JP2006178097A - Panoramic imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a problem that an accurate panoramic photograph free from parallax can not be taken without using a special tool because it is impossible to provide a tripod mount hole on the extension of a nodal point in an imaging apparatus where an optical axis is fixed such as an ordinary digital camera. <P>SOLUTION: In the panoramic imaging apparatus to take a still picture or a moving picture through the principal lens 11 of a camera 10 without moving the optical axis of the principal lens 11, the base 10a of the camera 10 is parallel with the fixed optical axis 15 of the principal lens 11, and the center axis 13 of a tripod mount screw hole 12 provided on the base 10a is perpendicular to the base 10a, and the nodal point 14 exists on the extension of the center axis 13. Thus, a subject matter of the accurate panoramic photograph free from parallax is photographed without requiring the special tool for aligning the nodal point 14 with the center of rotation if a universal head for panorama and a tripod are prepared. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a panoramic imaging apparatus, and more particularly, to a panoramic imaging apparatus that takes a plurality of images by rotating a still camera or a video camera and combines them to generate a panoramic image.

  A panoramic image can be created by rotating a still camera or a video camera in the horizontal direction to take a plurality of images and combining them. This is shown in FIG. The camera 1 needs to be fixed and photographed with a tripod so as not to be affected by tilt and rotation. Further, it is known that when the camera 1 is rotated around the nodal point 2, the influence of parallax is eliminated and an image can be synthesized without distortion (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The nodal point 2 is a point that can be photographed without changing the captured image before and after the movement even when the camera is rotated horizontally or vertically. In the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the influence of parallax is eliminated by rotating around the nodal point of the mirror case.

  In the figure, the camera 1 captures an image 3a during a stationary period, then rotates clockwise by a predetermined angle and then stops to capture an image 3b, and then rotates clockwise by a predetermined angle and then stops still and captures the image 3c. By repeating the photographing, a plurality of photographed images 3a, 3b, 3c,... Are photographed and combined to create a panoramic image. Here, each of the above-described captured images 3a, 3b, and 3c has a certain overlap portion 4a, 4b, 4c, and 4d between the immediately preceding captured image or the captured image immediately after that. This is to reduce distortion during image synthesis.

  Next, a case of a normal camera will be described as an example. The tripod mounting screw hole of a normal camera is provided completely unrelated to the nodal point, and even if you use a tripod and panoramic head, the center of rotation deviates from the nodal point. Produces parallax and cannot be accurately combined with a panoramic photo.

  Therefore, special equipment is required to shoot an accurate panoramic photo material without parallax using a normal camera. FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of an example of a panoramic photographing jig 5 which is a special equipment for photographing the panoramic photographic material. The panoramic photographing jig 5 is a large-scale device having a support mechanism that can slide in two axial directions in order to correct a deviation between a nodal point and a tripod mounting screw hole.

  By attaching the camera 6 to the panoramic photographing jig 5 as shown in the perspective view of FIG. 6, the camera 6 can be rotated around the nodal point. Further, the panoramic photographing jig 5 to which the camera 6 is attached is attached to a tripod via a panoramic head as shown in the perspective view of FIG.

JP-A-9-18750

  By the way, in the conventional panoramic photographing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, since the optical unit has a mirror case structure, it is extremely easy in terms of structure to provide the support portion of the lens barrel on the nodal point. However, in an imaging device with a fixed optical axis, such as a normal digital camera, the lens protrudes from the main body, or even if it is in the main body, it becomes an end and lacks strength or physically has a hole. For structural reasons, such as there is no space to install, it is difficult to attach a tripod mounting hole on the extension of the nodal point unless it is a large imaging device, and it exists in compact digital cameras that require portability. There wasn't.

  Also, with a normal digital camera, it is impossible to take an accurate panoramic photo without parallax without a special jig. As shown in FIG. There is a problem that it becomes a large-scale thing.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and provides a panoramic photographing apparatus capable of photographing an accurate panoramic photographic material without parallax without requiring a special jig for aligning the nodal point with the center of rotation. With the goal.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a panoramic photographing apparatus that can have a compact structure during normal photographing.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a panoramic imaging for generating a panoramic image by shooting a plurality of continuous images fixed on a tripod, rotated in a panoramic imaging direction, and synthesizing the plurality of images. The device rotates in the panoramic imaging direction on the surface of the tripod mounting hole that can be rotated around the central axis of the tripod mounting hole and the optical axis of the lens of the imaging device in order to fix to the tripod A nodal point that is a center of rotation that is not affected by parallax, and a tripod mounting hole at a position where the nodal point on the surface coincides with the center axis of the tripod mounting hole. To do.

  In this invention, since the straight line passing through the nodal point matches the central axis of the tripod mounting hole arranged on the bottom or side surface of the apparatus housing, a special jig for aligning the nodal point with the rotation center is unnecessary. Can be.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention further includes a slide part that is movable integrally with the tripod attachment part on the surface on which the tripod attachment hole is received, and the slide part is a lens at least during panoramic imaging. The nodal point on the optical axis and the center axis of the tripod mounting hole are moved to the position where the tripod mounting portion is provided and fixed.

  In this invention, since the tripod mounting hole has a movable structure, even if the nodal point is away from the center of the camera, the slide portion reaches a position where the straight line passing through the nodal point and the center axis of the tripod mounting hole match. Can be moved with the tripod mounting hole.

  According to the present invention, a special jig for aligning the nodal point with the center of rotation is not required, and if there is a panoramic head and a tripod, an accurate panoramic photographic material without parallax can be taken.

  Further, according to the present invention, since the tripod mounting hole has a movable structure, it is possible to cope with the nodal point being away from the center of the camera. In addition, the tripod mounting hole can be moved to a position corresponding to the nodal point of the conversion lens for panoramic photography, and the tripod mounting hole can be stored in the main unit during normal shooting. The size during normal shooting can be summarized in a compact size.

  Next, each embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1A shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of a panoramic photographing apparatus according to the present invention. This embodiment solves the problem by providing a projecting structure on the bottom surface 10a of a camera 10 such as a still camera or a video camera, and securing a space for a tripod mounting hole.

  That is, as shown in the perspective view of FIG. 1A and the cross-sectional view of FIG. 1B, the first embodiment is configured so that the optical axis of the main lens 11 of the camera 10 is not moved. 11, a bottom surface 10a of the camera 10 is parallel to the optical axis 15 of the fixed main lens 11, and a tripod mounting screw hole 12 provided on the bottom surface 10a. The central axis 13 is perpendicular to the bottom surface 10a and has a nodal point 14 on its extension.

  This first embodiment is effective when the nodal point 14 is not so far from the center of the housing of the camera 10, and it is effective for the tripod mounting screw hole 12 only by providing some overhanging portions. Space is secured. Further, by providing the tripod mounting screw hole 12 on the camera bottom surface 10a, it is possible to shoot at a normal angle when panoramic shooting is not necessary.

  FIG. 1C shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of the panoramic photographing apparatus according to the present invention. This embodiment is an example in which the overhang structure is provided not on the bottom surface of the camera but on the side surface. That is, in the perspective view of FIG. 1C, the side surface 20a of the camera 20 is parallel to the optical axis 25 of the fixed main lens 21, and the center axis of the tripod mounting screw hole 22 provided in the side surface 20a. 23 is perpendicular to the side surface 20a and has a nodal point 24 on its extension.

  Thus, this embodiment is structurally substantially the same as the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1A, and the difference is that it is provided on the camera bottom surface 10a in the first embodiment. The only tripod mounting hole 12 is provided on the camera side surface 20a as shown at 22.

  The advantage of this second embodiment is that the operator can take a picture with the right hand holding the overhanging portion of the camera side surface 20a in which the tripod mounting screw hole 22 is provided. Because it is easy, a large number of compact cameras of a type in which an overhanging part for gripping the camera is actually provided on the side of the camera has been put on the market.

  However, when the camera is attached to a tripod, the shooting angle changes 90 degrees from that during normal shooting. Therefore, the second tripod is attached to the bottom of the camera as shown in FIG. A mounting hole 27 may be provided. In this case, if possible, the center of the screw hole may be provided on the extension of the nodal point 24, or it may not be so.

  Further, in the structure shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C, the tripod mounting screw holes 12 and 22 can rotate around the center axes 13 and 23 of the screw holes. That is, large-diameter discs are attached to the bottom surface (side surface) of a small-diameter hollow cylinder so that their axial centers coincide with each other, and there is a through-hole in the axial direction at the center, and the through-hole Rotating portions 16 and 26 in which the tripod mounting screw holes 12 and 22 are screwed are provided on the inner wall surface. Further, the rotating parts 16 and 26 have a scale on the outer periphery, and the overhanging part is notched, so that it is possible to know how many times it has been rotated when it is rotated.

  Thus, when the cameras 10 and 20 are attached to a tripod and a panoramic photograph is taken by the method described with reference to FIG. 4, the cameras 10 and 20 can be sequentially rotated at a constant angle, and an overlap portion for each photograph. Since it can be constant, reliable and efficient shooting can be performed. In the above embodiment, since a panoramic head is not required, an accurate panoramic photo material without parallax can be taken with only a tripod.

  In FIGS. 1A to 1C, the tripod mounting screw holes 12 and 22 are provided in the rotating portions 16 and 26 to form a movable rotating structure. However, the tripod mounting screw holes 12 and 22 are simply screw holes integrated with a non-rotating casing. Also good. However, in this case, in order to perform panoramic photography, it is necessary to separately attach a panoramic head that can rotate around the central axis of the tripod screw.

  Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first and second embodiments described above, since the nodal points 14 and 24 are relatively close to the center of the cameras 10 and 20, the tripod mounting screw holes 12 and 22 can be removed by merely providing a slight overhang. It could be provided on a perpendicular line from the dull points 14 and 24 to the camera bottom surface 10a or the camera side surface 20a.

  However, the nodal point is located at various positions depending on the camera, and there are cases where it is not possible to cope with some overhangs. In that case, the tripod mounting part can be moved, and only when performing panoramic photography, the tripod mounting part moves on a vertical line from the nodal point of the tripod mounting part.

  FIGS. 2A to 2C are perspective views showing states of the third embodiment of the panoramic photographing apparatus according to the present invention. The present embodiment has a structure in which the tripod mounting screw hole can slide and move to an appropriate place.

  FIG. 2A is a perspective view in the normal state of the third embodiment of the present invention, and the center of the rotating portion 32 in which a scale is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the bottom surface 30 a of the camera 30 having the main lens 31. A screw is screwed into the through hole, and this is used as a tripod mounting screw hole 33. The rotating portion 32 and the tripod mounting screw hole 33 are attached to a slide portion 34 that is a movable support block configured to be slidable in a direction parallel to the bottom surface 30a.

  FIG. 3A shows a cross-sectional view of the third embodiment of the present invention in the normal state. As shown in FIG. 3A, in a normal state, the perpendicular line from the nodal point 36 to the camera bottom surface 30a does not coincide with the central axis of the tripod mounting screw hole 33. This is used during normal shooting or when panoramic shooting is not performed even when a tripod is used. In this normal state, as shown in FIG. 2A, the slide portion 34 is substantially housed in the main body of the camera 30 and is almost integrated with the camera 30.

  FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the third embodiment of the present invention in a panoramic photographing state, and FIG. 3B shows a cross-sectional view thereof. The slide portion 34 is slid in the forward direction (subject direction), and accordingly, the tripod mounting screw hole 33 also slides in the forward direction. As shown in FIG. 3B, the nodal point 36 moves to the camera bottom surface 30a. The lowered perpendicular coincides with the center of the tripod mounting screw hole 33. The tripod mounting portion can be fixed at this position so as not to move back and forth by a lock mechanism (not shown).

  By the way, in panoramic photography, it is desirable to photograph with a wide-angle lens as much as possible. Some cameras have a converter lens and can shoot at a wider angle than the standard state. However, when such a converter lens is mounted, the nodal point changes for each converter lens.

  However, even if such a converter lens is mounted, the present embodiment can cope with this. FIG. 2C shows a perspective view in a panoramic photographing state when the converter lens according to the third embodiment of the present invention is mounted. In the present embodiment, when the converter lens 35 is attached, the slide portion 34 can be slid corresponding to the nodal pointer of the converter lens 35.

  For example, as shown in the sectional view of FIG. 3C as the converter lens 35, when a wide-angle lens 35 a is attached, a perpendicular line extending from the nodal point 37 a to the camera bottom surface 30 a is the center of the tripod mounting screw hole 33. The slide part 34 is slid so as to match. Further, as shown in the sectional view of FIG. 3D as the converter lens 35, when a fish-eye lens 35b having a focal length different from that of the wide-angle lens 35a is attached, a perpendicular extending from the nodal point 37b to the camera bottom surface 30a is a tripod. The slide portion 34 is slid so as to coincide with the center of the mounting screw hole 33.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the position of the tripod mounting screw hole 33 can be freely moved by the slide portion 34, so that nodal point corresponding to any type of converter lens is mounted. You can shoot up to.

It is the perspective view and sectional drawing of the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and the perspective view of 2nd Embodiment. It is a perspective view at the time of each state of the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing at the time of each state of the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the mode of the image pick-up for panoramic image creation. It is a perspective view which shows an example of a panorama imaging jig. It is a perspective view which shows the state which attached the camera to the panorama imaging jig | tool of FIG. It is a perspective view of an example of a panoramic head.

Explanation of symbols

10, 20, 30 Camera 10a, 30a Camera bottom 11, 21, 31 Main lens 12, 22, 27, 33 Tripod mounting screw hole 13, 23 Center axis of tripod mounting screw hole 14, 24, 36, 37a, 37b Nodal Point 15, 25 Optical axis 16, 26, 32 Rotating part 34 Slide part 35 Converter lens 35a Wide angle lens 35b Fisheye lens 20a Camera side

Claims (2)

A panoramic imaging device for fixing a tripod and rotating a panoramic imaging direction to shoot a plurality of continuous images and generating a panoramic image by combining the plurality of images,
A surface provided with a tripod mounting portion that is rotatable about the central axis of the tripod mounting hole for fixing to the tripod;
A nodal point that is a rotation center that is not affected by parallax when the imaging device is rotated in the panoramic imaging direction on the optical axis of the lens of the imaging device;
A panoramic imaging apparatus comprising: the tripod mounting hole at a position where the nodal point on the surface and the center axis of the tripod mounting hole coincide with each other. A slide part that is movable integrally with the tripod attachment part on the surface on which the tripod attachment hole is received;
At least during panoramic imaging, the slide portion moves on the surface on which the tripod mounting portion is provided to a position where the nodal point on the optical axis of the lens matches the center axis of the tripod mounting hole. The panorama imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the panorama imaging apparatus is fixed.

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