JPH04215110A - Photographing device for moving body - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To project the image obtained by automatically tracking and photographing a moving body by a video camera, on a screen. CONSTITUTION:A photographing device which photographs the moving body moved on a certain field by a video camera 16 to project its image on the screen is provided. with a position detecting means which detects the moving body, a driving means 74 which changes the photographing direction of the video camera 16, and a control means 90 which controls the driving means 74 based on the detection signal of the position detecting means so that the moving body can be tracked and photographed by the video camera 16.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for photographing and projecting moving objects.

0002

[Prior Art] When a video camera is used to photograph a moving object moving on a certain field, the video camera follows the moving object and captures a powerful image, and moving shooting is not particularly necessary for live broadcasts. be done. In this case, especially when the moving object moves irregularly, conventionally a person would hold a video camera and follow the moving object.

0003

[Problem to be solved] However, when a moving object moves over a fixed field at any time, a human being is always on standby and operating a video camera while moving is too much of a burden on the operator. It is difficult to automatically take pictures when a moving object moves irregularly.

[0004] The present invention has been made in view of the above points.
The purpose is to provide a photographing device for a moving object in which a video camera automatically tracks the moving object and projects the photographed image on a screen.

[0005]

Means and Effects for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a photographing device in which a video camera photographs a moving object moving on a certain field and projects the photographed object on a screen. a position detecting means for detecting, a driving means for changing the photographing direction of the video camera, and control for controlling the driving means based on a detection signal from the position detecting means so that the video camera tracks and photographs the moving body. The present invention provides a photographing device for a moving object, which is equipped with means.

The position of a moving object moving on a certain field is detected by the position detecting means, and based on the detection signal, the control means controls the driving means so that the shooting direction of the video camera is always directed toward the moving object. Therefore, the video camera can automatically track the moving object and the captured image can be projected onto the screen by the projection means.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 9 will be described below. This embodiment is an example in which the present invention is applied to a horse racing game of an amusement machine.

FIG. 1 shows an overall external view of the horse racing game device 1. As shown in FIG. An annular track 3 is stretched over the upper surface of the horizontally long base 2, and a plurality of satellite seats 4 are arranged at stand positions in the front, back, and sides, respectively. Each satellite 4 is equipped with a monitor 5, an operation panel 6, a coin slot 7, etc., and by inserting coins and operating the operation panel 6, it is possible to vote for the predicted winning horse in single or double votes. . Monitor 5 shows the horse's introduction, number, framework,
Betting rates, etc. are shown.

A large screen 11 is supported by a support wall 10 and stands at a stand position on one curve side of the truck 3, facing toward the truck 3, and speakers 12 are built in on both sides of the support wall 10. has been done. In addition, a pair of supports 1 are installed on both sides of the stand position on the other curve side of the truck 3.
3 is erected, and a canopy 14 is constructed between it and the support wall 10. A lighting device is supported by the canopy 14 to illuminate the truck 3 from above.

Four video cameras 15, 16, 17, 18 are installed at predetermined positions on the outer peripheral wall 3a of the truck 3 and inside the truck 3 illuminated by the illumination device of the canopy 14.
is installed. The arrangement of the four video cameras 15, 16, 17, and 18 is as shown in FIG. A video camera 16 is fixed facing the start line 8 and rotatably supported inside the finish line 9, and a video camera 17 is mounted on the screen 11 in the center of the outer peripheral wall 3a of the track 3 on the front stand side. A video camera 18 is fixed facing toward a certain curved direction, and a video camera 18 is fixed to an outer circumferential wall 3a near a support column 13 on the near side, facing toward the near side track 3. Each video camera 15,
16, 17, 18 shooting range and video camera 16
The entire circumference of the truck 3 can be photographed by any one of the video cameras due to the range in which it can be photographed by rotating 180 degrees.

Six model horses 20 carrying jockeys 21 can run on the track 3. The drive mechanism of the model horse 20 will be explained below based on FIG. 3. A model horse 20 (the jockey 21 is omitted) is supported by a cart 23 via a support 22, and the cart 23 has one front wheel 24 and two rear wheels.
5 are provided on the left and right, and the front wheels 24 are supported by a support member 26 rotatably supported on the truck 23 with the vertical direction as the pivot axis direction, so that the running direction can be changed smoothly. ing. A magnet 27 is fixed to the truck 23 between the two rear wheels 25 with a slight distance from the surface of the truck 3. The model horse 20 rotates its front legs 2 in response to the rotation of the rear wheels 25.
0a and the hind legs 20b are swung back and forth to imitate the running of an actual horse.

The track 3 has a three-layer structure, with a design field 30 made of an aluminum plate whose surface is electrostatically flocked in the upper layer, an acrylic reinforcing plate 31 in the middle layer, and a power supply plate 32 in the lower layer. be. There is a space below the power supply plate 32, and a separate running path 33 is laid across the space to face the truck 3 above. The running path 33 is made up of an acrylic film 35 stretched over the upper surface of a thick position detection plate 34, and a carrier 40 on which the model horse 20 runs is arranged on the running path 33.

[0013] The carrier 40 has a front wheel 41 and a rear wheel 42.
A running motor 44 that drives the rear wheels 42, a steering motor 45, a motor drive board 46, a light receiver 47, an oscillator board 48, and a CPU are mounted on a base 43 supported by
A substrate 49 and the like are mounted, and a front roller is supported horizontally on an upper plate member 50 via a compression spring 52 interposed between two upper and lower plate members 50 and 51. 53, a rear roller 54, a current collecting unit 57 at the center, and a magnet 55 between the rear left and right rollers 54. The current collecting unit 57 is provided with eight current collectors 58 that protrude upward.

The members arranged on the above plate member 50 are as follows:
It is biased upward by a compression spring 52, and rollers 53 and 54 are connected to the feed plate 32 on the lower surface of the upper track 3.
The carrier 40 is sandwiched between the truck 3 and the running path 33 so that it can run smoothly, and the relative position of the current collecting unit 57 with respect to the power feeding plate 32 is maintained at a predetermined positional relationship. The current collectors 58 protruding above the current collecting unit 57, which is maintained at a predetermined distance from the power feeding plate 32, have their tips in contact with the power feeding plate 32 via springs 59, and apply an appropriate pressure contact force. Electric power can be supplied from the power supply plate 32 below.

[0015] Carrier 4 equipped with the above-described drive mechanism
When the model horse 20 is placed above the track 3 so that the magnet 55 on the carrier 40 side and the magnet 27 on the model horse 20 side face each other, the magnetic force between the magnets causes the carrier 4 to
The model horse 20 follows the movement of 0. career 40
The vehicle itself receives electric power through the power supply plate 32 and the current collecting unit 57, receives control signals through the light receiver 47, and drives the traveling motor 44 and steering motor 45 to drive and travel.

An oscillation coil 56 is fixed to the lower surface of the base 43 of the carrier 40, and the position of the carrier 40 is detected and fed back via the position detection plate 34, and is used to control the travel of the carrier 40 and to be used as described below. It is also used for drive control of video cameras.

The main board 90 of the microcomputer, which selects the race development and performs the main control of the entire system, controls the running of the carrier 40, and control signals are transmitted to the receiver 47 of the carrier 40 by infrared rays. The carrier 40 travels based on the control signal.

Next, a method for detecting the position of the carrier 40 will be explained based on FIGS. 4 to 6. FIG. 4 is a block diagram for position detection, which includes a position detection plate 34 stretched below a carrier 40 and a position detection unit 60.

The position detection plate 34 has a rectangular shape, and an annular running path is formed above it as indicated by a broken line. This position detection plate 34 has electric wires 36 stretched vertically and horizontally, and when the X-axis direction and Y-axis direction are determined as shown by the arrows in FIG. 3, a plurality of electric wires oriented in the Y-axis direction are A plurality of electric wires oriented in the X-axis direction are arrayed in the Y-axis direction, and both are insulated. Y
The end of the wire oriented in the axial direction is connected to the X-axis position search circuit 61, and the end of the wire oriented in the X-axis direction is connected to the Y-axis position search circuit 62, which receives detection signals from the search circuits for each coordinate axis. is input to the position detection circuit 63 and the position detection plate 34
The upper carrier position is determined and the result is output to the carrier control board 91.

A method for detecting the position of the carrier 40 in the X-axis direction by the X-axis position search circuit 61 will be explained based on FIGS. 5 and 6. Note that the same applies to position detection in the Y-axis direction. The electric wires 36 oriented in the Y-axis direction are x0, x1 in order from the left.
, x2, ....

[0021] Each electric wire x0, x1, x2,...
The ends of each of the switches SW64 are connected together and input to a comparison circuit 65, and each switch SW64 is driven and controlled by a switching drive circuit 66. The switching drive circuit 66 receives the address signal and changes the switch SW64 to the switch SW associated with the electric wire x0.
Turn on and off in sequence. That is, after the switch SW related to the electric wire x0 is turned on and then turned off,
The switch SW associated with the next electric wire x1 is turned on and then turned off, and the switch SW associated with the next electric wire x2 is turned on and off, and so on. Therefore, the currents that would flow in each wire flow through the comparison circuit 65 in order from the current in the wire x0.

When the current carrier 40 is on the electric wire x1, that is, when the oscillation coil 56 of the carrier 40 is placed on the electric wire x1 as shown in FIG. 5, when the oscillation coil 56 oscillates, the electric wire x1 An induced electromotive force is generated, a current flows through the electric wire x1, and the same current is also input to the comparison circuit 65 while the switch related to the electric wire x1 is on.

[0023] Furthermore, the electric wires x0 and x near the electric wire x1
2 also has some crossover of magnetic flux, so a small amount of current flows. FIG. 6 shows the waveform diagram. The current that appears significantly in the electric wire x1 appears as it is in the input signal x of the comparator circuit 65 during the ON time of the switch SW64 related to the electric wire x1,
A waveform that stands out only in the time period of address 1 can be seen compared to the time periods of other addresses 0, 2, 3, and so on. This input signal x
When the signal is compared with a reference current value in the comparison circuit 65 and converted into a pulse signal, a pulse waveform is seen only at address 1 like the output signal X. In this way, the position of the carrier 40 is detected to be on the electric wire x1, and the carrier position in the X-axis direction is detected.

Similarly, the Y-axis position search circuit 62
The axial position is detected, and the carrier 4 is
The two-dimensional position of 0 can be determined. A signal that detects the position of the carrier 40 in this way is input to a microcomputer and is used to control the drive of the carrier 40, as well as the video cameras 15, 16, 17, 1.
8 control.

As mentioned above, the video cameras 15 and 17
, 18 have fixed shooting directions, but the video camera 16 can be rotated. The rotation mechanism of this video camera 16 will be explained based on FIG. 7. .

The support rod 70 that supports the video camera 16 is connected to the design field 30, the reinforcing plate 31 and the power supply plate 3.
2 and is rotatably supported by bearings 71 and 72 below. A gear 73 fitted to the support rod 70 between the upper and lower bearings 71 and 72 meshes with a gear 75 fitted to the drive shaft of the motor 74, and the support rod 70, that is, the video camera 16 is driven by the motor 74. is rotated.

A limit cam 76 is integrally fitted to the support rod 70 penetrating downward from the lower bearing 72, and the limit cam 76 is connected to a start limit micro switch 77 provided at a symmetrical position with respect to the support rod 70. The end limit micro switch 78 is operated at a predetermined angle of the video camera 16.
6 is designed to detect the limit of the angle at which it rotates by 180 degrees.

The support rod 70 extends further downward than the limit cam 76, and a joint member 80 connects its lower end to a drive shaft that projects upward from a rotational position detection volume 79 located below the support rod. There is. Therefore, the angle (shooting direction) of the video camera 16 is detected by the volume 79 and is used for feedback control of the rotation of the video camera 16.

As shown in FIG. 2, the track 3 is divided into four areas: Area I runs from slightly before the start line 8 to the first curve; Area II runs from the same curve to the center of the straight course on the near side; Area III is from the center of the straight course to the point slightly around the next curve, and Area IV is the remaining portion. longest area I
is the range photographed by the video camera 16 while rotating; area II is photographed by the video camera 17, area III by the video camera 18, and area IV by the video camera 15.

The following four video cameras 15, 16,
The drive control systems 17 and 18 will be explained based on the block diagram of FIG.

The main board 90 serving as the center of control outputs an instruction signal to the carrier control board 91 that controls the drive of the carrier 40 and also inputs a carrier position detection signal from the position detection circuit 63. Further, the main board 90 outputs a switching signal etc. to a CCD board 92 which switches the video camera to be photographed, and also outputs an instruction signal to a drive board 93 which controls the driving of the motor 74 which changes the photographing angle of the video camera 16. Further, a photographing angle detection signal of the video camera 16 is inputted to the drive board 93 from the volume 79 and transmitted to the main board 90 .

[0032] Each video camera 15, 16, 17,
Control signals are input from the CCD board 92 to CCD camera control circuits 95, 96, 97, and 98 that control the video cameras 18, respectively, and the video signals shot by each video camera are input to the CCD board 92, switched and selected, and sent to the projector 99. output to projector 99
An image is projected onto the screen 11.

The camera control procedure will be explained with reference to the flowchart in FIG. First, the lead horse is Area I.
(Step ■). The position of the model horse 20 is detected by the position detection board 34 and input to the main board 90 via the carrier control board 91, so the main board 90 judges based on the detection signal and if the lead horse is in area I, the video Turn on the camera 16 (step ■) and take a picture with the video camera 16.

[0034] If the leading horse is not in area I, proceed to step (2) to determine whether or not the leading horse is in area II.
If you are in Area II, turn on the video camera 17 (step ■), take a picture with the video camera 17, and move to Area II.
If not, proceed to step ■ and the lead horse is in area III.
Determine whether or not there is. If the lead horse is in area III, turn on the video camera 18 (step ■) and take a picture with the video camera 18. If the lead horse is not in area III,
Further, the process proceeds to step (2), where it is determined whether or not the vehicle is in area IV. If the user is in area IV, turn on the video camera 15 (step ■) and take a picture with the video camera 15, and if the user is not in area IV, return to step ■.

[0035] In this way, it is determined which area the leading horse is located in through steps (1) and (2), and the video camera in charge of the area where the leading horse is located is selected and photographed by the same video camera. Therefore, the leading horse is always photographed, and the situation is projected onto the screen 11 by the projector 99.

Note that when the leading horse is in area I and is photographed by the video camera 16 (step ■), the position and speed of the leading horse are analyzed from the position detection signal of the leading horse in step ■, and the motor 74 is driven. The photographing angle of the video camera 16 is changed under control. At that time, video camera 1
The shooting angle 6 is detected by a volume 79 and subjected to feedback control, and the speed of the motor 74 is controlled to always rotate the video camera 16 to the best position angle and project a better image on the screen 11. ing.

As described above, the horse racing game device 1 of this embodiment
Under the control of the main board 90, the model horses 20 carrying six jockeys 21 following each carrier 40 run on the track 3 in a race, and the race is progressed in each area where the leading horse runs. Since the video camera in charge takes pictures and projects the images on the screen 11, the player can always see the image with the camera placed in the best position on the screen.

In particular, when photographing with the rotatable video camera 16, the video camera 16 is driven and controlled based on the position and speed of the leading horse and automatically tracks and photographs the leading horse. Despite this, the images projected on the screen 11 are powerful, allowing you to experience the excitement and thrill of watching a live race broadcast, making horse racing games even more uninteresting. It is. Moreover, since photography is performed automatically without requiring any human intervention, labor is reduced.

In this embodiment, the video camera 16 is controlled to rotate, but it is not necessarily limited to rotation, and may be moved in a straight line in parallel with the running of the leading horse. You may also shoot by combining motion and linear motion. In addition, various other methods of detecting the position of the model horse 20 can be considered.

[0040] In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the game device was applied to a game device imitating a horse race.
It is applicable to games such as auto racing and human competition.

[0041]

Effects of the Invention: The present invention detects the position of a moving object moving on a certain field and controls the video camera to track and photograph the moving object, so the video camera is automatically positioned at the best position at all times. You can set the camera to shoot and project it on the screen, so you can always see the moving state of the moving object on a powerful screen, and you can experience the excitement of watching a real live broadcast, without getting bored. There is something.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an overall external view of a horse racing game device that is an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a track of the device.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the carrier and model horse drive mechanism of the same embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram for carrier position detection.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a carrier position detection method.

FIG. 6 is a waveform diagram for explaining a carrier position detection method.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing the drive mechanism of the video camera.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a drive control system of a video camera.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a flowchart of drive control of the video camera.

[Explanation of symbols]

1... Horse racing game device, 2... Base, 3... Track, 4... Satellite, 5... Monitor, 6... Operation panel, 7... Coin slot, 8... Start line, 9... Goal line, 10
...Support wall, 11...Screen, 12...Speaker, 13...
Post, 14...Canopy, 15...Video camera, 16...Video camera, 17...Video camera, 18...Video camera, 2
0... Model horse, 21... Jockey, 22... Support, 23... Trolley, 2
4...front wheel, 25...rear wheel, 26...support member, 27...magnet,
30... Design field, 31... Reinforcement plate, 32... Power supply plate, 33... Running path, 34... Position detection plate, 35... Acrylic, 36... Electric wire, 40... Carrier, 41... Front wheel, 42... Rear wheel, 43... Base , 44... Traveling motor, 45... Steering motor, 46... Motor drive board, 47... Light receiver,
48... Oscillator board, 49... CPU board, 50... Plate member,
51...Plate member, 52...Compression spring, 53...Roller,
54...roller, 55...magnet, 56...oscillation coil, 57...
Current collector unit, 58... Current collector, 59... Spring, 60
...Position detection unit, 61...X-axis position search circuit, 62...
Y-axis position search circuit, 63... Position detection circuit, 64... Switch SW, 65... Comparison circuit, 66... Switching drive circuit, 70... Support rod, 71... Bearing, 72... Bearing, 73... Gear, 74... Motor, 75 ...Gear, 76...Limit cam, 7
7...Star limit microswitch, 78...End limit microswitch, 79...Volume, 80...
Joint member, 90... Main board, 91... Carrier control board, 92... CCD board, 93... Drive board, 95... CCD camera control circuit, 96... C
CD camera control circuit, 97...CCD camera control circuit, 98...CCD camera control circuit,
99...Projector.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A photographing device in which a video camera photographs a moving object moving on a certain field and projects the image on a screen, comprising: a position detection means for detecting the moving object; and a driving means for changing the shooting direction of the video camera. and a control means for controlling the driving means based on a detection signal from the position detecting means so as to control the video camera to track and photograph the moving object.