JP2021184535A - Image capture device - Google Patents

Abstract

To realize an image capture device capable of acquiring images more suitable for AI-based inference processing.SOLUTION: An AI camera (1) as an image capture device comprises: a wide-angle camera module (10); a narrow-angle camera module (20); and an image processing unit (50) which performs first inference processing referring to images captured by the wide-angle camera module (10) and second inference processing referring to images captured by the narrow-angle camera module (20).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

The present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus, for example, a camera equipped with artificial intelligence (AI).

In recent years, cameras equipped with AI (AI cameras) have been distributed on the market, and various systems connecting AI cameras and cloud servers have also been constructed. In such a system, the load on the server side can be reduced by performing processing such as feature detection and annotation on the AI camera side (also referred to as the edge side) equipped with the GPU.

https://www.ecomott.co.jp/iot/edge-ai-camera.html

However, when performing a plurality of types of image processing (for example, object detection and face recognition) by AI, there is a problem that an AI camera equipped with one camera module cannot always acquire an image suitable for all the processing.

One aspect of the present invention is to realize an image pickup apparatus capable of acquiring a more suitable image for inference processing by AI.

In order to solve the above problems, the image pickup apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention is a first camera module, a second camera module, and a first image image captured by the first camera module. It includes an inference process and an image processing unit that performs a second inference process different from the first inference process with reference to the image captured by the second camera module.

According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to realize an image pickup apparatus capable of acquiring a more suitable image for inference processing by AI.

It is a front view of the artificial intelligence-equipped camera (AI camera) which is the image pickup apparatus of one aspect of this invention. It is a left side view of the AI camera of FIG. It is a rear view of the AI camera of FIG. It is a right side view of the AI camera of FIG. It is a plane (top view) view of the AI camera of FIG. It is a bottom view of the AI camera of FIG. It is an exploded view of the structure of a part of the housing provided in the AI camera of FIG. It is a perspective view of the AI camera of FIG. It is a figure which shows the internal structure of the AI camera of FIG. It is a figure explaining the angle of view of two camera modules provided in the AI camera of FIG. It is a left side perspective view of the AI camera of FIG. It is a functional block diagram of the image processing unit provided in the AI camera of FIG. It is a top view perspective view of the AI camera of FIG. It is a rear view which shows the modification of the AI camera of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of a part of the AI camera of another aspect of this invention.

[Embodiment 1]
Hereinafter, an image pickup device according to an aspect of the present invention will be described with reference to an artificial intelligence-equipped camera (AI camera) as an embodiment. FIG. 1 is a front view of the AI camera of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a left side view of the AI camera of FIG. FIG. 3 is a rear view of the AI camera of FIG. FIG. 4 is a right side view of the AI camera of FIG. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the AI camera of FIG. FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the AI camera of FIG. FIG. 7 is an exploded view of a part of the configuration of the AI camera of FIG. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the AI camera of FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the internal configuration of the AI camera of FIG. 1. In the following description, the vertical direction in FIG. 1 is simply referred to as a vertical direction. Further, the subject side is referred to as a front side with reference to the AI camera, and the opposite side is referred to as a rear side. Further, the right side and the left side when the AI camera is viewed from the front side to the rear side are simply referred to as the right side and the left side, respectively.

The AI camera 1 of the present embodiment includes the housing 2 shown in FIGS. 1 to 8, and also has a wide-angle camera module 10 (first camera module) and a narrow-angle camera module 20 (second camera module) shown in FIG. ), A support unit 30, a microphone 40, an image processing unit 50, and a heat dissipation mechanism 60.

The housing 2 constitutes the outer shell portion of the AI camera 1, and has a generally cubic shape as shown in FIG. 1, for example. The housing 2 is provided with a storage space inside, and houses a wide-angle camera module 10, a narrow-angle camera module 20, a support unit 30, a microphone 40, an image processing unit 50, and a heat dissipation mechanism 60.

Two lens covers 3a and 3b arranged one above the other are arranged on the front surface 2F of the housing 2 shown in FIG. Further, a microphone hole 4 is provided between the two lens covers 3a and 3b. The front surface 2F shown in FIG. 1 is configured by fixing a panel provided with the lens covers 3a and 3b and the microphone hole 4 to the skeleton portion of the housing 2. As described above, the housing 2 may be configured to have a skeleton portion and a panel, but may be configured to be composed of a single member. In this embodiment, the front, rear, left, and right sides of the housing 2 are configured by fixing the panel to the skeleton portion.

A part of the left side surface 2L of the housing 2 shown in FIG. 2 is formed in a grid pattern. That is, the left side surface 2L is provided with a plurality of ventilation holes 2La arranged in a matrix. The plurality of ventilation holes 2La are responsible for ventilation between the storage space of the housing 2 and the outside of the AI camera 1.

The back surface 2B of the housing 2 shown in FIG. 3 is provided with an external output terminal 5a and a power supply connection terminal 5b, and also has a fixing portion 5c for fixing the AI camera 1 to a separate body (wall, stand, etc.). It is provided.

A part of the right side surface 2R of the housing 2 shown in FIG. 4 is formed in a grid pattern. That is, the right side surface 2R is provided with a plurality of ventilation holes 2Ra arranged in a matrix. The plurality of ventilation holes 2Ra are responsible for ventilation between the inside of the housing 2 and the outside of the AI camera 1.

Nothing in particular is provided on the upper surface 2U of the housing 2 shown in FIG. Therefore, when the AI camera 1 is installed on a separate body (wall, stand, etc.), the upper surface 2U can be brought into contact with the ceiling or the like.

On the bottom surface 2D of the housing 2 shown in FIG. 6, a leg portion 6a used when the AI camera 1 is placed on a table or the like and a fixing portion for fixing the AI camera 1 to a separate body (wall, stand, etc.) 6b is provided. The leg portion 6a is fixed to the bottom surface 2D so as to be movable in the vertical direction. By adjusting the vertical position of the legs 6a with respect to the bottom surface 2D, the vertical angles of the camera modules 10 and 20 when the AI camera 1 is placed on a table or the like can be adjusted.

FIG. 7 shows an exploded perspective view of only the structure of the skeleton portion of the housing 2. As shown in FIG. 7, the skeleton structure of the housing 2 includes a lower structure 2-i provided with a bottom surface 2D described above and columns 7a and 7b described later, and an upper structure 2 configured in a portion other than the bottom surface. -Ii and. In a state where the lower structure 2-i and the upper structure 2-ii are connected, the above-mentioned panel is fixed to the front, rear, left and right side surfaces of the housing 2, thereby realizing the appearance as shown in FIG. ing.

The wide-angle camera module 10 and the narrow-angle camera module 20 shown in FIG. 9 are arranged vertically so that their centers in the left-right direction are aligned and their optical axes are parallel to each other. The wide-angle camera module 10 is arranged so that the lens faces the back side of the lower lens cover 3a (see FIG. 1) provided on the front surface 2F of the housing 2. Further, the narrow-angle camera module 20 is arranged so that the lens faces the back side of the lens cover 3b (see FIG. 1) on the upper side of the front surface 2F of the housing 2. By arranging the wide-angle camera module 10 and the narrow-angle camera module 20 so that the centers in the left-right direction are aligned, the centers of the images generated by each camera module are aligned.

In the wide-angle camera module 10, the angle of view along the horizontal direction is larger than the angle of view along the vertical direction. On the other hand, in the narrow angle camera module 20, the angle of view along the horizontal direction is smaller than the angle of view along the vertical direction. Although the wide-angle camera module 10 and the narrow-angle camera module 20 both have a larger angle of view in the longitudinal direction than the angle of view in the lateral direction, the wide-angle camera module 10 and the narrow-angle camera module 20 have orthogonal angles of view in the longitudinal direction. It is arranged like this. The angle of view will be further described below.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the angle of view of the wide-angle camera module 10 and the narrow-angle camera module 20. On the upper side of FIG. 10, the angle of view 10'of the wide-angle camera module 10 and the angle of view 20'of the narrow-angle camera module 20 are arranged in the longitudinal direction along the extending direction of the respective longitudinal angles of view. The difference in the relative size of the angle of view is shown in comparison. On the other hand, the lower side of FIG. 10 shows a state in which the angle of view 10'of the wide-angle camera module 10 and the angle of view 20'of the narrow-angle camera module 20 are superimposed. As shown on the upper side of FIG. 10, the narrow-angle camera module 20 has a narrower angle of view in the longitudinal direction than the wide-angle camera module 10. The resolution of the narrow-angle camera module 20 is higher than that of the wide-angle camera module 10. In the present embodiment, using these two types of camera modules 10 and 20, the angle of view of the wide-angle camera module 10 is larger in the horizontal direction than in the vertical direction, that is, the longitudinal direction of the angle of view is in the horizontal (left and right) direction. The wide-angle camera module 10 is arranged so as to be. Further, the narrow angle camera module 20 is arranged so that the angle of view of the narrow angle camera module 20 is larger in the vertical direction than in the horizontal direction, that is, the longitudinal direction of the angle of view is in the vertical (vertical) direction.

As described above, the wide-angle camera module 10 has a lower resolution than the narrow-angle camera module 20, but can shoot a wide range along the left-right direction, and is therefore used as an image for human detection. On the other hand, the narrow-angle camera module 20 has a higher resolution than the wide-angle camera module 10 and can shoot a wide range along the vertical direction (users approaching, people who protrude from the upper and lower limits of the wide-angle), so that a person in front of the camera can shoot. Used for face recognition.

As described above, according to the AI camera 1 of the present embodiment, the image data used for the image processing for detecting a person (subject) and the image data used for the image processing for performing face authentication are generated from different camera modules. .. Therefore, it is possible to generate an image suitable for each image processing.

The support portion 30 shown in FIG. 9 supports the wide-angle camera module 10 and the narrow-angle camera module 20. The support portion 30 supports the wide-angle camera module 10 and the narrow-angle camera module 20 so that their respective optical axis directions are parallel to each other, and supports the narrow-angle camera module 20 above the wide-angle camera module 10. The support portion 30 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view from the left side of the AI camera 1. The support portion 30 includes a first slider 31 that can move along the optical axis direction of the wide-angle camera module 10 and a second slider 32 that can move along the optical axis direction of the narrow-angle camera module 20. .. The wide-angle camera module 10 is fixed to the first slider 31, and the narrow-angle camera module 20 is fixed to the second slider 32.

Further, the support portion 30 further includes a base 33 that slidably supports the first slider 31 and the second slider 32. The first slider 31 and the second slider 32 can slide in the front-rear direction along the guide rails 33a and 33b extending from the base 33. As a result, the wide-angle camera module 10 and the narrow-angle camera module 20 can be fixed at arbitrary positions in the base 33 via the first slider 31 and the second slider 32 independently of each other. Fixing can be achieved by screwing.

Specifically, screws are screwed into the two vertically arranged fixing screw holes 31a and 32a provided in the first slider 31 and the second slider 32, respectively, and the screws are screwed into arbitrary positions of the base 33. The sliders 31 and 32 can be fixed. Here, the two vertically aligned fixing screw holes 31a and 31a provided in the first slider 31 and the two vertically aligned fixing screw holes 32a and 32a provided in the second slider 32 are The intervals are different from each other. This makes it easy to distinguish between the second slider 32 and the first slider 31, and the positions of the narrow-angle camera module 20 and the wide-angle camera module 10 are correctly positioned correctly in the manufacturing process of the AI camera 1. Can be arranged.

The lens barrel 20a (see FIG. 11) of the narrow-angle camera module 20 is longer than the lens barrel 10a (see FIG. 11) of the wide-angle camera module 10. Therefore, the narrow-angle camera module 20 (second slider 32) is arranged behind the wide-angle camera module 10 (first slider 31).

The wide-angle camera module 10 and the narrow-angle camera module 20 are single-focus camera modules that do not have a zoom function. By exchanging the lenses of the camera modules 10 and 20 and adjusting the first slider 31 and the second slider 32 to appropriate positions, an image having a desired focal length can be obtained. By the way, the same thing can be realized by using a camera module with an optical zoom, but such a camera module is expensive and unreliable. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the first slider 31 and the second slider 32 are adjusted as described above. By doing so, a camera module having an arbitrary angle of view and depth of focus can be adopted by replacing the inexpensive and robust fixed camera module. As a specific example, as the wide-angle camera module 10, a single-focus camera module having an angle of view of 123 ° along the lateral direction can be adopted. Further, as the narrow angle camera module 20, a single focus camera module having an angle of view of 44 ° along the vertical direction can be adopted.

Here, the image sensor (not shown) in each of the camera modules 10 and 20 and the image processing unit 50 are connected by a cable, and the image processing unit 50 acquires the image data generated from the image sensor. The cable is pulled out from the narrow-angle camera module 20 to the upper side or the lower side of the module, and is pulled out from the wide-angle camera module 10 to the right side of the module. In addition, it can be said that the two camera modules 10 and 20 are arranged in a state where the cameras on which the horizontally long images are taken are rotated by 90 degrees.

In the present embodiment, the angle of view in the longitudinal direction is along the vertical direction for the wide-angle camera module 10 and along the horizontal direction for the narrow-angle camera module 20. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the angle of view in the longitudinal direction may be an aspect along the vertical direction or an aspect along the horizontal direction for both the camera modules 10 and 20. Further, the two camera modules may have the same angle of view in the longitudinal direction. Alternatively, the wide-angle and narrow-angle angles are opposite to those of the present embodiment, and the narrow-angle camera module may be arranged below and the wide-angle camera module may be arranged above.

The microphone 40 shown in FIG. 9 is arranged on the back side of the microphone hole 4 (FIG. 1) on the front surface of the housing 2.

The image processing unit 50 shown in FIG. 9 is arranged on the side of the base 33 opposite to the slider fixing side. The image processing unit 50 makes inferences by machine learning using the images generated by the wide-angle camera module 10 and the narrow-angle camera module 20. Specifically, the above-mentioned person detection and face recognition are performed. The image processing unit 50 is a GPU module, and has a substrate including a CPU and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The image processing unit 50 is connected to an external output terminal 5a (FIG. 3) provided on the back surface of the housing 2, and can be connected to an external device via the external output terminal 5a.

FIG. 12 is a functional block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the image processing unit 50. As shown in FIG. 12, the image processing unit 50 includes an image acquisition unit 51 that acquires an image captured by the wide-angle camera module 10 and the narrow-angle camera module 20. Further, the image processing unit 50 refers to the first inference unit 55 that performs the first inference processing with reference to the image captured by the wide-angle camera module 10, and the image captured by the narrow-angle camera module 20. It includes a second inference unit 57 that performs a second inference process different from the inference process of 1. Further, the image processing unit 50 includes a memory 53 for storing an inference program necessary for the first inference process and the second inference process, and an output interface unit 59. The first inference unit 55 executes a person detection process for detecting a person from an image generated by the wide-angle camera module 10. Further, the second inference unit 57 performs inference processing for inferring information about a person included in the image generated by the narrow-angle camera module 20. The memory 53 stores an inference model necessary for a person detection process and an inference process for inferring information about a person. The output interface unit 59 is a circuit that communicates with, for example, an external device, software executed by the external device, and the like. The specific operations of the person detection process and the inference process for inferring information about a person, which are executed by the image processing unit 50, are not particularly limited. It is possible to adopt a well-known inference model for each process.

The heat dissipation mechanism 60 shown in FIG. 9 is provided on the side of the image processing unit 50 opposite to the base 33 side, and discharges the heat of the image processing unit 50. The heat dissipation mechanism 60 includes a heat sink 61, a ventilation fan 62, and a cover 63. The heat sink 61 is arranged on the image processing unit 50 so that the GPU can be cooled. The ventilation fan 62 is arranged between the heat sink 61 and the ventilation hole 2Ra on the right side surface 2R of the housing 2, and forms an air flow from the heat sink 61 side toward the ventilation hole 2Ra. As shown in FIG. 9, the cover 63 covers a part of the ventilation hole 2Ra on the right side surface 2R of the housing 2. Specifically, the cover 63 can be arranged between the right side surface 2R of the housing 2 and the ventilation fan 62 to prevent dust and the like from entering the housing 2. The cover 63 is provided with an exhaust port 63a at a position facing the ventilation fan 62, and an intake port 63b is provided at a lower portion thereof. The rotation of the ventilation fan 62 causes exhaust to the outside of the housing 2 through the exhaust port 63a. Along with this, air is taken in from the outside of the housing 2 through the intake port 63b. That is, the ventilation fan 62 rotates to generate an air flow from the bottom to the top.

Here, FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the AI camera 1 as viewed from the upper surface 2U side of the housing 2. The ventilation fan 62 sucks air into the housing 2 from the outside through the ventilation holes on the left side of the housing 2. The airflow passes through the gap between the image processing unit 50 and the front and back surfaces of the housing 2, reaches the heat sink 61 and the ventilation fan 62, and exits to the right side of the housing 2 (the airflow is shown by an arrow in FIG. 13). (Indicated by). By this air flow, the heat generated in the GPU of the image processing unit 50 can be dissipated. The heat generated in the camera module can also be released to the outside of the housing 2 by this air flow.

The image processing unit 50 provided with the heat sink 61 and the base 33 are fixed to the columns 7a and 7b erected on the storage space side from the bottom having the bottom surface 2D of the housing 2 (also in FIG. 7). 7a and 7b are shown).

As described above, according to the AI camera 1, a more suitable image for inference processing by AI can be acquired. That is, according to the AI camera 1, an image suitable for each inference process can be used. Further, by providing the narrow-angle camera module 20 at the top and the wide-angle camera module 10 at the bottom, the probability that the region below the angle of view of the narrow-angle camera module 20 captures the foot of the person as the subject is reduced, and face recognition is performed. Contributes to the generation of efficient images.

Further, according to the AI camera 1, a ventilation fan 62 is provided, and the heat of the image processing unit 50 can be effectively discharged. As a result, the image processing operation by the image processing unit 50 can be performed satisfactorily.

[Modification 1]
In the configuration of FIG. 14, a groove portion 2Ba extending from the power supply connection terminal 5b provided on the back surface 2B of the housing 2 toward the left side surface of the housing 2 is provided. As a result, the power supply wiring 100 connected to the power supply connection terminal 5b can be arranged along the groove 2Ba and pulled out to the side of the left side surface 2L of the housing 2. The pulling direction is not limited to the left side surface 2L.

[Embodiment 2]
Other embodiments of the present invention will be described below. For convenience of explanation, the same reference numerals are given to the members having the same functions as the members described in the above-described embodiment, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing the internal configuration of the housing 2 of the AI camera 1'of the second embodiment. For convenience of explanation, a part of the housing 2 is not shown.

The AI camera 1'of the second embodiment is different from the AI camera 1 of the first embodiment in that it is provided with another ventilation fan.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 15, the AI camera 1'is for ventilation in the vicinity of the left side surface 2L of the housing 2 in addition to the ventilation fan 62 arranged in the vicinity of the right side surface 2R of the housing 2. It is equipped with a fan 70. Hereinafter, the ventilation fan 70 on the left side 2L side is referred to as a ventilation fan 70 for the camera module.

The ventilation fan 70 for the camera module is arranged on the left side surface 2L provided with the ventilation hole 2La via the fan installation plate 71. The ventilation fan 70 for the camera module is on the left side of the narrow angle camera module 20 arranged above. The size of the fan is approximately equal to the vertical length of the upper camera module. The ventilation fan 70 for the camera module is an exhaust fan that exhausts air from the inside of the housing 2 to the outside.

Further, a ventilation portion 71a is provided at the lower part of the fan installation plate 71 in a form of being paired with the ventilation fan 70 for the camera module. The ventilation portion 71a is located on the left side of the wide-angle camera module 10 arranged below.

The rotation of the ventilation fan 70 for the camera module causes exhaust to the outside of the housing 2, and accordingly, air is taken in from the outside of the housing 2 via the ventilation portion 71a. As a result, the ventilation fan 70 generates an air flow from the bottom to the top, and the heat generated by the wide-angle camera module 10 and the narrow-angle camera module 20 can be effectively discharged to the outside of the housing 2. In particular, it is possible to efficiently release heat that tends to stay in the upper part of the storage space of the housing 2. Also in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the ventilation fan 62 is provided on the right side surface 2R side of the housing 2, and an air flow from the bottom to the top is generated. Therefore, in this embodiment, effective heat dissipation is realized on both the right side surface 2R side and the left side surface 2L side.

[Example of implementation by software]
The image acquisition unit 51, the first inference unit 55, and the second inference unit 57 of the image processing unit 50 may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like. It may be realized by software.

In the latter case, the image processing unit 50 includes a computer that executes instructions of a program that is software that realizes each function. This computer includes, for example, at least one processor (control device) and at least one computer-readable recording medium in which the program is stored. Then, in the computer, the processor reads the program from the recording medium and executes the program, thereby achieving the object of the present invention. As the processor, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) can be used. As the recording medium, a "non-temporary tangible medium", for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory) or the like, a tape, a disk, a card, a semiconductor memory, a programmable logic circuit, or the like can be used. Further, a RAM (Random Access Memory) for expanding the above program may be further provided. Further, the program may be supplied to the computer via any transmission medium (communication network, broadcast wave, etc.) capable of transmitting the program. It should be noted that one aspect of the present invention can also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave, in which the above program is embodied by electronic transmission.

[Additional notes]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and the embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in the different embodiments. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

〔summary〕
The image pickup apparatus (AI camera 1) according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a first camera module (wide-angle camera module 10), a second camera module (narrow-angle camera module 20), and the first camera module. A first inference process with reference to the captured image, and an image processing unit 50 that performs a second inference process different from the first inference process with reference to the image captured by the second camera module. I have.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to realize a camera capable of acquiring a more suitable image for inference processing by AI.

That is, according to the above configuration, an image suitable for each inference process can be used.

In the image pickup apparatus (AI camera 1) according to one aspect of the present invention, the first inference process is a process of detecting a person from an image generated by the first camera module, and the second inference process is a process. , May be a process of inferring information about a person included in an image generated by the second camera module.

In the image pickup apparatus (AI camera 1) according to one aspect of the present invention, in the first camera module (wide-angle camera module 10), the angle of view along the horizontal direction is larger than the angle of view along the vertical direction. The second camera module may be configured such that the angle of view along the horizontal direction is smaller than the angle of view along the vertical direction.

According to the above configuration, if the human detection process is performed by the first camera module (wide-angle camera module 10), a wide area on the subject side becomes a target area for human detection. Further, if face recognition is performed by the second camera module (narrow-angle camera module 20), face recognition can be suitably performed even when the face is nearby.

In the image pickup apparatus (AI camera 1) according to one aspect of the present invention, the horizontal angle of view of the first camera module (wide-angle camera module 10) is the vertical angle of view of the second camera module. It may be configured to be larger than.

According to the above configuration, by using the image generated from the first camera module, a wide angle of view can be targeted for inference processing along the lateral direction.

The image pickup apparatus (AI camera 1) according to one aspect of the present invention has the first camera module (wide-angle camera module 10) and the second camera module (narrow-angle camera module 20) in their respective optical axis directions. Even if the support portion 30 for supporting the second camera module (narrow-angle camera module 20) above the first camera module (wide-angle camera module 10) is further provided. good.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to reduce the probability that the region below the angle of view of the second camera module (narrow-angle camera module 20) captures, for example, the feet of a person who is the subject. Therefore, when the inference process for performing face recognition is performed using the image of the second camera module (narrow angle camera module 20), an image suitable for inference can be generated.

In the image pickup apparatus (AI camera 1) according to one aspect of the present invention, the support portion 30 has a first slider 31 in which the support portion 30 can move along the optical axis direction of the first camera module (wide-angle camera module 10). The first camera module (wide-angle camera module 10) includes a second slider 32 that can move along the optical axis direction of the second camera module (narrow-angle camera module 20), and the first camera module (wide-angle camera module 10) is the first. The second camera module (narrow-angle camera module 20) may be fixed to the slider 31 of the above, and may be fixed to the second slider 32.

According to the above configuration, since the focal length can be changed by the first and second sliders 31 and 32, it is not necessary to equip the camera module itself with a zoom function, and the camera module has a simple structure without a zoom function. Can be adopted. This makes it possible to realize a camera at low cost.

In the image pickup apparatus (AI camera 1) according to one aspect of the present invention, the first camera module (wide-angle camera module 10) and the second camera module (narrow-angle camera module 20) are single-focus camera modules. You may.

According to the above configuration, a camera can be realized at a lower cost as compared with the case where a camera module using a complicated structure is mounted.

The image pickup device (AI camera 1) according to one aspect of the present invention includes the first camera module (wide-angle camera module 10), the second camera module (narrow-angle camera module 20), and the image processing unit 50. A housing 2 for accommodating at least the housing 2 may be further provided, and ventilation holes 2La and 2Ra may be provided on both side surfaces (left side surface 2L and right side surface 2R) of the housing 2.

According to the above configuration, the heat inside the housing 2 can be released to the outside through the ventilation holes. As a result, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of malfunction due to heat generation and realize a reliable camera.

In the image pickup apparatus (AI camera 1) according to one aspect of the present invention, ventilation fans 62 and 70 are provided on at least one of the both side surfaces (left side surface 2L and right side surface 2R) of the housing 2. You may.

According to the above configuration, the heat inside the housing 2 can be efficiently released to the outside.

In the image pickup apparatus (AI camera 1) according to one aspect of the present invention, the ventilation fans 62 and 70 are close to a portion (ventilation fan 70) close to the second camera module and close to the image processing unit. The ventilation holes (vent hole 2Ra, ventilation portion 71a) are provided at each location (ventilation fan 62) and close to the first camera module (wide-angle camera module 10) in the housing 2. ) May be provided.

According to the above configuration, heat can be efficiently dissipated from the camera module.

1 AI camera (imaging device)
2 Housing 2L Left side 2R Right side 2La, 2Ra Vent 5a External output terminal 5b Power connection terminal 7a, 7a, 7b Strut 10 Wide-angle camera module (first camera module)
20 Narrow-angle camera module (second camera module)
30 Support section 31 First slider 32 Second slider 33 Base 50 Image processing section 55 First reasoning section 57 Second reasoning section 60 Heat dissipation mechanism 62, 70 Ventilation fan

Claims (10)

The first camera module and
The second camera module and
A first inference process with reference to the image captured by the first camera module and a second inference process different from the first inference process with reference to the image captured by the second camera module are performed. Image processing unit and
An imaging device characterized by being equipped with. The first inference process is a process of detecting a person from an image generated by the first camera module.
The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second inference process is a process for inferring information about a person included in an image generated by the second camera module. In the first camera module, the angle of view along the horizontal direction is larger than the angle of view along the vertical direction.
In the second camera module, the angle of view along the horizontal direction is smaller than the angle of view along the vertical direction.
The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. The angle of view of the first camera module along the horizontal direction is larger than the angle of view of the second camera module along the vertical direction.
The image pickup apparatus according to claim 3. Support for supporting the first camera module and the second camera module so that their optical axis directions are parallel to each other and supporting the second camera module above the first camera module. It has more parts,
The image pickup apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The support portion is
A first slider that can move along the optical axis direction of the first camera module, and
A second slider that can move along the optical axis direction of the second camera module, and
Equipped with
The first camera module is fixed to the first slider, and the first camera module is fixed to the first slider.
The second camera module is fixed to the second slider.
The image pickup apparatus according to claim 5. The first camera module and the second camera module are single focus camera modules.
The image pickup apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the image pickup apparatus is characterized by the above. Further comprising a housing for at least accommodating the first camera module, the second camera module, and the image processing unit.
Vents are provided on both sides of the housing.
The image pickup apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7. A ventilation fan is provided on at least one of the both sides of the housing.
The image pickup apparatus according to claim 8. The ventilation fan is provided at a location close to the second camera module and a location close to the image processing unit, respectively.
The vent is provided in the housing in a position close to the first camera module.
The image pickup apparatus according to claim 9.

Images