JP2018088624A - Photography system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a photography system which can reduce the sense of incongruity in a video image in a short execution time when performing a preset action arranged by combination of optical zooming and electronic zooming.SOLUTION: A photography system comprises: a lens device including zooming means; an image pickup device for receiving an optical image arranged by the lens device; electronic zooming means for magnifying video signals from the image pickup device; preset control means for controlling the driving of the optical zooming means and electronic zooming means in a first or second mode when controlling a preset action of magnification change to a magnification larger than a magnification owing to just the optical zooming means, provided that in the first mode the optical zooming means is driven to a telephoto end of the optical zooming means and then, the electronic zooming means is controlled based on a variable magnification property the optical zooming means, and in the second mode the change of magnification is performed faster than the change of magnification in the first mode; and mode select means for selecting, as a mode that the preset action control means controls, the first mode when a video image is in use, and the second mode when the video image is out of use.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging system, and more particularly to an imaging system capable of controlling optical zoom and electronic zoom.

  Conventionally, an optical zoom that optically changes the angle of view by moving the zoom lens in the optical axis direction, and an electronic that changes the angle of view electronically by enlarging the image signal near the center of the captured image An imaging system having a zoom is also known. For example, when used as a pan / tilt head device equipped with a camera and lens, optical zoom is usually used to place importance on video quality. There is a usage example in which a further enlarged video is acquired using. In this case, when enlarging an image from the wide angle side, the image is first enlarged by optical zoom (optical zoom region), and after reaching the telephoto end of the optical system, if further enlarged, it is enlarged by electronic zoom ( A method of controlling the electronic zoom area) is generally used.

  Here, the optical zoom requires time for driving the lens, whereas the electronic zoom is performed by signal processing, and therefore, the magnification can be changed in a very short time compared to the optical zoom. However, if the electronic zoom is controlled so that the magnification changes in a shorter time than the optical zoom, the rate of change in the angle of view changes abruptly when moving from the optical zoom area to the electronic zoom area. There was a problem of becoming a video.

  As a method for solving the above-described problem, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses an example in which an uncomfortable feeling on an image during an electronic zoom operation is reduced by matching the angle-of-view change characteristic of the electronic zoom with the characteristic of the optical zoom. Yes. Further, in Patent Document 2, in a preset operation in which zoom and pan / tilt are moved to pre-registered positions, in order to place importance on the appearance on the video, the respective operation speeds are adjusted so as to start and stop almost simultaneously. An example of the pan head to be controlled is disclosed.

JP 2011-39272 A JP 2013-175924 A

  However, the conventional technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above has a problem that it takes a long time to operate from the wide-angle end of the optical system, that is, from the wide-angle end of the optical system to the telephoto end including the electronic zoom. In the optical zoom, the change rate of the angle of view is smaller on the telephoto side than on the wide-angle side, so it is necessary to control the change in magnification very slowly in the electronic zoom region, which is further on the telephoto side than the telephoto end of the optical. As a result, it is necessary to lengthen the movement time of the entire zoom range. In particular, when performing the preset operation described in Patent Document 2 so as to start / stop simultaneously with pan / tilt, the zoom movement time becomes very long. There was also a problem that it would be very long.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a photographing system capable of suppressing a sense of incongruity of an image while preventing a problem that an execution time becomes long when performing a preset operation combining an optical zoom and an electronic zoom. It is to be.

  In order to achieve the above object, an imaging system according to the present invention includes a lens apparatus including an optical zoom unit that moves and scales an optical element, an imaging element that receives an optical image by the lens apparatus, and the imaging element. In the control of the electronic zoom means for enlarging the obtained video signal, and the preset operation for changing the magnification by specifying a magnification larger than the magnification possible only by the optical zoom means, the optical zoom means to the telephoto end of the optical zoom means After driving the first zoom mode, the electronic zoom unit is controlled based on the zooming characteristic of the optical zoom unit, or the second zooming is performed at a speed faster than the zooming in the first mode. Preset operation control means for controlling the driving of the optical zoom means and the electronic zoom means in the mode, and the first mode when a photographed image is used. And if captured image is not used the second mode, and having a mode selection means for selecting a mode in which the preset operation control means controls.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a photographing system capable of suppressing a sense of incongruity of an image while preventing a problem that an execution time becomes long when performing a preset operation combining an optical zoom and an electronic zoom. Can do.

1 is a block diagram of Example 1. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating processing of a CPU when a preset operation command is received according to the first exemplary embodiment. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a process of a CPU when determining a preset operation mode according to the first embodiment. 4 is an example of a zoom preset operation for each preset operation mode according to the first exemplary embodiment. 12 is a flowchart illustrating processing of a CPU when determining a preset operation mode according to the second embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process of a CPU when determining a preset operation mode according to the third embodiment.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  The configuration according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the block diagram of FIG. The present invention is applied to an imaging apparatus (imaging system) including an optical zoom (optical zoom means) and an electronic zoom (electronic zoom means), and particularly preferably applied to an imaging system capable of controlling pan / tilt.

  The imaging system of the present embodiment includes an operating device 10 and a pan head system 20. An operator can obtain a desired image by operating the operating device 10 and remotely operating the pan head system 20 to control various functions of zoom, focus, tilt, pan, and camera.

  The pan head system 20 includes a pan head 21, a lens device 22, and a camera device 23. The camera platform 21 includes a CPU 211, an operation command communication unit 212, a pan control unit 213a, and a tilt control unit 213b (hereinafter, the pan control unit 213a and the tilt control unit 213b are combined to be a pan / tilt control unit (pan / tilt control unit) 213). (Described below), a pan motor 214a, a tilt motor 214b (hereinafter, the pan motor 214a and the tilt motor 214b are collectively referred to as a pan / tilt motor 214), a lens control unit 215, a camera control unit 216, and a memory 217.

  The CPU 211 receives an operation command from the operation device 10 via the operation command communication unit 212. When the received command is a pan / tilt control command, the pan / tilt motor 214 is operated via the pan / tilt control unit 213. If the command is an optical zoom for zooming by moving the optical element or a focus control command for adjusting the focus, the lens device 22 is controlled via the lens control unit 215 to control the optical zoom and focus. . In the case of a camera control command such as an electronic zoom for enlarging a video signal obtained by photoelectric conversion by an image sensor that receives an optical image received by the lens device, the camera device 23 is controlled via the camera control unit 216. Control various cameras. If the command is a preset position storage command, the current position of zoom / focus / tilt / pan is stored in the memory 217 and managed as a table corresponding to the designated number from the operation device 10. If it is a preset execution command, the preset position of the number designated by the operator is read from the memory 217, and the CPU 211 operates each control unit to move it to the stored position.

  Next, a tally signal for determining whether a video is being used will be described. When switching and using images from a plurality of pan head systems, one image to be actually used is selected and output from images output from the respective cameras in an image selection system (not shown). A tally signal indicating whether the current image is currently selected is transmitted from the image selection system to each pan 10 via the operation command communication unit 212 (tally signal receiving means). Based on this signal, it is determined whether the image is in use. The operating unit 10 transmits the state of the tally signal to the pan head system 20 so that the pan head system 20 can also determine whether the video currently acquired by the camera device 23 is in use.

  Next, the REC signal for determining whether video is being recorded will be described. When an operator performs a recording start operation of camera video on the operation device 10, a REC start command is transmitted from the operation device 10 to the pan head system 20. The CPU 211 (recording discriminating means) receives a REC start command from the operating device 10 via the operation command communication unit 212 and transmits a REC start command to the camera device 23 via the camera control unit 216. Upon receiving the REC start command, the camera device 23 records the video signal by recording the video signal in a built-in memory when not shown. Similarly, when recording is finished, the REC stop command is transmitted from the operating device 10 to the pan head system 20, and the REC stop command is transmitted to the camera.

  Next, the processing of the CPU 211 (preset operation control means) when a preset operation command is received will be described based on the flowchart of FIG.

When the CPU 211 receives the preset operation command from the operating device via the operation command receiving unit, the CPU 211 proceeds to step S20.
In step S <b> 20, the CPU 211 acquires the data of the target position of the number designated from the operating device 10 from the memory 217, and proceeds to step 30.
In step S30, the CPU 211 (mode selection means) determines the operation mode of the preset operation by a method described later. When the operation mode is determined and the control during the preset operation is determined, the process proceeds to step S40.
In step S40, a preset operation is started, and the process proceeds to step S50. In step S50, during the preset operation, zoom, focus, pan, and tilt are operated according to the above-described operation mode, and are operated until the target position is reached. When the preset operation is completed, the process proceeds to step S60 and ends.

  Next, details of the processing of the CPU 211 when determining the operation mode in step S30 will be described based on the flowchart of FIG.

In step S311, the state of the tally signal is checked to determine whether the video is currently being used. If the tally signal is ON, that is, if the video is being used, the process proceeds to step S314. If the tally signal is OFF, that is, if the video is not in use, the process proceeds to step 312.
In step S312, the state of the REC signal is confirmed, and it is determined whether a video is currently being recorded. If the REC state is ON, that is, if a video is being recorded, the process proceeds to step S314. When the REC state is OFF, that is, when no video is recorded, the process proceeds to step S313.
In step S314, the operation mode is determined as the normal mode, the operation method of the optical zoom and the electronic zoom during the preset operation is determined, and the process proceeds to step S315. On the other hand, in step S313, the operation mode is determined as the high speed mode, and the process proceeds to step S315.

  Here, the operation method of the optical zoom and the electronic zoom during the preset operation in the normal mode and the high speed mode will be described with reference to FIG. As an example, an operation when performing a preset operation from the wide-angle end of the current optical position to the electronic zoom region on the telephoto side further than the telephoto end of the optical is shown. The horizontal axis represents the elapsed time from the start of the preset operation, the vertical axis represents the magnification, the optical zoom is indicated by a solid line, the electronic zoom is indicated by a broken line, and the change in magnification on the image combining both is indicated by a chain line. For convenience, the magnification change of the optical zoom is assumed to change linearly.

  In the normal mode (first mode) shown in FIG. 4A, in the same manner as the zoom operation with a normal joystick or the like, in the control of the preset operation to change the magnification by specifying a magnification larger than the magnification that is possible only with the optical zoom. First, only the optical zoom is driven to drive to the telephoto end (the maximum magnification that can be achieved only by the optical zoom). After that, control is performed so that the magnification is changed by electronic zoom so that the captured video changes seamlessly (changes in the uniform image). In the illustration of FIG. 4A, the optical zoom is performed so that the magnification with respect to time is such that the region where the optical zoom is performed and the region where the electronic zoom is performed are connected by a straight line, and the change rate of the magnification is constant. The electronic zoom is controlled on the basis of the zooming characteristic. In this example, the case where the change rate of the magnification during zooming by the optical zoom is maintained is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. It suffices that the zoom-related indices such as the magnification, the angle of view, and the focal length satisfy (maintain) a predetermined relationship.

  On the other hand, the high-speed mode (second mode) shown in FIG. 4B is a mode in which the magnification is changed faster than the normal mode. The optical zoom is operated and at the same time the magnification is changed by electronic zoom from the beginning. Operate to move to the target position. In the high-speed mode, it is not always necessary for the electronic zoom to change the magnification simultaneously with the start of the optical zoom operation. It is sufficient that the necessary magnification of the electronic zoom can be realized before the time when the optical zoom reaches the telephoto end of the optical zoom.

  In addition, the present invention is applied even when the magnification at the time of starting the control of the preset operation in which the magnification that is larger than the magnification that can be achieved only by the optical zoom is set as the target magnification is larger than the magnification that can be achieved only by the optical zoom. be able to. In the normal mode, the electronic zoom is controlled based on the zooming speed at least near the telephoto end when moving to the telephoto end with the optical zoom. In the high speed mode, the electronic zoom is set to the target magnification without being aware of the optical zoom. You may change in steps.

  As described above, in situations where the video is considered to be in use, such as the tally ON state or the REC ON state, the appearance on the video (unnatural to the viewer) can be achieved by performing a preset operation in the same manner as a normal operation. Emphasis is placed on uniform changes that do not make sense. On the other hand, when it is determined that the video is not used, such as the tally OFF state and the REC OFF state, it is important to operate to the next state at a higher speed than the appearance. As a result, when performing a preset operation that combines optical zoom and electronic zoom, it prevents the occurrence of video that may give viewers a sense of discomfort while preventing the problem of long execution time. It becomes possible to do.

  As a system derived from the present embodiment, the pan head is remotely controlled from the operating device, but all may be configured on the pan head side. The tally signal and the REC signal are transmitted as commands from the operating device to the camera platform. However, an operation member may be configured on the camera platform system side and processed. In addition, any configuration may be used as long as the preset operation is possible by controlling the optical zoom and the electronic zoom, and a configuration in which processing is performed inside a lens or a camera may be used.

  As for the configuration of the camera platform, the operation command communication unit, pan control unit, tilt control unit, lens control unit, and camera control unit may be all or partly controlled by the CPU. A memory may be provided exclusively, or a built-in memory of the CPU may be used. Although the preset operation is only zoom / tilt / pan, various functions of the camera such as focus and iris may be added. Although the video recording destination is the built-in memory of the camera, a dedicated video recording device may be provided outside.

  For even preset operation mode has been set to the normal mode and the two modes of high-speed mode, as long as it changes in accordance with the current state, may be three or more modes, What operation method including But it ’s okay. The determination of the mode switching is made using the tally signal or the REC signal. However, any mode can be used as long as it can determine whether or not the video is being used. In the high-speed mode, the electronic zoom is changed stepwise at the same time as the optical zoom, but only the electronic zoom may be discretely changed to the target magnification after the preset is started.

  The second embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The configuration of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. The processing flow of the CPU 211 when executing the preset operation is the same as that in the first embodiment, and the detailed processing in step 30 for determining the operation mode is different from that in the first embodiment. A description will be given based on the flowchart of FIG. In the flowchart of FIG. 5, steps S311 and S312 are deleted and steps S321 and S322 are added to the case of the first embodiment described in FIG.

In step S321, first, the movement distance (change amount) to be operated in the preset operation is calculated from the target position and the current position of the preset operation acquired in step S20. After calculating the movement distance, the process proceeds to step S322.
In step S322, it is determined whether the moving distance is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold. If it is equal to or smaller than the threshold value, the process proceeds to step S314. If it is greater than the threshold value, the process proceeds to step S313. The subsequent processing is the same as in the first embodiment.

  As described above, when the zoom movement amount is large, it is considered that the video during the preset operation is not used, and priority is given to operating at a higher speed than the appearance on the video. On the other hand, when the amount of movement is small, the appearance on the video is emphasized by performing a preset operation in the same manner as a normal operation. Thereby, when performing the preset operation combining the optical zoom and the electronic zoom, it is possible to prevent a problem that the execution time becomes long, and to suppress the uncomfortable feeling of the video.

  The system derived from this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment. In addition, in this embodiment, the operation mode is determined based on the amount of movement of the zoom, but may be determined from the amount of movement of pan / tilt / focus. The determination may be made in combination with the state of the tally signal or the REC signal in the first embodiment.

  The third embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. The processing flow of the CPU 211 when executing the reset operation is the same as that in the first embodiment, and the detailed processing in step S30 for determining the operation mode is different from that in the first embodiment. This will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the flowchart of FIG. 6, step S322 is deleted and steps S331 and S332 are added to the case of the second embodiment described in FIG.

In step S321, as in the second embodiment, first, the movement distance (change amount) to be operated in the preset operation is calculated from the target position acquired in step S20 and the current position. After calculating the movement distance, the process proceeds to step S331.
In step S331, the CPU 211 (time setting means) calculates a preset operable time equal to the time required when operating at the highest speed from the moving distance and the operable speed, and proceeds to step S332.
In step S332, the preset operation possible time calculated in step S331 is compared with the preset operation request time designated by the operating device. If the preset operation available time is shorter than the preset operation request time, that is, if the preset operation can be executed in the time designated by the operation device, the process proceeds to step S314. On the other hand, if the preset operation available time is longer than the preset operation request time, that is, if the preset operation cannot be executed within the designated time, the process proceeds to step S313. The subsequent processing is the same as in the first embodiment.

  As described above, when the preset operation can be executed within the requested preset time, the appearance on the video is emphasized. On the other hand, when the preset operation cannot be executed within the requested preset time, it is important to prevent the extension of the time to reach a desired composition by performing a high-speed operation. Thereby, when performing the preset operation combining the optical zoom and the electronic zoom, it is possible to prevent a problem that the execution time becomes long, and to suppress the uncomfortable feeling of the video.

  The system from which this embodiment is derived is the same as in the first and second embodiments. In addition, in the present embodiment, the determination in step S332 is simply made by comparing the preset operation possible time and the preset request time, but a certain range may be provided.

  In the illustrated embodiment, the description has been made on the assumption that the camera device 23 is a device having an optical zoom function and an electronic zoom function, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the camera (imaging device) has an optical zoom function but not an electronic zoom function, and outputs a status signal such as a video signal output from the camera and the position of the optical zoom, and a control signal to the camera. The present invention can also be realized by an imaging system in which the electronic zoom function is realized by a device external to the camera and the camera and the external device are combined.

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

10 controller 211 CPU (preset operation control means)
212 Operation command communication unit 215 Lens control unit 216 Camera control unit 22 Lens device 23 Camera device

Claims (9)

A lens apparatus including an optical zoom means for moving and scaling the optical element;
An image sensor for receiving an optical image by the lens device;
Electronic zoom means for enlarging the video signal obtained by the imaging device;
In the control of a preset operation for specifying and magnifying a magnification that is larger than the magnification possible only with the optical zoom means, after the optical zoom means has been driven to the telephoto end of the optical zoom means, the magnification characteristics of the optical zoom means Of the optical zoom unit and the electronic zoom unit in a first mode for controlling the electronic zoom unit based on the second mode, or in a second mode for scaling at a speed faster than the zooming in the first mode. Preset operation control means for controlling driving;
Mode selection for selecting the first mode when the photographed video is used and the second mode when the photographed video is not used as the mode controlled by the preset operation control means Means,
An imaging system comprising:   2. The photographing according to claim 1, wherein the second mode is a mode for controlling the start and end of zooming by the electronic zoom unit to coincide with the start and end of driving of the optical zoom unit. system.   The first mode is a mode in which the electronic zoom unit is controlled so as to maintain a change rate of magnification during zooming by the optical zoom unit after driving the optical zoom unit to the telephoto end of the optical zoom unit. The imaging system according to claim 1, wherein: Having tally signal receiving means for receiving a tally signal indicating whether or not the captured video is in use;
The mode selection means selects a mode based on the tally signal;
The imaging system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein Having a recording discriminating means for discriminating whether or not the recorded video is being recorded;
The mode selection means selects a mode based on the determination of the recording determination means;
The imaging system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein:   6. The photographing according to claim 1, wherein the mode selection unit selects a mode based on a change amount from a current state to a state as a target position of the preset operation. system. Time setting means for setting a time for executing the preset operation;
The mode selection means selects an operation mode based on the time set by the time setting means and the amount of change from the current state to the state as the target position of the preset operation.
The photographing system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the photographing system is characterized in that: Pan / tilt control means for operating at least one of pan / tilt,
The preset operation control means controls pan / tilt preset operation in addition to zooming,
The mode selection means selects an operation mode based on a movement amount by the preset operation of pan / tilt,
The imaging system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: Time setting means for setting a time for executing the preset operation;
The mode selection means selects an operation mode based on the time set by the time setting means and the movement amount by the preset operation of pan / tilt,
The imaging system according to claim 8.

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