JP4239128B2 - Camera system - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a camera system, and more particularly to a camera system having a function of taking a picture using a GPS (Global Positioning System).
[0002]
[Prior art]
Recently, many camera systems using GPS have been proposed, and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-240724 discloses a navigation device using GPS. Further, in JP-A-8-184436, based on position information obtained from a GPS receiver, distance information from a measurement point to an object, and information from a sensor that measures the azimuth and elevation angle of a camera, A camera having a function of identifying the position of an object and recording the shooting position information on an image is disclosed.
[0003]
Furthermore, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 10-300503 discloses a navigation system with an image collection function mounted on an aircraft, and shows means for instantly grasping a photographing point and a photographing time based on information from a GPS receiver. Yes.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, a system that records information such as position information and date obtained from GPS together with an image has been proposed, but no apparatus that actively uses the set position information for photographing or the like has been proposed.
[0005]
When you travel around a sightseeing spot by car, even if you encounter a scene you want to shoot in a scenic place or a tourist attraction, stop the car so that there is no parking lot or there are cars in the back Surprisingly, it is often difficult to shoot. Shooting while driving is dangerous, find a place with good scenery, take out the camera to take a picture, search for a stop space, pass a good shooting point, miss the chance to take a photo was there.
[0006]
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a camera system that can automatically perform shooting when a preset point is reached.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, a camera system according to the present invention includes a GPS receiving unit that receives radio waves from a GPS satellite and analyzes position information from the radio waves, a camera that performs shooting and records an image, Input means for inputting information relating to a position to be photographed by the camera, storage means for storing setting information input from the input means, and current position information obtained by the GPS receiving means are the setting information. When it is determined that the position corresponds to a specified set position, a control unit that performs shooting by the camera, a display unit that has a screen for displaying a map, and a speed of a moving body on which the camera is mounted are detected. comprising a speed detecting means, wherein the control means is defined by a closed curve drawn using the input means in a state where the map is displayed on the screen of the display unit The shooting range is stored in the storage means, the current when the position approaches the movable body at the point specified on the map by the input means, reminder to drop the speed of the moving object to a specified speed or less outputs, by the camera to the shooting range der is, and on condition that the velocity of the moving body is equal to or less than the specified speed at which the camera is mounted to the position information of the current is defined by the closed curve In addition to performing shooting, control is performed to increase the zoom magnification of the camera during shooting as the speed of the moving body detected by the speed detection unit decreases .
[0008]
According to the camera system of the present invention, position information for specifying a shooting point is input in advance from the input means. The input position information is stored in the storage means as setting information. Attach the camera to a moving object such as a car and move to the shooting point. The current position of the moving body is grasped by the GPS receiving means, and the control means performs shooting by operating the camera when it is determined that the moving body has reached the shooting point related to the setting.
[0009]
Thereby, since it is possible to automatically shoot at a preset shooting point, automatic shooting while driving a car or the like is possible, and an image of a shooting point that could not be shot can be recorded. Moreover, according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent image blurring during shooting. Note that the moving body includes an automobile, a railway vehicle, a motorcycle, a ship, an aircraft, and the like.
[0010]
From the input means, at least one piece of information of the shooting start position and the shooting end position may be input .
[0011]
A camera system according to another aspect of the present invention includes, in addition to the above configuration, setting means for setting at least one condition among the shooting time interval and the number of shots, and the storage means includes setting information by the setting means. Is stored, and the control means causes the photographing to be executed in accordance with the conditions specified by the setting means.
[0014]
The camera system according to another aspect of the present invention is characterized in that a navigation device provided in a moving body on which the camera is mounted is also used as the GPS receiving means. A configuration in which a GPS reception function is not mounted on the camera body is possible by connecting the navigation device and the camera through an interface and configuring the system.
[0016]
In addition to the configuration of the camera system described above, a camera system according to another aspect of the present invention includes an electric pan head that can change a shooting direction of the camera by driving a motor, and the control unit includes the electric cloud. By controlling the platform, the direction of the camera attached to the electric pan head can be changed.
[0017]
The camera applied to the camera system includes an imaging means for converting an optical image into an electrical signal, and a signal processing unit for processing a signal output from the imaging means, the processed signal by said signal processing means The electronic camera includes a recording unit that records image information on a recording medium.
[0018]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Preferred embodiments of a camera system according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0019]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a camera system according to an embodiment of the present invention. A camera 10 shown in the figure is a digital camera equipped with a GPS receiver 12. The taking lens 14 of the camera 10 is composed of one or a plurality of lenses, and may be a single focal length (fixed focus) lens, or a focal length such as a zoom lens or a telephoto / wide-angle bifocal switching lens. It may be variable.
[0020]
Light incident through the photographing lens 14 forms an image on a light receiving surface of a CCD image sensor (hereinafter referred to as a CCD) 16 as an image sensor. The CCD 16 has a structure in which light receiving sensors corresponding to photosensitive pixels are two-dimensionally arranged, and has a predetermined color filter arrangement structure such as a G stripe or a Bayer arrangement.
[0021]
The CCD 16 is provided with a shutter drain via a shutter gate, and the accumulated signal charge can be swept out to the shutter drain by driving the shutter gate with a shutter gate pulse. That is, the CCD 16 has a so-called electronic shutter function for controlling the accumulation time (shutter speed) of charges accumulated in each sensor by the shutter gate pulse.
[0022]
The subject image formed on the light receiving surface of the CCD 16 is converted into a signal charge of an amount corresponding to the amount of incident light by each light receiving sensor. The signal charge accumulated in this way is read out by a CCD drive pulse applied from a CCD drive circuit (driver) 18 and is sequentially output from the CCD 16 as a voltage signal (analog image signal) corresponding to the signal charge.
[0023]
The signal read from the CCD 16 is added to the analog processing unit 20. The analog processing unit 20 includes a sampling hold circuit and a gain adjustment circuit. The image signal output from the CCD 16 is subjected to correlated double sampling (CDS) processing and color separation processing into R, G, B color signals in the analog processing unit 20. The signal level of each color signal is adjusted (pre-white balance processing).
[0024]
The signal output from the analog processing unit 20 is converted into an R, G, B digital signal by the A / D converter 22 and then sent to the digital signal processing unit 24. The timing generator (TG) 26 provides timing signals to the CCD drive circuit 18, the analog processing unit 20, the A / D converter 22, and the signal processing unit 24 in accordance with instructions from the system controller 28. Each circuit is synchronized.
[0025]
The signal processing unit 24 is an image processing unit composed of a digital signal processor (DSP) including a gamma correction circuit, a sharpness correction circuit, a contrast correction circuit, a luminance / color difference signal generation circuit, a white balance correction circuit, and the like. The imaging signal is processed in accordance with the command from 28.
[0026]
The R, G, B image data input to the signal processing unit 24 is converted into a luminance signal (Y signal) and a color difference signal (Cr, Cb signal) and subjected to predetermined processing such as gamma correction. And stored in the memory 32 via the memory controller 30.
[0027]
When the system controller 28 reads position information from the GPS receiver 12 and determines that the current position is a preset shooting point, the system controller 28 operates the imaging system to perform shooting. The luminance / color difference signal stored in the memory 32 by the photographing operation is read by the memory controller 30 and recorded on the memory card 36 via the card interface 34.
[0028]
At this time, the image data is compressed using the compression / decompression circuit 38 as necessary, and the image data compressed according to JPEG or another predetermined format is written into the memory card 36.
[0029]
For example, a smart media (Solid-State Floppy Disk Card) is used for the memory card 36 as means for storing image data. The form of the recording medium is not limited to the above, and may be a PC card, a compact flash, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a memory stick, etc., and read / write according to an electronic, magnetic, optical, or a combination thereof. Various possible media can be used. A signal processing means and an interface corresponding to the medium to be used are applied.
[0030]
A configuration may be adopted in which a plurality of media can be mounted on the camera 10 regardless of different types or the same type of recording media. Further, instead of using a recording medium (removable medium) that can be attached to and detached from the camera 10, or in combination with this, a captured image is stored in the internal memory of the camera 10, and image data is transmitted via a wired or wireless communication interface. May be configured to be transferred to the outside.
[0031]
The system controller 28 is a block including a central processing unit (CPU), and comprehensively controls each circuit of the camera 10. The system controller 28 is connected to storage means such as a nonvolatile memory 40 such as an EEPROM, a ROM 42 and a RAM 44. The nonvolatile memory 40 stores information related to position information, shooting range information, camera orientation, elevation angle, and the like set as shooting points. The ROM 42 stores programs processed by the CPU, various data necessary for control, and the like. The RAM 44 is used as a work area when the CPU performs various arithmetic processes.
[0032]
The system controller 28 controls the operation of the corresponding circuit based on the input signal received from the operation unit 46, controls the zooming operation and the focus adjustment (AF) operation of the photographing lens 14, and controls the automatic exposure adjustment (AE). Etc. That is, the system controller 28 performs various calculations such as a focus evaluation calculation and an AE calculation based on the imaging signal output from the CCD 16, and based on the calculation results, a drive unit (not shown) such as a focus motor or an iris motor is provided. The photographing lens 14 is moved to the in-focus position by control, and an appropriate aperture is set, and the charge accumulation time of the CCD 16 is controlled. In addition to the method of controlling AE and AF based on the imaging signal acquired from the CCD 16, a well-known photometric sensor, a distance measuring sensor including an AF light projecting / receiving sensor, or the like may be used.
[0033]
The operation unit 46 is a unit for inputting the mode of the camera 10, position information of a point to be photographed, a photographing range, a photographing direction, the number of photographing, a photographing time interval and other various settings, as well as the orientation of the camera 10, and the angle of view. These are blocks corresponding to camera operation means for adjusting image quality and the like. Information set from the operation unit 46 is stored in the nonvolatile memory 40, and the system controller 28 refers to data in the nonvolatile memory 40 as necessary.
[0034]
The GPS receiver 12 includes an antenna that receives a radio wave from a GPS satellite, and is a unit that analyzes the received radio wave and acquires position information and time information. Position information and the like obtained by the GPS receiver 12 are input to the system controller 28. The system controller 28 controls the recording operation by the camera 10 based on the position information obtained from the GPS receiver 12 and the setting information stored in the nonvolatile memory 40.
[0035]
The camera 10 is attached to an electric pan head (not shown), and the system controller 28 controls the motor controller 48 as necessary to control the pan driving motor 50 or the tilt driving motor 52 of the electric pan head or these. Both are actuated to point the camera 10 in the desired direction. Note that a height driving motor may be added to the electric head as a means for changing the height of the camera 10.
[0036]
The azimuth meter 54 is a means for detecting the azimuth to which the taking lens 14 of the camera 10 is directed, that is, the panning angle (horizontal angle), and the detection signal is notified to the system controller 28. Although not shown, this system is also provided with a sensor for detecting the elevation angle (tilt angle) of the camera 10 and a sensor for detecting the height of the camera 10, and the detection signals of these sensors are provided. Is input to the system controller 28.
[0037]
The power supply unit 56 of the camera 10 includes a DC / DC converter, and electric power provided from a battery (not shown) or an external power supply connected to an external power supply input terminal is converted into a required voltage by the power supply unit 56, and a predetermined circuit block Is supplied with power.
[0038]
According to the camera 10 configured as described above, information on shooting conditions such as position information for specifying a shooting point, the number of shots (shooting time in the case of a moving image), and a shooting time interval are input in advance from the operation unit 46. Keep it. Specifically, information such as latitude / longitude information of the shooting point, the direction of the shooting target (object), and a range where shooting is performed is input.
[0039]
Such setting information is not limited to being input from the operation unit 46, but can be input from the memory card 36 or a communication unit (not shown). The input setting information is stored in the nonvolatile memory 40. The camera 10 is attached to a vehicle such as an automobile by the electric pan head or other supporting means, and moved to a photographing point.
[0040]
The current position of the vehicle is grasped by the GPS receiver 12, and the system controller 28 automatically turns on the imaging system power supply of the camera 10 when approaching a preset shooting point, and the shooting point or designated shooting is performed. When it is determined that the range has been reached, a recording instruction signal (a release signal for a still image, a shooting start signal and a shooting stop signal for a moving image) is issued. Then, after the photographing is completed, the system controller 28 automatically turns off the imaging system power supply. In the case of continuous shooting or interval shooting, the power is turned off when a series of shooting is completed. In the interval shooting, a control mode in which the power is turned off when there is a sufficient time interval until the next shooting is preferable.
[0041]
As described above, according to the camera 10 of this example, since shooting is automatically performed at a preset shooting point or shooting range, automatic shooting while driving a car or the like is possible, and conventional shooting is performed. Images of shooting points that could not be recorded can be recorded.
[0042]
Next, an aspect in which the camera system of the present invention is realized by utilizing an automobile navigation device will be described. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a camera system using an in-vehicle GPS device.
[0043]
In FIG. 2, reference numeral 60 denotes a camera, reference numeral 62 denotes an in-vehicle GPS device, and reference numeral 64 denotes a display device (monitor). The camera 60 includes a communication interface unit 66, and the camera 60 is connected to the in-vehicle GPS device 62 via a communication cable 68 or a LAN built in the vehicle. Instead of the wired communication interface, an interface based on infrared, Bluetooth, or other wireless communication standards may be applied. In this case, the communication cable 68 can be omitted.
[0044]
By utilizing the in-vehicle GPS device 62, a configuration in which the GPS receiver 12 is not provided on the camera body side is possible. In the case of the in-vehicle GPS device 62, since the antenna 70A of the receiving unit 70 that receives GPS radio waves is provided outside the vehicle, there is an advantage that radio wave reception sensitivity is improved as compared with a camera with a built-in antenna.
[0045]
The in-vehicle GPS device 62 includes a media reading device 72 for reading a CD-ROM, DVD or other recording media. The in-vehicle GPS device 62 reads map data or the like from a recording medium 74 inserted into the media reading device 72 and displays it on a display device 64. Can be displayed.
[0046]
Reference numeral 75 in the figure is a remote control transmitter for operating the in-vehicle GPS device 62, and a mode in which this remote control transmitter 75 is also used as an operation means of the camera 60 is also possible.
[0047]
In addition, a direction sensor 76, a gyro 78, and a vehicle speed sensor 80 are connected to the in-vehicle GPS device 62. In situations where GPS satellites cannot capture the necessary number of positioning, such as in the shade of buildings or trees, positioning is continued using at least one of the direction sensor 76, gyro 78, and vehicle speed sensor 80. To do. Thereby, interruption and stop of positioning can be avoided, and opportunities for missing photographing opportunities can be reduced.
[0048]
When positioning with GPS alone, there is usually an error of tens to hundreds of meters. Therefore, when the camera 60 determines that the set shooting point is within the specified range, the camera 60 performs shooting. In this system, data from a differential GPS (DGPS) base station is obtained using communication means such as FM radio, mobile phone, PHS, CDMA, satellite phone, etc., and position correction by DGPS is performed. An embodiment in which means is added is preferable. By using DGPS, positioning accuracy can be increased.
[0049]
In addition, when the vehicle reaches the position corresponding to the set shooting point, information on the running speed is read from the vehicle speed sensor 80, and the shooting is performed when the running speed of the vehicle falls below the specified speed. preferable. As a result, it is possible to prevent image blurring during shooting. In this case, when approaching the shooting point, a message is displayed on the display device 64 urging the driver to reduce the vehicle speed below the specified speed, or a voice message is output from a speaker (not shown). May be.
[0050]
As another aspect of controlling the operation of the camera 60 according to the speed of the vehicle, there is a control aspect in which the zoom magnification at the time of shooting is changed according to the speed of the vehicle. When the vehicle speed is high, the zoom magnification is decreased (set to the wide angle side), and as the speed decreases, the zoom magnification is increased (set to the telephoto side). Even with this control mode, it is possible to reduce image blurring, and it is more effective when combined with a control sequence in which shooting is performed when the speed falls below a specified speed.
[0051]
The camera 60 may be fixed inside or outside the vehicle, or may be attached via an electric pan head. It is also preferable to preset a plurality of shooting directions such as right and left, rear, and upward as well as in front of the vehicle, and to program automatically to execute shooting for each shooting direction. According to this aspect, it is possible to reduce the number of scenes that cannot be shot by shooting from various angles, and after shooting, a plurality of shooting screens can be combined to obtain an outline of the entire surrounding photograph.
[0052]
In addition, there is an aspect in which actual position information at the time of shooting, shooting direction information, vehicle speed information, zoom magnification information, and the like are automatically recorded in association with an image. For example, a mode in which such shooting information is recorded as ancillary information of an image file, or a character string (including a symbol string) that can identify a file of an image related to shooting is automatically given as a file name of a file in which shooting information is described There is.
[0053]
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a method for inputting information of photographing points using a personal computer. The camera 10 (or 60 is the same) is connected to the personal computer 84 via the interface cable 82. As a connection form, various forms such as Ethernet, parallel, serial, USB, and IEEE1394 are possible. Further, instead of a wired interface, an interface based on infrared, Bluetooth, or other wireless standard can be applied.
[0054]
The personal computer 84 includes a keyboard 85 and a mouse 86 as input devices. Instructions / inputs to the personal computer 84 such as enlargement / reduction of the map displayed on the display 88, scrolling, position information corresponding to the photographing point, and photographing direction are performed. The keyboard 85 or the mouse 86 is used.
[0055]
The personal computer 84 includes a drive 92 for a recording medium such as a CD-ROM 90, a DVD, and other recording media, and a drive 96 for a recording medium that is common to the camera 10 such as a memory card 94 or MO. In the personal computer 84, GPS map browsing software is installed from a CD-ROM 90 or the like loaded in the drive 92, and a map is displayed on the screen of the display 88. The map data may be supplied from the CD-ROM 90 or the like, or may be downloaded from a predetermined website using the Internet.
[0056]
FIG. 4 shows an example of a screen for inputting shooting point information. The user can input information such as a shooting point, a shooting range, a shooting direction, a shooting interval, and the number of shots on the map displayed on the screen of the display 88 using navigation software and map software. .
[0057]
When the map 88 is displayed on the display 88 and a position (for example, points 1 to 5) that is a shooting point on the displayed map is designated with the mouse 86 or the like, the latitude and longitude data at that point is automatically input. Is done. Thereby, simple information input is realizable. Of course, latitude and longitude data can also be input numerically using the keyboard 85 or the like.
[0058]
In the screen shown in FIG. 4, the shooting range can be set by designating an arbitrary area surrounding the shooting point. For example, by drawing a closed curve 98 surrounding the point 2 using the mouse 86, an area defined by the closed curve 98 is set as the imaging range. When a shooting point and a shooting target (shooting target) are specified, a shooting direction (direction) is automatically calculated, and a numerical value converted into an angle from magnetic north is input. For example, by specifying the shooting target A from the shooting point of point 2, the data of the shooting direction is automatically input.
[0059]
The information set in this way can be transmitted to the camera 10 via the interface cable 82 as described in FIG. 3, and can be input to the camera 10 via the memory card 94 or other removable media.
[0060]
The application range of the camera system of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be used for shooting from the sky using an aircraft, shooting from a train window, and the like. The present invention is applicable not only to an electronic camera that converts an optical image into an electrical signal using an image sensor, but also to a system that uses a camera (silver salt camera, instant camera, etc.) that records an optical image on a photographic film. Applicable.
[0061]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the camera system of the present invention, the position information for specifying the shooting point is set in advance, and the shooting according to the setting is performed while grasping the position of the camera-equipped vehicle by the GPS receiving unit. The camera automatically shoots when it is determined that a vehicle has reached the point, so it is possible to automatically shoot while driving a car, etc. Can be recorded.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a camera system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a camera system using an in-vehicle GPS device. FIG. 3 is a method for inputting shooting point information using a personal computer. Explanatory diagram showing the method [FIG. 4] A diagram showing an example of a screen for inputting information relating to the shooting point
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10,60 ... Camera, 12 ... GPS receiver (GPS receiving means), 16 ... CCD (imaging means), 20 ... Analog processing part (signal processing means), 24 ... Signal processing part (signal processing means), 28 ... System Controller (control means, automatic power supply control means) 34 ... Card interface (recording means) 36 ... Memory card (recording medium) 40 ... Non-volatile memory (storage means, setting storage means) 46 ... Operation unit (input means) , Setting means), 50 ... pan driving motor, 52 ... tilt driving motor, 62 ... in-vehicle GPS device (navigation device), 70 ... receiving section (GPS receiving means), 80 ... vehicle speed sensor (speed detecting means)

Claims (7)

GPS receiving means for receiving radio waves from GPS satellites and analyzing position information from the radio waves;
A camera that shoots and records images;
Input means for inputting information about a position where photographing by the camera is to be performed;
Storage means for storing setting information input from the input means;
Control means for performing shooting by the camera when it is determined that the current position information obtained by the GPS receiving means corresponds to a setting position defined by the setting information;
Display means having a screen for displaying a map;
Speed detecting means for detecting the speed of a moving body on which the camera is mounted;
With
The control means causes the storage means to store an imaging range defined by a closed curve drawn using the input means in a state where a map is displayed on the screen of the display means, and the map is input by the input means. When the current position of the mobile object approaches the point specified above, a message is issued to call attention to reduce the speed of the mobile object below the specified speed, and the current position information is defined by the closed curve. wherein Ri shooting range der, and together with the camera to perform photographing by the camera on condition that the speed of the moving body to be mounted is equal to or less than the specified speed, the movement is detected by the speed detecting means A camera system, characterized in that control is performed to increase the zoom magnification of the camera at the time of shooting as the body speed decreases . The camera system according to claim 1, further comprising setting means for setting at least one of a shooting time interval and a number of shots.
Setting information by the setting means is stored in the storage means, and the control means causes the photographing to be executed according to the conditions specified by the setting means. The GPS as a reception means, a camera system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the camera navigation is provided on the moving body to be mounted apparatus is also used. A camera system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the system comprising a motor driving an electric pan head capable of changing the photographing direction of the camera, the control means controls the electric pan head By this, the direction of the camera attached to the electric pan head can be changed. Wherein the input means, a camera system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the imaging start position, at least one information of the imaging end position and photographing direction are specified. Wherein the input means, front, left, right, camera system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it is possible to specify multiple shooting direction of the back and upward. The camera includes an imaging unit that converts an optical image into an electrical signal;
Signal processing means for processing signals output from the imaging means;
Recording means for recording the signal processed by the signal processing means on a recording medium as image information;
The camera system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that an electronic camera provided with a.

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