JP4121974B2 - Image capturing system and image capturing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image capturing system and an image capturing method for capturing an image of a scene of a specific subject in a specific posture.

For example, in a sporting event held at a stadium, the player's play is photographed with a specific player as a subject, and an image of a scene of this player's specific posture (the direction of the player's body is in a specific direction) If you are trying to obtain an image of a scene with an attitude at a specific motion timing (an image of a scene with an attitude at the moment when the competitor is performing a specific motion), the photographer himself You will be chased by the shooting of the player's play, and you will not be able to concentrate on watching sports competitions.
Moreover, in such a case, the distance between the athlete and the photographer is often far away, and an expensive camera having a high-performance zoom function is used to shoot a suitable image of the athlete's play. There is a need. When using a camera having such a high-performance zoom function, the shooting range is very narrow, so it is difficult for general sports spectators to follow a specific subject and shoot. It is difficult to obtain an image of a scene with a specific posture of a specific athlete as a subject.

In order to solve such a problem, in Patent Document 1 below, a position sensor and an orientation sensor are installed in a camera to be photographed, and a position sensor is installed in a subject. The position of the camera detected by each of these sensors, The position of the subject with respect to the image captured by the camera (the range corresponding to the image obtained by the camera) is detected from the information on the orientation and the position of the subject, and the camera captures according to the position of the subject with respect to the detected captured image. There has been disclosed a photographing apparatus for displaying a target of a photographing direction of a camera for capturing a subject in a photographed image on a finder screen for image confirmation.
Patent Document 2 below discloses an image identification method in which an image of a scene of a specific subject (a scene in which a specific subject is captured) is automatically extracted and provided to a user. In Patent Document 2, a position sensor and an orientation sensor are installed in a camera to be photographed, a photographing time corresponding to an image photographed by the camera is stored, and a position of the subject is detected by the position sensor together with the time series. The location information of is acquired. Then, from the correspondence between the acquired camera position information, orientation information, and subject position information, it is determined whether or not the subject is photographed for each of the images photographed by the camera, and specified from the images of a plurality of scenes. An image of a subject scene is automatically extracted and provided to the user.
JP 2002-314851 A JP 2003-199032 A

However, in the photographing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the target of the photographing direction of the camera is displayed based on only the position information of the subject so that the scene of the specific subject (scene where the specific subject is captured) can be photographed by the camera. Just do it. As described above, in the information based only on the position information of the subject, the body method in which the subject is captured in the scene obtained by shooting (that is, the body orientation of the subject in the scene) ) Or information on what operation timing (whether the subject is stationary, moving, or about to move in the scene).
Also, in the image identification method described in Patent Document 2, as in Patent Document 1, it is determined whether or not the scene photographed by the camera is a scene of a specific subject based only on the position information of the subject. ing. In such information based only on position information, the posture of the extracted scenes of the plurality of subjects (that is, the body orientation of the subject in the scene) and which Information such as the operation timing (whether the subject is stationary, moving, or about to move in the scene) is not known.

In such a camera (photographing apparatus) described in Patent Document 1, target information for photographing a scene image of a specific posture of a specific subject desired by the user cannot be obtained, and the specific desired by the user It is not possible to shoot a scene image of a specific posture of the subject.
Further, even in the image identification method in Patent Document 2, an image of a scene with a specific posture of a specific subject desired by a user cannot be automatically extracted. The service provider or user who distributes the images can see the images of the extracted scenes of multiple subjects and confirm the posture of the specific subject in the scene, so that the user's request can be selected from the scenes of the multiple subjects. Further, it is necessary to extract image data of a scene of a specific subject in a specific posture, which requires a lot of labor.
The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an image capturing system and an image capturing method capable of automatically capturing a scene image of a specific posture of a specific subject. The purpose is to provide.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned goal, the present invention is an image capturing system for capturing a scene of a specific posture of a specific subject, a shooting condition specifying means for specifying the specific posture of the specific subject as a shooting condition, Subject information acquisition means for acquiring subject information that is held by the specific subject and includes position information and posture-related information at the time of shooting the specific subject, and held at the specific subject at the time of shooting the specific subject, and the subject information The first transmission means for transmitting the subject information detected by the acquisition means in real time, the photographing means for photographing the specific subject, and photographing position information and photographing direction information of the photographing system when photographing by the photographing means Shooting information acquisition means for acquiring shooting information and the subject transmitted directly or indirectly from the first transmission means Photographing in real space that can be photographed by the photographing means based on the photographing information acquired by the photographing information acquiring means and the subject information received by the first receiving means. In-scene posture detection means for detecting posture information including at least the specific posture of the specific subject designated by the shooting condition designation means for the scene range, and the specific detection detected by the in-scene posture information detection means Shooting operation control means for controlling the shooting operation of the shooting means according to the posture information of the subject, and causing the shooting means to take a scene of the specific posture of the specific subject specified by the shooting condition specifying means; An image photographing system is provided.

  The subject information acquisition means detects the position of the specific subject and acquires the subject position information, and detects information related to the posture of the specific subject and acquires the subject posture related information. It is preferable to include posture related information acquisition means.

Further, the position detection means is a portable device with a position detection function of the specific subject, a GPS device carried by the specific subject, or a position sensor attached to the specific subject,
The posture-related information acquisition means is fixedly attached to the specific subject and detects an orientation sensor that includes information on the orientation including the frontal orientation of the specific subject, the moment when the specific subject moves, the moment when it stops, or a predetermined moment The acceleration sensor attached to the specific subject for detecting the moment of movement, the moment of stationary, or the movement at the predetermined speed for acquiring information on the posture of movement including moving at a speed, or the specific A mobile device with an acceleration sensor that is carried by the subject, and attached to the shoe sole of the specific subject for detecting the moment of movement or the moment of landing for obtaining information on the movement start posture including the moment of movement of the specific subject Preferably it is at least one of the pressure sensors.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the first transmission unit is provided integrally with the subject information acquisition unit. The photographing information acquisition means, the first receiving means, the in-scene posture detecting means, and the photographing operation control means are provided integrally with the photographing means, and the first receiving means is the first transmitting means. It is preferable that the subject information transmitted from is directly received and input to the in-scene posture detecting means.

  Furthermore, a second transmission unit that transmits the imaging information acquired by the imaging information acquisition unit in real time, a third transmission unit that transmits imaging operation control information to the imaging unit by the imaging operation control unit, and the third A second receiving unit configured to receive the shooting operation control information transmitted by the transmission unit in real time, wherein the shooting information acquisition unit, the second transmission unit, and the second receiving unit are integrated with the shooting unit; The first receiving means, the in-scene posture detecting means, the photographing operation control means, and the third transmitting means are provided integrally with the photographing means and the subject information acquiring means, In addition to the subject information transmitted from the first transmission unit, the first reception unit includes the second transmission unit provided integrally with the photographing unit. The received photographing information is also received, the subject information and the photographing information are input to the in-scene posture detecting means, and the third transmitting means is the second provided integrally with the photographing means. Preferably, the photographing operation control information is transmitted to the receiving unit in real time, and the second receiving unit inputs the photographing operation control information received from the third transmitting unit to the photographing unit.

  The in-scene posture detection unit is configured to capture the shooting scene in a real space that can be shot by the shooting unit based on the shooting information acquired by the shooting information acquisition unit and the subject information received by the first receiving unit. It is preferable that the posture information including a range, the position of the specific subject with respect to the shooting scene range, and the specific posture is detected.

  The photographing means includes a photographing timing control function for controlling the photographing timing, and the photographing operation control means controls the photographing timing control function of the photographing means so that the specific position is within the photographing scene range. It is preferable that the scene of the specific posture of the specific subject is automatically shot at a timing when the subject is captured and the specific subject becomes the specific posture.

  The photographing unit is capable of photographing by a predetermined photographer's operation, and has a photographing prohibition control function for prohibiting photographing by the photographer's operation, and the photographing operation control unit includes the photographing unit By controlling a shooting prohibition function, shooting by the photographer's operation is prohibited at a timing when the specific subject is out of the shooting scene range or when the specific subject is not in the specific posture, and the specific subject It is preferable to have a function of preventing shooting of scenes other than a scene with a specific posture.

  The photographing means may photograph a still image or may photograph a moving image.

  There are a plurality of the specific subjects, the photographing unit photographs the plurality of specific subjects, and the photographing operation control unit controls the photographing timing control function of the photographing unit to perform the photographing. Taking a scene of the specific postures of the plurality of specific subjects at a timing when all of the plurality of specific subjects are captured within a scene range and the specific postures of the plurality of specific subjects are all within a predetermined posture range. May be.

  The photographing means includes a photographing position control function for controlling the photographing position and a photographing direction control function for controlling a photographing direction, and the photographing operation control means is a photographing position control function provided in the photographing means. And controlling the shooting direction control function to adjust the shooting scene range by controlling the shooting position and shooting direction of the shooting means so that the specific subject is in the specific posture within the shooting scene range. It is preferable that the scene with the specific posture of the specific subject is captured by the imaging unit.

  There are a plurality of the photographing means, and the in-scene posture detecting means detects the specific posture of the specific subject with respect to each photographing scene range of the plurality of photographing means, and the photographing operation control means detects the plurality of photographing means. The scene of the specific posture of the specific subject may be captured by controlling the respective shooting operations.

  The photographing means is for photographing a moving image, and the in-scene posture detecting means corresponds to the photographing position information and the photographing direction information of the photographing means for each predetermined time interval, and the information. Based on the position information and the posture-related information of the specific subject at each predetermined time interval, the time-series position and posture of the specific subject in the shooting scene range are detected, and the shooting operation control means From the time-series position and orientation detected by the shooting scene corresponding subject information detection means, information on the movement of the subject with respect to the shooting scene range is acquired, and the operation of the shooting means is controlled based on the movement information. It is preferable that the scene of the specific posture of the specific subject is photographed.

  Further, it is preferable that the photographing operation control means predicts the movement of the subject in the photographing scene from the time-series position and posture of the specific subject.

  In the present invention, when shooting a scene in a specific posture of a specific subject, the specific posture of the specific subject is used as a shooting condition, and subject information including position information and posture related information of the specific subject and the specific subject are shot. Capture information including shooting position information and shooting direction information of the shooting means, and based on the shooting information and the subject information, posture information of the specific subject with respect to a shooting scene range in a real space that can be shot by the shooting means And controlling the photographing operation of the photographing unit according to the posture information to cause the photographing unit to photograph the scene of the specific subject corresponding to the photographing condition. A shooting method is also provided.

According to the image capturing system and the image capturing method of the present invention, it is possible to automatically capture an image of a scene with a specific posture of a specific subject or a scene with a specific motion timing of a specific subject.
In addition, by continuously acquiring and analyzing subject position information and subject posture information in these shooting scene ranges at predetermined time intervals, the movement of the subject (movement of the subject with respect to the shooting scene) can be obtained with high accuracy. Can be predicted. By using the information on the predicted movement of the subject, it is possible to capture a scene image of a specific posture of the subject with high accuracy when photographing a moving subject.

  Hereinafter, an image capturing system and an image capturing method according to the present invention will be described in detail based on preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of an image photographing system 10 which is a first embodiment of the image photographing system of the present invention. The image capturing system 10 according to the first embodiment uses the image capturing device 12 including the image capturing unit 16 to capture the image capturing timing of the image capturing unit 14 when, for example, an athlete of a sports competition performed in a stadium is captured as the subject 14. It is an apparatus that automatically captures a still image of a scene in a specific posture of a subject 14 (which is a specific subject) (acquires still image data) by automatically controlling.

  The photographing device 12 of the image photographing system 10 includes a photographing unit 16 for photographing the subject 14, a portable device 15 carried by the subject 14 corresponding to the subject information obtaining unit of the present invention, and a photographing information obtaining unit included in the photographing device 12. 18, subject information receiving means 19, in-scene posture detecting means 20, shooting condition specifying means 22, and shooting operation control means 24. Note that the photographing means 16 has a photographing timing instruction function 32. Hereinafter, the function of each part will be described in detail.

  The photographing means 16 is a still camera body that obtains a still image of the subject 14 by photographing (acquires still image data). The photographing means 16 has the photographing timing instruction function 32 as described above. The photographing timing control function 32 controls the shutter function of the photographing means 16 (camera body) in accordance with an instruction from the photographing operation control means 24 described later, and sends the photographing means 16 to the photographing means 16 at a predetermined timing designated by the photographing operation control means 24. This is a part that performs still image shooting.

The photographing condition designating unit 22 is a part for setting conditions for still images photographed by the photographing unit 16, and is a part for at least designating the desired posture condition of the subject 14 in the still images photographed by the photographing unit 16. As conditions for the image to be photographed, for example, in addition to the condition of the posture of the desired subject 14 in the scene of the photographed image, the condition of the position of the desired subject 14 in the scene of the photographed image (that is, the subject area in the scene) Range condition) may be entered. In addition, for example, when the subject 14 is a person and there are a plurality of subjects, it may be input on the basis of who (what subject 14) and what kind of posture the scene is shot as shooting conditions.
For the input of the shooting conditions, for example, the shooting conditions may be input in response to an input instruction from a keyboard or the like connected to the shooting device 12. For example, when the shooting device 12 is connected to a predetermined communication network It is also possible to input from a terminal such as a PC connected to this communication network via this communication network.

  The imaging information acquisition means 18 is a part that acquires information on the position of the imaging means 16 (imaging position information) and information on the imaging direction (imaging direction information) by the imaging means 16 at the time of imaging by the imaging means 16. . The photographing means 16 and the photographing information acquisition means 18 are both provided integrally with the photographing apparatus 12, and the change in the spatial position and direction of the photographing information acquisition means corresponds to the change in the spatial position and direction of the photographing means 16. Yes. By detecting the spatial position and direction of the photographing information acquisition means, the photographing position and photographing direction by the photographing means 16 can be detected. Hereinafter, the shooting position information and the shooting direction information are collectively referred to as shooting information. The shooting position information is detected by a GPS function (shooting position information detection function 18a) that detects current position information (shooting position information) at the time of shooting using the GPS system. The detection of the shooting position information is not limited to that performed by the GPS function, and may be performed by means for detecting the current position using a wireless communication device such as an IC tag, for example, and known position detection means are used. Is possible. The detection of the shooting direction information is performed by an azimuth sensor (shooting direction information detection function 18b) installed at a predetermined position of the shooting means 16. As this azimuth sensor, for example, a known sensor such as an azimuth sensor that detects azimuth using geomagnetism or an azimuth sensor that detects each inclination by detecting an angular velocity around a predetermined axis using a gyro can be used. is there. The photographing apparatus position information and the photographing direction information acquired by the photographing information acquisition unit are continuously sent to the in-scene posture detection unit 20 at a constant time period.

  In addition, when photographing by the photographing means 16, the subject 14 uses a GPS system to constantly detect subject position information (subject position information) (position detection means 15 a), and subject posture information (posture-related). Information), a predetermined portable device 15 equipped with posture-related information acquisition means 15b and subject information transmission means 15c for detecting information on the direction of the body of the subject is carried. This portable device 15 is a part corresponding to the subject information acquisition means of the present invention. Hereinafter, the subject position information and the subject posture-related information are collectively referred to as subject information. The posture-related information acquisition unit 15b includes, for example, a device in which an orientation sensor is installed on a piece of clothing whose position relative to the subject such as clothing, glasses, or clothing of the subject is substantially fixed. As this azimuth sensor, for example, a known sensor such as an azimuth sensor that detects azimuth using geomagnetism or an azimuth sensor that detects each inclination by detecting an angular velocity around a predetermined axis using a gyro can be used. It is.

  The subject information transmission unit 15c is a part corresponding to the first transmission unit of the present invention, and transmits the detected subject information wirelessly. While the photographing by the photographing unit 16 is being performed, the subject information is transmitted to the photographing device 12 in real time by wireless communication. The transmitted subject information is received by the subject information receiving means 19 of the photographing means 12 and sent from the subject information receiving means 19 to the in-scene posture detecting means 20. The subject information (each of the subject position information and the subject posture-related information) acquired by the portable device 15 is continuously sent to the in-scene posture detection means 20 at a constant time period. This time cycle is synchronized with the above-described time cycle in which shooting information is sent from the shooting information acquisition unit 18 to the in-scene posture detection unit 20, and the in-scene posture detection unit 20 captures shooting information and subject information at the same timing. Are received.

  Here, the subject posture-related information is information on the body orientation of the subject 14 (the direction in which the front of the body faces), the moment of movement of the subject 14, the moment of rest, or the posture of movement including moving at a predetermined speed. The information includes at least one piece of information and information on the movement start posture including the moment when the subject 14 starts to move.

  When detecting information on the body orientation of the subject 14 (direction in which the front of the body faces) as the subject posture information, examples of the posture-related information detector 15b include, as described above, for example, the subject's clothes, glasses, clothes For example, the orientation placed on the accessory whose position relative to the subject is fixed. Further, when detecting information related to the posture of movement including the moment when the subject 14 moves, the moment when the subject 14 moves, or moving at a predetermined speed as the subject posture information, as an example of the posture related information acquisition unit 15b, for example, acceleration of the subject An acceleration sensor that measures In this case, by setting the acceleration condition of a specific subject in the scene as an image extraction condition, the specific subject can be specified, for example, when the subject starts moving, when it stops, or when moving at a speed of N / m per second. It is possible to automatically extract the image data of the scene at the posture of the operation timing.

  Further, when detecting information related to the movement start posture including the moment when the subject 16 starts to move as the subject posture information, as an example of the posture related information acquisition unit 15b, for example, a pressure placed on the sole of the subject and the human body receives from the ground There is a pressure sensor for detecting. In this case, by setting the condition of the pressure that the subject's foot receives from the ground (subject pressure information) as the condition for image extraction, for example, the moment when the foot is stepped on the ground with the effort to move the specific subject, It is possible to automatically extract image data of a scene having a posture at a specific operation timing of a specific subject, such as a moment when a jumping subject has landed.

  Also, for example, when extracting an image of a posture in a motion performed by a subject applying pressure to an object with a predetermined tool such as baseball or tennis, for example, a baseball bat, tennis racket, or ball By installing a pressure sensor, it is possible to extract image data of a scene at the moment when a bat or a racket collides with a ball. The subject posture related information in the image photographing method of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is information related to the posture of a specific subject. Hereinafter, an example in which information on the body direction of the subject is detected as the posture-related information of the subject will be described.

  The in-scene posture detection unit 20 collates the shooting information acquired by the shooting information acquisition unit 18 with the subject information acquired at the same timing as the shooting information acquired by the portable device 15, so that the shooting by the shooting unit 16 can be performed. This is a part for detecting and outputting the position information (in-scene position information) and posture information (in-scene posture information) of the subject in the obtained still image scene. Thereafter, the in-scene position information and the in-scene posture information are collectively referred to as in-scene subject information.

  Such in-scene subject information is detected by the in-scene posture detection means 20 as follows. In the in-scene posture detecting means 20, first, the photographing means 16 captured by the photographing lens of the photographing means 16 from the photographing information (shooting position information and photographing direction information) obtained by the photographing information acquisition means 18 is photographed. A shooting scene range in real space corresponding to the scene range of the image is determined. Information on the position of the subject relative to the shooting scene range (in-scene position information) at the timing corresponding to the shooting information is detected from the shooting scene range and the subject position information of the subject information transmitted from the portable device 18. An example of such a method for detecting the position of the subject in the shooting scene using the position information and shooting direction information of the shooting means and the position information of the subject is described in, for example, the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-314851). Publication). At this time, the subject position is not limited to being in the shooting scene. That is, even when the subject is outside the shooting scene range, the in-scene posture detection unit 20 detects the relative position of the subject with respect to the shooting scene range from the shooting information and the subject position information. The position of the subject 14 with respect to the shooting scene range in the real space corresponds to the position of the subject in the scene of the shot image. The in-scene position information is information on the relative position of the subject in such a scene.

  When the in-scene position information is detected, the in-scene posture detecting means 20 collates the subject posture-related information (representing the body direction) of the subject 14 with the shooting direction information (representing the direction of the camera finder). Then, in-scene posture information, which is information about what posture the subject is in (in what kind of body direction) in the shooting scene, is detected. The in-scene subject information (in-scene position information and in-scene subject posture information) thus detected is sent to the photographing operation control means 24.

The shooting operation control means 24 controls the shooting operation of the shooting means 16 according to the in-scene subject information detected by the in-scene subject information detection means 20 based on the conditions specified by the shooting condition specifying means 22. This is a part where a scene image of a specific posture of the specific subject 14 designated by the photographing condition designating unit 22 is photographed. In the image photographing device 12 of the present embodiment, the photographing operation control unit 24 controls the timing of photographing an image by the photographing unit 16 by instructing the photographing timing to the photographing timing instruction function 32 provided in the photographing unit 16.
Each part of the photographing timing instruction function 32 included in the photographing information acquisition means 18, the in-scene posture detection means 20, the photographing condition designation means 22, the photographing operation control means 24, and the photographing means 16 of the photographing apparatus 12 of the present invention is a CPU (not shown). And a computer having each part functioning by executing a predetermined program, or a dedicated device in which each part is configured by a dedicated circuit. The apparatus configuration is not particularly limited. .

  An embodiment of the image photographing method of the present invention performed by the image photographing system 10 of the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart 100 of an embodiment of the image capturing method of the present invention. In the image photographing method shown in the flowchart diagram 100, the photographing timing of the photographing means 14 is automatically set when the photographing means 16 of the photographing device 12 performs photographing with the subject 14 as a subject of a sports competition performed in a stadium, for example. With this control, a still image of a scene with a specific posture of the subject is automatically taken.

In such an image photographing method, first, photographing conditions are designated (step S102). As described above, the shooting conditions are performed by the shooting condition designating unit 22, and the conditions of specifying the subject in the scene (in the case of a person, who will be shot) and the posture of the subject (posture information in the scene) are set. Entered. For example, when the subject 14 is a person and there are a plurality of subjects, the shooting conditions are: who (which subject 14) and what body orientation (front-facing shooting, horizontal shooting) Whether to shoot or shoot backwards, etc.) is input as a condition.
The designation of the shooting condition may be performed in advance before the start of shooting by the cameraman 12, for example. If the shooting condition is controlled prior to shooting operation control (shooting) described later, such shooting conditions are set. The designated timing is not particularly limited.

  When the specification of the shooting conditions is completed in step 102, the shooting information acquisition means 18 of the shooting device 12 acquires shooting device information (step S104). As described above, the photographing apparatus information is acquired by the photographing position information detecting unit 18a and the photographing direction information detecting unit 18b of the photographing information obtaining unit 18 so that the photographing position information and the photographing direction information are continuously provided at the predetermined time interval. Is acquired.

  On the other hand, when the specification of the shooting conditions is completed in step 102, the portable device 15 carried by the subject 16 starts acquiring subject information of the subject 14 (step S106). As described above, the subject information is acquired by the subject position information detection unit 15a and the subject direction information detection unit 15b of the portable device 15 so that the position information and posture information (body orientation) of each subject are converted into the shooting direction described above. It is continuously acquired at a predetermined time interval according to the acquisition timing.

  The subject information acquired by the portable device 15 and the shooting information acquired by the shooting information acquisition unit 18 are transmitted from the subject information transmission unit 15c as described above and received by the subject information reception unit 19. The subject information received by the subject information receiving means 19 is sent to the in-scene posture detecting means 20, which in-scene subject information (in-scene subject position information and in-scene information) at predetermined time intervals. Subject orientation information) is detected (step S108).

The in-scene subject information detected by the in-scene subject information detection unit is sent to the shooting operation control unit 24. When the in-scene subject information detected in step S108 matches the in-scene position information conditions in the above-described image shooting conditions stored in advance in step S102, the shooting operation control unit 24 captures the shooting unit. An instruction is issued to the photographing timing instruction function 32 of 16, and the subject 14 is photographed by the photographing means 14 (step S110).
In the image photographing method of the present invention, as described above, the photographing unit 16 automatically captures an image within the photographing scene range corresponding to the photographed image of the photographing unit 16 at a timing when a specific subject has a specific posture. . As a result, it is possible to automatically capture a scene image of a specific posture of a specific subject specified by the imaging condition specifying means.

  In the first embodiment, an image capturing system and an image capturing system for automatically capturing an image by the capturing unit 16 at a timing when a specific subject takes a specific posture within a capturing scene range corresponding to the captured image of the capturing unit 16 Although an example of the shooting method has been described, the image shooting system and the image shooting method of the present invention are not limited to automatically shooting an image, but for example, a cameraman manually takes a picture by manually releasing a shutter. Also good. In this case, when the in-scene subject position information and the in-scene subject posture information deviate from predetermined conditions set in advance, the shooting operation control unit 24 instructs the shooting unit 16 so that shooting by the shooting unit 16 cannot be performed. By taking out (in the shutter OFF mode), it is possible to prevent mistakes in shooting timing (shutter timing) in manual shooting.

  The subject posture information measured together with the subject position information is not limited to being acquired by a sensor such as an azimuth sensor or a pressure sensor. For example, the moving direction of the subject may be detected from the time-series position information of the subject, and the traveling direction may be used as a part of the subject information on the assumption that the subject always moves in the front direction of the subject. Thereby, for example, it is possible to automatically capture an image at a timing when a specific subject is moving in a specific direction. Such a form is effective when capturing an image of a specific posture of a specific subject, for example, when the posture (body orientation) of the subject is substantially specified with respect to the moving direction of the subject. Subject information (images that are a part of shooting conditions) in the image shooting system and the image shooting method of the present invention is not particularly limited.

  According to the image capturing system and the image capturing method of the present invention, based on posture information of a plurality of subjects, a range of postures of all the subjects in the scene is set as a shooting condition, and an image of a specific scene is captured. It is also possible. For example, a desired scene can be recorded under various conditions depending on the postures of a plurality of subjects in the scene, such as an image in which the body directions of all the subjects in the scene are all front-facing or an image in which all the subjects are facing sideways. Images can be taken.

  In the image capturing system and the image capturing method of the present invention, a variety of information acquired as subject information is used as ancillary information of image data, so that a plurality of image data can be grouped and the output order of each image data can be edited. It is also possible to easily edit the image data.

  Note that, in the first embodiment, the shooting condition designating unit 22, the shooting operation control unit 24, and the in-scene subject information acquisition unit 20 are provided in the shooting apparatus 20 including the shooting unit 16 and the shooting information acquisition unit 18, respectively. It was constructed integrally with the photographing means 16. In the image photographing system of the present invention, if the photographing information is acquired by the photographing information acquiring means 18 integrated with the photographing means 16, the in-scene subject information acquiring means 20, the photographing operation control means 24, and the photographing condition specifying means 22 are For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the photographing unit 16 may be configured separately from the photographing unit 16. In this case, the shooting information acquisition unit is connected to the second transmission unit 34 that transmits the acquired shooting information, and the shooting operation control unit 24 sets the shooting operation control information for the shooting unit 14 according to the in-scene posture information. The photographing means 16 is connected to a second receiving means 38 for receiving the photographing operation control information. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the in-scene subject information acquisition unit 20, the shooting condition designation unit 22, and the shooting operation control unit 24 are provided in the shooting control server 30, and the in-scene subject information detection unit 20 and the shooting operation control unit are provided. 24 are respectively connected to a plurality of photographing devices 12 via receiving means or transmitting means connected thereto.

In the mode shown in FIG. 3, the operation of the plurality of imaging devices 12 can be controlled by the imaging operation control means 24, and a plurality of imaging devices 12 are selected according to the imaging conditions instructed by the imaging condition designating means 22. These operations can be controlled simultaneously or sequentially. As a result, for example, when photographing the moving subject 14, it is possible to acquire a suitable image by sequentially controlling the photographing timing of each of the plurality of photographing devices 12 based on the position information and posture information of the subject. is there.
For example, by sequentially shooting with a plurality of shooting devices 12, image data of a specific posture of a specific subject can be shot in time series (for example, a scene in which a moving person is captured sideways) Images can be taken continuously).

  In the first embodiment, an example in which an image of a specific posture of a specific subject is captured by controlling the capturing timing in capturing a still image has been described. The image capturing system and the image capturing method of the present invention are not limited to controlling the timing of capturing a still image. For example, the image capturing position, the image capturing direction, and the zoom for determining the image capturing range are controlled and adjusted. Also good.

  FIG. 4 shows an image capturing system 50 which is a second embodiment of the image capturing system of the present invention. In the image capturing system 50 according to the second embodiment, a camera 52 captures a moving image by using, for example, a sporting athlete as a subject 14 in a stadium. The image capturing system 50 according to the second embodiment is a system that can automatically capture a moving image of a scene with a specific posture of a specific subject in the above-described shooting. Hereinafter, the image capturing system 50 will be described. Portions overlapping with those of the second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

  The image capturing device 52 of the image capturing system 50 includes the image capturing unit 56 that captures an image of the subject 14 and acquires the image of the subject 14, the above-described portable device 15 carried by the subject 14, and the above-described capturing information included in the image capturing device 52. The acquisition unit 18, the in-scene posture detection unit 20, the shooting condition designation unit 22, and the shooting operation control unit 24 are configured. Note that the photographing unit 56 includes a photographing position control function 62, a photographing direction control function 66, and a zoom control function 68. Hereinafter, the function of each part will be described in detail.

The photographing means 56 is a video camera body that captures a moving image of the subject 14 (acquisition of moving image data) by photographing. The photographing means 16 is configured to have the photographing position control function 62, the photographing direction control function 66, and the zoom control function 68 as described above. The photographing position control function 62 is a function for adjusting the position (photographing position) of the photographing means 56 by moving the photographing means 56 in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction. The shooting direction adjustment function 66 is a part that controls the shooting direction of the subject 14 by the shooting means 56 by moving the shooting direction by the shooting means 56, that is, the direction of the shooting lens of the video camera (shooting means 56). The zoom control function 30 is a part that controls the range of an image captured by the imaging unit 16, and is a zoom function that controls the image range captured by changing the focal length of the imaging lens of the imaging unit 16. The photographing unit 56 can photograph the subject 14 from a desired position in a desired photographing direction and in a desired photographing range by using each function. Examples of the photographing unit 14 having the photographing position adjusting function 62, the photographing direction control function 66, and the zoom control function 68 include known cameras such as a crane camera having a zoom function.
In the photographing device 52, the position and size of the photographing scene range, that is, the angle of view of the scene of the photographed image can be freely set by controlling the photographing position, the photographing direction, and the zoom. .

  Each of these functions of the photographing unit 16 operates in accordance with an instruction from the photographing operation control unit 24 according to the in-scene subject information detected by the in-scene posture detection unit 20 as in the first embodiment. As a result, the image capturing unit 56 captures an image corresponding to the image capturing condition specified by the image capturing condition designating unit 22. The shooting information acquisition unit 18, the shooting condition designation unit 22, the shooting scene subject information detection unit 20, and the shooting operation control unit 24 included in the shooting device 52 of the second embodiment are included in the shooting device 12 of the first embodiment. It functions in the same manner as (each part given the same reference numeral).

  A second embodiment of the image capturing method of the present invention performed using such an image capturing system 50 will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the second embodiment of the image photographing method of the present invention.

First, an imaging condition is designated (step S202). As in the case of step S102 in the first embodiment described above, the shooting conditions are specified by the subject in the scene (who will be shot in the case of a person, etc.) and the posture condition of the subject (in-scene posture condition). Entered.
At this time, the condition of the position of the subject in the shooting scene (in-scene position condition) according to the moving speed in the image of the subject is also instructed. For example, in a situation where the subject 54 is almost stationary, the subject 14 is photographed at the center of the image, and when the subject moves, the specific gravity of the size of the region of the subject in the image in the moving direction is increased. The conditions such as the specific gravity of this region are also set.

  When the specification of the shooting conditions is completed, the shooting device information is acquired (step S204) as in step S104 in the first embodiment described above. On the other hand, when the specification of the shooting conditions is completed, the subject information of the subject 16 is acquired by the portable device 15 carried by the subject 56 as in step S106 in the first embodiment (step S206). Thereafter, as described above, in-scene subject information (in-scene subject position information and in-scene subject posture information) is detected at predetermined time intervals (step S208). Each processing of these step S202-step S208 is performed similarly to each of step S102-step 108 of the above-mentioned 2nd Embodiment, respectively.

  The in-scene subject information detected by the in-scene subject information detection unit 20 is sent to the shooting operation control unit 24, and the shooting operation control unit 24 uses the posture in the scene under the above-described image shooting conditions stored in advance in step S202. The photographing operation control unit 24 instructs each of the photographing position control function 62, the photographing direction control function 66, and the zoom control function 68 of the photographing unit 16 so that an image satisfying the conditions and the in-scene position condition can be photographed. By controlling the position (photographing position), the direction of the photographing lens (photographing direction) and the zoom (photographing range), the photographing means 56 photographs the predetermined subject 14 (step S210).

In the control of the shooting position, shooting direction, and zoom of the shooting means 56, first, the in-scene subject information detected by the in-scene subject information detection unit 20 is sent to the shooting operation control unit 24 at a predetermined time interval. By analyzing this information in the motion control unit 24, the movement state of the subject is analyzed from the time-series position and posture of the subject. That is, changes in the current moving speed, traveling direction, and posture of the subject are analyzed, and the position, moving speed, posture, and the like of the subject 54 after a predetermined time have been predicted.
Based on these analysis results, the imaging operation control unit 24 issues instructions to the imaging position control function 62, the imaging direction control function 66, and the zoom control function 68 of the imaging means 16, and the position (imaging position) of the imaging means 56. Control the direction (shooting direction) and zoom (shooting range) of the taking lens.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are schematic views showing an example of a shooting scene of a frame image of a moving image shot in this way. In the situation where the subject is almost stationary according to the above-described in-scene position condition, the shooting operation control unit 56 is positioned around the center of the screen in the posture instructed by the above shooting condition as shown in FIG. Each of the shooting position control function 62, the shooting direction control function 66, and the zoom control function 68 is instructed so as to be shot.
When the subject is moving, the shooting position control function 62, shooting is performed so that the specific gravity of the area in the traveling direction of the subject 54 in the image increases according to the subject position condition as shown in FIG. An instruction is sent to each of the direction control function 66 and the zoom control function 68.

  As described above, the specific gravity of the area in the traveling direction is increased to give a margin in the traveling direction, and what is in the traveling direction of the subject in the image is displayed, so that an image with no sense of incongruity is obtained. At this time, the photographing unit 56 is controlled in consideration of the in-scene posture information. For example, when the subject is a person and the front direction of the body coincides with the traveling direction, the specific gravity of the area in the traveling direction is increased. It is preferable. In addition, it is preferable to continuously change the size in the traveling direction according to the speed of the subject in the image. In this way, a more natural and powerful image can be taken by controlling the shooting position, shooting posture, and zoom of the shooting means 56 in accordance with the movement information in the scene, the change information of the posture, and the like. Note that such shooting position, shooting direction, and zoom control are not limited to being performed in moving image shooting as in the second embodiment, and still image shooting as shown in the first embodiment. You may perform in.

  According to such an image capturing system 52, it is possible to handle a plurality of subjects as one unit and to control the capturing range so as to fit within one screen. For example, in a competition such as ice hockey, a plurality of players and a pack that moves by striking with these players are both subjects 14, and position sensors are installed in each of the plurality of players and packs, and these are arranged at predetermined time intervals. By analyzing the position information (positions of multiple players and the position information of the pack), the player who touched the pack immediately before (that is, the player who exercised the pack) is estimated from this position information. The player who touched immediately before and the pack are set as a group, and the shooting position, shooting direction and zoom of the shooting means 56 are controlled so that the player touched immediately before the pack and the pack moving are photographed simultaneously. You can also

  Further, in the photographing system 50, when photographing is performed by a plurality of photographing means 56 (that is, when the photographing system 50 is in the mode shown in FIG. 3), for example, photographing means for photographing the subject 14 according to the movement of the subject 14. 56 may be sequentially switched. For example, when the subject 14 is moving at a speed higher than a predetermined speed, a moving image is shot by the shooting means 56 at a position where the moving direction of the subject 14 is shot from the side so that the speed can be realized as specifically as possible. . In addition, when automatically shooting a specific subject (specific player), it is predicted from the movement of both players that the other subject will be in shadow, and the shooting unit 56 for shooting an image is switched from among a plurality of shooting units 56. May be. Alternatively, an image of a specific subject behind other players may be taken by controlling the shooting position, shooting direction, and zoom of the shooting unit 56 itself.

  In the image photographing system of the present invention, the image photographing operation by the photographing means 56 is thus controlled in accordance with photographing information (photographing position information and photographing direction information) and subject information (subject position information and subject direction information). Corresponding to various scenes, an image of a specific posture (or a specific operation timing) of a specific subject can be taken.

  In the image photographing system and the image photographing method of the present invention, both the photographing means and the subject are provided with the position sensor and the azimuth sensor, and even when a plurality of subjects are photographed by the plurality of photographing means, the respective photographing means. Can detect information such as the subject being photographed, the position of the subject in the shooting scene (subject position information in the scene), the posture of the subject in the shooting scene (subject position information in the scene), and so on. It is also possible to obtain an image of a desired scene by editing an image photographed using it.

An example of an image editing method using such in-scene subject position information and subject direction information will be described. In this example, an image of a specific subject 14 is captured by the two capturing means 56. One photographing means 56 of the two imaging means 56 by (first photographing means) capturing a relatively wide range including the specific subject 14, (a picture T ₁₎ image of a relatively wide range obtain. At this time, by photographing an enlarged specific subject by the other imaging means 56 (second photographing means), the object 14 to obtain a magnified image across (a image T _2).

Next, the image T ₁ is cut out a predetermined area including the object 14, to obtain the cut-out area of the desired size of the image obtained by enlarging the image size (the image T _3). Then cut out region of the subject 14 from the image T _2, as area and the size and position of the subject 14 in the image T ₃ (position in the image) are aligned, to convert the region of the object 14 cut from the image T ₂ Synthesis to obtain a combined image (a picture _{T 4).} Such image T ₄ obtained in only areas of the object 14 is in the high-resolution images in the composition of the image T _3. In the image capturing system and the image capturing method of the present invention, such image editing can be easily performed using the in-scene subject information (in-scene position information and in-scene posture information). By using the image capturing system and the image capturing method of the present invention, it is also possible to obtain an image of a specific subject in a specific posture by editing a plurality of images.

  Also, in the scene extraction system and the scene extraction method of the present invention, the in-scene subject posture information is attached to each of a large number of unspecified image data as attached information. It can be used for narrowing down pattern matching conditions in the extraction process of the face area or person area. That is, in the face area or person area extraction process for extracting the face area or person area from the image of the image data, the subject in the image is detected by the recognition algorithm corresponding to the in-scene posture information of the subject in the scene of this image Can do.

  For example, for image data with attached information (posture-related information) indicating that the subject's posture in the scene is the front, matching is performed using a recognition pattern for recognizing a face facing the front as a recognition algorithm. For image data with attached information (posture-related information) indicating that the subject's posture is oblique, a recognition pattern for recognizing a face facing obliquely is used as a recognition algorithm. Matching may be performed. In this way, subject extraction is performed using a recognition algorithm corresponding to the attached information of each image data, so that the subject extraction accuracy is improved. As a result, scene density control and person trimming (the person who is the subject is selected). The accuracy of enlarging or moving to the center of the image is improved.

  The image capturing system and the image capturing method of the present invention, for example, in a moving image distribution service that distributes an image captured by a service provider to a specific user, without bothering the service provider and the user of this service. An image of a scene in a specific posture (or desired operation timing) of a specific subject desired by the user can be quickly and automatically captured by the service provider in real time and distributed to the user in real time. As a result, it is possible to quickly capture and deliver an image of a scene desired by the user without incurring costs, and to provide a service at a low price. Further, using the in-scene subject information obtained at the time of image capturing, the service provider side performs various operations such as image editing and specific image extraction based on the posture of the subject in the scene as described above. Variation service can be provided. If the image photographing system and the image photographing method of the present invention are used for an image distribution service, such an advantage has an advantage that the service provider side has an increased chance of using the service provided by the user.

  The image capturing system and the image capturing method of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Of course it is good.

1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a configuration of an example of a first embodiment of an image photographing system of the present invention. It is a flowchart figure of 1st Embodiment of the image shooting method of this invention. It is a figure which shows the outline of a structure of the other example of 1st Embodiment of the image imaging system of this invention. It is a figure which shows the outline of a structure of 2nd Embodiment of the image imaging system of this invention. It is a flowchart figure of 2nd Embodiment of the image imaging method of this invention. (A) And (b) is the schematic which shows the example of the scene image | photographed in the image imaging method of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10, 50 Image photographing system 12, 52 Photographing device 14 Subject 15 Portable device 16 Photographing means 18 Photographing information acquisition means 20 Photographing scene corresponding subject information detection means 22 Photographing condition designation means 24 Photographing operation control means 32 Photographing timing instruction function 62 Photographing position Control function 66 Shooting direction control function 68 Zoom control function

Claims (17)

An image shooting system for shooting a scene of a specific subject with a specific posture,
Photographing condition designating means for designating the specific posture of the specific subject as a photographing condition;
Subject information acquisition means for acquiring subject information that is held by the specific subject and includes position information and posture-related information when photographing the specific subject;
A first transmission unit configured to transmit in real time the subject information held by the specific subject and detected by the subject information acquisition unit when photographing the specific subject;
Photographing means for photographing the specific subject;
Shooting information acquisition means for acquiring shooting information including shooting position information and shooting direction information of the shooting system when shooting by the shooting means;
First receiving means for receiving the subject information transmitted directly or indirectly from the first transmitting means;
Based on the shooting information acquired by the shooting information acquisition unit and the subject information received by the first receiving unit, the shooting condition designation for the shooting scene range in the real space that can be shot by the shooting unit In-scene posture detecting means for detecting posture information including at least the specific posture of the specific subject specified by the means;
The photographing operation of the photographing unit is controlled according to the posture information of the specific subject detected by the in-scene posture information detecting unit, and the specific posture of the specific subject designated by the photographing condition designating unit is controlled. An image photographing system comprising photographing operation control means for causing the photographing means to photograph a scene. The subject information acquisition means includes
And a position detection unit that detects the position of the specific subject and acquires the subject position information, and a posture related information acquisition unit that detects information related to the posture of the specific subject and acquires the subject posture related information. Item 2. The image capturing system according to Item 1. The position detecting means includes
A portable device with a position detection function of the specific subject, a GPS device carried by the specific subject, or a position sensor attached to the specific subject,
The posture related information acquisition means includes:
An orientation sensor that is fixedly attached to the specific subject and detects information related to a direction including a frontal orientation of the specific subject;
Detects the moment of movement, the moment of rest, or moving at the predetermined speed to obtain information on the posture of the movement including the moment when the specific subject moves, the moment of rest, or moving at a predetermined speed An acceleration sensor attached to the specific subject or a portable device with an acceleration sensor carried by the specific subject, and the moment to start or the moment to land to acquire information on the movement start posture including the moment the specific subject starts to move The image photographing system according to claim 1, wherein the image photographing system is at least one of pressure sensors attached to a shoe sole of the specific subject.   The image photographing system according to claim 1, wherein the first transmission unit is provided integrally with the subject information acquisition unit. The photographing information acquisition means, the first receiving means, the in-scene posture detecting means, and the photographing operation control means are provided integrally with the photographing means,
5. The image capturing system according to claim 1, wherein the first reception unit directly receives the subject information transmitted from the first transmission unit and inputs the subject information to the in-scene posture detection unit. Furthermore, a second transmission unit that transmits the imaging information acquired by the imaging information acquisition unit in real time, a third transmission unit that transmits imaging operation control information to the imaging unit by the imaging operation control unit, and the third A second receiving means for receiving in real time the information on the imaging operation control transmitted by the transmitting means;
The imaging information acquisition unit, the second transmission unit, and the second reception unit are provided integrally with the imaging unit,
The first receiving means, the in-scene posture detecting means, the photographing operation control means, and the third transmitting means are provided integrally with the photographing means and the subject information acquiring means,
In addition to the subject information transmitted from the first transmission unit, the first reception unit also receives the imaging information transmitted from the second transmission unit provided integrally with the imaging unit. , Inputting the subject information and the shooting information to the in-scene posture detection means,
The third transmission unit transmits the shooting operation control information in real time to the second reception unit provided integrally with the shooting unit,
5. The image capturing system according to claim 1, wherein the second receiving unit is configured to input information on the photographing operation control received from the third transmitting unit to the photographing unit.   The in-scene posture detection unit is configured to capture the shooting scene in a real space that can be shot by the shooting unit based on the shooting information acquired by the shooting information acquisition unit and the subject information received by the first receiving unit. The image photographing system according to claim 1, wherein the posture information including a range, a position of the specific subject with respect to the photographing scene range, and the specific posture is detected. The photographing means includes a photographing timing control function for controlling the photographing timing,
The shooting operation control means controls the shooting timing control function of the shooting means to capture the specific subject within the shooting scene range, and at the timing when the specific subject becomes the specific posture. The image shooting system according to claim 1, wherein the scene of the subject in the specific posture is automatically shot. The photographing means includes a photographing prohibition control function that allows photographing by a predetermined photographer's operation and prohibits photographing by the photographer's operation,
The photographing operation control means controls the photographing prohibiting function of the photographing means, and at the timing when the specific subject is out of the photographing scene range or at the timing when the specific subject is not in the specific posture. The image photographing system according to claim 1, wherein photographing by an operation is prohibited, and photographing of a scene other than the scene with the specific posture of the specific subject is prevented.   The image capturing system according to claim 1, wherein the image capturing unit captures a still image.   The image capturing system according to claim 1, wherein the image capturing unit captures a moving image. The specific subject is plural,
The photographing means is for photographing the plurality of specific subjects,
The shooting operation control unit controls the shooting timing control function of the shooting unit to capture all of the plurality of specific subjects within the shooting scene range, and the specific postures of the plurality of specific subjects are all predetermined. The image photographing system according to claim 1, wherein the scenes of the specific postures of the plurality of specific subjects are photographed at a timing aligned within the posture range. The photographing means includes a photographing position control function for controlling the photographing position, and a photographing direction control function for controlling a photographing direction,
The shooting operation control means controls the shooting position control function and the shooting direction control function provided in the shooting means, and adjusts the shooting scene range by controlling the shooting position and shooting direction of the shooting means. The image according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the specific subject is captured so as to be in the specific posture within the shooting scene range, and the scene of the specific posture of the specific subject is photographed by the photographing unit. Shooting system. There are a plurality of the photographing means,
The in-scene posture detecting unit detects the specific posture of the specific subject with respect to each shooting scene range of the plurality of shooting units, and controls the shooting operations of the plurality of shooting units by the shooting operation control unit. The image photographing system according to claim 1, wherein the scene of the specific posture of the specific subject is photographed. The photographing means is for photographing a moving image,
The in-scene posture detecting means includes the shooting position information and the shooting direction information of the shooting means for each predetermined time interval, and the position information of the specific subject for each predetermined time interval corresponding to these pieces of information. Based on the posture-related information, a time-series position and posture of the specific subject within the shooting scene range are detected, and the shooting operation control unit is configured to detect the time-series detected by the shooting scene-corresponding subject information detection unit. Information on the movement of the subject with respect to the shooting scene range is acquired from the position and orientation, and the operation of the photographing unit is controlled based on the movement information to photograph the scene of the specific posture of the specific subject. Item 15. The image capturing system according to any one of Items 1 to 14.   The image photographing system according to claim 15, wherein the photographing operation control means predicts the movement of the subject in the photographing scene from the time-series position and posture of the specific subject. When shooting a scene with a specific posture of a specific subject,
Taking a specific posture of a specific subject as a shooting condition,
Acquiring subject information including position information and posture-related information of the specific subject, and shooting information including shooting position information and shooting direction information of a shooting unit for shooting the specific subject,
Based on the photographing information and the subject information, the posture information of the specific subject with respect to the photographing scene range in the real space that can be photographed by the photographing means is detected,
According to the posture information, the photographing operation of the photographing unit is controlled to cause the photographing unit to photograph the scene of the specific posture of the specific subject corresponding to the photographing condition.

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