JP2003131332A - Image pickup device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image pickup device capable of restraining parallax and performing photographing in a wide range by accurately arranging the optical axes of a mirror and the lens of a camera. SOLUTION: This image pickup device has a plurality of plane mirrors 4 arranged in pyramid shape and a plurality of cameras 1 respectively arranged to be opposed to the respective mirrors 4, and is equipped with a 1st mechanism part 6 positioning and holding the mirrors 4 and a 2nd mechanism part 10 directly holding and fixing the lens 2 of each one of a plurality of cameras 1. The 2nd mechanism part 10 is fixed in the 1st mechanism part 6.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus capable of picking up an image in a wide range such as all directions and all directions.

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION As is well known, many video cameras have
Various cameras have been developed that are housed in one housing and simultaneously image in all directions or all around.

As one of the methods, for example, a method of eliminating parallax (parallax) generated between a plurality of cameras by virtually matching imaging viewpoints by using mirrors arranged in a polygonal pyramid shape is proposed. (US Patent 6
115176).

[0004]

However, in the case of the above-described structure, it is difficult to accurately arrange a plurality of mirrors in a polygonal pyramid shape, and a gap between adjacent mirrors becomes large.
The reality is that parallax has to be tolerated to some extent.

In order to further reduce the parallax, it is necessary to accurately arrange the optical axis of the lens and the optical center of the camera with respect to the mirror surface in each of the plurality of cameras.

However, in the past, since the camera housing was fixed and supported to define the positional relationship between the camera and the mirror, the exact position of the optical axis of the lens in each camera is unknown. Therefore, it is impossible to know where the actual optical axis of the lens and the optical center are, and as a result, the parallax which becomes a problem when the images from a plurality of cameras are put together becomes large.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, in the present invention, by arranging the mirror and the optical axis of the lens of the camera with high accuracy, parallax can be suppressed and an image can be taken in a wide range. A device is provided.

[0008]

An image pickup apparatus of the present invention has a plurality of plane mirrors arranged in a polygonal pyramid shape and a plurality of cameras arranged so as to face each plane mirror. The first mechanical component for positioning and holding the mirror and the second mechanical component for directly holding and fixing the lens of each camera of the plurality of cameras are provided, and the second mechanical component is fixed to the first mechanical component. It consists of

According to the above-mentioned configuration of the image pickup apparatus of the present invention,
Since the second mechanical component directly holds and fixes the lenses of a plurality of cameras, the lens optical axis of the camera and the optical center of the lens should be accurately arranged with respect to the plane mirror positioned by the first mechanical component. Will be possible.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The present invention is an image pickup apparatus having a plurality of plane mirrors arranged in a polygonal pyramid shape and a plurality of cameras arranged so as to face each plane mirror. And a second mechanical component for directly holding and fixing the lenses of the cameras of the plurality of cameras, wherein the second mechanical component is fixed to the first mechanical component. Is an image pickup device.

According to the present invention, in the above image pickup device, the first mechanical component has a central portion to which the second mechanical component is fixed and a polygonal pyramid-shaped side surface to which a plurality of plane mirrors are attached. The structure has a different structure.

Further, according to the present invention, in the above image pickup device, the plane mirror is arranged in the middle of a lens group including a plurality of lenses.

Further, according to the present invention, in the above image pickup device, a handle is provided near the center line of the plane mirror and the plurality of cameras.

Further, according to the present invention, in the above-mentioned image pickup apparatus, a level is provided near the center line of the plane mirror and the plurality of cameras.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an image pickup apparatus as an embodiment of the present invention. Although FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along a vertical plane passing through the center line of the image pickup apparatus, a part of the vicinity of the camera is shown as a side view without showing the cross section.

This image pickup device has a polygonal pyramid shape, in this case 8
It comprises eight plane mirrors 4 arranged in a pyramid shape, and a camera 1 arranged so as to face each plane mirror 4 one by one. FIG. 1 shows two plane mirrors 4 and two cameras 1 in a vertical plane passing through the center line of the image pickup device. Each camera 1 is provided with a lens 2 and an image pickup device (not shown), and the lens 2 is attached to the camera body 3 in which the image pickup device and the like are housed to configure the camera 1.

The plane mirror 4 is a (first) mechanical component for positioning and holding the plane mirror 4, and a horizontal central portion and 8
It is fixed to the mirror support base 6 consisting of a pyramid-shaped side surface,
The mirror support base 6 is installed along the concave portion 6A formed on the side surface of the octagonal pyramid shape. In this case, the member 4A attached to the back surface of the flat mirror 4 is screwed to the mirror support base 6 with a nut, but other configurations, for example, the flat mirror 4 is adhered to the concave portion of the mirror support base 6. It is also possible to The concave portions 6A of the mirror support base 6 are configured so that no space is left between the flat mirrors 4 adjacent to each other (the ridgeline of the octagonal pyramid).

The mirror support base 6 is processed in advance with high dimensional accuracy, and the bottom surface of the central portion and the concave portion 6A on the side surface have high dimensional accuracy. Thereby, the plane mirror 4 can be accurately positioned.

In this embodiment, the mechanism for holding and fixing the camera 1 is different from the conventional image pickup apparatus. Specifically, the lens stay 10 is provided as a (second) mechanical component that directly holds and fixes the lens 2 instead of holding the camera housing, that is, the camera body 3 side. As shown in the plan view of FIG. 2, each tip portion 10A of the lens stay 10 has a circular opening into which the lens outer peripheral portion 8 is fitted. Thereby, the lens stay 10
Can hold each lens outer peripheral portion 8 with high accuracy.

Here, in order to suppress parallax in a plurality of cameras 1 so as not to hinder the joining of images, it is necessary to accurately match the virtual viewpoint center 5 with a plurality of cameras 1. . Therefore, before attaching the lens 2 to the lens stay 10, the lens optical axis 7
Is adjusted to be centered with the lens outer peripheral portion 8 as a reference. In addition, in each camera 1, the distances from the camera image pickup surface (the surface on which the image pickup element is located) to the lens 2 are equidistant and are adjusted so that an image is formed correctly.

The lens stay 10 is fastened to the mirror support base 6 by screws 9 and reference pins (not shown). The screw 9 positions the lens stay 10 in the horizontal direction, the vertical direction, and the rotation direction. A surface 11 where the mirror support base 6 and the lens stay 10 are in contact with each other serves as a reference surface, and the plane mirrors 4 and the lenses 2 of the cameras 1 can be accurately arranged with reference to the reference surface 11. it can.

Therefore, the relative positional accuracy between the plane mirrors 4, the positional angle accuracy of each plane mirror 4 with respect to the reference plane 11, and the positional accuracy of the optical center of the lens 2 with respect to the reference plane 11 are kept high. Thereby, the relative angle between the lens optical axis 7 and the plane mirror 4 and the relative position between the optical center of the lens 2 and the plane mirror 4 are accurately fixed, and the virtual viewpoint center 5 is accurately obtained by the plurality of cameras 1. It almost matches.

By overlapping the image pickup areas of the eight cameras 1 to some extent, the entire circumference 360 is formed in a cylindrical shape.
It is possible to pick up the image.

According to the image pickup apparatus of this embodiment described above,
A lens stay 10 for directly holding and fixing the lens 2 of the camera 1 is provided, and a tip portion 10A of the lens stay 10 is provided.
By fitting the lens outer peripheral portion 8 into the circular opening of
The lens 2 of each camera 1 can be accurately fixed to the upper surface of the lens stay 10, that is, the reference surface 11. For example, the lens outer peripheral portion 8 can be fitted in the circular opening of the tip portion 10A and fixed by screwing from above the tip portion 10A with a nut (not shown).

Further, since the lens stay 10 is fastened so as to be in contact with the mirror support base 6 on which the plane mirror 4 is accurately arranged on the side surface at the reference surface 11, the reference surface 11 is used as a reference. , The plane mirror 4 and the lens 2 of the camera 1 are accurately arranged. Thereby, the relative positions of the optical axis of the lens 7 and the optical center of the lens 2 and the plane mirror 4 can be fixed accurately.

Therefore, the virtual viewpoint center 5 of each camera 1
Can be accurately matched with each other, parallax can be suppressed, shooting in a wide range such as all directions and the whole circumference can be performed, and a wide range of images can be obtained with good image quality.

Further, since the mirror support base 6 has a one-piece structure in which the central portion to which the lens stay 10 is fixed and the side surface on which the plane mirror 4 is arranged are integrated, they are separately constructed. Compared with the structure assembled by the above, the bottom surface of the central portion, that is, the reference surface 11 and the concave portion 6 of the side surface
The plane mirror 4 arranged at A can be arranged easily and accurately.

Since the lens stay 10 and the mirror support base 6 can achieve high positional accuracy with a relatively simple structure, it is possible to maintain high dimensional stability against vibrations and the like.

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of another embodiment of the image pickup apparatus of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the lens front group 21 is arranged in front of the plane mirror 4, and the plane mirror 4 is arranged between the lens front group 21 and the lens (lens rear group) 2 attached to the camera body 3. It has been configured. That is, the plane mirror 4 is arranged in the middle of the lens group including a plurality of lenses. Other configurations are the same as the configurations of the image pickup apparatus according to the previous embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and therefore, the same reference numerals are given and redundant description will be omitted.

According to the image pickup apparatus of the present embodiment, the virtual viewpoint centers 5 of the cameras 1 can be made to substantially coincide with each other with high accuracy and the parallax can be suppressed, like the image pickup apparatus of the previous embodiment. Thus, a wide range of images such as all directions and the entire circumference can be captured, and a wide range of images can be obtained with good image quality. Further, it is possible to realize high position accuracy with a relatively simple structure and maintain high dimensional stability against vibrations and the like.

The one-piece structure mirror support base 6
Thus, the reference surface 11 and the plane mirror 4 can be easily and accurately arranged.

In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the mirror support base 6 which is a support mechanism for the plane mirror 4 has a one-piece structure, that is, one mechanical component, but the positional accuracy of each plane mirror is ensured. For example, the support mechanism of the plane mirror is not limited to the one-piece structure. For example, with respect to the base of the central portion, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which a portion that constitutes the side surface of the polygonal pyramid and that supports the flat mirror is detachable, or a portion that supports the flat mirror can be folded inward. In any of the configurations, the lens stay 1 described above is configured to directly support and fix the lenses of the plurality of cameras to the base of the central portion.
Mechanical components such as 0 may be attached with high precision.

By the way, in the image pickup apparatus having the above-mentioned structure,
Since the parts such as the plane mirror 4 and the lens 2 which are sensitive to impact and dirt are arranged in the 360-degree direction around the entire circumference, careful handling is required. In particular, when attaching to a tripod or the like, when carrying it, it is necessary to give careful attention to the stains on the flat mirror 4 or to accidentally drop and damage the camera 1, and it takes time to install. It was as a point. A configuration for solving this problem is shown below.

FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of still another embodiment of the image pickup apparatus of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the configurations of the camera 1, the plane mirror 4, the mirror support base 6, the lens stay 10, etc. are the same as those of the previous embodiment shown in FIG. In this embodiment, in particular, another mechanical component is mounted on the central portion of the mirror support base 6. Specifically, the screw 34 is mounted on the mirror support base 6.
The handle 32 is attached by screws 33 to the handle base 31 fixed by. This handle 32
Is formed in a size that can be conveniently handled by a human hand, for example, and is arranged near the center line 30 of the imaging device.

Furthermore, a level 35 is provided above the handle base 31 near the center line 30 of the image pickup device, and the level 35 allows the image pickup device to be easily leveled. Then, the handle 32 is configured so as to be able to rotate about 90 degrees (to the front side or the other side in the drawing) from the position shown in FIG. 4 about the shaft 37 as a rotation center, whereby the level 35 is moved. It is possible to ensure visibility when using.

Further, a screw hole (not shown) is provided on the upper surface 36 of the handle base 31, and the surface 36 and the screw hole are used to photograph the protective frame for covering the flat mirror 4 from the outside and the upper part. Other cameras and the like can be installed. further,
It is also possible to hang the imaging device from the ceiling or the like by using the handle 32 and install it.

According to the above-described image pickup apparatus of this embodiment,
In addition to having the effects of each of the above-described embodiments, the handle 3 is attached to the mirror support base 6 via the handle base 31.
2 is attached to the handle 32
This makes it possible to stabilize the imaging device when it is attached to a tripod or the like, or when it is transported. As a result, the plane mirror 4
There is no concern that the camera 1 is soiled or that the camera 1 is accidentally dropped and damaged, the handling of the imaging device is facilitated, and the time spent for setting can be made extremely short. As a result, for example, the number of scenes where a photo opportunity is missed is reduced. Further, the handle 32 also allows the imaging device to be hung from the ceiling or the like.

Further, the handle 32 is the center line 3 of the image pickup device.
Since it is attached to 0, that is, near the plane mirror 4 and the center line 30 of the plurality of cameras 1, the load is equalized and the stability is improved when the handle 32 is held or fixed by hand.

Further, since the level 35 is attached to the handle base 31, the image pickup apparatus can be installed horizontally, and there is no need to carry a level level separately, so that the image pickup apparatus can be installed easily. It is possible to improve convenience. The level 35 is also the center line 30 of the image pickup device.
That is, since the flat mirror 4 and the plurality of cameras 1 are attached near the center line 30, the entire image pickup apparatus can be easily installed horizontally.

FIG. 5A is a schematic configuration diagram of another embodiment of the image pickup apparatus of the present invention. In this embodiment, a mechanism similar to the mechanism provided on the mirror support base 6 shown in FIG. 4 is arranged below the imaging device. Specifically, a handle base 41 is fixed to the lower side of the lens stay 10 near the camera 1 by a screw (not shown), and a handle 42 is provided on the bottom surface of the handle base 41. The bottom surface of the handle base 41, that is, the vicinity of the handle 42 is shown in FIG. 5B. Similar to the handle 32 of the previous embodiment, the handle 42 is also formed in a size that can be conveniently handled by a human hand, for example, and is arranged near the center line 30 of the image pickup apparatus. The handle 42 is configured to be rotatable about a shaft 44 shown in FIG. 5B as a center of rotation about 90 degrees (to the right in the drawings) in the left and right directions of FIGS. 5A and 5B. As a result, when the image pickup apparatus is conveyed, the handle 42 can be vertically raised with respect to the handle base 41 so that the image pickup apparatus can be conveyed, while the image pickup apparatus is placed on a plane (bottom surface of the handle base 41) 45 as a bottom surface. When placed on the floor or the like, the handle 42 can be stored in the handle base 41 so as not to get in the way.

Then, as shown in FIG. 5A, when the bottom surface 45 of the handle base is placed in contact with a surface such as a desk or floor, the bottom surface 45 of the handle base 41 is located below the bottom surface of the camera 1. However, since the bottom surface of the camera 1 does not come into contact with the floor or the like, stress and impact are not applied to the camera 1, and accurate positional accuracy can be maintained.

A screw hole (not shown) is provided on the bottom surface 45 of the handle base 41, and a camera protection frame or another camera can be installed using this surface 45 and the screw hole. . In this case, the camera protection frame has, for example, a bottom surface and a side surface that covers the outside of the camera 1, and has an opening on the bottom surface for taking out a handle.

Further, by using the handle 42, the image pickup apparatus of the present embodiment can be installed upside down from the ceiling or the like.

Although the electronic level is not shown in this embodiment, the electronic level similar to the electronic level 35 shown in FIG. 4 may be provided on the handle base 41.

According to the image pickup apparatus of the present embodiment, the handle 42 attached to the handle base 41 is used when the image pickup apparatus is attached to a tripod or is transported, like the image pickup apparatus shown in FIG. It can be stabilized. As a result, there is no fear of soiling the flat mirror 4 or accidentally dropping and damaging the camera 1, and the handling of the imaging device is facilitated, so that the time spent for setting can be made extremely short. As a result, for example, the number of scenes where a photo opportunity is missed is reduced. further,
The handle 42 also makes it possible to hang the imaging device upside down from the ceiling or the like.

Further, the handle 42 is located at the center line 3 of the image pickup device.
Since it is attached to 0, that is, near the center line 30 of the plane mirror 4 and the plurality of cameras 1, the load is equalized and the stability is improved when the handle 42 is held or fixed by hand.

It should be noted that the configuration shown in FIG. 4 and the configuration shown in FIG. 5 are combined to combine the mirror support base 6 and the lens stay 10.
The handle base 31,
It is also possible to provide 41 and handles 32, 42. In this way, the image pickup device can be hung from the ceiling or the like by using either of the handles 32 and 42 in either the illustrated state in which the plane mirror 4 is above the camera 1 or the inverted state. Will be possible.

Further, the structure of the handle and the member to which the handle is attached may be other structures.
For example, a plate-shaped member is provided on the upper surface (corresponding to the bottom surface of the octagonal pyramid) of the octagonal pyramid-shaped mirror 4, and a handle is attached to this plate-shaped member (in the vicinity of the center line of the plane mirror 4 and the camera 1). It is also possible to have a configuration attached.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and various other configurations can be adopted without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0050]

According to the present invention described above, the first mechanical component for positioning and holding the plane mirror is fixed to the second mechanical component for directly supporting and fixing each lens of the plurality of cameras. By doing so, the optical centers of multiple cameras can be made to approximately coincide with each other with high accuracy, so parallax, which is a problem when combining images from multiple cameras, can be suppressed, and omnidirectional or omnidirectional etc. It is possible to obtain a wide range of images with good image quality. Further, the image pickup apparatus can be configured with a relatively simple configuration, and dimensional stability against vibration and the like can be kept high.

Further, the first mechanical component for positioning and holding the plane mirror is integrated with the central portion to which the second mechanical component is fixed and the side surface of the polygonal pyramid to which the plane mirror is attached ( With a one-piece structure, the plane mirror can be easily and accurately arranged.

Further, when the flat mirror and the handles are provided near the center lines of the plurality of cameras, the image pickup apparatus can be easily handled, and the apparatus can be stably mounted when it is mounted on a tripod or the like or when it is transported. Can be used.
At this time, since the time spent for setting is extremely short, there are few occasions where a photo opportunity is missed in actual operation.

Further, when the level mirror is provided near the center line of the plurality of cameras and the level is provided, the convenience at the time of installing the image pickup device can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an embodiment of an image pickup apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the vicinity of the tip of the lens stay shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of another embodiment of the image pickup apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of still another embodiment of an image pickup apparatus of the present invention.

5A is a schematic configuration diagram of another embodiment of an image pickup apparatus of the present invention. FIG. B is a diagram showing the vicinity of the handle of FIG. 5A.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 camera, 2 lenses, 3 camera body, 4 plane mirror, 5 viewpoint center, 6 mirror support base, 10 lens stay, 11 reference plane, 21 lens front group, 31, 41
Handle base, 32, 42 handle, 35 level

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An imaging device having a plurality of plane mirrors arranged in a polygonal pyramid shape and a plurality of cameras arranged so as to face each plane mirror, wherein the plurality of plane mirrors are positioned and held. A first mechanism part and a second mechanism part for directly holding and fixing the lens of each camera of the plurality of cameras, wherein the second mechanism part is fixed to the first mechanism part. An imaging device characterized by. 2. The first mechanical component has a structure in which a central portion to which the second mechanical component is fixed and a polygonal pyramidal side surface to which the plurality of plane mirrors are attached are integrated. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein 3. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plane mirror is arranged in the middle of a lens group including a plurality of lenses. 4. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a handle is provided near the center lines of the plane mirror and the plurality of cameras. 5. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a level is provided near the center lines of the plane mirror and the plurality of cameras.