JP2007065210A - Controller for rotary pan head cradle, control method thereof, program therefor and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a controller for a rotary pan head cradle and a control method thereof by which the positional deviation of a pan head caused when a camera is manually attached to/detached from the pan head can be corrected, and to provide a program therefor and a storage medium. <P>SOLUTION: The rotary pan head cradle 1 is equipped with: a base 11 fixed on a desk or the like; a pan unit 12 pan-rotating around a vertical axis; a pair of tilt supporting parts 12a; a tilt shaft 13; and the pan head 14. When a camera attachment/detachment detection part 64 detects the attachment of the camera according to an attachment signal, the change of a tilt encoder 69' is monitored further from the time when the camera is attached, and a present tilt-rotating position including the deviation of the tilt angle is calculated based on the monitoring information. When the present tilt-rotating position and the tilt-stopping position are not the same, a tilt motor 66' is driven to rotate reversely into a deviating direction, whereby the present position is made the same as the tilt-stopping position. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rotary head cradle control device and method, a program, and a storage medium, and more particularly, to a rotary head having a drive device that can rotate a pan / tilt of an image information input device such as a digital camera or a digital camcorder. The present invention relates to a control device and method for a rotary head cradle that detachably attaches to an apparatus and controls the operation in a desired direction to control the operation, a method thereof, a program, and a storage medium.

  In recent years, instead of analog cameras that use silver halide films, digital cameras have become very popular due to their ease of use and have spread to households. Every year, the number of pixels increases and high-quality photos can be easily enjoyed. In conjunction with the spread of personal computers (PCs), image data can be captured and stored on a PC, displayed on a monitor, and output to a printer. Enjoyment has become commonplace.

  In addition, there is an increasing demand for security at home and at the individual level in response to concerns about safety in social life, and surveillance cameras are installed not only in offices, stores, parking lots, outdoors, but also at home. Has also increased.

  For home use, it is easy to install and easy to use.In addition to monitoring suspicious persons intrusion, monitoring of visitors, etc., it also monitors pets, monitors toddlers and elderly people in separate rooms, and has human body sensors to detect people. A simple monitoring camera for reporting to a mobile phone or the like has been proposed.

  These social needs and technical seeds match, and a digital camera as an image input device is mounted on a rotating pan / tilt head device that performs pan / tilt rotation, and the camera is pointed in the desired direction to capture and store the image. Therefore, it has been proposed to use it as a simple surveillance camera. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes that a digital camera be supported by a cradle that moves in a front-rear tilt direction and a horizontal rotation direction and used for monitoring photography. Furthermore, in order to move the direction of the cradle to a position where it is easy to set as the imaging apparatus is attached / detached, proposals have been made to provide means for detecting attachment / detachment of the imaging apparatus.

Also, in ordinary surveillance camera systems, most of the methods are to store image data by connecting to a dedicated recorder, PC, etc. via a dedicated line, network, wireless LAN, etc., and reproducing and using them appropriately at a position away from the camera. . Therefore, one of the major features of the simple monitoring camera using a digital camera is that a captured image can be immediately confirmed at hand using a display device mounted on the digital camera itself.
JP 2003-338950 A

  However, when a digital camera or the like as an image information input device is attached to a rotating pan / tilt head device that performs pan / tilt rotation, an inadvertent force is applied by the operation of a human hand, and the pan / tilt angle of the pan / tilt head portion stops. This causes a problem of deviation. The problem is that the pan or tilt drive usually uses a rotational power source such as a DC motor or a step motor, and the drive gear attached to the rotation shaft is decelerated by several gear trains to the pan rotation shaft or tilt rotation shaft. Adopt a structure to convey. Therefore, when an inadvertent force is received from the pan head side, the pan or tilt shaft (or both shafts) is rotated, the rotation angle is expanded by the gear train, and a large displacement amount is generated. Move the rotor.

  In the motor example described above, the rotation holding torque when no power is supplied is not so strong, so that the rotor is rotated by an external force, and as a result, the photographing direction toward the camera lens is shifted. There is an error between the pan / tilt position information of the processing unit that performs pan / tilt rotation direction position control of the pan head cradle device and the recording unit that the position control unit refers to and the shooting position where the actual camera lens is facing Cause problems.

  Accordingly, as a first problem, when a so-called preset operation is performed in which a plurality of positions to be monitored are stored in advance and the camera lens is faced by a pan / tilt operation, shooting in the intended monitoring direction cannot be set when the above-described deviation occurs. .

  The second problem is that near the limit angle of pan / tilt rotation, there is a range where the lens does not face by the amount of deviation, and the photographing range is reduced.

  Similarly, the third problem is that when rotating in the direction in which the misalignment occurs in the vicinity of the limit angle of pan / tilt rotation, the mechanical rotation limit is brought into contact before reaching the limit angle. Unforeseen circumstances such as being unable to do so.

  This shift due to manual operation also occurs when the attached digital camera is removed from the rotating pan head.

  In addition, in the existing surveillance camera, the photographed image is based on a monitor placed remotely from the camera as described above, but in this rotating pan head system using a digital camera, it is provided in the digital camera itself. It is displayed on the display, and you can easily view the shot image on the spot. In this case, in addition to the shooting mode for monitoring, it is possible to set the playback preset position for directing the display surface in an easy-to-view direction by setting the playback mode for playing back images that have been shot and recorded on the recording medium. In this case as well, when the digital camera is attached to or detached from the rotating pan head, the playback preset position is shifted from the expected position. It becomes hard to see.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a control device and method for a rotary head cradle, a program, and a storage medium capable of correcting a displacement of the position of the head caused when the camera is manually detached from the head. It is in.

  In order to achieve the above object, a control device for a rotary head cradle according to claim 1 includes a head on which an image information input device is detachably mounted, and the head is at least one of a horizontal axis and a vertical axis. In the control device for a rotary head cradle, comprising: a support portion that rotatably supports a shaft; and a rotating means that rotates the head around at least one of a horizontal axis and a vertical axis. Recording means for recording the position of the camera platform relative to at least one of the horizontal axis and the vertical axis when the device is removed from the camera platform, and the image information input device is removed from the camera platform A displacement detecting means for detecting a displacement of the position of the camera platform relative to at least one of the horizontal axis and the vertical axis from a predetermined position of the recorded camera platform; And a controlling means for controlling the rotating means for rotation said tripod head so as to correct the detected misalignment.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control device for a rotary head cradle, wherein the head is detachably mounted with an image information input device, and the head is rotatably supported around at least one of a horizontal axis and a vertical axis. In a control device for a rotary head cradle comprising a support and a rotating means for rotating the head around at least one of a horizontal axis and a vertical axis, the image information input device is detached from the head Recording means for recording the position of the camera platform with respect to at least one of the horizontal axis and the vertical axis, and the recorded camera platform after the image information input device is removed from the camera platform A deviation detecting means for detecting a deviation of the position of the camera platform with respect to at least one of the horizontal axis and the vertical axis from a predetermined position, and the detected deviation is recorded in the recording medium. And adding means for adding the position of the pan head has, and a controlling means for controlling the rotating means for rotation said pan head to the position of the summed camera platform.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control method for a rotary head cradle, wherein the head for detachably mounting the image information input device, and the head is rotatably supported around at least one of a horizontal axis and a vertical axis. In a control method of a rotary head cradle comprising a support and a rotating means for rotating the head around at least one of a horizontal axis and a vertical axis, the image information input device is detached from the head A recording step for recording the position of the camera platform with respect to at least one of the horizontal axis and the vertical axis, and the recorded camera platform after the image information input device is removed from the camera platform A displacement detecting step of detecting a displacement of the position of the camera platform with respect to at least one of the horizontal axis and the vertical axis from a predetermined position; and correcting the detected displacement. And a controlling step of controlling the rotation means for rotation of the tripod head to.

  The control method of the rotary head cradle according to claim 8 includes: a pan head on which an image information input device is detachably mounted; and the pan head is rotatably supported around at least one of a horizontal axis and a vertical axis. In a control method of a rotary head cradle comprising a support and a rotating means for rotating the head around at least one of a horizontal axis and a vertical axis, the image information input device is detached from the head A recording step for recording the position of the camera platform with respect to at least one of the horizontal axis and the vertical axis, and the recorded camera platform after the image information input device is removed from the camera platform A displacement detecting step for detecting a displacement of the position of the camera platform with respect to at least one of the horizontal axis and the vertical axis from a predetermined position; and the detected displacement And a controlling means for controlling the rotating means for rotation said pan head and an addition step of adding to the position of the recorded camera platform to the position of the summed camera platform.

  A control program for a rotary head cradle according to claim 13, wherein a head for detachably mounting an image information input device, and the head is rotatably supported around at least one of a horizontal axis and a vertical axis. In a control program for a rotary head cradle comprising a support and a rotating means for rotating the head around at least one of a horizontal axis and a vertical axis, the image information input device is detached from the head A recording module for recording a position of the camera platform with respect to at least one of the horizontal axis and the vertical axis, and the recorded camera platform after the image information input device is removed from the camera platform A displacement detection module for detecting a displacement of the position of the camera platform with respect to at least one of the horizontal axis and the vertical axis from a predetermined position; And a control module for controlling said rotating means for rotation said tripod head so as to correct the issued deviated, characterized in that to be executed by a computer.

  15. A control program for a rotary head cradle according to claim 14, wherein the head for mounting the image information input device is detachably mounted, and the head is rotatably supported around at least one of a horizontal axis and a vertical axis. In a control program for a rotary head cradle comprising a support and a rotating means for rotating the head around at least one of a horizontal axis and a vertical axis, the image information input device is detached from the head And the recorded cloud after the image information input device is removed from the camera platform, the recording of the position of the camera platform with respect to at least one of the horizontal axis and the vertical axis. A displacement detection module that detects a displacement of the position of the camera platform with respect to at least one of the horizontal axis and the vertical axis from a predetermined position of the platform; and The issued deviated, characterized in that to execute an adding module for adding the position of the recorded camera platform in a computer.

  A computer-readable storage medium according to a fifteenth aspect stores the program according to the thirteenth aspect.

  A computer-readable storage medium according to a sixteenth aspect stores the program according to the fourteenth aspect.

  According to the present invention, after the image information input device is removed from the camera platform, a displacement of the camera platform position with respect to at least one of the horizontal axis and the vertical axis from a predetermined position of the camera platform is detected. Since the rotating means is controlled to rotate the camera platform so as to correct the displacement, the displacement of the camera platform position that occurs when the image information input device is manually detached from the camera platform can be corrected.

  In addition, according to the present invention, after the image information input device is removed from the camera platform, a displacement of the camera platform position with respect to at least one of the horizontal axis and the vertical axis from a predetermined position of the camera platform is detected. The displacement is added to the position of the pan head when the image information device is removed, and then the pan head is rotated to the added pan head position, so that at least one of the horizontal axis and the vertical axis is The displacement of the pan head position can be corrected without moving the pan head.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a front view showing a rotary head cradle according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a right side view of the rotary head cradle of FIG.

  In FIG. 1, a rotating head cradle 1 is mounted on a base 11 fixed to a desk, a shelf, a wall surface, a ceiling, etc., and is placed on the top of the base 11 and is rotated around a vertical axis as indicated by an arrow A. The pan unit 12, the pair of tilt support portions 12 a that protrude integrally upward from the base 11, and the pair of tilt support shafts 12 a are supported at both ends, and as shown by the arrow B, rotate around the horizontal axis. A tilt shaft 13 and a pan head 14 provided at the center of the tilt shaft 13 are provided.

  The digital camera 2 is detachably locked to the camera platform 14 at a position indicated by a dotted line digital camera 2 '. To this state, at the position of FIG. 1 which is the central position within the pan / tilt rotation range, the digital camera 2 is mounted directly from the position of the digital camera 2 which is directly above the camera platform 14 and moved downward in the vertical direction indicated by the arrow C. Secure with a tripod screw (not shown). At this position, the lens 21 of the digital camera 2 faces the front of FIG. Also, an interface connector 22 is disposed on the bottom surface of the digital camera 2 so that the captured video data, shooting information, shutter signal, battery information, and the like are exchanged with an external device.

  The tilt shaft 13 that rotates on the pan unit 12 rotates reciprocally as indicated by an arrow B, and the digital camera 2 ′ mounted on the camera platform 14 rotates in the vertical direction along with the tilt rotation.

  When the mounted digital camera 2 ′ is pan-driven, the digital camera 2 ′ rotates around the vertical axis from the pan rotation center of FIG. 2, and is rotationally displaced from the state of FIG. 2 to the state of FIG. In the example of FIG. 3, the rotation is counterclockwise as viewed from above, that is, the rotation indicated by the arrow D.

  Similarly, when the digital camera 2 'is tilted and rotated, the digital camera 2' rotates about the horizontal axis from the tilt rotation center of FIG. 1, and is rotationally displaced from the state of FIG. 1 to the state of FIG. In the example of FIG. 4, the rotary head rotates in the clockwise direction as viewed from the right side, that is, in the direction indicated by the arrow E.

  Thus, by combining pan rotation and tilt rotation, the lens 21 of the digital camera 2 ′ can be directed arbitrarily within the rotation range.

  The structure and operation of the rotary head cradle 1 of the above method and the attachment / detachment cooperation with the digital camera 2 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 5 is a front sectional view of the rotary head cradle of FIG.

  In FIG. 5, the base 11 is circular box shape, and has a bottom part and a middle step part. A bearing 34 oriented in the vertical direction is provided in the middle portion of the middle stage portion, and a pan motor 31 (rotating means) having a bevel gear on the rotating shaft is further provided.

  The pan unit 12 has a circular inverted cup shape, is rotatably supported by a bearing 34 at the center, and has a rotation center shaft 32 (support means) including a bevel gear 33 that meshes with the bevel gear of the pan motor 31. . The rotation center shaft 32 cannot move in the axial direction with respect to the bearing 34. Further, the bevel gear 33 has more teeth than the bevel gear of the pan motor 31 and rotates at a reduced speed to increase the rotational torque.

  Further, an encoder plate 35 having a plurality of radial slits formed at equal intervals from the center of the disk is attached to the rotation center shaft 32, and a photo interrupter 36 is attached to the middle portion of the base 11. Yes. Inside the photo interrupter 36, a light emitting element such as an LED and a light receiving element such as a phototransistor are provided so as to face each other with the end plate thickness surface of the encoder plate 35 interposed therebetween. Accordingly, the light emitted from the LED is received by the phototransistor, and the light passing through the slit on the encoder plate 35 is detected and counted to detect the rotation angle of the pan unit 12 driven by the pan motor 31.

  On the pan unit 12, a tilt motor 41 (rotating means) having a spur gear on a rotating shaft is fixed. As described above, the tilt shaft 13 rotatably supported by the pair of tilt support shafts 12 a (support means) on the pan unit 12 further has a spur gear 42 that meshes with the spur gear of the tilt motor 31. Is attached. The spur gear 42 has more teeth than the spur gear of the tilt motor 31 and rotates at a reduced speed to increase the rotational torque.

  Further, an encoder plate 43 in which a plurality of radial slits are formed at equal intervals from the center of the disk is attached to the tilt shaft 13, and a photo interrupter 44 is attached on the pan unit 12. Inside the photo interrupter 44, a light emitting element such as an LED and a light receiving element such as a phototransistor are provided so as to face each other with the end plate thickness surface of the encoder plate 43 interposed therebetween. As a result, the light emitted from the LED is received by the phototransistor, and the light passing through the slit on the encoder plate 43 is detected and counted, whereby the rotation angle of the camera platform 14 (tilt unit) driven by the tilt motor 41 is detected. Is detected.

  When the digital camera 2 is mounted on the camera platform 14 at the position 2 ′ (FIG. 5) indicated by the dotted line from the direction of the arrow C (FIG. 6), it joins with the connector 22 on the camera side and maintains electrical continuity. A pan head connector 45 for exchanging signals and a camera attachment / detachment detection switch 46 for detecting that the digital camera 2 is mounted at the position 2 ′ (FIG. 5) (FIG. 6) are provided. FIG. 6 shows a state where the connector 22 and the pan head connector 45 are joined, and the camera attachment / detachment detection switch 46 is pushed.

  The electrical signals of the connectors and switches provided in the pan head 14 pass through the tilt shaft 13, pass through the pan unit 12, pass through the pan rotation shaft, and then the arithmetic processing unit 47 on the circuit board. Is derived. The arithmetic processing unit 47 is provided with a recording unit 48 that holds pan / tilt position information, and is used for calculating a moving amount and correcting a deviation amount when moving in the photographing direction.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing operation cooperation for each function of the rotary head cradle of FIG.

  FIG. 7 mainly shows an instruction system related to driving of pan rotation and tilt rotation.

  The arithmetic processing unit 60 manages the entire system of the rotating head cradle 1 in an integrated manner, receives and calculates commands from the outside as necessary, processes data, and transmits signals.

  When the lens of the digital camera 65 is directed in a designated direction, first, the camera attachment / detachment detection unit 64 detects whether or not the lens is attached to the camera platform 63 and receives the result. If it is attached, the arithmetic processing unit 60 issues an operation instruction to the pan / tilt position control unit 61. Based on the operation instruction, the pan / tilt position control unit 61 calculates the difference between the current pan / tilt position and the designated position, issues a command to the pan / tilt drive control unit 62, and counts signals from the encoders 69 and 69 '. The current position is calculated from the increase / decrease information of the angular position sequentially sent from the counter 70. The pan / tilt drive control unit 62 sends a motor drive signal to the pan motor 66 and the tilt motor 66 'to drive the rotation. In front of the motors 66 and 66 ', gear reduction mechanisms 67 and 67' are provided to give an appropriate rotation speed and driving torque for pan / tilt driving to the pan rotation shaft and tilt rotation shaft 68 '. . The pan rotation axis and the tilt rotation axis 68, 68 'are provided with encoders 69, 69' for detecting the respective rotation angles, and detection is performed including the rotation direction. The outputs of the encoders 69 and 69 'are digitally counted by the counter 70 and provided to the pan / tilt position control unit 61 for the above-described purpose.

  When the digital camera 65 is attached to or detached from the rotary head cradle 1, the pan / tilt rotation angle may change in accordance with the attachment operation. This can be detected by pan / tilt rotation encoders 69 and 69 'indicated by dotted arrows in FIG.

  Hereinafter, the process of detecting the deviation of the pan / tilt rotation position and correcting the deviation will be described focusing on the tilt rotation correction. The same processing is performed for pan rotation correction.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the tilt stop position recording process executed by the camera platform cradle 1 of FIG.

  In this process, the deviation measurement start process is executed by monitoring the change of the encoder immediately before the camera is removed.

  In FIG. 8, it is determined whether or not there is a tilt movement command (step S1). If there is no tilt movement command, monitoring of the change of the tilt encoder is repeated (NO in step S8 → step S9). If there is, the tilt target position of the tilt movement is updated (step S2), then the tilt motor is driven (step S3), and the signal from the encoder generated by the motor drive is counted (step S4). It is determined whether or not the current target position has reached the updated tilt target value based on the counted movement data (step S5).

  As a result of the determination in step S5, when the current position has not reached the tilt target value, the process returns to step S3 to continue driving the tilt motor, and when the tilt target time has been reached, the tilt motor is stopped (step S6). ), The tilt stop position moved by the movement command and stopped is recorded (step S7) (recording means).

  Thereafter, there is a possibility that the tilt axis may move by manually removing or attaching the digital camera, and such a tilt rotation movement is monitored (step S8). Thus, until the digital camera 65 is completely attached to the camera platform 63, encoder changes are integrated to cope with the case where the rotating shaft is inadvertently moved.

  Next, it is determined whether or not the digital camera 65 has been removed from the camera platform 63 by the camera attachment / detachment detection unit 64 (step S9). If not removed, the process returns to step S1 and waits for a tilt instruction. If it has been removed, this process ends with the tilt encoder change monitoring state maintained.

  According to the process of FIG. 8, the tilt stop position when the tilt motor is stopped can be recorded (step S7).

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the shift correction process when the camera is mounted, which is executed by the pan cradle 1 of FIG.

  In FIG. 9, first, when camera attachment is detected by the camera attachment / detachment detection unit 64 (YES in step S10), it is assumed that the tilt axis further moves from the time of camera attachment, and the pan head 63 is moved only for a predetermined period TT. When the rotational movement is stopped and the tilt axis moves during that time, in order to integrate as a change, a timer value T for counting a predetermined time TT is set (step S11), and then the timer value T is decremented (step S11). S12) When the timer value T becomes “0” (YES in step S13), the change monitoring of the tilt encoder 69 ′ is terminated (step S14).

  Further, the current tilt rotation position including the amount of tilt angle deviation is calculated based on the monitoring information (step S15), and this current tilt rotation position is the same as the tilt stop position recorded in step S7 of FIG. (Step S16) (deviation detecting means).

  If the result of determination in step S16 is that the current position is not the same as the tilt stop position, the tilt motor 66 'is rotationally driven in the opposite direction (step S17), and the tilt encoder is counted (step S18). When the current position becomes the same as the tilt stop position (YES in step S16), this process ends.

  According to the processing of FIG. 9, even if the tilt axis further moves from when the camera is mounted, the tilt rotation position is returned to the tilt stop position (step S7) recorded when the tilt motor is stopped by driving the tilt motor (step S17). (YES in step S16).

(Second Embodiment)
In the first embodiment, the shift correction at the time of attaching / detaching the digital camera is rotated in the direction opposite to the direction in which the pan / tilt is shifted and returned to the recorded position at the time of removal. The recorded last stop position is corrected by rewriting the current stop position.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating the procedure of a modification of the misalignment correction process of FIG.

  In FIG. 10, first, when camera attachment is detected by the camera attachment / detachment detection unit 64 based on the attachment signal (YES in step S19), it is assumed that the tilt axis further moves from the time of camera attachment, and the pan / tilt head 63 is moved for a predetermined period TT. When the rotational movement is stopped and the tilt axis moves during that time, in order to integrate as a change, a timer value T for counting a predetermined time TT is set (step S20), and then the timer value T is decremented (step S20). S21) When the timer value T becomes “0” (YES in step S22), the monitoring of the change of the tilt encoder 69 ′ is terminated (step S23).

  Further, the current tilt rotation position including the amount of tilt angle deviation is calculated based on the monitoring information (step S24), and this current tilt rotation position is the same as the tilt stop position recorded in step S7 of FIG. Whether or not (step S25).

  If the current position is not the same as the tilt stop position as a result of the determination in step S25, the tilt stop position data is rewritten to the current stop position data (step S26) (adding means), and the current position is the tilt stop position. This process is terminated when the same is true (YES in step S25).

  According to the process of FIG. 10, even if the tilt axis moves when the camera is mounted, the tilt stop position data is rewritten without changing the tilt movement by rewriting the data of the tilt stop position to the data of the current stop position (step S26). Deviation correction can be performed (YES in step S25).

(Third embodiment)
In the third embodiment, after a predetermined time has elapsed after the digital camera mounted on the pan head is removed, for example, the display device mounted on the digital camera has the clearest contrast and the front position that is easy to see. This is an example of moving to a specific pan position or tilt position set in advance in order to direct the camera toward the operator.

  As shown in the external view of FIG. 11, the horizontal position indicated by F as the stop direction of the camera lens 21 is rotated in the direction indicated by the dotted arrow G by pan rotation or tilt rotation, and the vertical rotation position is indicated by H from the front. Most cases are rotating. The preset pan / tilt rotation position is, for example, a stop position at which the display device 49 of the digital camera shown in FIG. 12 is easy to see, or a fixed position at which the digital camera 2 can be easily attached to the rotary head cradle 1. This is the case.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the shift correction process at the time of camera removal executed by the rotary head cradle 1 of FIG.

  In FIG. 13, first, the processes of steps S1 to S9 in FIG. 8 are executed to record the tilt stop position when the tilt motor is stopped, and then the camera is removed (YES in step S9), and then only for a predetermined period TD. When the pan / tilt head stops rotating and the tilt axis moves during that time, a timer value T for counting a predetermined time TD is set in order to integrate as a change (step S45), and then the timer value T is decremented. When the timer value becomes “0” (YES in step S47), the change monitoring of the tilt encoder 69 ′ is terminated (step S48).

  Further, in consideration of the tilt stop position recorded in step S7 and the shift amount based on the shift monitoring result, for example, the difference between the current tilt position and the tilt position where the display device 49 is most easily viewable is calculated (step S49), and the tilt movement amount is calculated. Is calculated (step S50), and it is determined whether or not the current position has reached the tilt target position (tilt stop position) (step S51) (deviation detecting means).

  As a result of the determination in step S51, when the current position reaches the tilt target position, the tilt motor is driven to rotate in the opposite direction (step S52), and the tilt encoder 69 'is counted (step S53). When the current position becomes the same as the tilt stop position (YES in step S51), the tilt motor is stopped (step S54), and this process is terminated.

  According to the processing of FIG. 13, even if the tilt axis moves when the camera is detached, the tilt rotation position can be set to the tilt target position (tilt stop position) by driving the tilt motor (step S52) (YES in step S51). ).

  As described above, when the digital camera 65 is mounted in the standby state in which the digital camera 65 is not mounted on the pan head, the mounting shift is detected again by the process of FIG. 9 and the pan / tilt rotation is reversed in the reverse direction to the shift direction. To correct the deviation.

  Another object of the present invention is to supply a storage medium (or recording medium) in which a program code of software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments is recorded to a system or apparatus, and to perform computer (or CPU or MPU) of the system or apparatus. Needless to say, this is also achieved by reading and executing the program code stored in the storage medium.

  In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

  Further, by executing the program code read by the computer, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also an operating system (OS) or the like running on the computer based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that a case where the function of the above-described embodiment is realized by performing part or all of the actual processing and the processing is included.

  Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written in a memory provided in a function expansion card inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, the function expansion is performed based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that the case where the CPU or the like provided in the card or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

  The above-described program only needs to be able to realize the functions of the above-described embodiments by a computer, and the form includes forms such as object code, a program executed by an interpreter, and script data supplied to the OS. But you can.

  As a recording medium for supplying the program, for example, RAM, NV-RAM, floppy (registered trademark) disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, MO, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD (DVD-ROM, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, DVD + RW), magnetic tape, non-volatile memory card, other ROM, etc. may be used as long as they can store the above programs. Alternatively, the program is supplied by downloading from another computer or database (not shown) connected to the Internet, a commercial network, a local area network, or the like.

It is a front view which shows the rotary head cradle which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a right side view of the rotary head cradle of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a right side view of the rotary head cradle of FIG. 1 and shows a case where pan rotation is performed. FIG. 2 is a front view of the rotating head cradle of FIG. FIG. 2 is a front sectional view of the rotating head cradle of FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a front sectional view of the rotating head cradle of FIG. 5, showing a case where the digital camera 21 is mounted on the head 14. It is a block diagram which shows the operation | movement cooperation for every function of the rotary head cradle of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the tilt stop position recording process performed with the pan head cradle 1 of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the shift | offset | difference correction process at the time of the camera mounting | wearing performed by the pan head cradle 1 of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the modification of the deviation correction process of FIG. FIG. 2 is a right side view of the rotating head cradle of FIG. 1, showing a state in which the camera lens is displaced from the initial position by pan / tilt driving. FIG. 2 is a front view of the rotary head cradle of FIG. 1, showing a case where the display device faces an easy-to-see position. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the shift | offset | difference correction | amendment process at the time of the camera removal performed by the rotary head cradle 1 of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Rotation cradle 2 Digital camera 11 Base 12 Pan unit 13 Tilt shaft 14 Pan head 31 Pan motors 35 and 43 Encoder plates 36 and 44 Photo interrupter 41 Tilt motor

Claims (16)

A pan head on which the image information input device is detachably mounted, a support unit that rotatably supports the pan head around at least one of a horizontal axis and a vertical axis, and the pan head on the horizontal axis and the vertical axis. In a control device for a rotary head cradle comprising rotation means for rotating around at least one axis,
Recording means for recording the position of the camera platform relative to at least one of the horizontal axis and the vertical axis when the image information input device is removed from the camera platform;
After the image information input device is removed from the pan head, a displacement of the pan head position with respect to at least one of the horizontal axis and the vertical axis from a predetermined position of the recorded pan head is detected. Misalignment detecting means,
A control device for a rotary head cradle, comprising: control means for controlling the rotating means to rotate the head so as to correct the detected displacement. A pan head on which the image information input device is detachably mounted, a support unit that rotatably supports the pan head around at least one of a horizontal axis and a vertical axis, and the pan head on the horizontal axis and the vertical axis. In a control device for a rotary head cradle comprising rotation means for rotating around at least one axis,
Recording means for recording a position of the camera platform relative to at least one of the horizontal axis and the vertical axis when the image information input device is removed from the camera platform;
After the image information input device is removed from the pan head, a displacement of the pan head position with respect to at least one of the horizontal axis and the vertical axis from a predetermined position of the recorded pan head is detected. Misalignment detecting means,
Adding means for adding the detected displacement to the position of the recorded camera platform;
And a control means for controlling the rotating means to rotate the pan head to the added pan head position.   3. The control device for a rotary head cradle according to claim 2, wherein the head includes attachment / detachment detection means for detecting attachment / detachment of the image information input device with respect to the head.   4. The rotating pan head cradle control device according to claim 3, wherein the recording means records the position of the pan head immediately before the image information input device is detached from the pan head.   5. The rotation according to claim 4, wherein the deviation detection unit detects a deviation of the position of the camera platform during a predetermined time after the image information input device is mounted on the camera platform. Control unit for pan head cradle.   6. The displacement detection unit according to claim 1, further comprising: a rotating plate provided on at least one of the horizontal axis and the vertical axis; and a photo interrupter provided on the pan head. The control device for a rotary head cradle according to any one of the preceding claims. A pan head on which the image information input device is detachably mounted, a support unit that rotatably supports the pan head around at least one of a horizontal axis and a vertical axis, and the pan head on the horizontal axis and the vertical axis. In a method for controlling a rotary head cradle comprising rotating means for rotating around at least one axis,
A recording step of recording a position of the camera platform relative to at least one of the horizontal axis and the vertical axis when the image information input device is removed from the camera platform;
After the image information input device is removed from the pan head, a displacement of the pan head position relative to at least one of the horizontal axis and the vertical axis from a predetermined position of the recorded pan head is detected. A displacement detection step,
And a control step of controlling the rotating means to rotate the camera platform so as to correct the detected displacement. A pan head on which the image information input device is detachably mounted, a support unit that rotatably supports the pan head around at least one of a horizontal axis and a vertical axis, and the pan head on the horizontal axis and the vertical axis. In a method for controlling a rotary head cradle comprising rotating means for rotating around at least one axis,
A recording step of recording a position of the camera platform relative to at least one of the horizontal axis and the vertical axis when the image information input device is removed from the camera platform;
After the image information input device is removed from the pan head, a displacement of the pan head position with respect to at least one of the horizontal axis and the vertical axis from a predetermined position of the recorded pan head is detected. A displacement detection step,
An addition step of adding the detected deviation to the recorded pan head position;
And a control means for controlling the rotating means to rotate the pan head to the added pan head position.   3. The method of controlling a rotary head cradle according to claim 2, wherein the head includes an attachment / detachment detecting step for detecting attachment / detachment of the image information input device to / from the head.   4. The method of controlling a rotary head cradle according to claim 3, wherein the recording step records the position of the head immediately before the image information input device is detached from the head.   5. The rotation according to claim 4, wherein the displacement detection step detects a displacement of the position of the camera platform during a predetermined time after the image information input device is mounted on the camera platform. Control method of pan head cradle.   The displacement detection step includes a rotating plate provided on at least one of the horizontal axis and the vertical axis, and a photo interrupter provided on the pan head. A method for controlling a rotary head cradle according to any one of the preceding claims. A pan head on which the image information input device is detachably mounted, a support unit that rotatably supports the pan head around at least one of a horizontal axis and a vertical axis, and the pan head on the horizontal axis and the vertical axis. In a control program for a rotary head cradle comprising rotating means for rotating around at least one axis,
A recording module that records a position of the camera platform relative to at least one of the horizontal axis and the vertical axis when the image information input device is removed from the camera platform;
After the image information input device is removed from the pan head, a displacement of the pan head position with respect to at least one of the horizontal axis and the vertical axis from a predetermined position of the recorded pan head is detected. A misalignment detection module,
A control program for a rotary head cradle, characterized by causing a computer to execute a control module for controlling the rotating means to rotate the head to correct the detected deviation. A pan head on which the image information input device is detachably mounted, a support unit that rotatably supports the pan head around at least one of a horizontal axis and a vertical axis, and the pan head on the horizontal axis and the vertical axis. In a control program for a rotary head cradle comprising rotating means for rotating around at least one axis,
When the image information input device is removed from the camera platform, the recording for recording the position of the camera platform with respect to at least one of the horizontal axis and the vertical axis is also a joule.
After the image information input device is removed from the pan head, a displacement of the pan head position with respect to at least one of the horizontal axis and the vertical axis from a predetermined position of the recorded pan head is detected. A misalignment detection module,
An addition module for adding the detected displacement to the recorded pan head position; and a control means for controlling the rotating means to rotate the pan head to the added pan head position. Rotating head cradle control device.   A computer-readable storage medium storing the program according to claim 13.   A computer-readable storage medium storing the program according to claim 14.

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