JP2010107114A - Imaging device and air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an imaging device capable of taking images of persons in a wide range by an imaging part including a wide angle lens processed to take a clear image only in the central part. <P>SOLUTION: The imaging device includes: the imaging part 1 with the wide angle lens processed to take a clear image only in the central part; a drive part 3 for changing the imaging direction of the imaging part 1; a moving body detection part 22a for detecting a moving body from the image taken by the imaging part 1. The drive part 3 is controlled so that the central part of the wide angle lens of the imaging part 1 is oriented to a predetermined portion of the moving body detected by the moving body detection part 22a. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to, for example, a monitoring or vehicle-mounted imaging device equipped with a wide-angle lens, and an air conditioner for home appliances including the imaging device.

A conventional wide-angle camera uses a plurality of lenses or has an aspherical surface or a Fresnel surface in order to take a clear image over a wide range (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
In addition, the action pattern of the person is recognized, the air conditioner is controlled according to the recognized action pattern, and the action pattern is specified to increase the processing speed of the video (for example, see Patent Document 2). ).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-230275 (2nd page, FIG. 1) JP 2008-51463 A (page 6-7, FIG. 1)

When a clear image is input with a conventional wide-angle camera, a plurality of lenses having an aspherical surface or a Fresnel surface are used. Therefore, the processing is difficult and expensive, and the image is unclear when it is made inexpensively.
In addition, the action pattern is specified to speed up image processing. However, if a wide-angle camera is used to shoot the entire room, it is necessary to process all video information and it is difficult to reduce the processing load. It was.
In addition, because the air conditioning setting is changed according to the recognized behavior pattern, the setting will not be changed if no action is taken even if it feels cold. There was a case.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and a first object is to photograph a wide range of people with a photographing unit having a wide-angle lens processed so that a clear image can be taken only in the central part. An imaging device that can be used is obtained.
A second object is to obtain an imaging apparatus that can increase the processing speed of an image without lowering the detection accuracy by using only the image in the center as a processing target.
Furthermore, an air conditioner that controls the air conditioning in the room based on information registered in advance for each individual is obtained by identifying an individual from a clearly captured video.

  An imaging apparatus according to the present invention includes an imaging unit having a wide-angle lens processed so that a clear image can be taken only at the center, a drive unit for changing the imaging direction of the imaging unit, and an image captured by the imaging unit. A moving body detection unit that detects the moving body, and controls the driving unit so that a central portion of the wide-angle lens of the imaging unit faces a predetermined part of the moving body detected by the moving body detection unit.

  The air conditioner according to the present invention includes a photographing unit having a wide-angle lens processed so that a clear image can be taken only at the center, a driving unit for changing a photographing direction of the photographing unit, and an image photographed by the photographing unit. And a concealing unit that shields only the upper part of the image captured by the imaging unit, and directs the central part of the wide-angle lens of the imaging unit to a predetermined position on the front floor surface of the indoor unit It is what I did.

  In the imaging apparatus of the present invention, the photographing unit having the wide-angle lens processed so that a clear image can be taken only at the central part is directed to a predetermined part of the moving object detected by the moving object detection unit. This eliminates the range, so that only a predetermined part (for example, a face) necessary for personal identification can be clearly captured, and high-speed video processing can be performed.

  In the air conditioner of the present invention, the indoor unit that controls the indoor air conditioning is provided with a photographing unit having a wide-angle lens processed so that a clear image can be taken only in the central part, and the moving object detected by the moving object detection unit Since the imaging unit is directed to a predetermined part, it is possible to photograph a predetermined part of a clear moving object, and the predetermined part also becomes clear along with this, so that it is easy to distinguish from a registrant, and detection accuracy is improved. Video processing speed can be increased without lowering.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an image pickup apparatus showing Embodiment 1 of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an image view of a shooting range using a conventional spherical lens, FIG. 3 is an image view of a shooting range using a conventional aspheric lens, and FIG. FIG. 5 is an image view of a shooting range formed by a wide-angle lens of the imaging apparatus of Embodiment 1, FIG. 5 is an image view of a shooting range formed by a wide-angle lens, and FIG. It is.

As shown in FIG. 1, the imaging apparatus according to Embodiment 1 includes a photographing unit 1, a control unit 2 including a video recording unit 21, a video processing unit 22, and a drive control unit 23, and a photographing direction of the photographing unit 1. It is comprised with the drive part 3 for changing.
The photographing unit 1 includes a wide angle lens (not shown) made of a spherical lens. In general, when trying to capture the entire imaging range with a spherical lens, the imaging range (image circle) as shown in FIG. 2 is obtained due to the aspect ratio of the image sensor (CCD) of the imaging unit. This is for adjusting the shooting range in the vertical direction where the ratio is small, but a range that is not shot in the horizontal direction is generated and waste is increased. In addition, when the lens is aspherical and matched to the ratio of the image sensor, the shooting range can be used effectively as shown in FIG. 3, but the aspherical lens requires advanced processing technology compared to the spherical lens. It becomes expensive.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the photographing range by the wide angle lens is as shown in FIG. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the center point of the shooting range is A, the circular range centering on the center point A is the shooting range B, and the substantially ring-shaped range around it is the shooting range C. . The shooting range B is an area where a clear video can be shot. For example, an MTF (Modulation Transfer Function) value obtained by quantifying the excellence of description performance as an index of the shooting unit 1 is 80% or more. This is because only the central portion of the wide-angle lens having the center point A as the central axis is processed so that a clear image is taken. The shooting range C is capable of shooting although a clear image cannot be obtained. Note that the four corners D are outside the imaging range.

  The reason for selecting the wide-angle lens described above is that even if the photographing unit 1 has a wide angle in the vertical direction, the ceiling or floor surface is taken indoors and the sky or ground is photographed outdoors, so there are many parts that are not subject to photography. Since the object that is expected to be realized is the horizontal direction, a combination of the imaging range of the image sensor and the horizontal range of the wide-angle lens is selected as an example. Further, as a material used for the wide-angle lens, for example, plastic that can be processed at a lower cost than that made of glass is used.

  The video recording unit 21 of the control unit 2 records the video imaged by the imaging unit 1. For example, for a moving object shot in the standby mode or outside the shooting range B, the shooting speed is lowered to increase the recording interval, and for a moving object within the shooting range B, the shooting speed is increased to shorten the recording interval. Yes. Whether or not the object is a moving object is determined based on detection from a moving object detection unit 22a described later, and whether or not the moving object is within the shooting range B is determined based on position determination of an area determination unit 22c described later. The above-described standby time is a time when an image of a moving object is not detected although shooting by the shooting unit 1 is performed. Although the video recording interval is lengthened or shortened according to the presence or absence and position of a moving object, the video resolution may be changed instead. For example, a moving object that is shot during standby or outside the photographing range B is recorded with a reduced resolution, and a moving object that is within the photographing range B is recorded with a higher resolution.

  The video processing unit 22 of the control unit 2 includes a moving object detection unit 22a, a personal identification unit 22b, and an area determination unit 22c. The moving object detection unit 22a reads the luminance data of the previous and current videos every time an image is recorded by the video recording unit 21, determines whether or not there is a luminance change, and sets the moving object detection when the luminance change is detected. The personal identification unit 22b compares a moving body registered in advance, for example, a video of a human body and a video of a human body detected by the moving body detection unit 22a to identify which registrant matches. Specifically, the human body detected by the moving body detection unit 22a has a small amount of movement and the human body within the imaging range B determined by the area determination unit 22c is selected to match any registrant. To identify. The identification part of the human body is a face that can identify an individual. The area determination unit 22c determines in which direction and position the human body detected by the moving object detection unit 22a exists from the center point A of the imaging range B.

  Based on the determination result of the area determination unit 22c, the drive control unit 23 of the control unit 2 drives the drive unit 3 so that the center of the wide-angle lens of the photographing unit 1 faces the human face. That is, the photographing unit 1 is caused to follow so that the center point A of the photographing range B overlaps the face of the human body. The drive unit 3 is attached to a high place such as a wall surface, and the photographing unit 1 is mounted so as to be variable in three directions as an initial position as shown in FIG. The initial position is set manually. For example, when the direction of the photographing unit 1 is set to the left direction L, the drive unit 3 can change the range of L1-R1 (shown by a broken line). For example, when the photographing unit 1 is set on R1, it is possible to photograph a subject in the area AR1 (shaded portion) centering on R1, and when the photographing unit 1 is set on L1, the L1 is set. The subject in the area AR2 can be photographed as the center.

Next, the operation of the imaging apparatus configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 is an image diagram showing an image of the human body within the imaging range captured by the imaging unit, and FIG. 8 is an imaging diagram of the imaging unit and the human body image showing the imaging unit following the movement of the human body.
When the photographing unit 1 is directed in the left direction L as shown in FIG. 6, when the moving body detection unit 22a of the video processing unit 22 detects a human body image, the area determination unit 22c displays the human body image. In which direction and position from the center point A of the imaging range B is determined. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, when it is determined that the image is within the right shooting range C with respect to the center point A of the shooting range B, the drive control unit 23 determines the position (distance) from the center point A to the human face. Notify Note that when the video of the human body exists within the shooting range C, the video recording unit 21 records the video with a longer recording interval.

  The drive control unit 23 drives the drive unit 3 so that the photographing unit 1 follows the face of the human body based on the position information of the area determination unit 22c. In this case, as shown in FIG. 7, since the human body is in the right direction from the center point A and the distance to the face P is PA, the imaging unit 1 is moved to the right to the distance PA, The center point A of the shooting range B overlaps the face P. On the other hand, when the human body enters the shooting range B, the video recording unit 21 records with a short recording interval. At this time, the personal identification unit 22b reads the face P of the human body recorded by the video recording unit 21 and identifies which registrant matches.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, when the human body exists in the photographing range C, the direction of the photographing unit 1 is made to follow so that the human body falls within the photographing range B. A video of the human body can be taken, and the face becomes clear accordingly, so that identification with the registrant becomes easy. Moreover, even if the image is not clear, the surroundings can be detected by using a wide-angle lens to check whether another human body exists while following one human body.
Furthermore, since the center point A of the shooting range B is superimposed on the human face P, there is no useless shooting range, and only the face necessary for personal identification can be clearly shot, Video processing can be performed at high speed.

In the first embodiment, the initial position (photographing direction) of the photographing unit 1 is manually set according to the installation position of the driving unit 3, but the initial position of the photographing direction can be automatically set by the remote controller. It may be.
In the first embodiment, personal identification is performed from the face, but in addition to this, an object such as a personal car may be an identification target.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
In the first embodiment, the imaging device that shoots with the center point A of the shooting range B superimposed on the human face P has been described. However, in the second embodiment, the registrant photographed by the imaging device is identified and identified. The air conditioning in the room is controlled according to the position of the registered person or the registered person.
FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an air conditioner showing Embodiment 2 of the present invention, and FIG. 10 is an image view of an imaging range showing the image pickup apparatus provided in the air conditioner of Embodiment 2 from a substantially side view. 11 is an image view of the shooting range when the imaging apparatus is viewed from the front, FIG. 12 is an image view of the shooting range formed by the wide-angle lens and the shielding portion, and FIG. 13 is an image pickup range at the initial position and the initial position of the shooting portion. FIG. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the part similar to Embodiment 1. FIG.

  The air conditioner of the present embodiment includes, for example, an outdoor unit that is installed outdoors, an indoor unit that is installed on an indoor wall, a refrigerant pipe that connects the outdoor unit and the indoor unit, and the like. The outdoor unit includes an outdoor heat exchanger, a compressor, and the like inside, and the indoor unit includes an indoor fan, an indoor heat exchanger, and the like inside. The indoor unit is provided with an air inlet and an air outlet, and left and right wind vanes and upper and lower air vanes are attached to the air outlet. Furthermore, a light receiving portion that receives infrared light from a remote controller, a display portion that is lit and displayed during operation, and the like are attached to the front surface of the indoor unit case.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the indoor unit 10 includes a photographing unit 1 having a wide-angle lens (not shown) made of a spherical lens, a video recording unit 21, a video processing unit 22, a drive control unit 23, and device control. A control unit 20 including a unit 24 and a drive unit 3 for changing the shooting direction of the shooting unit 1 are provided. For example, when the photographing unit 1 is attached to the indoor unit 10 as shown in FIG. 10, the photographing range on the side surface of the photographing unit 1 is generally between an upper oblique direction X and a vertical direction Y around an arrow that is inclined downward. Although it is the target, what is image | photographed by a X direction is a ceiling and a lighting fixture, These are not required for imaging | photography.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in the figure, a shielding unit 30 is provided above the photographing unit 1 so as to shield an image only in the X direction. Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 11, the photographing unit 1 is housed in a recess formed in the front surface of the case of the indoor unit 10. The upper surface of the dent is formed as a shielding part 30 so as to be parallel to the floor surface, and both side surfaces of the dent as it comes to the near side from the ridge of the dent so as not to prevent the photographing part 1 from changing the photographing direction. Spread on both sides. Further, the lower surface of the dent is inclined downward as it comes to the near side from the ridge of the dent so as not to hinder the downward shooting.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the photographing unit 1 is mounted on the drive unit 3 so as to be variable in three directions as an initial position and directed downward so that the above-mentioned arrow becomes the central axis. The initial position is set manually as described above. The shooting range of the shooting unit 1 at each initial position is AR1, AR2, AR3. Since the position of the human body is generally in the range from 2 m to 6 m ahead of the indoor unit 10, the photographing unit 1 is directed toward the floor surface at a position of 4 m that is the center. This angle makes it possible to capture a person in the room clearly. As shown in FIG. 12, the upper end E of the photographing range C is outside the photographing range, and the photographing range of the photographing unit 1 is narrower than that of the photographing range shown in FIG. It has become. As a result, the processing speed of the video is faster.

  The device control unit 24 of the control unit 20 controls the indoor fan based on the temperature and room temperature error set by the remote controller to adjust the air volume, and notifies the outdoor unit of the error information. Further, the left and right and up and down wind direction vanes are driven according to the position information of the human body (moving body) detected on the video processing unit 22 side. For example, the driving of the left and right and up and down wind direction vanes is controlled so that wind (cold air or warm air) flows at a position where the human body exists or wind does not hit the human body.

  Further, when the operation of the registration button 11a of the remote controller 11 is detected when the device control unit 24 is operating the air conditioner based on the operation of the registrant (see FIG. 14), the device control unit 24 is identified by the imaging device. The registrant, that is, the person (face) who operates the registration button 11a and the set operation at that time are stored in association with each other. When the device control unit 24 detects the start of the operation of the air conditioner after this processing, the device control unit 24 determines whether or not the registrant identified by the personal identification unit 22b is the same as the person associated with the set operation. When the determination is made, the air conditioner is controlled by a setting operation associated in advance. Thereby, it is not necessary to set it every time the user operates the air conditioner, and it is possible to save the trouble of manually changing the setting.

Next, the operation of the air conditioner configured as described above will be described.
When the moving body detection unit 22a of the video processing unit 22 detects a human body image during the operation of the air conditioner, the area determination unit 22c determines which direction and position the human body image is from the center point A of the shooting range B. And the determination result is notified to the drive control unit 23. The drive control unit 23 drives the drive unit 3 so that the imaging unit 1 follows the human face based on the determination result (position information) of the area determination unit 22c, and the center point of the imaging range B on the human body face. Let A overlap. On the other hand, when the human body enters the shooting range B, the video recording unit 21 records with a shorter recording interval than in the shooting range C. At this time, the personal identification unit 22b reads the face of the human body recorded by the video recording unit 21 and identifies which registrant matches.

  When the registrant is identified by the personal identification unit 22b, the device control unit 24 determines whether the person is associated with the preset operation in advance. When the person does not exist, driving of the right / left and up / down wind direction vanes is performed based on the position information of the area determination unit 22c so that the wind (cold air or warm air) flows in the direction or the wind does not hit the human body. To control. Further, when the registrant identified by the personal identification unit 22b is the same person associated with the set operation, the air conditioner is controlled by the set operation.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, among the images captured through the wide-angle lens, the upper image that is not necessary for human body detection and human body position determination is shielded. In addition, it is possible to suppress the influence of disturbance due to light from the lighting fixtures, etc., which makes it possible to take clear images and perform high-precision image processing at high speed. it can.

  Furthermore, since a clear video can be taken as described above, a registrant can be easily identified, and air conditioning control for the identified registrant can be performed quickly. In addition, since the initial position (shooting direction) of the photographing unit 1 can be set according to the installation location of the indoor unit, it is possible to suppress useless image processing of the photographing range, and to display a clear image of the position where the human body exists. You can shoot.

  In the second embodiment, the registrant's face is the identification target. However, when the number of registrants is limited to a small number, the registrant's face may be identified by height, physique, hairstyle, clothes, and the like. Furthermore, although the initial position of the photographing unit 1 is manually set according to the installation position of the drive unit 3, the initial position may be automatically set by a remote controller.

  In addition, the above-mentioned registrants were previously photographed with an imaging device. However, when registering a user, if a clear picture was taken or when it is unclear when the picture is taken, the picture is correctly processed. May not be. Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 15, notification means such as an LED display unit 10 a and a sound generation unit 10 b are provided on the front surface of the case of the indoor unit 10. So that the user faces his / her face in the direction of the photographing unit 1 and informs the user at the end of photographing. As a result, the user's face can be registered accurately, so that the user can be reliably and promptly identified by the personal identification unit 22b.

  Further, the IR cut filter for cutting the infrared component may be removed from the image sensor of the photographing unit 1 so that information in the infrared region can be input. As shown in FIG. 15, an infrared light generation unit 10c is provided above the imaging unit 1 provided on the front surface of the case of the indoor unit 10, or infrared light generation units 10d and 10e are provided on both ends of the front surface of the case, respectively. When emitting infrared light. In this case, although the color tone of the image is lowered, the object irradiated with infrared light can be photographed even in a dark room.

It is a block block diagram of the imaging device which shows Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is an image figure of the imaging range by the conventional spherical lens. It is an image figure of the imaging range by the conventional aspherical lens. 3 is an image diagram of a shooting range by a wide-angle lens of the imaging apparatus according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is an image figure of the imaging range formed with a wide angle lens. It is a top view which shows the imaging | photography range in the initial position of an imaging | photography direction of an imaging | photography part, and an initial position. It is an image figure which shows the image | video of the human body within the imaging | photography range image | photographed by the imaging | photography part. It is an image figure of a photography range of a photography part and a human body which show a photography part following movement of a human body. It is a block block diagram of the air conditioner which shows Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is an image figure of the imaging | photography range which shows the imaging device with which the air conditioner of Embodiment 2 was equipped substantially seeing from the side. It is an image figure of the photography range which sees an imaging device almost from the front. It is an image figure of the imaging range formed by a wide angle lens and a shielding part. It is a top view which shows the imaging | photography range in the initial position of an imaging | photography direction of an imaging | photography part, and an initial position. It is a figure which shows the indoor unit and remote control for demonstrating the correlation of the driving | running state of an air conditioner, and an individual. It is an example figure which arrange | positions and shows an imaging | photography part, a display part, a sound generation part, and an infrared-light generation part in the front surface of an indoor unit.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image | photographing part, 2,20 Control part, 21 Image | video recording part, 22 Image | video processing part, 22a Motion detection part, 22b Personal identification part, 22c Area determination part, 23 Drive control part, 24 Device control part, 3 Drive part, 10 Indoor unit, 10a LED display unit, 10b sound generation unit, 10c, 10d, 10e infrared light generation unit, 11 remote controller, 11a registration button, 30 shielding unit.

Claims (12)

An imaging unit having a wide-angle lens processed so that a clear image can be taken only in the center,
A drive unit for changing the shooting direction of the shooting unit;
A moving object detection unit that detects a moving object from the video imaged by the imaging unit;
An image pickup apparatus, wherein the drive unit is controlled so that a central part of the wide-angle lens of the photographing unit faces a predetermined part of the moving object detected by the moving object detection unit.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wide-angle lens is a plastic spherical lens.   An air conditioner having an indoor unit for controlling air conditioning in a room and including the imaging device according to claim 1 or 2 in the indoor unit. An imaging unit having a wide-angle lens processed so that a clear image can be taken only in the center,
A drive unit for changing the shooting direction of the shooting unit;
A moving object detection unit that detects a moving object from the video imaged by the imaging unit;
A concealing unit that shields only the upper part of the image captured by the imaging unit,
An air conditioner characterized in that a central portion of the wide-angle lens of the photographing unit is directed to a predetermined position on the front floor surface of the indoor unit. A video recording unit that records video captured by the imaging unit;
An area determination unit that determines in which position in the image the moving human body detected by the moving object detection unit exists;
When the area determination unit determines that the human body is located at the center of the image, the video recording unit increases the shooting speed or increases the resolution compared to when waiting or detecting a human body outside the center. The air conditioner according to claim 3 or 4, wherein an image is recorded.   The air conditioner according to claim 5, further comprising a device control unit that controls air conditioning according to the position of the human body determined by the area determination unit.   7. A personal identification unit for performing personal identification by selecting a human body that has a small amount of movement from the human body detected by the moving body detection unit and exists in the center of the video. An air conditioner according to any one of the above.   The air conditioner according to claim 7, wherein the device control unit controls air conditioning according to an individual identified by the personal identification unit. The photographing unit is mounted on the driving unit so as to be variable in a plurality of directions as an initial position.
The air conditioner according to any one of claims 3 to 8, further comprising a drive control unit configured to change a shooting direction of the shooting unit via the driving unit with an initial position of the shooting unit as a center.   The air conditioner according to any one of claims 3 to 9, further comprising an informing unit for informing at the time of photographing by the photographing unit and at the end of photographing.   The air conditioner according to any one of claims 3 to 10, further comprising an infrared light generator that emits infrared light.   The air conditioner according to any one of claims 4 to 11, wherein the wide-angle lens is a plastic spherical lens.

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