JP2020136981A - Actuator - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an actuator capable of preventing an error operation and suppressing operation deterioration, by changing a content of an actual operation for an operation of an operator on the basis of information related to a line quality.SOLUTION: An actuator that controls a camera universal head from a remote site, includes: line quality information acquisition means of acquiring information in regard to a line quality; and operation determination means of determining an operation of the actuator. The operation determination means determines the operation on the basis of information in regard to the line quality acquired by the line quality information acquisition means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an actuator, and more particularly to an actuator that operates a camera pan head installed at a remote location.

Conventionally, there is known a pan head system in which a camera pan head installed in a remote location is operated from an operator of a broadcasting station to acquire a desired image. Among them, when there are a plurality of pan heads and operating devices, it is common that a line control system for controlling the line is configured in order to operate a specific pan head from a certain operating device.

Patent Document 1 discloses an example of a system in which a plurality of pan heads can be controlled by a line switch. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses an example relating to a system having various line types such as a dedicated line, a public line, a wireless line, and a mobile phone line. In particular, pan heads installed at important bases often have a backup line for emergencies in addition to the normal line used in normal times. The camera pan head can be operated remotely by using the backup line even when the normal line cannot be used due to a disaster or the like.

Japanese Patent No. 5409324 JP-A-2015-33126

However, since the communication quality is significantly different between the normal line and the backup line, the operability is significantly different in the prior art disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 described above. Since the backup line is used when the normal line cannot be used, it needs to be a method different from the normal line.

In general, a normal line is a line with high line quality, such as a dedicated line or a public line, which has little communication delay and almost no communication error. On the other hand, the backup line is a line with low communication quality, such as an IP line or a satellite line, which has a large communication delay and many communication errors. For example, since the satellite line has a large delay amount with respect to the public line, it takes a long time from the operation by the operator until the camera pan head actually operates, and as a result, the reaction of the actual operation to the operation. Becomes dull. For this reason, even in an emergency connected by a satellite line, if the operator performs the same operation as in a normal time connected by a public line, the response to the first operation is slow and the operation is large. As a result, there is a problem that the image is greatly changed.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an actuator capable of preventing malfunction and suppressing deterioration of operability by changing the content of actual operation with respect to the operation of the operator based on information on line quality. There is.

In order to achieve the above object, the actuator according to the present invention is
An operating device that remotely controls a camera pan head has a line quality information acquiring means for acquiring information on line quality and an operation determining means for determining the operation of the operating device, and the operation determining means acquires the line quality information. It is characterized in that the operation is determined based on the information on the line quality acquired by the means.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an actuator capable of preventing malfunction and suppressing deterioration of operability by changing the content of the actual operation with respect to the operation of the operator based on the information on the line quality. ..

It is a block diagram of Example 1. This is an example of the screen of the line operation terminal 12 of the first embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process of the actuator 11 of Example 1. It represents the possibility / prohibition of operation for each operation mode of the actuator 11 of the first embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process of the actuator 11 of Example 2. This is an example of the waveform of the communication data when the pan / tilt of the third embodiment is operated.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

The configuration according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG.

The pan head system of this embodiment includes an operation system 10, a pan head 20, and a line control system 30.

The operation system 10 is composed of an operation device 11 and a line operation terminal 12, and the number of the components is different for each operation room. Both are connected to the station network and can be linked with the line control system 30.

A camera and a lens (not shown) are configured inside the pan head 20, and control is performed in response to an operation command from the actuator 11. Further, it is connected to a public line and a satellite line via a modem (not shown) or the like, and can receive an operation command from the actuator 11.

The line control system 30 is composed of a server 31 and a communication control device 32. Both are connected to the station network. Further, the communication control device 32 is connected to a public line and a satellite line via a modem (not shown) or the like.

When an operator operates a specific pan head 20 from an operating device 11, it is first necessary to secure a line between the operating device 11 and the pan head 20. The overall flow of securing a line by using the line operation terminal 12 will be described below.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the screen of the line operation terminal 12.

A pan head display area 121, an operator display area 122, and a connection button 123 are configured on the screen of the line operation terminal 12. By registering the operable pan head 20 and the actuator 11 in advance in the pan head display area 121 and the actuator display area 122, the corresponding buttons are displayed. The type of line to be used may be selected by the operator when using it, but it is preferable to register it as a separate button so that it can be used without being aware of the line in normal times. The operator selects the buttons of the actuator 11 and the pan head 20 to be operated, and presses the connection button 123. At this time, by selecting the normal button for normal operation and the emergency button for emergency from the pan head display area 121, the connection can be made via the public line during normal operation and the satellite line during emergency. This means that the line type has been selected. When the line operation terminal 12 recognizes the operation, it transmits a line control request for the selected operation device 11 and the pan head 20 to the server 31.

The server 31 centrally manages the line status, and when it receives a line control request, it selects a communication control device 32 that can control the specified line, and connects the actuator 11 and the pan head 20. Send the command. When the communication control device 32 receives the connection command, it connects to the selected pan head 20 via the respective lines. When the connection with the pan head 20 is possible, the connection with the selected actuator 11 is connected via the station network while maintaining the connection. At that time, information on the line type is transmitted together with the connection request. If it is possible to connect to the actuator 11, the line is secured, and the process of transmitting the data received from one to the other is repeated. By doing so, it is possible to secure a line for operating the specific pan head 20 from a certain actuator 11. After that, the pan head 20 can be operated remotely by operating the actuator 11.

Next, the details of the operation of the actuator 11 from the unconnected state to the reception of the connection request from the communication control device 32 and the operation of the pan head 20 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, in step S101, the actuator 11 confirms whether or not there is a connection request from the communication control device 32. If there is no connection request, step S101 is repeated, and the subsequent processing is not performed until there is a connection request. If there is a connection request, the process proceeds to step S102.

In step S102, information on the line type sent from the communication control device 32 at the same time as the connection request is acquired, and the process proceeds to step S103.

In step S103, the operation mode when operating the pan head 20 is switched based on the information regarding the line type acquired in step S102. If it is a public line, it is set to the public line mode in step S104, and if it is a satellite line, it is set to the satellite line mode in step S105, and the operation mode is set according to the line type. Proceed to.

In step S106, an initial connection command is transmitted to the pan head 20 as a connection operation, and the process proceeds to step S107. When the connection is confirmed, such as receiving a response command from the pan head 20 in step S107, the process proceeds to step S108. If the connection cannot be established, the process proceeds to step S107 and the connection operation is performed again. In step S108, the pan head 20 can be operated by performing a transition process from the initial communication state to the normal state, such as switching to the screen for operating the pan head 20.

Subsequently, the operation mode of the actuator 11 will be described.

FIG. 4 shows a table showing the operable and prohibited operation of the actuator 11 in each of the public line mode and the satellite line mode.

The public line mode is an operation mode that is normally used, and since the quality of the communication line between the actuator 11 and the pan head 20 is high, all the operable items can be operated.

On the other hand, on the operation screen of the satellite line mode, the operation of setting the camera to a setting other than the initial state is prohibited. The satellite line mode is a mode in which the quality of the communication line between the actuator 11 and the pan head 20 is low, and assumes a situation in which a communication error or the like is likely to occur. In such a situation, once the camera power is turned off, even if the command to turn on the camera power is sent again, it does not always reach the pan head 20 correctly, and the camera power may be turned back on. It may not be possible. In addition, since the satellite line mode is a mode used in an emergency, it is not essential to change the camera settings such as turning off the camera power, such as pan / tilt of the pan head 20 and zoom / focus of the lens. It would be nice if we could do.

As described above, by changing the operable items of the actuator 11 based on the line type which is the information indicating the quality of the line, it is possible to prevent a malfunction such that the camera cannot be returned to the normal state.

As a system derived from this embodiment, the actuator 11 and the line control system 30 are connected to the in-station network, and the pan head 20 and the line control system 30 are connected to a public line or a satellite line, but any connection form can be used. good.

As for the items to be restricted in the satellite line mode, the operation other than the initial state of the camera is invalidated by taking the camera power supply as an example, but any item may be used. The line types are public lines and satellite lines, but any public line can be used, based on information that affects the line, such as the type of modem and the distance to the installation platform. It may be possible to classify finely.

Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and the processing of the actuator 11 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In FIG. 5, step S105 is deleted from step S103, and step S203 is added from step S201 to the process in the case of the first embodiment described in FIG.

First, step S101 is performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment to confirm the presence or absence of a line connection request, and if there is a request, the process proceeds to step S201.

In step S201, time measurement for measuring the communication delay with the pan head 20 is started, and the process proceeds to step S106. Steps S106 and S107 are performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and when the connection with the pan head is confirmed, the process proceeds to step S202.

In step S202, the time measurement started in step S201 ends. The time from the transmission of the initial communication command to the arrival of the response from the pan head 20, that is, the round-trip communication delay time between the actuator 11 and the pan head 20, is calculated, and the process proceeds to step S203.

In step S203, the relationship with the speed command value to the pan head 20 corresponding to the operation amount of pan / tilt in the actuator 11 is adjusted based on the communication delay time calculated in step S202. For example, when the communication delay time is large, it takes a long time from the operation to the change of the image, so that it cannot be stopped at the desired position, and as a result, an overshoot often occurs. Therefore, when the delay time is long, the maximum speed is limited so that the speed is less likely to be obtained for the pan / tilt operation as compared with the case where the delay time is short. After that, the process proceeds to step S108 in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and the pan head 20 can be operated by performing a transition process to the pan head operating state such as updating the display.

As described above, by measuring the communication delay, which is information on the line quality, and changing the operation according to the delay amount, it is possible to suppress a sense of discomfort in the operation and prevent a malfunction. In particular, when using an emergency line, it is possible to prevent an overshoot of the pan / tilt operation due to a larger delay than in a normal state.

The system from which this embodiment is derived is the same as that of the first embodiment. In addition, in this embodiment, the delay time is used as the information indicating the quality of the line, but any one may be used. The method of measuring the delay time is the response time at the time of initial connection, but any method may be used, and the timing of measurement may be adjusted not only at the time of initial communication but also at constant measurement. Further, it may be determined in combination with the line type of the first embodiment. Further, although the maximum speed of pan / tilt is adjusted according to the delay amount, the zoom / focus may be used, and the operation target may be anything.

Hereinafter, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and the method of determining the operation mode of the actuator 11 is also the same as that of the first embodiment, but the operation of each operation mode when operating the pan head 20 is different.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the waveform of the communication data when the zoom, focus, pan, and tilt are operated.

For example, when operating the pan / tilt of the pan / tilt of the pan head 20, when the operator operates the joystick of the controller 11, a pan / tilt control command is transmitted to the pan / tilt 20, and the pan / tilt control of the pan / tilt 20 is performed. It becomes a flow to do. Here, in order to change the pan / tilt speed according to the operation amount of the joystick, a state in which commands are continuously transmitted from the actuator 11 to the pan head 20 while the joystick is being operated. It becomes. In such a situation, when a communication error or the like does not occur, for example, as shown in FIG. 6A, the data transmitted from the actuator 11 is correctly received by the pan head 20 and the operator It works as intended. On the other hand, in a situation where a communication error occurs, as shown in FIG. 6B, there is a possibility that the data start position will continue to be erroneously recognized not only during the period in which the error occurred but also thereafter. As a result, the pan head 20 may continue to recognize the data as incorrect data, which may cause a malfunction.

Therefore, when the operation mode determined up to the initial communication described in FIG. 3 is a mode in which the communication stability is low, data can be continuously transmitted as shown in FIG. 6 (c). Instead, it shall be transmitted with a sufficient idle period between the data. By doing so, even if a communication error occurs, it is possible to prevent the data start position from being erroneously recognized even after the error occurrence period, and as a result, the malfunction can be prevented.

As described above, when it is determined that the communication quality is low, it is possible to prevent malfunction by limiting continuous transmission.

The system from which this embodiment is derived is the same as that of Example 1 and Example 2. In addition, in this embodiment, the line type is used as the information for acquiring the communication quality status, but it may be determined from the delay amount as in the second embodiment, or other methods may be used.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and modifications can be made within the scope of the gist thereof.

10 operation system, 11 operator, 12 line operation terminal,
121 pan head display area, 122 manipulator display area, 123 connection button,
20 pan head, 30 line control system, 31 server, 32 communication control device

Claims (6)

An operating device that remotely controls a camera pan head has a line quality information acquiring means for acquiring information on line quality and an operation determining means for determining the operation of the operating device, and the operation determining means acquires the line quality information. An operator characterized in that the operation is determined based on the information on the line quality acquired by the means. The operating device according to claim 1, wherein the information regarding the line quality is information regarding a line path between the camera pan head and the operating device. The operating device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the information regarding the line quality is information regarding a communication delay between the camera pan head and the operating device. The operator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein determining the operation of the operator means switching between valid and invalid of each operation. The camera pan head can operate at least one of zoom, focus, pan, and tilt, and determining the operation of the actuator means the operation amount of the actuator and the speed of the camera pan head. The operating device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the relationship is changed. The actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein determining the operation of the actuator means determining an idle period between data transmitted to the camera pan head. ..