JP2008085572A - Imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an imaging apparatus capable of clearly notifying a user of not monitoring when a monitoring area is not monitored and preventing the occurrence of a time lag due to diaphragm adjustment when releasing the shield of a lens and the entire monitoring camera in the case of starting monitoring. <P>SOLUTION: A lens shielding part 105 shields or releases a lens for catching video of a monitoring area, an illumination sensor 101 is installed outside the lens shielding part 105 to detect the illumination of the monitoring area, and a diaphragm adjusting part 102 adjusts lens diaphragm on the basis of the illumination detected by the illumination sensor 101. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus that captures an image of a monitoring area, and more particularly to reduction of a time lag during imaging.

  Conventionally, in order to monitor crimes or the like in a monitoring area, a monitoring camera that images the monitoring area at all times or as necessary is generally known. Even if such a surveillance camera captures the surveillance area only when there is an abnormality, there is anxiety that privacy is infringed by people in the surveillance area and a tension that is constantly monitored by the surveillance camera. There was a problem of giving.

  In order to solve such a problem, a security device including a shielding unit that shields a lens of a surveillance camera is disclosed (see Patent Document 1). In such a security device, when the surveillance area is not imaged, the entire lens or surveillance camera is covered with a cover, so that it does not infringe on the privacy so as not to be seen by people in the surveillance area.

JP 2006-4116 A

  However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, when the entire lens and the surveillance camera are shielded, light does not enter the inside, and thus a monitoring function that adjusts the lens aperture according to the brightness of the subject (auto iris function). When the camera automatically adjusts the aperture, there is a difference between the brightness and the outside. Therefore, when the cover, which is a shielding means, is opened in order to capture the monitoring area in the event of an abnormality, there is a problem in that the aperture is adjusted again according to the external brightness and a time lag occurs until a clear image is captured. .

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and when the monitoring area is not monitored, the user can clearly indicate that the monitoring is not being performed, and the lens when the monitoring is started, It is an object of the present invention to provide an imaging apparatus that does not generate a time lag due to aperture adjustment when the entire surveillance camera is unshielded.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the invention according to claim 1 is configured to shield or open a lens that captures an image of a monitoring area, and to be installed outside the shielding means. An illuminance sensor that detects the illuminance of the region; and an aperture adjustment unit that adjusts the aperture of the lens based on the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor when the lens is shielded by the shielding unit. It is characterized by that.

  The invention according to claim 2 shields or opens a lens that captures an image of a monitoring area, and includes a shielding means including a translucent member, and the semitransparent when the lens is shielded by the shielding means. And an aperture adjusting means for adjusting the aperture of the lens based on the illuminance detected by detecting the light passing through the member.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a shielding means that shields or opens a lens that captures an image of a monitoring area and includes an opening in an area excluding the area facing the lens, and the lens by the shielding means. And a diaphragm adjusting means for adjusting the diaphragm of the lens based on the illuminance detected when the light incident from the opening is detected.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the imaging apparatus according to the third aspect, the shielding means has an inner surface of the shielding means in a color having a high light reflectance.

  Further, the invention according to claim 5 includes a plurality of blind-shaped members, and shields a lens that captures an image of a monitoring area by tilting the plurality of members at a predetermined angle with respect to the optical axis of the lens, Alternatively, based on the illuminance that detects the light that passes between the plurality of members when the lens is blocked by the shielding means and the shielding means that opens when the plurality of members are parallel to the optical axis. Aperture adjusting means for adjusting the aperture of the lens.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the imaging apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the shielding means is one plate-like member.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the imaging apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, the shielding means conceals the entire imaging apparatus.

  According to the present invention, even when the lens is shielded by the lens shielding means, the illuminance in the monitoring area can be detected and the diaphragm can be adjusted with the detected illuminance. There is an effect that the monitoring area can be imaged without causing a time lag for adjustment.

  In addition, according to the present invention, even when the lens is shielded by the lens shielding means, the amount of light in the monitoring region can be acquired, and the diaphragm is adjusted with the acquired amount of light. There is an effect that the monitoring area can be imaged without generating a time lag for adjusting the aperture when the means is opened.

  In addition, according to the present invention, since the inner surface of the lens shielding unit is colored with a high light reflectance, the light incident from the opening is efficiently reflected and the amount of light in the monitoring area can be acquired. Play.

  Exemplary embodiments of an imaging apparatus according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The imaging device according to the first embodiment acquires the illuminance outside the shielding unit when the lens is shielded, and adjusts the aperture according to the acquired external illuminance.

  First, a configuration example of an imaging apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the imaging apparatus according to the first embodiment. The imaging apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment includes an illuminance sensor 101, an aperture adjustment unit 102, a lens 103, an illuminance acquisition unit 104, and a lens shielding unit 105.

  The illuminance sensor 101 is installed outside the lens shielding unit 105 and detects the brightness of the monitoring area captured by the imaging apparatus 100, that is, the illuminance. Some illuminance sensors use phototransistors or photodiodes. The illuminance acquisition unit 104 acquires the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor 101. The aperture adjustment unit 102 adjusts the aperture according to the illuminance acquired by the illuminance acquisition unit 104.

  The lens 103 captures an image of the monitoring area. Here, the captured video of the monitoring area is converted into an electric signal by an image pickup device such as a CCD (Charg Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor (not shown) and input as image information. The input image information is stored in the storage unit or transmitted to a monitoring center (not shown) via the security device 200.

  The lens shielding unit 105 is installed so as to cover the lens 103 or the entire imaging apparatus 100. The lens shielding unit 105 is connected to the security device 200 via a network. The lens shielding unit 105 is shielded from being visible to the user under the control of the security device 200, and is opened so that the imaging device 100 can image the monitoring area.

  Next, the aperture adjustment process performed by the imaging apparatus 100 configured as described above will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the aperture adjustment processing procedure performed by the illuminance acquisition unit and the aperture adjustment unit. It is assumed that the imaging device 100 captures an image of the monitoring area regardless of whether the lens shielding unit 105 is shielded or the lens shielding unit 105 is opened.

  First, the illuminance acquisition unit 104 acquires the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor 101 (step S201). Thereby, since the illuminance of the outside of the lens shielding unit 105, that is, the monitoring area can be acquired, the monitoring area captured by the imaging apparatus 100 regardless of whether the lens shielding unit 105 is shielded or opened. Can be obtained.

  The aperture adjustment unit 102 adjusts the aperture according to the acquired illuminance (step S202). Thereby, no matter what timing the lens shielding unit 105 is opened by the control of the security device 200, the lens aperture is already adjusted with the brightness of the monitoring area, so the lens shielding unit 105 is opened. Sometimes there is no time lag to adjust the aperture. Note that the time lag for adjusting the aperture using the automatic aperture adjustment function when the brightness of the normal imaging target changes greatly is about 1 second. However, immediately after imaging is started by detecting an abnormality or the like, an important image such as a criminal is often captured, and reduction of the time lag is an important security issue.

  In the above description, the illuminance sensor 101 installed outside the lens shielding unit 105 detects whether the lens shielding unit 105 shields the lens or the lens shielding unit 105 is opened. Although the processing using the illuminance is described, the illuminance sensor 101 is used when the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor 101 is used and the lens shielding portion 105 is opened only when the lens shielding portion 105 is shielded. Instead of using the detected illuminance, the aperture may be adjusted by an automatic aperture adjustment function built in the imaging apparatus 100.

(Second Embodiment)
A second embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The imaging apparatus according to the second embodiment detects the brightness of the monitoring area inside the lens shielding unit even when the lens shielding unit is shielded.

  Regarding the configuration example of the imaging apparatus to which the present invention is applied, a different part from the first embodiment will be described. The other parts are the same as those in the first embodiment, so the description is omitted with reference to the above description. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an imaging apparatus according to the second embodiment.

  The imaging apparatus 300 according to the present embodiment includes an aperture adjustment unit 302, a lens 103, and a lens shielding unit 305. Here, since the configuration and function of the lens 103 are the same as those of the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

  The aperture adjustment unit 302 detects the illuminance of the monitoring area, and adjusts the aperture of the lens according to the detected illuminance. The aperture adjustment unit 302 includes the functions of the illuminance sensor 101, the illuminance acquisition unit 104, and the aperture adjustment unit 102 described above. The aperture adjustment unit 302 may be an automatic aperture function provided in a normal surveillance camera.

  The lens shielding unit 305 has the functions and configurations described above, and is installed so as to cover the lens 103 or the entire imaging apparatus 100. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an example of a lens shielding portion when shielded or not shielded. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the lens 103 of the imaging apparatus 300 is covered with a lens shielding unit 305. Since the lens shielding unit 305 is translucent, the user cannot view the lens 103 inside the lens shielding unit 305 when the lens shielding unit 305 is shielded. However, since the translucent lens shielding unit 305 transmits the light in the monitoring area to the inside, the illuminance is detected by the diaphragm adjustment unit 302 and the diaphragm can be adjusted by the illuminance in the monitoring area. Thereby, as shown at the time of non-shielding, when the lens shielding unit 305 is opened, the diaphragm is adjusted by the illuminance of the monitoring area, so that the monitoring area is imaged without causing a time lag for adjusting the diaphragm. be able to. In the lens shielding unit 305, only the member facing the lens 103 may be translucent.

  FIG. 5 is a side view showing an example of a lens shielding portion at the time of shielding or non-shielding. Also in the imaging apparatus 300 as shown in FIG. 5, the lens shielding unit 305 is translucent, so that the user cannot see it when shielding, can detect the illuminance of the monitoring area, and can stop when not shielding. The monitoring area can be imaged without causing an adjustment time lag.

  As another example, a lens shielding unit 305 having an opening will be described. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing an example of a lens shielding portion at the time of shielding or non-shielding. The lens shielding unit 305 illustrated in FIG. 6 has an opening at a position that does not face the lens 103. As a result, the lens shielding unit 305 cannot detect the lens 103 by the user during shielding, but can detect the illuminance of the monitoring region by the light incident from the opening. Moreover, the illuminance of the monitoring area can be detected more accurately by making the back surface of the lens shielding unit 305 white.

  FIG. 7 is a side view showing an example of a lens shielding portion at the time of shielding or non-shielding. Similarly, in the case shown in FIG. 7, the illuminance can be detected by the light incident from the opening of the lens shielding unit 305, and the monitoring area can be imaged without causing a time lag of aperture adjustment when not being shielded.

  Further, as another example, a blind-shaped lens shielding unit 305 will be described. FIG. 8 is a side view showing an example of a lens shielding part at the time of shielding or at the time of non-shielding. The lens shielding unit 305 illustrated in FIG. 8 shields or opens the lens shielding unit 305 by changing the angles of the plurality of blind-shaped plates. The lens shielding unit 305 tilts the blind plate at a predetermined angle, for example, 45 ° with respect to the optical axis of the lens when shielding, so that the user cannot see the lens unit 103, but from between the blind plates. Illuminance can be sensed by incident light.

  Further, the same effect can be obtained even if the lens shielding portion 305 is constituted by a single plate-like member instead of a plurality of plate-like members.

  As described above, the present invention has been described using the first and second embodiments, but various changes or improvements can be added to the above-described embodiments. Further, the configurations and functions described in the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above can be freely combined.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the imaging device concerning 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the aperture adjustment process sequence which an illumination intensity acquisition part and an aperture adjustment part perform. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the imaging device concerning 2nd Embodiment. It is a top view which shows an example of the lens shielding part at the time of shielding or non-shielding. It is a side view which shows an example of the lens shielding part at the time of shielding or non-shielding. It is a top view which shows an example of the lens shielding part at the time of shielding or non-shielding. It is a side view which shows an example of the lens shielding part at the time of shielding or non-shielding. It is a side view which shows an example of the lens shielding part at the time of shielding or non-shielding.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 300 Imaging device 101 Illuminance sensor 102 302 Diaphragm adjustment part 103 Lens 104 Illuminance acquisition part 105 305 Lens shielding part 200 Security | security apparatus

Claims (7)

Shielding means for shielding or opening the lens for capturing the image of the surveillance area;
An illuminance sensor installed outside the shielding means for detecting the illuminance of the monitoring area;
A diaphragm adjusting unit that adjusts a diaphragm of the lens based on the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor when the lens is shielded by the shielding unit;
An imaging apparatus comprising: Shielding means that shields or opens a lens that captures an image of the surveillance area and includes a translucent member;
A diaphragm adjusting means for adjusting the diaphragm of the lens based on the illuminance detected when the light passing through the translucent member is detected when the lens is shielded by the shielding means;
An imaging apparatus comprising: Shielding means that shields or opens a lens that captures an image of a monitoring area, and includes an opening in an area excluding the area facing the lens;
When the lens is shielded by the shielding means, a diaphragm adjusting means for adjusting the diaphragm of the lens based on the illuminance detected by the light incident from the opening;
An imaging apparatus comprising:   The imaging apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the shielding unit has an inner surface of the shielding unit having a color with high light reflectivity. A plurality of blind members are provided, and a lens for capturing an image of a monitoring area is shielded by tilting the plurality of members at a predetermined angle with respect to the optical axis of the lens, or the plurality of members are disposed on the optical axis Shielding means that opens by being parallel to each other;
A diaphragm adjusting unit that adjusts a diaphragm of the lens based on an illuminance that detects light passing between the plurality of members when the lens is shielded by the shielding unit;
An imaging apparatus comprising:   The imaging apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the shielding unit is a single plate-like member.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the shielding unit conceals the entire imaging apparatus.

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