JP2012098652A - Imaging system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an imaging system which, in automatic imaging, eliminates the possibility of unintended operations during actual imaging and simplifies a setting load on automatic imaging.SOLUTION: In advance preparation imaging, a voice and operation information synchronization section 8 synchronizes voice of a speaker and operation information to be stored in a voice and operation information storage section 9. In actual imaging, a voice synchronization operation information identification section 11 performs automatic imaging, in synchronization with voice of the speaker, by using the operation information stored in the voice and operation information storage section 9.

Description

  The present invention relates to a photographing system having an automatic photographing function.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a system for performing automatic shooting has been proposed in broadcasting station program shooting.
Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for acquiring speaker recognition information, a keyword issued by a speaker, and time lapse information, and performing automatic shooting based on transition probability information and allocation probability information defined in advance.

JP 2005-295431 A

  Conventionally, it is necessary to preliminarily define transition probability information and allocation probability information, and there has been a problem that a large amount of preparation is required to perform automatic photographing with a high degree of completion. In addition, when there is an inconvenience in the information specified in advance, or when there is a misrecognition of utterance due to a difference in speakers, there is a possibility that an unintended operation may be performed during actual shooting.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an imaging system that eliminates the risk of performing an unintended operation during actual shooting and simplifies the setting load for automatic shooting.

  In order to achieve the above object, a photographing system of the present invention has a voice recognition means for recognizing a unit voice, which is a basic unit of a single sound or a word, a photographing lens, and a camera. An imaging means for photographing; a suspension base for holding the imaging means and changing the direction / position; an operation information acquisition means for obtaining operation information such as setting of the imaging means and a direction / position of the suspension base; Voice / operation information synchronization means for synchronizing the unit voice and the operation information, voice / operation information storage means for storing information synchronized by the voice / operation information synchronization means, change of settings of the imaging means, and suspension Control means for controlling the direction and position of the table, unit voice storage means for storing the unit voice, the unit voice recognized by the voice recognition means, and the unit voice stored in the voice / operation information storage means And the control information from the operation information Characterized in that has a sound synchronous operation information identification means for controlling the stage.

  Further objects and other features of the present invention will be made clear by preferred embodiments and the like described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  According to the present invention, the voice of the speaker and the operation information are stored in synchronization during the preliminary preparation shooting, and the automatic shooting is performed using the stored operation information in synchronization with the voice of the speaker during the actual shooting. As a result, it is possible to eliminate the risk of performing an unintended operation during actual shooting and to simplify the setting load for automatic shooting.

Block diagram for performing storage processing used in the first embodiment The figure which shows the structure of AF effective frame used in Embodiment 1. Flowchart for performing storage processing used in the first embodiment Example of information stored in the voice / operation information storage unit used in the first embodiment Block diagram for performing automatic photographing processing used in the first and second embodiments Flowchart for performing automatic photographing processing used in the first embodiment Block diagram for performing storage processing used in the second embodiment An example of information stored in the voice / operation information storage unit used in the second embodiment Flowchart for performing storage processing used in the second embodiment Flowchart for performing automatic photographing processing used in the second embodiment Block diagram for performing storage processing used in the third embodiment Flowchart for performing storage processing used in the third embodiment Block diagram for performing automatic video switching processing used in the third embodiment Flowchart for performing automatic video switching processing used in the third embodiment

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<< First Embodiment >>
FIG. 1 shows a block diagram for performing storage processing of the photographing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 1 is a subject, 2 is a microphone, and 6 is a voice recognition unit. The voice spoken by the subject 1 is input to the voice recognition unit 6 via the microphone 2. The speech recognition unit 6 recognizes unit speech from the input speech using a single sound or a word as a basic unit.

  Reference numeral 5 denotes an operator, 3 denotes an imaging device including a lens and a camera, 4 denotes a suspension base capable of changing the pan / tilt angle and movement of the imaging device 3, and 7 denotes an operation information acquisition unit. The operator 5 operates the suspension base 4 to change the orientation and position of the image pickup apparatus 3, and also operates the image pickup apparatus 3 to change various settings such as a lens position and autofocus valid / invalid. Information on the pan / tilt angle and position of the suspension base 4 and various settings of the imaging device 3 are input to the operation information acquisition unit 7 as operation information.

  Reference numeral 8 denotes a voice / operation information synchronization unit, and 9 denotes a voice / operation information storage unit. The voice recognition unit 6, the operation information acquisition unit 7, and the voice / operation information storage unit 9 are connected to the voice / operation information synchronization unit 8. The unit voice recognized by the voice recognition unit 6 and the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition unit are acquired by the voice / operation information synchronization unit 8, processed, and then stored in the voice / operation information storage unit 9. .

  FIG. 2 shows an AF effective frame which is one of various settings of the imaging apparatus 3. Reference numeral 21 denotes a photographed image photographed by the image pickup apparatus 3, and 20 denotes an AF effective frame in which only the image inside the frame is a target for autofocus. The AF effective frame 20 can be arranged at various positions within the range of the captured image 21 and can be changed in size, and can be arbitrarily set by the operator 5. In addition, the operator 5 can set whether autofocus of the image pickup apparatus 3 is valid / invalid by an AF ON / OFF switch (not shown).

The flowchart of FIG. 3 shows the operation of the storage process performed by the voice / operation information synchronization unit 8, and FIG. 4 shows an example of information stored in the voice / operation information storage unit 9 by this storage process. . This operation is performed according to a computer program stored in the voice / operation information synchronization unit 8. In step S100, the storage process of the voice / operation information synchronization unit 8 is started. The time information stored in the voice / operation information storage unit 9 at this time is t0.
In step S101, operation information of the imaging device 3 and the suspension base 4 is acquired, and the process proceeds to step S102.

  In step S102, the acquired operation information is stored in the voice / operation information storage unit 9 as information accompanying the time information, and the process proceeds to step S103. For example, when the pan angle αget is acquired as the operation information, it is stored in the voice / operation information storage unit 9 as pan angle αt0 = αget as information accompanying the time information t0. Also, the initial value 0 is stored for information other than the operation information to be acquired, such as waiting time Δ and panning speed β. In step S103, operation information of the imaging device 3 and the suspension base 4 is acquired, and the process proceeds to step S104.

  In step S104, it is determined whether or not the acquired operation information has changed. If changed, the process proceeds to step S105. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S106. In step S105, the operation information accompanying the time information stored in the voice / operation information storage unit 9 is updated to the acquired operation information, and the process proceeds to step S106.

Further, for example, in FIG. 4, the elapsed time is stored as the waiting time Δ, the change speed of the pan angle is stored as the pan speed β, etc. from the time stored in step S102. However, the waiting time Δ is updated only once at the first time, and it may not be performed thereafter when the time information is the same. In addition, the time information t0 is used as initial information, and it is not necessary to update the waiting time Δ and the pan speed β.
In step S106, it is confirmed whether or not the unit speech is recognized by the speech recognition unit 6. If the unit speech is recognized, the process proceeds to step S107. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S103.

  In step S107, the time information is updated, and the process proceeds to step S108. For example, when the time information is t0, it is t1. In step S108, the recognized unit voice is stored in the voice / operation information storage unit 9 as a unit voice accompanying the time information, and the process proceeds to step S101. By this procedure, the unit voice and the operation information including the waiting time until the operation is started after the unit voice is recognized, the pan angle, the AF effective frame information, and the like are synchronized as information accompanying the time information. It is possible to execute an automatic photographing storage process.

Here, the information as shown in FIG. 4 stored in the voice / operation information storage unit 9 can be corrected by a process different from the main storage process. Further, it is assumed that the stored unit voice and a separately prepared photographing script are synchronized to correct misrecognition at the time of voice identification.
By this procedure, it is possible to make corrections when information cannot be stored by the automatic photographing / recording process or when information different from the script is stored.

  FIG. 5 shows a block diagram for performing automatic photographing processing of the photographing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 5, 10 is a control unit, 11 is a voice synchronization operation information identification unit, and 12 is a unit voice storage unit. The voice synchronization operation information identification unit 11 acquires the unit voice recognized by the voice identification unit 6 and stores it in the unit voice storage unit 12. The voice synchronization operation information identification unit 11 uses the information stored in the voice / operation information storage unit 9 to control the suspension base 4 and the imaging device 3 via the control unit 10.

  The flowchart of FIG. 6 shows the operation of the automatic photographing process performed by the voice synchronization operation information identification unit 11. This operation is performed according to a computer program stored in the voice synchronization operation information identification unit 11. In step S110, the automatic photographing process of the voice synchronization operation information identification unit 11 is started. The time information shown in FIG. 4 used from the voice / operation information storage unit 9 at this time is t0. In step S111, the suspension base 4 and the imaging device 3 are controlled via the control unit 10 using the operation information accompanying the time information, and the process proceeds to step S112. For example, in the operation information shown in FIG. 4, after waiting for the waiting time Δ, the panning operation of the suspension base is controlled at the panning speed β up to the panning angle α.

  In step S112, the time information is updated, and the process proceeds to step S113. For example, when the time information is t0, it is t1. In step S113, it is confirmed whether or not the unit speech is recognized by the speech recognition unit 6. If the unit speech is recognized, the process proceeds to step S114. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S113. In step S114, the recognized unit sound is stored in the unit sound storage unit 12 in time series, and the process proceeds to step S115. In step S115, the unit voice accompanying the time information is acquired from the voice / operation information storage unit 9, and the process proceeds to step S116.

  In step S116, the recognized unit voice is compared with the stored unit voice acquired from the voice / operation information storage unit 9. If they match, the process proceeds to step S111. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S117. In step S117, a plurality of stored unit voices obtained from the current time information are acquired from the voice / operation information storage unit 9, and the process proceeds to step S118. For example, in FIG. 4, when the number of acquisitions is 3 in the time information t2, the unit voices “U”, “A”, “I” of the time information t3 to t4 are acquired.

  In step S118, the recognized unit sounds stored in time series in the unit sound storage unit 12 are acquired from the latest ones in the number acquired in step S117. The recognized plurality of unit voices and the plurality of stored unit voices acquired from the voice / operation information storage unit 9 are compared. If they match, the process proceeds to step S119. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S120.

  In step S119, the time information is changed to the last value of the time information used in step S118, and the process proceeds to step S111. For example, in FIG. 4, when the unit voices “U”, “A”, “I” of the time information t3 to t4 are used, the time information is changed to t4. In step S120, the time information is updated, and the process proceeds to step S117. For example, when the time information is t2, it is t3. In step S120, only the time information is changed, but the number of acquisitions acquired in step S117 may be changed at the same time. In this case, a process for returning the number of acquisitions to the initial value is added in step S119.

  According to this procedure, after the united speech is recognized, after the stored waiting time has elapsed, automatic photographing processing such as moving the suspension base to the stored pan angle and changing the AF effective frame is executed. Things are possible. In addition, when the time information of the automatic photographing process is different from the actual photographing progress, it is possible to automatically correct the time information using the stored unit voice.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as the information stored in the voice / operation information storage unit 9, one time information as shown in FIG. 4 is used. However, the operation states of the zoom lens, the focus lens, and the like are different. It may be configured and stored using time information.

  According to the present embodiment, the speaker's voice and operation information are stored in synchronization during the preliminary preparation shooting, and automatic shooting is performed using the stored operation information in synchronization with the speaker's voice during the actual shooting. As a result, it is possible to eliminate the risk of performing an unintended operation during actual shooting and to simplify the setting load for automatic shooting.

<< Second Embodiment >>
FIG. 7 shows a block diagram for performing storage processing of the photographing system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the basic configuration of the block diagram of the present embodiment, a unit audio storage unit 12 is added to the block diagram for performing the storage process of the first embodiment. In FIG. 7, the voice / operation information synchronization unit 8 acquires the unit voice recognized by the voice identification unit 6 and stores it in the unit voice storage unit 12.

The flowchart of FIG. 9 shows the operation of the storage process performed by the voice / operation information synchronization unit 8, and FIG. 8 shows an example of information stored in the voice / operation information storage unit 9 by this storage process. . This operation is performed according to a computer program stored in the voice / operation information synchronization unit 8. In step S200, the storage process of the voice / operation information synchronization unit 8 is started. The time information stored in the voice / operation information storage unit 9 at this time is t0.
In step S201, operation information of the imaging device 3 and the suspension base 4 is acquired, and the process proceeds to step S202.

In step S202, the acquired operation information is stored in the voice / operation information storage unit 9 as information accompanying the time information, and the process proceeds to step S203. In step S203, the time information is updated, and the process proceeds to step S204. For example, when the time information is t0, it is t1.
In step S204, it is confirmed whether or not the unit voice is recognized by the voice recognition unit 6. If the unit voice is recognized, the process proceeds to step S205. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S206. In step S205, the recognized unit speech is stored in time series in the unit speech storage unit 12, and the process proceeds to step S206.

In step S206, operation information of the imaging device 3 and the suspension base 4 is acquired, and the process proceeds to step S207. In step S207, it is determined whether or not the acquired operation information has changed. If it has changed, the process proceeds to step S208. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S204.
In step S208, the latest one of the recognized unit voices stored in time series in the unit voice storage unit 12 is set as a keyword, and the process proceeds to step S209.

  In step S209, the set keyword is compared with the keyword stored in the voice / operation information storage unit 9. If there is no match, the process proceeds to step S210, and otherwise, the process proceeds to step S211. In step S210, the set keyword and the acquired operation information are stored in the voice / operation information storage unit 9 as a keyword and operation information associated with the time information, and the process proceeds to step S203. Further, for example, in FIG. 8, the elapsed time is stored as the waiting time Δ, the pan angle change speed is stored as the pan speed β, and the like from the time of the last saving in step S205.

  In step S211, the keyword is reset as follows, and the process proceeds to step S209. For example, the currently set keyword K (t) is the unit speech number [a + 1] before the recognized unit speech stored in the unit speech storage unit 12 in time series, including the latest W (t). Suppose that it was up to. The keywords K (t) at that time are W (t), W (t-1), and W (t-a).

On the other hand, the already set keyword is K (T), and K (T) = W (T), W (T-1), and W (Ta).
The process of step S211 is executed when K (t) = K (T). At this time, the number of unit voices is increased by 1, and the currently set keyword K (t) and the already set keyword K (T) are reset. By this procedure, the keyword and the operation information including the waiting time until the operation is started after the keyword is recognized, the pan angle, the AF effective frame information, and the like are stored synchronously as information accompanying the time information. It is possible to execute an automatic photographing storage process.

  In addition, it is possible to automatically change and store such that the keyword to be set is only one for all time information. Here, the information as shown in FIG. 8 stored in the voice / operation information storage unit 9 can be corrected by a process different from the main storage process. Further, it is assumed that the stored keyword and a separately prepared photographing script are synchronized to correct misrecognition at the time of voice identification. By this procedure, it is possible to make corrections when information cannot be stored by the automatic photographing / recording process or when information different from the script is stored.

  The configuration of the block diagram for performing the automatic photographing process in the present embodiment is the same as the block diagram of the first embodiment (FIG. 5). The flowchart of FIG. 10 shows the operation of the automatic photographing process performed by the voice synchronization operation information identification unit 11. This operation is performed according to a computer program stored in the voice synchronization operation information identification unit 11. In step S220, the automatic photographing process of the voice synchronization operation information identification unit 11 is started. The time information shown in FIG. 4 used from the voice / operation information storage unit 9 at this time is t0. In step S221, the suspension base 4 and the imaging device 3 are controlled via the control unit 10 using the operation information accompanying the time information, and the process proceeds to step S222.

For example, in the operation information shown in FIG. 8, after waiting for the waiting time Δ, the panning operation of the suspension base is controlled at the panning speed β until the panning angle α. In step S222, the time information is updated.
Here, for example, when the time information is t0, it becomes t1. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S223.
In step S223, the storage keyword attached to the time information is acquired from the voice / operation information storage unit 9, and the process proceeds to step S224.

In step S224, a recognition keyword for creating a keyword from the unit speech acquired from the speech recognition unit 6 is initialized, and the process proceeds to step S225.
In step S225, it is confirmed whether or not the unit speech is recognized by the speech recognition unit 6. If the unit speech is recognized, the process proceeds to step S226. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S225. In step S226, a recognition keyword is created from the unit voice acquired from the voice recognition unit 6, and the process proceeds to step S227.

For example, when the number of times that step S226 is processed is [a + 1] times, and the unit speech recognized in step S225 is W (t), the recognition keyword K (t) is W (t), W (t -1),, W (ta). In step S227, the recognized keyword and the stored keyword are compared. If they match, the process proceeds to step S221. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S225.
With this procedure, after the keyword has been recognized and the stored waiting time has elapsed, automatic shooting processing such as moving the suspension base to the stored pan angle and changing the AF effective frame is executed. Is possible.

  According to the present embodiment, the speaker's voice and operation information are stored in synchronization during the preliminary preparation shooting, and automatic shooting is performed using the stored operation information in synchronization with the speaker's voice during the actual shooting. As a result, it is possible to eliminate the risk of performing an unintended operation during actual shooting and to simplify the setting load for automatic shooting.

<< Third Embodiment >>
FIG. 11 shows a block diagram for performing storage processing of the imaging system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 11, 31 to 33 are imaging devices including lenses and cameras, 34 is a video switching operation unit, 35 is a video switching unit, and 36 is a television video. The video imaged by the imaging devices 31 to 33 is input to the video switching unit 35. The video switching unit 35 outputs the video selected by the video switching operation unit 34 to the television video 36. The audio / operation information synchronization unit 8 acquires the video switching information input to the video switching operation unit.

  The flowchart of FIG. 12 shows the operation of the storage process performed by the voice / operation information synchronization unit 8 shown in the configuration of FIG. This operation is performed according to a computer program stored in the voice / operation information synchronization unit 8. In step S300, the storage process of the voice / operation information synchronization unit 8 is started. In step S301, video switching information is acquired, and the process proceeds to step S302. In step S302, the video switching information is stored in the voice / operation information storage unit 9 as information accompanying the time information, and the process proceeds to step S303. In step S303, video switching information is acquired, and the process proceeds to step S304.

In step S304, it is determined whether or not the acquired video switching information has changed. If changed, the process proceeds to step S305. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S306.
In step S305, the video switching information accompanying the time information stored in the audio / operation information storage unit 9 is updated to the acquired video switching information, and the process proceeds to step S306. Note that the elapsed time from the time stored in step S102 may be stored in the audio / operation information storage unit 9 as video switching information as a waiting time.
The operations in steps S306 to S308 are the same as the operations in steps S106 to S108 shown in FIG.

  By this procedure, an automatic shooting and storing process is performed in which unit audio and video switching information including a waiting time from when the unit audio is recognized until the operation is started are synchronously stored as information accompanying the time information. It is possible to execute.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram for performing an automatic video switching process in the photographing system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 13, the audio synchronization operation information identification unit 11 controls the video switching unit 35 to select a video shot by the imaging devices 31 to 33.
The flowchart of FIG. 14 shows the operation of the automatic photographing process performed by the voice synchronization operation information identification unit 11. This operation is performed according to a computer program stored in the voice synchronization operation information identification unit 11.

  In step S310, the automatic video switching process of the audio synchronization operation information identification unit 11 is started. In step S311, the video switching unit 35 is controlled using the video switching information accompanying the time information, and the television video 36 is selected. In this process, after the waiting time stored in the video switching information has elapsed, video switching for controlling the video switching unit 35 may be performed. The operations in steps S312 to S320 are the same as the operations in steps S112 to S120 shown in FIG.

  According to this procedure, it is possible to execute an automatic photographing process in which the video is switched in accordance with the video switching information stored synchronously after the stored waiting time elapses after the unit voice is recognized. According to the present embodiment, the speaker's voice and operation information are stored in synchronization during the preliminary preparation shooting, and automatic shooting is performed using the stored operation information in synchronization with the speaker's voice during the actual shooting. As a result, it is possible to eliminate the risk of performing an unintended operation during actual shooting and to simplify the setting load for automatic shooting.

  As mentioned above, although preferable embodiment of this invention was described, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to these embodiment, A various deformation | transformation and change are possible within the range of the summary.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 Microphone 3 Imaging device 4 Suspension stand 6 Voice recognition part 7 Operation information acquisition part 8 Voice / operation information synchronization part 9 Voice / operation information storage part 10 Control part 11 Voice synchronous operation information identification part 12 Unit voice preservation | save part 20 AF effective frame 31-33 Imaging device 34 Video switching operation unit 35 Video switching unit

Claims (10)

Speech recognition means for inputting speech and recognizing unit speech based on a single sound or a word;
An image pickup means having a taking lens and a camera, and taking a video;
A suspension base for holding the imaging means and changing the direction and position;
Operation information acquisition means for acquiring operation information such as the setting of the imaging means and the direction and position of the suspension base;
Voice / operation information synchronization means for synchronizing the unit voice and the operation information;
Voice / operation information storage means for storing information synchronized by the voice / operation information synchronization means;
Control means for changing the setting of the imaging means and controlling the direction and position of the suspension; and
Unit audio storage means for storing the unit audio;
A voice synchronous operation information identifying means for controlling the control means from the unit voice recognized by the voice recognition means, the unit voice stored in the voice / operation information storage means and the operation information; An imaging system characterized by the above. It has two processes of automatic shooting storage processing and automatic shooting processing,
At the time of the automatic photographing storage process, the voice / operation information synchronization means is used to store the unit voice and the operation information in the voice / operation information storage means,
When the unit voice recognized by the voice identification means matches the unit voice stored in the voice / operation information storage means using the voice synchronization operation information identification means during the automatic photographing process, 2. The photographing system according to claim 1, wherein the control means is controlled by the operation information stored in the operation information storage means.   The waiting time from when the unit sounds coincide with each other during the automatic photographing process until the control unit is controlled is stored at the time of the automatic photographing and storing process. Shooting system.   4. The photographing system according to claim 1, wherein the unit sound and the operation information are stored in the sound / operation information storage unit every time the unit sound is recognized. 5. .   The keyword and the operation information are stored in the voice / operation information storage unit in synchronization with the keyword and the operation information each time the operation information changes. The imaging system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the imaging system is characterized in that: When the unit voice obtained from the voice identification unit and the unit voice stored in the voice / operation information storage unit do not match, one or more unit voices stored in the unit voice storage unit;
6. A part where one or more unit voices stored in the voice / operation information storage means match is searched, and the control means is controlled by the stored operation information. The shooting system described in 1. The keyword already stored in the voice / operation information storage means;
When the keyword to be stored matches, the keyword already stored and
6. The photographing system according to claim 5, wherein the keyword to be stored is changed using the unit sound stored in the unit sound storage means. Means for changing the position and size of the autofocus effective range;
It has means to switch auto focus valid / invalid,
8. The position / size of an autofocus effective range and valid / invalid information are used as the operation information stored in the voice / operation information storage means. Shooting system.   9. The photographing system according to claim 1, wherein the information stored in the voice / operation information storage means can be corrected. One or more of the imaging devices;
Image switching means for selecting an image of the imaging device;
Video switching operation means for operating video switching of the imaging device;
Synchronizing the unit voice obtained by the voice identification means and the information selected by the video switching operation means, and storing them in the voice / operation information storage means,
When the unit voice obtained from the voice identification means matches the unit voice stored in the voice / operation information storage means,
The imaging system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the video switching means is controlled by information stored in the stored video switching operation means.