JP5863257B2 - Panorama image generation apparatus and generation method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a generation method for generating a panoramic image by imaging a plurality of times.

  As a panoramic image generation method using a camera with a pan / tilt mechanism, the pan / tilt mechanism controls the camera's imaging direction to perform multiple image captures, and projective conversion is performed on the resulting multiple images. A method for performing such processing is known.

  Patent Document 1 describes that a panoramic image is generated using a plurality of images captured by sequentially changing the imaging direction under the control of a pan / tilt mechanism.

JP 2001-136514 A

  However, depending on the camera used for generating the panoramic image, there is a risk that the viewing range of the panoramic image may be narrowed.

  For example, when a panoramic image is generated with a plurality of captured images captured with the short side of the imaging range corresponding to the tilt direction, the panoramic image is generated with the captured image captured with the long side corresponding to the tilt direction. However, there is a possibility that the viewing range in the tilt direction of the panoramic image becomes narrow.

  More specifically, a case where a plurality of captured images used for generating a panoramic image is acquired by controlling the imaging direction of an imaging unit having an imaging range composed of long sides and short sides as shown in FIG. To do. An imaging range 103 in FIG. 1A shows an imaging range in which the long side of the imaging range corresponds to the pan direction, and an imaging range 106 in FIG. 1D has a long side of the imaging range in the tilt direction. The imaging range in a state corresponding to is shown. For example, when a region corresponding to the limit of the movable range of the tilt mechanism (for example, an imaging range when the tilt angle is 0 degree) is imaged in the state shown in FIG. 1A, the state shown in FIG. There is a risk that the field of view in the tilt direction will be narrower than when imaging with.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to obtain a panoramic image having a wider visual field range.

In order to achieve the above object, the generating apparatus of the present invention has, for example, the following configuration. That is, a generation device that generates a panoramic image by controlling an imaging range of an imaging unit, and includes a rotation mechanism for rotating an imaging range in which the imaging range includes long sides and short sides. And a long side of the imaging range corresponding to the tilt direction so that a wider range is photographed than a range where the long side of the imaging range corresponds to the pan direction. Generating means for generating a panoramic image from a captured image including a plurality of captured images captured by rotating the imaging range .

According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a panoramic image including a wider range than the range captured in a state where the long side of the imaging range corresponds to the pan direction .

Diagram for explaining a method for generating a panoramic image The figure which shows the camera apparatus of this embodiment The figure which shows the structural example of a network camera system Flowchart for explaining panorama image generation processing Figure showing a comparison of the field of view of panoramic images

  Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  An outline of the configuration of the camera device and the panoramic image generation method according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

  FIG. 2A is a side view of the camera apparatus 110 of the present embodiment. The pan driving unit includes a bottom case 201 and a turntable 202, and has a structure in which the turntable 202 rotates around a pan rotation shaft 203. FIG. 2B is a front view of the camera device 110. The tilt drive unit includes a lens column 204 and a lens case 206, and has a structure in which the lens case 206 rotates about a tilt rotation shaft 205. However, the structure of the camera device 110 is not limited to this.

  FIGS. 1A to 1C show an example in which a panoramic image is generated when the rotation mechanism is not driven, that is, in a state where the rotation angle is fixed at 0 degrees. FIG. 1A shows a state of the camera device 110 when the tilt angle of the camera device 110 is 0 degree (limit of the movable range of the tilt mechanism). As shown in FIG. 1A, the imaging range 103 of the camera device 110 according to the present embodiment includes a long side and a short side.

  FIG. 1B illustrates an example in which a panoramic image is generated by capturing an image in a state where the long side of the imaging range corresponds to the pan direction. In FIG. 1B, reference numeral 101 denotes a camera installation position, 102 denotes an imaging direction, 103 denotes an imaging range in the imaging direction 102, and 104 denotes a drivable range in the imaging direction. As indicated by the drivable range 104, the camera device 110 of the present embodiment can be driven 360 degrees in the pan direction and can be driven 0 to 90 degrees in the tilt direction. FIG. 1C is an example of an imaging range when imaging is performed with the rotation angle being 0 degrees when the tilt angle is 0 degrees. As shown in FIG. 1C, when the rotation angle is 0 degree, the long side of the imaging range of the camera apparatus 110 corresponds to the pan direction, and the short side corresponds to the tilt direction.

  On the other hand, FIGS. 1D and 1E show an example in which a panoramic image is generated in a state where the rotation angle is 90 degrees. FIG. 1D shows a state of the camera apparatus 110 when the tilt angle of the camera apparatus 110 is 0 degrees. As shown in FIG. 1D, by setting the rotation angle to 90 degrees, the long side of the imaging range corresponds to the tilt direction and the short side corresponds to the pan direction.

  FIG. 1E is an example of an imaging range when imaging is performed with a rotation angle of 90 degrees when the tilt angle is 0 degrees. As can be seen by comparing FIGS. 1C and 1E, by setting the rotation angle to 90 degrees, the imaging range in the lower direction can be made wider than when the rotation angle is 0 degrees.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the network camera system of the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 3, a camera server 301, a viewer client 302 (hereinafter referred to as a client 302), and a panorama image generation client 303 (hereinafter referred to as a generation client 303) are connected via a network 304. The camera server 301 corresponds to the camera device 110 in FIGS. 1 and 2. In this embodiment, an example in which one unit is connected to the network 304 is described. However, a plurality of units may be connected.

  The network 304 may be any digital network such as the Internet or an intranet having a sufficient bandwidth for passing control commands and image data described later. In this embodiment, the TCP / IP (UDP / IP) protocol is used as the network protocol, and each device is assigned a different IP address.

The camera server 301 includes a video camera 311, a movable head 312, a camera / head control unit 313, a communication control unit 314, an image input unit 315, an image compression unit 316, a command interpretation unit 317, and a storage unit 318. The However, the video camera 311 may be a device different from the camera server 301.
The video camera 311 passes the image data obtained by imaging to the image input unit 315. Note that the imaging range of the video camera 311 of this embodiment is configured with a long side and a short side. The video camera 311 can capture a moving image or a still image. Various imaging parameters including the zoom magnification of the video camera 311 can be changed according to a control command received from the client by the communication control unit 314.

  The image input unit 315 passes the image data obtained by the video camera 311 to the image compression unit 316. The image compression unit 316 compresses the image data from the image input unit 315, adds a header necessary for communication, and generates a communication packet. The image compression unit 316 of the present embodiment performs A / D conversion on the NTSC image signal from the video camera 311 and further compresses it with MotionJEPG. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Further, the image data may not be compressed. The image compression unit 316 passes the communication packet of image data to the communication control unit 314.

  The communication control unit 314 transmits the image data from the image compression unit 316 to the client 302 and the generation client 303 via the network 304. The communication control unit 314 also receives control commands for controlling the imaging direction of the video camera 311 and the zoom magnification from the client 302 and the generation client 303. The communication control unit 314 passes the received control command to the command interpretation unit 317. The command interpreter 317 controls the pan angle, tilt angle, and rotate angle of the movable camera platform 312, the zoom magnification of the video camera 311, and the like via the camera / camera controller 313 according to the contents of the received control command. To do.

  The storage unit 318 stores the panoramic image generated by the generation client 303. In addition, the storage unit 318 stores various parameters such as the current pan angle, tilt angle, and rotate angle, image data obtained by past imaging, and the like.

The client 302 is a client that designates the IP address of the camera server 301 to connect to the camera server 301 and displays an image corresponding to the image data received from the camera server 301. In addition, the client 302 according to this embodiment can control the pan angle, tilt angle, and rotate angle of the movable camera platform 312, the zoom magnification of the video camera 311, and the like.
The client 302 includes a communication control unit 321, a command generation unit 322, an operation input unit 323, a display control unit 324, an image expansion unit 325, and a display unit 326.

  The communication control unit 321 receives image data from the camera server 301 and passes it to the image decompression unit 325. The image data received by the communication control unit 321 includes panoramic image data. The image decompression unit 325 decompresses the image data from the communication control unit 321. The image decompression unit 325 passes the decompressed image data to the display control unit 324. The display control unit 324 causes the display unit 326 to display an image based on the image data from the image expansion unit 325.

  In addition, the operation input unit 323 of the client 302 passes the operation content by the user of the client 302 to the command generation unit 322. The operation input unit 323 according to the present embodiment can provide a GUI (graphical user interface) for user operation. For example, when the user performs an operation for controlling the pan angle, the tilt angle, and the rotate angle of the movable camera platform 312 of the camera server 301 by a mouse click or drag, the operation input unit 323 displays the control content as a command. The data is passed to the generation unit 322. The command generation unit 322 generates a control command based on the control content from the operation input unit 323. The communication control unit 321 transmits the control command generated by the command generation unit 322 to the camera server 301. The camera server 301 controls the pan angle, tilt angle, rotate angle, zoom magnification, and the like according to the contents of the control command received from the client 302.

  In addition, the operation input unit 323 of the client 302 changes the display of the above-described GUI in response to the notification from the camera server 301 of parameters (pan angle, tilt angle, rotate angle, etc.) after control according to the control command. . In this way, the user of the client 302 can know the current state of the camera server 301.

Similar to the client 302, the generation client 303 is a client that designates the IP address of the camera server 301 to connect to the camera server 301 and displays an image corresponding to the image data received from the camera server 301. The generation client 303 can also control the pan angle, tilt angle, rotate angle, zoom magnification, and the like of the camera server 301.
The generation client 303 includes an image compression unit 331, a communication control unit 332, a command generation unit 333, a parameter determination unit 334, an operation input unit 335, a display control unit 336, an image expansion unit 337, a display unit 338, and an image composition unit 339. Consists of. Hereinafter, the function of the generation client 303 will be described focusing on differences from the client 302.

  First, image display processing when the generation client 303 does not generate a panoramic image will be described. The communication control unit 332 passes the image data from the camera server 301 to the image decompression unit 337. The image decompression unit 337 decompresses the image data from the communication control unit 332 and passes it to the display control unit 336, and the display control unit 336 causes the display unit 338 to display an image corresponding to the image data from the image decompression unit 337. .

  Next, processing when the generation client 303 generates a panoramic image will be described. For example, in response to the user of the generation client 303 inputting a panoramic image generation instruction from the operation input unit 335, a panoramic image generation process is started. When a panoramic image generation instruction is input, the parameter determination unit 334 determines the control parameters of the camera server 301. The calculated control parameters are, for example, a pan angle, a tilt angle, and a rotate angle. Details of the control parameter determination method by the parameter determination unit 334 will be described later.

  The command generation unit 333 generates a control command for the camera server 301 based on the control parameter determined by the parameter determination unit 334 and transmits the control command to the camera server 301 via the communication control unit 332. When the communication control unit 332 receives image data captured by the camera server 301 in response to the control command, the communication control unit 332 passes the image data to the image expansion unit 337. The image data received here is image data constituting a part of the panoramic image. The image decompression unit 337 decompresses the image data from the communication control unit 332 and passes it to the image composition unit 339.

  The image composition unit 339 generates a panoramic image by combining a plurality of image data received from the image decompression unit 337. The image composition unit 339 of the present embodiment composes a plurality of image data by projective transformation, but is not limited to this method. The panorama image generated by the image composition unit 339 is compressed by the image compression unit 331 and transmitted to the camera server 301 via the communication control unit 332. The communication control unit 314 of the camera server 301 stores the panoramic image received from the generation client 303 in the storage unit 318 and provides the panoramic image in response to a request from the client 302 or the like. In this embodiment, the panorama image is generated by the generation client 303, but the panorama image may be generated by the camera server 301.

  Next, panorama image generation processing by the generation client 303 will be described with reference to FIG. The generation client 303 of this embodiment is a generation device that generates a panoramic image by controlling the imaging direction of the video camera 311 having an imaging range composed of long sides and short sides. The generation client 303 implements the processing of FIG. 4 by reading out and executing the program for executing the processing of FIG. 4 by the CPU. However, at least a part of the processing of FIG. 4 may be performed by dedicated hardware. The generation client 303 of the present embodiment will describe an example in which the operation input unit 335 starts the processing in FIG. 4 in response to a panoramic image generation instruction input from the user. However, the present invention is not limited to this example.

  When a panoramic image generation instruction is input via the operation input unit 335, the command generation unit 333 sends a control command for setting the imaging direction and zoom magnification of the camera server 301 to the initial state via the communication control unit 332. It transmits to 301 (S41).

The parameter determination unit 334 determines a pan angle and a tilt angle for obtaining a captured image for generating a panoramic image (S42). The parameter determining unit 334 determines a plurality of sets (control contents) of pan angle and tilt angle in order to obtain a plurality of captured images. Further, the parameter determination unit 334 determines the control order of the plurality of control contents in S42.
The parameter determination unit 334 transmits, to the camera server 301 via the communication control unit 332, a control command for controlling the camera server 301 to the control content with the first control order among the plurality of determined control details (S43). ). If the control content in the first control order is the same as the control content in S41, the control command need not be transmitted.

  The command generation unit 333 determines whether or not the tilt angle has become 0 degrees (the limit of the movable range of the tilt mechanism) by control according to the control command transmitted in S43. If it is determined that the tilt angle has become 0 degree, the process proceeds to S45, and if it is determined that the tilt angle has not become 0 degree, the process proceeds to S44.

  When it is determined that the tilt angle is not 0 degree, the command generation unit 333 generates a rotation angle control command for making the long side of the imaging range of the video camera 311 correspond to the pan direction, and the communication control unit It transmits to the camera server 301 via 332 (S44). In S44, the command generation unit 333 of this embodiment transmits a control command for setting the rotation angle of the camera server 301 to 0 degrees.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the tilt angle has become 0 degree, the command generation unit 333 causes the rotation angle control command to associate the long side of the imaging range of the video camera 311 with the tilt direction in S45 (control procedure). Is transmitted to the camera server 301 via the communication control unit 332. In S45, the command generation unit 333 of the present embodiment transmits a control command for setting the rotation angle of the camera server 301 to 90 degrees. That is, the command generation unit 333 controls a rotation mechanism (rotation mechanism) for rotating the imaging range for generating a panoramic image when imaging a specific area corresponding to the limit of the movable range of the tilt mechanism.

  However, when the rotation angle after the change by the rotation angle control command is the same, the rotation angle control command may not be transmitted in S44 and S45.

  The command generation unit 333 transmits an imaging command to the camera server 301 via the communication control unit 332 (S46). The camera server 301 performs imaging in response to the reception of the imaging command, and transmits the obtained image data to the generation client 303. This image data is image data used for generating a panoramic image.

  The generation client 303 decompresses the image data received from the camera server 301 by the image decompression unit 337 and composes it by the image composition unit 339 (S47). That is, the image composition unit 339 of the generation client 303 generates a panoramic image from a plurality of captured images obtained by controlling the rotation mechanism (rotation mechanism) in S47 (generation procedure). Note that the generation client 303 of this embodiment generates a panoramic image by combining a plurality of image data by projective transformation using a cardiac projection method, but is not limited to this form. Further, the first processing of S47 after the processing of FIG. 4 is started can be omitted. It is also possible to generate the panorama image after all the image data for generating the panorama image is collected.

  The command generation unit 333 determines whether or not acquisition of all the image data used for generating the panoramic image has been completed. If the command generation unit 333 determines that the acquisition has ended, the command generation unit 333 determines that the panorama image generated by the image composition unit 339 is To finish the process. On the other hand, if it is determined that the processing has not been completed, the process proceeds to S43, and the next pan angle and tilt angle are controlled in accordance with the control order determined in S42, and image data is acquired from the camera server 301. In this embodiment, the panorama image is generated by the generation client 303, but the panorama image may be generated by the camera server 301.

  Next, the control order determined in S42 of FIG. 4 and the relationship between the rotation angle and the imaging range controlled in S44 and S45 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 5A illustrates an example in which a panoramic image is generated by capturing an image in a state where the long side of the imaging range corresponds to the pan direction. In FIG. 5A, reference numeral 501 denotes a camera installation position, 502 denotes an imaging direction, 503 denotes an imaging range in the imaging direction 502, and 504 denotes a drivable range in the imaging direction. As shown in the driveable range 504, the camera server 301 of this embodiment can be driven 360 degrees in the pan direction and can be driven 0 to 90 degrees in the tilt direction. FIG. 5B shows a panoramic image viewing range when a panoramic image is generated using the image data picked up as shown in FIG. 5A. That is, FIGS. 5A and 5B are panoramic images using image data captured with the rotation angle kept at 0 degrees.

  In the example of FIG. 5B, panoramic image image data starts to be captured from an initial position corresponding to the imaging range 513 in the drivable range 504 of FIG. 5A, and tilt angle control and imaging are performed. repeat. As a result, when it reaches the imaging range 514, it is moved to the imaging range 515 by controlling the pan angle. Thereafter, a panoramic image is generated from image data obtained by repeating movement and imaging as indicated by the route 511.

  On the other hand, FIG. 5C shows an example in which a panoramic image is generated from image data obtained by controlling the rotation angle. In FIG. 5C, 521 indicates a camera installation position, 522 indicates an example of an imaging direction when imaging outside a specific area, and 523 indicates an imaging range when the imaging direction is 522. In FIG. 5C, 524 is an example of an imaging direction when imaging a specific area, 525 is an imaging range in the imaging direction 524, and 526 is a driveable range in the imaging direction. As shown in FIG. 5C, when the specific area is imaged (when the tilt angle is the limit of the movable range), the rotation angle is set to +90 degrees as compared with the case where it is not.

  FIG. 5D shows a panoramic image viewing range when a panoramic image is generated using the image data captured as shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 5B and 5D, when the panoramic image is generated, by controlling the rotation angle, a panoramic image having a wider visual field range than when no control is performed can be obtained.

  As shown in FIG. 5D, the camera server 301 of the present embodiment starts capturing panoramic image data from an initial position corresponding to the imaging range 533, and repeats pan angle control and imaging. As a result, when it reaches the imaging range 534, it is moved to the imaging range 535 by controlling the tilt angle. Thereafter, the movement and imaging as indicated by the route 531 are repeated, and the imaging range 536 is reached. Thereafter, the camera server 301 sets the tilt angle to 0 degree. The generation client 303 of the present embodiment rotates the rotation angle by 90 degrees when imaging a specific area of the camera server 301 (an imaging area when the tilt angle is 0 degree). By this rotation, the imaging range of the video camera 311 becomes as shown in the imaging range 537. Thereafter, as indicated by a route 531, the camera server 301 repeats imaging from the imaging range 537 to the imaging range 538 with the rotation angle being 90 degrees, captures image data in the imaging range 538, and ends imaging. To do. Note that even if the tilt angle is first set to 0 degree and the rotate angle is subsequently rotated by 90 degrees from the state of the imaging range 536 in FIG. 5D, the rotate angle is first rotated and then the tilt angle is set to 0. The rotation angle and the tilt angle may be controlled simultaneously.

  By adopting the control sequence as shown in the route 531 in FIG. 5D, the number of times of control of the rotation mechanism can be reduced as compared to controlling the rotation angle while controlling as in the route 511 in FIG. 5B. Can do.

  As shown in FIG. 5E, a panoramic image may be generated using image data obtained by imaging the imaging range 541 in a state where the rotation angle is 0 degree. That is, the command generation unit 333 captures the specific area with the long side of the imaging range corresponding to the pan direction, and captures the specific area with the long side of the imaging range corresponding to the tilt direction. The rotation mechanism may be controlled. In this case, the panoramic image is a plurality of images including image data captured with the long side of the imaging range corresponding to the pan direction and image data captured with the long side of the imaging range corresponding to the tilt direction. Generated from data. In this way, a panoramic image having a wider field of view than the panoramic image obtained as shown in FIG.

  Although not shown, the rotation angle may be set to 45 degrees, for example, when an area corresponding to the end of the panoramic image is picked up among the specific areas corresponding to the tilt angle of 0 degrees. That is, the command generation unit 333 determines that the second specific area corresponding to the limit of the movable range of the pan mechanism (for example, 0 degree) among the specific areas is in the state where the long side of the imaging range corresponds to the pan direction and the tilt direction. The rotation mechanism may be controlled so that an image is captured in a state between corresponding states. By doing so, it is possible to obtain a panoramic image having a wider visual field range than that of the panoramic image obtained as shown in FIG.

  Also, the generation client 303 of this embodiment generates a panoramic image as shown in FIG. 5B, generates a panoramic image as shown in FIG. 5D, or shows a panoramic image as shown in FIG. Can be switched by a user input from the operation input unit 335. In this way, for example, the user can select a panoramic image generation method that is more suitable for the number of times the rotation mechanism is controlled and the desired viewing range of the panoramic image.

  In this embodiment, a panoramic image is generated using image data obtained by imaging a specific area with a rotation angle of 90 degrees and image data obtained by imaging an area other than the specific area with a rotation angle of 0 degrees. The example has been mainly described, but the present invention is not limited to this.

  For example, a panoramic image may be generated using image data obtained by imaging all areas in a state where the rotation angle is 90 degrees. That is, the generation client 303 transmits a control command for changing the rotation angle of the camera server 301 from 0 degrees to 90 degrees in response to the panoramic image generation instruction. Then, a panoramic image may be generated from image data obtained by repeating control of pan angle and tilt angle and imaging in a state where the rotation angle is 90 degrees.

  Also, in this embodiment, first, an area other than the specific area is imaged with the rotation angle being 0 degrees, and after the imaging of the area other than the specific area is completed, the rotation angle is 90 degrees and the specific area is imaged. Although the description has been made mainly on the example of doing so, it is possible to reverse this order. In other words, the specific area may be imaged with the rotation angle set to 90 degrees first, and after the imaging of the specific area is completed, the rotation angle may be set to 0 degree to image an area other than the specific area.

  Also, whether to capture a specific area first or an area other than the specific area first is determined based on the rotation angle (rotation angle) of the camera server 301 when a panoramic image generation instruction is input. You may do it. That is, when the rotation angle at the time of inputting the panorama image generation instruction is 0 degrees, an area other than the specific area is imaged first, and when the rotation angle is 90 degrees, the specific area is imaged first. Also good. In this way, it is possible to obtain a panoramic image with a wide visual field range while further reducing the number of times the rotation mechanism is controlled.

  In the present embodiment, an example in which the specific region is the imaging range when the tilt angle is 0 degrees has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, when the tilt angle can be moved to a minus angle, the area corresponding to the limit of the movable range of the tilt angle is the specific area. Also, for example, when there is a limitation on the pan angle movable range, when the imaging range corresponding to the limit of the pan angle movable range is imaged, the long side of the imaging range is captured in a state corresponding to the pan direction. It is also possible to control the rotation angle.

  Further, in this embodiment, an example has been described in which the generation client 303 transmits a control command to the camera server 301 to control the camera server 301, and the generation client 303 generates a panoramic image from image data from the camera server 301. However, it is also possible to generate a panoramic image with the camera server 301.

  The present invention can also be realized by executing the following processing. That is, software (program) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus via a network or various storage media, and a computer (or CPU, MPU, or the like) of the system or apparatus reads the program. It is a process to be executed.

Claims (12)

A generation device for generating a panoramic image by controlling an imaging range of an imaging unit, wherein a rotation mechanism for rotating an imaging range in which an imaging range is composed of a long side and a short side is used for generating the panoramic image Control means for controlling;
Imaging by rotating the imaging range so that the long side of the imaging range corresponds to the tilt direction so that a range wider than the range that is captured in a state where the long side of the imaging range corresponds to the pan direction is taken. And a generation unit that generates a panoramic image from the captured image including the plurality of captured images . The control unit controls the rotation mechanism for rotating the imaging range so that a long side of the imaging range corresponds to a tilt direction when imaging a specific area corresponding to a limit of a movable range of the tilt mechanism. The generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:   In response to the panoramic image generation instruction, the control unit rotates the imaging range from a state in which the long side of the imaging range corresponds to the pan direction to a state in which the long side of the imaging range corresponds to the tilt direction. The rotation mechanism is controlled as described above, and the generation unit generates a panoramic image from a plurality of captured images captured with a long side of the imaging range corresponding to a tilt direction. The generator described.   When the control unit images a specific area corresponding to the limit of the movable range of the tilt mechanism, the long side of the imaging range corresponds to the tilt direction from the state where the long side of the imaging range corresponds to the pan direction. The generation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotation mechanism is controlled so that the imaging range rotates in a state. The control means, the imaging at the specific area corresponding to the limit of the movable range of the tilt mechanism, and a state in which the long sides of the imaging range corresponding to the panning direction, a state where the long side of the imaging range corresponding to the tilt direction Controlling the rotation mechanism,
The generation unit generates the panoramic image from a plurality of captured images including a captured image captured in a state where a long side of the imaging range corresponds to a pan direction and a long side of the imaging range corresponds to a tilt direction. The generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:   The control means includes a second specific area corresponding to the limit of the movable range of the pan mechanism among specific areas corresponding to the limit of the movable range of the tilt mechanism, and a long side of the imaging range corresponding to the pan direction. The generation apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the rotation mechanism is controlled so that an image is captured in a state between a state and a state in which a long side of the imaging range corresponds to a tilt direction.   The control means controls the rotation mechanism so that the specific area is imaged after the imaging of the area excluding the specific area corresponding to the limit of the movable range of the tilt mechanism is completed. The generation device according to any one of 1 to 6.   The control means controls the rotation mechanism so that the specific area is imaged after the imaging of the area excluding the specific area corresponding to the limit of the movable range of the tilt mechanism is completed, or the imaging of the specific area Determining whether to control the rotation mechanism so that an area excluding the specific area is imaged after completion of the image processing based on the rotation angle of the rotation mechanism when the panoramic image generation instruction is received. The generation device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein A generation method performed by a generation device that generates a panoramic image by controlling an imaging range of an imaging unit,
A control step for controlling a rotation mechanism for rotation of an imaging range constituted by a long side and a short side for the generation of the panoramic image;
Imaging by rotating the imaging range so that the long side of the imaging range corresponds to the tilt direction so that a range wider than the range that is captured in a state where the long side of the imaging range corresponds to the pan direction is taken. And a generation step of generating a panoramic image from the captured image including the plurality of captured images . To a computer that generates a panoramic image by controlling the imaging range of the imaging unit,
A control procedure for controlling the rotation mechanism for rotation of the imaging range constituted by the long side and the short side for the generation of the panoramic image;
Imaging by rotating the imaging range so that the long side of the imaging range corresponds to the tilt direction so that a range wider than the range that is captured in a state where the long side of the imaging range corresponds to the pan direction is taken. A program for executing a generation procedure for generating a panoramic image from captured images including a plurality of captured images . In the control procedure, when imaging a specific area corresponding to the limit of the movable range of the tilt mechanism, the rotation mechanism for rotating the imaging range is controlled so that the long side of the imaging range corresponds to the tilt direction. The program according to claim 10.   In the control procedure, the imaging range is rotated from a state in which the long side of the imaging range corresponds to the pan direction to a state in which the long side of the imaging range corresponds to the tilt direction in response to the panoramic image generation instruction. The rotation mechanism is controlled as described above, and in the generation procedure, a panoramic image is generated from a plurality of captured images captured in a state where a long side of the imaging range corresponds to a tilt direction. The listed program.

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