JP6544542B2 - Control device, imaging device, unmanned aerial vehicle, control method, and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a control device, an imaging device, a moving object, a control method, and a program.

Patent Document 1 describes that when vibration is detected, power is supplied to the diaphragm motor to prevent a change in the diaphragm opening.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-156358

Problem to be solved

  Even if an actuator for driving an optical member such as an aperture included in the imaging device is energized to maintain the position of the optical member, the imaging device may not be able to maintain the position of the optical member due to larger vibration.

General disclosure

  The control device according to an aspect of the present invention may include a control unit that controls an actuator that holds an optical member of the imaging device. The actuator may hold the optical member with the first holding force when the first power is supplied. The actuator may hold the optical member with a second holding power greater than the first holding power when the second power higher than the first power is supplied. When the actuator holds the optical member with the first holding force, the control unit is a condition related to the height of the imaging device, a condition related to the acceleration of the imaging device, a condition related to the posture of the moving object that moves with the imaging device mounted. The actuator is controlled to hold the optical member with the second holding force when a predetermined condition including at least one of the condition regarding the movement mode of the moving body and the condition regarding the command to control the movement of the moving body is satisfied You may

  The predetermined condition may be the condition that the height of the imaging device is lower than the threshold. The predetermined condition may be a condition that the acceleration of the imaging device is larger than a threshold. The predetermined condition may be a condition that the direction of acceleration of the imaging device and the direction in which the optical member can move are within a predetermined angle range.

  The mobile may be an unmanned aerial vehicle. The predetermined condition may be the condition that the flight attitude of the unmanned aircraft is a predetermined flight attitude. The unmanned aerial vehicle may be capable of flying in a first flight mode and a second flight mode in which an acceleration greater than the acceleration produced in the unmanned aircraft flying in the first flight mode is generated. The predetermined condition may be that the unmanned vehicle flies in the second flight mode. The predetermined condition may be that the instruction is a predetermined instruction that causes the imaging device to generate an acceleration greater than a threshold. The predetermined command may include a command to land the unmanned aerial vehicle.

  The optical member may include at least one of an aperture, a shutter, a filter, and a lens of the imaging device. The actuator may be an electromagnetic actuator.

  The actuator may be a stepping motor. The optical member may be the aperture of the imaging device.

  The actuator may be a voice coil motor. The optical member may be a lens of an imaging device.

  An imaging device according to an aspect of the present invention may include the control device. The imaging device may include an optical member. The imaging device may comprise an actuator.

  The mobile unit according to an aspect of the present invention may move with the imaging device mounted thereon.

  The control method according to an aspect of the present invention may be a control method of controlling an actuator that holds an optical member of an imaging device. The actuator may hold the optical member with the first holding force when the first power is supplied. The actuator may hold the optical member with a second holding power greater than the first holding power when the second power higher than the first power is supplied. The control method is a condition regarding the height of the imaging device, a condition regarding the acceleration of the imaging device, a condition regarding the posture of the moving object that moves with the imaging device, when the actuator holds the optical member with the first holding force. The actuator is controlled to hold the optical member with the second holding force when a predetermined condition including at least one of the condition regarding the movement mode of the moving body and the condition regarding the command to control the movement of the moving body is satisfied May be provided.

  A program according to an aspect of the present invention may be a program for causing a computer to function as a control unit that controls an actuator that holds an optical member of an imaging device. The actuator may hold the optical member with the first holding force when the first power is supplied. The actuator may hold the optical member with a second holding power greater than the first holding power when the second power higher than the first power is supplied. When the actuator holds the optical member with the first holding force, the control unit is a condition related to the height of the imaging device, a condition related to the acceleration of the imaging device, a condition related to the posture of the moving object that moves with the imaging device mounted. The actuator is controlled to hold the optical member with the second holding force when a predetermined condition including at least one of the condition regarding the movement mode of the moving body and the condition regarding the command to control the movement of the moving body is satisfied You may

  It is possible to suppress displacement of the optical member held by the actuator due to the vibration of the imaging device.

  The above summary of the invention does not enumerate all of the features of the present invention. A subcombination of these feature groups can also be an invention.

It is a figure showing an example of the appearance of a unmanned aerial vehicle. It is a figure which shows an example of the functional block of a unmanned aerial vehicle. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the electric power control procedure of an actuator. It is a figure which shows an example of a mode of the time change of the electric power of the stepping motor which drives an aperture, and a motor rotation angle. It is a figure showing an example of the circuit composition containing a focus lens and a voice coil motor. It is a figure which shows an example of the relationship between acceleration, a lens position, and gain setting. It is a figure showing an example of hardware constitutions.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through the embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Moreover, not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential to the solution of the invention.

  The claims, the description, the drawings, and the abstract contain matters which are subject to copyright protection. The copyright holder will not object to any copy of these documents as they appear in the Patent Office file or record. However, in all other cases, all copyrights are reserved.

  Various embodiments of the present invention may be described with reference to the flowcharts and block diagrams. The blocks in the flowcharts and block diagrams may represent (1) the stages of the process in which the operations are performed or (2) the "parts" of the device responsible for performing the operations. Specific steps and "parts" are supplied with dedicated circuitry, programmable circuitry supplied with computer readable instructions stored on computer readable storage media, and / or computer readable instructions stored on computer readable storage media It may be implemented by a processor. Dedicated circuitry may include digital and / or analog hardware circuitry. Integrated circuits (ICs) and / or discrete circuits may be included. Programmable circuits include, for example, AND, OR, EXCLUSIVE OR, NOR, NOR, and other logical operations, such as Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), Programmable Logic Array (PLA), etc. Reconfigurable hardware circuitry may be included, including flip flops, registers, and memory elements.

  Computer readable storage media may include any tangible device capable of storing instructions for execution by a suitable device. As a result, a computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon will comprise an article of manufacture that includes instructions that can be executed to create means for performing the operations specified in the flowchart or block diagram. Examples of computer readable storage media may include electronic storage media, magnetic storage media, optical storage media, electromagnetic storage media, semiconductor storage media, and the like. More specific examples of the computer readable storage medium include floppy disk, diskette, hard disk, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM or flash memory) Electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), static random access memory (SRAM), compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disc (DVD), Blu-ray (registered trademark) disc, memory stick , Integrated circuit cards, etc. may be included.

  Computer readable instructions may include either source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages. Source code or object code includes a conventional procedural programming language. Conventional procedural programming languages include assembler instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state setting data, or like Smalltalk, JAVA, C ++, etc. It may be an object oriented programming language, and a "C" programming language or similar programming language.

  Computer readable instructions may be local or to a wide area network (WAN) such as a local area network (LAN), the Internet, etc., relative to a processor or programmable circuitry of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device. May be provided via The processor or programmable circuitry may execute computer readable instructions to create a means for performing the operations specified in the flowchart or block diagram. Examples of processors include computer processors, processing units, microprocessors, digital signal processors, controllers, microcontrollers, and the like.

  FIG. 1 shows an example of the appearance of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) 100. The UAV 100 includes a UAV body 102, a gimbal 200, an imaging device 300, and a plurality of imaging devices 230. The UAV 100 is an example of a mobile. The moving body is a concept including UAVs, other aircraft moving in the air, vehicles moving on the ground, ships moving on the water, and the like.

  The UAV body 102 comprises a plurality of rotors. The UAV body 102 causes the UAV 100 to fly by controlling the rotation of a plurality of rotors. The UAV body 102 causes the UAV 100 to fly, for example, using four rotors. The number of rotors is not limited to four. Further, the UAV 100 may be a fixed wing aircraft that does not have a rotary wing.

  The imaging device 300 is a camera for capturing a moving image or a still image. The plurality of imaging devices 230 are sensing cameras that capture the periphery of the UAV 100 to control the flight of the UAV 100. Two imaging devices 230 may be provided at the front, which is the nose of the UAV 100. Two further imaging devices 230 may be provided on the bottom of the UAV 100. The two front imaging devices 230 may be paired to function as a so-called stereo camera. The two imaging devices 230 on the bottom side may also be paired and function as a stereo camera. Based on the images captured by the plurality of imaging devices 230, the distance from the UAV 100 to the object may be measured. Three-dimensional spatial data around the UAV 100 may be generated based on the images captured by the plurality of imaging devices 230. The number of imaging devices 230 included in the UAV 100 is not limited to four. The UAV 100 may include at least one imaging device 230. UAV 100 may include at least one imaging device 230 on each of the nose, aft, sides, bottom, and ceiling of UAV 100. The angle of view that can be set by the imaging device 230 may be wider than the angle of view that can be set by the imaging device 300. The imaging device 230 may have a single focus lens or a fisheye lens.

  FIG. 2 shows an example of a functional block of the UAV 100. The UAV 100 includes a UAV control unit 110, a communication interface 150, a memory 160, a gimbal 200, a rotary wing mechanism 210, an imaging device 300, an imaging device 230, a GPS receiver 240, an inertial measurement unit (IMU) 250, a magnetic compass 260, and a barometric pressure. An altimeter 270 is provided.

  The communication interface 150 communicates with an external transmitter. The communication interface 150 receives various commands to the UAV control unit 110 from a remote transmitter. The memory 160 is a program necessary for the UAV control unit 110 to control the gimbal 200, the rotary wing mechanism 210, the imaging device 300, the imaging device 230, the GPS receiver 240, the IMU 250, the magnetic compass 260, and the barometric altimeter 270. Store. The memory 160 may be a computer readable recording medium, and may include at least one of a SRAM, a DRAM, an EPROM, an EEPROM, and a flash memory such as a USB memory. The memory 160 may be provided inside the UAV body 102. The memory 160 may be provided to be removable from the UAV body 102.

  The gimbal 200 supports the imaging direction of the imaging device 300 in an adjustable manner. The gimbal 200 rotatably supports the imaging device 300 about at least one axis. The gimbal 200 is an example of a support mechanism. The gimbal 200 may rotatably support the imaging device 300 about the yaw axis, the pitch axis, and the roll axis. The gimbal 200 may change the imaging direction of the imaging device 300 by rotating the imaging device 300 about at least one of the yaw axis, the pitch axis, and the roll axis. The rotary wing mechanism 210 has a plurality of rotary wings and a plurality of drive motors for rotating the plurality of rotary wings.

  The imaging device 230 images the periphery of the UAV 100 to generate image data. Image data of the imaging device 230 is stored in the memory 160. The GPS receiver 240 receives a plurality of signals indicating times transmitted from a plurality of GPS satellites. The GPS receiver 240 calculates the position of the GPS receiver 240, that is, the position of the UAV 100 based on the received plurality of signals. The inertial measurement unit (IMU) 250 detects the attitude of the UAV 100. The IMU 250 detects, as the posture of the UAV 100, accelerations in three axial directions in the front, rear, left, right, upper and lower directions of the UAV 100, and angular velocities in three axial directions of pitch, roll, and yaw. The magnetic compass 260 detects the heading of the UAV 100. The barometric altimeter 270 detects the altitude at which the UAV 100 flies.

  The UAV control unit 110 controls the flight of the UAV 100 according to a program stored in the memory 160. The UAV control unit 110 may be configured by a microprocessor such as a CPU or an MPU or a microcontroller such as an MCU. The UAV control unit 110 controls the flight of the UAV 100 in accordance with an instruction received from a remote transmitter via the communication interface 150. The UAV control unit 110 may control the flight of the UAV 100 according to a flight mode selected from among a plurality of flight modes. The plurality of flight modes may include a normal mode and a sports mode. The normal mode is an example of the first flight mode. The sports mode is an example of a second flight mode in which an acceleration larger than the acceleration generated in the UAV 100 flying in the first flight mode is generated. The speed limit of UAV 100 flying in the sports mode may be greater than the speed limit of UAV 100 flying in the normal mode.

  The UAV control unit 110 may specify an environment around the UAV 100 by analyzing a plurality of images captured by a plurality of imaging devices 230. The UAV control unit 110 controls the flight, for example, avoiding an obstacle based on the environment around the UAV 100. The UAV control unit 110 may generate three-dimensional space data around the UAV 100 based on a plurality of images captured by a plurality of imaging devices 230 and control flight based on the three-dimensional space data.

  The imaging device 300 includes an imaging unit 301 and a lens unit 401. The lens unit 401 may be a lens unit that can be removed from the imaging unit 301. The imaging unit 301 includes an imaging control unit 310, an imaging device 330, a shutter driving unit 320, a shutter 322, a memory 340, and an acceleration sensor 324. The imaging control unit 310 may be configured by a microprocessor such as a CPU or an MPU or a microcontroller such as an MCU. The imaging control unit 310 may control the imaging device 300 in accordance with an operation command of the imaging device 300 from the UAV control unit 110.

  The memory 340 may be a computer readable recording medium, and may include at least one of a SRAM, a DRAM, an EPROM, an EEPROM, and a flash memory such as a USB memory. The memory 340 may be provided inside the housing of the imaging unit 301. The memory 340 may be provided to be removable from the housing of the imaging unit 301.

  The shutter 322 is controlled by the shutter drive unit 320 to control the light reception time of the image sensor 330. The shutter 322 and the shutter drive unit 320 may be provided in the lens unit 401. The shutter 322 may be configured by at least one movable wing member to block light incident on the imaging device 330. At least one wing member may move along a plane perpendicular to the optical axis to shield light incident on the imaging device 330. The shutter 322 may be a focal plane shutter or a lens shutter. The shutter driver 320 includes an actuator. The actuator may be an electromagnetic actuator. The electromagnetic actuator may be an electromagnet or a solenoid. In response to a command from the imaging control unit 310, the shutter drive unit 320 drives the actuator to move the shutter 322 between the shielding position and the non-shielding position.

  The imaging device 330 may be configured by a CCD or a CMOS. The imaging element 330 is held inside the casing of the imaging device 300, and outputs image data of an optical image formed through the plurality of lenses 432 and the lens 442 to the imaging control unit 310. The imaging control unit 310 performs a series of image processing such as noise reduction, demosaicing, gamma correction, and edge coordination on the image data. The imaging control unit 310 stores the image data after the series of image processing in the memory 340. The imaging control unit 310 may output image data to the memory 160 via the UAV control unit 110 and store the image data.

  The acceleration sensor 324 detects the acceleration of the imaging device 300. The acceleration sensor 324 may be provided in the lens unit 401. The acceleration sensor 324 may be provided on the UAV body 102.

  The lens unit 401 includes a lens control unit 410, a memory 420, a lens drive unit 430, a lens 432, a position sensor 434, a lens drive unit 440, a lens 442, a position sensor 444, an aperture drive unit 450, an aperture 452, a filter drive unit 460, And a filter 462. The lens 432 includes at least one lens. The lens 432 may be a zoom lens. The lens 442 includes at least one lens. The lens 442 may be a focus lens.

  The lens control unit 410 controls the movement of the lens 432 in the optical axis direction via the lens drive unit 430 in accordance with the lens operation command from the imaging unit 301. The lens control unit 410 controls the movement of the lens 442 in the optical axis direction via the lens drive unit 440 in accordance with the lens operation command from the imaging unit 301. Some or all of the lens 432 and the lens 442 move along the optical axis. The lens control unit 410 performs at least one of the zoom operation and the focus operation by moving at least one of the lens 432 and the lens 442 along the optical axis. The position sensor 434 detects the position of the lens 432. Position sensor 434 may detect the current zoom position. The position sensor 444 detects the position of the lens 442. Position sensor 444 may detect the current focus position.

  The lens driving unit 430 and the lens driving unit 440 may include an actuator. The actuator may be an electromagnetic actuator. The electromagnetic actuator may be a stepping motor, a solenoid, or a voice coil motor. The lens 432 and the lens 442 may move along the optical axis direction via a lens drive mechanism upon receiving power from the respective actuators.

  The aperture 452 adjusts the amount of light incident on the imaging device 330. The aperture 452 may include at least one wing member. The diaphragm drive unit 450 may include an actuator. The actuator may be an electromagnetic actuator. The electromagnetic actuator may be an electromagnet, a solenoid or a stepping motor. In response to a command from the lens control unit 410, the diaphragm drive unit 450 may drive an actuator to adjust the overlapping degree of the plurality of wing members and adjust the size of the diaphragm opening. The plurality of wing members may move along a plane perpendicular to the optical axis under the force from the actuator.

  The filter 462 reduces the amount of light incident through the lens 432 or cuts light of a specific wavelength. The filter 462 may include at least one of an ND filter and an infrared cut filter. The filter driver 460 may include an actuator. The actuator may be an electromagnetic actuator. The electromagnetic actuator may be an electromagnet or a solenoid. The filter driving unit 460 receives a command from the lens control unit 410, and drives the actuator to remove a first position through which incident light passes and a specific wavelength component of the input light, or an input The filter 462 is moved between the second position where the light is attenuated. The filter 462 may move along a plane perpendicular to the optical axis.

  The memory 420 stores control values of the plurality of lenses 432 and the lenses 442 moving through the lens driving unit 430. The memory 420 may include at least one of flash memory such as SRAM, DRAM, EPROM, EEPROM, and USB memory.

  The vibration of the imaging device 300 may shift the position of an optical member such as the diaphragm 452, the filter 462, the shutter 322, the lens 432, or the lens 442 driven by the actuator. Therefore, the optical member may be held while the actuator is energized so that the position of the optical member does not shift. However, if power is supplied to the actuator while the optical member is not moving, power consumption increases. Preferably, less power is supplied to the actuator. When the vibration of the imaging device 300 is small, even if the actuator is driven with relatively little power, the optical member can be held with sufficient holding power from the actuator. However, when the vibration of the imaging device 300 is large, even if the actuator is driven with relatively little power, sufficient holding power can not be obtained from the actuator, and the position of the optical member may be shifted.

  When the imaging device 300 is mounted on a mobile object such as the UAV 100, the vibration generated in the imaging device 300 tends to be relatively large. For example, the acceleration generated by the UAV 100 while the UAV 100 is in flight is about 2 G. On the other hand, the acceleration generated at the time of landing of the UAV 100 is about 30 G. Thus, the vibration generated in the UAV 100 changes depending on the flight state of the UAV 100.

  The imaging device 300 may continue imaging while the UAV 100 is landing. Once the UAV 100 has landed, it may be taken off again with the position of the optical member maintained, and the imaging device 300 may be started. Therefore, it is preferable that the impact generated when the UAV 100 lands does not shift the position of the optical member.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the vibration generated in the imaging device 300 is relatively large or when the vibration generated in the imaging device 300 is expected to be relatively large, the power supplied to the actuator is increased. Thus, the holding force obtained from the actuator is increased to suppress the positional deviation of the optical member.

  The actuator may hold the optical member with the first holding force when the first power is supplied. The actuator may hold the optical member with a second holding power greater than the first holding power when the second power higher than the first power is supplied.

  The first power may be supplied to the actuator if the vibration generated in the imaging device 300 is relatively small or if the vibration generated in the imaging device 300 is expected to be relatively small. The second power may be supplied to the actuator if the vibration generated in the imaging device 300 is relatively large, or if the vibration generated in the imaging device 300 is expected to be relatively large.

  A control unit such as an imaging control unit 310 or a lens control unit 410 that controls the actuator may control the power supplied to the actuator. In addition to the imaging control unit 310 or the lens control unit 410, a control unit that controls power supplied to the actuator may be provided in a transmitter that remotely controls the UAV 100, the UAV control unit 110, or the like. When the actuator holds the optical member with the first holding force, the control unit is a condition regarding the height of the imaging device 300, a condition regarding the acceleration of the imaging device 300, a condition regarding the attitude of the UAV 100, a condition regarding the movement mode of the UAV 100, And the actuator may be controlled to hold the optical member with the second holding force when a predetermined condition including at least one of the conditions for controlling the movement of the UAV 100 is satisfied.

  When the height of the imaging device 300 is lower than the threshold, the control unit may determine that the predetermined condition is satisfied. When the altitude of the imaging device 300, that is, the altitude of the UAV 100 is lower than 5 m, for example, the UAV 100 may land and a relatively large impact may occur on the UAV 100. Therefore, when the height of the imaging device 300 is lower than the threshold, the control unit may control the actuator so as to hold the optical member with the second holding force.

  When the acceleration of the imaging device 300 is larger than the threshold, the control unit may determine that the predetermined condition is satisfied. When the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 324 is larger than the threshold, the control unit may determine that the predetermined condition is satisfied.

  The control unit may determine that the predetermined condition is satisfied when the direction of the acceleration of the imaging device 300 and the direction in which the optical member can move are within the range of the predetermined angle. The predetermined angle may be set based on whether or not the optical member actually causes an acceleration in various directions in the imaging device 300 to cause the positional deviation beyond the allowable range. The predetermined angle may be, for example, 90 degrees, 60 degrees, 30 degrees, 15 degrees, or 10 degrees.

  For example, the aperture 452, the shutter 322, or the filter 462 moves along a plane perpendicular to the optical axis. Therefore, when the direction of acceleration generated in the imaging device 300 has a component in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis, the diaphragm 452, the shutter 322, or the filter 462 is easily moved. For example, when the imaging device 300 is maintained by the gimbal 200 such that the optical axis is horizontal, the diaphragm 452, the shutter 322 or the filter 462 is likely to move when the UAV 100 flies up or down. On the other hand, in the case where the imaging device 300 is maintained in a downward posture by the gimbal 200, when the UAV 100 flies horizontally, the diaphragm 452, the shutter 322 or the filter 462 is easily moved.

  The lens 432 or the lens 442 moves along the optical axis. Therefore, when the direction of acceleration generated in the imaging device 300 has a component in a direction parallel to the optical axis, the lens 432 or the lens 442 is likely to move. When the imaging device 300 is maintained in a posture in which the optical axis is horizontal by the gimbal 200, when the UAV 100 flies horizontally, the lens 432 or the lens 442 is easily moved. On the other hand, when the imaging device 300 is maintained in the downward posture by the gimbal 200, the lens 432 or the lens 442 is likely to move when the UAV 100 flies upward or downward.

  Thus, depending on the attitude of the imaging device 300, the direction of acceleration of the imaging device 300 in which the optical member easily moves is different.

  In addition, the direction in which the optical member is easy to move may differ depending on the position at which the optical member is held. For example, by rotating the filter 462 about a fixed point, a specific wavelength component of the input light is removed from the first position through which the incident light passes, or the input light is attenuated. Move to 2 positions. The direction in which the filter 462 is easy to move differs between the case where the filter 462 is held at the first position and the case where the filter 462 is held at the second position.

  Therefore, the control unit refers to a table indicating the direction of acceleration of the imaging device 300, which should hold the optical member with the second holding power, for each position at which the optical member is held and the posture of the imaging device 300. It may be determined whether a predetermined condition is met. The table may be stored in memory 420 or memory 340.

  For example, the memory 420 or the memory 340 may store, for each position where the filter 462 is held and the posture of the imaging device 300, a table indicating the direction of acceleration of the imaging device 300 in which the filter 462 can easily move. The lens control unit 410 or the imaging control unit 310 refers to the table, and the direction of the current acceleration of the imaging device 300 with respect to the current position at which the filter 462 is held and the current posture of the imaging device 300 If the conditions shown in the table are met, it may be determined that the predetermined condition is met. The table may indicate the range of the acceleration direction of the imaging device 300 in which the optical member is easy to move, for each position at which the optical member is held and the range of the posture of the imaging device 300.

  If the flight attitude of the UAV 100 is a predetermined flight attitude, the control unit may determine that the predetermined condition is satisfied. When the UAV 100 is in the horizontal position, the UAV 100 may land, so the control unit may determine that the predetermined condition is satisfied. When the UAV 100 is in the horizontal attitude and the direction of the acceleration generated in the imaging device 300 is the vertical direction, the control unit may determine that a predetermined condition for the diaphragm 452, the shutter 322, or the filter 462 is satisfied. In this case, the control unit may supply the second power to the actuator of the diaphragm 452, the shutter 322, or the filter 462.

  The control unit may determine that the predetermined condition is satisfied when the UAV 100 flies in a sport mode in which acceleration larger than the normal mode is likely to occur.

  The control unit may determine that the predetermined condition is satisfied when the instruction regarding the flight of the UAV 100 is a predetermined instruction that causes the imaging device 300 to generate an acceleration larger than the threshold. For example, the predetermined command may include a command to land the UAV 100. The predetermined command may include an acceleration command in which the acceleration generated in the UAV 100 is larger than a threshold.

  FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing an example of the power control procedure of the actuator. The control unit acquires information as a determination reference (S100). For example, when the lens control unit 410 controls an actuator that drives the diaphragm 452, the lens control unit 410 may obtain the acceleration of the imaging device 300 detected by the acceleration sensor 324 via the imaging control unit 310. The lens control unit 410 may acquire attitude information of the gimbal 200. The lens control unit 410 may obtain, from the UAV control unit 110 via the imaging control unit 310, altitude information of the UAV 100, a flight mode of the UAV 100, or an instruction regarding the flight of the UAV 100.

  The control unit determines whether the acquired information satisfies a predetermined condition (S102). For example, the lens control unit 410 may determine whether the acceleration of the imaging device 300 is equal to or higher than a threshold. The lens control unit 410 may determine whether the flight mode of the UAV 100 is the sports mode. The lens control unit 410 may determine whether the posture of the UAV 100 is horizontal. The lens control unit 410 may determine whether the height of the UAV 100 is lower than a threshold.

  If the predetermined condition is satisfied, the control unit may control the actuator so that the second power is supplied to the actuator in order to cause the actuator to hold the optical member with the second holding force (S104). . If the predetermined condition is not satisfied, the control unit may control the actuator so that the first power is supplied to the actuator so that the actuator holds the optical member with the first holding force (S106). ).

  The control unit may control the power supplied to the actuator by controlling the voltage applied to the actuator or the magnitude of the current supplied.

  The control unit may control the actuator to apply a voltage of 1 V to the actuator so as to cause the actuator to hold the optical member at the first holding force. The control unit may control the actuator to apply a voltage of 5 V to the actuator so as to cause the actuator to hold the optical member at the second holding force. The voltage applied to the actuator may differ depending on the content of the condition included in the predetermined condition. For example, if the altitude is less than 5 m, the control unit may control the actuator to apply a voltage of 5 V to the actuator. When the UAV 100 operates in the sport mode, the control unit may control the actuator to apply a voltage of 2 V to the actuator. The control unit may control the actuator to apply a voltage of 1.5 V to the actuator while the UAV 100 is flying in a horizontal attitude. When the UAV 100 operates in the normal mode, the control unit may control the actuator to apply a voltage of 1 V to the actuator. The control unit may control the actuator to apply a voltage of 1 V to the actuator while the UAV 100 is flying in a posture other than the horizontal posture.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of how the power of the stepping motor for driving the diaphragm 452 and the rotation angle of the motor change with time.

  In period T1, the lens control unit 410 applies an alternating voltage to the A phase and the B phase of the stepping motor, and sets the aperture of the aperture 452 to a desired aperture value. When the aperture of the aperture 452 is set to a desired aperture value, the lens control unit 410 controls the actuator such that the second power is supplied to the stepping motor in a period T2. The lens control unit 410 sets the actuator so that the first electric power smaller than the second electric power is supplied to the stepping motor when a predetermined time period elapses after the opening of the diaphragm 452 is set to the desired diaphragm value. Control. The lens control unit 410 operates the actuator in the power saving mode in the period T3. Thereafter, when it is determined that the lens control unit 410 generates a relatively high acceleration in the imaging device 300 or a predetermined condition that may occur, the second power is supplied again to the stepping motor in a period T4. Control the actuator as it does.

  When the stepping motor is driven in the power saving mode, even if a relatively small vibration occurs in the imaging device 300, the diaphragm 452 can be held at a desired position by the holding power of the stepping motor. However, when a relatively large vibration occurs in the imaging device 300, the holding power of the stepping motor operating in the power saving mode may be weak, and the diaphragm 452 may not be held at a desired position. Therefore, if the predetermined condition is satisfied while the stepping motor is operating in the power saving mode, the lens control unit 410 operates the actuator in a mode in which the power is larger than that in the power saving mode to hold the actuator. Increase the power. Thereby, even when relatively large vibration occurs in the imaging device 300, the diaphragm 452 can be held at a desired position.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a circuit configuration including a focus lens and a voice coil motor. The focus lens 500 is an example of the lens 442. Position sensor 520 is an example of position sensor 444. The voice coil motor 510, the control gain setting unit 522, and the drive circuit 524 are examples of the lens drive unit 440. Voice coil motor 510 includes a coil 512 and a magnet 514.

  The difference between the target position commanded from the lens control unit 410 and the actual position of the focus lens 500 detected by the position sensor 520 is input to the control gain setting unit 522. When the voice coil motor 510 is driven by the first electric power, for example, the lens control unit 410 outputs a command to set the gain to 1 × to the control gain setting unit 522. The control gain setting unit 522 sets the gain to 1 and outputs a command corresponding to the difference to the drive circuit 524. Drive circuit 524 receives a command and outputs a drive current corresponding to the difference to coil 512. Thereby, the focus lens 500 is controlled to the target position. When the voice coil motor 510 is driven by the second power, for example, the lens control unit 410 outputs, to the control gain setting unit 522, an instruction to set the gain twice. The control gain setting unit 522 doubles the gain and outputs a command corresponding to the difference to the drive circuit 524. By changing the magnitude of the gain, the magnitude of the drive current input to the coil 512 is changed. When the magnitude of the drive current is changed, the force generated by the voice coil motor 510, that is, the holding power of the focus lens 500 is changed.

  FIG. 6 is a view showing an example of the relationship between the acceleration generated in the imaging device 300, the lens position of the focus lens 500, and the gain setting. For example, in the case where the gain set by the control gain setting unit 522 is always 1x, when acceleration higher than the threshold occurs in the imaging device 300, the position of the focus lens 500 largely deviates from the target position. On the other hand, in response to the detection of the acceleration higher than the threshold, the lens control unit 410 outputs a command to the control gain setting unit 522 to set the gain twice. By setting the gain to twice, the holding power of the focus lens 500 generated by the voice coil motor 510 is increased. Therefore, the amount by which the focus lens 500 deviates from the target position can be made smaller than in the case where the gain is 1 ×. Thus, by controlling the gain of the drive current supplied to the actuator, the force for holding the optical member generated by the actuator may be controlled.

  FIG. 7 shows an example of a computer 1200 in which aspects of the invention may be fully or partially embodied. A program installed on computer 1200 can cause computer 1200 to act as an operation or one or more "parts" of the device according to embodiments of the invention. Alternatively, the program may cause the computer 1200 to execute the operation or one or more “parts”. The program can cause the computer 1200 to execute the process according to the embodiment of the present invention or the steps of the process. Such programs may be executed by CPU 1212 to cause computer 1200 to perform specific operations associated with some or all of the blocks in the flowcharts and block diagrams described herein.

  The computer 1200 according to the present embodiment includes a CPU 1212 and a RAM 1214, which are interconnected by a host controller 1210. Computer 1200 also includes a communication interface 1222, an input / output unit, which are connected to host controller 1210 via an input / output controller 1220. Computer 1200 also includes a ROM 1230. The CPU 1212 operates in accordance with programs stored in the ROM 1230 and the RAM 1214 to control each unit.

  The communication interface 1222 communicates with other electronic devices via a network. A hard disk drive may store programs and data used by the CPU 1212 in the computer 1200. The ROM 1230 stores therein a boot program or the like executed by the computer 1200 upon activation, and / or a program dependent on the hardware of the computer 1200. The program is provided via a computer readable recording medium or network such as a CR-ROM, a USB memory or an IC card. The program is installed in the RAM 1214 or ROM 1230, which is also an example of a computer-readable recording medium, and executed by the CPU 1212. Information processing described in these programs is read by the computer 1200 and brings about coordination between the programs and the various types of hardware resources. An apparatus or method may be configured by implementing the operation or processing of information in accordance with the use of computer 1200.

  For example, when communication is performed between the computer 1200 and an external device, the CPU 1212 executes the communication program loaded in the RAM 1214, and performs communication processing to the communication interface 1222 based on the processing described in the communication program. You may order. The communication interface 1222 reads transmission data stored in a transmission buffer area provided in a recording medium such as the RAM 1214 or a USB memory under the control of the CPU 1212 and transmits the read transmission data to the network, or The received data received from the network is written in a reception buffer area or the like provided on the recording medium.

  In addition, the CPU 1212 allows the RAM 1214 to read all or necessary portions of a file or database stored in an external recording medium such as a USB memory, and executes various types of processing on data on the RAM 1214. Good. The CPU 1212 may then write back the processed data to the external storage medium.

  Various types of information such as various types of programs, data, tables, and databases may be stored in the recording medium and subjected to information processing. The CPU 1212 describes various types of operations, information processing, condition judgment, conditional branching, unconditional branching, information retrieval, which are described throughout the present disclosure for data read from the RAM 1214 and specified by a program instruction sequence. Various types of processing may be performed, including / replacement etc, and the results written back to RAM 1214. Further, the CPU 1212 may search for information in a file in a recording medium, a database or the like. For example, when a plurality of entries each having the attribute value of the first attribute associated with the attribute value of the second attribute are stored in the recording medium, the CPU 1212 specifies the attribute value of the first attribute. Search for an entry matching the condition from among the plurality of entries, read the attribute value of the second attribute stored in the entry, and thereby associate the first attribute satisfying the predetermined condition with the first attribute An attribute value of the second attribute may be acquired.

  The programs or software modules described above may be stored on computer readable storage medium on or near computer 1200. In addition, a recording medium such as a hard disk or RAM provided in a server system connected to a dedicated communication network or the Internet can be used as a computer readable storage medium, whereby the program can be transmitted to the computer 1200 via the network. provide.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated using embodiment, the technical scope of this invention is not limited to the range as described in the said embodiment. It is apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications can be added to the above embodiment. It is also apparent from the scope of the claims that the embodiments added with such alterations or improvements can be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  The order of execution of each process such as operations, procedures, steps, and steps in the apparatuses, systems, programs, and methods shown in the claims, the specification, and the drawings is particularly "before", "before" It should be noted that it can be realized in any order, unless explicitly stated as etc., and unless the output of the previous process is used in the later process. With regard to the operation flow in the claims, the specification, and the drawings, even if it is described using “first,” “next,” etc. for the sake of convenience, it means that it is essential to carry out in this order. is not.

102 UAV main unit 110 UAV control unit 150 communication interface 160 memory 200 gimbal 210 rotary wing mechanism 230 imaging device 240 GPS receiver 260 magnetic compass 270 barometric altimeter 300 imaging device 301 imaging unit 310 imaging control unit 320 shutter driver 322 shutter 324 acceleration sensor 330 image sensor 340 memory 401 lens unit 410 lens control unit 420 memory 430 lens drive unit 432 lens 434 position sensor 440 lens drive unit 442 lens 444 position sensor 450 diaphragm drive unit 452 diaphragm 460 filter drive unit 462 filter 500 focus lens 510 voice coil Motor 512 Coil 514 Magnet 520 Position sensor 522 Control gain setting unit 524 Drive circuit 1200 Computer 1210 Host controller Troller 1212 CPU
1214 RAM
1220 I / O controller 1222 communication interface 1230 ROM

Claims (15)

A control unit that controls an actuator that holds an optical member of the imaging device;
The actuator holds the optical member with a first holding power when the first power is supplied, and a second power larger than the first holding power when the second power larger than the first power is supplied. 2 hold the optical member with a holding force,
When the actuator holds the optical member with the first holding force, the control unit moves and carries the condition regarding the height of the imaging device, the condition regarding the acceleration of the imaging device, and the imaging device. conditions relating to the attitude of the unmanned aircraft, the condition regarding the movement mode of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and wherein the predetermined condition comprises at least one of the conditions related to the instruction for controlling the movement of the unmanned aerial vehicle is satisfied, in the second holding force Controlling the actuator to hold the optical member ;
The control device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition is that the command received by the unmanned aircraft is a predetermined command that causes the imaging device to generate an acceleration greater than a threshold .   The control device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition is a condition that the height of the imaging device is lower than a threshold. Said predetermined condition, said a condition that the acceleration is greater than the threshold value of the imaging device, the control device according to claim 1 or 2. Said predetermined condition, said a condition that the direction and the optical member of the acceleration of the imaging device is within the range of angles and directions predetermined movable, any of claims 1 to 3 1 control device according to One. Before SL predetermined condition, the flying posture of the unmanned aerial vehicle is a condition that a flying attitude of predetermined control device according to any one of claims 1 4. Before SL unmanned aircraft is capable fly second flight mode in which the first flight mode, and greater acceleration than the acceleration generated in the unmanned aircraft flying in the first flight mode occurs,
The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the predetermined condition is a condition that the unmanned aerial vehicle flies in the second flight mode. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the predetermined command includes a command to land the unmanned aerial vehicle. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the optical member includes at least one of an aperture, a shutter, a filter, and a lens of the imaging device. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein the actuator is an electromagnetic actuator. The actuator is a stepping motor,
The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the optical member is a stop of the imaging device. The actuator is a voice coil motor,
The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the optical member is a lens of the imaging device. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 10 .
The optical member;
An imaging device comprising the actuator; The unmanned aerial vehicle which mounts and moves with the imaging device of Claim 12 . A control method for controlling an actuator that holds an optical member of an imaging device, comprising:
The actuator holds the optical member with a first holding power when the first power is supplied, and a second power larger than the first holding power when the second power larger than the first power is supplied. 2 hold the optical member with a holding force,
The control method is
When the actuator holds the optical member with the first holding force, the condition related to the height of the imaging device, the condition related to the acceleration of the imaging device, and the attitude of the unmanned aircraft moving with the imaging device mounted The second holding force holds the optical member when a predetermined condition including at least one of a condition, a condition regarding the movement mode of the unmanned aerial vehicle , and a condition regarding an instruction to control the movement of the unmanned aerial vehicle is satisfied comprising the step of controlling the actuator such that,
The control method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition is that the command received by the unmanned aerial vehicle is a predetermined command that causes the imaging device to generate an acceleration larger than a threshold . Program for causing a computer to function as any one of the control apparatus of claims 1 10.

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