JP2016033571A - Camera universal head device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a camera universal head device having a function for improving durability of a drive mechanism, in a case where photographing is performed with pan and tilt drive within a fixed and limited range.SOLUTION: A camera universal head device capable of being remotely controlled includes: means of rotating in a pan direction; means of rotating in a tilt direction; means of vertically and horizontally inverting a video signal; and means of recording the cumulative operation amount of the pan and tilt. The camera universal head device also includes means that when the cumulative operation amount of the pan and tilt is equal to or more than a preset threshold, vertically and horizontally inverts the video signal, and performs pan and tilt.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a camera head device in which pan rotation and tilt rotation of a mounted camera can be driven by remote operation, and more particularly, to a head device having a function of increasing the durability of a drive mechanism.

  When using a camera platform that can change the pan / tilt angle and change the shooting direction freely for surveillance or tracking shooting of automobiles, airplanes, etc., pan / tilt within a certain limited range. You can often shoot by changing the angle. In such a usage method, only a part of the movable range of the drive mechanism is used.

  In Patent Document 1, a radar signal is used for tracking shooting of an airplane, and the position of the shooting time of the airplane is predicted from the shooting range of the shooting apparatus and the presence of an obstacle to control the shooting apparatus. There is a disclosure of technology that can minimize the driving, and can obtain effects such as power saving and suppression of equipment consumption.

JP 2006-270404 A

  In tracking photography, since a specific range of pan / tilt is repeatedly used, there is a demand for improved drive unit durability against oil shortage, gear wear, and the like in that region.

  However, in the prior art disclosed in the above-mentioned patent document, there is no description about means for improving the durability of the drive mechanism in the pan / tilt drive within a certain limited range.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a camera head device having a function of further improving the durability of a driving mechanism when shooting is performed with pan / tilt driving within a certain limited range. .

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, in a camera head device capable of remote control, a means for rotating in the pan direction, a means for rotating in the tilt direction, a means for inverting the video signal left and right and up and down, Means for recording the cumulative amount of tilt movement, and when the cumulative amount of movement of pan / tilt exceeds a preset threshold value, comprises means for panning and tilting the video signal upside down horizontally. It is characterized by doing.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a camera head device having a function of further improving the durability of the drive mechanism when shooting is performed with pan / tilt drive within a certain limited range.

1 is a schematic diagram of Example 1 and Example 2. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of Example 1 and Example 2. FIG. 3 is a flowchart in the first embodiment. 10 is a flowchart in the second embodiment. 10 is a flowchart in the third embodiment. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a tracking operation in a pan range A in Embodiment 3. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram when moving from a pan range A to a tracking operation in a pan range B in the third embodiment. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a tracking operation in a pan range A in Embodiment 3. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram when moving from a pan range B to a tracking operation in a pan range A in the third embodiment.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a camera head device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram thereof.

  The configuration and operation of the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The pan head apparatus of this embodiment includes a camera housing part 1, a camera 2, a photographing window 3, a tilt support part 4, a main body part 5, a pan support part 6, a pedestal part 7, a remote controller 8, and a video monitor 9. .

  The camera housing part 1 includes a camera 2 and a camera control part 10. The main body 5 includes a CPU 11, a memory 12, a tilt control unit 13, a tilt motor 14, a tilt position sensor 15, a pan control unit 16, a pan motor 17, and a pan position sensor 18. The tilt motor 14 and the pan motor 17 are fixed to the main body 5, and the shaft (not shown) of each motor is connected to the tilt support portion 4 and the pan support portion 6 via a gear (not shown). Yes. Therefore, when each motor rotates, the base 7 and the camera housing 1 rotate with respect to the main body 5. As a result, the shooting direction of the camera is changed. The pedestal unit 7 includes a video output unit 19 and a communication unit 20.

  The pan head apparatus first receives an operation signal from the remote controller 8 by the communication unit 20. The CPU 11 interprets the received operation signal and performs an operation suitable for the operation signal. When the operation signal is a panning / tilting drive command, the pan motor 17 and the tilt motor 14 are driven by controlling the pan control unit 16 and the tilt control unit 13. When the control command is for various cameras such as zoom, focus, and iris, the camera control unit 10 is controlled and the camera 2 is controlled.

  The camera 2 has a function of outputting the captured video signal by performing upside down and left / right reversal processing according to a command from the CPU 2 through the camera control unit. The CPU 11 captures the value of the tilt position sensor 15 and instructs the camera 2 whether to invert the video signal output data when the shooting angle in the tilt direction of the camera passes a preset angle. put out.

  Here, in this embodiment, the vertical direction from the ground surface is set to 0 °, and this 0 ° is set as an angle for determining whether or not to perform the reversal process. By operating in this way, an erect image is output as the video signal even after the camera housing portion is rotated 180 degrees in the tilt direction.

  The movable range of the entire tilt direction of the pan / tilt head device in this embodiment is −120 ° to 120 °, and the output of the camera is a range in which an erect image is output without using the inversion function, from 0 ° to 120 °, The range in which an erect image is output using the inversion function is set to 0 ° to −120 °. For convenience of explanation, a tilt range of 0 ° to 120 ° is set as range A, and 0 ° to −120 ° is set as range B. The movable range in the pan direction is set to −180 ° to 180 °.

  In the present embodiment, the pan motor 17 and the tilt motor 14 are stepping motors. The CPU 11 can drive the respective motors by issuing motor drive commands to the pan control unit 16 and the tilt control unit 13, and the number of drive pulses for driving the motors is also controlled by the pan control unit 16 and the tilt control. Obtained from part 13. In this embodiment, the number of drive pulses is integrated to obtain an accumulated operation amount.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In step S100, a tilt range is set as an operation range in advance as an initial setting of the pan head apparatus (here, range A), an initial position of the tilt position (here, 90 °), and an initial position of the pan position (here, 0 °). Move to.

  Subsequently, in step S101, an accumulated count of drive pulses stored in the memory 6 is initialized.

  Subsequently, in step S102, a pan / tilt operation and a camera control operation are performed in the range A by an operation signal from the remote controller 8.

  Subsequently, in step S <b> 103, when the pan / tilt operation is performed, the CPU 11 stores the accumulated number of drive pulses in the memory 6.

  Subsequently, in step S104, the cumulative number of drive pulses is compared with a threshold value preset in the memory 6. If it is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the process proceeds to step S105, and if it is less than the threshold value, the process proceeds to step S102. The value to be compared with the threshold value may be the total number of driving pulses of the pan motor, the total number of driving pulses of the tilt motor, or a combination of both. This threshold value is determined from the durability of the gear (not shown) connected to the shaft (not shown) of the pan / tilt motor and the characteristics of the lubricating oil applied to the gear. This is because when the gear operates only within a certain range, the lubricating oil is biased and the oil runs out, and the transmission characteristics of the gear at that portion may deteriorate.

  Subsequently, in step S105, it is determined whether or not there is an operation signal from the remote controller 8. If there is, the process proceeds to step S102, and if not, the process proceeds to step S106.

  In step S106, in order to switch the operation from the range A to the range B, first, the current pan and tilt positions are obtained from the tilt position sensor 15 and the pan position sensor 18. Next, the tilt position is moved from the current position to a symmetrical position about 0 °. For example, if it is at a position of 60 °, it moves to −60 °. Since the tilt position moves from the range A to the range B, the CPU 2 issues a video inversion processing command to the camera 2. Next, the pan position is moved 180 ° diagonally from the current position.

  By operating in this manner, the operation can be shifted from the range A to the range B, and the process proceeds to step S101.

  The same processing as described above is performed after the start of the pan / tilt operation in the range B starting from step S101. In step S106, the CPU 11 first obtains the current pan and tilt positions from the tilt position sensor 15 and the pan position sensor 18 in order to switch the operation from the range B to the range A when the cumulative number of drive pulses is equal to or greater than the threshold. Next, the tilt position is moved from the current position to a symmetrical position about 0 °. For example, if it is at a position of −20 °, it moves to 20 °. Since the tilt position moves from the range B to the range A, the CPU 2 issues a command not to perform the video inversion process to the camera 2. Next, the pan position is moved 180 ° diagonally from the current position. By operating in this way, it is possible to move from the range B to the operation in the range A.

  With the configuration and operation described above, even when the pan / tilt operation is performed only within a certain range, it is possible to prevent the gear lubricant from being biased and run out of oil and to further improve the durability of the drive mechanism.

  The configuration of the second embodiment is the same as FIG. 1 which is a schematic diagram of the first embodiment and FIG. 2 which is a block diagram. The operation will be described with reference to FIG. A description of the same parts as those in the first embodiment will be omitted.

  In this embodiment, the pan motor 17 and the tilt motor 14 are direct current motors. The CPU 11 can drive the respective motors by issuing motor drive commands to the pan control unit 16 and the tilt control unit 13, and the current values for driving the motors are also combined with the pan control unit 16 and the tilt control unit. 13 from. The current value after repeating the pan / tilt operation is gradually increased from the initial value of the current value at the start of the pan / tilt operation. Go. In this embodiment, this increased current value is used as the cumulative operation amount.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In step S100, a tilt range is set as an operation range in advance as an initial setting of the pan head apparatus (here, range A), an initial position of the tilt position (here, 90 °), and an initial position of the pan position (here, 0 °). Move to.

  Subsequently, in step S201, a pan / tilt operation and a camera control operation are performed in the range A by an operation signal from the remote controller 8.

  Subsequently, in step S202, when the pan / tilt operation is performed, the CPU 11 stores a current value at a predetermined speed in the memory 6.

  In step S203, the current value is compared with a threshold value set in advance in the memory 6. If it is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the process proceeds to step S204, and if it is less than the threshold value, the process proceeds to step S201. The value to be compared with the threshold value may be a pan motor current value, a tilt motor current value, or a combination of both. This threshold is determined from the durability of the gear connected to the shaft of the pan / tilt motor and the characteristics of the lubricating oil applied to the gear. This is because when the gear operates only within a certain range, the lubricating oil is biased and the oil runs out, and the transmission characteristics of the gear at that portion may deteriorate.

  In step S204, it is determined whether there is an operation signal from the remote controller 8. If there is, the process proceeds to step S201, and if not, the process proceeds to step S205.

  In step S205, in order to switch the operation from the range A to the range B, first, the current pan and tilt positions are obtained from the tilt position sensor 15 and the pan position sensor 18. Next, the tilt position is moved from the current position to a symmetrical position about 0 °. For example, if it is at a position of 60 °, it moves to −60 °. Since the tilt position moves from the range A to the range B, the CPU 2 issues a video inversion processing command to the camera 2. Next, the pan position is moved 180 ° diagonally from the current position.

  By operating in this manner, the operation can be shifted from the range A to the range B, and the process proceeds to step S201.

  The same processing as described above is performed after the start of the pan / tilt operation in the range B starting from step S201. In step S205, when the current value is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the CPU 11 obtains the current pan and tilt positions from the tilt position sensor 15 and the pan position sensor 18 in order to switch the operation from the range B to the range A. Next, the tilt position is moved from the current position to a symmetrical position about 0 °. For example, if it is at a position of −20 °, it moves to 20 °. Since the tilt position moves from the range B to the range A, the CPU 2 issues a command not to perform the video inversion process to the camera 2. Next, the pan position is moved 180 ° diagonally from the current position. By operating in this way, it is possible to move from the range B to the operation in the range A.

  With the configuration and operation described above, even when the pan / tilt operation is performed only within a certain range, it is possible to prevent the gear lubricant from being biased and run out of oil and to further improve the durability of the drive mechanism.

  The pan / tilt head 300 shown in FIG. 6 is equipped with an image recognition technology to which the present invention is applied, recognizes a subject appearing in a video, and automatically performs pan / tilt according to the movement of the subject for tracking. This is a camera head device with functions. Thereby, even if the operator does not change the direction of the camera platform camera, it is possible to automatically photograph a moving subject. FIG. 6 shows an example in which shooting of an airplane landing is repeatedly performed with the subject as an airplane.

  The configuration of the camera platform 300 is the same as that of FIG. 1 which is a schematic diagram of the first embodiment and the second embodiment, and FIG. 2 which is a block diagram. Here, the automatic tracking function using the image recognition technique may be performed by the CPU 11, but can also be performed by the remote controller 8.

  In FIG. 6, the pan head 300 is installed such that the center 303 of the runway 302 and the center 305 of the entire pan range 304 of the pan head 300 are parallel. The pan range A306 is the pan range in the case where the tilt angle is a range in which an erect image is output without using the inversion function, as described in the first embodiment. The pan range B307 is a pan range when the tilt angle is a range in which an erect image is output using the inversion function. Here, since the pan range B307 has a shooting direction opposite to that of the runway 302 for the pan head 300, there is no opportunity to use it when shooting the landing of an airplane repeatedly. Of course, only the pan range A306 is used.

  The initial pan / tilt position of the pan / tilt head 300 is in the photographing standby direction 308 so as to photograph the entrance of the approach path of the airplane 301. The pan angle between the pan range center 305 and the shooting standby direction 308 is α °. The pan position at which the tracking operation ends is set in the end direction 309 that is the end of the runway 302. The angle between the pan range center 305 and the end direction 300 in the pan direction is β °. The tracking operation range 310 is from the shooting standby direction 308 to the end direction 309.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In step S300, an initial tilt range, pan range, shooting standby direction, and tracking range are set.

  Subsequently, in step S301, the accumulated operation amount is initialized. In step S302, the pan / tilt position is set in the shooting standby direction 308. Subsequently, in step S303, it is determined whether the tracking target is recognized. If not recognized, the process returns to step S303. If it is recognized, the process proceeds to step S304.

  In step S304, a pan / tilt operation is started for tracking shooting. Subsequently, in step S305, the operation amount of the motor is counted. Subsequently, in step S306, the pan head 300 pans in the end direction 309, and then the tracking operation ends.

  Subsequently, in step S307, the accumulated operation amount is compared with a threshold value preset in the memory 6. If it is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the process proceeds to step S308, and if it is less than the threshold value, the process proceeds to step S302.

  In step S308, the pan range and the tilt range are changed, and the video scanning is reversed up and down and left and right. Then, it progresses to step S301.

  Next, the operation transition from the pan range A to the pan range B will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 6, it is assumed that the tracking operation is performed in the pan range A, the panning operation is finished in the end direction 309 in step S306, and then the tracking operation is finished. It is assumed that the process proceeds to step 308 in step S307. In step S308, the tilt position is moved from the current position to a symmetrical position about 0 °. Since the tilt position moves from the range A to the range B, the CPU 2 issues a video inversion processing command to the camera 2.

  The shooting direction 310 in FIG. 7 indicates a shooting direction in which the pan direction is 180 ° symmetrical from the end direction 309. In step S301, the pan position is moved from the position in the photographing direction 110 to the photographing standby direction 308 in the moving direction 311 in step S302. The moving pan angle is 360 ° −α ° −β °, and the operation is performed in a range twice or more than the drive range operated only in the tracking range 310. By operating in this way, the operation in the range A can be shifted to the operation in the range B.

  Next, the operation transition from the pan range B to the pan range A will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 8, it is assumed that the tracking operation is performed in the pan range B, the panning operation is finished in the end direction 309 in step S306, and then the tracking operation is finished. It is assumed that the process proceeds to step 308 in step S307. In step S308, the tilt position is moved from the current position to a symmetrical position about 0 °. Since the tilt position moves from the range B to the range A, the CPU 2 issues a video inversion processing command to the camera 2.

  A shooting direction 310 in FIG. 9 indicates a shooting direction in which the pan direction is 180 ° symmetrical from the end direction 309. In step S301, the pan position is moved from the position in the photographing direction 110 to the photographing standby direction 308 in the moving direction 312 in step S302. The moving pan angle is α ° + β °. By operating in this way, it is possible to move from the range B to the operation in the range A.

  As described above, the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described with reference to the operation of automatic tracking shooting in airplane landing in Example 3 for the sake of simplicity. However, the present invention is not limited to these values and embodiments. Various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the present invention.

2 cameras, 8 remote controls, 10 camera control units, 11 CPUs, 12 memories,
13 tilt control unit, 14 tilt motor, 16 pan control unit, 17 pan motor

Claims (5)

In the pan head camera device capable of remote control, means for rotating in the pan direction, means for rotating in the tilt direction, means for inverting the video signal left and right and up and down, and means for recording the cumulative operation amount of pan / tilt And a pan / tilt camera apparatus that pans and tilts a video signal when the accumulated pan / tilt operation amount exceeds a preset threshold value. 2. The pan / tilt head camera apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the total pan / tilt operation amount is a cumulative number of driving pulses of a stepping motor. In the pan head camera device capable of remote control, means for rotating in the pan direction, means for rotating in the tilt direction, means for inverting the video signal left and right and up and down, and means for recording the current amount of the pan / tilt motor And a pan / tilt camera device that pans and tilts the video signal when the current amount of the pan / tilt motor exceeds a preset threshold value. 4. The photographing standby direction is registered in advance, and when the subject to be tracked does not exist, the photographing apparatus is directed to the registered photographing standby direction. Camera system with tracking function. The pan head camera device having a finite rotation mechanism in the pan direction and having a function of automatically tracking a subject is installed so that the center of the pan operation range is parallel to the moving direction of the subject. The installation method of the panhead camera apparatus with a tracking function as described in any one of claim | item 4.