JP2017199958A - Imaging apparatus, control method thereof, and control program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an imaging apparatus capable of picking up an image with a high resolution in a wide angle of view without generating focus deviation in a connection area of images.SOLUTION: Plural imaging units 110 to 170 are disposed so that the viewpoints thereof are generally coincide with each other. When a focus control is made on at least one of the plural imaging units by a control parameter calculation part 101 and a lens control part 111, a control parameter calculation part and tilt control part 114 adjusts a tilt angle on imaging units neighboring the imaging unit on which the focus control is made depending on the focus plane of the imaging unit on which the focus control is made.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging device having a plurality of imaging units, a control method thereof, and a control program, and more particularly to an imaging device arranged so that the viewpoints of the plurality of imaging units substantially coincide.

  In general, an imaging apparatus that captures a wide range at once using a wide-angle lens or a fish-eye lens in an optical system is known. However, the angle of view is limited in a wide-angle lens. On the other hand, the so-called all-around fisheye lens has an angle of view of 180 degrees and can shoot a wide range at one time, but has a large optical aberration at the periphery of the lens, making it difficult to achieve high resolution over the entire angle of view. .

  In order to solve such a problem, there is an image pickup apparatus (hereinafter referred to as a compound eye image pickup apparatus) in which a plurality of image pickup units are arranged so that their viewpoints substantially coincide with each other. In this compound-eye imaging device, the captured images obtained by the imaging units are connected to obtain a seamless and high-resolution image over a wide angle of view (see Patent Document 1). A lens having a wide angle of view, such as a wide-angle lens or a fish-eye lens, has a deep depth of field, so that an image focused on the entire screen can be obtained without reducing the aperture.

  However, it is necessary to use a lens with a narrow angle of view when photographing a wide angle of view with high resolution using the above-described compound-eye imaging device. With a lens having a narrow angle of view, if one subject is focused unless the aperture is narrowed down, a situation in which the subject before and after the subject is not focused easily occurs. On the other hand, there is an imaging apparatus having a so-called tilt mechanism as an imaging apparatus that can focus from a near subject to a far subject even with a lens having a narrow angle of view (see Patent Document 2).

JP-A-10-145657 JP 2000-56214 A

  However, even if the techniques described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 described above are simply combined, when the captured images captured by each of the plurality of imaging units are connected, the joint portion of the connected images becomes unnatural. End up. That is, as a result of the focus plane and the depth of field being different for each imaging unit, when images with the focus plane and the depth of field shifted are combined, a focus shift occurs at the joint portion.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus capable of capturing a wide angle of view with high resolution without causing a focus shift at a joint portion of the image, a control method thereof, and a control program.

  In order to achieve the above object, an imaging apparatus according to the present invention is an imaging apparatus that includes a plurality of imaging units, and obtains a captured image by an imaging element provided in each of the plurality of imaging units. And the first control means for controlling the focus in the plurality of imaging units, and a tilt angle that is an inclination of the imaging device with respect to the optical axis of the imaging unit. And when the focus control is performed in at least one of the plurality of imaging units by the first control unit, the second control unit performs the focus control. The tilt angle is adjusted in an imaging unit adjacent to the imaging unit on which the focus control is performed according to the focus plane of the imaging unit.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to shoot a wide angle of view with high resolution without causing a focus shift at a joint portion of an image.

It is a block diagram which shows an example of the imaging device by the 1st Embodiment of this invention with a display apparatus. It is a figure which shows the external appearance of the imaging device shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the picked-up image obtained with the 1st-7th imaging part shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the whole image obtained by synthesize | combining the 1st-7th picked-up image. It is a figure for demonstrating the focus surface and depth of field by the conventional compound eye imaging device. It is a figure for demonstrating the focus surface and depth of field by the compound-eye imaging device shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the picked-up image obtained by one of an imaging part when the aperture_diaphragm | restriction is open | released in the conventional compound eye imaging device and the compound eye imaging device shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the whole image obtained when the aperture_diaphragm | restriction is open | released in the conventional compound eye imaging device and the compound eye imaging device shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the principle of Scheinproof explaining the positional relationship of a focus surface, a lens surface, and an imaging surface in the compound-eye imaging device shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating a focus surface and depth of field at the time of aligning a focus surface with the child's head shorter than an adult in the compound eye imaging device shown in FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining control (camera control) of the imaging apparatus shown in FIG. 1. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the imaging device by the 2nd Embodiment of this invention with a viewer terminal. It is a figure for demonstrating the focus surface and depth of field of the compound-eye imaging device shown in FIG. It is a flowchart for demonstrating control (camera control) of the imaging device by the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the imaging device by the 3rd Embodiment of this invention with a viewer terminal. It is a figure which shows the external appearance of the imaging device shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the focus surface and depth of field by the compound-eye imaging device shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the picked-up image and whole image which were obtained in the state shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the other example of the focus surface and depth of field by the compound eye imaging device shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the picked-up image obtained in the state shown in FIG. 19, a whole image, and a cut-out image. It is a flowchart for demonstrating control (camera control) of the imaging device by the 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, an example of an imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of an imaging apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention together with a display apparatus.

  In FIG. 1, the imaging device 1 is connected to a display device (hereinafter referred to as a viewer terminal) 2 via a network 3. The illustrated imaging apparatus 1 includes first to seventh imaging units 110 to 170. Furthermore, the imaging apparatus 1 includes a control parameter calculation unit 101, an image composition unit 102, an image compression unit 103, and a communication unit 104. The first imaging unit 110 includes a lens control unit 111, a lens 112, an imaging surface (imaging element) 113, and a tilt control unit 114. Although not shown, the second to seventh imaging units 120 to 170 have the same configuration as that of the first imaging unit 110. In the following description, an imaging device including a plurality of imaging units is referred to as a compound eye imaging device.

  Here, paying attention to the first imaging unit 110, the lens control unit 111 performs focus control and aperture control of the lens 112 based on the focus information and the aperture value acquired by the control parameter calculation unit 101. The tilt control unit 114 controls the tilt of the image pickup surface (image pickup element) 113 (the tilt of the lens 112 in the optical axis direction) based on the tilt angle information obtained by the control parameter calculation unit 101. That is, the tilt control unit 114 controls the inclination of the imaging surface 113 in the depth direction.

  The captured images obtained by the first to seventh imaging units 110 to 170 are input to the image composition unit 102. Hereinafter, the captured images obtained by the first to seventh imaging units 110 to 170 are referred to as first to seventh captured images, respectively. The image composition unit 102 seamlessly connects the first to seventh photographed images to generate a composite image (hereinafter also referred to as an entire image).

  The entire image is compressed by the image compression unit 103 to a data size that can be distributed over the network. Then, the compressed whole image is delivered to the viewer terminal 2 via the network 3 by the communication unit 104.

  The viewer terminal 2 includes a main image display unit 201, an entire image display unit 202, an image cutout / dewarp unit 203, an image expansion unit 204, an operation input unit 205, an operation command generation / interpretation unit 206, and a communication unit 207. Yes. When the communication unit 207 receives the compressed whole image, the image decompression unit 204 decompresses the compressed whole image. Then, the whole image is displayed on the whole image display unit 202. The image cutout / dewarp unit 203 corrects distortion (dewarp) by projective transformation for the entire image, performs partial cutout of the entire image, and displays the partial image on the main image display unit 201 as a main image.

  The operation input unit 205 accepts user operation inputs related to the focus, aperture, and cutout part. Operation command generation / interpretation unit 206 Converts a user operation input as a camera control parameter into a command that can be distributed over the network, and transmits the command to the imaging apparatus 1 via the communication unit 207.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of the imaging apparatus illustrated in FIG.

  In FIG. 2, the lower diagram shows a state where the imaging device is looked up from directly below, and the upper diagram shows a state where the imaging device is looked up slightly below the horizontal.

  The lenses 112 to 172 are provided in the first to seventh imaging units 110 to 170, respectively. The viewpoints of the lenses 112 to 172 substantially coincide with each other, and these lenses 112 to 172 cover an angle of view of 360 degrees in the pan direction and 180 degrees in the tilt direction without gaps.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of captured images obtained by the first to seventh imaging units illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the entire image obtained by synthesizing the first to seventh photographed images.

  Now, it is assumed that the first to seventh captured images 301 to 307 are obtained by the first to seventh imaging units 110 to 170. The image synthesis unit 102 synthesizes the first to seventh captured images 301 to 307 according to the angle of view, the line-of-sight direction, and the tilt angle of the lens. As a result, the entire image shown in FIG. 4 is obtained.

  In the example shown in FIG. 4, the entire image is a circular planar image similar to an image obtained by photographing with a so-called all-around fisheye lens. Note that the entire image may be a three-dimensional image projected on a sphere centered at a viewpoint that is substantially coincident in the first to seventh imaging units 110 to 170. Further, the entire image may be a rectangular panoramic image with the pan direction as the horizontal axis and the tilt direction as the vertical axis.

  The entire image can be obtained by focusing the entire area of the screen with the lens aperture down, that is, an image taken with pan focus. The whole image cannot be obtained.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a focus plane and a depth of field by a conventional compound eye imaging apparatus. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the focus plane and the depth of field by the compound-eye imaging apparatus shown in FIG.

  With reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, fields of view 210 to 230, focus planes 211 to 231, and depth of field 212 to 232 indicate the field of view, focus plane, and depth of field of imaging units 110 to 130, respectively. Here, the inclination between the focus plane and the depth of field depends on the tilt angle of the imaging plane 113, and the position of the focus plane depends on the focus value. The width of the depth of field depends on the aperture value.

  Here, for the sake of simplification, the visual fields 210 to 230 show the visual fields excluding overlapping portions in the first to seventh imaging units 110 to 1130, and actually captured images obtained by the imaging units 110 to 130. Will have a wider range. In FIG. 5, the focus plane and the depth of field of the imaging units 110 to 130 do not match each other. On the other hand, in FIG. 6, the focus plane and the depth of field of the imaging units 110 to 130 match each other. Note that the conventional compound eye imaging device does not include the tilt control unit 114 shown in FIG.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a captured image obtained by one of the imaging units when the diaphragm is opened in the conventional compound-eye imaging device and the compound-eye imaging device illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an entire image obtained when the diaphragm is opened in the conventional compound-eye imaging device and the compound-eye imaging device shown in FIG. Here, one of the imaging units is, for example, the second difference image unit 120.

  In FIG. 7, the image shown on the left side shows a captured image obtained with a conventional compound-eye imaging device, and the image shown on the right side shows an image obtained with the compound-eye imaging device shown in FIG. 1. In the photographed image shown on the left side, the person at the back is in focus, and the two persons in the foreground are out of focus because they are out of the depth of field. On the other hand, in the photographed image shown on the right side, the torso is not in focus for all persons, but the head is in focus. Note that the captured image obtained by the first imaging unit 110 facing downward (see FIG. 2) is in a state where the head is in focus even in a conventional compound-eye imaging device.

  In the overall image 401 shown in FIG. 8, even if the person has the same height, the whole body is blurred or focused on the whole body depending on the position of the person. Further, only a part of the body is in focus and the other part is blurred. On the other hand, in the entire image 402 shown on the lower side, if the person has the same height, the head is in focus regardless of the position of the person.

  As a result, when used for applications such as face authentication, the entire image 402 can perform face authentication and the like more stably. Further, in the entire image 401, when a person is located near the joint of the captured image, a focus shift occurs between the captured images, resulting in an unnatural image. On the other hand, the whole image 402 does not become an unnatural image even if a person is located near the joint of the captured image.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the principle of Scheimpflug for explaining the positional relationship among the focus surface, the lens surface, and the imaging surface in the compound eye imaging device shown in FIG.

  9, when the lens surface (Lens Plane) and the imaging surface (Image Plane) are parallel, the focus surface (Subject Plane) is also parallel to them. Here, the tilt angle of the imaging surface is adjusted so that the imaging surface is not parallel to the lens surface. In this case, as shown in the diagram on the right side in FIG. 9, the focus surface always intersects with an intersection (Scheimpluff Intersection) between the lens surface and the imaging surface. This is the principle of Shineproof. Note that the tilt of the focus surface changes according to the distance between the lens surface and the imaging surface.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the focus plane and the depth of field when the focus plane is set to the head of a child whose height is lower than that of an adult in the compound-eye imaging apparatus shown in FIG.

  The focus surfaces 211 to 231 and the depths of field 212 to 232 of the first to seventh imaging units 110 to 130 are lower than the state shown in FIG. 6 by changing the distance between the lens surface and the imaging surface by focus control. Move to. Even if the focus planes 211 to 231 and the depths of field 212 to 232 move downward, they coincide with each other as in the state shown in FIG. The focus planes 211 to 231 and the depths of field 212 to 232 cannot be made to coincide with each other simply by performing focus control. For this reason, the tilt angle and the aperture are adjusted in conjunction with the focus control. As a result, the child's head is in focus regardless of the position of the child, and the face authentication of the child can be performed stably.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining control (camera control) of the imaging apparatus shown in FIG. Here, processing in the imaging device when the user performs a focus operation of the imaging device 1 on the viewer terminal 2 will be described.

  Now, assume that the user requests focus control of the first imaging unit 110 by the operation input unit 205 in the viewer terminal 2. In response to the focus control request, the operation command generation / interpretation unit 206 generates a focus control command. Then, the operation command generation / interpretation unit 206 transmits the focus control command to the imaging device 2 via the network 3 by the communication unit 207.

  The imaging apparatus 1 receives a focus control command through the communication unit 104. The control parameter calculation unit 101 determines the focus value, aperture value, and tilt angle of the second and third imaging units 120 and 130 according to the focus plane and the depth of field after controlling the first imaging unit 110. Calculate (step S101). Here, although the calculation formula used for the calculation is omitted, it is based on the characteristics of the imaging unit such as the angle of view and the line-of-sight direction of the lenses of the second and third imaging units 120 and 130 using the principle of Scheinproof. Calculation is performed. Note that the second and third imaging units 120 and 130 are imaging units adjacent to the first imaging unit 110.

  Next, in the second and third imaging units 120 and 130, the lens control unit 111 controls the focus and aperture of the lens 112 based on the focus value and aperture value calculated in step S101 (step S102). In the second and third imaging units 120 and 130, the tilt control unit 114 controls the tilt angle of the imaging surface based on the tilt angle calculated in step S101 (step S103). Thereafter, the imaging apparatus 1 ends the camera control.

  As described above, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the focus and the diaphragm are controlled in the other imaging units according to the control result of the first imaging unit 110, and the tilt angle of the imaging surface is controlled. As a result, a high-resolution overall image with a wide angle of view can be obtained without causing a focus shift at the joint portion in the overall image. Furthermore, it is possible to improve night vision performance and resolution even when a large-diameter lens with a shallow depth of field is used.

[Second Embodiment]
Subsequently, an example of an imaging apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an imaging apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention together with a viewer terminal.

  In the illustrated imaging apparatus and viewer terminal, the same components as those in the example shown in FIG. Here, each of the first to seventh imaging units 110 to 170 is not provided with the tilt control unit 114, and the other configuration is the same as the example shown in FIG.

 Therefore, the tilt angle of the imaging surface 113 is fixed at the time of assembly or manually adjusted at the time of installation after shipment. Therefore, the tilt angle cannot be adjusted by the command of the viewer terminal after installing the imaging device.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the focus plane and the depth of field of the compound-eye imaging apparatus shown in FIG.

  Now, as described with reference to FIG. 10 above, it is assumed that the first to seventh imaging units 110 to 170 are installed so as to be focused on the child's head. In this state, when a focus operation is performed from the viewer terminal 2 so that the adult's head is in focus, the focus plane and the depth of field change as shown in FIG.

  In the state shown in FIG. 13, the focus surface 211 of the first image pickup unit 110 and the focus surface 221 of the second and third image pickup units 120 and 130 are different from the state in which the adult head shown in FIG. And 231 do not match. That is, after the installation of the imaging device, the tilt angle of the imaging surface cannot be adjusted, so that only the focus position and the depth of field coincide at the joint portion of the entire image.

  For this reason, in the second embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, even if the person has the same height, the head is out of focus as the person moves away from the imaging device. On the other hand, in the imaging apparatus according to the second embodiment, unlike the conventional compound-eye imaging apparatus, there is no focus shift between captured images even when a person is located near the joint of the captured images. It will not be an unnatural image.

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart for explaining control (camera control) of the imaging apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  Now, assume that the user requests focus control of the first imaging unit 110 by the operation input unit 205 in the viewer terminal 2. In response to the focus control request, the operation command generation / interpretation unit 206 generates a focus control command. Then, the operation command generation / interpretation unit 206 transmits the focus control command to the imaging device 2 via the network 3 by the communication unit 207.

  The imaging apparatus 1 receives a focus control command through the communication unit 104. The control parameter calculation unit 101 calculates the focus value and the aperture value of the second and third imaging units 120 and 130 in accordance with the focus plane and the depth of field after controlling the first imaging unit 110 (step) S201).

  Next, in the second and third imaging units 120 and 130, the lens control unit 111 controls the focus and aperture of the lens 112 based on the focus value and aperture value calculated in step S201 (step S202). Thereafter, the imaging apparatus 1 ends the camera control.

  As described above, in the second embodiment of the present invention, the focus and the aperture are controlled in the other imaging units 120 to 170 in accordance with the control result of the first imaging unit 110. As a result, a high-resolution whole image having a wide angle of view can be obtained without causing a focus shift at the joint portion in the whole image. Furthermore, it is possible to improve night vision performance and resolution even when a large-diameter lens with a shallow depth of field is used.

[Third Embodiment]
Subsequently, an example of an imaging apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an imaging apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention together with a viewer terminal.

  In the illustrated imaging apparatus and viewer terminal, the same components as those in the example shown in FIG. The illustrated imaging apparatus 1 includes first to third imaging units 110 to 130. Furthermore, the imaging apparatus 1 has an image cutout unit 105. The viewer terminal 2 is not provided with the image cutout / dewarp processing unit 203. That is, in the illustrated example, the image cutout unit 105 provided in the imaging apparatus 1 cuts out a partial image from the entire image and obtains a cutout image. For this reason, the imaging device 1 delivers at least one of the whole image and the cutout image to the viewer terminal.

  16 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of the imaging apparatus illustrated in FIG.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of the imaging apparatus illustrated in FIG.

  In FIG. 2, the lower diagram shows a state where the imaging device is looked up from directly below, and the upper diagram shows a state where the imaging device is looked up slightly below the horizontal.

  The lenses 112 to 132 are provided in the first to third imaging units 110 to 130, respectively. The viewpoints of the lenses 112 to 132 are substantially coincident with each other, and the imaging device 1 is arranged so that these lenses 112 to 132 cover an angle of view of 180 degrees in the pan direction without a gap.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a focus plane and a depth of field by the compound eye imaging device illustrated in FIG. 15. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of a captured image and an entire image obtained in the state illustrated in FIG. In FIG. 18, for convenience of explanation, captured images obtained by the two imaging units are shown.

  In FIG. 17, the field of view 210, the focus surface 211, and the depth of field 212 indicate the field of view, the focus surface, and the depth of field in the first and imaging units 110. The field of view 220, the focus surface 221, and the depth of field 222 indicate the field of view, the focus surface, and the depth of field of the second imaging unit 120. The inclination between the focus plane and the depth of field depends on the tilt angle of the imaging plane 113. Further, the position of the focus plane depends on the focus value, and the width of the depth of field depends on the aperture value.

  When an entire image of a predetermined size or larger is displayed on the entire image display unit 202 in the viewer terminal 2, the focus plane and the depth of field are in the state shown in FIG. In this case, the focus plane and the depth of field of the first and second imaging units 110 and 120 coincide with each other.

  The captured image 1810 obtained by the first imaging unit 110 and the captured image 1820 obtained by the second imaging unit 120 are in focus on the adult head, The camera is out of focus. The entire image 1830 obtained by combining the photographed image 1810 and the photographed image 1820 is a natural image with no focus shift.

  FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating another example of the focus plane and the depth of field by the compound-eye imaging device illustrated in FIG. 15. FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of a captured image, an entire image, and a cutout image obtained in the state illustrated in FIG.

  Now, the user uses the operation input unit 205 to display the whole image less than a predetermined size or hide it, and cut out a part of the photographed image that does not include the joint portion and display the main image as a cut-out image Assume that the data is displayed on the unit 201. In this case, the focus plane and the depth of field are in the state shown in FIG. A field of view 213 is a field of view of a cutout image (partial image) 1812 obtained by cutting out a part of the whole image or the captured image by the image cutout unit 105.

  Since the field of view of the partial image 1812 is a range 1811 including the whole body of the child in the captured image 1810, here, the focus plane 211 and the depth of field 212 in the first imaging unit 110 so that the whole body of the child is focused. And change vertically. At this time, the focus plane 221 and the depth of field 222 in the second imaging unit 120 that have obtained the captured image 1820 that is not the target for extraction do not change. Therefore, the focus plane and the depth of field in the first and second imaging units 110 and 120 do not match, and the entire image 1830 is out of focus, resulting in an unnatural image. On the other hand, since the whole image is displayed below a predetermined size, unnaturalness is not noticeable to the user. Here, the predetermined size means the size (threshold value) of the boundary where the unnaturalness of the image is conspicuous.

  In addition, when the whole image is displayed with a predetermined size or more and a part of the photographed image not including the joint portion is cut out and displayed on the main image display unit 201, the whole image becomes unnatural. Since the partial image is displayed on the main image display unit 201, there is no problem.

  FIG. 21 is a flowchart for explaining control (camera control) of the imaging apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention. Here, at least one of the focus operation of the first imaging unit 110, display / non-display of the entire image, change of the size of the entire image, display / non-display of the partial image, and change of the clipping range in the viewer terminal 2 is performed. Shall be done. When the operation is performed, the operation command generation / interpretation unit 206 transmits the operation command to the imaging device 1 via the network 3 by the communication unit 207.

  The imaging apparatus 1 receives an operation command through the communication unit 104. The control parameter calculation unit 101 determines whether or not the entire image is a predetermined size or more in the operation command (step S301). If the entire image is equal to or larger than the predetermined size (YES in step S301), control parameter calculation unit 101 determines whether or not the partial image includes a joint (step S302).

  When the partial image includes a joint (YES in step S302), the control parameter calculation unit 101 obtains the focus plane and the depth of field after controlling the first imaging unit 110. Then, the control brameter calculating unit 101 obtains the focus plane and the depth of field. The focus value, aperture value, and tilt angle of the second and third imaging units 120 and 130 are calculated (step S303). Here, the control parameter calculation unit 101 uses the Scheimpflug principle, and based on the characteristics of the imaging unit such as the angle of view and the line-of-sight direction of the lenses of the second and third imaging units 120 to 130, the focus value, aperture value, And the tilt angle is calculated.

  Next, in the second and third imaging units 120 and 130, the lens control unit 111 controls the focus and aperture of the lens 112 based on the focus value and aperture value calculated in step S303 (step S304). Then, in the second and third imaging units 120 and 130, the tilt control unit 114 controls the tilt angle of the imaging surface based on the tilt angle calculated in step S303 (step S305). Thereafter, the imaging apparatus 1 ends the camera control.

  If the entire image is less than the predetermined size (NO in step S301), control parameter calculation unit 101 calculates the focus value, aperture value, and tilt angle of the imaging unit corresponding to the partial image (step S306). Then, the process proceeds to step S304, and in the imaging unit corresponding to the partial image, the lens control unit 111 controls the focus and the aperture of the lens 112 based on the focus value and the aperture value obtained in step S306. Subsequently, the process proceeds to step S305, and in the imaging unit corresponding to the partial image, the tilt control unit 114 controls the tilt angle of the imaging surface based on the tilt angle obtained in step S306.

  If the partial image does not include a joint (NO in step S302), the control parameter calculation unit 101 proceeds to the process of step S306.

  As described above, in the third embodiment of the present invention, when the entire image is a predetermined size or more and the partial image includes a joint, another imaging unit is selected according to the control result of the first imaging unit 110. Controls the focus, aperture, and tilt angle. Further, if the entire image is less than a predetermined size or if the partial image does not include a joint, the imaging unit corresponding to the partial image controls the focus, aperture, and tilt angle. As a result, a high-resolution overall image with a wide angle of view can be obtained without causing a focus shift at the joint portion in the overall image. Furthermore, it is possible to improve night vision performance and resolution even when a large-diameter lens with a shallow depth of field is used.

  As is clear from the above description, in the example shown in FIG. 1, the control parameter calculation unit 101 and the lens control unit 111 function as the first control unit, and the control parameter calculation unit 101 and the tilt control unit 114 are the second control unit. It functions as a control means.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated based on embodiment, this invention is not limited to these embodiment, Various forms of the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention are also contained in this invention. .

  For example, the function of the above embodiment may be used as a control method, and this control method may be executed by the imaging apparatus. Further, a program having the functions of the above-described embodiments may be used as a control program, and the control program may be executed by a computer included in the imaging apparatus. The control program is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, for example.

[Other Embodiments]
A program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus via a network or a storage medium. The present invention can also be realized by a process in which one or more processors in the computer of the system or apparatus read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Imaging device 101 Control parameter calculation part 102 Image composition part 103 Image compression part 104 Communication part 110-170 Imaging part 111 Lens control part 112 Lens 113 Imaging surface 114 A tilt control part

Claims (10)

An imaging device that includes a plurality of imaging units and obtains a captured image by an imaging device provided in each of the plurality of imaging units,
The plurality of imaging units are arranged so that their viewpoints substantially coincide with each other,
First control means for controlling focus in the plurality of imaging units;
A second control unit that controls a tilt angle that is an inclination of the image pickup unit with respect to the optical axis of the image pickup device;
When focus control is performed in at least one of the plurality of image capturing units by the first control unit, the second control unit performs the focus according to a focus surface of the image capturing unit on which the focus control is performed. An imaging apparatus, wherein the tilt angle is adjusted in an imaging unit adjacent to the controlled imaging unit.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second control unit adjusts the tilt angle so that a focus surface of the imaging unit on which the focus control is performed and a focus surface thereof coincide with each other.   The first control unit, when performing focus control in at least one of the plurality of imaging units, performs focus control in an imaging unit adjacent to the imaging unit that performed the focus control. The imaging apparatus according to 1 or 2.   The imaging according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a third control unit that controls a diaphragm so that depths of field with respect to the focus surface substantially coincide with each other in the adjacent imaging unit. apparatus.   5. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a synthesis unit that synthesizes captured images obtained by the plurality of imaging units to obtain an entire image. 6.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the second control unit adjusts the tilt angle when the entire image is equal to or larger than a predetermined size. A cutout means for cutting out a part of the captured image as a partial image;
The second control means adjusts the tilt angle when the entire image is larger than a predetermined size and the partial image includes a joint when the entire image is generated. The imaging device according to claim 4.   If the whole image is less than a predetermined size or the partial image does not include a joint when generating the whole image, the second control means extracts a captured image obtained by cutting out the partial image. The imaging apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the tilt angle is adjusted in the obtained imaging unit. A control method for an imaging apparatus comprising a plurality of imaging units arranged so that viewpoints substantially coincide with each other, and obtaining a captured image by an imaging element provided in each of the plurality of imaging units,
A first control step for controlling focus in the plurality of imaging units;
A second control step for controlling a tilt angle that is an inclination of the image pickup unit with respect to the optical axis of the image pickup device;
When focus control is performed in at least one of the plurality of image capturing units in the first control step, the focus is determined in the second control step according to a focus surface of the image capturing unit on which the focus control is performed. A control method, wherein the tilt angle is adjusted in an imaging unit adjacent to the controlled imaging unit. A control program used in an imaging apparatus that includes a plurality of imaging units arranged so that viewpoints substantially coincide with each other, and obtains a captured image by an imaging element provided in each of the plurality of imaging units,
In the computer provided in the imaging device,
A first control step for controlling focus in the plurality of imaging units;
A second control step for controlling a tilt angle that is an inclination of the image pickup unit with respect to the optical axis of the image pickup unit;
When focus control is performed in at least one of the plurality of image capturing units in the first control step, the focus is determined in the second control step according to a focus surface of the image capturing unit on which the focus control is performed. A control program for adjusting the tilt angle in an imaging unit adjacent to the controlled imaging unit.