JPH11234563A - Studio equipment and television camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To move the television camera freely by using a plurality of 2nd television cameras to photograph a 1st television camera which is for photographing an object, and by analyzing their image signals to detect a position of the 1st television camera in a studio. SOLUTION: A television camera 10, which is photographing a performer 30 being an object, is an object, and four television camera 21-24 placed in a studio photograph the television camera 10 from different positions. A camera position arithmetic section 1 analyzes image signals from the four television cameras 21-24 to detect the position of the television camera 10. A synthesis arithmetic section 88 synthesizes a target object and a background image in a natural state by correcting an apparent position relation between the background image and the performer 30 prepared in advance according to the detection result by the camera position arithmetic section 1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is used for creating image information. The present invention is suitable for use in entertainment using television broadcasting programs, movies, and other image signals.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the development of computer technology, image information creation technology has changed greatly. For example, in order to create a TV broadcast program, devices called so-called props and props are arranged in the background in the studio, and performers perform in front of them. Shoot individually or use computer graphics (C
G) Using a technique to create a fictitious scene, and inset the clipped image on this background image to create an image as if the performer and the background exist in the same place at the same time Can be.

[0003] This technique eliminates the need for props and props, makes it possible to create even unrealizable spaces, and can draw imaginary scenes. In addition, there are various advantages such as an improvement in studio operation efficiency.

At this time, in order to improve the sense of reality,
It is required that a position, an angle, a state of a lens, and the like of a television camera in a studio be detected as parameters and synthesized with a background image in a natural state. These parameters include pan (horizontal rotation angle) tilt (vertical angle) roll (tilt angle) height (height from the floor) Position X (X position on the floor) Position Y (X on the floor) (Y position) Zoom (focal length of lens) Focus (focal length of lens)

The applicant of the present application has filed a prior application (Japanese Patent Application No. Hei 8-2783).
No. 26 and Japanese Patent Application No. 9-019032, both of which have not been published at the time of filing of the present application, have proposed techniques for detecting these parameters. In Japanese Patent Application No. 8-278326, mainly bread,
Proposed tilt and roll, and filed Japanese Patent Application No. 9-019.
No. 032 mainly proposes zoom and focus.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a television camera disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 8-278326. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a color marker for detecting the position of the television camera disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 8-278326. FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the video synthesizing apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 9-019032.

The television camera shown in FIG. 4 detects a pan, a tilt, and a roll by the magnetic azimuth sensor 35 and the gyro 31 and outputs
4 and an ultrasonic distance sensor 32 to detect the height (height from the floor). Also, as shown in FIG. 5, a color marker is provided to a plurality of television cameras,
This color marker is photographed by another television camera provided on the ceiling of the studio, and the position X (X position on the floor) and the position Y (Y position on the floor) are detected for a plurality of television cameras. be able to. The video synthesizing apparatus shown in FIG. 6 calculates the positional relationship between the subject and the background by comparing the size of the video taken by the video camera 81 with the size of the video taken by the attachment camera 82 by the positional relationship calculating unit 84. At the same time, the zoom ratio calculation unit 83 calculates the zoom ratio of the video camera 81, and the synthesis calculation unit 88 replaces the background video in the background video storage unit 89 with the pseudo background and synthesizes naturally. .

[0008]

Problems to be Solved by the Invention Japanese Patent Application No. 8-27832
In No. 6, as shown in FIG. 4, there is a proposal to detect a height using an ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 34 and an ultrasonic distance sensor 32. In this case, however, the distance between the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 34 and the floor surface is proposed. It does not assume that there is an obstacle in.

In the position detection by the color marker shown in FIG. 5, the position of the television camera on the floor surface is detected by a television camera for position detection provided on the ceiling. It is not assumed that there is an obstacle between the camera and the position detection television camera. Further, a television camera for position detection cannot detect the height.

[0010] Thus, the proposal of the prior application assumes that the television camera is mounted on a crane or the like and moves only within a predetermined range. Therefore, it is not necessary to assume the existence of the obstacle. further,
The range of movement is pre-programmed and the position of the television camera cannot be changed on the fly. That is, for example, a person carries a television camera,
It does not assume that you can freely move in the studio and go up and down stairs or tables.

[0011] However, the fact that a person carries a television camera and freely moves in the studio, and performs shooting while moving up and down stairs or a table, is also realized for free image expression. Is desirable.

In addition, the gyro mounted on the television camera shown in FIG. 4 causes an error due to the movement of the television camera, so that it is necessary to correct the error. Not mentioned.

The present invention has been made in such a background, and an object of the present invention is to provide a studio apparatus which can freely move a television camera. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a television camera that can frequently correct a gyro for obtaining posture and orientation information and reduce errors.

[0014]

According to the present invention, a first television camera for photographing a subject is photographed by a plurality of second television cameras, and the first television camera is analyzed by analyzing the image signals. The most important feature is to detect the position of the John camera in the studio.

By correcting the apparent positional relationship between the background image and the subject according to the position information of the first television camera detected in this way, the subject and the background image can be synthesized in a natural state. can do.

The position information of the first television camera in the present invention can detect not only the position on the plane in the studio but also the height from the floor. The second television camera can detect the position if at least two, but in order to be able to detect the position even when the first television camera enters an object, a plurality of second television cameras are required. It is preferable to have two television cameras. Thereby, the first television camera can detect the height, the position X, and the position Y by the second television camera while freely moving in the studio.

Further, by providing the first television camera with means for detecting the pan, tilt, roll, zoom and focus proposed in the prior application (Japanese Patent Application No. 9-019032), the background image can be obtained. All the parameters required for the synthesis of

The present invention also refers to a technique for correcting an error of a gyro mounted on the first television camera. For this purpose, a stand is provided for pausing the first television camera between shootings, and according to the reference orientation of this stand that is known in advance,
It is good to correct the direction of the gyro.

That is, a first aspect of the present invention is a studio apparatus, which includes a first television camera for photographing a subject, a pseudo background of the subject, and an image output from the first television camera. Means for replacing the image signal of the pseudo background except for the image signal of the subject among the signals with a signal of a background image prepared in advance.

Here, a feature of the present invention is that a plurality of second television cameras which take the first television camera as a subject and photograph from different positions, and a plurality of second television cameras. Means for analyzing the image signal of the first television camera to detect the position of the first television camera, and the replacing means comprises: It includes means for correcting the above positional relationship.

The first television camera has a gyro, means for calculating its own posture and azimuth information from the output of the gyro, means for detecting whether or not the gyro is installed in a reference azimuth, Preferably, the apparatus further comprises means for correcting the direction of the gyro according to the reference direction when the apparatus is set in the reference direction according to the detection result of the detecting means.

A second aspect of the present invention is a television camera, which is characterized by a gyro, means for calculating own attitude and azimuth information from the output of the gyro, and Means for detecting whether or not the gyro is installed, and means for correcting the azimuth of the gyro according to the reference orientation when the self is installed in the reference orientation according to the detection result of the detecting means. is there.

[0023]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a studio apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a television camera and a fixed base according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

The first embodiment of the present invention is a studio apparatus, as shown in FIG. 1, a television camera 10 for photographing a performer 30 as a subject, and a blue background 40 as a pseudo background of the performer 30. And the television camera 1
And a combining operation unit 88 which is a means for replacing the image signal of the blue back 40 excluding the image signal of the performer 30 among the image signals output from 0 with a background image signal prepared in advance in the background video storage unit 89. It is a studio device equipped with.

Here, the feature of the present invention is that four television cameras 21 to 24 which take the television camera 10 as a subject and photograph from different positions, respectively,
A camera position calculation unit 1 which is a means for analyzing the image signals of the four television cameras 21 to 24 and detecting the position of the television camera 10;
The apparent positional relationship between the previously prepared background image and the performer 30 is to be corrected in accordance with the detection result of the camera position calculation unit 1.

The second embodiment of the present invention relates to a television camera, as shown in FIG. 2, a gyro 31 and a posture / azimuth detecting section which is a means for calculating own posture and azimuth information from the output of the gyro 31. 33, a position sensor 5 which is a means for detecting whether or not the self is installed on the fixed base 7, and a reference orientation of the fixed base 7 when the self is on the fixed base 7 according to the detection result of the position sensor 5. And a gyro correction unit 2 for correcting the azimuth of the gyro 31 according to the following.

The third embodiment of the present invention is a television camera like the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, a gyro 31 and its own posture and azimuth information are obtained from the output of the gyro 31. , A fitting detection unit 36 of the connectors 8-1 and 8-2, which is a means for detecting whether or not the self is installed on the turntable 17. The television camera is provided with a gyro correction unit 2 which is a means for correcting the azimuth of the gyro 31 according to the reference azimuth output from the rotary encoder 9 when the gyro is on the table 17.

[0028]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS (First Embodiment) A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, a television camera 10 is photographed by four television cameras 21 to 24 provided in a studio. By analyzing the image signals of the television camera 10 captured by the television cameras 21 to 24 in this manner, the position of the television camera 10 in the studio can be detected. The principle thereof is a technique known as position detection based on a stereo image. In addition to position X (position X on the floor) and position Y (position Y on the floor) which are planar position information, a height ( Height from the floor) can also be detected.

(Second Embodiment) A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The second embodiment of the present invention is an embodiment for detecting pan (horizontal rotation angle), tilt (vertical angle), and roll (tilt angle). The attitude and orientation detection unit 33 detects a pan by measuring the horizontal displacement of the television camera 10 according to the orientation indicated by the gyro 31. Gyro 31
The tilt plane is detected by measuring the vertical displacement of the television camera 10 using the rotation plane of (1) as a reference horizontal plane. Further, the roll is detected by measuring the inclination of the television camera 10 as a reference horizontal plane of the rotation surface of the gyro 31.

In general, the gyro 31 is a motion detecting device utilizing gravity and inertia, and has an excellent ability to detect a difference between a vertical direction and a rotational direction. And usually rely on inertia,
Errors occur over time. Therefore, in the second embodiment of the present invention, the fixed base 7 in which an accurate direction is determined in advance is set.
When the television camera 10 is placed on the fixed base 7, the gyro 31 is corrected using the azimuth of the fixed base 7 as a reference azimuth.

First, the magnet 6 is mounted on the fixed base 7. The television camera 10 is placed on the fixed base 7 when the shooting pause time is reached. At this time, the fixed base 7 is provided with guides 7-1 and 7-2 so that the television camera 10 is placed at a fixed position. When the television camera 10 is placed at the fixed position, the position sensor 5 of the television camera 10 detects the magnetism of the magnet 6, and notifies the gyro correction unit 2 that the television camera 10 is placed at the fixed position.

When the gyro correction unit 2 receives the notification from the position sensor 5, it corrects the gyro 31 to an orientation equal to the reference orientation of the fixed base 7 which is known in advance. Thus, the gyro 31 is automatically corrected simply by placing the television camera 10 on the fixed base 7.

Normally, the gyro 31 is preferably corrected once every several hours. For example, in the case of photographing a television program, it is usual that there is a pause of about tens of minutes. There is no problem with the renewal frequency.

(Third Embodiment) A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the television camera 10 and the turntable according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
In the third embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 3, the gyro 31 is automatically adjusted by placing the television camera 10 on the turntable 17. Therefore, if the turntable 17 is mounted on a tripod, shooting can be performed even with the television camera 10 placed on the turntable 17.
During that time, the gyro 31 is automatically corrected.

The turntable 17 and the television camera 10
Are provided with connectors 8-1 and 8-2 which are fitted to each other. Television camera 10 guide 17-
When the turntable 17 is placed at a fixed position according to 1-17-2, the connectors 8-1 and 8-2 necessarily fit. This fitting state is detected by the fitting detection unit 36, and the detection result is notified to the gyro correction unit 2. Gyro correction section 2
When receiving this notification, the connectors 8-1 and 8-2
The gyro 31 is corrected using the azimuth signal of the rotary encoder 9 transmitted through the gyro as a reference azimuth.

That is, the axis of the rotary encoder 9 is connected to the fixed base 18, and the direction of the fixed base 18 is accurately determined in advance. Therefore, even if the turntable 17 rotates, the axis connected to the fixed stand 18 does not rotate, and the rotary encoder 9 outputs an accurate direction based on the direction of the fixed stand 18. The gyro correction unit 2 corrects the gyro 31 in accordance with the accurate reference direction output from the rotary encoder 9. During this time, the turntable 17
The gyro correction unit 2 can always correct the gyro 31 using the azimuth signal of the rotary encoder 9 as a reference azimuth even if the gyro rotates and the azimuth changes.

(Summary of the Embodiment) The parameters of the pan, tilt, roll, height, position X, and position Y detected in this way and the prior application (Japanese Patent Application No.
-019032), a zoom detected by the technique of
The camera position calculation section 1 shown in FIG. 1 calculates the camera position in the studio according to the focus parameters. According to the position information of the television camera 10 output from the camera position calculation unit 1, the synthesis calculation unit 88 replaces the background stored in the background video storage unit 89 with the image of the blue background 40. As a result, the background can be combined with the performer 30 without feeling uncomfortable.

[0038]

As described above, according to the present invention,
A studio device that can freely move a television camera can be realized. Further, it is possible to realize a television camera that can frequently correct a gyro for obtaining posture and orientation information and reduce errors.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a studio apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a television camera and a fixed base according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block configuration diagram of a television camera and a turntable according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a television camera disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 8-278326.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a color marker for detecting the position of a television camera disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 8-278326.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a video synthesizing apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 9-019032.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 Camera position calculation unit 2 Gyro correction unit 5 Position sensor 6 Magnet 7, 18 Fixed base 7-1, 7-2, 17-1, 17-2 Guide 8-1, 8-2 Connector 9 Rotary encoder 10, 21 to 21 24 Television Camera 17 Turntable 30 Performer 31 Gyro 32 Ultrasonic Distance Sensor 33 Attitude and Orientation Detector 34 Ultrasonic Transmitter 35 Magnetic Orientation Sensor 36 Fitting Detector 40 Blue Back 81 Video Camera 82 Attachment Camera 83 Zoom Ratio Calculation Unit 84 positional relation operation unit 88 synthesis operation unit 89 background video storage unit

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Naoyasu Tokuno 2-3-3 Daisaku, Sakura City, Chiba Pref.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A first television camera for photographing a subject, a pseudo background of the subject, and the pseudo background obtained by removing an image signal of the subject from image signals output from the first television camera. A means for replacing the image signal with a signal of a background image prepared in advance, a plurality of second television cameras each of which shoots from a different position with the first television camera as a subject, Means for analyzing image signals of a plurality of second television cameras to detect the position of the first television camera, wherein the replacing means is prepared in advance in accordance with a detection result of the detecting means. A studio apparatus comprising means for correcting an apparent positional relationship between a background image and the subject. 2. The first television camera comprises: a gyro; means for calculating its own posture and azimuth information from an output of the gyro; and means for detecting whether or not itself is installed in a reference azimuth. 2. The studio apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: means for correcting the direction of the gyro in accordance with the reference direction when the self apparatus is installed in the reference direction according to the detection result of the detecting means. 3. A gyro, means for calculating the attitude and orientation information of the gyro from the output of the gyro, means for detecting whether or not the gyro is installed in a reference azimuth; Means for correcting the direction of the gyro according to the reference direction when installed in the reference direction.