JP2020020878A - Moving vehicle, focus control method, program, and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

To upgrade focus accuracy of a camera mounted to a gimbal.SOLUTION: A moving vehicle comprises: an imaging unit; and a gimbal part that has the imaging unit mounted and corrects a tremor of the imaging unit. The gimbal unit is configured to: rotatably support the imaging unit with at least one rotation shaft of mutually orthogonal three shafts as a center; include a motor causing the imaging unit to rotate with the at least one rotation shaft of the three shafts as the center; acquire an angular velocity of the rotation of the imaging unit with the at least one rotation shaft of the three shafts as the center once for each prescribed time; acquire an error correction value for correcting an error of the angular velocity; subtract the error correction value from the angular velocity and acquire a subtraction value; and, when the angular velocity in which the subtraction value is equal to or less than a first threshold is continuously acquired the prescribed number of times, instruct the imaging unit to implement focus control.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present disclosure relates to a moving object including a gimbal unit on which an imaging unit is mounted, a focusing control method, a program, and a recording medium.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been disclosed an imaging apparatus capable of hand-held imaging in which a camera is mounted on a gimbal and the attitude of the camera is controlled by the gimbal (see Patent Document 1).

JP-A-2006-17993

  The imaging device of Patent Literature 1 includes a posture sensor that detects a posture of a camera. The attitude sensor detects, for example, an angle and an angular velocity with respect to the rotation axis of the camera. The accuracy of this attitude sensor may be insufficient. However, in the imaging device of Patent Literature 1, the angular error that occurs when the camera is maintained in the respective rotation axes of the gimbal is not considered. Angle errors may occur, for example, due to insufficient accuracy of the attitude sensor or due to other circumstances. Further, in the imaging device of Patent Document 1, performing focusing control is not considered. Therefore, if the focus control is performed according to the detected angle or angular velocity, the accuracy of the focus control may be reduced.

  In one aspect, a moving body including an imaging unit, a gimbal unit that is mounted with the imaging unit and corrects shake of the imaging unit, and a control unit that controls at least one of the imaging unit and the gimbal unit, wherein the gimbal unit includes: A motor that rotatably supports the imaging unit around at least one rotation axis of three axes orthogonal to each other, and that rotates the imaging unit about at least one rotation axis of the three axes; Acquiring an angular velocity of rotation of the imaging unit about at least one of the three rotational axes once every predetermined time, acquiring an error correction value for correcting an angular velocity error, and calculating an error correction value from the angular velocity. Subtraction is performed to obtain a subtraction value, and when the angular velocity at which the subtraction value is equal to or less than the first threshold value is continuously obtained a predetermined number of times, the imaging unit is instructed to execute focusing control.

  When the subtraction value is larger than the first threshold value, the control unit may instruct the imaging unit to stop focusing control.

  The three axes may include a roll axis, a pitch axis, and a yaw axis. The error correction value is a first error correction value for correcting an error in the angular velocity of rotation of the imaging unit about the roll axis, and an error correction value for correcting an error in the angular velocity of rotation of the imaging unit about the pitch axis. And a third error correction value for correcting an error in the angular velocity of rotation of the imaging unit about the yaw axis.

  The first error correction value may be larger than the second error correction value and the third error correction value.

  The imaging unit may capture a moving image. The control unit may instruct the imaging unit to perform the focus control while continuously changing the focus position.

  The moving body may further include a grip portion gripped by the user.

  The moving object may further include a control unit that controls the flight of the moving object.

  In one aspect, the focus control method includes an imaging unit, an imaging unit mounted thereon, the image pickup unit being shake corrected, and the imaging unit rotatably supported around at least one of three mutually orthogonal rotation axes. A gimbal unit including a motor for rotating the imaging unit around at least one of the three rotation axes; and a focusing control method for a moving body provided with the gimbal unit, wherein the imaging is performed around at least one of the three rotation axes. Acquiring the angular velocity of the rotation of the unit once every predetermined time; acquiring an error correction value for correcting an angular velocity error; and acquiring a subtraction value by subtracting the error correction value from the angular velocity. And instructing the imaging unit to execute focusing control when angular velocities at which the subtraction value is equal to or less than the first threshold are continuously acquired a predetermined number of times.

  The step of instructing execution of the focus control may include a step of instructing the imaging unit to stop the focus control when the subtraction value is larger than the first threshold.

  The three axes may include a roll axis, a pitch axis, and a yaw axis. The error correction value is a first error correction value for correcting an error in the angular velocity of rotation of the imaging unit about the roll axis, and an error correction value for correcting an error in the angular velocity of rotation of the imaging unit about the pitch axis. And a third error correction value for correcting an error in the angular velocity of rotation of the imaging unit about the yaw axis.

  The first error correction value may be larger than the second error correction value and the third error correction value.

  The focusing control method may further include a step of capturing a moving image. The step of instructing execution of the focusing control may include a step of instructing to perform the focusing control while continuously changing the focus position.

  In one embodiment, the program includes an imaging unit, an imaging unit mounted thereon, the image pickup unit being shake corrected, the imaging unit rotatably supported around at least one of three mutually orthogonal rotation axes, and A gimbal unit including a motor that rotates the imaging unit about at least one of the rotation axes of the imaging unit. A gimbal unit that rotates the imaging unit about at least one of the three rotation axes at predetermined intervals. Obtaining an error correction value for correcting an angular velocity error, subtracting the error correction value from the angular velocity to obtain a subtraction value, and the subtraction value being equal to or less than a first threshold value. And instructing the imaging unit to execute focusing control when the angular velocity is continuously acquired a predetermined number of times.

  In one aspect, a recording medium includes an imaging unit and an imaging unit mounted thereon, corrects shake of the imaging unit, and rotatably supports the imaging unit around at least one rotation axis of three axes orthogonal to each other. A gimbal unit having a motor for rotating the imaging unit around at least one of the three rotation axes; and a gimbal unit that rotates the imaging unit around the at least one of the three rotation axes for a predetermined time. Acquiring once each time, acquiring an error correction value for correcting an angular velocity error, subtracting an error correction value from the angular velocity to obtain a subtraction value, A step of instructing an imaging unit to execute focusing control when the following angular velocities are continuously acquired a predetermined number of times; and a computer-readable recording medium that records a program for executing the steps.

  Note that the above summary of the present invention does not list all of the features of the present disclosure. Further, a sub-combination of these feature groups can also be an invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of the gimbal camera device according to the embodiment. Block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the gimbal camera device FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a relationship between an angular velocity of a camera and ON / OFF of automatic focusing control. Flow chart showing an operation example of the gimbal camera device A perspective view showing an example of the appearance of another gimbal camera device. Perspective view showing an external appearance example of an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a gimbal

  Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be described through embodiments of the present invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Not all combinations of the features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.

  The claims, the description, the drawings, and the abstract include matters covered by copyright. The copyright owner will not object to any person's reproduction of these documents, as indicated in the JPO file or record. However, in all other cases, all copyrights are reserved.

  In the following embodiments, a gimbal camera device that holds an image by a photographer and captures an image will be exemplified as a moving object. The gimbal camera device may be a gimbal camera device mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle. In the focusing control method, the operation of the moving object is specified. The recording medium stores a program (for example, a program for causing a moving body to execute various processes).

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of a gimbal camera device 10 according to the embodiment. The gimbal camera device 10 has a configuration including a gimbal 20, a camera 30, a monitor 50, and a device main body 60.

  The device main body 60 is, for example, a member formed in a substantially columnar shape. The gimbal 20 is detachably mounted on the upper end of the apparatus main body 60. A mounting portion 63 to which the monitor 50 can be mounted is provided on the left side surface of the apparatus main body 60 in the drawing. On the right side surface of the device main body 60, a female screw portion (not shown) to be attached to a tripod is formed.

  An operation surface 610 that is inclined forward is formed on the upper front surface of the apparatus main body 60. Various buttons and indicators 614 are arranged on the operation surface 610. The various buttons include a shutter button 611, a record button 612, and an operation button 613. The lower center part of the apparatus main body 60 is formed in a grip part 620 that is gripped by the hand of the photographer. The shutter button 611 gives an instruction to capture a still image. The record button 612 instructs capturing of a moving image. The recording button 612 may be used to instruct the stop of moving image capturing.

  The gimbal 20 has a camera 30 mounted thereon and corrects a shake of the camera 30. The gimbal 20 supports the attitude of the camera 30 variably in three axial directions (roll axis, pitch axis, yaw axis). The gimbal 20 is an example of a gimbal unit. The gimbal 20 is attached to an attachment part 210 provided at the upper end of the apparatus main body 60. The mounting portion 210 is provided with a release button 211 for releasing the engagement between the gimbal 20 and the apparatus main body 60.

  The gimbal 20 has a yaw axis motor 215, a roll axis motor 216, and a pitch axis motor 217. The yaw motor 215 is arranged at the upper end of the apparatus main body 60. The roll axis motor 216 is attached to the yaw axis motor 215 via the arm member 221. The pitch axis motor 217 is attached to the roll axis motor 216 via the arm member 222. The gimbal 20 may rotatably support the camera 30 about a yaw axis, a pitch axis, and a roll axis.

  The roll axis (see the x-axis in FIG. 1) may be coincident with the optical axis Oc, and is a rotation axis set along the front-back direction. The pitch axis (see the y-axis in FIG. 1) is a rotation axis set in a direction perpendicular to the roll axis and set along the left and right directions. The yaw axis (see the z-axis in FIG. 1) is a rotation axis set in a direction perpendicular to the roll axis and the pitch axis and set in the up-down direction. The roll axis, the pitch axis, and the yaw axis are examples of three axes that are orthogonal to each other.

  The yaw axis motor 215 supplies a driving force for rotating the camera 30 around the yaw axis. The camera 30 is rotatable around the yaw axis by the driving force of the yaw axis motor 215. Therefore, the yaw axis motor 215 operates as a rotor that rotates the camera 30 around the yaw axis.

  The roll axis motor 216 supplies a driving force for rotating the camera 30 around the roll axis. The camera 30 is rotatable about the roll axis by the driving force of the roll axis motor 216. Therefore, the roll axis motor 216 operates as a rotor that rotates the camera 30 around the yaw axis.

  The pitch axis motor 217 supplies a driving force for rotating the camera 30 around the pitch axis. The camera 30 is rotatable about the pitch axis by the driving force of the pitch axis motor 217. Therefore, the pitch axis motor 217 operates as a rotor that rotates the camera 30 around the pitch axis.

  The gimbal 20 may change the imaging direction of the camera 30 by rotating the camera 30 around at least one of the yaw axis, the pitch axis, and the roll axis. In this case, the gimbal 20 may change the imaging direction of the camera 30 by changing the direction of the camera 30 by the user holding the holding unit 620. The gimbal 20 may change the imaging direction of the camera 30 by driving the yaw axis motor 215, the roll axis motor 216, and the pitch axis motor 217. The gimbal 20 may change the imaging direction of the camera 30 due to an external force such as camera shake.

  The gimbal 20 drives the yaw axis motor 215, the roll axis motor 216, and the pitch axis motor 217, and moves the camera 30 in three directions of the yaw axis, the roll axis, and the pitch axis so that the direction of the camera 30 with respect to the subject does not fluctuate. It may be rotatably supported. That is, the gimbal 20 has a stabilizer function of stabilizing the direction (posture) of the camera 30. Here, an example in which the posture can be adjusted in the three-axis direction is exemplified. However, the posture may be adjustable in any two-axis direction of the three-axis direction, or the posture may be adjusted only in the one-axis direction. Is also good.

  The gimbal 20 is mechanically rotatable around three axes (a roll axis, a pitch axis, and a yaw axis) even when each motor does not supply a driving force to the camera 30. In the case where there is no driving force from each motor and no external force is applied to the camera 30, the camera 30 may be maintained in the reference direction in each of the three axial directions. The reference direction may be a predetermined direction.

  The camera 30 includes a housing 311 that has a built-in imaging unit capable of imaging a subject and is rotatably supported by a roll axis motor 216 and a pitch axis motor 217. The camera 30 may be an imaging camera for imaging an object (for example, a person, scenery such as a mountain or a river, a building, or an article) included in a desired imaging range.

  The monitor 50 displays an image (for example, a still image or a moving image) captured by the camera 30. In addition, the monitor 50 may be exchangeably attached as an option. Here, a portable terminal (smartphone) that can wirelessly communicate with the camera 30 may be used as the monitor 50. Note that the monitor 50 may not be provided.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the gimbal camera device 10. The gimbal camera device 10 has a configuration including a gimbal 20, a camera 30, and a monitor 50. The gimbal 20 includes a gimbal control unit 21, a memory 22, an inertial measurement device 23, an angle detector 24, a yaw axis rotation mechanism 25, a pitch axis rotation mechanism 26, a roll axis rotation mechanism 27, an interface 28, and an operation unit 29.

  The memory 22 may store various data, information, a program that can be executed by the gimbal control unit 21, image data of an image captured by the camera 30, additional data (metadata) related to the captured image, and the like. The memory 22 may include, for example, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an SD card, and other memories.

  The memory 22 may hold error correction information for correcting an angle error (detection error) of the angle detector 24 or the inertial measurement device 23. The angle error includes at least one of an error related to an angle and an error related to an angular velocity. The error correction information may include, for example, an error correction value for correcting a detection value of the angle detector 24 or the inertial measurement device 23. The angle detector 24 and the inertial measurement device 23 detect angles and angular velocities of rotation around three axes (a roll axis, a pitch axis, and a yaw axis). Therefore, three error correction values of the error correction information may be prepared and stored in the memory 22 in consideration of the fact that the angle error differs in each of the three axial directions. Note that errors in the detected values of the angle around the roll axis and the angular velocity tend to increase. This is because, for example, a sensor other than the gyro sensor may be absent in order to detect an angle or an angular velocity around the roll axis, and the detection accuracy of the gyro sensor may be low, and an error is likely to occur. .

  The memory 22 may hold information of a threshold value (threshold value th5 described later) for determining whether the posture of the camera 30 is stabilized. This threshold value may be a value of the number of times that the angle or the acceleration obtained (for example, detected or calculated) is obtained every predetermined time. The threshold value may be a fixed value or a variable value.

  The inertial measurement device 23 detects and acquires acceleration in the three axial directions of the gimbal camera device 10 in the front-rear, left-right, and vertical directions, and angular velocities in the three axial directions of the pitch axis, the roll axis, and the yaw axis. The inertial measurement device 23 may include a Hall sensor that detects a change in magnetic flux, and a gyro sensor that detects the attitude (tilt) of the gimbal camera device 10. Note that an acceleration sensor may be used instead of the inertial measurement device 23. The inertial measurement device 23 may detect the acceleration and the angular velocity once every predetermined time.

  The angle detector 24 detects, for example, angles in three axial directions of a pitch axis, a roll axis, and a yaw axis as directions of the gimbal camera device 10. The detected angle may be an angle with respect to the reference direction. The angle detector 24 may detect the acceleration and the angular velocity once every predetermined time.

  The yaw axis rotation mechanism 25 includes a yaw axis motor 215 that drives the camera 30 in the yaw axis direction. The yaw axis rotation mechanism 25 rotatably supports the camera 30 around the yaw axis (around the yaw axis). The pitch axis rotation mechanism 26 includes a pitch axis motor 217 that drives the camera 30 in the pitch axis direction. The pitch axis rotation mechanism 26 rotatably supports the camera 30 about the pitch axis (around the pitch axis). The roll axis rotation mechanism 27 includes a roll axis motor 216 that drives the camera 30 in the roll axis direction. The roll shaft rotation mechanism 27 rotatably supports the camera 30 around the roll shaft (around the roll shaft).

  Further, each of the rotation mechanisms (the yaw axis rotation mechanism 25, the pitch axis rotation mechanism 26, the roll axis rotation, and the like) is maintained so as to maintain a predetermined angle on at least one of the yaw axis, the pitch axis, and the roll axis of the gimbal 20. The mechanism 27) may function. In this case, the gimbal control unit 21 applies a voltage to each of the motors so that the camera 30 mounted on the gimbal 20 balances the angles on each of the three axes so that the camera 30 appears to be stationary (the posture is stable). May be applied for control.

  The interface 28 can connect external devices such as an input device, an output device, and a recording medium. The interface 28 may include a communication interface for performing wired communication or wireless communication. Wired communication may include communication via a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable. The communication interface for wireless communication may include wireless LAN (Local Area Network), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or communication via a public wireless line.

  The operation unit 29 includes various buttons arranged on the operation surface 610. The operation unit 29 may include various buttons, keys, a touch pad, and a touch panel. The operation unit 29 receives an operation from the user and outputs an operation signal related to the operation to the gimbal control unit 21.

  The gimbal controller 21 is configured using, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). The gimbal control unit 21 performs signal processing for controlling the operation of each unit of the gimbal 20 in general, data input / output processing with other units, data arithmetic processing, and data storage processing.

  The gimbal control unit 21 may calculate and acquire the angular velocity based on the angle detected by the angle detector 24 and the time required for changing the angle. The gimbal control unit 21 may acquire the angular velocity from the inertial measurement device 23. Further, the gimbal control unit 21 may acquire the angle from the angle detector 24. The gimbal control unit 21 may acquire the angle by integrating the angular velocity acquired from the inertial measurement device 23.

  The gimbal control unit 21 may acquire imaging range information indicating the imaging range of the camera 30. The gimbal control unit 21 may acquire angle-of-view information indicating the angle of view of the camera 30 from the camera 30 as a parameter for specifying the imaging range. The gimbal control unit 21 may acquire information indicating the imaging direction of the camera 30 as a parameter for specifying the imaging range. The gimbal control unit 21 may acquire posture information indicating the state of the posture of the camera 30, for example, as information indicating the imaging direction of the camera 30. The posture information of the camera 30 may indicate the rotation angles of the gimbal 20 from the reference rotation angles of the roll axis, the pitch axis, and the yaw axis. The gimbal control unit 21 may define an imaging range to be imaged by the camera 30 based on the angle of view and the imaging direction of the camera 30, and may generate imaging range information.

  The gimbal control unit 21 may control the imaging range of the camera 30 by changing the imaging direction or the angle of view of the camera 30. The gimbal controller 21 controls the imaging mechanism of the camera 30 supported by the gimbal 20 by controlling the rotation mechanism (the yaw axis rotation mechanism 25, the pitch axis rotation mechanism 26, and the roll axis rotation mechanism 27) of the gimbal 20. May do it.

  The imaging range may be a geographical range that is imaged by the imaging unit 220 or the imaging unit 230. The imaging range may be a range in three-dimensional space data or a range in two-dimensional space data. The imaging range may be specified based on the angle of view and the imaging direction of the camera 30. The imaging direction of the camera 30 may be a direction in which the front of the camera 30 provided with the imaging lens faces. The imaging direction of the imaging unit 220 may be a direction specified from the state of the posture of the camera 30 with respect to the gimbal 20.

  The gimbal control unit 21 analyzes a plurality of images captured by the camera 30 to determine the environment around the gimbal camera device 10 (for example, the distance to a subject such as a person, a building, or a landscape, or a time zone such as morning, day, night, or the like). ) May be specified. The gimbal control unit 21 may determine the imaging mode of the camera 30 based on the surrounding environment.

  The gimbal control unit 21 may acquire posture information indicating the state of the posture of the camera 30 from the gimbal 20 as information indicating the imaging direction of the camera 30. The attitude information of the camera 30 may indicate a rotation angle of the gimbal 20 from the reference rotation angle of the pitch axis and the yaw axis. The rotation angle may be obtained from the angle detector 24. The gimbal control unit 21 may control an imaging range of the camera 30 supported by the gimbal 20 by controlling a rotation mechanism of the gimbal 20.

  The gimbal control unit 21 may control drive power (drive voltage) for driving at least one of the yaw axis motor 215, the roll axis motor 216, and the pitch axis motor 217. That is, the gimbal control unit 21 may control the applied power (applied voltage) applied to at least one of the yaw axis motor 215, the roll axis motor 216, and the pitch axis motor 217. The higher the drive voltage, the finer the rotation angle of each motor can be adjusted (for example, every 0.01 degrees), and the higher the drive voltage, the more roughly the rotation angle of each motor can be adjusted (for example, every 0.1 degrees).

  The gimbal control unit 21 drives at least one of the yaw axis motor 215, the roll axis motor 216, and the pitch axis motor 217 based on the angle derived (for example, detected and calculated) by the inertial measurement device 23 or the angle detector 24. May be controlled. That is, the gimbal control unit 21 may adjust the attitude of the camera 30 in the three axis directions according to the derived angle.

  For example, when the posture (angle) of the camera 30 changes around the roll axis by an angle A (degrees), the gimbal control unit 21 cancels the change in the angle, or the change in the angle is within the allowable range. The attitude of the camera 30 may be controlled by driving at least one motor so that The allowable amount of the change in the angle may be a fixed value or a variable value. As described above, the gimbal control unit 21 may perform shake correction for the shake (change in posture) of the camera 30 according to the angle.

  The gimbal control unit 21 drives at least one of the yaw axis motor 215, the roll axis motor 216, and the pitch axis motor 217 based on the angular velocity derived (for example, detected and calculated) by the inertial measurement device 23 or the angle detector 24. May be controlled. That is, the gimbal control unit 21 may adjust the attitude of the camera 30 in the three axis directions according to the derived angular velocity.

  For example, when the attitude (angle) of the camera 30 changes around the roll axis by an angular velocity B (degrees / second), the gimbal control unit 21 cancels the angular velocity change or sets the angular velocity change to an allowable amount. At least one motor may be driven to control the attitude of the camera 30 so as to fall within the range. The allowable amount of the change in the angular velocity may be a fixed value or a variable value. As described above, the gimbal control unit 21 may perform shake correction for the shake (change in posture) of the camera 30 according to the angular velocity.

  The gimbal control unit 21 may change the imaging direction and the imaging range based on the operation of the operation unit 29.

  The gimbal control unit 21 may rotate the camera 30 up, down, left, and right through a cross key input of the operation unit 29. When the operation unit 29 instructs the movement in the vertical direction, the gimbal control unit 21 may control the rotation of the pitch axis motor 217 so as to rotate around the pitch axis. When the movement in the left and right direction is instructed by the operation unit 29, the gimbal control unit 21 may control the rotation of the yaw axis motor 215 so as to rotate around the yaw axis. Therefore, the gimbal control unit 21 can change the imaging direction in up, down, left, and right directions in accordance with the operation of the cross key of the operation unit 29. As the imaging direction changes, the imaging range changes.

  The gimbal control unit 21 may determine a desired subject as a tracking target. The gimbal control unit 21 may control each motor to change the imaging direction so that the tracking target is included in the imaging range. When the relative position between the tracking target and the camera 30 changes, that is, when the tracking target moves or the position or the direction of the camera 30 changes, the command value of the voltage applied to each motor may be changed. That is, the command value of the rotation angle of each motor may be changed. Thereby, the tracking target is tracked so as to be included in the imaging range.

  The gimbal control unit 21 may control the rotation angle and the rotation speed of the motor once or per unit time when controlling each motor. Therefore, when changing the direction (imaging direction) of the camera 30 by driving the motor, the gimbal control unit 21 can change the length of time required to reach the target imaging direction.

  The gimbal control unit 21 may determine and set the operation mode (gimbal mode) of the gimbal 20. The gimbal mode may indicate how much the camera 30 is allowed to shake. Thereby, for example, the gimbal 20 can adjust the degree of stabilizing the posture of the camera 30 by the shake correction by the gimbal 20.

  The gimbal mode may include, for example, a normal mode and a high precision mode. In the normal mode, the camera 30 is allowed to swing at an angle equal to or less than the angle threshold th1 in at least one of three axial directions with respect to a reference position (reference direction, for example, the direction of a subject). In the high-accuracy mode, the camera 30 is allowed to swing at an angle equal to or smaller than the angle threshold th2 in at least one of three axial directions with respect to a reference position (reference direction, for example, the direction of a subject). When the high-accuracy mode is set, the shake of the camera 30 is not allowed as compared with the case where the normal mode is set. Therefore, the angle threshold th2 is set to be smaller than the angle threshold th1. That is, th2 <th1. The gimbal mode is not limited to the two types of the normal mode and the high-accuracy mode, but may be three or more types. In this case, since the angle thresholds are different, the shake tolerance of the camera 30 is different in three or more stages.

  The gimbal control unit 21 may control so that the voltage applied to each motor is higher when the high-accuracy mode is set than when the normal mode is set. In this case, the gimbal control unit 21 can finely adjust the rotation angle of each motor (each rotor), and can fix the posture of the camera 30 as much as possible when the camera 30 shakes. In the high-accuracy mode, the applied voltage is large, so that the power consumption is larger than in the normal mode.

  The gimbal control unit 21 may instruct the camera 30 to set or change camera parameters for imaging by the camera 30. The camera parameters may include shutter speed, F-number, ISO sensitivity, and the like.

  The camera 30 includes an imaging control unit 31, a lens control unit 32, a memory 33, an imaging element 34, lens driving units 35 and 36, a focus lens 37, and a zoom lens 38.

  The imaging control unit 31 is configured using, for example, a CPU, an MPU, or a DSP. The imaging control unit 31 performs signal processing for integrally controlling the operation of each unit of the camera 30, data input / output processing with other units, data arithmetic processing, and data storage processing.

  The imaging control unit 31 drives the imaging element 34 to perform an imaging operation. The imaging control unit 31 may drive the imaging device 34 to perform an imaging operation according to an imaging instruction from the gimbal 20. The imaging control unit 31 processes (image processing) the image data (image signal) of the image captured by the imaging element 34 and stores the processed data in the memory 33. The imaging control unit 31 may perform, for example, various processes such as shading correction, color correction, contour enhancement, noise removal, gamma correction, debayer, and compression as image processing.

  The imaging control unit 31 may adjust each camera parameter (shutter speed, F value (aperture value), ISO sensitivity (gain of image signal), zoom magnification, and the like). The imaging control unit 31 may adjust and set each camera parameter according to an instruction from the gimbal 20. The imaging control unit 31 may open and close the shutter at the time of image capturing according to the set shutter speed and F-number. The imaging control unit 31 may control the amplification of the image signal obtained by the imaging device 34 according to the set ISO sensitivity. Further, the imaging control section 31 may adjust the amount of amplification (the value of the gain) of the image signal. The imaging control unit 31 may send an instruction for changing the zoom magnification or performing automatic exposure (AE: Auto Exposure) to the lens control unit 32. The imaging control unit 31 may cause the lens control unit 32 to drive the lens when performing the optical zoom. When performing the electronic zoom, the lens control unit 32 may cut out a part of the captured image.

  The imaging control unit 31 may perform various types of imaging and set or change imaging conditions (for example, imaging direction, imaging range, and various camera parameters) based on an operation performed by the operation unit 29. Upon receiving an instruction to capture a moving image by pressing the recording button 612, the imaging control unit 31 captures an image of the moving image. When receiving an instruction to capture a still image by pressing the shutter button 611, the imaging control unit 31 captures a still image.

  When receiving a zoom-up instruction via the operation unit 29, the imaging control unit 31 may perform optical zoom by moving the zoom lens so that the imaging range is reduced. When receiving the zoom-up instruction via the operation unit 29, the imaging control unit 31 may perform the electronic zoom by reducing the cutout range of the captured image so that the imaging range is reduced. When receiving a zoom-out instruction via the operation unit 29, the imaging control unit 31 may perform optical zoom or electronic zoom so that the imaging range becomes large. The imaging control unit 31 can change the imaging range by performing zoom-in (zoom-in) or zoom-out according to the operation of the zoom button of the operation unit 29.

  The imaging control unit 31 may perform focusing control for focusing on a desired subject. The imaging control unit 31 may perform focusing control according to an instruction from the gimbal 20. When performing the focus control, the imaging control unit 31 may drive the lens so that the lens control unit 32 adjusts the position of the lens. The focusing control may include automatic focusing control (AF: Auto Focus). The automatic focusing control may include performing the focusing control while continuously changing the focus position (CAF: Continuous AF). In the CAF, for example, a state in which a desired subject is focused is continued.

  The lens control unit 32 adjusts the focus by moving the lens position of the focus lens 37 in the optical axis direction, and changes the zoom magnification by moving the lens position of the zoom lens 38 in the optical axis direction. The lens driving unit 36 is controlled. The lens control unit 32 may perform a focusing operation in accordance with a focusing control instruction from the gimbal 20. The lens driving unit 35 and the lens driving unit 36 each include a driving motor (not shown).

  The focus lens 37 collects light from the subject and forms an optical image on the imaging surface of the imaging device 34. The zoom lens 38 has a lens barrel (not shown) that houses the lens, and expands and contracts the lens barrel in the front-rear direction when performing a zooming operation. Note that the zoom lens 38 need not be provided.

  The memory 33 holds various data, information, and programs. The memory 33 may store camera parameters, image data, and the like. The memory 33 stores, for example, shutter speed, F-number, ISO sensitivity, and the like as camera parameters. The memory 33 may include, for example, a RAM, a ROM, an SD card, and other memories.

  The memory 33 may hold error correction information for correcting an angle error (detection error) of the angle detector 24 or the inertial measurement device 23. The error correction information may include, for example, an error correction value for correcting a detection value of the angle detector 24 or the inertial measurement device 23. The angle detector 24 and the inertial measurement device 23 detect angles and angular velocities of rotation around three axes (a roll axis, a pitch axis, and a yaw axis). Therefore, three error correction values of error correction information may be prepared and stored in the memory 33 in consideration of the fact that the angle error differs in each of the three axial directions. Note that errors in the detected values of the angle around the roll axis and the angular velocity tend to increase. This is because, for example, a sensor other than the gyro sensor may be absent in order to detect an angle or an angular velocity around the roll axis, and the detection accuracy of the gyro sensor may be low, and an error is likely to occur. .

  The memory 33 may hold information on a threshold value (threshold value th5 described later) for determining whether the posture of the camera 30 is stabilized. This threshold value may be a value of the number of times that the angle or the acceleration obtained (for example, detected or calculated) is obtained every predetermined time. The threshold value may be a fixed value or a variable value.

  The imaging device 34 photoelectrically converts the optical image formed on the imaging surface into an electric signal and outputs the electric signal as an image signal. As the imaging device, a charge coupled device (CCD) image sensor or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor may be used.

  The monitor 50 may be a smartphone having a touch panel on the front. The monitor is not limited to a smartphone, but may be a display unit having a liquid crystal display, an organic EL (Electro Luminescence), or the like. The gimbal 20 and the camera 30 may operate in conjunction with an application executed by the smartphone operating as the monitor 50.

  The camera 30 and the monitor 50 can communicate with each other by wired communication (for example, USB communication) or wireless communication (for example, wireless LAN, Bluetooth (registered trademark), short-range communication, or public wireless line). The image captured by the camera 30 may be displayed on the monitor 50 in real time. This image is also called a live view image.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the relationship between the angular velocity of the camera 30 (that is, the angular velocity of the gimbal 20) and the on / off state of the automatic focusing control (AF). In addition, although the control regarding ON / OFF of AF is performed under the control of the gimbal control unit 21, the control may be performed under the control of the imaging control unit 31. Here, the determination of whether to permit AF is mainly based on the angular velocity is exemplified, but the determination of whether to permit AF may be determined based on the angle.

  The gimbal control unit 21 acquires the angular velocity of the camera 30 based on the detection value of the angle detector 24 or the detection value of the inertial measurement device 23. The gimbal control unit 21 instructs the camera 30 to execute (ON) or not (OFF) AF based on the acquired angular velocity. In this case, the gimbal control unit 21 takes into account the angle error of the angle detector 24 and the inertial measurement device 23. I do.

  In other words, the gimbal control unit 21 reduces the influence on the angular velocity or the angle in an error within a range in which an angle error of the attitude sensor such as the angle detector 24 or the inertial measurement device 23 is estimated to occur (for example, negligible). Do). In this case, the gimbal control unit 21 subtracts the error correction value held in the memory 22 or 33 from the angular velocity or angle obtained (for example, detected or calculated) based on the angle detector 24 or the inertial measurement device 23. Whether or not AF is performed by the camera 30 may be determined based on the corrected angular velocity or corrected angle that is the value.

  In FIG. 3, in a period T1 from time t0 to t1, a corrected angular velocity based on an angular velocity (change in angle per predetermined time) acquired based on a detection value of the angle detector 24 or the inertial measurement device 23 is a threshold th3. It is as follows. In the period T1, the gimbal control unit 21 instructs the camera 30 to turn on AF (for example, CAF). The camera 30 turns on the AF in accordance with the instruction from the gimbal 20, that is, controls the AF.

  In a period T2 between times t1 and t2 following the period T1, the derived (for example, calculated) corrected angular velocity is equal to or larger than the threshold th3. In the period T2, the gimbal control unit 21 instructs the camera 30 to turn off AF (for example, CAF). That is, when the corrected angular velocity increases, the corrected angular velocity is accumulated, and the angle tends to increase. Therefore, even when the angle error of the attitude sensor is added, the camera 30 actually shakes greatly. In this case, it takes time until the posture of the camera 30 is stabilized in order to return to the state before the camera 30 swings to maintain the predetermined posture. In this case, since the accuracy of the AF is likely to decrease, the gimbal control unit 21 stops the AF in consideration of the angle error of the attitude sensor. In the camera 30, according to the instruction from the gimbal 20, the AF is turned off, that is, the AF control is not performed.

  In a period T3 from time t2 to t3 following the period T2, the derived corrected angular velocity is equal to or smaller than the threshold th3. In the period T3, the gimbal control unit 21 instructs the camera 30 to turn on AF (for example, CAF). That is, the gimbal control unit 21 restarts the AF. The camera 30 turns on the AF in accordance with the instruction from the gimbal 20, that is, controls the AF.

  Next, the operation of the gimbal camera device 10 will be described.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of the gimbal camera device 10. Here, the determination of whether to permit AF is mainly based on the angular velocity is exemplified, but the determination of whether to permit AF may be determined based on the angle. In the initial state, the value of the counter c is 0, and the setting of the CAF may be on or off. In FIG. 4, CAF is exemplified as AF.

  First, the gimbal control unit 21 acquires an angular velocity (S11). In this case, the gimbal control unit 21 may acquire at least one of the circumference of the roll axis, the circumference of the pitch axis, and the angular velocity around the roll axis.

  The gimbal control unit 21 acquires an error correction value for correcting the angular velocity (S12). The gimbal control unit 21 may acquire the error correction value from the memory 22 or the memory 33. The gimbal control unit 21 may acquire an error correction value from an external server via a communication interface. One error correction value may be common to the three axes, or may be individually prepared for each of the three axes, and may be at least one (for example, three).

  The gimbal control unit 21 acquires the corrected angular velocity (S13). In this case, the gimbal control unit 21 may acquire a subtraction value obtained by subtracting the error correction value from the acquired angular velocity as the corrected angular velocity. Further, the corrected angular velocity may be a value obtained by processing the subtraction value, not a subtraction value obtained by simply subtracting the error correction value from the angular velocity.

  The gimbal control unit 21 determines whether the corrected angular velocity is equal to or less than the threshold th3 (S14). If the corrected angular velocity is equal to or less than the threshold th3, the gimbal control unit 21 adds 1 to the counter c (S15).

  On the other hand, if the corrected angular velocity is greater than the threshold th3 in S14, the gimbal control unit 21 sets the counter c to a value of 0 (S16), and instructs the camera 30 to turn off (not perform) the CAF (S17). . If the setting of CAF is already off at the time of execution of S17, the processing of S17 may be omitted.

  After S15 or S17, the gimbal control unit 21 determines whether or not the counter c is equal to or larger than a threshold th4 (for example, value 5, value 10) (S18). If the value of the counter c is less than the threshold th4, the process proceeds to S11, and the acquisition of the angular velocity at the next timing is continued. On the other hand, when the counter c is equal to or larger than the threshold th4, the gimbal control unit 21 instructs the camera 30 to turn on (execute) the CAF (S19).

  According to the operation illustrated in FIG. 4, when the state where the corrected angular velocity is equal to or smaller than the threshold th3 is continuously detected the number of times corresponding to the threshold th4, the gimbal camera apparatus 10 causes the camera 30 to perform the CAF. be able to. The detection by the angle detector 24 and the inertial measurement device 23 is performed every predetermined time. Therefore, the determination of the number of times corresponds to the determination of the elapse of a certain time. After a certain period of time, the shake of the camera 30 stops, and the posture is stabilized, so that the gimbal camera device 10 can execute the focusing control in the camera 30 having the stable posture.

Further, as shown in S17, when the processing of FIG. 4 is repeatedly performed and the corrected angular velocity becomes larger than the threshold th3 even once, the counter c is reset and the CAF for performing the CAF is performed. The measurement will be started from the beginning. When the corrected angular velocity increases,
This is because it is expected that it will take time for the posture of the camera 30 to stabilize even if the detection errors of the angle detector 24 and the inertial measurement device 23 are taken into account. Thereby, the gimbal camera device 10 can suppress that the focusing control of the camera 30 is performed in a state where the posture of the camera 30 is not stabilized.

  As described above, the gimbal camera device 10 can perform AF (for example, CAF) in which the rotation error of the gimbal 20 is considered.

  Next, the gimbal camera device of the comparative example and the gimbal camera device 10 of the present embodiment will be compared and considered.

In the gimbal camera device of the comparative example, the detection error of the attitude sensor is not considered, and the angle error of the motor (rotor) is not considered. This error information is sent to the imaging control unit of the camera, and is erroneously recognized as the actual angular velocity or angle of the gimbal 20 in the three axial directions. That is,
Apparently, although the attitude of the camera 30 is stable, the angular velocity and the angle have values different from the actual values, the gimbal control unit (or the imaging control unit) is determined to be rotating, and the CAF is stopped. It is possible.

  On the other hand, the gimbal camera device 10 of the present embodiment stores the angle error information (error correction information) in the memory 33 of the camera 30 in advance, so that the rotation of the motor is performed in a state where the angle error information is subtracted. Can recognize angle information. Since the angle error information may be different for each rotor, it may be derived in consideration of the characteristics of each rotor. Alternatively, the gimbal control unit 21 may set the angle in an allowable range, assuming a certain degree of angular velocity detection value or variation in the angle detection value.

  As described above, the gimbal camera device 10 (an example of a moving object) includes a camera 30 (an example of an imaging unit, a gimbal 20 on which the camera 30 is mounted and which corrects shake of the camera 30, and a camera 30). And a gimbal control unit 21 (an example of a control unit) that controls at least one of the gimbal 20. The gimbal 20 rotates at least one of three mutually orthogonal axes (for example, a roll axis, a pitch axis, and a yaw axis). The camera 30 may be rotatably supported about an axis, and may include a motor (for example, a rotor) that rotates the camera 30 about at least one of three axes. The angular velocity of the rotation of the camera 30 about at least one rotation axis may be acquired once every predetermined time.The gimbal control unit 21 may correct the error in correcting the angular velocity error. The gimbal control unit 21 may subtract the error correction value from the angular velocity to obtain a corrected angular velocity (an example of a subtraction value). (Example of First Threshold) When the angular velocity equal to or less than a predetermined number (for example, the number corresponding to the threshold th4) is continuously obtained, the camera 30 may be instructed to execute the focus control (AF).

  Accordingly, the gimbal camera apparatus 10 can control the camera when the state where the angular velocity is small continues to some extent taking into account the angular error of the posture sensor (for example, the angle detector 24 or the inertial measurement device 23) used for estimating the posture of the camera 30. AF can be performed assuming that the posture of 30 is stabilized. In this case, the focusing accuracy of the camera mounted on the gimbal is improved in consideration of the angle error. Therefore, the gimbal camera device 10 can suppress, for example, erroneously stopping the focusing control of the camera 30 according to the acquired angular velocity.

  When the corrected angular velocity is larger than the threshold th3, the gimbal control unit 21 may instruct the camera 30 to stop the focusing control.

  Accordingly, the gimbal camera device 10 can stop the execution of the AF when it is predicted that the angular velocity is large and the camera 30 is largely shaken in consideration of the angular error.

  Further, the three axes may include a roll axis, a pitch axis, and a yaw axis. The error correction value is a first error correction value for correcting an error in the angular velocity of rotation of the camera 30 about the roll axis, and an error correction value for correcting an error in the angular velocity of rotation of the camera 30 about the pitch axis. And a third error correction value for correcting an error in the angular velocity of rotation of the camera 30 about the yaw axis.

  Accordingly, even if the detection accuracy in rotation detection around each of the roll axis, the pitch axis, and the yaw axis is different, the gimbal camera device 10 can provide an error for each axis in consideration of the difference in the detection accuracy. By holding the correction value, the focusing accuracy of the camera 30 taking into account the angle error can be further improved.

  Further, the error correction value for the roll axis may be larger than the error correction value for the pitch axis and the error correction value for the yaw axis.

  Thereby, the gimbal camera device 10 increases the error correction value for rotation around the roll axis, which is predicted to have the lowest detection accuracy in rotation detection, than the error correction value for rotation around other axes. A corrected angular velocity can be derived using an error correction value that matches the assumed angle error. Therefore, the gimbal camera device 10 can further improve the focusing accuracy of the camera 30 in consideration of the angle error.

  In addition, the camera 30 may capture a moving image, and the gimbal control unit 21 may perform a CAF that performs focusing control while continuously changing the focus position.

  Accordingly, the gimbal camera device 10 can capture a moving image while focusing on the subject in consideration of the angular error even if the subject moves.

  In addition, since the gimbal camera device 10 includes the holding unit 620, the photographer can freely hold and move the gimbal camera device 10. Even in this case, the gimbal camera device 10 can perform the focusing operation in consideration of the angular error of the gimbal 20, and can improve the focusing accuracy. Therefore, the gimbal camera device 10 can capture a high-quality image.

(Other gimbal camera devices)
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of another gimbal camera device 10B. 5, the same components as those of the gimbal camera device 10 shown in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted or simplified.

  The gimbal camera device 10B has a configuration including a device main body 60B, a gimbal 20B, and a portable terminal 50B. The device main body 60B is, for example, a member formed in a substantially columnar shape. A gimbal 20B is detachably mounted on the upper end of the apparatus main body 60B. An operation surface 610 having an inclination is formed on the upper front surface of the apparatus main body 60B. Various buttons are arranged on the operation surface 610. The various buttons include a shutter button 611, a recording button 612, and an operation button 613. The lower center part of the apparatus main body 60 is formed in a grip part 620 that is gripped by the hand of the photographer.

  The gimbal 20B is detachably attached to the upper end of the device main body 60B. The mobile terminal 50B is attached to the gimbal 20B via the attachment part 315. The gimbal 20B variably supports the position and orientation of the portable terminal 50B attached to the attachment section 315.

  The gimbal 20B has a yaw axis motor 215, a roll axis motor 216, and a pitch axis motor 217. The yaw axis motor 215 is arranged at the upper end of the apparatus main body 60B. The roll axis motor 216 is attached to the yaw axis motor 215 via the arm member 221. The pitch axis motor 217 is attached to the roll axis motor 216 via the arm member 221. The gimbal 20B drives the yaw axis motor 215, the roll axis motor 216, and the pitch axis motor 217, and controls the yaw axis, the roll axis, and the yaw axis, the roll axis so that the orientation of the portable terminal 50B (the imaging unit provided in the portable terminal 50B) with respect to the subject does not change. The portable terminal 50B is rotatably supported in three pitch axis directions. That is, the gimbal 20B has a stabilizer function of stabilizing the direction (posture) of the mobile terminal 50B (the imaging unit provided in the mobile terminal 50B). Here, the imaging unit of the portable terminal 50B corresponds to the camera 30 in FIG.

  The gimbal 20B and the mobile terminal 50B can communicate with each other by wired communication (for example, USB communication) or wireless communication (for example, wireless LAN, Bluetooth (registered trademark), short-range communication, or public wireless line).

  The mobile terminal 50B may display an image captured by an imaging unit (not shown) provided in the mobile terminal 50B in real time. This image is also called a live view image. Since the imaging unit of the mobile terminal 50B is mounted on the gimbal 20B, similarly to the gimbal camera device 10, the effect of the shake correction by the gimbal 20B (for example, the imaging direction of the camera 30 tends to return to the time before the occurrence of the shake). In some cases, the time required for the shake of the portable terminal 50B to stabilize in the gimbal mode may be prolonged. Also in this case, since the gimbal camera device 10B can perform focusing control in consideration of the angle error of the gimbal 20B similarly to the gimbal camera device 10, it is possible to capture a still image or the like while suppressing deterioration in image quality.

(Gimbal mounted on unmanned aerial vehicle)
FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 on which the gimbal 200 is mounted. The unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is an example of a moving object. The unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is configured to include a UAV main body 102, a gimbal 200, an imaging unit 220, a plurality of imaging units 230, and a UAV control unit 110 (not shown). UAV control section 110 is an example of a control section.

  The UAV main body 102 includes a plurality of rotors (propellers). The UAV body 102 causes the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 to fly by controlling the rotation of a plurality of rotors. The UAV body 102 causes the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 to fly using, for example, four rotors. The number of rotors is not limited to four. Further, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may be a fixed wing aircraft having no rotary wing.

  The gimbal 200 may rotatably support the imaging unit 220 about the yaw axis, the pitch axis, and the roll axis. The gimbal 200 may change the imaging direction of the imaging unit 220 by rotating the imaging unit 220 about at least one of the yaw axis, the pitch axis, and the roll axis.

  The imaging unit 220 is an imaging camera that captures an image of a subject (for example, an aerial image of the sky, scenery such as a mountain or river, or a building on the ground) included in a desired imaging range.

  The plurality of imaging units 230 are sensing cameras that image the periphery of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 to control the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100.

  UAV control section 110 controls the flight of unmanned aerial vehicle 100. The UAV control unit 110 controls the gimbal 200, the rotary wing mechanism (not shown), the imaging unit 220, and the imaging unit 230. The UAV controller 110 has the same function as the gimbal controller 21. In this case, in the case of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100, the UAV control unit 110 corresponds to the gimbal control unit 21, and the imaging unit 220 corresponds to the camera 30.

  As described above, since the imaging unit 220 is mounted on the gimbal 200, similarly to the gimbal camera device 10, the influence of the shake correction by the gimbal 200 (for example, the imaging direction of the imaging unit 220 is returned to the time before the occurrence of the shake) Effect of trying to do so). Also in this case, similarly to the gimbal camera devices 10 and 10B, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 can perform focusing control in consideration of the angle error of the gimbal 200, and thus can capture an image while suppressing a decrease in image quality. In addition, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 can perform focusing control in consideration of the angular error of the gimbal 200 while correcting the shake of the imaging unit 220 by the gimbal 200, even during the flight, for example, even if the airflow is affected. Therefore, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 can shoot a high-quality image by directing the imaging direction of the imaging unit 220 to an arbitrary direction while flying in a free direction.

  In the above-described embodiment, the focus control is performed in consideration of the angle error. However, the present invention is not limited to using the angular velocity as the detection value. For example, focusing may be controlled based on an angle error using an angle instead of the angular velocity. As a specific operation, the contents described for the angular velocity may be applied to the angle.

  That is, the gimbal control unit 21 may acquire the rotation speed of the camera 30 about at least one of the three rotation axes once every predetermined time. The gimbal control unit 21 may acquire an error correction value for correcting an angle error. The gimbal control unit 21 may obtain a corrected angle (an example of a subtraction value) by subtracting the error correction value from the angle. The gimbal control unit 21 instructs the camera 30 to execute focus control (AF) when the angle at which the corrected angle is equal to or smaller than the threshold th5 is continuously obtained a predetermined number of times (for example, the number of times corresponding to the threshold th4). May be.

  Also in this case, the gimbal camera device 10 considers the angle error of the posture sensor (for example, the angle detector 24 or the inertial measurement device 23) used for estimating the posture of the camera 30, and if the state where the angle is small continues to some extent, AF can be performed assuming that the posture of the camera 30 is stabilized. In this case, the focusing accuracy of the camera 30 mounted on the gimbal 20 is improved in consideration of the angle error. Therefore, the gimbal camera device 10 can suppress, for example, erroneously stopping the focusing control of the camera 30 according to the acquired speed. In addition, the gimbal camera device 10 stops the focus control even though the shake has not actually occurred, or the focus control has not been stopped even though the shake has occurred, It is possible to prevent the operation timing of the CAF from being different from a desired timing.

  In the above-described embodiment, the gimbal control unit 21 instructs to perform focusing control in consideration of the angle error. However, another control unit (for example, the imaging control unit 31) considers the angle error. Focus control may be led. For the specific operation, the content described for the case where the gimbal control unit 21 is led may be applied to the case where the imaging control unit 31 is led.

  That is, the imaging control unit 31 may acquire the angular velocity of rotation of the camera 30 about at least one of the three rotation axes once every predetermined time. The imaging control unit 31 may acquire an error correction value for correcting an error in angular velocity. The imaging control unit 31 may obtain the corrected angular velocity (an example of the subtraction value) by subtracting the error correction value from the angular velocity. When the angular velocity at which the corrected angular velocity is equal to or less than the threshold th3 (an example of a first threshold) is continuously acquired a predetermined number of times (for example, the number corresponding to the threshold th4), the imaging control unit 31 determines that Execution of focus control (AF) may be instructed, that is, focus control may be performed.

  Also in this case, the gimbal camera device 10 can obtain the same effect as the case where the gimbal control unit 21 takes the initiative.

  As described above, the present disclosure has been described using the embodiment, but the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the range described in the embodiment. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be made to the embodiments described above. It is also apparent from the description of the claims that embodiments with such changes or improvements can be included in the technical scope of the present disclosure.

  The execution order of each processing such as operation, procedure, step, and step in the apparatus, system, program, and method shown in the claims, the description, and the drawings is particularly “before”, “before”. And the like, and can be realized in any order as long as the output of the previous process is not used in the subsequent process. Even if the operation flow in the claims, the specification, and the drawings is described using “first”, “next”, and the like for convenience, it means that it is essential to implement in this order is not.

  Further, the present disclosure supplies a program for realizing the functions of the device of the above-described embodiment to the device via a network or various storage media, and reads and executes a program in a computer in the device, and stores the program. The recording media used are also applicable.

10, 10B Gimbal camera device 20, 20B, 200 Gimbal 21 Gimbal control unit 22 Memory 23 Inertial measurement device 24 Angle detector 25 Yaw axis rotation mechanism 26 Pitch axis rotation mechanism 27 Roll axis rotation mechanism 28 Interface 29 Operation unit 30 Camera 31 Imaging Control unit 32 Lens control unit 33 Memory 34 Image sensor 35, 36 Lens driving unit 37 Focus lens 38 Zoom lens 50 Monitor 50B Portable terminal 60 Device main body 63 Mounting unit 100 Unmanned aerial vehicle 102 UAV main body 210 Mounting unit 211 Release button 215 Yaw axis motor 216 Roll axis motor 217 Pitch axis motor 221, 222 Arm member 220, 230 Imaging section 311 Housing 315 Mounting section 610 Operation surface 611 Shutter button 612 Recording button 613 Operation button 614 Indicator 620 Gripper

Claims (14)

A moving body including: an imaging unit, a gimbal unit on which the imaging unit is mounted and which corrects shake of the imaging unit, and a control unit that controls at least one of the imaging unit and the gimbal unit.
The gimbal part is
The imaging unit is rotatably supported around at least one rotation axis of three axes orthogonal to each other,
A motor for rotating the imaging unit around at least one of the three axes;
The control unit includes:
Acquiring an angular velocity of rotation of the imaging unit about at least one of the three axes once every predetermined time;
Obtain an error correction value for correcting the angular velocity error,
Obtain a subtraction value by subtracting the error correction value from the angular velocity,
When the angular velocity at which the subtraction value is equal to or less than a first threshold is continuously obtained a predetermined number of times, instructs the imaging unit to execute focusing control;
Moving body. When the subtraction value is larger than the first threshold, the control unit instructs the imaging unit to stop focusing control.
The moving object according to claim 1. The three axes include a roll axis, a pitch axis, and a yaw axis,
The error correction value is:
A first error correction value for correcting an error in the angular velocity of rotation of the imaging unit about the roll axis;
A second error correction value for correcting an error in the angular velocity of rotation of the imaging unit about a pitch axis;
A third error correction value for correcting an error in the angular velocity of rotation of the imaging unit about the yaw axis.
The moving object according to claim 1. The first error correction value is larger than the second error correction value and the third error correction value;
The moving object according to claim 3. The imaging unit captures a moving image,
The control unit instructs the imaging unit to perform the focusing control while continuously changing a focus position,
The moving body according to claim 1. A grip portion gripped by a user,
The moving body according to claim 1. The control unit controls the flight of the moving body,
The moving body according to claim 1. An imaging unit;
The image pickup unit is mounted, the shake of the image pickup unit is corrected, the image pickup unit is rotatably supported around at least one rotation axis of three axes orthogonal to each other, and at least one rotation axis of the three axes is provided. A gimbal unit including a motor that rotates the imaging unit around
A focusing control method for a moving object including:
Acquiring an angular velocity of rotation of the imaging unit about at least one of the three rotation axes once every predetermined time;
Obtaining an error correction value for correcting the angular velocity error,
Subtracting the error correction value from the angular velocity to obtain a subtraction value;
When the angular velocity at which the subtraction value is equal to or less than a first threshold is continuously obtained a predetermined number of times, instructing the imaging unit to execute focusing control;
And a focusing control method. The step of instructing execution of the focusing control includes a step of instructing the imaging unit to stop focusing control when the subtraction value is larger than the first threshold value.
A focusing control method according to claim 8. The three axes include a roll axis, a pitch axis, and a yaw axis,
The error correction value is:
A first error correction value for correcting an error in the angular velocity of rotation of the imaging unit about the roll axis;
A second error correction value for correcting an error in the angular velocity of rotation of the imaging unit about a pitch axis;
A third error correction value for correcting an error in the angular velocity of rotation of the imaging unit about the yaw axis.
The focus control method according to claim 8. The first error correction value is larger than the second error correction value and the third error correction value;
A focusing control method according to claim 10. Capturing a moving image,
The step of instructing execution of the focusing control includes an instruction of performing the focusing control while continuously changing a focus position.
A focusing control method according to claim 8. An imaging unit;
The image pickup unit is mounted, the shake of the image pickup unit is corrected, the image pickup unit is rotatably supported around at least one rotation axis of three axes orthogonal to each other, and at least one rotation axis of the three axes is provided. A gimbal unit including a motor that rotates the imaging unit around
To a moving object with
Acquiring an angular velocity of rotation of the imaging unit about at least one of the three rotation axes once every predetermined time;
Obtaining an error correction value for correcting the angular velocity error,
Subtracting the error correction value from the angular velocity to obtain a subtraction value;
When the angular velocity at which the subtraction value is equal to or less than a first threshold is continuously obtained a predetermined number of times, instructing the imaging unit to execute focusing control;
A program for executing An imaging unit;
The image pickup unit is mounted, the shake of the image pickup unit is corrected, the image pickup unit is rotatably supported around at least one rotation axis of three axes orthogonal to each other, and at least one rotation axis of the three axes is provided. A gimbal unit including a motor that rotates the imaging unit around
To a moving object with
Acquiring an angular velocity of rotation of the imaging unit about at least one of the three rotation axes once every predetermined time;
Obtaining an error correction value for correcting the angular velocity error,
Subtracting the error correction value from the angular velocity to obtain a subtraction value;
When the angular velocity at which the subtraction value is equal to or less than a first threshold is continuously obtained a predetermined number of times, instructing the imaging unit to execute focusing control;
And a computer-readable recording medium on which a program for executing the program is recorded.

Images