for testing cameras with Pelco-D protocol

To work with the camera, or rather to check its functionality, I wrote a simple utility.

When connecting the interface converter to a computer in the computer, a new virtual port appears (depending on the converter). You can connect to it in the program, having previously set the port speed required for the cameras used. The program provides the ability to control the camera through command bits, prescribe the parcel manually and the minimum standard functionality for rotating the camera, controlling its zoom, focus and aperture.

The program uses standard settings for COM port 8N1 (8 bits, no parity, 1 stop bit). The utility does not control the COM port control lines (RTS and DTR).

Sample code

An example of code implementation for PTZ control camera by Pelco protocol D will look like this:

Unsigned char ptz_camera_adress; // camera address // sending data over the Rs-485 line // input: * data - a pointer to an array of sent data void ptz_camera_send_data (char * data) (rs485_mode_send_data (); while (* data) (send_uart (* data); + + data;) rs485_mode_received_data ();) // sending a send to PTZ cameras // input: adress - camera address, cmd1 and cmd2 - commands 1 and 2, data1 and data2 - data 1 and 2 void ptz_camera_data_send (unsigned char adress, unsigned char cmd1, unsigned char cmd2, unsigned char data1, unsigned char data2) (char ptz_camera_txBuff; ptz_camera_txBuff = 0xFF; ptz_camera_txBuff = ptz_camera_adress; ptz_camera_txBuff = cmd1; ptz_camera_txBuff = cmd2; ptz_camera_txBuff = data1; ptz_camera_txBuff = data2; ptz_camera_txBuff = ptz_camera_adress + cmd1 + cmd2 + data1 + data2; ptz_camera_send_data (ptz_camera_txBuff);) // camera on void ptz_camera_on (void) (ptz_camera_data_send (ptz_camera_adress, 0x88,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00x00);) // camera off 0x00,0x0 0.0x00); )

rs485_mode_send_data ()- switching the Rs-485 module to data transmission
send_uart (char data)- function of sending data via UART
rs485_mode_received_data ()- switching the Rs-485 module to receive data

PTZ - the camera has a robotic mechanism with a built-in electronic-mechanical video control drive, which controls the rotation and tilt of the device. PTZ stands for Pan Tilt Zoom, which means that the camera is controlled remotely, and the camera itself has a zoom function. Optical zoom remotely changes the angle and field of view of the lens (enlarges / reduces the observed object). The cameras are controlled by means of a remote control or special software / hardware (if the equipment is connected to a network protocol).

Tracking automation

An innovative hardware program is installed in the firmware of the PTZ camera. By means of this software, the modulation of pixels in the image is controlled, which is transmitted and then sets the device in motion. The tracking function (tracking / turning) of the object, due to movement, changes the pixels and therefore the device focuses on the center of their oscillation. Next, the PTZ estimates the distance at which the tracking object is located and its dimensions. When a moving object leaves the field of view of video equipment, the device returns to its original position or to the one that was previously programmed when the initial setup was carried out. This procedure will start again when the camera registers other changes.

Views

Analog CCTV cameras. After digitization (processing by a digital processor) of the resulting image, a special signal is sent to the electrical converter. It, in turn, modulates these signals into analog (PAL / NTSC). The device connects to a video server or DVR recorder. To organize the control of equipment, during installation, another special cable is attached. The main disadvantages of such video surveillance equipment are the unsatisfactory resolution of the obtained images, as well as their deterioration during the transmission of a special signal.
Digital IP video surveillance cameras. The processed image is transmitted over the IP / TCP protocol in digital form. This data is sent to the IP recorder or IP server (video). Control together with data transmission is carried out over a single cable. Achieved more a high resolution images when compared with analog cameras.

Constructive designs

Outdoor domed hemisphere or Speed Dome... Exceptionally all components of the device (electronics and mechanics) are located in a sealed hemisphere. Due to this arrangement, the penetration of dust and moisture particles is completely prevented inside the case. It also helps to increase the level of protection against vandals. Temperature regime during the operation of such devices is: -50 ° - + 60 ° C.
Outdoor dome spherical PTZ. A similar hemisphere model, but the difference is a more powerful infrared illumination. It has a high degree of fault tolerance, that is, it excludes the effects of moisture, dust and is protected against acts of vandalism. The operating temperature of the equipment ranges from -40 ° to + 60 ° C.
Pan-body PTZ (indoor). The moving units of the camera are open, so the mechanical elements interact with external environment... As a result - low protection against the influence of dust and moisture. The operating temperature of the device ranges from 0 ° to + 55 ° С.
Spherical dome PTZ (indoor). It is intended for installation inside buildings and structures, as it requires the absence of low temperatures, as well as high humidity and dust.
Outdoor robotic PTZ is a hybrid of an electric drive and an outdoor camera. On the this moment the dome camera drove the robotic camera out of the market. Accordingly, the latter is rare.

General characteristics

optical zoom;
digital zoom;
panning control;
tilt control;
audio signal transmission;
auto tracking;
continuous rotation;
temperature regulation;
built-in memory cards;
round-the-clock video surveillance.

The quality of the transmitted image, detail, sound and a set of additional video surveillance functions depend on the model and purpose of each individual device.

Advanced functionality

sound transmission;
tour records;
patrolling the route;
connection of external devices;
chamber temperature control (for extreme conditions environment);
protection from bad weather (wind, rain, snow);
integration of various intelligent applications.

Areas of use

premises;
open area.

With built-in heating for internal and external components and a sealed housing, the dome camera can be used in areas with any maximum temperatures and climates. Some models can be operated in places where human presence is impossible due to exposure to hazardous factors. For example, at the enterprises of the nuclear and chemical industry... And thanks to optical zoom(approximation), devices are actively used for video conferencing and negotiations.

PTZ control is also popular in television production. Used on professional studio cameras for robotic control.

Setting procedure

PTZ cameras are used in two modes:

fixed;
mobile.

Working in a fixed (stable) video surveillance mode, the device (even dome equipment) is always statically directed to the controlled area of observation. As a rule, without camera position control (rotary function is present), but with possible remote reconfiguration, if necessary.

When working in mobile video surveillance mode, the angle of direction of the device is periodically changed to expand / narrow the point of view and detail the necessary items.

As a rule, customers have a technical task or an approximate idea of where the camera should be, what zones it should be aimed at, the frequency and route of movement. All options for video surveillance and control are individual.

After installation of video surveillance, it is required to configure the camera according to terms of reference... It doesn't matter whether a PTZ camera or a static camera, a dome camera or a regular camera, an outdoor or indoor installation, the setup process is almost identical in all cases. Customization analog cameras, proceeds in a similar way to digital IP cameras. It should only be noted that digital IP cameras can also be configured through a video recorder and through software / hardware that is preinstalled on the computer.

Configuration and programming is usually done by CCTV installers.

How to configure an analog PTZ camera

Connecting the camera to the recorder.
Informational setting of operating modes.
Selecting the required surveillance channel.
Individual settings for each PTZ surveillance channel.
Specifies the control protocol (depending on supported by the camera).
Select the value of the baud rate.
The task of the parameters of the stop bits (transmitted to separate information).
The choice of a method for detecting errors in the transmission of information.
The task of the IP address of the device for the registrar (communication is established using it).
Specify the mode and schedule of camera movements.

For remote control of IP PTZ cameras, the following are used:

wireless infrared remote control;
mouse;
special software(which adds the ability to automatically control cameras);
wired USB remote control;
control via Ethernet interface (for high-speed data transmission by cameras);
remote keyboard with 3D joystick.

For the equipment of the control system and video surveillance, for any territory, the most the best option there will be a PTZ dome IP camera. It is the dome IP camera that is resistant to aggressive environment, has convenient control and allows you to control even the largest area without leaving blind spots. The dome camera and its various variations are the most popular type of PTZ cameras.