JPH047632B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Technical Field) The present invention relates to a composite image generation device suitable for use in chromakey composition of a studio image and a location image.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, as a method of combining a location image and a studio image and giving "movement" to both images at the same time, methods such as reduced chroma keying, which controls the location image using the movement of a studio camera, have been used. Measures have been taken. Such chroma key synthesis requires a device that reduces or enlarges the screen. Moreover, when enlarged, the pixels become coarse, so there is a drawback that it can only be enlarged to about twice the size of a normal image, and furthermore, it is impossible to add "movement" in the horizontal and vertical directions at the same time. It was possible.

(Objective) Therefore, an object of the present invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned conventional drawbacks, and to control pan, tilt, zoom, focus, etc. of a camera that takes pictures outdoors separately from images to be recorded. Information is recorded in correspondence with the image to be recorded, and when combining this outdoor image and the studio image in the studio, the studio camera is controlled and driven using the recorded camera control information. "movement"
It is an object of the present invention to provide a composite image generation device that appropriately performs image composition accompanied by.

(Structure of the Invention) In other words, the composite image generating device of the present invention includes a recording means for recording an image signal to be recorded in association with control information representing the image state of the image signal, and an apparatus for associating the image signal with the control information. a camera for images to be combined, which is equipped with a reproduction means for reproducing images, a drive unit controlled by the reproduced control information, and a camera for images to be combined by supplying the reproduced control information to the camera for images to be combined. a camera control means for controlling the imaging state of the image signal to follow the image state of the image signal, and synthesizing the reproduced image signal and the imaging output from the camera for the composite image that follows the reproduced image signal. Accordingly, the present invention is characterized by comprising an image synthesizing means for generating a synthesized image.

(Example) Examples of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the location.
Here, the screen A photographed by the composite image camera 1 is recorded on a recording medium in a video tape recorder 2 or the like. Corresponding to this recording, control information such as camera 1's pan, tilt, zoom, focus or pedestal dolly related to the image state at that time, that is, screen movement, is recorded on the video tape recorder at the same time as the image is recorded, that is, in real time. Recorded in 2. For example, in the panning and tilting states, the respective angles in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction are detected by the angle detector 3, and then converted into digital values by the conversion circuit 4. The zoom and focus states are determined by detecting their positions with a potentiometer 5, and converting the detected signals into digital values by a conversion circuit 4. Each of these digital information is separately recorded on a track other than the image signal of the video tape recorder 2 corresponding to the image signal to be recorded.

As described above, in the present invention, an image signal and control information representing the image state of the image signal are recorded in temporal correspondence. That is, when recording an image signal and control information on the same video tape, they are recorded in spatial correspondence on the tape. Alternatively, when the image signal and the control information are recorded in correspondence on separate video tapes, recording and playback are performed synchronously on both video tapes.

FIG. 2 shows an example in which a studio screen B and a recorded screen A are combined using a camera for images to be combined, for example, the studio camera 11. Now, in FIG. 2, suppose that a person in front of the blue panel 10 is photographed by the camera 11 to obtain screen B.

Screen A, which has already been recorded using the system shown in FIG. 1, can be obtained by playing back the video tape recorder 2. At this time, the video tape recorder 2 reproduces the image signal and the control information in association with each other. In other words, the image signal and the control information may be played back in association with each other at the same time depending on the screen, or the control information may be played back in association with the image signal with a slight advance or delay, if necessary. Good too.

In addition to the above-mentioned image movement, the image state of the image captured by the composite image camera 1 includes:
It can also include the tone of the picture. In this case, the iris of the camera, each gain of R, G, B, and each pedestal of R, G, B are selected as control information representing the image state of the image signal, and used to match the tone of the composite screen. It is possible to do so.

Of the image signals and control information that have been correlated and reproduced as described above, the control information is transferred to the drive section of the camera 11 for composite images via the decoder 12 and the control circuit 13. When the control information is pan, tilt, zoom, focus, pedestal dolly, etc., the drive unit of the camera 11 for images to be synthesized
Angle control section 14 and position control section 15 shown in second diagram
In addition, if the control information is the iris, master pedestal, RGB gains, and R, G, and B pedestals of the camera, it is an electrical control part included inside the camera 11.

Here, the control circuit 13 performs conversion necessary for supplying the reproduced control information to the camera 11 for composite images, for example, a magnification conversion circuit that corrects the distance between the subject and the camera. can be used.

By configuring as described above, in the present invention, each "motion" information of screen A obtained from camera 1 is reproduced at the same time as the "movement" of screen A is reproduced, and the decoder 12 and Control circuit 13
Through this, control information representing the image state of the image signal is transmitted to the camera 11, thereby allowing the camera 11 to image the screen B that follows the "movement" of the screen A.

This screen B is supplied to a line chroma key device (encoded chroma key) 16, where it is combined with screen A, thereby obtaining screen C, which is a combination of both screens A and B.

It goes without saying that the mode of pursuit of the reproduced image signal is not limited to the 1:1 case described above.

In addition to chromakey, the present invention can also be effectively applied to various special effects such as super, soft chromakey, and wipe.

Furthermore, the device for recording the image signal to be recorded and the control information representing the image state of the image signal in correspondence is not limited to the video tape recorder, and it goes without saying that various recorders can also be used. It is.

(Effects) As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, it is possible to synchronize the "moving" images at the location with the movements of the studio images, thereby creating a dynamic and natural-looking image. A composite image can be formed.

If screen A is a fixed shot and only screen B moves, it is possible to synthesize using a conventional chromakey device, but if you want to give "movement" to both screens A and B at the same time, the present invention The device is extremely effective.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIGS. 1 and 2 are diagrams showing an example of the configuration of the composite image generating apparatus of the present invention, divided into location and studio composition. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Camera for composite image, 2... Video tape recorder, 3... Angle detector, 4... Conversion circuit, 5... Potentiometer, 10... Blue panel, 11... Studio camera, 12... Decoder, 13... Control circuit,
14...Angle control unit, 15...Position control unit, 16...Line chromakey device (encoded chromakey),
A...location screen, B...studio screen, C...
Composite screen.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. Recording means for recording an image signal to be recorded and control information representing an image state of the image signal in association with each other; and reproduction means for reproducing said image signal and said control information in association with each other. a camera for composite images including a drive unit controlled by the reproduced control information; and supplying the reproduced control information to the camera for composite images to capture an image of the camera for composite images. a camera control means for controlling the state to follow the image state of the image signal; and combining the reproduced image signal and the imaging output from the camera for the composite image that follows the reproduced image signal. 1. A composite image generation device comprising: image composition means for generating a composite image. 2. Composite image generation according to claim 1, wherein the image signal is generated by a composite image camera, and at least pan and tilt of the composite image camera at the time of capturing the image is used as the control information. Device. 3 generating the image signal by a composite image camera, and panning the composite image camera when capturing the image;
2. The composite image generating device according to claim 1, wherein the control information includes tilt, zoom, focus, and pedestal dolly. 4. The image signal is generated by a composite image camera, and the R,
Claims 1 to 3 are characterized in that the control information is GB gain, R, G, B pedestal, iris, and master pedestal.
The composite image generating device according to any one of the following paragraphs. 5. The camera control means includes a magnification conversion circuit that performs magnification conversion of the control information in accordance with an image of the image signal. The composite image generating device described in .