JP4507645B2 - Image recording apparatus, image recording system, and image recording method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image recording method and an image recording apparatus, and more particularly to an image recording apparatus and an image recording system suitable for use in improving the recording accuracy of a subject while suppressing the amount of data to be recorded in long-term recording of an image. The present invention relates to an image recording method.

  High-quality images can be recorded for a long time even for individuals due to improvements in information compression technology, higher integration or higher density of recording media, and further downsizing and lowering the cost of recording devices. Is becoming possible.

  Conventional image recording apparatuses that perform long-time recording include image recording apparatuses for monitoring and observation, such as so-called security cameras and image observation systems. In such an image recording apparatus, image data is captured at a predetermined cycle and recorded on a large-capacity recording medium such as a tape or a hard disk at a predetermined cycle.

  However, in conventional image recording apparatuses that perform long-time recording, the amount of image data to be recorded increases in proportion to the recording time, and the capacity of a large-capacity recording medium is limited. Then, it is desirable that the amount of data to be recorded is small.

For this reason, various recording apparatuses that reduce the amount of data to be recorded have been proposed. For example, in Patent Document 1 described later, the amount of movement of the image is detected from the video signal of the image (video) to be monitored, and the recording mode is set based on the amount of movement, thereby reducing the consumption of the recording medium. There has been proposed a recording apparatus which is reduced.
JP 11-98455 A

  By the way, in the use for the purpose of monitoring / observation as described above, the photographing position and the photographing range are usually limited to some extent. However, in cases where both the subject and the photographer with the camera move freely, the distinction between the movement of the video caused by the movement of the subject and the movement of the video caused by the movement of the photographer There is a problem that it becomes impossible.

  Furthermore, in the conventional image recording apparatus described above, when a portion with a large motion and a portion with a small motion are mixed in a video, an optimum recording mode for reducing the consumption of the recording medium is set. There is a problem that becomes difficult.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation. In the case where a subject is photographed for a long time and recorded on a recording medium, not only the subject but also a photographer may move. Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus, a system, and a method that can shoot and record as image data without missing a subject and that can suppress the data amount of image data to be recorded.

In order to solve the above-described problem, an image recording apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention provides:
An imaging means for capturing a subject and generating image data;
Storage means for storing a plurality of image data generated by the imaging means;
Recording means for recording the image data stored in the storage means on a recording medium;
Movement detecting means for detecting information relating to movement of the image recording apparatus;
Displacement detection means for detecting information on displacement between adjacent images based on image data of adjacent images captured by the imaging means and stored in the storage means;
It is necessary to determine whether or not it is necessary to adjust the data amount of the image data recorded on the recording medium according to the detection result by the movement detection unit and the detection result by the displacement detection unit. When it is determined that there is, the detection result by the displacement detection unit is corrected using the detection result by the movement detection unit, and the imaging unit and the detection unit are corrected according to the detection result by the displacement detection unit after the correction. by controlling one or both of the recording means, and control means for adjusting the amount of image data to be recorded on the recording medium.

  According to the present invention, when image data obtained by photographing is recorded on a recording medium, the image data to be recorded is controlled by recording in consideration of the amount of movement of the photographer and the amount of change in the relative position with the subject. Can be recorded as image data without missing a subject.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of an apparatus, method, and system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following, a case where the present invention is applied to an image recording apparatus such as a video camera or a digital still camera will be described as an example.

[Outline of Image Recording Apparatus 1]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration example of an image recording apparatus according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, an image recording apparatus 1 according to this embodiment includes an imaging unit 11, a storage unit 12, a recording unit 13, a displacement detection unit 14, a control unit 15, a movement detection unit 16, an input unit 18, and a recording medium. 17. The recording medium 17 is detachable from the image recording apparatus 1 and has a relatively large recording capacity such as a digital video tape, an optical disk such as a recordable DVD, a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory. The big thing.

  In FIG. 1, an image pickup unit 11 forms an image of a subject on an image pickup device such as a built-in CCD (Charge Coupled Device), and the image data accumulated on the image pickup device is converted from an analog signal for each pixel. After conversion into a digital signal, the data for one image (one frame) is transferred to the storage unit 12. The imaging unit 11 can change a time interval (hereinafter referred to as an imaging rate) for imaging a subject based on a control signal from the control unit 15.

  The storage unit 12 includes a semiconductor memory or the like, and can temporarily store a plurality of screens (a plurality of frames) of imaging data (image data) input from the imaging unit 11. Then, the imaging data stored (stored) in the storage unit 12 is read as necessary by the recording unit 13 and the displacement detection unit 14 to be described in detail later.

  The recording unit 13 reads the image data stored in the storage unit 12 and writes the image data to the recording medium 17 together with the attribute information of the image data. Further, the recording unit 13 changes a time interval (hereinafter referred to as a recording rate) for thinning out the imaging data and recording it on the recording medium based on a control signal from the control unit 15.

  The displacement detection unit 14 detects the displacement of the subject on the image (on the screen) from the imaging data for a plurality of screens stored in the storage unit 12, and notifies the control unit 15 of the detection result as displacement data. The movement detection unit 16 detects the spatial movement of the image recording apparatus 1 and notifies the control unit 15 of the detection result as movement data.

  The control unit 15 sets the imaging rate in the imaging unit 11 and the recording rate in the recording unit 13 based on displacement data from the displacement detection unit 14 and movement data from the movement detection unit 16 or a command from the input unit 18. Control.

  The input unit 18 includes a plurality of operation keys such as a recording operation start key and an end key. The input unit 18 receives a command input by the user of the image recording apparatus 1 and notifies the control unit 15 of the command. Thereby, the control part 15 controls each part, and the image storage apparatus 1 can perform the process according to the instruction | indication from a user.

  As described above, the image recording apparatus 1 can capture an image of a subject, capture it as captured data (image data), and record it on a recording medium. At the time of recording, the image recording apparatus 1 itself The movement or the displacement of the subject image is detected, and according to the detection results, the imaging unit 11 is controlled to increase or decrease the amount of imaging data to be taken into the storage unit 12, or from the storage unit 12 The amount of imaging data recorded on the recording medium 17 can be increased or decreased.

  In this example, the recording unit 13 records the imaging data from the storage unit 12 and its attribute information on the recording medium 17 based on the recording rate from the control unit 15. However, it is not limited to this. For example, a transmission unit that transmits imaging data and its attribute information from the storage unit 12 based on a recording rate from the control unit 15, and a reception unit that receives information transmitted from the transmission unit are provided. 13 can also be configured to record the imaging data received by the receiving unit and the attribute information thereof on the recording medium 17. Thereby, the recording medium 17 is installed in a physically separated place, and the imaging data and its attribute information acquired by the image recording apparatus 1 are recorded on the recording medium via communication means such as wireless communication having a relatively narrow transmission band. 17 can also be recorded.

[About the imaging unit 11 of the image recording apparatus 1]
Next, a configuration example of the imaging unit 11 of the image recording apparatus 1 according to this embodiment shown in FIG. 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the imaging unit 11 includes an imaging lens 21, an imaging element 22, a sample and hold unit 23, a gain control unit 24, an AD (analog / digital) conversion unit 25, a driving unit 26, a timing generation unit 27, A control signal receiving unit 28 is provided.

  Incident light from the subject forms an image on the image sensor 22 through the imaging lens 21, and the photoelectrically converted charge for each pixel is accumulated in the image sensor 22. As described above, the image sensor 22 is constituted by a CCD or the like, and in the case of color imaging, color filters are alternately provided on each pixel on the imaging surface. The electric charge accumulated in the image pickup device 22 is alternately transferred in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction by the synchronization signal from the driving unit 26 and is held in the sample and hold unit 23.

  The signal held in the sample and hold unit 23 so that the signal level is constant is adjusted in level by the gain control unit 24 and input to the AD conversion unit 25. The AD conversion unit 25 converts the input analog signal into a digital signal and outputs it from the imaging unit 11 as imaging data.

  The control signal receiving unit 28 receives a control signal indicating the imaging rate from the control unit 15 and controls the timing generation unit 27 based on the control signal. The control signal receiving unit 28 controls the timing generating unit 27 so that the charge transfer interval by the driving unit 26 is shortened when the imaging rate is increased, and on the other hand, when the imaging rate is decreased, the driving unit 26. The timing generation unit 27 is controlled so that the charge transfer interval due to is increased.

  As described above, the imaging unit 11 can change the imaging rate based on the control signal from the control unit 15 and adjust the amount of captured data stored in the storage unit 12.

[Regarding Recording Unit 13 of Image Recording Apparatus 1]
Next, a configuration example of the recording unit 13 of the image recording apparatus 1 according to this embodiment shown in FIG. 1 will be described. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the recording unit 13 includes an imaging data acquisition unit 31, an image data processing unit 32, a recording medium control unit 33, and a control signal reception unit 34.

  The imaging data acquisition unit 31 reads out the imaging data (image data) stored in the storage unit 12 based on the control signal from the control signal reception unit 34 and transfers it to the image data processing unit 32. The image data processing unit 32 executes predetermined processing such as data compression processing and data format conversion processing on the imaging data transferred from the imaging data acquisition unit 31, and then executes the processing on the recording medium control unit 33. Forward.

  Based on the control signal from the control signal receiving unit 34, the recording medium control unit 33 writes the imaging data transferred from the image data processing unit 32 together with the attribute information to the recording medium 17 described above. The attribute information of the imaging data includes a data size, a recording rate, and the like.

  The control signal receiving unit 34 receives a control signal indicating a recording rate from the control unit 15 and controls the imaging data acquisition unit 31 and the recording medium control unit 33 based on the control signal. That is, when the recording rate is increased, the imaging data acquisition unit 31 is controlled so that the acquisition interval of imaging data is shortened, and the recording medium control unit 33 is controlled so that the recording interval of recording data is shortened. On the other hand, when lowering the recording rate, the imaging data acquisition unit 31 is controlled so that the acquisition interval of imaging data becomes longer, and the recording medium control unit 33 is controlled so that the recording interval of recording data becomes longer.

  Furthermore, when the control signal receiving unit 34 is instructed by the control signal from the control unit 15 to record the imaging data at the maximum recording rate, all the imaging data stored in the storage unit 12 is stored. The imaging data acquisition unit 31 and the recording medium control unit 33 are controlled so as to record on the recording medium.

  As described above, the recording unit 13 can change the recording rate based on the control signal from the control unit 15 and adjust the recording amount of the imaging data recorded in the storage unit 12 on the recording medium. It is.

[About Displacement Detection Unit 14 of Image Recording Apparatus 1]
Next, a configuration example of the displacement detection unit 14 of the image recording apparatus 1 according to this embodiment shown in FIG. 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the displacement detection unit 14 includes an imaging data acquisition unit 41, a feature point extraction unit 42, a buffer memory 43, and a displacement data calculation unit 44.

  The imaging data acquisition unit 41 reads imaging data (image data) newly stored in the storage unit 12 described above, and supplies the acquired imaging data to the feature point extraction unit 42. The readout of the imaging data from the storage unit 12 may be periodically read out from the storage unit 12 in addition to being performed every time new imaging data is stored in the storage unit 12.

  The feature point extraction unit 42 extracts feature points from the imaging data supplied from the imaging data acquisition unit 41 and accumulates the results in the buffer memory 43. For example, a feature point can be obtained by detecting an edge component of image data.

  Based on the feature points of the imaging data for each screen (each frame) of the plurality of screens (multiple frames) accumulated in the buffer memory 43, the displacement data calculation unit 44 calculates the distance between the imaging data of adjacent screens (frames). The displacement amount and the displacement direction are calculated, and the result is supplied to the control unit 15 as displacement data.

  When using an edge component as a feature point of imaging data, the displacement direction between the imaging data is determined by matching the edge component of the new image data in time with the edge component of the old image data in time as a reference. And the amount of displacement can be obtained.

For example, in the case of imaging data that is captured while the imaging unit 11 is moving straight, or imaging data that is captured when the imaging unit 11 is moving and moving separately from the imaging data, the image data is displaced on the imaging data. Different parts will be mixed. In such a case, the displacement amount in the widest portion of the areas of the portions having different displacement amounts is set as the displacement amount in the image data, or the displacement amount in the central portion of the image data is set as the image data. Or the sum of the displacement amount of each portion and the area ratio of that portion can be used as the displacement amount of the image data. Even when a plurality of portions having different displacement directions are mixed on the image data, it can be obtained in the same manner as the method for obtaining the displacement amount described above.

  Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 5A, when there is an object Obj that moves within the screen, the displacement amount between successive frames of the object Obj can be set as the displacement amount of the image data. However, as shown in FIG. 5B, there are of course cases where objects Obj1, Obj2, and Obj3 that occupy a small area in the screen are moving. For this reason, instead of simply moving the moving object, as described above, the displacement amount of each object is calculated by taking into consideration the area of each object, and this is used as the displacement amount of the image data. The amount can be accurately determined.

[About Movement Detection Unit 16 of Image Recording Apparatus 1]
Next, a configuration example of the movement detection unit 16 of the image recording apparatus 1 according to this embodiment shown in FIG. 1 will be described. In this example, the movement detection unit 16 includes an acceleration detection unit 51, an angular velocity detection unit 52, a position information reception unit 53, a buffer memory 54, and a movement data calculation unit 55, as shown in FIG.

  The acceleration detection unit 51 incorporates an acceleration sensor. The acceleration applied to the image recording apparatus 1 is digitized by the acceleration sensor and stored in the buffer memory 54. The angular velocity detection unit 52 incorporates an angular velocity sensor, digitizes the angular velocity applied to the image recording apparatus 1 by the angular velocity sensor, and stores it in the buffer memory 54.

  The position information receiving unit 53 includes a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver, receives radio waves from GPS satellites, digitizes latitude, longitude, altitude, and the like and stores them in the buffer memory 54. The position information receiving unit 53 can also use DGPS (Differential GPS), which corrects a result measured by a signal from a GPS satellite, using FM broadcast radio waves.

  The movement data calculation unit 55 calculates the movement state of the apparatus 1 based on the acceleration, angular velocity, and position information of the image recording apparatus 1 stored in the buffer memory 54 at regular time intervals, and moves the result. The data is supplied to the control unit 15 as data.

  The movement data indicating the movement state of the image recording apparatus 1 includes, for example, horizontal and vertical movement speeds, horizontal and vertical rotation speeds, values indicating movement directions and rotation directions, and the like.

[Regarding Controller 15 of Image Recording Apparatus 1]
Next, a configuration example of the control unit 15 of the image recording apparatus 1 according to this embodiment shown in FIG. 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 7, the recording unit 15 includes a displacement data receiving unit 61, an imaging rate control unit 62, a calculation unit 63, a recording rate control unit 64, a movement data receiving unit 65, and a command receiving unit 66. .

  The displacement data reception unit 61 receives the displacement data supplied from the displacement detection unit 14 described above and supplies the displacement data to the calculation unit 63. The displacement data receiving unit 61 may receive the displacement data at regular intervals, but can also receive the displacement data only when fluctuation exceeding the predetermined range occurs in the displacement data.

  The movement data reception unit 63 receives the movement data supplied from the movement detection unit 16 described above and supplies the movement data to the calculation unit 63. The movement data receiving unit 63 may receive movement data at regular intervals, but can also receive the movement data only when fluctuation exceeding a predetermined range occurs in the movement data.

  The command receiving unit 66 receives a command input through the input unit 18 by the user or the like of the image recording apparatus 1 and supplies the command to the calculation unit 63. The types of commands include commands for instructing start and stop of image recording, speeding up and slowing down of the recording rate, and the like.

  The computing unit 63 determines the imaging rate and the recording rate based on the displacement data supplied from the displacement data receiving unit 61 and the movement data supplied from the movement data receiving unit 65, and further from the command receiving unit 66. The imaging rate and the recording rate are corrected according to the supplied command, the imaging rate is supplied to the imaging rate control unit 62, and the recording rate is supplied to the recording rate control unit 64.

  The imaging rate control unit 62 controls the imaging unit 11 based on the imaging rate supplied from the calculation unit 63. The imaging rate control unit 62 controls the imaging unit 11 so that the number of image data captured by the imaging unit 11 per unit time increases when the imaging rate is increased, and unit time when the imaging rate is decreased. The imaging unit 11 is controlled so that the number of image data to be captured is reduced.

  The recording rate control unit 64 controls the recording unit 13 based on the recording rate supplied from the calculation unit 63. When increasing the recording rate, the recording rate control unit 64 controls the recording unit 13 so as to increase the number of image data that the recording unit 13 records on the recording medium 17 per unit time, and lowers the recording rate. Controls the recording unit 13 so that the number of image data to be captured per unit time is reduced.

  As a method for determining the recording rate, for example, first, an initial value, an upper limit value, and a lower limit value of the recording rate are set, and then, displacement data sequentially supplied from the displacement detection unit 14 is the displacement of the subject. If it indicates an increase, the recording rate is gradually increased with the upper limit set as the upper limit according to the amount of displacement, and conversely, it indicates that the displacement of the subject is decreasing There is a method of gradually lowering the recording rate with the set lower limit as the lower limit in accordance with the amount of displacement.

  As another method for determining the recording rate, for example, first, an initial value, an upper limit value, and a lower limit value of the recording rate are set, and then movement data sequentially supplied from the movement detection unit 16 is the apparatus 1. Indicates that the apparatus 1 is moving at an accelerated speed, the recording rate is gradually increased up to the set upper limit value as an upper limit according to the moving speed, and conversely that the apparatus 1 is decelerating. In the case shown, there is a method of gradually lowering the recording rate with the set lower limit as the lower limit according to the moving speed.

  Of course, it is also possible to determine the recording rate by using both the displacement data supplied from the displacement detector 14 and the movement data supplied from the movement detector 16. In particular, when both the image recording apparatus 1 and the subject are moving, the displacement on the image data due to the movement of the image recording apparatus 1 and the displacement on the image data due to the movement of the subject. It becomes difficult to distinguish.

  However, in this embodiment, as described above, the movement amount and the movement direction of the image recording apparatus 1 detected by the movement detection unit 16 are used, and on the image data detected by the displacement detection unit 14. By removing the influence of the movement of the image recording apparatus 1 from the displacement amount and the displacement direction, the actually moving subject can be accurately detected.

    That is, by applying the present invention, the image recording apparatus 1 according to this embodiment detects the movement of the subject even when both the image recording apparatus 1 and the subject are arbitrarily moving. It is possible to record image data more efficiently by determining the recording rate according to the detected movement of the subject.

  The imaging rate can be determined by the same method as the recording rate described above, but it is necessary to control the imaging rate so that it is always higher than the recording rate (so that the recording rate is always lower than the imaging rate). There is.

[About recording control processing]
Next, the recording control process in the control unit 16 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  The control unit 15 starts the recording control process shown in FIG. 8 based on the command supplied to the command receiving unit 66. First, the computing unit 63 sets initial values for the imaging rate and recording rate (step S101). Next, the imaging rate control unit 62 starts control to capture the imaging unit 11 at the imaging rate set in step S101, and the recording rate control unit 64 sets the recording unit 13 to the recording rate set in step S101. Then, control is started so as to record (step S102).

  Thereafter, when the imaging rate is changed, the control unit 15 controls the imaging unit 11 to take an image at the changed imaging rate. When the recording rate is changed, the control unit 15 records at the changed recording rate. The recording unit 13 is controlled.

  The computing unit 63 determines whether or not a recording rate change request has been received through the command receiving unit 66 (step S103). The request content for changing the recording rate may be a request to change to a predetermined recording rate, a request to change a predetermined value from the current recording rate, or a request to change to the maximum recording rate. . The request for setting the recording rate to zero has the same meaning as stopping the recording of image data.

And then. When it is determined in the determination process of step S103 that there is no request for changing the recording rate (No), the calculation unit 16 receives the movement data through the movement data reception unit 65 (step S104). Based on the above, it is determined whether or not to change the recording rate (step S105). As a criterion for determining whether or not to change the recording rate, for example, if the moving speed or moving direction of the device 1 indicated by the moving data is outside a predetermined range , the recording rate is changed, while the moving speed or moving direction is If it is within the predetermined range, the recording rate can be left unchanged.

  If it is determined in step S105 that the recording rate is to be changed (Yes), the calculation unit 63 receives the displacement data through the displacement data receiving unit 61 (step S106), and based on the received displacement data. Then, it is determined whether or not to change the recording rate (step S107). As a criterion for determining whether or not to change the recording rate, for example, the recording rate is changed if the displacement speed or the displacement direction of the subject indicated by the displacement data is outside the predetermined range, while the displacement speed or the displacement direction is within the predetermined range. If it is within the range, the recording rate may not be changed.

  When it is determined in step S107 that the recording rate is to be changed (Yes), the calculation unit 63 performs a recording rate changing process, which will be described in detail later, and captures the imaging rate and the recording rate, which are the results, respectively. Notification is made to the frame controller 62 and the recording rate controller 64, and the imaging unit 11 and the recording unit 13 are controlled through them to change the recording rate (step S108).

  Then, the calculation unit 63 determines whether or not the recording end command is received through the command receiving unit 66, that is, whether or not to end the recording control process (step S109), and when it is determined not to end (NO) The process from step S103 is repeated, and when it is determined that the process is to be ended (Yes), the process shown in FIG. 8 is ended. As described above, whether to continue or end the recording control process in step S109 can be determined by the command supplied from the command receiving unit 66.

  If it is determined in the determination process of step S103 that there is a request for changing the recording rate (Yes), the process proceeds to the process of step S108 described above, and the change process of the recording rate is performed.

  If it is determined in step S105 that the recording rate is not to be changed, and if it is determined in step S107 that the recording rate is not to be changed, the process proceeds to step S109, and the recording control process is performed. It is determined whether or not to end.

[Recording rate change processing]
Next, the recording rate changing process executed in step S108 of the recording control process shown in FIG. 8 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  The calculation unit 63 starts the recording rate change process shown in FIG. 9 in step S108 shown in FIG. First, the calculation unit 63 determines whether to increase or decrease the recording rate (step S201).

  In the determination processing in step S201, for example, when the displacement speed of the subject indicated by the displacement data is increased (the subject is accelerating), or the movement speed or rotation speed of the image recording apparatus 1 indicated by the movement data. Is increased (the device 1 is accelerating), the recording rate is determined to be increased. On the other hand, when the displacement speed of the subject indicated by the displacement data is decreased (the subject is decelerating), Alternatively, it can be determined that the recording rate is lowered when the movement speed or the rotation speed of the apparatus 1 indicated by the movement data is decreasing (the apparatus 1 is decelerating).

  Further, in step S201, as described above, the displacement amount and the displacement direction on the image data indicated by the displacement data and the movement amount and the movement direction of the device 1 indicated by the movement data are used. It is also possible to detect the subject and determine whether to increase or decrease the recording rate based on the current recording rate and the detected moving speed of the subject.

  If it is determined in step S201 that the recording rate is to be increased (Up), the calculation unit 63 compares the recording rate when the recording rate is increased with the current imaging rate, and determines whether the recording rate exceeds the imaging rate. Is determined (step S202).

  If it is determined in step S202 that the recording rate exceeds the imaging rate (Yes), the calculation unit 63 notifies the imaging rate control unit 62 to increase the imaging rate (step S203), and then the recording rate. Is notified to the recording rate control unit 64 (step S204). If it is determined in step S202 that the recording rate does not exceed the imaging rate (No), the process proceeds to step S204, and the recording rate control unit increases the recording rate without performing step S203. 64 is notified. After the process of step S204, the process shown in FIG. 9 is exited, the process returns to the recording control process shown in FIG. 8, and the process from step S109 is performed.

  If it is determined in step S201 that the recording rate is to be reduced (down), the calculation unit 63 proceeds to step S205 and notifies the recording rate control unit 64 to decrease the recording rate (step S205). Step S205). Then, the calculation unit 63 determines whether or not to reduce the imaging rate (step S206). For example, when the current imaging rate value or the difference between the imaging rate and the recording rate is a predetermined value or more, or when the current imaging rate is a predetermined multiple of the recording rate, the imaging rate is lowered. Is determined.

  If it is determined in step S206 that the imaging rate is to be lowered (Yes), the arithmetic unit 63 notifies the imaging rate control unit 62 to lower the imaging rate (step S207), and thereafter the processing shown in FIG. The process returns to the recording control process shown in FIG. 8 and the processes from step S109 are performed. Also, if it is determined in step S206 that the imaging rate is not lowered (No), the process shown in FIG. 9 is skipped and the process returns to the recording control process shown in FIG. 8, and the process from step S109 is performed. It will be different.

  As described above, for example, when the subject is moving at a higher speed than the image recording apparatus 1 in a state where the image recording apparatus 1 of this embodiment is moving at a low speed, the displacement of the subject on the imaging data By increasing the recording rate in accordance with the speed, it is possible to record a larger amount of imaging data showing the subject.

  Further, for example, when the image recording apparatus 1 is moving in a state where the subject is stopped, imaging data representing the subject is obtained by increasing the recording rate in accordance with an increase in the moving speed of the apparatus 1. More data can be recorded, and the amount of image data to be recorded can be reduced by lowering the recording rate in accordance with the decrease in the moving speed of the image recording apparatus 1.

  That is, the absolute amount of displacement of the captured image is specified based on the amount of change in the relative position with respect to the subject, which is the displacement of the captured image, and the movement of the image recording apparatus itself, and the subject is photographed accordingly. The captured image data (image data) can be recorded at an optimum recording rate.

  Furthermore, if there are parts with different displacement speeds on the imaging data, the subject that moves at high speed but is not important by changing the recording rate according to the displacement speed of the part that occupies the largest area on the imaging data. The recording of imaging data including can be suppressed. Alternatively, when there are portions with different displacement speeds in the imaging data, recording of imaging data including a subject that moves at high speed but is not important by changing the recording rate according to the displacement speed of the central portion of the imaging data Can be suppressed.

  The most important feature of the image recording apparatus 1 according to this embodiment (the most important feature of the present invention) is that the recording rate and the imaging rate are varied based on the moving state of the image recording device 1 and the displacement state of the subject. By controlling, it is possible to suppress the data amount of image data to be recorded while recording as image data without missing a subject.

[Other embodiments]
The image recording apparatus 1 according to the embodiment described above controls the recording rate and the imaging rate in real time based on the moving state of the image recording apparatus 1 and the displacement state of the subject at the time of shooting, and the image to be recorded on the recording medium. The amount of data was suppressed. However, at the time of shooting, when the image data is recorded on the recording medium without suppressing the data amount, and the recorded image data is recorded and stored on another recording medium, the data amount of the image data to be stored is reduced. Sometimes you want to suppress it.

  Therefore, an image recording system according to another embodiment includes an image recording device (camera device) 2 and an image processing device (recorder) 3. The image recording device 2 captures image data (imaging image) obtained by imaging. (Data) is recorded as it is on the recording medium without suppressing the data amount. Then, the amount of image data to be stored is suppressed when image data that has been shot and recorded on a recording medium is transferred to another recording medium for storage. That is, the amount of image data can be suppressed by batch processing.

[Image recording apparatus 2 of image processing system]
FIG. 10 is a block diagram for explaining an image recording apparatus 2 constituting an image processing system according to another embodiment. The image recording apparatus 2 in this example is configured to output the information read from the recording medium 17 to an external device, and a writing / reading unit 19 that performs recording processing and reading processing of image data on the recording medium. An output terminal 20 is provided.

  Each unit other than the write / read unit 19 and the output terminal 20 is basically configured in the same manner as each unit shown in FIG. For this reason, in the image processing apparatus 2 shown in FIG. 10, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same parts as those in the image recording apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1.

  In the case of the image processing apparatus 2 of this embodiment, the amount of image data to be recorded on the recording medium 17 is not suppressed at the time of photographing, and the image data of the photographed image is recorded on the recording medium 17 as it is. To do. Of course, at the time of recording, predetermined processing such as data compression processing and data format conversion processing of image data is also performed.

  In the image recording apparatus 2, when the image data of the captured image is recorded on the recording medium 17, the displacement amount and the displacement direction of the subject detected based on the image data of the image captured by the displacement detection unit 14. And the movement data, which is information related to the spatial movement of the image recording apparatus 2 detected by the movement detection unit 16, are supplied to the writing / reading unit 19 through the control unit 15, for example, and the additional information is imaged. The image data is recorded on the recording medium 17 so as to be associated with the image data of the selected image (synchronized).

  That is, information regarding the amount and direction of displacement of the subject generated between the previous frame and information about the spatial movement of the image recording apparatus 2 is recorded in association with the image data of each captured screen (each frame). I have to. Of course, information regarding the amount and direction of displacement of the subject and the spatial movement of the image recording apparatus 2 can be associated with image data every other frame.

  When the image data recorded on the recording medium 17 is read out after the photographing is finished, the writing / reading unit 19 reads the displacement data recorded on the recording medium and the image recording apparatus 2 together with the image data. The movement data is read out and can be output to the outside through the output terminal 20 without damaging the relationship with the image data. In this example, the writing / reading unit 19 also performs compression / decompression processing and data format conversion processing of the read image data.

  As described above, the image recording apparatus 2 according to the other embodiment does not perform the process of suppressing the data amount of the captured image data to be recorded on the recording medium 17 at the time of shooting. In some cases, when image data recorded on the recording medium 17 is read from the recording medium 17, the displacement data for the subject associated with the image data and the movement data for the image recording apparatus 2 are read to obtain the image data. At the same time, it can be output to the outside.

[Regarding Image Processing Device 3 of Image Processing System]
FIG. 11 is a block diagram for explaining an image processing apparatus 3 constituting an image processing system according to another embodiment. As shown in FIG. 11, the image processing apparatus 3 of this example includes an input terminal 71, an interface (hereinafter abbreviated as I / F) 72, a storage unit 73, a recording unit 74, a control unit 75, and an input unit 76. It is to be prepared.

  The input terminal 71 receives supply of image data, displacement data, and movement data output from the output terminal 20 of the image recording apparatus 2 shown in FIG. Information received through the input terminal 71 is supplied to the I / F 72. The I / F 72 separates each of the image data, the displacement data, and the movement data from the information supplied thereto, and supplies the image data to the storage unit 73 for recording, and the displacement data and the movement data. Are supplied to the control unit 75.

  The storage unit 73 includes a semiconductor memory or the like, and can temporarily store a plurality of images of image data supplied from the I / F 72. The image data stored (stored) in the storage unit 12 is read by the recording unit 74 as necessary.

  The recording unit 74 reads the image data stored in the storage unit 73 and writes the image data on the recording medium 77 together with the attribute information of the image data. In this case, the recording unit 74 changes the time interval (recording rate) at which the image data is thinned and recorded on the recording medium based on the control signal from the control unit 75.

  The control unit 75 controls the recording rate in the recording unit 74 based on the displacement data and movement data supplied from the I / F 72 or a command from the input unit 76. For example, when the image processing apparatus 3 shown in FIG. 11 can request the image recording apparatus 2 shown in FIG. 10 to change the information output speed (transfer speed), the control unit 75. It is also possible to control the data fetch speed in the I / F 72 by controlling the above.

  The input unit 76 includes a plurality of operation keys such as a recording operation start key and an end key, receives a command input by the user of the image processing apparatus 3, and notifies the control unit 75 of the command. Thereby, the control part 75 controls each part, and the image processing apparatus 3 can perform the process according to the instruction | indication from a user.

  As described above, the recording unit 74 increases the image data to be recorded on the recording medium 77 according to the movement data at the time of shooting of the image recording apparatus 2 and the displacement data of the subject image under the control of the control unit 75. Can be reduced or reduced. That is, the amount of image data to be saved is suppressed when image data photographed by the image recording device 2 and recorded on the recording medium 17 is re-recorded on another recording medium 77 for saving, for example. To be able to.

  As described above, in the image processing system of the other embodiment, when the image data recorded on the recording medium 17 by the image recording apparatus 2 is re-recorded on the recording medium 77 by using the image processing apparatus 3. In other words, the amount of image data recorded on the recording medium 77 by so-called batch processing can be suppressed. That is, the recording control process and the recording rate change process described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9 are executed in the image processing apparatus 3 shown in FIG.

  In the case of this example, the output terminal 20 of the image recording apparatus 2 and the input terminal 71 of the image processing apparatus 3 shown in FIG. However, it is not limited to this. The image recording device 2 illustrated in FIG. 10 includes a transmission unit for information read from the recording medium, and the image processing device 3 illustrated in FIG. 11 includes a reception unit for information transmitted from the image recording device 2. It is also possible to connect the image recording device 2 and the image processing device 3 wirelessly.

  In this case, the image recording apparatus 2 and the image processing apparatus 3 can be connected through a LAN (Local Area Network) or can be connected through a wide area network such as the Internet.

  Further, in the image recording device 2 shown in FIG. 10, the writing / reading unit 19 is changed to a transmission unit that transmits information to the image processing device 3, and the I / F 72 of the image processing device 3 shown in FIG. By changing the information from the recording device 2 to the receiving unit, the imaging data captured by the image recording device 2, the amount of displacement of the subject image, and the information related to the spatial movement of the image recording device 2 at the time of shooting can be handled. In addition, the image data can be transmitted to the image processing apparatus 3, and the image recording apparatus 3 can record the imaging data from the image recording apparatus 2 on the recording medium 76 in real time.

  In this case, the data amount of the imaging data recorded on the recording medium 77 can be suppressed based on the displacement amount of the subject image provided simultaneously and information on the spatial movement of the image recording device 2 at the time of photographing. .

  In addition, a recording / reproducing apparatus having a reproducing function from a recording medium and a recording function to another recording medium can be configured. That is, the image processing apparatus 3 shown in FIG. 11 records the image data, the amount of displacement of the subject image, and the information related to the spatial movement of the image recording apparatus 2 at the time of shooting (recording medium of the supply source). And a reading unit for reading out the image data recorded on the recording medium of the supply source, the amount of displacement of the subject image, and information regarding the spatial movement of the image recording apparatus 2 at the time of shooting.

  The image data read by the newly provided reading unit is supplied to the storage unit 73, and the control unit 75 stores the read displacement amount of the subject image and information on the spatial movement of the image recording apparatus 2 at the time of shooting. To supply. As described above, if the playback function from the recording medium and the recording function to another recording medium are provided, the image data recorded on the recording medium 17 is recorded when the other recording medium 77 is recorded. A recording / reproducing apparatus capable of suppressing the data amount of image data can be realized.

[Others]
In the above-described embodiment, the movement detection unit 16 has been described as including the acceleration detection unit 51, the angular velocity detection unit 52, and the position information reception unit 53. However, it is not limited to this. A movement detection unit including at least one of an acceleration detection unit, an angular velocity detection unit, and a position information reception unit can be configured, or any of the acceleration detection unit, the angular velocity detection unit, and the position information reception unit can be configured. It is also possible to configure a movement detection unit having two.

  Of course, the speed at that time is obtained from the acceleration detected by the acceleration detector 51 and the unit time, and this speed may be used as one of movement data that is information relating to the spatial movement of the image recording apparatus. . The number of changes in the movement direction can also be used as movement data.

  In the above-described embodiment, the recording unit 13 and the recording unit 74 adjust the number of frames of image data to be recorded by changing the recording rate, so that the image data to be recorded on the recording media 17 and 77 is recorded. The amount of data was adjusted. However, it is not limited to this. For example, you may make it adjust the compression rate, color, etc. of image data.

  For example, when the displacement of the subject image or the movement of the image recording device is large, the compression rate is reduced or the color expression accuracy is increased, and when the displacement of the subject image or the movement of the image recording device is small, It is also possible to suppress the data amount of the image data by increasing the compression rate or decreasing the color expression accuracy. As described above, the adjustment of the image data may be suppressed not only by the thinning process of the image data in units of frames but also by adjusting the image data for each frame.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an image recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the imaging part of FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a recording unit in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the displacement detection part of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating how to obtain | require the displacement amount of image data. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a movement detection unit in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control unit in FIG. 1. It is a flowchart explaining a recording control process. It is a flowchart explaining a recording rate change process. It is a block diagram for demonstrating the image recording device of the image processing system to which this invention is applied. It is a block diagram for demonstrating the image processing apparatus of the image processing system to which this invention is applied.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image recording device, 11 ... Imaging part, 12 ... Storage part, 13 ... Recording part, 14 ... Displacement detection part , 15 ... Control part, 16 ... Movement detection part, 17 ... Recording medium, 18 ... Input part

Claims (14)

An imaging means for capturing a subject and generating image data;
Storage means for storing a plurality of image data generated by the imaging means;
Recording means for recording the image data stored in the storage means on a recording medium;
A movement detection means for detecting information relating to the movement of the aircraft itself;
Displacement detection means for detecting information on displacement between adjacent images based on image data of adjacent images captured by the imaging means and stored in the storage means;
It is necessary to determine whether or not it is necessary to adjust the data amount of the image data recorded on the recording medium according to the detection result by the movement detection unit and the detection result by the displacement detection unit. If it is determined that there is, the detection result is corrected using the detection result by the movement detection unit so as to remove the influence of the movement of the own machine itself from the detection result by the displacement detection unit, and the corrected displacement An image recording apparatus comprising: a control unit that controls one or both of the imaging unit and the recording unit according to a detection result of the detection unit to adjust a data amount of image data to be recorded on the recording medium. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1,
The movement detection means includes an acceleration detection means, and detects an acceleration during movement of the image recording apparatus. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1,
The movement detection means includes an angular velocity detection means, and detects an angular velocity when the image recording apparatus is rotationally moved. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1,
The movement detecting unit includes a position information receiving unit, and detects a displacement amount of a position of the image recording device. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1,
The displacement detection means is an image recording apparatus that detects a displacement amount and a displacement direction of a portion where the displacement portion is the widest on the image data. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1,
The displacement detecting means, on the image data, an image recording device for detecting a displacement amount of the portion to be displaced in its central portion and the displacement direction. An imaging step of capturing a subject and generating image data;
A storage step of storing a plurality of image data generated in the imaging step in a predetermined memory;
A recording step of recording the image data stored in the memory in the storage step on a recording medium;
A movement detection step for detecting information related to the movement of the aircraft itself;
A displacement detection step of detecting information about displacement between adjacent images based on image data of adjacent images captured in the imaging step and stored in a predetermined memory in the storage step;
In accordance with the detection result detected in the movement detection step and the detection result detected in the displacement detection step, it is determined whether or not it is necessary to adjust the data amount of the image data to be recorded on the recording medium, When it is determined that adjustment is necessary, the detection result is corrected to remove the influence of the movement of the own machine from the detection result detected in the displacement detection step using the detection result detected in the movement detection step. Then, in accordance with the detection result detected in the corrected displacement detection step, one or both of the processing in the imaging step and the processing in the recording step is controlled, and data of image data to be recorded on the recording medium And a control step for adjusting the amount. The image recording method according to claim 7 , comprising:
In the movement detecting step, an image recording method for detecting an acceleration during movement of the own device through an acceleration detecting means. The image recording method according to claim 7 , comprising:
In the movement detecting step, an image recording method for detecting an angular velocity during the rotational movement of the own machine through each speed detecting means. The image recording method according to claim 7 , comprising:
In the movement detection step, an image recording method for detecting a displacement amount of the position of the own device through a position information receiving means. The image recording method according to claim 7 , comprising:
In the displacement detection step, an image recording method for detecting a displacement amount and a displacement direction of a widest portion on the image data. The image recording method according to claim 7 , comprising:
In the displacement detection step, an image recording method for detecting a displacement amount and a displacement direction of a portion displaced at a central portion of the image data. An image recording system comprising: an image recording apparatus that records captured image data on a recording medium; and an image processing apparatus that records image data recorded on the recording medium by the image recording apparatus on another recording medium,
The image recording apparatus includes:
An imaging means for capturing a subject and generating image data;
Movement detecting means for detecting information relating to movement of the image recording apparatus;
By the imaging unit, based on the image data of adjacent image stored in the store means, and displacement detecting means for detecting information about displacement between adjacent image,
A recording unit that records the image data generated by the imaging unit, the movement state detected by the movement detection unit, and information about the displacement detected by the displacement detection unit on a predetermined recording medium;
Reading means for reading out the image data recorded on the recording medium, the information related to the movement, and the information related to the displacement;
An output terminal for outputting information read by the reading means,
The image processing apparatus includes:
An input terminal for receiving input of information output from the image recording apparatus;
Recording processing means for recording the image data received through the input terminal on another recording medium;
It is necessary to determine whether or not it is necessary to adjust the amount of image data to be recorded on the other recording medium based on the information on the movement received through the input terminal and the information on the displacement. If it is determined that there is, the information on the movement is used to correct the information on the displacement so as to remove the influence of the movement of the image recording apparatus from the information on the displacement. And a control means for controlling the recording processing means and adjusting the amount of image data to be recorded on the other recording medium. An image used in an image recording system comprising an image recording apparatus that records captured image data on a recording medium, and an image processing apparatus that records image data recorded on the recording medium by the image recording apparatus on another recording medium. A recording method,
In the image recording apparatus,
An imaging step of capturing a subject and generating image data;
A movement detection step for detecting information relating to movement of the image recording apparatus;
Is imaged in the imaging step, on the basis of the image data of the adjacent images stored to a Jo Tokoro memory, a displacement detection step of detecting information about displacement between adjacent image,
A recording step of recording the image data generated in the imaging step, the information on the movement detected in the movement detection step, and the information on the displacement detected in the displacement detection step on a predetermined recording medium;
A step of reading out the image data recorded on the recording medium, information on the movement, and information on the displacement;
An output step for outputting the information read in the reading step;
In the image processing apparatus,
A receiving step for receiving the image data output from the image recording apparatus, the information on the movement, and the information on the displacement;
A recording processing step for recording the image data received through the receiving step in another recording medium;
It is necessary to determine whether or not it is necessary to adjust the amount of image data to be recorded on the other recording medium based on the information on the movement received through the receiving step and the information on the displacement. If it is determined that there is, the information on the movement is used to correct the information on the displacement so as to remove the influence of the movement of the image recording apparatus from the information on the displacement. And a control step of adjusting the amount of image data to be recorded on the other recording medium by controlling the processing in the recording processing step.

Images