JP2006245793A - Imaging system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an imaging system capable of allowing an imaging camera (imaging means) to properly carry out its panning tilt drive as required while moving a trimming region. <P>SOLUTION: A display section 3 of the imaging system S includes a first display section 31 for displaying a whole image of an original image acquired by the imaging camera 1, and a second display section 32 for displaying a trimming image aiming at a prescribed trimming region 31P in the whole image, and displays the trimming region 31P in the first display section 31 as a trimming frame 33. When receiving a prescribed moving operation applied to the trimming frame 33 from an operation section 4, a drive control section 25 provided to a processing control section 2 generates a drive control signal for revising an imaging direction of the imaging camera 1 in cross-reference with the moving operation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging system that can be suitably used as a monitoring system for monitoring, for example, using an imaging camera that can move a predetermined area in a pan direction and a tilt direction.

  In an office building, a store, etc., in order to monitor the intrusion of a suspicious person, an imaging camera whose shooting direction is movable in the pan direction and tilt direction is installed in an appropriate place, and the image acquired by the imaging camera is A monitoring system for monitoring or recording on a predetermined recording medium is widely used. In such a monitoring system, the spot portion of the entire image is obtained only by always obtaining the entire image of the predetermined monitoring area (the image of the area obtained by the normal shooting out of the imageable areas by the pan / tilt drive) with the imaging camera. When a suspicious person intrudes, the resolution may be insufficient and the face of the person may not be identified. Therefore, it is desirable to perform zoom shooting while tracking the person with the imaging camera.

However, when monitoring is performed by switching to the zoom shooting, an entire image of a predetermined monitoring area cannot be acquired, and therefore, it cannot be visually recognized when a new suspicious person enters the monitoring area. Occurs. Therefore, Patent Document 1 discloses a monitoring system (imaging system) that can always visually recognize the entire monitoring area and can also visually recognize an area to be noted (trimming area). This monitoring system acquires a high resolution image with an imaging camera, converts an entire image of a predetermined monitoring area to a low resolution and displays it on a display unit, while converting a trimming area (suspicious person existing area) to a resolution. Without displaying a high-resolution image as it is.
JP 2004-120341 A

  In the imaging system of Patent Document 1, the pan / tilt driving and the trimming position of the imaging camera are not particularly linked. Therefore, for example, in the case where the trimming area is moved according to the movement of the subject, when the subject moves outside the frame of the current entire image acquisition area (when the trimming area protrudes from the entire image), the imaging camera is operated with a separate control system. It is necessary to change the imaging direction by pan / tilt driving. However, it is difficult to cause the imaging camera to accurately follow the movement of the trimming region and drive the pan / tilt with a separate control system, and there is a problem that a desired tracking image may not be obtained.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an imaging system capable of accurately performing pan / tilt driving of an imaging camera (imaging means) as necessary while moving a trimming region.

  An imaging system according to a first aspect of the present invention includes an imaging unit that converts an optical image of a subject into an electrical signal, a driving unit that changes an imaging direction of the imaging unit to at least a pan direction and a tilt direction, and the imaging An imaging system comprising: a display unit that displays an image captured by the unit; and a drive control unit that generates a drive control signal for the drive unit in association with an operation given to the image displayed by the display unit. The display means targets a first trimming area in the display area and a first display section that displays a first image for the predetermined display area for the original image acquired by the imaging means. A second display unit for displaying the second image, and a trimming frame for displaying a region of the second image as a trimming frame on the first image And when the predetermined movement operation with respect to the trimming frame is given on the first image, or when the movement operation with respect to the trimming area of the second image is given. Further, it is possible to generate a drive control signal for changing the imaging direction by the imaging means in association with the moving operation.

  According to this configuration, for example, an entire image of a predetermined monitoring area acquired by the imaging unit is displayed on the first display unit, and an attention area (trimming area) of the entire image is displayed on the second display unit. Become so. When the predetermined movement operation is given to the trimming frame displayed on the first image by the trimming frame display means, or when the movement operation to the trimming area of the second image is given, the driving is performed. The control unit generates a drive control signal that changes the imaging direction of the imaging unit in association with the movement operation, and the imaging direction of the imaging unit by the driving unit is changed to the pan direction and / or the tilt direction by the driving unit based on the drive control signal. It will be changed to.

  An imaging system according to a second aspect is the imaging system according to the first aspect, wherein the drive control unit is configured to move the trimming frame on the first image or move a trimming area of the second image. A drive control signal for changing the imaging direction by the imaging unit is generated so that the trimming frame after movement is in the imaging direction so as to be positioned at the center of the first image. According to this configuration, the shooting direction of the imaging unit is changed by the driving unit so that the trimming frame or the trimming region is always located at the center of the first image.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the imaging system according to the first aspect, when the drive control unit is given a first movement operation with respect to the trimming frame or the trimming region, the imaging unit is associated with the movement operation. A drive control signal for changing the imaging direction is generated, and a drive control signal for changing the imaging direction is not generated when a second movement operation different from the first movement operation is given. It is characterized by being. According to this configuration, by selecting either the first movement operation or the second movement operation with respect to the trimming frame or the trimming area, the imaging direction of the imaging unit is changed in accordance with the movement of the trimming frame or the trimming area. It becomes possible to select whether or not.

  An imaging system according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the imaging system according to the third aspect, wherein when the trimming frame is moved by the second movement operation, a movement operation is performed so that the trimming frame protrudes from the first image. The drive control unit generates a drive control signal that changes the imaging direction of the imaging unit in association with the movement operation. According to this configuration, even when the second movement operation in which the change of the imaging direction is prohibited is selected, the prohibition is canceled when the movement operation is performed such that the trimming frame protrudes from the first image. Thus, the imaging direction of the imaging means is changed in accordance with the movement of the trimming frame.

  An imaging system according to a fifth aspect is the imaging system according to the third aspect, wherein when the trimming frame is moved by the second movement operation, a movement operation is performed so that the trimming frame protrudes from the first image. It has a warning means for generating predetermined warning information. According to this configuration, when the second moving operation in which the change of the imaging direction is prohibited is selected, the alarm information is generated when the moving operation is performed such that the trimming frame protrudes from the first image. And notified to the user.

  An imaging system according to a sixth aspect is the imaging system according to the third aspect, wherein when the trimming frame is moved by the second movement operation, a movement operation is performed so that the trimming frame protrudes from the first image. The trimming frame display means sets a trimming frame at an end portion of the first image in accordance with a movement trajectory of the trimming frame by the moving operation. According to this configuration, when the second moving operation in which the change in the imaging direction is prohibited is selected, when the moving operation is performed such that the trimming frame protrudes from the first image, the trimming frame is It is set at the end of one image.

  An imaging system according to a seventh aspect is the imaging system according to the third aspect, wherein when the trimming frame is moved by the second movement operation, the trimming frame is moved to a predetermined end region for the first image. When the movement operation is given, the drive control unit performs imaging by the imaging unit so that the trimming frame after movement is in an imaging direction so as to be located inside the end region of the first image. A drive control signal for changing the direction is generated. An image acquired by an imaging camera or the like having a general imaging optical system usually has optical distortion in the end region of the image, and the resolution is not good. According to this configuration, the imaging direction of the imaging unit is changed so that the trimming area is not set in such an end area and is set inside the end area.

  An imaging system according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the imaging system according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein the display unit is capable of displaying an imageable area corresponding to a change limit of an imaging direction by the driving unit. And According to this configuration, the user can recognize the change limit of the imaging direction on the display unit.

  The imaging system according to a ninth aspect is the imaging system according to the eighth aspect, wherein the display means can display an area where the first image is located and an area where the second image is located in association with the imageable area. It is said that it is said. According to this configuration, it is possible to recognize the position of the entire image displayed on the first display unit and the position of the trimming region displayed on the second display unit in association with the imageable region by the imaging unit, for example. become.

  An imaging system according to a tenth aspect of the present invention is the imaging system according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, wherein the display unit displays the first image when the original image acquired by the imaging unit is captured at a first resolution. The second display unit may display a second resolution lower than the first resolution on the first display unit, and the second image may be displayed on the second display unit at the first resolution. According to this configuration, for example, the entire image of the predetermined monitoring area is displayed at a low resolution on the first display unit, and the image of the trimming area is displayed at a high resolution on the second display unit.

  An imaging system according to an eleventh aspect is the recording system according to any one of the first to tenth aspects, wherein a first image displayed on the first display unit and a second image displayed on the second display unit are recorded in a predetermined manner. Image recording means for recording on a medium, wherein the image recording means firstly stores all image data of the first image or the second image into the recording medium for the first image and the second image acquired at the same time. Recording is performed, and subsequently, a writing operation for recording all the image data of the second image or the first image on the recording medium is performed. According to this configuration, the first image and the second image acquired at the same time are not written side by side by the image recording unit, but are written in a permutation. Write processing time for the recording medium is shortened.

  According to the imaging system of the first aspect, since the imaging direction of the imaging unit can be changed by the driving unit in accordance with a predetermined movement operation with respect to the trimming frame or the trimming region, the movement of the subject is followed. When the trimming area is moved, the imaging direction of the imaging unit can be accurately changed. Therefore, it is possible to easily set the target imaging point, and it is possible to acquire a tracking image of the target subject having excellent followability.

  According to the imaging system of the second aspect, the shooting direction of the imaging unit is changed by the driving unit so that the trimming frame or the trimming region is always located at the center of the first image. And the surrounding situation can be clearly seen at all times. In addition, when tracking a dynamic subject, the possibility of losing sight of the subject can be reduced.

  According to the imaging system of the third aspect, since it is possible to select whether or not to change the imaging direction of the imaging unit in response to the movement of the trimming frame or the trimming area, it is possible to improve user convenience.

  According to the imaging system of the fourth aspect, when the second movement operation that prohibits the change of the imaging direction is selected, the subject suddenly moves greatly and the tracking thereof becomes necessary. Sometimes it becomes possible to respond appropriately.

  According to the imaging system of the fifth aspect, the user can receive the alarm information when the moving operation that causes the trimming frame to protrude from the first image has been performed. Can be improved.

  According to the imaging system of the sixth aspect, the trimming frame is set at the end of the first image even when the movement operation is given such that the trimming frame protrudes from the first image. Even in the case where an error has occurred, a normal monitoring operation by the second moving operation can be performed.

  According to the imaging system of the seventh aspect, since it is possible to avoid setting the trimming area in the end area where the resolution is not relatively good, it is possible to always obtain a high resolution image in the trimming area.

  According to the imaging system of the eighth aspect, since the user can recognize the change limit of the imaging direction on the display unit, the operability can be improved.

  According to the imaging system of the ninth aspect, for example, since the position of the entire image displayed on the first display unit and the position of the trimming region displayed on the second display unit can be recognized, The positional relationship of the trimming area can be accurately grasped.

  According to the imaging system of the tenth aspect, the entire image is acquired as low-resolution image data, and high-resolution image data is acquired for the image of the trimming region that is the target monitoring point. Thus, it becomes possible to observe the image at a high resolution for the necessary part.

  According to the imaging system of the eleventh aspect, the processing time of the imaging system can be shortened because the writing processing time for the predetermined recording medium is shortened.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing the overall configuration of an imaging system S according to the present invention. The imaging system S includes an imaging camera 1 (imaging unit), a processing control unit 2 (including a drive control unit), a display unit 3 (display unit), an operation unit 4, a recording unit 5, and a pan / tilt drive unit 6 (drive). Means). The imaging system S can be suitably used as a monitoring system that acquires a monitoring image for a predetermined monitoring area such as an office building or a store.

  The imaging camera 1 captures a moving image of a predetermined imaging target area (monitoring area), and the pan / tilt driving unit 6 moves the imaging direction to the pan direction and the tilt direction within a predetermined angle range. It can be changed freely. The processing control unit 2 is composed of various processing devices including, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and performs image processing, image display processing, image data recording processing, and imaging of the imaging camera 1 acquired by the imaging camera 1. It bears the function of generating a control signal for changing the direction.

  The display unit 3 includes an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) display, a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display, and the like. The display unit 3 is a predetermined display mode (described later in detail) accompanied by an image of a trimming region. Will be displayed). The operation unit 4 is capable of executing an operation of moving the trimming area in addition to a function of giving various operation signals to the processing control unit 2. The recording unit 5 is an electronic storage device including a RAM (Random Access Memory) or the like, and stores an image (monitoring image) that has been subjected to predetermined image processing by the processing control unit 2. The pan / tilt drive unit 6 includes a pan direction drive unit 61 and a tilt direction drive unit 62, and in accordance with a drive control signal given from the processing control unit 2, the imaging direction of the imaging camera 1 is set to the pan direction and the mechanical drive. It is for changing in the tilt direction.

  In the above configuration, for example, the functions of the processing control unit 2, the display unit 3, the operation unit 4 and the recording unit 5 can be configured by a hard disk device, a keyboard (operation mouse), a personal computer equipped with a display, etc. The imaging system S can be configured by electrically connecting a personal computer or the like to an imaging camera 1 (one or a plurality of cameras) that is arranged in a predetermined monitoring area and accompanied by a pan / tilt driving unit 6. . Alternatively, the imaging camera 1 is placed at a predetermined monitoring location, the image data is stored in the server device (recording unit 5) via a communication line such as the Internet, and the stored image is distributed and received from the imaging camera 1. It is also possible to adopt a system configuration in which client terminals (terminals having the functions of the processing control unit 2, the display unit 3, and the operation unit 4) that can also visually recognize a live view image are arranged for the user.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the imaging system S shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the structure of each part is demonstrated based on this block diagram. First, an imaging camera 1 that captures a moving image of a predetermined imaging target area (monitoring area) includes an imaging sensor 11, an imaging optical system 12 (imaging lens), and an A / D conversion unit 13. .

  The imaging sensor 11 performs photoelectric conversion into electrical image signals of R, G, and B components according to the light amount of the optical image of the subject H (the optical image of the imaging target area) formed by the imaging optical system 12. Thus, the data is output to a predetermined image processing circuit. As such an image sensor 11, R (red), G (green), and B (blue) color filters are provided on the surface of each CCD of an area sensor in which a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) is two-dimensionally arranged. It is possible to use a single plate type color area sensor which is a so-called Bayer method and is attached in a checkered pattern. In the present embodiment, it is desirable to use a CCD image sensor having a high resolution of about 1 to 5 million pixels so that a high-resolution image can be obtained in a trimming area described later. In addition to such a CCD image sensor, a CMOS image sensor, a VMIS image sensor, or the like can also be used.

  The imaging optical system 12 forms an optical image of the subject H on the imaging surface of the imaging sensor 11, and various optical systems can be employed. For example, an optical system composed of a so-called single focus lens having a fixed focal length and a fixed imaging field angle can be employed. Although a zooming function and a scaling function may be provided, in the present embodiment, the zoom effect is exclusively achieved by the trimming function, so these functions may be omitted.

  The A / D converter 13 converts each pixel signal (analog signal) of the image signal output from the image sensor 11 into a digital signal.

  The imaging direction of the imaging camera 1 is changed by the pan / tilt driving unit 6 including the pan direction driving unit 61 and the tilt direction driving unit 62. The pan direction drive unit 61 includes a pan direction drive motor 611 made of, for example, a stepping motor and the like, and a driver 612 for driving the pan direction drive motor 611, and changes the imaging direction of the imaging camera 1 in the pan direction. is there. Similarly, the tilt direction driving unit 62 includes a tilt direction driving motor 621 and a driver 622 for driving the motor, and changes the imaging direction of the imaging camera 1 to the tilt direction. By such a pan direction drive unit 61 and a tilt direction drive unit 62, the imaging direction of the imaging camera 1 is changed to the pan direction and / or the tilt direction in accordance with a predetermined drive control signal given from the processing control unit 2. .

  The display unit 3 includes a display screen 30 for displaying image information, and the display screen 30 includes an original image acquired by the imaging camera 1 (in a range acquired at an angle of view of the imaging camera 1). A first display unit 31 that displays a first image for a predetermined display area, and a second display unit 32 that displays a second image for a predetermined trimming area 31P in the display area; Is provided. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the original image and the first image have the same size and are called “entire image”, and the second image is called “trimmed image”.

  Further, the display unit 3 includes a trimming frame 33 (trimming frame display means) for displaying a trimming region 31P displayed on the second display unit 32 on the entire image of the first display unit 31. That is, the trimming frame 33 clearly indicates the trimmed area of the entire image. If the size of the trimming area changes, the frame size also changes accordingly, and the position of the trimming area in the entire image changes. For example, the frame position also follows the relationship.

  Next, the processing control unit 2 includes a control unit 200, an I / F 201, an image processing unit 202, an image memory 204, and a ROM (Read Only Memory) 205. The control unit 200 performs an operation of generating a control signal for changing the imaging direction of the imaging camera 1 in accordance with display control of the image acquired by the imaging camera 1, image data recording processing, and movement operation with respect to the trimming frame 33. Do. The configuration of the control unit 200 will be described in detail later.

  The I / F 201 is an interface for connecting the imaging camera 1 and the processing control unit 2 in a state where data communication is possible. The image processing unit 202 is a functional unit that performs image processing such as gamma correction, white balance adjustment, color interpolation, and noise cancellation on the acquired image. The image processing unit 202 includes a trimming processing unit 203. The trimming processing unit 203 performs processing for trimming (cutting out) image data from the entire image for a predetermined trimming region designated by a trimming region setting unit 21 described later.

  The image memory 204 includes a RAM and the like, and temporarily stores image data sent from the imaging camera 1 and digital image data subjected to image processing by the image processing unit 202. The ROM 205 stores a control program for operating the processing control unit 2. The control program stored in the ROM 205 is appropriately read out and executed by the control unit 200. Each functional unit 200 operates.

  The control unit 200 includes a CPU or the like, and functionally includes a trimming region setting unit 21, a trimming frame display control unit 22, a resolution conversion unit 23, an image display control unit 24, and a drive control unit 25 (the “drive control unit” in the claims). A trimming frame movement control unit 26, a mode setting unit 27, a mode storage unit 28, and an image recording control unit 29 (image recording means).

  The trimming area setting unit 21 cuts out a trimming image (an image of the trimming area 31P shown in FIG. 2) from the entire image (the image displayed on the first display unit 31 of the display unit 3). This is a functional part for setting what size the part is cut out. The trimming frame display control unit 22 performs control to display the trimming frame 33 that is the outer peripheral outline of the trimming region 31P set by the trimming region setting unit 21 in the entire image. That is, the trimming frame 33 whose display is controlled by the trimming frame display control unit 22 and the trimming area 31P are linked, and when one of them is expanded, reduced, or moved, the other is similarly changed. This relationship will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating an example of the display screen 30 of the display unit 3. As described above, the entire image G1 is displayed on the first display unit 31, and the trimming image G2 of the trimming region 31P that is a partial image of the entire image G1 is displayed on the second display unit 32. A trimming frame 33 is displayed on the first display unit 31 in accordance with the outer peripheral frame of the trimming region 31P. Here, for example, when the operation unit 4 is a mouse provided in a personal computer, when the mouse pointer is dragged along the line of the trimming frame 33, the trimming area 31P is displayed as indicated by a virtual dotted line 331 in the figure, for example. It can be extended. In this case, the trimmed image G2 of the expanded trimming area 31P is displayed on the second display unit 32.

  Alternatively, when a predetermined area default value is set as a coordinate value on the screen in the trimming area setting unit 21 or when a trimming rate or coordinate information is given to the trimming area setting unit 21 as a key input, A trimming frame 33 is generated by the trimming frame display control unit 22 in accordance with the outer frame of the trimming area 31P set as described above. Thus, the trimming frame 33 and the trimming region 31P are linked.

  The resolution conversion unit 23 converts the resolution of the entire image G1 displayed on the first display unit 31. That is, the image sensor 11 acquires a high-resolution (first resolution) original image, but does not display the high-resolution image as the whole image G1 on the first display unit 31 as it is. In order to display the image after converting it to a lower resolution (second resolution), resolution conversion processing is performed on the image data of the entire image G1. Such conversion processing is performed when the image display processing on the display unit 3 and the image data recording on the recording unit 5 to be described later are reduced, the data processing load is reduced, the processing speed is increased, and the memory capacity is saved. It is to do.

  Specifically, the resolution conversion unit 23 performs a resizing process (image data thinning process) on the frame image data temporarily stored in the image memory 204. Note that the trimming image G2 displayed on the second display unit 32 is displayed as a high-resolution (first resolution) image without executing the resizing process as described above. This is because it is desirable to obtain a high-resolution image for the image of the trimming area 31P that should be called the attention area (for example, so that the human phase of the person who has entered the imaging area can be identified).

  The image display control unit 24 performs control to display the image acquired by the imaging camera 1 and accompanying information on the display screen 30 of the display unit 3 in a predetermined format. That is, the first display unit 31 and the second display unit 32 are formed on the display screen 30, and the entire image G1 whose resolution is converted (second resolution) by the resolution conversion unit 23 is displayed on the first display unit 31. Then, the trimming image G2 for the trimming region 31P set by the trimming region setting unit 21 is displayed on the second display unit 32 at the first resolution. In addition, the trimming frame 33 generated by the trimming frame display control unit 22 is displayed on the first display unit 31.

  Here, the image display control unit 24 may cause the first display unit 31 to display the trimming image G2 for the trimming region 31P in a color-changed manner with respect to the entire image G1, or to display it in monochrome ( Conversely, the entire image G1 may be discolored or displayed in monochrome with respect to the trimmed image G2.)

  Further, the image display control unit 24 displays an imageable area corresponding to the change limit of the imaging direction of the imaging camera 1 by the pan / tilt drive unit 6 (the visibility change limit of the pan direction and the tilt direction) on the display screen 30. It is desirable that display is possible. Specifically, when the view change limit is reached, it is possible to change the outer frame line color for the limit azimuth in the first display unit 31 or blink the outer frame line. According to this configuration, the user can recognize the change limit of the imaging direction on the display screen 30.

  Furthermore, the image display control unit 24 associates the display screen 30 with the imageable region, the region where the entire image G1 currently being imaged is located (the display region by the first display unit 31), and the trimmed image. It is preferable that the region where G2 is located (the display region by the second display unit 32) can be displayed. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an example of such a display mode. In addition to the first display unit 31 and the second display unit 32, the display screen 30 includes a third display unit 34 that indicates a display area position by these display units. The third display unit 34 includes an imageable region 300 that is an imageable range by driving the imaging camera 1 by the pan / tilt driving unit 6, and the first display unit 31 in association with the imageable region 300. The position of the display area (position of the whole image G1) and the position of the trimming area 31P (position of the trimming image G2) are displayed. If such display is performed, the user can clearly recognize the area of the whole image G1 currently captured by the imaging camera 1 and the position of the trimming area G2 in association with the imageable area 300.

  The drive control unit 25 is a functional unit that generates a drive control signal for driving the pan / tilt drive unit 6 in association with a predetermined operation given to an image displayed on the display screen 30. That is, when a predetermined movement operation is given to the trimming frame 33 on the entire image G1 described later, a drive control signal for changing the imaging direction of the imaging camera 1 in association with the movement operation is generated. Specifically, the moving amount and moving direction of the trimming frame 33 on the entire image G1 are detected based on the coordinate information, and the moving amount and moving direction on the screen are detected by the pan direction driving unit 61 and / or the tilt direction. A calculation for converting the actual drive amount by the drive unit 62 is performed, and a drive control signal corresponding to the obtained drive amount is generated.

  Here, when the trimming frame 33 is moved on the entire image G1, the drive control unit 25 causes the imaging camera 1 so that the image capturing direction is such that the trimming frame 33 after the movement is located at the center of the entire image G1. The drive control signal for changing the imaging direction can be generated. In this case, the drive control unit 25 detects, for example, the positional relationship between the central coordinates of the entire image G1 and the central coordinates of the trimming frame 33 at a predetermined sampling period. A calculation is performed to calculate a value at which the amount becomes zero as the movement target amount of the trimming frame 33. Subsequently, an operation for converting the movement target amount into an actual drive amount by the pan direction drive unit 61 and / or the tilt direction drive unit 62 is performed, and a drive control signal corresponding to the obtained drive amount is generated. If such drive control is performed, the shooting direction of the imaging camera 1 is changed so that the trimming frame 33 is always positioned at the center of the entire image G1, and the trimming area 31P is not biased toward the end of the entire image. Thus, the portion of interest as the trimming region 31P and the surrounding situation can be clearly clearly recognized at all times. Further, when tracking a dynamic subject, there is an advantage that the possibility of losing sight of the subject can be reduced.

  The trimming frame movement control unit 26 is a functional unit that performs control to move the trimming frame 33 in response to a predetermined movement operation given from the operation unit 4, and includes a first movement operation control unit 261 and a second movement. An operation control unit 262 and an area setting unit 263 are provided.

  The first movement operation control unit 261 functions when a predetermined first movement operation is given to the trimming frame 33 from the operation unit 4. When the first movement operation is given, the first movement operation control unit 261 moves the trimming frame 33 on the entire image G1 according to the movement operation, and gives an operation command to the drive control unit 25, and Coordinate information regarding the amount of movement of the trimming frame 33 is output. As a result, the drive control unit 25 generates a drive control signal for changing the imaging direction of the imaging camera 1 described above in association with the movement operation of the trimming frame 33 by the first movement operation.

  FIG. 5 is a plan view of the first display unit 31 for explaining a specific example of the operation for moving the trimming frame 33, and FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of changing the imaging direction of the imaging camera 1. FIG. In FIG. 5, when the operation unit 4 is a mouse, as the first movement operation, for example, when the mouse pointer C1 is moved to an appropriate position in the trimming frame 33 and a click operation is performed, the mouse pointer C1 is locked, The trimming frame 33 can be moved in the pan directions P1 and P2 and the tilt directions T1 and T2 by moving the mouse two-dimensionally. When the trimming frame 33 is moved, the trimming area 31P is moved accordingly.

  Furthermore, in this case, as shown in FIG. 6, as a result of generating a drive control signal for changing the imaging direction of the imaging camera 1 in the drive control unit 25 in response to the movement of the trimming frame 33, for example, the trimming frame 33 is shown in FIG. When the camera is moved in the pan direction P1 or P2 shown in FIG. 5, the imaging camera 1 is rotated around the pan axis by the pan direction drive motor 611 (see FIG. 2), and the imaging direction is also changed by a predetermined angle in the pan direction P1 or P2. Will come to be. Similarly, when the trimming frame 33 is moved in the tilt direction T1 or T2 shown in FIG. 5, the imaging camera 1 is rotated around the ti axis by the tilt direction drive motor 611, and the imaging direction is also set in the tilt direction T1 or T2. Only the angle will be changed. In FIG. 6, the imageable area 300, the display area by the first display unit 31, and the trimming area 31 </ b> P are drawn corresponding to the display form of the third display unit 34 described above with reference to FIG. 4.

  As described above, the drive control unit 25 generates a drive control signal for changing the imaging direction of the imaging camera 1 so that the moved trimming frame 33 is in the imaging direction so as to be positioned at the center of the entire image G1. In this case, the imaging direction of the imaging camera 1 is changed so that the trimming frame 33 is positioned at the center position 330 indicated by the virtual line in FIG. In addition, when releasing the movable state of the trimming frame 33, execution of a click operation again can be used as a trigger. Further, the trimming frame 33 may be moved by a scroll bar provided in the second display unit 32.

  The second movement operation control unit 262 functions when a predetermined second movement operation is given to the trimming frame 33 from the operation unit 4. This second movement operation is different from the above-mentioned first movement operation. For example, when the above-mentioned click operation is selected as the first movement operation, the mouse is placed at an appropriate position in the trimming frame 33. A drag operation or the like with the pointer C1 can be selected. When such a second movement operation is given, the second movement operation control unit 262 moves the trimming frame 33 on the entire image G1 in accordance with the movement operation, but an operation command is sent to the drive control unit 25. The pan / tilt driving unit 6 is not operated without giving (or giving an operation prohibition command). That is, the drive control unit 25 does not generate a drive control signal that changes the imaging direction of the imaging camera 1 in accordance with the movement of the trimming frame 33. By providing the first and second movement operation control units 261 and 262 as described above, the user can select whether or not to change the imaging direction of the imaging camera 1 in accordance with the movement of the trimming frame 33. User convenience can be improved.

  Here, in the case where the trimming frame 33 is moved by the second moving operation, when the moving operation for moving the trimming frame 33 to the predetermined end region with respect to the entire image G1 is given, It is desirable to change the imaging direction of the imaging camera 1 so that the moved trimming frame 33 is positioned inward of the end region of the whole image G1. FIG. 7 is a plan view of the display screen 30 for explaining this point.

  An image acquired by the imaging camera 1 having a general imaging optical system usually has optical distortion in the end region of the image, and the resolution is not good. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, an end boundary line 35 is set for the entire image G1, and a trimming region 31P in which high resolution is required in an area outside the end boundary line 35 (the above-described end area). It is desirable not to be located.

  The region setting unit 263 is a functional unit that sets the end boundary line 35 as described above. Further, when the trimming frame 33 is moved by the second movement operation, the region setting unit 263 gives an operation command to the drive control unit 25 when the trimming frame 33 exceeds the end boundary line 35. . In this case, the drive control unit 25 generates a drive control signal for changing the imaging direction of the imaging camera 1 so that the trimming frame 33 after the movement is in the imaging direction so as to be positioned inside the end boundary line 35. . According to this configuration, as shown in FIG. 7, the trimming region 31P is not set in the end region where the resolution is not relatively good, and a high-resolution image can always be acquired in the trimming region 31P. .

  For example, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the mode setting unit 27 is configured so that the trimming frame 33 is within the frame of the first display unit 31 (within the frame of the entire image) when the trimming frame 33 is moved by the second movement operation. This is a functional unit that accepts a mode selection as to what abnormal processing is executed when a movement operation (abnormal operation as indicated by an arrow a in the figure) is given from the position E1 to the position E2 outside the frame.

  The mode storage unit 28 is for storing an operation program for executing an abnormal processing mode (mode 1 to mode 3) as shown in FIG. 9. The mode storage unit 28 includes a movement prohibition release mode storage unit 281. (Mode 1), an alarm mode storage unit 282 (mode 2), and an end setting mode storage unit 283 (mode 3) are provided.

  The movement prohibition release mode stored in the movement prohibition release mode storage unit 281 is a second movement operation in which the change of the imaging direction of the imaging camera 1 is prohibited when an abnormal operation as shown in FIG. 8 is performed. Even when the selection is made, the prohibition is canceled, and the imaging direction op1 of the imaging camera 1 is changed to the imaging direction op2 corresponding to the position E2 outside the trimming frame 33 as shown in FIG. Mode. In this case, for example, the drive control unit 25 is caused to function by using the trigger that the execution of the movement operation such that the trimming frame 33 protrudes from the frame of the first display unit 31 is detected. A drive control signal for changing the imaging direction of the imaging camera 1 in association with the position E2 outside the frame can be generated. According to such a movement prohibition release mode, when the second movement operation in which the change of the imaging direction is prohibited is selected, the subject suddenly moves greatly and the tracking thereof becomes necessary. Sometimes it has the advantage of being able to respond accurately.

  The alarm mode stored in the alarm mode storage unit 282 is a mode for generating predetermined alarm information when the abnormal operation is performed. In this alarm mode, when it is detected that the trimming frame 33 is out of the frame of the first display unit 31, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, “cannot move” is displayed on the display screen 30. A display control signal is generated by the image display control unit 24 so that a predetermined alarm display 36 is displayed. In addition to such an alarm display 36, an alarm alarm or an alarm sound may be accompanied. According to such an alarm mode, since the user can receive alarm information when an abnormal operation is performed, the moving operation can be corrected immediately, and the operability can be improved.

  The edge setting mode stored in the edge setting mode storage unit 283 is the first display unit according to the movement trajectory (arrow a shown in FIG. 8) of the trimming frame 33 when the abnormal operation is performed. In this mode, a trimming frame 33 is set at the end of 31 (overall image G1). That is, in this edge setting mode, when the trimming frame 33 is moved to a position E2 outside the frame that protrudes from the frame of the first display unit 31 as shown in FIG. 8, for example, as shown in FIG. The trimming frame display control unit 22 performs display control so that the trimming frame 33 is positioned at the frame inner end position E3 on the movement locus of the first display unit 31. According to such an end setting mode, the trimming frame 33 is set at the end of the first display unit 31 even when an abnormal operation is performed, so that a normal monitoring operation by the second moving operation is performed. be able to. When an abnormal operation is performed, the trimming frame 33 may be set at the end of the frame of the end boundary line 35 shown in FIG.

  The image recording control unit 29 includes image data of the entire image G1 (low resolution) displayed on the first display unit 31, and image data of the trimmed image G2 (high resolution) displayed on the second display unit 32. Is a functional unit that performs image recording control for recording the image on the recording unit 5. When recording these image data, for example, a known image compression means such as JPEG or GIF may be employed to compress the image data.

  Here, the image recording control unit 29 first records all the image data of the entire image G1 or the trimming image G2 in the recording unit 5 for the entire image G1 and the trimming image G2 acquired at the same time, and then the trimming image. It is desirable to perform a writing operation to record all image data for G2 or the entire image G1 in the recording unit 5. 10 and 11 are explanatory diagrams for explaining such a write operation.

  As shown in FIG. 10, at time t1, a frame image G11 for the entire image G1 is acquired, and a frame image G21 for the trimming image G2 is acquired. Similarly, frame images G12 and G22 and frame images G13 and G23 are acquired at times t2, t3,. The image recording control unit 29 records such frame image data in the recording unit 5, and the writing of the image data is performed in the following procedure.

  In general, image data is written by dividing a frame image in predetermined line units and writing in line units. That is, in the example shown in FIG. 10, the frame image G11 for the entire image G1 is divided into line image data G11a, G11b, G11c, and G11d and written sequentially. The frame image G21 for the trimmed image G2 is also divided into line image data G21a, G21b, G21c, and G21d and written sequentially. In the present embodiment, two frame image data of the entire image G1 and the trimming image G2 are extracted and recorded at the same time on the basis of one frame image data acquired by the imaging camera 1. It is necessary to optimize the order of writing the frame image data.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram schematically showing the relationship between the recording addresses a1 to an provided in the recording unit 5, the line image data written therein, and the recording order. As illustrated, the line image data G11a, G11b, G11c, and G11d for the frame image G11 at the time t1 for the entire image G1 are sequentially written in the recording addresses a1 to a4 as the first to fourth recording orders. It is. Following this, line image data G21a, G21b, G21c, and G21d relating to the frame image G21 at time t1 for the trimming image G2 are sequentially written in the recording addresses a5 to a8 as the fifth to eighth recording orders. The writing of the image data for time t1 is terminated. Next, line image data G12a, G12b, G12c, and G12d concerning the frame image G12 at time t2 for the entire image G1 are sequentially written in the recording addresses a9 to a12 as the ninth to twelfth recording orders. Subsequently, line image data G22a, G22b, G22c, and G22d related to the frame image G22 at time t2 for the trimmed image G2 are sequentially written. Thereafter, the line image data for the entire image G1 and the trimmed image G2 is written in the same manner.

  When the image recording control unit 29 performs such a writing operation, the writing processing time for the recording unit 5 is shortened. That is, if the side-by-side writing operation is performed on the line image data of the entire image G1 and the trimmed image G2 acquired at the same time, the writing process time becomes long. In FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, the horizontal writing operation refers to writing the line image data G11a for the entire image G1 to the recording address a1 as the first recording order and the line for the trimmed image G2 as the second recording order. The entire image G1 is written such that the image data G21a is written to the recording address a5, the line image data G11b is written to the recording address a2 in the third recording order, and the line image data G21b is written to the recording address a6 in the fourth recording order. And the operation of alternately writing the line image data of the trimmed image G2.

  When such side-by-side writing is performed, time is inevitably required for recording address search and writing. However, as shown in FIG. 11, first, all line image data for the entire image G1 is recorded in the recording unit 5, and then all the line image data for the trimmed image G2 is recorded in the recording unit 5. If correct writing is performed, the writing processing time can be shortened.

  The operation of the imaging system S described above will be described. FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of an imaging operation (live view monitoring operation) by the imaging system S. In this imaging system S, moving images are continuously acquired by the imaging camera 1, but the processing flow for frame images acquired at a certain time is as follows. First, an optical image of a subject is captured by the imaging sensor 11 (see FIG. 2) of the imaging camera 1 (step S11). The frame image data acquired by this imaging is converted into a digital signal by the A / D conversion unit 13 and sent to the processing control unit 2.

  The digital image data acquired by the imaging is temporarily stored in the image memory 204 (step S12). Then, predetermined image processing (gamma correction or the like) is performed by the image processing unit 202, and image trimming processing (trimming processing) from the original image is performed on the predetermined trimming region 31P by the trimming processing unit 203 (step S13). ). Such trimming processing is performed for the size and position set in the trimming area setting unit 21. As a result, the entire image G1 and the trimmed image G2 (see FIG. 3) are acquired for one frame image acquired in step S11.

  Subsequently, the whole image G1 is subjected to resolution conversion processing by the resolution conversion unit 23 (step S14). That is, an image (entire image G1) acquired at a high resolution (first resolution) by the imaging sensor 11 is converted to a low resolution (second resolution) by the resolution conversion unit 23. As described above, such resolution conversion processing is not performed on the trimmed image G2.

  Thereafter, the image display control unit 24 performs processing for displaying the entire image G1 and the trimmed image G2 on the display unit 3 in a predetermined display format, and the image recording processing unit 29 displays the entire image G1 and the trimmed image G2. Processing for recording in the recording unit 5 is performed (step S15). That is, the entire image G1 is displayed on the first display unit 31 of the display screen 30, and the trimmed image G2 is displayed on the second display unit 32. At this time, display control is performed on the first display unit 31 by the trimming frame display control unit 22, and a trimming frame 33 indicating the trimming region 31P in the entire image G1 is displayed in a superimposed manner. Further, image data for the entire image G1 and the trimmed image G2 is recorded by a recording method as shown in FIG. 11, for example. Thereby, the same image as the live view image displayed on the first display unit 31 and the second display unit 32 can be read (reproduced) from the recording unit 5.

  Basically, the processes in steps S11 to S15 are repeated. When an instruction to change the trimming area is given to the trimming area setting unit 21 (Yes in step S16), the area to be trimmed is determined. The changed trimming processing area is set (step S17). In the case of No in step S16 or after step S17, it is confirmed by the operation unit 4 whether there has been a moving operation on the trimming frame 33 (step S18). If no move operation is given (No in step S18), the process returns to step S11 and the process is repeated. If a move operation is given (Yes in step S18), the movement related process of the trimming frame 33 is performed. It is executed in parallel with the live view display (step S20).

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing details of the movement-related processing (step S20) of the trimming frame 33. First, the moving operation with respect to the trimming frame 33 is the first moving operation accompanied by the pan / tilt driving of the imaging camera 1, or the second moving operation for moving only the trimming frame 33 on the entire image G1. Is confirmed (step S21). In the embodiment described above, this confirmation is determined based on whether the operation on the trimming frame 33 is a click operation or a drag operation.

  In the case of the first movement operation (click operation), the first movement operation control unit 261 functions to move the trimming frame 33 on the entire image G1 displayed on the first display unit 31 according to the movement operation. In addition, coordinate information and the like regarding the amount of movement of the trimming frame 33 is output to the drive control unit 25. In response to this, the drive control unit 25 performs an operation for converting the movement amount and movement direction of the trimming frame 33 on the entire image G1 into the actual driving amount by the pan direction driving unit 61 and / or the tilt direction driving unit 62. (Step S22). Then, the drive control unit 25 generates a drive control signal corresponding to the obtained drive amount (step S23).

  The drive control signal is output to the pan direction drive unit 61 and / or the tilt direction drive unit 62, and the pan direction drive motor 611 and / or the tilt direction drive motor 621 are actually used by the drivers 612 and 622 provided therein. It is converted into a drive signal to be activated. Then, the pan direction drive motor 611 and / or the tilt direction drive motor 621 are driven by the drive signal, thereby changing the imaging direction of the imaging camera 1 (step S24).

  Such driving of the imaging camera 1 is executed with reference to the position of the trimming frame 33 on the entire image G1. For example, when the imaging direction of the imaging camera 1 is changed so that the trimming frame 33 after the movement is positioned in the central portion of the entire image G1, the trimming frame 33 is positioned at the central portion (center of the entire image G1). ) (Step S25), and if it is not located in the center (No in step S25), the amount of movement for matching the center coordinates of the entire image G1 with the center coordinates of the trimming frame 33 is set. As the target value, the process returns to step S22 and is repeated. On the other hand, when the trimming frame 33 is located at the center of the entire image G1 (Yes in step S25), the process ends.

  Next, when the second movement operation (drag operation) is selected in step S21, the second movement operation control unit 262 functions to move the trimming frame 33 on the entire image G1 according to the movement operation. (Step S26). In this case, no operation command is given to the drive control unit 25, and therefore the imaging direction of the imaging camera 1 is not changed.

  Subsequently, as described above with reference to FIG. 8, a moving operation (abnormal operation) in which the trimming frame 33 protrudes from the position E1 within the frame of the first display unit 31 to the position E2 outside the frame by the second moving operation. ) Is confirmed (step S27), and if an abnormal operation is confirmed (Yes in step S27), an abnormal process corresponding to the abnormal process mode set in the mode setting unit 27 is executed. (Step S28). That is, any one of the movement prohibition release mode, the alarm mode, and the edge setting mode as described above with reference to FIG. 9 is executed. On the other hand, if no abnormal operation is confirmed (No in step S27), the process is completed after the movement operation of the trimming frame 33 is completed.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to this, A various deformation | transformation can be implemented. For example, the display frame mode of the first display unit 31 and the second display unit 32 on the display screen 30, the frame format of the trimming frame 33, and the like may be set as appropriate. Moreover, although the case where the number of the imaging camera 1 was 1 was demonstrated in this embodiment, it is also possible to assemble the imaging system S using a plurality of imaging cameras 1, and in this case, each imaging camera is displayed on the display screen 30. The acquired entire image and the trimmed image may be displayed in a multi display.

  Further, in the above embodiment, when the drive control unit 25 is given a predetermined movement operation with respect to the trimming frame 33 on the entire image G1 (first image) displayed on the first display unit 31, the movement is performed. The aspect of generating the drive control signal that changes the imaging direction of the imaging camera 1 in association with the operation has been described. However, the movement operation on the trimmed image G2 (second image) displayed on the second display unit 32 is performed. If given, a drive control signal for changing the imaging direction of the imaging camera 1 in association with the movement operation may be generated. In this case, for example, a feed operation for sending the trimmed image G2 in a desired direction with a scroll bar provided on the side of the second display unit 32 is handled as a moving operation for changing the imaging direction of the imaging camera 1. be able to.

1 is a block diagram schematically showing an overall configuration of an imaging system S according to the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the electrical structure of the imaging system S shown in FIG. 4 is a plan view illustrating an example of a display screen of the display unit 3. FIG. 11 is a plan view illustrating another example of the display screen of the display unit 3. FIG. FIG. 10 is a plan view of the first display unit 31 for explaining a specific example of the operation for moving the trimming frame 33; It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the change operation of the imaging direction of the imaging camera. It is a top view which shows an example of the display screen of the display part 3 which set the edge part boundary line 35. FIG. 5 is a plan view for explaining an example of an abnormal operation on the trimming frame 33. FIG. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating abnormal process mode. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the acquisition state of image data. It is the figure which showed typically the relationship between the recording addresses a1-an with which the recording part 5 is equipped, the line image data written in there, and a recording order. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the imaging operation (live view monitoring operation | movement) by the imaging system S concerning this embodiment. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation when moving a trimming frame 33;

Explanation of symbols

S imaging system 1 imaging camera (imaging means)
2 Processing control unit 203 Trimming processing unit 21 Trimming area setting unit 22 Trimming frame display control unit 23 Resolution conversion unit 24 Image display control unit 25 Drive control unit 26 Trimming frame movement control unit 27 Mode setting unit 28 Mode storage unit 29 Image recording control (Image recording means)
3 Display section (display means)
31 First display unit 31P Trimming area 32 Second display unit 33 Trimming frame 4 Operation unit 5 Recording unit 6 Pan / tilt drive unit (drive means)

Claims (11)

Imaging means for converting an optical image of a subject into an electrical signal, driving means for changing the imaging direction of the imaging means to at least the pan direction and the tilt direction, and display means for displaying an image captured by the imaging means An imaging system comprising: a drive control unit that generates a drive control signal for the drive unit in association with an operation given to the image displayed by the display unit;
The display means includes a first display unit that displays a first image for a predetermined display area of the original image acquired by the imaging means, and a second target for a predetermined trimming area in the display area. A second display unit for displaying an image; and trimming frame display means for displaying an area of the second image as a trimming frame on the first image;
The drive control unit is associated with the movement operation when a predetermined movement operation is given to the trimming frame on the first image, or when a movement operation is given to the trimming area of the second image. An image pickup system capable of generating a drive control signal for changing an image pickup direction by the image pickup means.   When the trimming frame is moved on the first image, or when the trimming area of the second image is moved, the drive control unit moves the trimming frame to the center of the first image. The imaging system according to claim 1, wherein a drive control signal for changing an imaging direction by the imaging unit is generated so that the imaging direction is located. While the drive control unit generates a drive control signal for changing the imaging direction by the imaging unit in association with the movement operation when a first movement operation with respect to the trimming frame or the trimming region is given,
2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when a second movement operation different from the first movement operation is given, a drive control signal for changing the imaging direction is not generated. Imaging system. In the case where the trimming frame is moved by the second moving operation, when the moving operation is given so that the trimming frame protrudes from the first image,
The imaging system according to claim 3, wherein the drive control unit generates a drive control signal that changes an imaging direction of the imaging unit in association with the movement operation. In the case where the trimming frame is moved by the second moving operation, when the moving operation is given so that the trimming frame protrudes from the first image,
4. The imaging system according to claim 3, further comprising alarm means for generating predetermined alarm information. In the case where the trimming frame is moved by the second moving operation, when the moving operation is given so that the trimming frame protrudes from the first image,
The imaging system according to claim 3, wherein the trimming frame display unit sets a trimming frame at an end of the first image in accordance with a movement trajectory of the trimming frame by the moving operation. When the trimming frame is moved by the second moving operation, when the moving operation is given to move the trimming frame to a predetermined end region for the first image,
The drive control unit generates a drive control signal for changing the imaging direction by the imaging unit so that the moved trimming frame is in an imaging direction located inside the end region of the first image. The imaging system according to claim 3.   The imaging system according to claim 1, wherein the display unit is capable of displaying an imageable area corresponding to a change limit of an imaging direction by the driving unit.   9. The display unit according to claim 8, wherein an area where the first image is located and an area where the second image is located can be displayed in association with the imageable area. Imaging system. In the case where the original image acquired by the imaging means is captured at the first resolution,
The display means displays the first image on the first display unit at a second resolution that is lower than the first resolution, and displays the second image on the second display unit at the first resolution. The imaging system according to claim 1, wherein: Image recording means for recording a first image displayed on the first display unit and a second image displayed on the second display unit on a predetermined recording medium;
For the first image and the second image acquired at the same time, the image recording means first records all the image data for the first image or the second image on the recording medium, and then the second image or the second image. The imaging system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein a writing operation for recording all image data of one image on the recording medium is performed.

Images