JP2005136669A - Imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an imaging apparatus which makes a variety of photographing by easily switching over the omnidirectional shooting and the forward shooting with holding normal shooting conditions. <P>SOLUTION: The imaging apparatus mounts an omnidirectional shooting lens 3 on the upside, and comprises a moving type mirror 101 for changing the optical axis of the omnidirectional shooting lens 3 by 90° to that of a forward shooting lens 2 to guide their respective imaging lights to one sheet of imaging elements 8, a switch 105 for detecting the position of the moving type mirror 101, and an image processor 206 for transforming a taken picture to a confirmable picture and feeding to a side display 4 in the use of the omnidirectional shooting lens 3. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus for taking pictures in all directions of 360 degrees.

  Conventionally, in order to shoot in 360 degrees in all directions, a special hemispherical lens that allows images in all directions to be taken in a circle is taken, and the taken images are corrected by image processing and used. A method has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In addition, a proposal has been made to shoot a 360-degree panoramic image by adding the above-described special lens to a camera-integrated VTR and an electronic still camera (digital camera) (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
JP 2000-115751 A JP 2003-219403 A (paragraph 0051)

  By the way, in the omnidirectional photographing method, it is necessary to photograph using a camera using a special hemispherical lens such that an omnidirectional image as disclosed in Patent Document 1 is photographed in a circular shape. There is a problem that the system configuration is large and complicated.

  Further, according to the above-mentioned Patent Document 2, a special lens that can be photographed by being mounted on an existing imaging device has been proposed, but in order to switch between normal photographing and omnidirectional photographing, it is necessary to replace or add a lens. There is a problem that the operation is complicated to use by switching appropriately. At this time, the direction of the imaging device is in a shooting state with the lens facing upward, and it is necessary to look up from the bottom in order to monitor the shot image, and there is a problem that it is difficult to check the shot image .

  Furthermore, since the captured image is distorted in a circular shape, there is a problem that it is difficult to confirm whether or not the image is correctly captured even if the image is displayed on the display attached to the imaging device as it is.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and is equipped with an omnidirectional photographing lens on the upper surface of the imaging device, and the optical axis of the omnidirectional photographing lens is changed by 90 degrees from the optical axis of the front photographing lens. Provided an imaging device that can perform various shootings by switching between omnidirectional shooting and forward shooting while maintaining the normal shooting state by guiding each imaging light to one image sensor The purpose is to do.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention comprises the following means.
That is,
A first lens system capable of imaging an imaging range of 360 degrees;
A second lens system capable of imaging a partial angle of view of the imaging range of the first lens system;
Selecting means for selectively emitting incident light coming from the first lens system or the second lens system;
Photoelectric conversion means for receiving the incident light supplied from the selection means and converting it into a video signal;
Display means for displaying the video signal;
When the first lens system is selected by the selection means, a part of the video signal obtained by the first lens system is specified, and the specified image is picked up by the imaging range of the first lens system. Video signal deformation means for deforming so as to obtain an image equivalent to an undistorted image captured by the second lens system, with a correction value according to the radial direction of
An imaging apparatus comprising:

  According to the “imaging device” of the present invention, an omnidirectional photographing lens is provided on the upper surface of the imaging device, a normal front photographing lens is also provided, and the optical axis of the omnidirectional photographing lens is changed by 90 degrees, respectively. Since the imaging light is guided to one image sensor, a single imaging device can be used to easily switch between omnidirectional and forward shooting while maintaining normal shooting conditions. It can be carried out.

  Further, in the omnidirectional shooting, by providing an image processing unit that deforms a shot image, an image that is easy to understand for the photographer can be displayed on the display means.

  Furthermore, it is possible to control the power of the display means that is not used according to the photographing method to be turned off, thereby reducing the power consumption of the imaging apparatus.

  The best mode for carrying out the invention of the imaging apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to preferred embodiments. As an imaging apparatus applied to the present embodiment, a camera-integrated recording / reproducing apparatus will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic external view of a camera-integrated recording / reproducing apparatus applied to this embodiment. As shown in the figure, the exterior of the camera-integrated recording / reproducing apparatus 1 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, although there are some irregularities.

  One of the widest surfaces of the rectangular parallelepiped (the surface indicated by 1-4 in FIG. 1 that hits the back side) has a grip portion and is molded into a shape that can be easily held by hand. The integrated recording / reproducing apparatus 1 is fixed. On the surface 1-3 opposite to the surface 1-4, there is a movable side display 4 using liquid crystal or the like, and the user can freely move the apparatus away from the face while looking at the side display 4. It is possible to shoot at an angle. The front lens 1-2 has a first lens 2 that faces forward when it is held with a grip. The lens 2 can shoot a subject in front as in a conventional video camera. The surface 1-5 that hits the rear side on the opposite side is equipped with a viewfinder 6 that uses a smaller liquid crystal display or the like, separately from the side display 4, so that it can be taken and photographed. ing. The user can shoot using the two displays according to the shooting situation. This is a form generally used in a conventional home camera integrated recording / reproducing apparatus.

  In the present embodiment, in addition to such a configuration, the second lens 3 is mounted on the surface 1-1 that contacts the upper surface of the camera-integrated recording / reproducing apparatus 1 when the grip is held. Here, the lens 3 is a lens that shoots in all directions, and can shoot an image in a direction of 360 degrees around when shooting upward.

  Here, the light collected from the first lens 2 and the second lens 3 may be incident on different image sensors to obtain video signals. However, in order to obtain a high-quality image, When it is desired to use a large number of image sensors, there is a problem that the cost becomes very high if two image sensors are provided. Therefore, in this embodiment, the light collected from the lens 2 and the lens 3 is selectively switched and incident on a single image sensor as described below for one image sensor.

  FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration diagram of a method of selectively switching the incoming light from each lens and making it incident on a single image sensor. In the figure, the optical axis AX1 of the first lens 2 and the optical axis AX2 of the second lens 3 are orthogonal to each other, and when the movable mirror 101 is disposed on these optical paths and the lens 2 is used, it is movable. The mirror 101 is operated so as to be removed from the optical axis AX 1 so that the light condensed by the lens 2 is directly incident on the image sensor 8. When the lens 3 mounted above the camera-integrated recording / reproducing apparatus 1 is used, the movable mirror 101 is disposed on the optical axis AX2 at an angle of 45 degrees, and the light collected from all directions around is movable. The light is reflected by the type mirror 101 and enters the image pickup device 8. Here, a change in the orientation of the image occurs through the movable mirror 101, but the camera signal processing unit 202 corrects it by signal processing.

  Below, an example of the method of moving the movable mirror 101 is demonstrated using FIG. FIG. 4A shows a state where the lens 2 is used and the movable mirror 101 is operating so as to be removed from the optical axis AX1. FIG. 6B shows a state where the lens 3 is used and the movable mirror 101 is disposed on the optical axis AX2 at an angle of 45 degrees.

  First, in the state (a), the movable mirror 101 is laid down horizontally, and is biased downward by a spring 104 so as not to start moving due to vibration or the like. A switch 105 is provided at a position on the inner wall surface of the camera-integrated recording / reproducing apparatus 1 near the moving side end of the movable mirror 101, and when the movable mirror 101 is in a sleeping state as in the state (a). When the switch 105 is pushed and the movable mirror 101 is raised as in the state (b), the switch 105 is in an open state. By this switch 105, the camera-integrated recording / reproducing apparatus 1 can identify the state of the movable mirror 101, that is, whether the lens used is the lens 2 or the lens 3.

  One end of the movable mirror 101 is rotatable around the shaft 102 and can rotate in the directions of d01A and d01B. A shaft 103 is fixed to the opposite end, and the shaft 103 or a member fixed to the shaft 103 is exposed to the outside through a groove provided in the camera-integrated recording / reproducing apparatus 1 described later. The movable mirror 101 can be moved by the user manually moving it. Even if the shaft 103 or a member fixed to the shaft 103 is not directly outside, other methods such as transmitting a force to be operated from the outside using a gear or the like may be used. The method by which the 101 rotates around the shaft 102 is not limited. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which moves with a motor instead of manual operation.

  The operation of the movable mirror 101 will be described in detail based on the case where the user moves the shaft 103 in the direction of d01A. The movable mirror 101 gradually rises around the shaft 102, and the end opposite to the shaft 102 hits the inclined portion 106-2 provided on the member 106. The member 106 is a plate-like member bent into a “<” shape, and is attached to the inward projection 110 of the exterior via the shaft 107, and rotates about the shaft 107 in the directions of d02A and d02B. Arranged for exercise. A spring 108 is attached to the protrusion 111 fixed to the member 106, and the other end of the spring 108 is fixed to the exterior of the camera-integrated recording / reproducing apparatus 1 (not shown). As a result, a force pulling in the direction of d02A is always applied, so that the member 106 is urged in the direction of d02A until it contacts the normal button 109.

  Further, when the movable mirror 101 is moved in the direction in which the movable mirror 101 is raised, the movable mirror 101 pushes the inclined portion 106-2 of the member 106, whereby the member 106 rotates in the direction of d02B, and the claw portion 106-1. As shown in (b), when the claw part 106-1 of the member 106 is exceeded when it is inclined by 45 degrees, the claw part 106-1 stops by holding the movable mirror 101 against the spring 104 and gravity. . This state is a state when the lens 2 is used. To release this, when the user presses the button 109, the member 106 rotates in the d02B direction, and the claw part 106-1 is detached from the movable mirror 101. Return to state.

  FIG. 4 shows a schematic structural diagram of the member 106 for fixing the movable mirror. As shown in the figure, a hole 114 is provided at the center of the member 106 so as not to block the light from the lens 3 from reaching the movable mirror 101.

  The groove for operating the shaft 103 may be arranged inside the side display 4 when the side display 4 is opened, like the groove 112 shown in FIG. FIG. 5 shows a detailed example of the groove for operation. As shown in the figure, the user moves along the groove 112 by a knob 113 fixed to the shaft 103. Here, the directions of movement correspond to the same notations in the directions indicated by d01A and d01B in FIGS.

  Here, the groove 112 may be disposed not on the side surface of the side display 4 but on the grip side surface. In this case, the shaft 103 also comes out on the same side.

  Next, FIG. 6 shows a schematic block diagram of signal processing of the camera-integrated recording apparatus 1 applied to this embodiment.

  The incoming imaging light is supplied to the imaging device 8 and then converted into an electrical signal, which is sent to the camera signal processing unit 202 to generate an analog or digital video signal such as R, G, B, Y, or color difference. Is done. The obtained video signal is sent to the external output terminal 204, the recording input of the recording / reproducing unit 205, and the image processing unit 206 via the switching unit 203. The switching means 203 is switched to the camera signal processing unit 202 side at the time of recording or recording standby, but the playback output from the recording / playback unit 205 is connected to the other input, and this is used at the time of playback. After switching, the image reproduced from the recording / reproducing unit 205 is output from the external output terminal 204 and also supplied to the side display 4 and the viewfinder 6.

  The movable mirror 101 position detection switch 105 described above is configured as a position detection circuit together with the resistors R1, R2, and the transistor Tr. Here, VCC represents a power supply voltage, and GND represents ground. In this circuit, the transistor Tr is turned on and off in response to the on and off of the switch 105, and the signal line LN1 is at a high level when the switch 105 is on and at a low level when the switch 105 is off. The position of the movable mirror 101 can be detected by detecting the level of LN1.

  The output from the camera signal processing unit 202 via the switching unit 203 is supplied to the image processing unit 206, and display signals indicating various operation states are supplied from the microprocessor 210 and superimposed. Furthermore, when the incident light from the lens 3 is supplied to the image sensor by the movable mirror 101, the image is taken in a circle at 360 degrees around the periphery, so that even if it is displayed on the side display 4 as it is, It is difficult for the user to understand. Therefore, for example, a modification is made such that the part in which the front is reflected is enlarged and the other part is displayed in the vicinity in a small size. This is realized by mapping or interpolating the image signal stored in the memory by a predetermined method. FIG. 7 shows an example of the image deformation. Figure (a) is an image taken as it is, and the house reflected in the front direction has a small roof, a large outer wall, and is extremely distorted. Therefore, it is difficult for the user to grasp the captured image. If this is deformed so as to enlarge the front part as shown in FIG. 5B, it is easy to determine what is reflected although there is distortion, so that the subject can be confirmed during shooting.

  In this camera-integrated recording apparatus 1, in addition to the side display 4, a viewfinder 6 is also provided. However, in the case of omnidirectional shooting by the lens 3, the photographer's head is reflected in the rear, so that the user Shooting through the viewfinder 6 is not appropriate. Therefore, when the movable mirror 101 is at the use position of the lens 3, the circuit for driving the viewfinder 6 from the microprocessor 210 is controlled to cut off the power supply voltage supplied to the viewfinder 6. Stop operation to reduce power consumption.

  In some recent camera-integrated recording apparatuses, the viewfinder 6 is turned off when the side display 4 is opened. When this embodiment is combined with this, when the movable mirror 101 is on the lens use side of the lens 3, the viewfinder 6 is turned off without opening the side display 4. When taking a shooting method that does not need to be displayed on the display at the time of shooting such as shooting, it is possible to prevent excessive power consumption.

It is the figure which showed the schematic external view of the camera integrated recording / reproducing apparatus applied to a present Example. It is the figure which showed the schematic block diagram of the method of selectively switching the incident light from each lens, and making it inject into a single image pick-up element. It is the figure which showed an example of the method of moving the movable mirror applied to a present Example. It is the figure which showed the schematic structure figure of the member for fixing the movable mirror applied to a present Example. It is the figure which showed the detailed example of the groove | channel for operating the movable mirror applied to a present Example. It is the figure which showed the schematic block diagram of the signal processing of the camera integrated recording device applied to a present Example. It is the figure which showed an example which carried out the deformation | transformation display of the image obtained with the omnidirectional lens applied to a present Example. .

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Camera integrated recording device 2 ... Lens (front)
3 ... Lens (omnidirectional)
4 ... Side display 5 ... Grip belt 6 ... Viewfinder 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, 1-4, 1-5 ... Camera integrated recording device exterior surface 101 ... Movable mirror 105, 203 ... Switch 202 ... Camera signal processing unit 205 ... Recording / reproducing unit 206 ... Image processing unit 210 ... Microprocessor

Claims (1)

A first lens system capable of imaging an imaging range of 360 degrees;
A second lens system capable of imaging a partial angle of view of the imaging range of the first lens system;
Selecting means for selectively emitting incident light coming from the first lens system or the second lens system;
Photoelectric conversion means for receiving the incident light supplied from the selection means and converting it into a video signal;
Display means for displaying the video signal;
When the first lens system is selected by the selection means, a part of the video signal obtained by the first lens system is specified, and the specified image is picked up by the imaging range of the first lens system. Video signal deformation means for deforming so as to obtain an image equivalent to an undistorted image captured by the second lens system, with a correction value according to the radial direction of
An imaging apparatus comprising:

Images