JP3508271B2 - Imaging device pointing device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention sets the position of a target object in a screen having a constant visual field obtained by an image pickup device such as a TV camera so that the center of the visual axis of the image pickup device becomes the center of the visual field. The present invention relates to an image pickup device directing device that controls the direction of an image pickup device by feeding back position information based on the information to a visual axis changing device such as a gimbal.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As shown in the configuration diagram of FIG. 6, a conventional image pickup apparatus directing device is obtained with reference to the visual axis center which is the center of the image pickup screen of the image pickup apparatus attached to the visual axis changing device such as a gimbal. Based on the position information of the target object, a drive signal to the gimbal, which is the visual axis changing device, is generated, and the drive signal is fed back to the visual axis changing device so that the position of the target object is in the center of the visual axis and controlled. I was driving.

[0003]

In the prior art, as described above, the position error of the target object obtained with the center of the visual axis of the image pickup device as a reference is simply fed back to the visual axis changing device and controlled to be zero. As shown in FIG. 7, a vibration phenomenon occurs during the tracking period until the target position converges on the center of the visual axis, depending on the response characteristics of the gimbal that is the visual axis changing device. There is a large deviation between the center and the target position, and in FIG. 7, the target object is not located within the tracking gate width given from the outside indicated by the dotted line, and so-called automatic tracking may be interrupted and may not continue. . An object of the present invention is to generate a vibration phenomenon during automatic tracking until the target position coincides with the visual axis at the center of a fixed screen, regardless of the response characteristics of the gimbal that is the visual axis changing device. The aim is to realize an imager-oriented device in which the deviation between the visual axis and the target position does not become too large and automatic tracking is not interrupted.

[0004]

To achieve this object, the basic structure of an image pickup apparatus directing device of the present invention is as shown in FIG. An image memory (1) for storing data, processing area setting means (2) for setting a certain area for processing the output image data, and a target position for calculating the position of a target object within the certain processing area Calculating means (3) and a visual axis changing drive command generating means (5) for generating a drive signal to a visual axis changing device that changes the visual axis direction of the image pickup device based on the calculated target position.
And a visual axis deflection drive command limiting means (6) for limiting the magnitude of the drive signal to the visual axis deflection device based on the calculated target position and the trackable gate width given from the outside. )When,
And a visual axis changing means (7) driven by a drive signal of which size is limited (claim 1). Then, the visual axis deflection drive command limiting means (6) for limiting the magnitude of the drive signal to the visual axis deflection device (7) is controlled by the target position calculation means (3). An output target position is used to limit the gate width that can be tracked externally and below (claim 2), and target position calculation means.
In addition to (3), a target size calculating means (4) for calculating the size of the target object is further provided, and the magnitude of the drive signal is calculated from the given trackable gate width to the calculated target size. There is one that is limited to the difference obtained by subtracting (Claim 3).

[0005]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the processing area setting for setting a certain area to be processed as a screen in the image memory (1) for storing the data of the image input from the image pickup means such as a TV camera. A fixed processing area is set using the means (2) and the position of the target object within the fixed area is calculated by the target position calculation means (3), or the size of the target object is calculated by the target size calculation means (4 ) Is calculated. And target position calculation means
From the target position calculated in (3), the visual axis changing drive command generating means (5) generates a drive signal to be sent to the visual axis changing device. At the same time, the trackable gate width determined from the target size calculated by the target size calculation means (4) and given from the outside is
It is set in the setting area, and the magnitude of the drive signal to the visual axis changing device (7) is limited by the visual axis changing drive command limiting means (6). Thus, as a result of the limitation, a drive signal of an appropriate magnitude drives the visual axis changing means (7) such as a gimbal,
The orientation of the image pickup device is changed, and feedback control is performed until the target position coincides with the center position of the visual axis at the center of the image pickup device screen. As the visual axis deflection drive limiting means (6), a method of using the center position of the target object calculated by the target position calculating means (3) (claim 2 in FIG. 2) and target size calculating means
There is a method of using the size of the target object calculated in (4) (Claim 3 of FIG. 3). However, in the method of using the target position of, the magnitude of the drive signal to the visual axis deflecting device is changed from the outside. In the method in which the target size is limited to a given trackable gate width or less and the target size of is used, the magnitude of the drive signal is a value obtained by subtracting the target size from the trackable gate width. In the figure,
dx represents the magnitude of the drive signal that moves the target position in the left-right direction, and dy represents the magnitude of the drive signal that moves the target position in the up-down direction. FIG. 4 shows a diagram for explaining the operation of the image pickup device directing apparatus of the present invention. The above-mentioned visual axis deflection drive limiting means (6)
Using, the target position and target size of the target object that has entered within the given trackable gate width,
Since it does not go out from within the given gate width that can be tracked, automatic tracking will not be interrupted until the target position coincides with the visual axis center, and the response characteristics of the visual axis deflecting device Regardless of the method, as shown in the explanatory view of FIG. 4, the position of the target object on the screen can be moved straight to the center of the screen.

[0006]

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an image pickup device directing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The analog image signal input from the TV camera (1) which is an image pickup means is converted into digital data by the A / D converter (2), and the digital image data is converted into digital data.
For example, it is stored in the image memory (3) of 256 x 256 pixels. Operate the joystick (9) of external input and set the processing area of the screen of a certain size to determine the position of the target object in the processing area setting circuit (10).
Set the processing image memory (4) of 32 x 32 pixels, which corresponds to the unit screen in (3). Then, from the output of the processed image memory (4), the position of the area centroid of the target object (dx, dy in Fig. 2) with respect to the center of the visual axis is calculated as the area centroid calculation circuit.
The position of the target object is calculated by the target position calculation circuit (7) based on the calculated value of the position of the center of gravity. At the same time, the distance from the output of the processed image memory (4) to the periphery of the target object based on the center of the visual axis (dx, d in Fig. 3).
By calculating y), the size of the target object is calculated by the target size calculation circuit (6). Then, based on the target position calculated by the target position calculation circuit (7), the magnitude of the drive signal (drive amount, drive amount, which finally drives the gimbal (8) that changes the direction of the center of the visual field of the TV camera (1), Drive rate signal) is calculated by the drive rate calculation circuit (13), and the calculated drive rate signal and the target size calculation circuit (6)
Based on the target size calculated in, and the three signals of the trackable gate width set in the processing area setting circuit (10),
The drive rate limiting circuit (12) generates a drive rate signal whose size is limited, and outputs it to the drive rate signal switching circuit (11) together with the drive rate signal from the drive rate calculating circuit (13) whose size is not limited. To do. Drive rate signal switching circuit (11)
Is switched between the drive rate signal whose size is not limited and the drive rate signal whose size is limited by the mode switching signal from the mode switching circuit (15) operated by the mode switch (14). , The output drive rate signal is sent to the gimbal (8), the gimbal (8) is driven to move the position of the target object toward the center of the visual field of the TV camera (1), and the image of the target object is displayed. To be able to be captured at the center of the imaging screen.

[0007]

As described above, according to the present invention, the visual axis deflection of the gimbal or the like in the automatic tracking for controlling the position of the target object on the screen imaged by the imaging device to be the center of the screen. The effect that the requirement for the response characteristic of the device can be relaxed and the chances of enabling the tracking of the target object can be increased as compared with the conventional case can be obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a principle diagram showing a basic configuration of an image pickup device directing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view for explaining the operation of the drive amount limiting means for the visual axis deflecting device of the embodiment corresponding to claim 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the drive amount limiting means for the visual axis deflecting device of the embodiment corresponding to claim 3 of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining pointing operation of the image pickup apparatus pointing device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of an image pickup device directing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram of a configuration example of a conventional image pickup device directing device.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining problems in the operation of the conventional imaging device-oriented device.

[Explanation of symbols]

In FIG. 1, (1) is an image memory, (2) is a processing area setting means, (3) is a target position calculation means, (4) is a target size calculation means, and (5) is a visual axis deflection drive command generation. Means, (6) is a visual axis changing drive command limiting means, and (7) is a visual axis changing means of the image pickup device, for example, a gimbal.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (56) References JP-A-57-132489 (JP, A) JP-A-59-208983 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H04N 5/232

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. An image memory (1) for storing image data input from an image pickup device, a processing area setting means (2) for setting a certain area for processing image data of the output, and the setting Target position calculation means (3) for calculating the position of the target object within a certain area, and a drive signal to the visual axis changing device for changing the visual axis direction of the image pickup device based on the calculated target position. The magnitude of the drive signal to the visual axis direction changing device is limited based on the visual axis direction changing drive command generating means (5), the calculated target position, and the trackable gate width given from the outside. An apparatus for directing an image pickup device, comprising: a visual axis changing drive limiting means (6) and a visual axis changing means (7) driven by a drive signal whose size is limited. 2. The visual axis deflection drive command limiting means (6)
Wherein the size of the drive signal is limited to be equal to or smaller than the trackable gate width by using the information of the center position of the target object calculated by the target position calculation means (3). 1. The image pickup device directing device according to 1. 3. The target position calculating means (3) is further provided with a target size detecting means (4) for detecting the size of the target object, and the visual axis deflection drive limiting means (6) controls the magnitude of the drive signal. 2. The image pickup apparatus directing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the target width is limited to a difference equal to or smaller than the trackable gate width minus the target size.