JP2004004118A - Camera - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a camera of simple constitution and measuring a 3-D shape of a body. <P>SOLUTION: The camera for shape measuring or for extracting a subject is provided with strobes 505 and 506 irradiating the subject with projection light having a specific radiation pattern picks up the reflection light of strobes 505 and 506, and obtains a perspective image by using light intensity of picked up image. The strobes 505 and 506 are provided with a flush lamp 530 and a shield plate 528 having an off-centered hole. A camera lens 503 and strobes 505, 506 are so constituted that a sufficient distance is to be secured. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

The present invention relates to a range finder device and a camera for measuring a three-dimensional shape of an object.

As a range finder device that performs three-dimensional shape measurement based on triangulation of projection light and an observation image, for example, a range finder device that can operate in real time as shown in FIG. 40 has been proposed.

In FIG. 40, 101A and 101B are laser light sources having slightly different wavelengths, 102 is a half mirror for synthesizing laser light from the laser light sources having different wavelengths, 103 is a light source control unit for controlling light intensity of the laser light sources, 104 Is a rotating mirror that scans a laser beam, 105 is a rotation control unit that controls the rotating mirror, 106 is a subject, 107 is a lens for forming an image on a CCD, and 108A and 108B are lights that separate light of a wavelength of a laser light source. A wavelength separation filter, 109A and 109B are CCDs for capturing a monochrome image, 109C is a CCD for capturing a color image, 110A and 110B are signal processing units of a monochrome camera, 111 is a signal processing unit of a color camera, and 112 is a CCD 109A and 109B. Calculate the distance or shape of the subject from the intensity of the laser light Distance calculator, 113 is a control unit for adjusting the synchronization entire device. Hereinafter, the operation of the range finder device thus configured will be described.

The laser light sources 101A and 101B emit laser light having slightly different wavelengths. This laser light is a line light having a light section perpendicular to the scanning direction of the rotating mirror described later, and becomes a vertical line light when the rotating mirror scans in the horizontal direction.

波長 FIG. 41 shows the wavelength characteristics of these two light sources. The two light sources having similar wavelengths are used in order to reduce the influence of the wavelength dependence of the reflectance of the subject. Laser beams emitted from the laser light sources 101A and 101B are combined by the half mirror 102, and are scanned on the subject 6 by the rotating mirror 104.

走 査 The scanning of the laser light is performed by the rotation control unit 105 driving the rotating mirror 104 at a field cycle. At this time, the light intensities of both light sources are changed within one field cycle as shown in FIG. By synchronizing the change of the laser light intensity with the driving of the mirror angle, the two laser light intensities are monitored by the CCDs 109A and 109B and the light intensity ratio is calculated, so that the time in one scanning cycle can be measured. it can. For example, as shown in FIG. 42B, when the light intensity is Ia / Ib, the scanning time is measured as t0, and the rotation angle (φ) of the rotating mirror 104 is determined from the measured value.

As described above, by making the ratio of the two laser beam intensities and the mirror angle (that is, the angle of the subject viewed from the light source side) correspond one-to-one, the light of both light sources can be calculated by the distance calculation unit described later. From the ratio of the photographed signal levels, the distance or shape of the subject is calculated based on the principle of triangulation.

The lens 107 forms an image of a subject on the CCDs 109A, 109B, and 109C. The optical wavelength separation filter 108A transmits light of the wavelength of the light source 101A and reflects light of another wavelength. The light wavelength separation filter 108B transmits light of the wavelength of the light source 101B and reflects light of another wavelength. As a result, the reflected light of the light of the light sources 101A and 101B from the subject is photographed by the CCDs 109A and 109B, and the light of other wavelengths is photographed by the CCD 109C as a color image.

The light source A signal processing unit 110A and the light source B signal processing unit 110B perform the same signal processing as that of a normal monochrome camera on the outputs of the CCDs 109A and 109B. The color camera signal processing unit 111 performs a normal color camera signal processing on the output of the CCD 109C.

The distance calculation unit 112 calculates the distance for each pixel from the ratio of the signal levels captured by the CCDs 109A and 109B, the base line length, and the coordinate value of the pixel for each light source wavelength.

FIGS. 43 (a) and 43 (b) are diagrams for graphically explaining the distance calculation. In the figure, O is the center of the lens 107, P is a point on the subject, and Q is the position of the rotation axis of the rotating mirror. For simplicity of explanation, the position of the CCD 109 is shown folded back toward the subject. When the length of OQ (base line length) is L, the angle of P as viewed from Q in the XZ plane is φ, the angle of P as viewed from O is θ, and the angle of P as viewed from O in the YZ plane is ω. From the diagrammatic relationship, the three-dimensional coordinates of P are calculated by the following equation (1).

Z = Dtanθtanφ / (tanθ + tanφ)
X = Z / tanθ
Y = Z / tanω (1)
As described above, φ in Expression (1) is calculated by the light intensity ratio of the laser light sources 101A and 101B monitored by the CCDs 109A and 109B, and θ and ω are calculated from the coordinate values of the pixels. When all of the values shown in Expression (1) are calculated, the shape is obtained, and when only Z is used, the distance image is obtained.

As a conventional subject extraction method, a technique called chroma key used in a broadcasting station is generally used. This is a method in which a subject is arranged and photographed in front of a studio set composed of a single color (blue) background, the blue portion is determined to be the background, and the other portion is determined to be the subject of interest. .

However, the conventional configuration as described above has a problem that the structure lacks simplicity.

The object of the present invention is to provide a camera having a simple structure in consideration of the above-mentioned conventional disadvantages.

The present invention has a light emitting unit that irradiates a subject with projection light having a specific radiation pattern, captures reflected light of the subject of the light emitting unit, and obtains a depth image using the light intensity of the captured image. Or a camera for object extraction,
The light-emitting means has a structure in which a light-shielding plate having holes is arranged in front of each of a plurality of linear light sources arranged, and the holes of the light-shielding plates are displaced from each other,
The plurality of light sources emit light in a time-division manner.

According to the camera of the present invention, as is apparent from the above description, a light source unit having a simple structure and high practicality can be realized.

Hereinafter, a range finder device according to an embodiment of the technology related to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First Reference Example)
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a range finder according to a first reference example of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 1 camera, 2a and 2b are light sources, 5 is a light source control unit, and 6 is a distance calculation unit. The operation of the above configuration will be described below.

(4) The light source control unit 5 causes the light sources 2a and 2b to emit light alternately in each field cycle in synchronization with the vertical synchronization signal of the camera 1. As the light sources 2a and 2b, for example, as shown in FIG. 2A, a light source in which flash light sources 7 and 8 such as a xenon flash lamp are vertically arranged and the direction of a rear reflector is shifted left and right is used. it can. FIG. 2B is a plan view of FIG. The light sources 2a and 2b radiate light to ranges A and B, respectively. The xenon lamp preferably has a small light emitting portion and can be regarded as a point light source when viewed from above. Further, the light sources 2a and 2b are arranged in the vertical direction, but the distance is about 1 cm, and it can be considered that light is emitted from almost one point.

光 The light pattern radiated from such a light source is as shown in FIG. This shows the magnitude of the brightness of the screen surface when the light is projected on the temporary screen in the direction indicated by? In the figure. That is, each light source has the characteristic of being brightest on the central axis and darker toward the periphery. The reason why the center is bright and the periphery is dark is that the semi-cylindrical reflectors 9 and 10 are arranged behind the flash light sources 7 and 8. Also, the directions of the semi-cylindrical reflectors 9 and 10 are shifted, and the respective projected lights are emitted so that a part thereof overlaps.

FIG. 4 shows the relationship between the angle and the light intensity of the projection light from the light source on the plane in the direction H in FIG. The H direction is a direction of a cross line between an arbitrary surface S and the temporary screen among a plurality of surfaces including a light source center and a lens center. In the α portion of the light pattern, the light emitted from the two light sources to the subject space is bright on one side and bright on the left side as viewed from each light source. However, this pattern is also different in the height direction (Y direction).

FIG. 5 shows the relationship between the light intensity ratio of the two projection lights in the object illumination and the angle φ formed by projecting the projection light on the XZ plane with respect to the X axis in the α portion of FIG. It is a thing. In the α portion, the relationship between the light intensity ratio and the angle φ has a one-to-one correspondence. In order to measure the distance, two kinds of light patterns are alternately projected in advance on a plane which is vertically separated from the light source by a predetermined distance, and the reflected light is imaged by the camera 1 to obtain each Y coordinate. Data on the relationship between the light intensity ratio and the angle of the projection light as shown in FIG. 5 is obtained for each (corresponding to the Y coordinate on the CCD). Each Y coordinate means each of a plurality of surfaces including the center of the light source and the center of the lens.

Further, if the light source is arranged so that the line segment connecting the lens center of the camera 1 and the light source is parallel to the X axis of the CCD imaging surface, the light intensity ratio determined for each Y coordinate and the angle of the projected light The distance calculation can be accurately performed by using the relation data. Hereinafter, a method of calculating a distance using the light intensity ratio will be described.

When the point P in FIG. 1 is set as a point of interest, the brightness ratio obtained from the image data obtained when two types of light patterns are irradiated with respect to the point P of the image captured by the camera 1 corresponds to the Y coordinate value of the point P. The angle φ of the point P viewed from the light source is measured by using the relationship of FIG. Note that, as described above, the relationship in FIG. 5 has different characteristics depending on the Y coordinate value, and the relationship between the light intensity ratio and the horizontal angle φ from the light source is prepared for each Y coordinate by preliminary measurement. Shall be. Further, the angle θ with respect to the point P viewed from the camera is determined from the position in the image (that is, the pixel coordinate value of the point P) and the camera parameters (focal length, optical center position of the lens system). Then, the distance is calculated from the two angles and the distance between the light source position and the optical center position of the camera (base line length) according to the principle of triangulation.

With the optical center of the camera as the origin, the optical axis direction of the camera is set as Z axis, the horizontal direction as X axis, and the vertical direction as Y axis. The angle of the point of interest viewed from the light source with the X axis is φ, Assuming that the angle between the direction of the observed point of interest and the X axis is θ, and the light source position is (0, −D), that is, the base line length is D, the depth value Z of the point of interest P is given by the above equation (1).
Z = Dtanθtanφ / (tanθ−tanφ)
Can be calculated as

As described above, according to the present reference example, at the time of distance measurement with a range finder using light intensity, the distance measurement is performed by correcting the change in light intensity caused by the light source and the optical system, so that all the operations are electronic. A stable and accurate range finder device that can be realized can be realized.

By arranging a half mirror or a dichroic mirror and a color camera in front of the infrared camera of the range finder according to the present embodiment, a color image of the same viewpoint can be obtained simultaneously with the distance image, which is included in the present invention.

Note that the distance calculation unit in this embodiment calculates only the distance Z and outputs the calculation result as a distance image. However, using the angle ω shown in FIG. All the original coordinate values X, Y, and Z may be calculated and three-dimensional coordinate data may be output, which is included in the present invention.

X = Z / tanθ
Y = Z / tanω (2)
In this reference example, if the light sources 2a and 2b emit light at the same time and are used as a normal flash lamp in which the brightness at one center is large and the periphery is dark as shown by the dotted line in FIG. Can be imaged.

In this reference example, if an infrared-pass filter is inserted in front of the light source 2 and a camera 1 having sensitivity in the infrared wavelength region is used, the lighting of the flash light can be applied to a user or another camera image. It can prevent interference. Further, if an image is captured by a normal color camera simultaneously with the infrared camera using a half mirror or a dichroic mirror, a depth image and a texture image corresponding to the depth image can be captured simultaneously.

In this embodiment, since the flash light flashes for several hundred microseconds, if the camera 1 is set to perform the exposure by the shutter operation only during that period, it is possible to suppress the background light from affecting the distance measurement. It is possible to capture a distance image even in a bright place to some extent.

Also, in this reference example, the subject was irradiated with two types of light patterns, and the light intensity ratio at each pixel was calculated using the captured image in each case. Then, a total of three types of images (two types of optical patterns and one type without optical patterns) may be obtained and calculated. In this case, when calculating the light intensity ratio of each pixel, a difference value is calculated by subtracting the light intensity when there is no light pattern from the light intensity value when each light pattern is irradiated. Then, a ratio of these difference values is calculated to be a light intensity ratio. In this manner, in the case of imaging in a bright place, a distance calculation error due to background light can be suppressed.
(Second reference example)
FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of the range finder according to the first reference example of the present invention. In FIG. 7, 1a is a camera having sensitivity to infrared light, 2a and 2b are light sources, 3a and 3b are infrared transmission filters, 4a and 4b are ND filters whose transmittance changes in the horizontal direction, and 5 is a light source control unit. , 6 are distance calculators. The operation of the above configuration will be described below.

The light source control unit 5 causes the light sources 2a and 2b to emit light in each field cycle in synchronization with the vertical synchronization signal of the infrared camera 1a. As the light sources 2a and 2b, those that emit a flash such as a xenon lamp and have a small light emitting portion (which can be regarded as a point light source) are desirable. The light sources 2a and 2b are arranged in the vertical direction.

In front of each light source, infrared transmission filters 3a and 3b and ND filters 4a and 4b are arranged. The transmittance of the ND filters 4a and 4b changes in the horizontal direction. FIG. 2 shows the relationship between the angle from the light source in the horizontal direction and the transmittance of the ND filters 4a and 4b.
With these ND filters, the light emitted from the two light sources to the subject space is brighter on the right side on one side and brighter on the left side as viewed from the light sources. As a result, the right or left side bright light is alternately projected onto the subject every field cycle.

FIG. 5 shows the relationship between the light intensity ratio of the two projection lights and the angle in the horizontal direction from the light source. Hereinafter, a method of calculating a distance using the light intensity ratio will be described.

When the point P in FIG. 7 is set as a point of interest, the angle of the point P viewed from the light source is measured from the luminance ratio between the fields of the point P of the image captured by the camera 1a by using the relationship in FIG. I do. The angle with respect to the point P viewed from the camera is determined from the position in the image (that is, the pixel coordinate value of the point P) and camera parameters (focal length, optical center position of the lens system). Then, the distance is calculated from the two angles and the distance between the light source position and the optical center position of the camera (base line length) according to the principle of triangulation.

With the optical center of the camera as the origin, the optical axis direction of the camera is set as Z axis, the horizontal direction as X axis, and the vertical direction as Y axis. The angle of the point of interest viewed from the light source with the X axis is φ, Assuming that the angle between the direction of the observed point of interest and the X axis is θ and the light source position is (0, −D), that is, the base line length is D, the depth value Z of the point of interest P is Z = Dtanθtanφ / (tanθ−tanφ). Can be calculated.

The distance calculator 6 calculates a distance image from the video signal of the camera 1a. The method may be the same as that of the first embodiment, but there is another method capable of more accurate measurement as described below. FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram of the distance calculation unit 6. In FIG. 8, 11a and 11b are field memories, 12a and 12b are light intensity correcting means, 13 is a light intensity ratio calculating means, and 14 is a distance converting means. The operation of each component will be described below.

The image captured by the camera 1a is written to the field memories 11a and 11b for each field.

The light intensity correcting means 12a and 12b are means for correcting the light intensity written in the field memory. The reason for the correction will be described below. FIG. 9 shows the relationship between the light intensity to be imaged and pixel coordinate values when a screen with a constant distance Z is irradiated with light from a point light source (without an ND filter) and the light reflected from the surface is imaged. Show. In FIG. 9, for simplicity, only the horizontal direction is shown one-dimensionally, but the light intensity also shows a curved distribution in the vertical direction.

The factors of this distribution include marginal dimming due to the camera lens system, changes in reflected light intensity due to changes in the angle of incidence of light rays on the object surface, changes in light intensity due to angles from the light source, and the like. The change in light intensity caused by these factors becomes an error when observing the light intensity ratio, that is, an error when measuring the distance. Therefore, the light intensity needs to be converted to improve the distance measurement accuracy. If there is this error, a portion that is not a monotonically increasing curve may occur in the characteristic curve of FIG. In such a part, the light intensity and the angle do not correspond one-to-one. As a result, the measurement result will be out of order. Further, if there is no error, the light intensity (ratio) is constant in the Y-axis direction, and there is an advantage that only one conversion table in FIG. 5 is required. Become).

In order to reduce the measurement error, the light intensity conversion means 12a and 12b convert a two-dimensional light intensity curve distribution in an image on a screen separated by a reference distance without an ND filter. Measured in advance, when obtaining the relationship between the light intensity and the angle of the projection light (corresponding to FIG. 5), and when measuring the actual distance of the subject, according to the curve distribution of the light intensity measured in advance, Corrects and converts the light intensity of the field memory. In the correction conversion, a coefficient for correcting the curve distribution of the light intensity to a constant value (that is, a ratio of a light intensity captured at each pixel to a peak value or an arbitrary value) is stored as a two-dimensional LUT (lookup table). Then, the data in the field memory is multiplied by a correction count for each pixel.

(4) If the distance at which the subject is arranged is known in advance, the reference distance can be set near the distance to improve the accuracy of distance measurement.

As described above, according to the present reference example, at the time of distance measurement with a range finder using light intensity, the distance measurement is performed by correcting the light intensity error caused by the light source and the optical system, so that all the electronic operations are performed. A stable and accurate range finder device can be realized.

By arranging a half mirror or a dichroic mirror and a color camera in front of the infrared camera of the range finder according to the present embodiment, a color image of the same viewpoint can be obtained simultaneously with the distance image.

In the description of the distance calculation unit in the present reference example, only the distance Z is calculated and the calculation result is output as a distance image. However, the following equation Z = Dtanθtanφ / ( (tanθ-tanφ)
X = Z / tanθ
Y = Z / tanω
Thus, the three-dimensional coordinate values X, Y, and Z can all be calculated and three-dimensional coordinate data can be output.

In the light intensity correction in the distance calculation unit of the present embodiment, if the subject moves away from the above-described reference distance, the position of the imaged pixel shifts (that is, parallax occurs), so that the distance measurement accuracy decreases. In such a case, the light intensity correction amounts for a plurality of reference distances are prepared in advance, the distance is calculated by first performing correction at a certain reference distance, and then the correction amount at a reference distance close to that. The accuracy of measurement can be improved by calculating the distance again by using.

In this reference example, if the light sources 2a and 2b emit light at the same time and are used as a normal flash lamp in which the brightness at one center is large and the periphery is dark as shown by the dotted line in FIG. Can be imaged.
Further, in the present embodiment, if an image is captured simultaneously with a normal color camera coaxially with the infrared camera using a half mirror or a dichroic mirror, a depth image and a texture image corresponding to the depth image can be captured simultaneously.

In this embodiment, since the flash light flashes for several hundred microseconds, if the camera 1 is set to perform the exposure by the shutter operation only during that period, it is possible to suppress the background light from affecting the distance measurement. It is possible to capture a distance image even in a bright place to some extent.

Also, in this reference example, the subject was irradiated with two types of light patterns, and the light intensity ratio at each pixel was calculated using the captured image in each case. Then, a total of three types of images (two types of optical patterns and one type without optical patterns) may be obtained and calculated.
In this case, when calculating the light intensity ratio of each pixel, a difference value is calculated by subtracting the light intensity when there is no light pattern from the light intensity value when each light pattern is irradiated. Then, a ratio of these difference values is calculated to be a light intensity ratio. In this manner, in the case of imaging in a bright place, a distance calculation error due to background light can be suppressed.

In this embodiment, the light pattern projected onto the subject is replaced with a light-transmitting liquid crystal display element (for a normal liquid crystal video projector) instead of the ND filters 4a and 4b and the light sources 2a and 2b whose transmittance changes laterally. And one light source may be used. By switching the light transmission pattern of the light transmission type liquid crystal display element and causing the light source to emit light twice, or by turning on the light source and switching between two types of light patterns of the light transmission type liquid crystal display element, this reference is used. As in the example, two types of light patterns can be applied to the subject in a time-division manner.

(Third reference example)
FIG. 10A is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of a third embodiment of the range finder according to the present invention. The configuration of this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG.

半導体 As shown in FIG. 10A, the semiconductor laser 201 is light source means for emitting light having a wavelength λ. The first optical fiber 202 is means for guiding light emitted from the semiconductor laser 201 to the optical distributor 203. A collimator lens 204 is disposed between the first optical fiber 202 and the semiconductor laser 201. The light distributor 203 is a light distribution unit that branches light guided from the first optical fiber 202 into two paths. The light distributor 203 is provided with a shutter mechanism, and is means for sending the split light to the second optical fibers a and b in a time-division manner. The second optical fiber a (205a) and the second optical fiber b (205b) each have one end connected to the light distributor 203 and transmit light branched from an opening at the other end to an object (for example, an inner wall of a stomach or the like). ). The camera unit 206 is an imaging unit that acquires image data of a subject based on light reflected by the subject and received by the light-receiving optical fiber bundle 207. Note that a lens 210 is disposed close to the end of the light receiving optical fiber bundle 207. The CCD 209 is an image sensor attached to the camera unit 206 so as to receive light from the light receiving optical fiber bundle 207. The light emitted from the opening 208a of the second optical fiber a (205a) has the light intensity distribution as shown in FIG. 4 described in the reference example. The same applies to the light emitted from the opening 208b of the second optical fiber b (205b). The reason why the light intensity distribution of these lights differs depending on the position in the horizontal direction is that the light emitted from the opening of the optical fiber is diffused based on the opening angle. Therefore, the shape of the light intensity distribution can be changed by adjusting the aperture angle. The aperture angle can be adjusted to some extent by setting the refractive index in the diameter direction of the optical fiber to a predetermined value.

The range finder according to the present embodiment is a distance calculating means (shown in the drawing) that has the same function as the distance calculating unit 6 described in the above-described embodiment and calculates the distance to the subject based on image data from the camera unit 206. (Omitted). An optical fiber bundle may be used for both or one of the first optical fiber 202 and the second optical fibers a and b (205a and 205b).

With the above configuration, the operation of the present embodiment will be described next with reference to FIG.

レ ン ジ The range finder of this reference example can be used as an endoscope such as a gastroscope camera.

That is, the distal ends of the second optical fibers a and b (205a and 205b) and the distal end of the light receiving optical fiber 207 are inserted into the stomach of the patient.

(4) Light having a light intensity distribution characteristic as shown in FIG. 4 is radiated from the openings of the second optical fibers a and b in a time-sharing manner as in the first embodiment. The light receiving optical fiber 207 receives the reflected light of these lights. Further, the camera unit 206 sends image data of the inner wall of the stomach obtained from the reflected light to the distance calculation unit. The distance calculator calculates and outputs three-dimensional distance data of the inner wall of the stomach in the same manner as in the first embodiment. The output distance data is sent to a monitor (not shown) and displayed three-dimensionally. The doctor can move the tip of the second optical fiber while looking at the monitor, and see a three-dimensionally projected image of the affected part. As a result, a more accurate examination can be performed as compared with the related art.

In the above reference example, the range finder having one semiconductor laser as the light source unit has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. A configuration may be used. That is, in this case, the semiconductor lasers 201a and 201b as light source units are provided with optical fibers 205a and 205b for individually guiding the emitted lights toward the subject and irradiating the subject with the emitted light. Collimator lenses 204a and 204b are arranged between the optical fibers 205a and 205b and the semiconductor lasers 201a and 201b. With such a configuration, the same effect as described above is exhibited.

Further, in the above reference example, the configuration in which the optical distributor 203 is provided between the first optical fiber 202 and the two second fibers 205a and 205b has been described. Instead of the second optical fibers 205a and 205b, a structure provided with light branching means (not shown) for branching light guided from the first optical fiber into two paths at the distal end of the fiber and irradiating the two paths with a subject. But it's fine. In this case, the second optical fiber can be omitted, and the same effect as described above is exerted.

Further, in the above-described reference example, as shown in FIG. 11A, a configuration in which nothing is arranged before the optical fibers 205a and 205b has been described. A collimating lens 301 (see FIG. 11B) and a cylindrical lens (or rod lens) 302 (see FIG. 11C) are provided on the front surfaces of the openings 208a and 208b of the openings 205a and 208b. May be arranged. Thereby, the intensity of the light emitted from the opening can be more efficiently and uniformly changed in position. It is to be noted that light having the same light intensity is output from the front surface of each of the openings 208a and 208b. Instead, a transmittance changing filter 1 (303a) having a different light transmittance and a different light transmittance is used. It is also possible to arrange the filter 2 (303b) in front of each opening 208a, 208b.

Here, the characteristics of the filter shown in FIG. 11D will be further described with reference to FIGS. 12A and 12B.

{For example, the intensity distribution of the light transmitted through the transmittance changing filter 1 (303a) shown in FIG. 12A is set to be the one denoted by reference numeral 401a in FIG. 12B. On the other hand, the intensity distribution of the light transmitted through the transmittance change filter 2 (303b) is set so as to be denoted by reference numeral 401b in FIG. FIG. 12B is a diagram showing the light intensity distribution in the range of α shown in FIG. The present invention can be realized by using such a transmittance change filter.

Note that it goes without saying that the above description can be applied to a camera according to the present invention, which will be described later, and the same effect is exerted.

Further, in the above reference example, the case where the light distributor is provided with the shutter mechanism and the object is irradiated with light in a time-divisional manner has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. Light of a different frequency is included, and light of a different wavelength is emitted from the opening by providing a filter in the light distributor. By providing the camera unit with a filter and a light receiving element that can receive light while distinguishing these two wavelengths, it is possible to simultaneously irradiate the subject with each of the two wavelengths. . As a result, the measurement time can be reduced. Also in the configuration shown in FIG. 10B, if the wavelengths of the semiconductor lasers 201a and 201b are made different, and the camera unit 206 is provided with a filter and a light receiving element that can receive light while distinguishing two types of wavelengths, As described above, the measurement time can be reduced.

In the above reference example, a semiconductor laser is used as a light source. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, an LED or a lamp may be used.

Next, a description will be given of a camera according to the present invention in which a range finder device as a reference example related to the present invention described above is realized with a more compact and simple structure.

That is, in the above-described range finder device, it is necessary to displace the light reflectors of the light sources 2a and 2b as shown in FIG. It can be said that the structure is complicated.

な い と Also, if the distance between the camera lens and the light source is not more than a few tens of centimeters, triangulation is used, so that there is a problem that the measurement accuracy is not high. Even if this is to be accommodated in the camera housing, the camera becomes quite large.

Also, measuring the size and dimensions of an object imaged by a conventionally known camera has a disadvantage that it cannot be easily calculated unless the distance to the subject is known. Further, it was impossible to know the size of the subject from the color image once photographed.

In addition, in order to extract a subject from an image captured by a conventionally known camera, an environment having a single color background must be prepared in advance, and extensive preparation is required.

Hereinafter, a camera for shape measurement and a camera for extracting a subject according to an embodiment of the present invention that can solve such inconveniences will be described with reference to the drawings.
(First Embodiment)
FIGS. 13A and 13B are configuration diagrams of a shape measurement camera and a subject extraction camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 20 is a block diagram of this camera.

In FIG. 13, reference numerals 501 and 502 denote a camera housing, 503 denotes a photographing lens, 504 denotes a recording medium, 505 and 506 denote first and second strobes forming a light source unit, and 507 denotes a finder.
20, 532 is a display unit, 533 is an imaging unit, 534 is a light source control unit, 535 is a distance calculation unit, 536 is a color image calculation unit, 538 is a media recording / playback unit, and 550 is an image memory.

In the structure of this shape measuring camera, as shown in FIG. 13A, a housing 501 containing a camera unit and a housing 502 containing a light emitting unit can be fitted to each other with different thicknesses and overlapping each other. The structure shown in FIG. 13A and the state shown in FIG. 13B can be selected by the user by sliding the housings 501 and 502. When the camera is carried, it is kept in a small state in the state of (a), and when taking a picture, the case is extended and used in the state as shown in (b). Thereby, the interval D between the center of the lens 503 and the strobes 505 and 506 of the light source unit can be set to be large during use. FIG. 20A shows a simplified system that does not use the image memory 550, and FIG. 20B shows a type that has an image memory and can capture and display at high speed.

The strobes 505 and 506 of the light source unit are configured as shown in FIG. 2, for example, and include a strobe light emitting tube 530 and a light shielding plate 528 having a hole whose center position is shifted. At this time, as shown in the plan view of FIG. 15, the light emitted from the line segment of the arc tube 530 is emitted by the light shielding plate 528 while the manner in which the light is blocked changes depending on the location. At this time, the position of the hole of the light shielding plate 528 is shifted from the strobe light emitting tube 530, and light is generated such that the light gradually increases between the points A and B on the straight line l. As a result, as shown in FIG. 16, a light pattern is generated from the two strobe light emitting tubes such that the light intensity changes in opposite directions. Next, a method of calculating a depth distance using such light will be described. The contents are almost the same as the depth distance calculation method described above.

光 The light pattern obtained in this way is a pattern in which the light intensity changes as shown in FIG. FIG. 18 shows this change in light intensity one-dimensionally in the horizontal X direction. In the α portion of the light pattern, one of the lights emitted from the two light sources to the subject space is bright on the right side and bright on the left side as viewed from the light sources. However, this pattern also changes in the height direction (Y direction).

FIG. 19 shows the relationship between the light intensity ratio of the two projection lights in the subject illumination and the angle φ in the horizontal direction from the light source in the α portion of FIG. In the α portion, the relationship between the light intensity ratio and the angle φ in the horizontal direction from the light source has a one-to-one correspondence. In order to measure the distance, two types of light patterns are alternately projected in advance on a vertical plane, and the reflected light is imaged by the camera 501. It is necessary to obtain data on the relationship between the light intensity ratio and the position from the light source in the horizontal direction.

If the light source is arranged so that the line segment connecting the lens center of the camera 501 and the light source is horizontal to the X axis of the imaging surface, the light intensity ratio determined for each Y coordinate and the light intensity ratio from the horizontal light source The distance calculation can be accurately performed by using the data on the positional relationship. This is calculated by the distance calculation unit in FIG. Hereinafter, a method of calculating a distance using the light intensity ratio will be described.

When the point P in FIG. 20A is set as a point of interest, two types of light patterns from the strobes 505 and 506 of the light source for the point P of the image captured by the imaging unit 533 based on the user's imaging intention are obtained. By using the relationship shown in FIG. 19 corresponding to the Y coordinate value of the point P and the luminance ratio obtained from the imaging data output from the imaging unit 533 when the image is projected by the light source control unit 534 in a time division manner, The angle φ of the point P as viewed from is measured.

As described above, the relationship in FIG. 19 has different characteristics depending on the Y coordinate value, and the relationship between the light intensity ratio and the horizontal angle φ from the light source is prepared for each Y coordinate by preliminary measurement. Shall be. Further, the angle θ with respect to the point P viewed from the camera is determined from the position in the image (that is, the pixel coordinate value of the point P) and the camera parameters (focal length, optical center position of the lens system). Then, the distance is calculated from the two angles and the distance between the light source position and the optical center position of the camera (base line length D) according to the principle of triangulation.

With the optical center of the camera as the origin, the optical axis direction of the camera is set as Z axis, the horizontal direction as X axis, and the vertical direction as Y axis. The angle of the point of interest viewed from the light source with the X axis is φ, Assuming that the angle between the direction of the observed point of interest and the X axis is θ and the light source position is (0, −D), that is, the base line length is D, the depth value Z of the point of interest P is given by the following equation: Z = Dtanθtanφ / (tanθ−tanφ)
Can be calculated as At this time, if the value of D (the distance between the lens and the light source unit) is small, the accuracy of the measured depth value Z decreases. For example, for a subject up to a distance of about 3 m, if the value of D is set to 20 to 30 cm, the depth can be measured with an error of about 1% of the measured distance. As the value of D becomes smaller, the measurement error becomes larger. The X and Y coordinates of the point of interest P are given by the following equations.

X = Z / tanθ
Y = Z / tanω
In addition, the color image calculation unit 536 calculates an image obtained by averaging the imaging data at the time of irradiating the above-described two types of light patterns, and sets this as a color image. As shown in FIG. 18, the two types of optical patterns have characteristics in which the brightness changes complementarily to each other, and by adding and averaging them, it is equivalent to an image captured with a strobe of uniform brightness. A color image can be obtained.

The color image and the depth image obtained as described above are displayed on the display unit 532 and recorded on the recording medium 504 through the media recording / reproducing unit 538. Of course, the color image and the depth image once recorded can be read out by the media recording / reproducing unit 538 and displayed on the display unit 532.

{Circle around (2)} As shown in FIG. 20B, if image data from the imaging unit 533 is temporarily stored in the image memory 550, images can be continuously input. Further, a plurality of images once recorded on the recording medium 504 can be read out to the image memory 550 and reproduced and displayed at high speed.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to generate a plurality of light patterns with a simple structure simply by using a linear strobe luminous tube and a light-shielding plate with holes in the light intensity change pattern. A stable shape measurement camera can be realized.

In addition, it is compact when it is carried, and it is possible to extend the main body when taking a picture to increase the distance D between the lens 503 and the strobes 505 and 506 of the light source unit, thereby realizing a shape measuring camera capable of measuring a depth image with high accuracy. .

(Second embodiment)
FIG. 28 is a configuration diagram of a shape measurement camera and a subject extraction camera according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 28, reference numerals 501 and 502 denote a housing of a camera, reference numerals 505 and 506 denote first and second strobes each forming a light source unit, reference numeral 518 denotes a display panel, reference numeral 519 denotes a touch panel, reference numeral 532 denotes a display unit, reference numeral 533 denotes an imaging unit, and reference numeral 535. Denotes a distance calculation unit, 536 denotes a color image calculation unit, 538 denotes a media recording / reproduction unit, and 537 denotes a control unit. Hereinafter, the operations of the shape measuring camera and the subject extracting camera having the above configuration will be described.

FIG. 27 shows the back surface of the shape measuring camera. On the back surface, a display panel 518 and a touch panel 519 are arranged so as to overlap each other, display a captured color image or a depth image, and display a focused position (coordinate) in the image with a finger or a stick by the user. Can be specified.

FIG. 28 is a block diagram of the display / distance measurement. The captured distance image and color image are input to the control unit 537, and the coordinates of the user's attention position specification are also input to the control unit 537. The control unit 537 displays the photographed color image on the display panel 518, calculates the actual distance and the like from the plurality of designated coordinates of interest input from the touch panel 519 and the depth image, and displays the calculated actual distance and the like on the display panel 518.

FIG. 25 shows how the position of interest is specified. First, it is assumed that a color image of a desk photographed by the user is displayed on the display unit 518. The user designates the designated points A523 and B524 with a finger or a stick.

When specified, the shape measuring camera uses the values of the actual coordinates A (Xa, Ya, Za) and B (Xb, Yb, Zb) of each coordinate position of the obtained depth image to obtain points A, B Is the distance Lab of the line segment AB connecting

Is calculated and displayed on another part of the display panel 518. In this example, it is displayed that the length of AB is 25 cm. In this way, the user can measure the distance between the points to be measured of the photographed subject without touching the subject even if the distance is the length in the depth direction.

同 様 Similarly, it is possible to measure the size of a circular subject instead of a straight line. FIG. 26 shows an example in which a circular table is imaged. For example, the user touches a finger or a stick on the touch panel at three appropriate positions A523, B524, and C526 on a circular circumference to be measured while viewing the color image captured and displayed on the display panel 518. Specified by

After that, the shape measuring camera calculates the equation of a circle passing through these three points from the spatial coordinate values A (Xa, Ya, Za), B (Xb, Yb, Zb), and C (Xc, Yc, Zc). Ask. Although there are various methods for obtaining, for example, a perpendicular bisector of the line segments AB and BC is obtained, and the intersection thereof is the center G (Xg, Yg, Zg) of the circle. Next, the average value of the lengths of the line segments GA, GB, and GC may be used as the radius of the circle.

半径 The radius obtained in this way is displayed as 50 cm in FIG. 26 to notify the user. In this way, the size of a complicated shape such as a circle can be measured without touching the subject. In addition, if there is an equation that defines the shape, such as an equilateral triangle or an ellipse, the user must specify multiple points and measure the size from the depth image without touching the subject. Can be. In this case, the user inputs the coordinates of the point of interest using the touch panel. However, a cursor (such as a cross-shaped pattern) that moves up, down, left, and right is displayed on the display panel 518, and the position is designated by moving the position with the push button. And input the coordinates of the point of interest.

Further, if the calculation result of the size of the subject is recorded on the recording medium 504 through the media recording / reproducing unit 538, the user need not memorize the measurement result, and can take out the recording medium 504 and read and write the recording medium 504. It can be used with a device (such as a personal computer) having the same function as the recording / reproducing unit 538, which is convenient. Of course, the measurement result may be superimposed in the captured color image and stored as an image.

In the above example, the length of the subject is measured. However, a plurality of lengths can be measured, and the area or volume can be determined based on the measured length.

Furthermore, other examples of display and use of photographing data are described.

As shown in FIG. 27, a display unit 518 and a touch panel 519 are arranged on the rear surface of the camera so as to overlap with each other, display a captured color image and a depth image, and display the image with a finger or a stick. An attention position (coordinate) in the image can be designated. By utilizing this, it is possible to realize a subject extraction camera that can obtain an image obtained by cutting out only a subject that the user pays attention to.

FIG. 28 is a block diagram of the display / cutout operation, and has basically the same structure as the above-described shape measuring camera. The captured distance image and color image are input to the control unit 537, and the coordinates of the user's attention position specification are also input to the control unit 537.

The control unit 537 displays the captured color image on the display panel 518, cuts out only the subject intended by the user from the plurality of attention designated coordinates input by the touch panel 519 and the depth image, and displays the cutout image on the display unit 518. Then, it can be recorded on the recording medium 504. This operation will be described with reference to FIG.

First, it is assumed that the user wants to cut out the subject 520. The user specifies a part of the subject 520 on the touch panel 519. The control unit 537 obtains the depth value of the part including the coordinates from the depth image, determines that the part having the depth continuously connected to the part is the subject of interest of the user, and displays only that part. The other parts are painted in a specific color and displayed on the display panel 518.

Judgment of the connected part is based on the so-called image processing, starting from the designated coordinates, expanding the area vertically and horizontally as far as the depth value changes continuously, and stopping there if there is a depth discontinuity part. Just do it.

In addition, the user specifies a distance that is slightly longer than the distance from the camera of the subject that the user wants to cut out, or specifies a range of the distance that the user wants to cut out using the touch panel or the push button, and the control unit 537 sets the distance from the distance specified by the value. Is displayed only in a portion of the color image having a close value or in a portion within a specified distance range, and the other portions are painted in a specific color, displayed on the display panel 518, and displayed on the recording medium 504. To record.

こ と By doing so, the camera can determine and cut out only the subject of interest by the user, and display and record it. Also, in this case, depending on the image processing, there is a possibility that a part that is determined to be the foreground due to a malfunction may occur even though it is a background part, as shown in FIG.

In this case, if the user designates a portion (FIG. 29) that seems to have malfunctioned by using the touch panel 519 and corrects the display result so that this is the background, the cut-out color of a high-quality subject can be obtained. Images can be obtained. Of course, in this case, the user may specify a portion determined to be the background due to a malfunction, and perform the correcting operation so that this portion becomes the foreground.

In the above manner, a color image is cut out according to the distance by using the information of the depth image, so that an image in which only the object of interest of the user is cut out can be easily obtained and stored.

In FIG. 28, an image memory is arranged in the control unit 537, and an image to be reproduced / operated is temporarily stored in the image memory, thereby increasing the access speed of the image or switching and displaying a plurality of images at high speed.・ Can be operated.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the actual size of a subject can be measured without touching the subject. Further, it is possible to realize a shape measuring camera and a subject extracting camera that can easily cut out and save only a subject of interest of the user based on the depth information.

Also, in the first embodiment, the same effect can be obtained even if the housing of the shape measuring camera is configured as shown in FIG. That is, the camera unit 509 in which the imaging unit 533 is arranged and the strobe unit 508 in which the first and second strobes 505 and 506 forming the light source are arranged are connected by the connection unit 510 having a hinge-like structure. The structure allows the user to freely fold as shown in FIG. 21A or extend as shown in FIG. At the time of carrying, the size is small as shown in FIG. 3A, and when the image is taken as shown in FIG. 4B, the distance D between the lens 503 and the first and second strobes 505 and 506 of the light source can be increased. I can do it.

構造 Also, as shown in FIG. 21C, a structure in which the lens and the first and second strobes 505 and 506 are arranged vertically can be employed. In this case, in the depth image calculation, the angles φ and θ are changed in the horizontal direction in the above description, but are changed only in the vertical direction. Thereafter, the depth image can be calculated by the same calculation. In order to generate a change in the light intensity in the vertical direction, the light source has a vertically arranged arc tube configuration as shown in FIG.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 23, the housing 501 containing the camera unit and the housing 502 containing the light emitting unit as shown in FIG. A similar effect can be obtained even if the structure is made as follows. The configuration of the light source unit at this time is as shown in FIG.

Also, in the first embodiment, the same effect can be obtained even if the housing of the shape measuring camera is configured as shown in FIG. That is, the housing 517 of the portion including the first and second strobes 505 and 506 of the light source unit is made small, and is connected to the camera housing 501 by a hinge structure. In use, the user turns the housing 517 to expose the first and second strobes 505 and 506 of the light source unit, so that the first and second strobes 505 and 506 of the light source unit are usually not exposed and careless. The housing can be made small while preventing damage due to contact, and at the same time, the distance D between these and the lens can be made large at the time of photographing.

In the first embodiment, the light source is configured as shown in FIG. 2. However, as shown in FIG. 24A, the light source is provided with a single arc tube 529, and a liquid crystal barrier 531 is placed in front thereof. A similar optical pattern generation function can be provided even with a different structure.

In this case, the light transmitting portions are sequentially set on the left side with respect to the arc tube 529 as shown in FIG. 24B and on the right side as shown in FIG. 24C, and the arc tube 529 is sequentially set once in each state. By emitting one light-emitting tube twice sequentially without using two light-emitting tubes as shown in FIG. 2, a light pattern similar to that shown in FIG. 18 can be generated.

As a result, the number of arc tubes is small, and the emission position of the emission pattern does not come out of a position slightly shifted up and down as shown in FIG. 2, but it can be made to emit light as if it were emitted from the same position. Measurement errors can be reduced.

This is because, in FIG. 20, the position of the emission point Q of the optical pattern is shifted in the vertical direction in the present embodiment, but in this case, the position is the same, so that the straight line PQ becomes one line and the vertical position This is because an error does not occur as compared with the case where depth calculation is performed using different straight lines.

In this case, by setting the entire surface of the liquid crystal barrier 531 in a light transmitting state as shown in FIG. 24D, the liquid crystal barrier 531 can be used as a strobe of a camera for capturing a normal two-dimensional image.

Further, in the first embodiment, the depth measurement image and the color image are calculated by the shape measurement camera and the subject extraction camera main body, and are calculated by the recording medium. However, as shown in FIG. Image data captured in synchronization with the first and second strobes 505 and 506 of the light source is recorded on a recording medium 504 through a media recording / reproducing unit 538, and the image data is analyzed by an analyzer 39 composed of a personal computer or the like. May be read, and a desired analysis result may be obtained by the distance calculation unit 535 and the color image calculation unit 536, and the display unit 532 may be used to cut out the subject or measure the shape.

{Circle around (4)} Image data can also be transferred to the analyzer 539 without going through the recording medium 504. For example, the camera main body and the analysis device 539 are connected using the communication means of the current data. For example, in wired communication, a parallel data interface, a serial data interface, and a telephone line can be used. In wireless communication, optical communication, infrared communication, mobile phone network communication, and radio wave communication can be used. Further, the analysis result can be recorded on a recording medium.

In this case, the imaging unit 533 is a video camera for capturing moving images, and when the recording medium 504 is a recording medium such as a tape, it is usually used as a camera for capturing a color moving image. By pressing a button or the like, the flash is turned on, and an index signal that can identify only the video (frame, field, etc.) of that portion is stored in the recording medium. It is possible to extract only a video and calculate and output a color image and a depth image only for that portion.

Further, in the first embodiment, the light source unit is attached to the camera housing 501 from the beginning. However, by making only the light source unit detachable, the camera housing 501 has a small and easily portable shape during normal color image capturing. A method is also conceivable in which the light source unit is attached and used only when capturing a depth image.

FIG. 37A shows a structure like an external strobe device for photography, and is an external light source equipped with a light source as shown in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 37B, the camera is connected to a camera housing 501 via a connection portion 549 to the camera. FIG. 38 shows an example of a light source for eliminating the shadow of a subject as shown in FIGS.

で は In FIG. 38A, the light sources are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the connection portion 549. FIG. 38B shows a state where the camera is connected to the camera. Also, in FIGS. 37 and 38, the camera body and the light source are connected by a structure like a strobe shoe of a film camera. However, as shown in FIG. 39A, a method of mounting using a tripod mounting screw of the camera is also considered. Can be

In this case, as shown in FIG. 39 (b), the camera is mounted using a screw at the bottom of the housing 501. If the light source is separated as such a detachable external light source device, the size of the camera becomes large only at the time of capturing a depth image, and when it is used as a normal camera, the convenience of small size and light weight can be obtained.

Also, in the second embodiment, in the configuration of FIG. 31, the coordinates of the user can be specified by a configuration using a touch panel, but the user may specify the coordinates by other means. For example, when it is realized by a personal computer, an input device such as a mouse or a keyboard can be used. In addition, a trackball, a switch, a volume, and the like can be applied.

Also, in the first and second embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 13, 21, 22, and 23, the first and second strobes 505 of the two light source units are provided for the imaging unit 533. Although 506 is arranged on one side, in this case, if the subject 540 and the background 541 are imaged in the arrangement shown in FIG. 32, the light obtained from the light source is blocked by the subject 540 as shown in FIG. And a shadow 542 is generated.

This part is an area where light from the light source does not reach, and is an area where information as a distance image cannot be obtained. In this case, as shown in FIG. 34, light sources 543 and 544 having the same configuration as the first and second strobes 505 and 506 of the light source are installed on the opposite sides of the first and second strobes 505 and 506 of the light source with the lens as the center. By doing so, this shadow area can be eliminated. The method is described below.

The area β when the first and second strobes 505 and 506 of the light source are used, and the area α when the light sources 543 and 544 are used are parts where information as a distance image cannot be obtained. Similarly to the above calculation, the distance image A and the color image A when the first and second strobes 505 and 506 of the light source are used, and the distance image B and the color image B when the light sources 543 and 544 are used, respectively. Calculate independently. At this time, in each image, the parts of the areas β and α are determined as the parts having low luminance from the obtained image data.

Next, the distance images A and B are combined to newly generate a distance image having no shadow region. This is because if there is an area in one of the distance images A and B that has not been determined as the above-described low-luminance part, that value is adopted, and if neither is a shadow area, the value of both image data is used. This can be realized by using an average value.

The same applies to a color image. If at least one of the color images A and B has data that is not a shadow portion, a new color image having no shadow region can be synthesized.

In the case of the above configuration, the light sources need to be arranged on the left and right or up and down of the lens. In this case, as shown in FIG. 35, if the housings 512 and 513 each having a light source unit are slid in opposite directions to the left and right of the camera body 511, the user can carry the camera. 35A is sometimes reduced and carried in the state shown in FIG. 35A, and when it is used, it can be extended as shown in FIG. 35B to increase the base line length D, thereby preventing a decrease in depth image measurement accuracy.

{Circle around (3)} As shown in FIG. 36, the same effect can be obtained even if the structure can be folded in three steps. As shown in FIG. 36 (a), when the camera is carried, it is folded to be small and carried, and when it is used, it is widened as shown in FIG. 36 (b).

Also, as shown in FIG. 21C, the casings 512 and 513 in FIG. 35 are arranged above and below the casing 511 in order to make the arrangement of the lens and the light source vertical, or the casings 512 and 513 in FIG. May be arranged above and below the housing 511.

As is clear from the above description, according to the range finder device, it is possible to provide a low-cost, highly reliable device which can be realized by electronic operation without mechanical operation. .

As described above, according to the camera of the present invention, the distance between the camera lens and the light source can be secured to several tens of centimeters or more when the camera is used, but the depth image measurement accuracy is not reduced. In addition, the length and size of the subject can be easily measured without contact, the size of the subject can be known from the color image that has been taken once, and the subject of interest can be easily extracted from the captured image. It is possible to provide a camera for measuring a shape and extracting a subject that can perform the measurement.

According to the camera of the present invention, there is an advantage that a light source unit having a simple structure and high practicality can be realized.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a range finder device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2A is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a light source of a range finder device according to Reference Example 1, and FIG. 2B is a plan view illustrating a configuration of a light source of the range finder device according to Reference Example 1. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an optical pattern of a light source in Reference Example 1. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an optical pattern of a light source and an optical pattern in the case of a plurality of light emission in Reference Example 1. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a light intensity ratio and an angle φ from a light source in Reference Example 1. FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram of calculating three-dimensional positions X, Y, and Z in Reference Example 1. FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a range finder device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a distance calculation and light intensity conversion in Reference Example 2. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a change in light intensity with respect to an X coordinate in Reference Example 2. (A): A block diagram showing a configuration of a range finder device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. (B): A block diagram showing a configuration of a modification of the range finder device according to the third embodiment of the present invention. (A)-(c): Explanatory drawing of the lens system in Reference Example 3, (d): Explanatory drawing of the transmittance changing filter in the reference example. (A): explanatory diagram of the transmittance changing filter in Reference Example 3, (b): explanatory diagram of light intensity distribution by the transmittance changing filter in the reference example. FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams of a camera for shape measurement and for extracting a subject according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a light source unit of the camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a principle diagram of a light source unit of the camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a light intensity diagram of a light source unit of the camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a light intensity pattern of a light source unit of the camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a light intensity pattern of a light source unit of the camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a light intensity ratio of a light source unit of the camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 1A and 1B are block diagrams of a camera according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1A to 1D are configuration diagrams of a camera (2) according to a first embodiment of the present invention. (A), (b) It is an external view of the camera (3) in 1st Embodiment of this invention. (A)-(c) It is a block diagram of the camera (4) in 1st Embodiment of this invention. 3A to 3D are configuration diagrams of a light source unit of the camera (2) according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure showing the display method (1) of the camera in a 2nd embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure showing the display method (2) of the camera in a 2nd embodiment of the present invention. It is a rear appearance view of a camera in a 2nd embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram of a camera in a 2nd embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an image correction operation (1) of the camera according to the second embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure showing image modification operation (2) of a camera in a 2nd embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is another configuration diagram of the camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating occlusion of a camera according to the first and second embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating occlusion of a camera according to the first and second embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a method of avoiding occlusion of a camera according to the first and second embodiments of the present invention. (A), (b) It is an external view for avoiding occlusion of the camera (1) in the 1st, 2nd embodiment of this invention. (A), (b) is an external view for avoiding occlusion of the camera (2) in the first and second embodiments of the present invention. (A), (b) It is an external view of the external light source part (1) of the camera in the 1st, 2nd embodiment of this invention. (A), (b) It is an external view of the external light source part (2) of the camera in the 1st, 2nd embodiment of this invention. (A), (b) It is an external view of the external light source part (3) of the camera in the 1st, 2nd embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a conventional range finder device. FIG. 9 is a characteristic diagram illustrating wavelength characteristics of a light source of a conventional range finder device. (a), (b) is a characteristic diagram of intensity modulation of the light source of the conventional range finder device. (a), (b): It is a measurement principle figure in a range finder.

Explanation of reference numerals

Reference Signs List 1 camera 1a infrared camera 2a light source 2b light source 3a infrared transmission filter 3b infrared transmission filter 4a ND filter whose transmittance changes in the horizontal direction 4b ND filter whose transmittance changes in the horizontal direction 5 light source control unit 6 distance calculation unit 7 Flash light source 8 Flash light source 9 Reflector 10 Reflector 11a Field memory a
11b Field memory b
12a Light intensity converter a
12b Light intensity converter b
Reference Signs List 13 light intensity ratio calculation unit 14 distance conversion unit 101A laser light source 101B laser light source 102 half mirror 103 light source control unit 104 rotating mirror 105 rotation control unit 106 subject 107 lens 108A light wavelength separation filter 108B light wavelength separation filter 109A image sensor 109B image sensor 109C Color image pickup device 110A Camera signal processing unit 110B Camera signal processing unit 111 Color camera signal processing unit 112 Distance calculation unit 113 Control unit 201 Semiconductor laser 202 First optical fiber 203 Light distributor 204 Collimator lens 206 Camera unit 207 Second optical fiber 501 Housing 502 Housing 503 Lens 504 Recording media 505 First strobe 506 Second strobe 507 Finder 508 Strobe unit 509 Camera body Body 510 connection portion 511 camera body 512 light source section housing 513 light source section housing 514 Third strobe 515 Fourth strobe 516 connection portion 517 a light source unit 518 display panel 519 touch 520 object (foreground)
521 subject (background)
527 Portion judged to be foreground due to malfunction 528 Shade plate 529 Strobe arc tube A
530 Strobe light tube B
531 Liquid crystal barrier 532 Display unit 533 Imaging unit 534 Light control unit 535 Distance calculation unit 536 Color image calculation unit 537 Control unit 538 Media recording / playback unit 539 Analysis unit 540 Subject (foreground)
541 subject (background)
542 Light-shielded portion 543 Light-source 3
544 light source unit 4
545 Camera mounting screw 546 Light source unit housing (1)
547 Light source housing (2)
548 Light source fixing base 549 Light source fixing fixture (strobe shoe bracket)
550 Image memory 551 Reflector (1)
552 reflector (2)
100 The part judged to be the background

Claims (14)

It has a light emitting means for irradiating a subject with projection light having a specific radiation pattern, captures a subject reflected light of the light emitting means, and obtains a depth image using the light intensity of the captured image, for shape measurement or object extraction. Camera for
The light-emitting means has a structure in which a light-shielding plate having holes is arranged in front of each of a plurality of linear light sources arranged, and the holes of the light-shielding plates are displaced from each other,
The plurality of light sources emit light in a time-division manner. It has a light emitting means for irradiating a subject with projection light having a specific radiation pattern, captures a subject reflected light of the light emitting means, and obtains a depth image using the light intensity of the captured image, for shape measurement or object extraction. Camera for
In the light-emitting means, a light modulation element having a two-dimensionally different light transmittance is arranged in front of one light source, and a two-dimensional change distribution of the light transmittance can be switched,
A camera, wherein the light emitting means emits light a plurality of times in accordance with switching of the distribution of light transmittance. It has a light emitting means for irradiating a subject with projection light having a specific radiation pattern, captures a subject reflected light of the light emitting means, and obtains a depth image using the light intensity of the captured image, for shape measurement or object extraction. Camera for
Equipped with a flat display with a touch panel,
When a plurality of points in the subject are designated by a touch operation by the user on the touch panel when the captured image is displayed on the touch panel, the actual length between the designated points is specified. A distance calculation unit that calculates the distance from the depth image data. 4. The camera according to claim 3, wherein the distance calculation unit calculates the area or volume of the subject based on length information of each part of the subject obtained from the plurality of points designated by a user. It has a light emitting means for irradiating a subject with projection light having a specific radiation pattern, captures a subject reflected light of the light emitting means, and obtains a depth image using the light intensity of the captured image, for shape measurement or object extraction. Camera for
Equipped with a flat display with a touch panel,
When a plurality of points in the subject are specified by a touch operation by the user on the touch panel when the captured image is displayed on the touch panel, a circle passing through the plurality of points specified by the user is displayed. A camera comprising a distance calculator for calculating a diameter, a radius, or a length of an arc from the depth image data. It has a light emitting means for irradiating a subject with projection light having a specific radiation pattern, captures a subject reflected light of the light emitting means, and obtains a depth image using the light intensity of the captured image, for shape measurement or object extraction. Camera for
It is characterized by having subject extracting means for extracting only the subject existing within the distance specified by the user or only the subject existing within the range of the distance specified by the user using the captured depth image. And the camera. 7. The camera according to claim 6, wherein an erroneous background or foreground cutout operation can be corrected by designating a portion where a background or foreground is mistaken due to a malfunction of the cutout process by touching the touch panel. The camera according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein a user inputs coordinates using a pen-type pointing device instead of operating the flat display with a touch panel with a finger. Instead of operating the flat display with the touch panel with a finger, a cursor indicating a position on an image is displayed on a normal flat display, and the user moves the cursor position by operating a mouse or a push button. The camera according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the user inputs coordinates of the camera. 10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus for obtaining a depth image using the captured image data is communicable with a main body including the imaging lens via communication means. Camera according to any of the above. The light emitting means is separable from a main body including the imaging lens, and is used by removing the light emitting means during normal image capturing, and is used by attaching the light emitting means during depth image capturing. Item 11. The camera according to any one of Items 1 to 10. It has a light emitting means for irradiating a subject with projection light having a specific radiation pattern, captures a subject reflected light of the light emitting means, and obtains a depth image using the light intensity of the captured image, for shape measurement or object extraction. Camera for
Also serves as a video camera that can capture a moving image in a state without light emission of the light emitting means and record it on a recording medium,
A camera, wherein an index signal is added to image data captured when the light emitting means emits light, and a depth image is calculated using only a specific image to which the index signal is added. 13. The camera according to claim 8, wherein a color image is generated in addition to the depth image, and the depth image and the color image can be output together. 7. The object extracting unit according to claim 6, wherein the subject extracting unit extracts a color image of only an object existing within a distance specified by the user or an object existing only within a range of the distance specified by the user. Camera.

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