JP2010237284A - Vision system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a new vision system that acquires the all-round image information and the enlarged image information of a specified area by one imaging optical system, and acquires the enlarged image information of a high resolution in the specified area. <P>SOLUTION: In all-round imaging mode, the vision system acquires an all-round image by matching the optical axis of the imaging optical system with the rotational symmetrical axis of a curved mirror. In a zoom imaging mode, the vision system drives and controls at least one of the imaging optical system and the curved mirror so that the optical axis of the imaging optical system passes a specified position on the curved mirror, changes a relative position between them, and images a virtual image to be zoomed reflected to the specified position on the curved mirror by an optical zoom by the imaging optical system. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vision system, and more particularly to a multi-vision system capable of acquiring omnidirectional image information and enlarged image information of a designated area with a single imaging optical system.

  Conventionally, an omnidirectional camera capable of capturing 360 degree omnidirectional images at a time has been applied as a visual system in the robotics field and a monitoring system in the security field. Conventionally, in these systems, if you want to see in detail the desired range in the target field of view, use the digital zoom image of the corresponding range after correcting and developing the acquired omnidirectional image into a panoramic image using dedicated software I was doing this.

  However, when an object captured small at the periphery of the acquired omnidirectional image is viewed by digital zoom, the digital zoom simply enlarges the display area of the image while maintaining low resolution. It was difficult to confirm the details of the object.

  In this regard, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-259349 (Patent Document 1) obtains an omnidirectional image by an omnidirectional camera, and then separately prepares an object of interest captured in the omnidirectional image. Disclosed is a composite camera system that performs optical zoom photography using a zoom camera (hereinafter referred to as a PTZ camera). However, the system of Patent Document 1 requires two cameras, an omnidirectional camera and a PTZ camera, and there is a problem that capital investment is excessive.

  In this regard, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-115091 (Patent Document 2) configures an imaging unit in an omnidirectional camera by a PTZ camera, and in the omnidirectional imaging mode, images of a curved mirror are captured by the PTZ camera and an omnidirectional image is obtained. When the target object imaged in the omnidirectional image is enlarged and displayed, the PTZ camera is driven and controlled so that the visual axis of the PTZ camera faces the target entity, and the entity is enlarged and imaged. An apparatus is disclosed. According to the system of Patent Document 2, although the system can be constructed with a single camera at low cost, there are the following problems.

  That is, the PTZ camera in Patent Document 2 requires a wide open-field space for greatly moving the visual axis of the imaging optical system, and also for photographing a close-up mode for photographing a curved mirror and an entity to be enlarged. The telephoto mode must be realized at the same time, so that the optical system has to be complicated. In addition, the vertical and horizontal driving of the imaging means frequently occurs, so that the load on the drive system is large. In addition, a time lag is inevitable due to the movement of the visual axis.

JP 2003-259349 A JP 2006-115091 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems in the prior art, and the present invention can acquire omnidirectional image information and enlarged image information of a specified region with one imaging optical system, and An object of the present invention is to provide a new vision system that can acquire high-resolution enlarged image information for a designated area.

  The inventor can acquire the omnidirectional image information and the enlarged image information of the designated area with one imaging optical system, and can obtain the high-resolution enlarged image information for the designated area. As a result of intensive studies on a new vision system, in the omnidirectional imaging mode, the optical axis of the imaging optical system is made coincident with the rotational symmetry axis of the curved mirror, while the omnidirectional image is acquired in the zoom imaging mode. The virtual image of the zoomed object reflected at the specified position on the curved mirror by driving and controlling at least one of the imaging optical system or curved mirror so that the optical axis of the system passes through the specified position on the curved mirror As a result, the present inventors have conceived a configuration in which the imaging optical system captures an image with an optical zoom, resulting in the present invention.

  That is, according to the present invention, a vision system having an omnidirectional imaging mode and a zoom imaging mode, the vision system includes an imaging optical system, a rotationally symmetric curved mirror, and an optical axis of the imaging optical system. A relative position changing element for changing a relative position with the curved mirror, and in the omnidirectional imaging mode, the relative position changing element makes the optical axis coincide with the rotational symmetry axis of the curved mirror. In the zoom imaging mode, the optical axis of the imaging optical system and the curved surface are controlled by driving and controlling at least one of the imaging optical system or the curved mirror so that the optical axis passes through a specified position on the curved mirror. A vision system is provided that changes the relative position of the mirrors. In the present invention, the relative position changing element is configured so that the optical axis of the light emitted from the entity of the zoom imaging target is regularly reflected by the curved mirror and passes through the principal point of the imaging optical system. The relative position between the optical axis and the curved mirror can be changed. In the present invention, the curved mirror may be a curved mirror selected from the group consisting of a conical mirror, a hyperbolic mirror, a parabolic mirror, and a spherical mirror. Furthermore, according to the present invention, a monitoring system including the vision system is provided, and a robot including the vision system as a vision system is provided.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the omnidirectional image information and the enlarged image information of the designated area can be acquired by one imaging optical system, and the high resolution enlarged image information can be obtained for the designated area. A new vision system capable of acquiring

The figure which shows the vision system of 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows the image of the curved mirror which the vision system of 1st Embodiment imaged. The figure which shows the omnidirectional imaging mode of the vision system of 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows the zoom imaging mode of the vision system of 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows the zoom imaging mode of the vision system of 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows the zoom imaging mode of the vision system of 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows the vision system of 2nd Embodiment. The figure which shows the zoom imaging mode of the vision system of 2nd Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown in the drawings. In the drawings referred to below, the same reference numerals are used for common elements, and the description thereof is omitted as appropriate.

  FIG. 1 shows a vision system 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The vision system 10 includes an imaging optical system 12 and a curved mirror 14. Image information acquired by the imaging optical system 12 is transferred to an information processing means 16 (hereinafter referred to as a PC 16) constituted by a microcomputer, a personal computer, and the like, and a panoramic image is used using dedicated software as necessary. After being corrected and developed, etc., they are displayed on the display 17. Note that the curved mirror 14 in this embodiment may be a rotationally symmetric curved mirror, and a conical mirror, a hyperboloidal mirror, a parabolic mirror, a spherical mirror, or the like can be used as appropriate. FIG. 1A is a diagram illustrating an omnidirectional imaging mode of the vision system 10. In the omnidirectional imaging mode, the visual axis of the imaging optical system 12 is fixed toward the center of the curved mirror 14, and the imaging optical system 12 captures a virtual image reflected on the curved mirror 14, and displays this as an omnidirectional image. Get as.

  On the other hand, in the vision system 10 of the present embodiment, the user can specify a desired area based on the acquired omnidirectional image, and can enlarge and display the specified area. FIG. 1B is a diagram illustrating a zoom imaging mode of the vision system 10. When the user designates a desired region (object) from the virtual image captured on the curved mirror 14 acquired as an omnidirectional image, the imaging optical system driving unit 18 controls driving of the imaging optical system 12 accordingly. . Specifically, the imaging optical system 12 is driven by the imaging optical system driving unit 18 so that the visual axis of the imaging optical system 12 is deviated from the center of the curved mirror 14 and is directed toward the designated region on the curved mirror 14. The After the visual axis of the imaging optical system 12 is directed in the direction of the designated area on the curved mirror 14, the imaging optical system 12 performs optical zooming on the designated area and images it.

  In this embodiment, since it is necessary to zoom in on the surface of the curved mirror 14, the imaging optical system 12 in this embodiment preferably has a macro zoom function. The system driving means 18 can also be constituted by a PTZ camera. By adopting the configuration described above, according to the present embodiment, it becomes possible to acquire high-resolution image information that could not be obtained with the conventional digital zoom.

  FIG. 2 shows an image of the curved mirror 14 captured by the vision system 10 of the present embodiment. FIG. 2A shows an acquired image of the vision system 10 in the omnidirectional imaging mode. Here, it is assumed that the user specifies a region surrounded by a broken line in the acquired image 100. In the conventional digital zoom, the display area is enlarged while maintaining the number of pixels in the area surrounded by the broken line, and image information with a low resolution as shown in FIG. 2 (a-1) is displayed. The details of the sphere that has moved into the area cannot be confirmed. In this regard, according to the vision system 10 of the present embodiment, the imaging optical system 12 optically zooms and captures an area specified by the user, so that enlarged image information with high resolution is obtained as shown in FIG. Is acquired. As a result, in the example shown in FIG. 2B, the user can recognize that the sphere moved into the designated area is a soccer ball. Hereinafter, this point will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the omnidirectional imaging mode of the vision system 10. 3 shows an example in which a spherical mirror is employed as the curved mirror 14, and the imaging optical system driving means 18 and the PC 16 are omitted (the same applies to FIGS. 4 to 6). In the example shown in FIG. 3, there are three objects (◯, Δ, ◇) within the visual field range of the vision system 10. In the omnidirectional imaging mode, the imaging optical system 12 is fixed so that its optical axis P coincides with the rotational symmetry axis of the curved mirror 14 (that is, the center of the curved mirror 14 is focused). . FIG. 3 shows a captured image 100 of the imaging optical system 12 on the upper right side of the paper. The entire image of the curved mirror 14 is shown in the captured image 100 in the omnidirectional imaging mode, and the imaging optical system 12 captures virtual images of three objects (◯, Δ, ◇) reflected on the curved mirror 14. Yes. Next, a zoom imaging mode in which the user designates an object (◯, Δ, ◇) and displays it in an enlarged manner will be described with reference to FIGS.

  4 to 6 are diagrams illustrating the zoom imaging mode of the vision system 10, and FIGS. 4 to 6 also show the acquired image 100 of the vision system 10 in the zoom imaging mode on the upper right side of the drawing. First, the procedure for enlarging and displaying the object (◯) will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in the zoom imaging mode, first, the user moves the target cursor 102 on the screen displayed on the display 17 by using a pointing device such as a mouse connected to the PC 16 to display an enlarged display. Place the cursor on the desired object (◯). The PC 16 determines the three-dimensional spatial position of the optical axis P of the imaging optical system 12 necessary to focus on the virtual image of the object (◯) reflected on the curved mirror 14 based on the two-dimensional coordinate information indicated by the target cursor 102. And a drive signal based on this is transferred to the imaging optical system drive means 18. Upon receiving the drive signal, the imaging optical system driving unit 18 drives and controls the imaging optical system 12 so that the optical axis P matches the calculated spatial position.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, the optical axis P of the imaging optical system 12 moves. In the present embodiment, the optical axis of the light emitted from the center of the designated region (that is, the object (◯) that is the entity of the zoom imaging object) is regularly reflected by the curved mirror 14 to The optical axis P of the imaging optical system 12 is preferably three-dimensionally positioned so as to pass through the point. When the imaging optical system 12 is zoomed in this state, the image is enlarged in a state where the object (o) is in focus, so that a sharp target image is enlarged and displayed with high resolution.

  FIG. 5 shows an aspect in which the object (Δ) is enlarged and displayed. Also in this case, when the user similarly sets the target cursor 102 to the target object (Δ), the PC 16 controls driving of the imaging optical system driving unit 18 based on the two-dimensional coordinate information indicated by the target cursor 102, and the curved mirror 14. The optical axis P of the imaging optical system 12 is moved so that the virtual image of the object (Δ) shown above is focused. Thereafter, the object (Δ) is enlarged and displayed with high resolution by zooming the imaging optical system 12. Similarly, FIG. 6 shows an aspect in which the object (◇) is enlarged and displayed. Also in this case, when the user moves the target cursor 102 to the object (◇), the optical axis P of the imaging optical system 12 moves so that the virtual image of the object (◇) reflected on the curved mirror 14 is focused, By zooming the imaging optical system 12, the object (◇) is enlarged and displayed with high resolution.

  The present invention has been described with the vision system 10 according to the first embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the optical axis P of the imaging optical system 12 is fixed. By moving the position of the curved mirror 14 in the state, the same function and action as described above can be realized. Hereinafter, this point will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 7 shows a vision system 20 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The vision system 20 is common to the vision system 10 described above in that it includes the imaging optical system 12, the curved mirror 14, and the PC 16, but the vision system 20 performs imaging through the omnidirectional imaging mode and the zoom imaging mode. The visual axis of the optical system 12 is always fixed toward the center of the curved mirror 14. Therefore, the vision system 20 does not include the imaging optical system driving unit 18 and includes a curved mirror driving unit 22 instead.

  FIG. 7A is a diagram illustrating an omnidirectional imaging mode of the vision system 20. The omnidirectional imaging mode of the vision system 20 is the same as the omnidirectional imaging mode of the vision system 10 described above, and a virtual image reflected on the curved mirror 14 by the imaging optical system 12 whose visual axis is fixed toward the center of the curved mirror 14. Is acquired as an omnidirectional image.

  On the other hand, FIG. 7B shows a zoom imaging mode of the vision system 20. In the zoom imaging mode of the vision system 20, when the user designates a desired region (object) of a virtual image that appears on the curved mirror 14 acquired as an omnidirectional image, the visual axis of the imaging optical system 12 becomes the desired region (object). The curved mirror driving means 22 drives and controls the curved mirror 14 so as to focus on the object. Thereafter, the imaging optical system 12 optically zooms and captures the designated area, whereby enlarged image information of a desired area (object) is acquired with high resolution. Hereinafter, this point will be described in more detail.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a zoom imaging mode of the vision system 20. 8 shows an example in which a spherical mirror is adopted as the curved mirror 14, and the curved mirror driving means 22 and the PC 16 are omitted. In the example shown in FIG. 8, there are three objects (◯, Δ, ◇) within the visual field range of the vision system 20. FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C show how the curved mirror 14 moves when the object (◯), the object (Δ), and the object (◇) are enlarged and displayed, respectively. FIG. As shown in FIGS. 8A to 8C, in the present embodiment, the curved mirror driving means 22 moves the curved mirror 14 so that the imaging optical system 12 is focused on each object. In the present embodiment, the curved mirror driving means 22 captures an image by reflecting the optical axis of light emitted from the center of each designated area (that is, the center of the object (◯, Δ, ◇)) to the curved mirror 14. It is preferable to drive and control the curved mirror 14 so as to pass through the principal point of the optical system 12. Note that the movement trajectory of the curved mirror 14 shown in FIG. 8 is an example, and in the present embodiment, the mode of moving the curved mirror 14 is not limited.

  Although the present invention has been described with the first and second embodiments, the imaging optical system driving unit 18 and the PC 16 in the first embodiment described above, and the curved mirror driving unit 22 in the second embodiment are described. Each of the PCs 16 functions as a relative position changing element for changing the relative position between the optical axis P of the imaging optical system 12 and the curved mirror 14. The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, zooming can be performed by driving both the imaging optical system 12 and the curved mirror 14 at the same time and appropriately changing and controlling the relative positions of the two. It can also be configured to focus on the center of the imaging target.

  In the above-described embodiment, the vision system of the present invention has been described based on a model that assumes a monitoring system, but the vision system of the present invention is not only a system that displays acquired image information to a user, Of course, the present invention can be applied to a machine vision system that uses acquired image information as control information, such as a visual system in the field of robotics. In addition, it is included in the scope of the present invention as long as the effects and effects of the present invention are exhibited within the scope of embodiments that can be considered by those skilled in the art.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the omnidirectional image information and the enlarged image information of the designated area can be acquired by one imaging optical system, and the designated area is enlarged with high resolution. A novel vision system capable of acquiring image information is provided. Since the vision system of the present invention can be realized in a space-saving and low-cost manner, it is expected to be applied as a vision system in various robotics fields such as industrial robots, which are highly demanded to be compact.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Vision system, 12 ... Imaging optical system, 14 ... Curved surface mirror, 16 ... Information processing means, 17 ... Display, 18 ... Imaging optical system drive means, 20 ... Vision system, 22 ... Curved surface mirror drive means, 100 ... Acquired image , 102 ... Target cursor

Claims (5)

A vision system having an omnidirectional imaging mode and a zoom imaging mode, wherein the vision system changes an imaging optical system, a rotationally symmetric curved mirror, an optical axis of the imaging optical system, and a relative position of the curved mirror A relative position changing element for
The relative position changing element is:
In the omnidirectional imaging mode, the optical axis coincides with the rotational symmetry axis of the curved mirror, and in the zoom imaging mode, the imaging optical system or the optical system passes through a designated position on the curved mirror. Driving and controlling at least one of the curved mirror to change the relative position of the optical axis of the imaging optical system and the curved mirror;
Vision system.   The relative position changing element includes the optical axis of the imaging optical system and the optical axis of the imaging optical system so that the optical axis of light emitted from the zoom imaging target entity is regularly reflected by the curved mirror and passes through the principal point of the imaging optical system. The vision system according to claim 1, wherein the relative position of the curved mirror is changed.   The vision system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the curved mirror is selected from the group consisting of a conical mirror, a hyperboloidal mirror, a parabolic mirror, and a spherical mirror.   A monitoring system comprising the vision system according to claim 1.   The robot provided with the vision system of any one of Claims 1-3 as a vision system.