JP4069366B2 - Camera control system - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a camera control system, and in particular, by registering a desired shot in advance as a shooting state such as pan, tilt, zoom, and focus of a camera mounted on a pan head, the shot can be reproduced. The present invention relates to a camera control system having a preset shot function.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, a camera head is connected to a camera platform equipped with a camera such as a TV camera by connecting a camera head controller via a cable, a communication line, etc., and operating various operation members of the operation unit (camera head controller). A camera control system (head system) that can remotely control pan, tilt, zoom, and focus of the camera is known.
[0003]
Further, in such a pan head system, when a desired shot, for example, a desired pan position, tilt position, zoom position, and focus position is preset as a camera shooting state, a shot switch provided in the operation unit There is known a preset shot function that can automatically reproduce the preset shot by pressing the button.
[0004]
In general, the operation unit of a system equipped with a preset shot function is provided with a speed adjustment knob. By adjusting the setting position (set value), the shot playback operation during shot playback can be performed for a desired time (shot time). ) Or speed (shot speed). Strictly speaking, adjusting the shot time is different from adjusting the shot speed, but if one is adjusted, the other is also adjusted. Therefore, in this specification, even when adjusting the shot time, the shot is shot. Assume that the speed is adjusted, and the shot time and the shot speed are not particularly distinguished.
[0005]
Also, there are two known shot speed determination methods employed in the conventional system. One is to determine the shot speed at the time of reproducing the shot when storing the shot. In this method, the set value of the speed adjustment knob is read at the time of shot storage, and the set value is stored together with shot position data. The other is a method of determining a shot speed by adjusting a speed adjustment knob when reproducing a shot. The former is mainly used for automatic operation in a broadcasting station, and the latter is generally used mainly for production.
[0006]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-275392
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, conventionally, only one of the two methods for determining the shot speed as described above can be used. Especially when a plurality of shots can be stored and reproduced, the former is obtained for a certain shot. This method was not applied, and the other method was not applied to other shots. When such usage is desired, there is an inconvenience that the operation units adopting the former method and the latter method must be prepared separately.
[0008]
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and both a method for determining shot speed by adjustment at the time of storing a shot and a method for determining shot speed by adjustment at the time of reproducing a shot are provided as one operation unit. It is an object of the present invention to provide a camera control system that can be used easily and with improved convenience.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the object, the invention described in claim 1 has a preset shot function for storing a desired shot in advance as a shooting state of the camera and reproducing the stored shot by a predetermined shot reproduction instruction operation. In the camera control system, a setting value for determining the speed of the shot reproduction operation so that the shot reproduction operation when reproducing the stored shot is completed at a desired time or at a desired speed. A shot speed adjusting means for adjusting the shot, a shot speed storing means for acquiring and storing a set value set by the shot speed adjusting means when storing a desired shot, and a shot for reproducing the stored shot A first mode in which the playback speed is determined when the shot is stored; The second mode to be determined can be selected, and mode selection means for selecting any desired mode from the first mode and the second mode, and the mode selection means When the mode is selected, the shot reproduction speed of the shot is determined based on the setting value stored by the shot speed storage means when the shot to be reproduced is stored, and the mode selection means Shot mode determining means for acquiring a set value set by the shot speed adjusting means at the time of reproducing a shot and determining a shot reproducing speed based on the acquired set value. A shot replay operation controlled by the shot replay speed determined by the shot speed determining means. It is characterized by comprising a preparative controlling means.
[0010]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the shot speed storage means determines whether the shot reproduction speed is determined by the first mode or the second mode. Regardless, the setting value set by the shot speed adjusting means is acquired and stored at the time of storing the shot, and the shot speed determining means is configured to store the first mode and the second mode after storing the shot. It can be switched.
[0011]
The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the mode selection means is capable of storing each shot or a predetermined number when a plurality of shots can be stored. It is characterized in that a desired mode can be selected for each group.
[0012]
According to the present invention, in the preset shot function, a mode that adopts a method that determines a shot speed by adjustment at the time of storing a shot and a mode that adopts a method that determines a shot speed by adjustment at the time of reproducing a shot are easy. Therefore, for example, there is no need to use an operation unit or the like employing each method individually, and convenience can be improved.
[0013]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A preferred embodiment of a camera control system according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0014]
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a remote control pan head system to which the present invention is applied. The remote control pan / tilt head system shown in FIG. 1 includes a remote control pan / tilt head 10 (hereinafter simply referred to as pan head 10) and a pan head controller 12 as an operation unit. The camera platform 10 includes a housing 14 that houses a television camera (not shown) (not shown) and a camera platform body 16 that pans and tilts the camera together with the housing 14. A transparent front glass 18 is provided on the front surface of the housing 14, and the camera captures an image outside the housing 14 through the front glass 18.
[0015]
The housing 14 is cantilevered by a tilt shaft (not shown) extending from the pan head main body 16, and the tilt shaft is rotationally driven by a tilt motor built in the pan head main body 16. Thereby, the camera in the housing 14 is tilted together with the housing 14. The pan head main body 16 is supported by a pan shaft 19 fixed on a mounting base (not shown), and the pan head main body 16 is rotated by a built-in pan motor around the pan shaft 19. Thereby, the camera in the housing 14 is panned together with the housing 14.
[0016]
The pan head controller 12 is connected to the pan head 10 with a cable directly or via a communication line such as a dedicated line or a public line, and based on operations of various operation members provided in the pan head controller 12. A command signal for instructing various operations of the camera platform 10 and the camera mounted on the camera platform 10 is transmitted to the camera platform 10.
[0017]
As shown in the plan view of FIG. 2, the pan / tilt head controller 12 is provided with an operation rod (joystick) 20, a focus knob 22, and a zoom lever 23. When the joystick 20 is operated in the front / rear and left / right directions, the camera pans (left / right). Direction swing) and tilt (vertical swing), and the focus knob 22 and zoom lever 23 can be rotated to perform camera focus adjustment and zoom adjustment.
[0018]
In addition, the pan head controller 12 shown in the figure has a preset shot function, and related to the preset shot function, a memo switch 24, a page switch 28, a shot switch 30, a speed adjustment knob 32, a memory / knob mode. A selection switch 34 and the like are provided. The preset function is a function for automatically reproducing a shot by one-touch operation of the shot switch 30 when a desired pan position, tilt position, zoom position, and focus position of the camera are stored in advance as a target shot. The preset shot function stores and reproduces any one of the elements that determine the shooting state of the camera (camera posture (pan position, tilt position, height position), focus position, zoom position, iris, etc.). Alternatively, the scope of the present invention is applicable to a plurality of elements.
[0019]
When storing a new shot, the memo switch 24 is pressed to enter the registration mode, and the joystick 20, the focus knob 22, and the zoom lever 23 are operated to set the camera to a desired shot. Then, one of the plurality of shot switches 30 provided from shots NO1 to NO10 is pressed. As a result, a command signal instructing shot registration for the shot NO is transmitted to the camera platform 10, and the pan position, tilt position, zoom position, and focus position at that time are transmitted to the camera platform 10 as shot position data for the shot NO. It is stored in the built-in memory. It should be noted that data related to shots (shot data) such as the shot position may be stored in the camera platform controller 12 instead of the camera platform 10.
[0020]
The pan head controller 12 is provided with three page switches 28A to 28C. By selecting one of the pages A, B, and C with the page switches 28A to 28C, three types of switches are provided for the same shot switch. Shots can be registered, and a total of 30 shots can be registered.
[0021]
On the other hand, when the stored shot is reproduced, the shot switch of the shot NO in which the shot to be reproduced is registered is pressed with the memo switch 24 turned off (the pages A, B, and C are also selected). As a result, a command signal for instructing shot reproduction of the shot NO is transmitted to the camera platform 10, shot data of the shot NO is read from the memory of the camera platform 10, and the camera performs panning and tilt positions of the shot data. The image is reproduced at the zoom position and the focus position.
[0022]
By the way, the operation speed (shot speed) at the time of reproducing a shot as described above can be adjusted to a desired speed by the speed adjustment knob 32 provided in the pan head controller 12. The shot speed indicates, for example, the time (shot time) until each of pan, tilt, zoom, and focus reaches the target shot position, and pan, tilt, zoom, and focus are simultaneously in that shot time. The pan, tilt, zoom and focus operation speeds are determined based on the set value of the speed adjustment knob 32 so as to reach the target shot position. Although details are omitted, the shot speed (set value of the speed adjustment knob 32) may be a value indicating the operating speed itself.
[0023]
In addition, the pan / tilt head controller 12 is provided with a memory / knob mode selection switch 34. By turning on / off the mode selection switch 34, the shot speed determination method is set to one of two modes. Be able to. For example, when the mode selection switch 34 is off, the shot speed is determined in advance based on the setting value of the speed adjustment knob 32 at the time of storing the shot and stored in the memory, and when the mode selection switch 34 is turned on. Then, a knob mode is set in which the shot speed is determined based on the set value of the speed adjustment knob 32 during shot reproduction. Details of the processing operation in each mode will be described later.
[0024]
Next, the configuration of the pan head controller 12 is shown in the block diagram of FIG. As shown in the figure, the pan / tilt head controller 12 is equipped with a CPU 50, which indicates the on / off states of the memo switch 24, page switch 28, shot switch 30, and memory / knob mode selection switch 34, respectively. A signal is supplied to the CPU 50 via the input interface 54 and the bus. Further, signals (setting values) indicating the setting states of the joystick 20, the focus knob 22, the zoom lever 23, and the speed adjustment knob 32 are output as analog signals by a potentiometer or the like, and these signals are output by an A / D converter 52. After being converted into a digital signal, it is provided to the CPU 50 via the input interface 54 and the bus.
[0025]
In addition, the CPU 50 displays the display lamps (24A, 28A, 30A, 34A), a control signal for controlling turning on and off is output via the bus and output interface 56. Thereby, for example, the switch in the on state is turned on, and the switch in the off state is turned off.
[0026]
The CPU 50 also sends control signals for controlling pan, tilt, zoom and focus of the camera based on signals given from the joystick 20, the focus knob 22 and the zoom lever 23 to the bus, output interface 56 and D / A converter. 58 to the pan / tilt drive unit 60, zoom drive unit 62, and focus drive unit 64 of the camera platform 10 (and camera). Further, when a shot is stored or reproduced based on the operation of the memo switch 24, the shot switch 30, or the like, a command signal instructing that is sent via the bus, the output interface 56 and the D / A converter 58. The data is transmitted to the pan / tilt driving unit 60, the zoom driving unit 62, and the focus driving unit 64. When replaying a shot, the shot speed data specifying the shot time is also transmitted to the pan head 10. Thereby, the pan head 10 and the camera operate according to the signal given from the CPU 50.
[0027]
The pan head controller 12 is equipped with a ROM 66 storing program data and the like, and a RAM 68 storing shot speed data and the like, and are connected to the CPU 50 via a bus.
[0028]
Next, processing relating to determination of shot speed in the preset shot function will be described. As described above, either the memory mode or the knob mode can be selected by the memory / knob mode selection switch 34 as the mode for determining the shot speed when reproducing the shot. When the memory / knob mode selection switch 34 is off, the shot speed (shot time) is determined based on the set value of the speed adjustment knob 32 stored in the memory (RAM 68) when the shot is stored. On the other hand, when the memory / knob mode selection switch 34 is turned off, the shot speed (shot time) is determined based on the set value of the speed adjustment knob 32 during shot reproduction.
[0029]
Here, the memory mode or the knob mode can be set individually for each shot of each shot NO, or when a plurality of shots NO shots are set as a group in a group unit, the latter case In addition, when any mode is uniformly applied to all shot NO shots of all pages (A, B, C), when setting for each page, each shot NO. For example, the shot may be divided into several groups and set for each group.
[0030]
In addition, regarding the setting time of the memory mode or the knob mode, it is set when the shot is stored (before), and can be changed after that, and after the shot is stored (especially when the shot is reproduced), It can be changed. In the former case, when setting the memory mode or the knob mode in units of groups, when one shot NO shot in the group is stored in any mode, other shot NOs in the group Shots are also stored in that mode. In the latter case, even if the memory mode or the knob mode is set for each group, if one shot NO shot in the group is set to any mode, the other shots in the group No shots are also set in that mode, but when the memory / knob mode selection switch 34 is used to set the memory mode or the knob mode when reproducing the shot, different modes can be set even within the same group. Is possible. In the latter case, it is possible to select a mode as an initial state at the time of storing a shot, but when changing the mode after that, for example, it is possible to change from a knob mode to a memory mode. For this purpose, it is necessary to acquire and store the setting value of the speed adjustment knob 32 even when the knob mode is selected during shot storage. Even when the mode is not selected during shot storage, the setting of the speed adjustment knob 32 needs to be acquired and stored during shot storage for the same reason. However, if there is no shot speed data stored when the knob mode is switched to the memory mode, the setting value of the speed adjustment knob 32 at that time is stored, and if shot speed data is used, the shot is not necessarily stored. Sometimes it is not necessary to store the setting value of the speed adjustment knob 32.
[0031]
The processing procedure of the CPU 50 when storing shot speed data is as follows. First, when it is detected that the memo switch 24 is turned on during shot storage and the shot switch of a predetermined shot NO is turned on, the CPU 50 It transmits to each control part 60, 62, 64 of the stand 10. As a result, each control unit 60, 62, 64 stores the current position as the shot position of the shot NO. The CPU 50 reads the set value of the speed adjustment knob 32 and stores the set value in the RAM 68 as shot speed data in association with the shot number. In order to maintain the mode once set until the mode is switched, it is preferable to store not only shot speed data but also information for identifying the mode.
[0032]
Next, some aspects of the processing procedure of the CPU 50 during shot reproduction will be described. First, a flowchart of the first embodiment is shown in FIG. In the first embodiment, the mode can be set or changed during shot reproduction. When the CPU 50 detects that any shot NO shot switch 30 is turned on, the CPU 50 subsequently reads the state of the memory / knob mode selection switch 34 (step S10). Then, it is determined whether or not the state is the memory mode (step S12). If YES is determined, the shot speed data (setting value of the speed adjustment knob 32) when the shot is stored is read from the RAM 68, and the shot time is determined based on the data (step S14). On the other hand, if NO is determined, the current setting value of the speed adjustment knob 32 is read, and the shot time is determined based on the setting value (step S16). Then, a processing routine of shot execution (shot reproduction) is executed assuming that shot reproduction is performed at the shot time (step S18).
[0033]
Next, FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the mode is set in units of pages, and the mode is set when storing shots. Further, pages A and B are set to the memory mode, and page C is set to the knob mode. When the CPU 50 detects that one of the shot NO shot switches 30 is turned on, the CPU 50 subsequently detects which of the page switches 28 is turned on (step S20). Then, it is determined whether or not page A or B is turned on (step S22). If YES is determined, the shot speed data (set value of the speed adjustment knob 32) when the shot is stored is read from the RAM 68, and the shot time is determined based on the data (step S24). On the other hand, if NO is determined, the current setting value of the speed adjustment knob 32 is read, and the shot time is determined based on the setting value (step S26). Then, a processing routine of shot execution (shot reproduction) is executed assuming that shot reproduction is performed at the shot time (step S28).
[0034]
Next, FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of the third embodiment. In the third embodiment, the mode is set for each shot, and the mode is set when the shot is stored. In addition, shots Nos. 1 to 5 indicate the case where the memory mode is set, and the other modes are set to the knob mode. The CPU 50 reads the state of the shot switch 30 (step S30), and when detecting that any one of the shot switches 30 is turned on, the CPU 50 subsequently determines whether or not the shot NO is 1 to 5 (step S32). If YES is determined, the shot speed data (set value of the speed adjustment knob 32) when the shot is stored is read from the RAM 68, and the shot time is determined based on the data (step S34). On the other hand, if NO is determined, the current setting value of the speed adjustment knob 32 is read, and the shot time is determined based on the setting value (step S36). Then, a processing routine of shot execution (shot reproduction) is executed assuming that shot reproduction is performed at the shot time (step S38).
[0035]
In the above embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the pan head system has been described. However, the camera is not controlled via the pan head 10, but the operation unit is directly connected to the camera (lens), and the focus or The present invention can also be applied to a system for controlling zooming and the like.
[0036]
Moreover, although the case where the shot time is set as the shot speed has been described in the above embodiment, the operation speed may be set without being limited to the shot time.
[0037]
In the above embodiment, the shot position data is stored on the pan head 10 side, and the shot speed data is stored on the operation unit side. However, these data are stored on the pan head 10 side and the operation unit side. You may make it memorize | store in any.
[0038]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the camera control system of the present invention, in the preset shot function, the mode adopting the method for determining the shot speed by adjustment at the time of storing the shot and the shot speed by adjusting at the time of reproducing the shot are set. Since it is possible to easily switch between the modes adopting the determination method, for example, it is not necessary to individually use an operation unit or the like employing each method, and convenience can be improved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a remote control pan head system to which the present invention is applied.
FIG. 2 is a plan view showing various operation members of a pan / tilt head controller.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a pan / tilt head controller.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a first embodiment of a processing procedure of a CPU during shot reproduction;
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a second embodiment of the processing procedure of the CPU during shot reproduction;
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a second embodiment of the processing procedure of the CPU during shot reproduction;
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Pan head, 12 ... Pan head controller, 20 ... Joystick, 22 ... Focus knob, 23 ... Zoom lever, 24 ... Memo switch, 28 ... Page switch, 30 ... Shot switch, 32 ... Speed adjustment knob, 34 ... Memory / Knob mode selection switch, 50 ... CPU, 68 ... RAM

Claims (3)

In a camera control system having a preset shot function for storing a desired shot in advance as a shooting state of the camera and reproducing the stored shot by a predetermined shot reproduction instruction operation,
A shot speed that adjusts a setting value for determining the speed of the shot reproduction operation so that the shot reproduction operation at the time of reproducing the stored shot is completed at a desired time or at a desired speed. Adjustment means;
Shot speed storage means for acquiring and storing the set value set by the shot speed adjustment means when storing a desired shot;
It is possible to select a first mode in which the shot reproduction speed when reproducing the stored shot is determined when the shot is stored and a second mode which is determined in reproducing the shot. Mode selection means for selecting any one of the mode and the second mode;
When the first mode is selected by the mode selection unit, the shot reproduction speed of the shot is determined based on the set value stored by the shot speed storage unit when the shot to be reproduced is stored. When the second mode is selected by the mode selection means, the setting value set by the shot speed adjustment means at the time of reproducing the shot is acquired, and the shot is shot based on the acquired setting value. Shot speed determining means for determining the playback speed;
Shot control means for controlling the playback operation of the shot at the shot playback speed determined by the shot speed determination means;
A camera control system comprising: The shot speed storage means sets a set value set by the shot speed adjustment means at the time of storing a shot regardless of whether the shot reproduction speed is determined by the first mode or the second mode. Get and remember,
The camera control system according to claim 1, wherein the shot speed determination unit can switch between the first mode and the second mode after storing a shot. 3. The camera according to claim 1, wherein when a plurality of shots can be stored, the mode selection means can select a desired mode for each shot or for each predetermined group. Control system.

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