JP2000221621A - Wide-angle image input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inexpensive wide-angle image input device capable of continuously obtaining a wide-angle image. SOLUTION: This wide-angle image input device fetching light made incident on a panoramic image block 1 at a wide angle as an image is equipped with an input image adjusting means 6 equipped with a panoramic image block 1, a lens part 2 positioned on the same optical axis 4 as the block 1 and located at the rear of the block 1 and equipped with a zoom mechanism 7, a target 3 where light passing through the block 1 and the lens part 2 is formed into the image, and an optical axis adjusting mechanism 5 for adjusting the positional relation of the optical axis 4 to the target 3.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a wide-angle image input device capable of continuously obtaining a wide-angle image.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional wide-angle image input apparatus obtains a continuous image composed of a plurality of images having different directions and partially overlapping by using a photographing apparatus having a fixed angle of view in order to obtain a desired visual field. As a single image. In order to obtain a plurality of images that are continuous images, a single photographing device may be used to change the direction of the target and perform a plurality of times of photographing, or a plurality of images previously set with different directions of the target may be used. Means for collective acquisition using an imaging device have been used.

[0003]

However, the former,
The means for changing the pointing destination cannot continuously obtain a wide-angle image, and there is a problem that a point that is out of the field of view of the photographing means periodically forms a blind spot, and is used for tracking high-speed moving objects. This may cause a disadvantage that the pointing destination changing mechanism of the photographing means cannot follow the moving body, increase the cost of increasing the speed of the pointing destination changing mechanism, and increase the reliability and durability of the mechanism. There is also a problem that the performance is reduced.

[0004] In the latter means for acquiring a wide-angle image using a plurality of photographing devices, there is no problem that a high-speed directing destination changing mechanism is required depending on the application, but there are a plurality of photographing devices. In addition to the increase in cost, it is inevitable that the entire apparatus becomes large-scale. In addition, since differences in image quality occur due to differences in characteristics of individual photographing devices, it is necessary to make adjustments to correct the differences, which causes maintenance problems such as installation and maintenance.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and has as its object to provide a low-cost wide-angle image input device capable of continuously obtaining a wide-angle image.

[0006]

A wide-angle image input device according to the present invention, which has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, has a wide-angle image input device which captures light that has entered a panoramic image block at a wide angle as an image. A lens unit having a zoom mechanism located behind the panoramic image block and having the same optical axis as the panoramic image block, a target serving as an imaging part of light passing through the panoramic image block and the lens unit, and the target And an optical axis adjusting mechanism for adjusting the positional relationship of the optical axis with respect to the input image.

Here, the panoramic image block corresponds to FIG.
Rotation made of a light-transmitting material having a front light-shielding surface 9 at the center of the front surface, a front light-transmitting surface 10 at the front edge, a back light-shielding surface 11 at the rear edge, and a back light-transmitting surface 12 at the rear center. The back light-shielding surface 11 is a reflecting mirror that can collect incident light from the front light-transmitting surface 10 through the rotator and collect the light on the front light-shielding surface 9. This is a reflecting mirror that can collect the reflected light from 11 through the rotating body and collect it on the back light transmitting surface 12.

The zoom mechanism in which the optical axis coincides with the panoramic image block is a perpendicular line passing through the center of the back light transmitting surface of the panoramic image block or a line passing through the center of the back light transmitting surface and its focal point, that is, the back. This is a zoom mechanism in which a lens having an optical axis coinciding with the optical axis of the light transmitting surface is combined front and rear. The target refers to a CCD or various photosensitive films when the image recognition means is an image pickup device such as a camera. When the image recognition means is a human eye, the target is the naked eye at the time when the eyepiece is closest to the eyepiece. Point to.

The zoom mechanism and the optical axis adjustment mechanism may be either automatic or manual. However, the amount of shift in the zoom mechanism or the optical axis adjustment mechanism is much smaller than the amount of movement of the photographing apparatus itself, so that high precision is achieved. Mechanism is available. Further, since the shift amount is small, a material that actively deforms according to a given environment, for example, a piezoelectric crystal, a shape memory alloy, or another synthetic material can be used as a driving means of the actuator. In addition, the given environment means supply of electricity, heat, moisture, light, sound and other energy and scientific substances, and a desired shift amount is easily generated by controlling the environment. , Can be adjusted.

The positional relationship of the optical axis with respect to the target means that the relative positional relationship between the two is shifted in the optical axis direction or in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis while keeping the optical axis perpendicular to the target surface. Say that. Such adjustment of the optical axis is performed as follows. 1. Shift the lens section. 2. Shift the target; 3. Shift both the lens unit and the target. It can be selected from various methods such as shifting by operating the optical axis with another member such as a prism interposed.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of a wide-angle image input device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an example of a wide-angle image input device including a panoramic image block 1, an input image adjusting unit 6, and an image recognizing unit 8.

In this example, the input image adjustment means 6 adjusts the position of the target 3 of the image recognition means 8 with respect to the lens unit 2 having the panoramic image block 1 and the zoom mechanism 7, and the optical axis 4 of the lens unit 2. And an optical axis adjusting mechanism 5 for performing the adjustment.

The zoom mechanism 7 includes a panoramic image block 1
In the subsequent stage, a plurality of lenses (not shown) sharing the same optical axis 4 as the panoramic image block 1 are arranged on a predetermined base and opposed to the rear light-transmitting surface, and are moved along the optical axis 4. It has a structure in which it is fixed as much as possible and the amount of movement can be adjusted mechanically or artificially (by hand). on the other hand,
The optical axis adjustment mechanism 5 is provided for the image recognition means 8 with respect to the panoramic image block 1 and the optical axis 4 of the zoom mechanism 7.
The target 3 is fixed so as to shift the target 3 in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis 4 while facing the target 3, and the shift amount can be adjusted mechanically or artificially.

As a structure which can be mechanically adjusted, for example, a plurality of lenses constituting the zoom mechanism 7 are fixed to a plurality of supports which are connected to each other, and the first lens of the plurality of supports is supported. And the support that supports the rearmost lens are connected via a piezoelectric material, and the amount of displacement of the piezoelectric material obtained by applying an electric field to the piezoelectric material,
Means for moving a plurality of lenses using a piezoelectric linear actuator for zooming, such as setting an appropriate clearance between a plurality of lenses constituting the zoom mechanism 7, a linear actuator using magnetostriction, an ultrasonic motor The use of etc. is also conceivable. In particular, a magnetostrictive actuator using a magnetostrictive element in place of the piezoelectric element can cause displacement of the magnetostrictive element in a non-contact manner due to a change in an external magnetic field, which is advantageous in that cableless control can be performed. good. If a cable-less configuration becomes possible, the zoom mechanism can be further miniaturized, and wide-angle imaging in a narrow space becomes possible, so that the zoom mechanism can be used in a wider range of applications. When such an actuator is used, it is necessary to provide a control means 13 for adjusting the amount of displacement by the actuator, but the control means 13 may use an existing control technique.

On the other hand, the means for artificially adjusting includes, for example, a means for fixing a lens to generate a shift amount of a predetermined amount unit in order to provide an appropriate clearance between a plurality of lenses constituting a zoom mechanism. Techniques such as arranging a plurality of screw holes in the direction of the optical axis, or a mechanism for converting a rotational movement of a manually rotated spiral gear into a linear movement can be used.

The mechanical adjustment means and the artificial adjustment means may be applied to the zoom mechanism 7 and the optical axis adjustment mechanism 5 according to the application. However, as a combination, the mechanical adjustment means or the artificial adjustment means are combined. Combinations may be used, or mechanical adjustment means may be applied to one and artificial adjustment means may be applied to the other. In general, a mechanical adjustment unit may be used when it is necessary to perform adjustment with high accuracy, and an artificial adjustment unit may be used when high accuracy is not required. For example, when the zoom mechanism 7 and the optical axis adjustment mechanism 5 need to be precisely adjusted, for example, there is an option to use a magnetostrictive linear actuator for the zoom mechanism 7 and use a piezoelectric linear actuator for the optical axis adjustment mechanism 5. It is possible.

The image recognizing means 8 comprises a CCD serving as a target 3 which receives light through the lens unit 2 and an image recording unit 14 for storing an image signal output by the CCD.
And an image processing unit 15 that performs processing according to the use of the captured image, and an image output unit 16 that converts the captured image as it is or an image that has been subjected to various processes into an image. The image recording unit 14 and the image processing unit 15
Is appropriately configured using a serial / parallel input / output port, a recording means such as a microprocessor or a memory or an external recording device (may be configured to include the control means 13). An LCD, a cathode ray tube, a printer, or the like may be used.

According to the wide-angle image input device constructed as described above, the optical axis 4 of the lens unit 2 is set at the center of the CCD, and the light emitted from the back transparent surface of the panoramic image block 1 is transmitted to the CCD. When a plurality of lenses, which are components of the zoom mechanism 7, are zoomed so as to fit on the top, as shown in FIG. 4, the scene at the shooting location forms an annular image on the CCD (hereinafter, an image formed in this manner). Is referred to as an annular image), and a wide-angle image covering 360 degrees around the front transparent surface of the panoramic image block 1 can be obtained.

On the other hand, by displacing the optical axis 4 of the lens unit 2 from the center of the CCD, only a part of the annular image can be formed on the CCD as shown in FIG. 5, and the zoom mechanism 7 is adjusted. By doing so, it is possible to connect only a desired area of the annular image as an enlarged image over the entire light receiving area of the CCD as shown in FIG.

In such a wide-angle image input apparatus, for example, by using a CCD as a target, the field of view is always maximized as shown in FIG. 4, and an object (a person or the like) enters the area of the field of view. In this case, by operating the optical axis adjusting mechanism 5, the positional relationship between the optical axis 4 of the lens unit 2 and the target is changed so that the object is positioned at the center of the target 3, and the zoom mechanism is used as necessary. When the object 7 is operated, it can be used as an object tracking camera capable of inputting an enlarged image provided with an optimum resolution when photographing the object. As an application of such an object tracking camera, there is a surveillance camera. If an actuator using a piezoelectric element is used for the optical axis adjustment mechanism 5 and the zoom mechanism 7, the object can be tracked with a slight displacement of the piezoelectric element. In addition, since the operating speed of the piezoelectric element is high, even if the object moves at high speed, it is possible to clearly capture an image if the image processing time is shortened.

Further, according to the wide-angle image input apparatus, an endoscope capable of collectively obtaining a wide-angle image can be formed, and the inspection can be performed with a low possibility of missing a defective portion because a wide area can be viewed collectively. In addition, by using the piezoelectric element or a small actuator comparable thereto with a small imaging element and a lens unit 2 including a CCD, a very small head incorporating them is provided,
In addition, it is possible to provide an endoscope having an extra-fine fiber portion having a built-in signal line for sending an image signal to the image recognition means 8 instead of an optical fiber. Thus, in the field of medicine, the pain of the subject is reduced by the thinning of the head and the fiber portion, and an accurate diagnosis can be made without being greatly affected by the physical condition of the subject.

[0022]

As described above, if the wide-angle image input device according to the present invention is used, the field of view and the image size can be determined only by adjusting the optical axis of the panoramic image block and the lens unit and by adjusting the zoom. There is no need for a movable mechanism for moving the entire device, which is required when inputting data. In addition, since wide-angle images can be input collectively, the image acquisition time also depends only on the processing speed of the image recognition means, and so-called high-speed photographing can be performed by inputting images in a very short time as compared with the related art.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a wide-angle image input device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a wide-angle image input device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of a panoramic image block.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of an image connected to a target.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of an image connected to a target.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of an image connected to a target.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Panorama image block 2 Lens part 3 Target 4 Optical axis 5 Optical axis adjustment mechanism 6 Input image adjustment means 7 Zoom mechanism

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A wide-angle image input device for capturing light having a wide-angle incident on a panoramic image block (1) as an image, wherein the panoramic image block (1) is located behind the panoramic image block (1). (2) provided with a zoom mechanism (7) having the same optical axis (4) as the optical axis (4), and a target (3) serving as an imaging portion of light passing through the panoramic image block (1) and the lens (2). A wide-angle image input device comprising an input image adjusting means (6) having an optical axis adjusting mechanism (5) for adjusting a positional relationship of the optical axis (4) with respect to the target (3).