JP5807565B2 - Imaging apparatus and control method thereof - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus and a control method thereof.

  A technique is known in which a user remotely operates an imaging device such as a video camera using a remote controller, a portable terminal, or the like. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for causing an imaging device to perform operations such as panning and tilting when a user operates a button such as a remote controller. As a result, the user can remotely operate the imaging apparatus even at a position away from the imaging apparatus.

JP 2000-59668 A

  However, in conventional remote control operations, when the user presses the right button on the remote control, the imaging device pans to the right, and when the left button is pressed, the imaging device pans to the left . That is, the direction of the operation button of the remote controller and the operation direction of the imaging device are fixed.

  However, in a situation where the relative positional relationship between the imaging device and the user is not fixed, the imaging direction of the imaging device and the user's line-of-sight direction may face different directions. In such a case, the right direction with respect to the imaging direction of the imaging device does not necessarily match the right direction with respect to the user's line-of-sight direction.

  For example, when the user takes a self-portrait, the imaging direction of the imaging device and the viewing direction of the user face each other. Therefore, the right direction with respect to the imaging direction of the imaging device is the left direction with respect to the user's line-of-sight direction. As a result, when the user wants to pan the imaging direction to the left with respect to the line-of-sight direction, the user has to press the right direction button of the remote controller, and there is a problem that the operation cannot be performed intuitively.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides an imaging apparatus capable of intuitive operation and a control method thereof.

An imaging apparatus (100) according to an aspect of the present invention is an imaging apparatus (100) capable of panning, and communication means (309) that receives a first or second instruction signal for instructing a panning direction. A pan control means (pan tilt control unit 401) for causing the imaging device (100) to execute the pan operation based on the pan direction corresponding to the first or second instruction signal, and the first instruction. The pan direction corresponding to the signal is switched from the first direction to a second direction that is opposite to the first direction, and the pan direction corresponding to the second instruction signal is switched to the second direction. Pan direction switching means (402) for switching from the direction to the first direction.
Moreover, it is provided on the side surface of the imaging device (100), has a display (31), can change the orientation of the display (31), and detects the orientation of the display (31). Display direction detection means (403), wherein the pan direction switching means (402) is based on the orientation of the display (31) detected by the display direction detection means (403). The pan direction corresponding to the instruction signal 2 may be switched.
The pan control means (pan / tilt control unit 401) indicates the speed of the pan operation when the direction of the display (31) is the opening direction of the lens barrel of the imaging device (100). ) May be slower than the speed when the direction is the direction opposite to the opening direction.
Further, the communication means (309) receives a direction switching signal transmitted from a remote controller (9) operated by a user, and the pan direction switching means (402) is based on the direction switching signal. The pan direction corresponding to the second instruction signal may be switched.
The imaging device (100) can be mounted on a pan head (500) that rotates the imaging device (100) in the pan direction using a driving unit, and the pan control unit (pan tilt control unit 401) A pan control signal for causing the imaging apparatus to execute the pan operation may be output to the pan head (500).
A method for controlling an imaging apparatus (100) according to an aspect of the present invention is a method for controlling an imaging apparatus (100) capable of panning operation, and receives a first or second instruction signal for instructing a pan direction. Then, based on the pan direction corresponding to the received first or second instruction signal, the imaging device (100) performs the pan operation, and the pan direction corresponding to the first instruction signal is determined. The first direction is switched to the second direction that is opposite to the first direction, and the pan direction corresponding to the second instruction signal is changed from the second direction to the first direction. Switch to.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the imaging device which can be operated intuitively, and its control method can be provided.

1 is an external perspective view of an imaging apparatus according to an embodiment. It is a front view of the imaging device concerning an embodiment. It is a front view of the imaging device concerning an embodiment. It is a block diagram of the imaging device concerning an embodiment. It is a top view of the remote control concerning an embodiment. It is a block diagram of the remote control concerning an embodiment. It is a figure which shows the state in which the imaging device and the user are facing the same direction. It is a top view which shows the direction of an imaging device and a user. It is a figure showing pan operation of an imaging device It is a figure which shows the state which the imaging device and the user are facing the opposite direction. It is a top view which shows the direction of an imaging device and a user. It is a figure showing pan operation of an imaging device

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 3 are external views showing an overall configuration of the imaging apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. In the following description, an xyz orthogonal coordinate system as shown in the figure is used for clarity of explanation.

  Here, the x-axis indicates the front-rear direction of the imaging apparatus 100, the y-axis indicates the up-down direction (vertical direction) of the imaging apparatus 100, and the z-axis indicates the left-right direction (lateral direction, width direction) of the imaging apparatus 100. ing. That is, the x direction is a direction parallel to the optical axis of the lens provided in the imaging apparatus 100, and the y direction and the z direction are directions perpendicular to the optical axis of the lens provided in the imaging apparatus 100. Furthermore, the direction is specified based on the user holding the imaging apparatus 100. That is, the + x side is the rear side (opposite side of the lens barrel opening side), the -x side is the front side (lens barrel opening side), the + y side is the upper side, the -y side is the lower side, the + z side is the left side,- The z side is the right side. Of course, the above directions are relative and change according to the orientation of the imaging apparatus 100.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the imaging apparatus 100 includes a main body case 1, a front cover 2, a monitor unit 3, a hinge 4, and an operation unit 5. A front cover 2 is attached to the front end of the main body case 1. In FIG. 1, the lens barrier 21 provided on the front cover 2 is in a closed state. The main body case 1 is a housing that stores a lens unit having a plurality of lenses, an image sensor, a battery, a Wi-Fi module, and the like.

  A monitor unit 3 is provided on the left side surface of the main body case 1. The monitor unit 3 is connected to the main body case 1 via a hinge 4. The monitor unit 3 includes a subject, a stored image data, setting information, a liquid crystal display for displaying other information, and the like. For example, the user turns on the power by opening the monitor unit 3 in order to perform imaging.

  The operation unit 5 is provided at the rear end of the upper surface of the main body case 1. The operation unit 5 includes buttons, levers, and the like, and accepts operations according to shutter operations, zoom operations, and other various commands. When the touch panel function is provided, the liquid crystal display of the monitor unit 3 becomes a part of the operation unit. Further, the arrangement position of the operation unit 5 is not limited to the rear end of the upper surface of the main body case 1.

  2 and 3 are front views showing a state in which the monitor unit 3 is opened. When the monitor unit 3 is opened, the lens barrier 21 is opened. When the lens barrier 21 is opened, the lens 6 is exposed through the opening provided in the front cover 2. As a result, the imaging apparatus 100 becomes ready for imaging. In the state in which the monitor unit 3 is opened, the liquid crystal display 31 of the monitor unit 3 is arranged on the rear side, that is, in the direction opposite to the opening direction of the lens barrel (see FIG. 2).

  The monitor unit 3 is rotatably connected to the main body case 1 (main body unit) when the monitor unit 3 is opened. Specifically, the monitor unit 3 is connected to be rotatable about an axis (z axis) orthogonal to the optical axis (x axis). By rotating the monitor unit 3, the orientation of the liquid crystal display 31 changes from the rear side to the front side (the opening direction of the lens barrel) (see FIG. 3).

  Next, the internal configuration of the imaging apparatus 100 will be described. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the internal configuration of the imaging apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. The imaging device 100 can capture a moving image and a still image.

  The central control unit 400 is configured by a semiconductor integrated circuit including a CPU, a ROM storing various programs, a RAM as a work area, and the like. The imaging apparatus 100 performs imaging, display of various images, and transmission / reception of information related to cooperative shooting. Overall control of the entire process.

  The image capturing apparatus 100 includes an image capturing unit including a zoom lens 101, a focus lens 102, a diaphragm 103, and an image sensor 104. The zoom lens 101 is moved along the optical axis LA by a zoom actuator (not shown). Similarly, the focus lens 102 moves along the optical axis LA by a focus actuator (not shown). The diaphragm 103 operates by being driven by a diaphragm actuator (not shown). The imaging element 104 is configured by a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor), or the like.

  Imaging using the imaging apparatus 100 is performed according to the following procedure. The image sensor 104 photoelectrically converts light that has passed through the zoom lens 101, the focus lens 102, and the diaphragm 103 to generate an analog image signal of the subject. After the analog image signal processing unit 105 amplifies the analog image signal, the image A / D conversion unit 106 converts the amplified signal into digital image data. The image input controller 107 takes in digital image data output from the image A / D conversion unit 106 as imaging data and stores it in the main memory 206 via the bus 200.

  The digital signal processing unit 108 captures image data stored in the main memory 206 based on a command from the central control unit 400 via the bus 200, performs predetermined signal processing, and data including a luminance signal and a color difference signal. Is generated. The digital signal processing unit 108 also performs various digital corrections such as offset processing, white balance adjustment processing, gamma correction processing, RGB interpolation processing, noise reduction processing, contour correction processing, color tone correction processing, and light source type determination processing.

  The microphone 109 picks up surrounding sounds at the time of imaging and generates an analog sound signal. After the analog audio signal processing unit 110 amplifies the analog audio signal, the audio A / D conversion unit 111 converts the amplified signal into digital audio data. The voice input controller 112 stores the digital voice data output from the voice A / D converter 111 in the main memory 206 together with the imaging data.

  The multiplexing unit 113 multiplexes the imaging data and digital audio data stored in the main memory 206 to generate stream data.

  The compression / decompression processing unit 201 performs predetermined compression processing on the stream data stored in the main memory 206 in accordance with an instruction from the central control unit 400 via the bus 200 to generate compressed data. Further, in accordance with a command from the central control unit 400, the compressed data stored in the card-type recording medium 302 or the like is subjected to decompression processing in a predetermined format to generate uncompressed data. Note that in the imaging apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, a compression method compliant with the JPEG standard is used for still images, and MPEG2 standard or AVC / H. A compression method conforming to the H.264 standard is adopted.

  The sound / image processing unit 202 performs predetermined image processing on the digital data read from the main memory 206 in accordance with instructions from the central control unit 400 via the bus 200. For example, image data for various processing such as a menu image and an OSD image is generated, and the image data is superimposed on the original image data read from the main memory 206 and output to the liquid crystal display 31. With this output, the image displayed on the liquid crystal display 31 is a composite of various image data. Instead of the liquid crystal display 31, other monitors such as an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) monitor may be used.

  The ROM 203 is connected to the central control unit 400 via the bus 200 and stores a control program executed by the central control unit 400 and various data necessary for control. The flash ROM 204 stores various setting information related to the operation of the imaging apparatus 1, such as user setting information. The imaging apparatus 100 stores in advance in the flash ROM 204 several imaging modes and imaging condition settings according to each mode in accordance with various imaging situations. And before starting imaging, the user can perform imaging under optimal imaging conditions by selecting an optimal mode from each mode. For example, a “portrait mode” suitable for capturing a specific person, a “sport mode” suitable for capturing an athletic meet, or a “night view mode” suitable for capturing a dark place such as a night view.

  The flash ROM 204 also stores face information of a person registered in advance (for example, face information of the user of the imaging device 100). The face recognition processing unit 404 detects the face of a person registered in advance based on the face information stored in the flash ROM 204. For the face detection process, a known technique can be used. Further, since the face recognition process is a widely known technique, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The VRAM 205 is used as a temporary storage area for image data for display. The main memory 206 is used as a temporary storage area for various image data, and is also used as a calculation work area for the central control unit 400.

  The media control unit 207 controls data writing to and data reading from the card-type recording medium 302 through the card I / F 301 in accordance with instructions from the central control unit 400. The card-type recording medium 302 is an external memory such as an SD card or a compact flash (registered trademark), and is provided so as to be detachable from the imaging apparatus 100.

  The gyro sensor 208 detects changes in triaxial acceleration and angular velocity, and detects pan / tilt amounts and vertical and horizontal camera shake amounts of the imaging apparatus 100. The clock 209 generates information about the acquisition date and time of imaging data.

  The liquid crystal display 31, the speaker 305, the operation unit 5, and the input / output terminal 307 are connected to the input / output I / F 303. The liquid crystal display 31 displays images generated from various image data such as imaging data temporarily recorded in the VRAM 205 or the main memory 206 and various menu image data. The speaker 305 outputs sound temporarily recorded in the main memory 206, for example. As described above, the operation unit 5 includes operation keys including a relays switch and a power switch, a cross key, a joystick, a touch panel superimposed on the liquid crystal display 31, and the like. Accept operation input. The input / output terminal 307 is connected to a pan head, a television monitor, a PC (Personal Computer), or the like that can perform a pan operation and a tilt operation (not shown).

  The wireless module 309 (communication means) transmits / receives a signal to / from a remote controller described later via the bus 200 and the wireless I / F 308. Specifically, the wireless module 309 performs wireless communication processing such as Wi-Fi and infrared rays. This enables communication with the remote control.

  The central control unit 400 includes a pan / tilt control unit 401, a pan direction switching unit 402, a display direction detection unit 403, and a face recognition processing unit 404. The pan / tilt control unit 401 generates a control signal for executing the pan operation and the tilt operation based on the pan direction and tilt direction instruction signals transmitted from the remote controller. Then, the generated control signal is output to a pan head (not shown). Thereby, the imaging device 100 mounted on the pan head rotates in the pan direction and the tilt direction. The pan direction means the horizontal direction, and the tilt direction means the vertical direction.

  The pan direction switching unit 402 changes the pan direction corresponding to the left direction pan instruction signal (first instruction signal) instructing the left pan operation from the left direction (first direction) to the right direction (second direction). Direction). Accordingly, the pan direction switching unit 402 switches the pan direction corresponding to the right direction pan instruction signal (second instruction signal) instructing the right pan operation from the right direction to the left direction. That is, the pan direction switching unit 402 inverts the pan direction corresponding to the left and right pan instruction signals. At this time, the above left direction and right direction mean the left direction and the right direction with respect to the opening direction of the lens barrel (the imaging direction of the imaging device, the −x direction). The pan direction switching unit 402 performs pan direction switching processing based on the direction of the liquid crystal display 31 and the direction switching signal from the remote controller. The details of the pan direction switching process will be described later.

  The display direction detection unit 403 detects the orientation of the liquid crystal display 31. That is, the display direction detection unit 403 determines whether the liquid crystal display 31 faces the front of the imaging apparatus 100 (the opening direction of the lens barrel, the −x direction) or the rear of the imaging apparatus (opposite to the opening direction of the lens barrel). Direction, + x direction). The detection means may be a mechanical type or an electronic type. For example, a mechanical switch may be provided inside the hinge 4, and the orientation of the liquid crystal display 31 may be detected when the monitor unit 3 is rotated and the switch is pressed. Further, the rotation angle of the monitor unit 3 may be detected, and the orientation of the liquid crystal display 31 may be detected based on the detected angle. In the present embodiment, the orientation of the liquid crystal display 31 detected by the display direction detection unit 403 has two options of front and rear.

  Next, a remote controller for remotely operating the imaging apparatus 100 will be described. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the remote controller 9. The remote control 9 includes a recording button 91, a stop button 92, a telephoto (TELE) button 93, a wide-angle (WIDE) button 94, an up direction button 95, a right direction button 96, a down direction button 97, and a left direction. A button 98 and a switching button 99 are provided. The remote controller 9 transmits an instruction signal to the imaging apparatus 100 using a wireless unit (not shown) in response to pressing of the operation button. The button configuration of the remote controller 9 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. In addition, a smartphone or the like can be used in place of the remote controller 9 by installing a dedicated application on a mobile terminal such as a smartphone.

  The recording button 91 is a button for instructing the imaging apparatus 100 to start recording. The stop button 92 is a button for instructing the imaging apparatus 100 to stop recording. The telephoto button 93 is a button for instructing the imaging apparatus 100 to zoom in. The wide-angle button 94 is a button for instructing the imaging apparatus 100 to zoom out.

  The up button 95 and the down button 97 are buttons for instructing the imaging apparatus 100 to perform a tilt operation. When the up button 95 is pressed, the imaging direction of the imaging apparatus 100 changes upward. When the down button 97 is pressed, the imaging direction of the imaging apparatus 100 changes downward. The left direction button 98 and the right direction button 96 are buttons for instructing the imaging apparatus 100 to perform a pan operation. When the left direction button 98 is pressed, the imaging direction of the imaging apparatus 100 changes to the left (or right) with respect to the opening direction of the lens barrel. When the right direction button 96 is pressed, the imaging direction of the imaging apparatus 100 changes to the right (or left) with respect to the opening direction of the lens barrel.

  The switching button 99 is a button for instructing switching of the correspondence relationship between the instruction signal for the imaging apparatus 100 and the direction in which the pan operation is performed. Specifically, when the switching button 99 is pressed, the remote controller 9 transmits a direction switching signal to the imaging device 100. The pan direction switching unit 402 switches the correspondence relationship between the pan direction instruction signal and the direction in which the pan operation is performed according to the direction switch signal. That is, in addition to the orientation of the liquid crystal display 31, the pan direction switching unit 402 can switch the correspondence between the pan direction instruction signal and the pan operation direction using the direction switch signal.

  As a result, when the pan direction corresponding to the instruction signal is switched according to the orientation of the liquid crystal display 31, the correspondence between the instruction signal and the direction in which the pan operation is performed can be obtained by pressing the switch button 99 of the remote controller 9. It can be restored. Furthermore, irrespective of the orientation of the liquid crystal display 31, the correspondence relationship between the instruction signal and the direction in which the pan operation is performed can be switched. Note that the direction switching signal may be output by simultaneously pressing a plurality of buttons on the remote controller 9.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the remote controller 9 according to the present embodiment. The remote controller 9 includes an operation unit 901, a control unit 902, and a communication unit 903.

  The operation unit 901 is each button shown in FIG. The control unit 902 generates an instruction signal corresponding to the button in response to pressing of each button of the operation unit 901. The communication unit 903 performs wireless communication processing such as Wi-Fi and infrared and transmits an instruction signal to the imaging apparatus 100.

  Subsequently, the switching process by the pan direction switching unit 402 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 7 to 12, the imaging device 100 is mounted on the pan head 500. Accordingly, a control signal for executing the pan operation and the tilt operation can be output from the pan / tilt control unit 401 to the pan / tilt head 500 via the input / output terminal 307 of the imaging apparatus 100.

  The pan head 500 is provided with a motor (drive means) (not shown). The motor rotates the pan head 500 in the pan direction or the tilt direction in accordance with a control signal from the pan / tilt control unit 401. Further, the pan head 500 on which the imaging device 100 is mounted is not fixed to the ground and can be carried. Therefore, the relative positions of the imaging device 100 and the user 900 can be changed as appropriate.

  First, the case where the imaging direction d1 of the imaging device 100 and the line-of-sight direction d2 of the user 900 face the same direction will be described with reference to FIGS. In this case, the user 900 remotely operates the imaging device 100 using the remote controller 9 from behind the imaging device 100. Therefore, the liquid crystal display 31 of the monitor unit 3 faces rearward (see FIG. 7).

  FIG. 8 is a diagram (plan view) of the positional relationship between the imaging apparatus 100 and the user 900 in FIG. 7 viewed from above. As described above, the imaging direction d1 and the line-of-sight direction d2 face the same direction. On the other hand, the direction d3 of the liquid crystal display 31 of the monitor unit 3 is opposite to the imaging direction d1 and the line-of-sight direction d2. Thus, the user 900 can remotely operate the imaging device 100 from the rear of the imaging device 100 while viewing the captured image displayed on the liquid crystal display 31.

  Here, a case where the imaging direction d1 of the imaging device 100 is changed to the left as viewed from the user 900 will be considered. The user 900 presses the left direction button 98 of the remote controller 9 in order to change the imaging direction d1 to the left with respect to the line-of-sight direction d2. Accordingly, an instruction signal (left pan instruction signal, first instruction signal) for executing a left panning operation is transmitted from the communication unit 903 of the remote control 9 to the wireless module 309 of the imaging apparatus 100.

  The wireless module 309 that has received the left pan instruction signal outputs the left pan instruction signal to the pan / tilt control unit 401. The pan / tilt control unit 401 generates a pan control signal for executing a pan operation based on the pan direction corresponding to the left direction pan instruction signal.

  At this time, the direction d3 of the liquid crystal display 31 is directed backward. Therefore, the display direction detection unit 403 detects that the liquid crystal display 31 is facing backward. In this case, it is considered that the line-of-sight direction d2 of the user 900 is facing a direction (imaging direction d1) opposite to the direction d3 of the liquid crystal display 31. For this reason, the left direction with respect to the line-of-sight direction d2 of the user 900 (the left direction intuitive to the user 900) and the left direction with respect to the imaging direction d1 of the imaging device 100 are the same direction. Therefore, a left pan operation is associated with the left pan instruction signal. The right panning instruction signal is associated with a panning operation in the right direction.

  The pan / tilt control unit 401 generates a pan control signal for executing a pan operation in the left direction corresponding to the left direction pan instruction signal. Then, the pan / tilt control unit 401 outputs the generated pan control signal to the pan head 500 motor. Thereby, the pan head 500 rotates counterclockwise in plan view (see FIG. 9). As a result, the imaging direction d1 changes to the left with respect to the line-of-sight direction d2. In other words, a panning operation in the left direction with respect to the imaging direction d1 is performed.

  Next, a case where the imaging direction d1 of the imaging device 100 and the line-of-sight direction d2 of the user 900 are opposed to each other (for example, when the user 900 takes a selfie) will be described with reference to FIGS. In this case, the user 900 remotely operates the imaging device 100 using the remote controller 9 from the front of the imaging device 100. Therefore, the liquid crystal display 31 of the monitor unit 3 faces forward (see FIG. 10).

  FIG. 11 is a diagram (plan view) of the positional relationship between the imaging device 100 and the user 900 in FIG. 10 viewed from above. As described above, the imaging direction d1 and the line-of-sight direction d2 are opposite to each other. That is, the imaging direction d1 and the line-of-sight direction d2 face each other. Further, the direction d3 of the liquid crystal display 31 of the monitor unit 3 is opposite to the line-of-sight direction d2. Accordingly, the user 900 can remotely operate the imaging apparatus 100 from the front of the imaging apparatus 100 while viewing the captured image displayed on the liquid crystal display 31.

  Here, consider a case where the imaging direction d1 of the imaging apparatus 100 is changed to the right as viewed from the user 900. The user 900 presses the right direction button 96 of the remote controller 9 in order to change the imaging direction d1 to the right with respect to the line-of-sight direction d2. As a result, an instruction signal (right direction pan instruction signal, second instruction signal) for executing a panning operation in the right direction is transmitted from the communication unit 903 of the remote control 9 to the wireless module 309 of the imaging apparatus 100.

  The wireless module 309 that has received the right direction pan instruction signal outputs the right direction pan instruction signal to the pan / tilt control unit 401. The pan / tilt control unit 401 generates a pan control signal for executing a pan operation based on the pan direction corresponding to the right direction pan instruction signal.

  At this time, the direction d3 of the liquid crystal display 31 is facing forward. Therefore, the display direction detection unit 403 detects that the liquid crystal display 31 is facing forward. In this case, it is considered that the line-of-sight direction d2 of the user 900 faces the direction opposite to the direction d3 of the liquid crystal display 31. For this reason, the right direction with respect to the line-of-sight direction d2 of the user 900 (right direction intuitive to the user 900) and the right direction with respect to the imaging direction d1 of the imaging device 100 are different directions. Specifically, the right direction with respect to the line-of-sight direction d2 of the user 900 is the left direction with respect to the imaging direction d1 of the imaging device 100. Therefore, when the liquid crystal display 31 is facing forward, the pan direction switching unit 402 switches the pan direction corresponding to the right direction pan instruction signal from the right direction to the left direction with respect to the imaging direction d1. At the same time, the pan direction switching unit 402 switches the pan direction corresponding to the left pan instruction signal from the left direction to the right direction with respect to the imaging direction d1.

  The pan / tilt control unit 401 generates a pan control signal for executing a pan operation in the left direction corresponding to the right direction pan instruction signal. Then, the pan / tilt control unit 401 outputs the generated pan control signal to a motor of the pan head 500 (not shown). Accordingly, as in FIG. 9, the pan head 500 rotates counterclockwise in plan view (see FIG. 12). As a result, the imaging direction d1 changes to the right with respect to the line-of-sight direction d2. In other words, a panning operation in the left direction with respect to the imaging direction d1 is performed.

  Of course, when the orientation of the liquid crystal display 31 is returned to the rear again, the correspondence relationship between the instruction signal and the panning direction returns to the relationship shown in FIGS. Specifically, when the liquid crystal display 31 is facing backward, the pan direction switching unit 402 switches the pan direction corresponding to the right direction pan instruction signal from the left direction to the right direction with respect to the imaging direction d1. At the same time, the pan direction switching unit 402 switches the pan direction corresponding to the left pan instruction signal from the right direction to the left direction with respect to the imaging direction d1.

  As described above, according to the configuration of the imaging apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, the pan direction switching unit 402 switches the pan operation direction corresponding to the pan direction instruction signal. For this reason, even if it is the instruction signal of the same pan direction, the direction of a corresponding pan operation | movement can be changed according to a condition. As a result, the panning operation can be performed in a direction based on the user's 900 line-of-sight direction d2 without using the imaging direction d1 of the imaging apparatus as a reference. Therefore, even when the relative position between the imaging device 100 and the user 900 changes, the remote operation can be performed with the user's 900 line-of-sight direction d2 as a reference. That is, the user 900 can intuitively operate the imaging device 100.

  Further, the display direction detection unit 403 detects the orientation of the liquid crystal display 31 of the monitor unit 3. Then, the pan direction switching unit 402 switches the pan direction corresponding to the instruction signal based on the orientation of the liquid crystal display 31. For this reason, in order for the user 900 to view the liquid crystal display 31 from the direction opposite to the imaging direction, the pan direction corresponding to the instruction signal is automatically switched by changing the direction of the liquid crystal display 31. Therefore, it is not necessary to perform a separate operation for switching the pan direction, and an operation that is troublesome for the user 900 is not necessary.

  Furthermore, the speed of the pan operation may be changed according to the direction of the liquid crystal display 31. Specifically, the pan / tilt control unit 401 moves the liquid crystal display 31 forward (the lens barrel opening direction) rather than the liquid crystal display 31 facing backward (the direction opposite to the lens barrel opening direction). You may control so that the speed | rate of pan operation | movement may become slow when it is suitable. When the liquid crystal display 31 is facing forward, it is considered that the user 900 is taking a selfie. For this reason, the distance between the subject (user 900) and the imaging apparatus 100 is reduced. In such a situation, the position of the user 900 within the angle of view can be easily finely adjusted by reducing the speed of the pan operation.

  In addition, when the liquid crystal display 31 is facing forward, the pan / tilt control unit 401 generates a pan control signal so that the face of the user 900 recognized by the face recognition processing unit 404 is included in the angle of view. May be. For example, the pan / tilt control unit 401 detects that the recognized face has approached the end of the angle of view, and executes a pan operation so that the face is at the center of the angle of view. As a result, the pan operation is automatically executed so as to track the face of the user 900 who is taking a selfie. Therefore, even if the user 900 moves, the user can easily take a selfie.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately changed and combined without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the mechanical pan operation in which the imaging direction is changed by rotating the pan head 500 has been described. However, the present invention can also be applied to an electronic pan operation. In the electronic pan operation, the imaging apparatus 100 itself does not rotate, only a partial area within the angle of view is displayed on the liquid crystal display 31, and the liquid crystal display is displayed in the pan direction corresponding to the instruction signal from the remote controller 9. This means that the area to be displayed on 31 is moved within the angle of view. Even in this case, according to the present invention, the correspondence relationship between the instruction signal and the moving direction of the area displayed on the liquid crystal display 31 can be switched.

  In the above-described embodiment, the imaging device 100 and the pan head 500 are separable. However, an integrated imaging device 100 including the pan head 500 may be used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body case 2 Front cover 3 Monitor part 4 Hinge 5 Operation part 6 Lens 9 Remote control 21 Lens barrier 31 Liquid crystal display 91 Recording button 92 Stop button 93 Telephoto button 94 Wide-angle button 95 Up button 96 Right button 97 Down button 98 Left Direction button 99 Switching button 100 Imaging device 101 Zoom lens 102 Focus lens 103 Aperture 104 Image sensor 105 Analog image signal processing unit 106 Image A / D conversion unit 107 Image input controller 108 Digital signal processing unit 109 Microphone 110 Analog audio signal processing unit 111 Audio A / D converter 112 Audio input controller 113 Multiplexer 201 Compression / decompression processor 202 Audio / image processor 203 ROM
204 Flash ROM
205 VRAM
206 Main memory 207 Media control unit 301 Card I / F
302 Card type recording medium 303 Input / output I / F
305 Speaker 307 Input / output terminal 308 Wireless I / F
309 Wireless module 400 Central control unit 401 Pan / tilt control unit 402 Pan direction switching unit 403 Display direction detection unit 404 Face recognition processing unit 500 Pan head 900 User 901 Operation unit 902 Control unit 903 Communication unit

Claims (5)

An imaging device capable of panning,
Communication means for receiving a first or second instruction signal for instructing a pan direction;
Pan control means for causing the imaging apparatus to execute the pan operation based on the pan direction corresponding to the first or second instruction signal;
A monitor unit provided on a side surface of the imaging apparatus, having a display, and capable of changing a direction of the display;
Display direction detection means for detecting the orientation of the display;
Based on the direction of the display detected by the display direction detection means , the second direction that is the direction opposite to the first direction from the first direction is set to the pan direction corresponding to the first instruction signal. Pan direction switching means for switching the pan direction corresponding to the second instruction signal from the second direction to the first direction;
An imaging apparatus comprising: The pan control means indicates the speed of the pan operation when the direction of the display is the opening direction of the lens barrel of the imaging device, and the speed when the direction of the display is the direction opposite to the opening direction. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the imaging apparatus is slower. The communication means receives a direction switching signal transmitted from a remote controller operated by a user,
The pan direction switching means, on the basis of the direction switching signal, the imaging apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that switching the pan direction corresponding to the first and second instruction signals. The imaging device can be mounted on a pan head that rotates the imaging device in the pan direction using a driving unit;
The said pan control means outputs the pan control signal for making the said imaging device perform the said pan operation with respect to the said drive means, The imaging as described in any one of Claims 1-3 characterized by the above-mentioned. apparatus. A control method for an imaging apparatus capable of panning,
Detecting the orientation of the display provided on the side of the imaging device,
Sensed based on the orientation of the display, the Rupa down direction to correspond to a first instruction signal for instructing a panning direction, the second in the opposite direction from that of the first direction from a first direction with switching direction, the Rupa down direction to correspond to a second instruction signal for instructing a panning direction, switching from said second direction to said first direction,
Receiving said first or second instruction signal Then,
On the basis of the pan direction, a control method of an imaging apparatus according to claim wherein the Ru to run pan operation on the imaging device corresponding to the received first or second instruction signal.

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