Python-ONVIF PTZ control -- Absolute and Relative Move

Question

I am developing an application in Python to control ONVIF-compatible cameras.

Software: Debian Wheezy, Python 2.7, Quatanium python-onvif client

Hardware: Raspberry Pi 2 B, IP camera on local router, wifi/VNC for development

The required PTZ functions include Absolute Move, Relative Move, Continuous Move, Stop and using Preset positions. With the extracted test code below, I have all of that working except Absolute and Relative Moves. All of this code executes without any errors but the camera does not move for the Absolute or Relative Moves. I hope someone can suggest the problem with those two functions. The example is a bit long but I have tried to include enough code to show the contrast between working and non-working (with upper-case comments) portions for reference and test.

A test sketch:

#!/usr/bin/python

#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#Test of Python and Quatanium Python-ONVIF with NETCAT camera PT-PTZ2087
#ONVIF Client implementation is in Python
#For IP control of PTZ, the camera should be compliant with ONVIF Profile S
#The PTZ2087 reports it is ONVIF 2.04 but is actually 2.4 (Netcat said text not changed after upgrade)
#------------------------------------------------------------------------------

import onvifconfig

if __name__ == '__main__':

    #Do all setup initializations
    ptz = onvifconfig.ptzcam()

#*****************************************************************************
# IP camera motion tests
#*****************************************************************************
    print 'Starting tests...'

    #Set preset
    ptz.move_pan(1.0, 1)  #move to a new home position
    ptz.set_preset('home')

    # move right -- (velocity, duration of move)
    ptz.move_pan(1.0, 2)

    # move left
    ptz.move_pan(-1.0, 2)

    # move down
    ptz.move_tilt(-1.0, 2)

    # Move up
    ptz.move_tilt(1.0, 2)

    # zoom in
    ptz.zoom(8.0, 2)

    # zoom out
    ptz.zoom(-8.0, 2)

    #Absolute pan-tilt (pan position, tilt position, velocity)
    #DOES NOT RESULT IN CAMERA MOVEMENT
    ptz.move_abspantilt(-1.0, 1.0, 1.0)
    ptz.move_abspantilt(1.0, -1.0, 1.0)

    #Relative move (pan increment, tilt increment, velocity)
    #DOES NOT RESULT IN CAMERA MOVEMENT
    ptz.move_relative(0.5, 0.5, 8.0)

    #Get presets
    ptz.get_preset()
    #Go back to preset
    ptz.goto_preset('home')

    exit()

The referenced class:

#*****************************************************************************
#IP Camera control
#Control methods:
#   rtsp video streaming via OpenCV for frame capture
#   ONVIF for PTZ control
#   ONVIF for setup selections
#
# Starting point for this code was from:
# https://github.com/quatanium/python-onvif
#*****************************************************************************

import sys
sys.path.append('/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/onvif')

from onvif import ONVIFCamera
from time import sleep

class ptzcam():
    def __init__(self):
        print 'IP camera initialization'

    #Several cameras that have been tried  -------------------------------------
    #Netcat camera (on my local network) Port 8899
        self.mycam = ONVIFCamera('192.168.1.10', 8899, 'admin', 'admin', '/etc/onvif/wsdl/')
    #This is a demo camera that anyone can use for testing
    #Toshiba IKS-WP816R
        #self.mycam = ONVIFCamera('67.137.21.190', 80, 'toshiba', 'security', '/etc/onvif/wsdl/')

        print 'Connected to ONVIF camera'
        # Create media service object
        self.media = self.mycam.create_media_service()
        print 'Created media service object'
        print
        # Get target profile
        self.media_profile = self.media.GetProfiles()[0]
        # Use the first profile and Profiles have at least one
        token = self.media_profile._token

    #PTZ controls  -------------------------------------------------------------
        print
        # Create ptz service object
        print 'Creating PTZ object'
        self.ptz = self.mycam.create_ptz_service()
        print 'Created PTZ service object'
        print

        #Get available PTZ services
        request = self.ptz.create_type('GetServiceCapabilities')
        Service_Capabilities = self.ptz.GetServiceCapabilities(request)
        print 'PTZ service capabilities:'
        print Service_Capabilities
        print

        #Get PTZ status
        status = self.ptz.GetStatus({'ProfileToken':token})
        print 'PTZ status:'
        print status
        print 'Pan position:', status.Position.PanTilt._x
        print 'Tilt position:', status.Position.PanTilt._y
        print 'Zoom position:', status.Position.Zoom._x
        print 'Pan/Tilt Moving?:', status.MoveStatus.PanTilt
        print

        # Get PTZ configuration options for getting option ranges
        request = self.ptz.create_type('GetConfigurationOptions')
        request.ConfigurationToken = self.media_profile.PTZConfiguration._token
        ptz_configuration_options = self.ptz.GetConfigurationOptions(request)
        print 'PTZ configuration options:'
        print ptz_configuration_options
        print

        self.requestc = self.ptz.create_type('ContinuousMove')
        self.requestc.ProfileToken = self.media_profile._token

        self.requesta = self.ptz.create_type('AbsoluteMove')
        self.requesta.ProfileToken = self.media_profile._token
        print 'Absolute move options'
        print self.requesta
        print

        self.requestr = self.ptz.create_type('RelativeMove')
        self.requestr.ProfileToken = self.media_profile._token
        print 'Relative move options'
        print self.requestr
        print

        self.requests = self.ptz.create_type('Stop')
        self.requests.ProfileToken = self.media_profile._token

        self.requestp = self.ptz.create_type('SetPreset')
        self.requestp.ProfileToken = self.media_profile._token

        self.requestg = self.ptz.create_type('GotoPreset')
        self.requestg.ProfileToken = self.media_profile._token

        print 'Initial PTZ stop'
        print
        self.stop()

#Stop pan, tilt and zoom
    def stop(self):
        self.requests.PanTilt = True
        self.requests.Zoom = True
        print 'Stop:'
        #print self.requests
        print
        self.ptz.Stop(self.requests)
        print 'Stopped'

#Continuous move functions
    def perform_move(self, timeout):
        # Start continuous move
        ret = self.ptz.ContinuousMove(self.requestc)
        print 'Continuous move completed', ret
        # Wait a certain time
        sleep(timeout)
        # Stop continuous move
        self.stop()
        sleep(2)
        print

    def move_tilt(self, velocity, timeout):
        print 'Move tilt...', velocity
        self.requestc.Velocity.PanTilt._x = 0.0
        self.requestc.Velocity.PanTilt._y = velocity
        self.perform_move(timeout)

    def move_pan(self, velocity, timeout):
        print 'Move pan...', velocity
        self.requestc.Velocity.PanTilt._x = velocity
        self.requestc.Velocity.PanTilt._y = 0.0
        self.perform_move(timeout)

    def zoom(self, velocity, timeout):
        print 'Zoom...', velocity
        self.requestc.Velocity.Zoom._x = velocity
        self.perform_move(timeout)

#Absolute move functions --NO ERRORS BUT CAMERA DOES NOT MOVE
    def move_abspantilt(self, pan, tilt, velocity):
        self.requesta.Position.PanTilt._x = pan
        self.requesta.Position.PanTilt._y = tilt
        self.requesta.Speed.PanTilt._x = velocity
        self.requesta.Speed.PanTilt._y = velocity
        print 'Absolute move to:', self.requesta.Position
        print 'Absolute speed:',self.requesta.Speed
        ret = self.ptz.AbsoluteMove(self.requesta)
        print 'Absolute move pan-tilt requested:', pan, tilt, velocity
        sleep(2.0)
        print 'Absolute move completed', ret

        print

#Relative move functions --NO ERRORS BUT CAMERA DOES NOT MOVE
    def move_relative(self, pan, tilt, velocity):
        self.requestr.Translation.PanTilt._x = pan
        self.requestr.Translation.PanTilt._y = tilt
        self.requestr.Speed.PanTilt._x = velocity
        ret = self.requestr.Speed.PanTilt._y = velocity
        self.ptz.RelativeMove(self.requestr)
        print 'Relative move pan-tilt', pan, tilt, velocity
        sleep(2.0)
        print 'Relative move completed', ret
        print

#Sets preset set, query and and go to
    def set_preset(self, name):
        self.requestp.PresetName = name
        self.requestp.PresetToken = '1'
        self.preset = self.ptz.SetPreset(self.requestp)  #returns the PresetToken
        print 'Set Preset:'
        print self.preset
        print

    def get_preset(self):
        self.ptzPresetsList = self.ptz.GetPresets(self.requestc)
        print 'Got preset:'
        print self.ptzPresetsList[0]
        print

    def goto_preset(self, name):
        self.requestg.PresetToken = '1'
        self.ptz.GotoPreset(self.requestg)
        print 'Going to Preset:'
        print name
        print

@Ottavio, Sorry that I did not make it clear that the camera I used for this test, a Netcat PT-PTZ2084XM-A reported via ONVIF query that it did support Absolute and Relative moves. I have subsequently verified via the onvif.org site that this camera has not been tested and verified to meet onvif standards. I also have verified that the above code does work correctly with a Amcrest IP2M-841B ptz camera. The upshot of all of this is to never trust the claim that a camera is ONVIF 2.x compatible without testing it. Even the Amcrest has problems with both ONVIF and cgi commands for zoom. Neither Netcat nor Amcrest have been very helpful in resolving these technical problems.

Answer 1

AbsoluteMake and RelativeMove in the Profile S specifications are CONDITIONAL MANDATORY, thus it is not guaranteed a-priori that they are supported.

You need to check the camera's features.