JPH086126A - Photographing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make the photographing of the intended composition easy without providing expensive equipment and materials such as a motor-driven tripod and being restricted by a photographing starting time. CONSTITUTION:The photographing device is provided with control means 3 and 4 calculating the displacing quantity of a photographing optical axis and the driving quantity of a lens based on relative positional information detected with a signal from a remote controller 1, optical axis varying means 5 and 8 displacing the photographing optical axis in accordance with the information from the control means 3 and 4 and lens driving means 6 and 7 driving the lens according to the information from the control means 3 and 4 and automatically sets a photographing direction and a photographing range with the signal from the remote controller 1.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a photographing apparatus which enables a photographer to freely move a screen (frame) when taking an image or video including himself.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when a photographer takes a picture of himself or herself, a tripod or a base for fixing the orientation of the camera is prepared, the composition is determined while looking through the finder, and the self-timer function is used. I was shooting.

Further, as a remote control using a remote controller, there are a type in which only the shutter button is instructed, and a system in which a drive system (motor) is provided on a tripod or a base to move the direction of the entire camera.

[0004]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In many cases, taking a picture or video with a family does not show the photographer's father on the screen. When I travel as a group, I take pictures while exchanging cameras at the same place. In order for everyone including the photographer to enter the photo, it is necessary to use the self-timer function, for example.

In this case, it is necessary to carry a large and heavy tripod or the like, and there are restrictions such as the troublesomeness of adjusting the screen in a small finder and the photographer rushing to move to the screen according to the set self-time. there were.

A camera with a remote control function only controls the on / off of a shutter button, and even when the direction of the camera is changed by the remote control, the tripod (electric platform) equipped with a drive system is added to the troublesomeness. However, there was a problem that the equipment was expensive.

(Object of the Invention) An object of the present invention is to provide an image taking apparatus equipped with expensive equipment such as an electric pan head or the like, and capable of easily taking an image of an intended composition without being restricted by an image taking start time. Is to provide.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention calculates a displacement amount of a photographing optical axis and a lens drive amount based on relative position information detected from a signal from a remote controller. A control means, an optical axis changing means for displacing a photographing optical axis according to information from the control means, and a lens driving means for driving a lens according to information from the control means are provided, and by a signal from a remote controller, The shooting direction and shooting range are automatically determined.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described in detail below based on the illustrated embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of an image pickup apparatus in one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG.
Is a remote controller for instructing a direction and range of a photographing screen to be taken, and further a focus point. The remote controller 1 is provided with a range instruction button, a focus point instruction button, a shutter button, a zoom magnification button, and the like. ing.

Reference numeral 2 is a receiving sensor arranged on the camera side for receiving a signal from the remote controller 1. Reference numeral 3 denotes a control processing circuit for calculating the orientation of the camera body and the relative position with respect to the instructed screen based on the signal from the reception sensor 2, which is formed by two points instructed by the remote controller 1. The minimum frame and the direction of the photograph including the range of the quadrangle are calculated, and the change amount of the variable apex prism (vari angle prism; hereinafter referred to as VAP in the embodiments) mechanism, the auto zoom mechanism, and the auto focus mechanism of the camera is calculated. .

Reference numeral 4 is a storage circuit for storing programs and data required for arithmetic processing in the control processing circuit 3, 5 is a V-control circuit for driving the VAP mechanism, and 6 is Z-control for driving the auto-zoom mechanism. A circuit, 7 is an F-control circuit for driving the autofocus mechanism, 8 is a VAP mechanism for changing the angle of the photographing optical axis of the camera, 9 is an autofocus mechanism for continuously changing the magnification of the lens, and 10 is a focus point. Reference numeral 11 denotes a camera, which is an autofocus mechanism for focusing the lens on the distance.

Next, a series of procedures at the time of photographing in the above structure will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the photographer roughly points the camera 11 in the desired direction. Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the user moves to the position where he / she wants to be photographed, brings the remote controller 1 to both ends of the range to be photographed, and pushes the range instructing button to indicate points P1 and P2.

The position signals of the points P1 and P2 are the camera 11
It is received by the reception sensor 2 arranged on the side and is taken into the control processing circuit 3. The control processing circuit 3 has this point P
The direction and range with respect to the camera are discriminated from 1 and P2, and the control angle of the VAP 8 and the magnification of the auto-zoom mechanism 9 are calculated based on various data stored in the storage circuit 4. This calculation method may be a simple trigonometric method although it depends on the type of the reception sensor 2.

Next, the control processing circuit 3 adjusts the VAP 8 by the V-control circuit 5 on the basis of the calculated angle data to align the optical axis. That is, the VAP8 is aligned with the angle of the point Pm, which is the center point of the points P1 and P2, and overlaps with the point M at the center of the camera frame. Further, the Z-control circuit 6 adjusts the automatic zoom mechanism based on the calculated magnification data to match the frame range. That is, the auto zoom mechanism 9
Points P1 and P2 are on the camera frame (outer frame of the screen)
To suit.

The photographer goes to a position where he wants to focus after a predetermined time (after the above-mentioned operation of the camera 11 has finished), presses the focus point instruction button, and sends the focus point F to the camera 11 side. To do.

The signal of the focus point F is received by the receiving sensor 2 on the camera 11 side as described above,
It is taken into the control processing circuit 3. The control processing circuit 3 drives the autofocus mechanism 10 by the F-control circuit 7 so that the focus point F is focused, and focuses the lens.

After that, the photographer presses the shutter button of the remote controller 1 and transmits a release signal.

This release signal is sent to the camera 1 as described above.
The signal is received by the receiving sensor 2 on the first side and is received by the control processing circuit 3
Is taken into. Upon receipt of this release signal, the control processing circuit 3 controls the opening and closing of the shutter via a shutter drive circuit (not shown), and the film (or CCD surface) 1
Perform exposure to 2.

The above procedure will be briefly described below.
First, the camera 11 is roughly oriented to the subject to be photographed without paying attention to fine adjustment of the upper, lower, left, and right sides of the screen to be photographed, that is, without looking into the finder. Next, the photographer himself / herself stands at a position where he / she wants to be photographed, and pushes the range designating buttons of the remote controller 1 at both ends of the screen where he / she wants to photograph, thereby designating the range. The camera 11 calculates a frame range desired to be taken from the designated point, and automatically sets the shooting direction and range by lens control of the camera (zoom lens system control including VAP). After that, when the photographer gives an instruction by pressing the focus point instruction button and the shutter button on the remote controller 1, the camera 11 performs focus control and then an exposure operation.

As described above, regardless of the orientation (up, down, left and right) of the camera 11, it is possible to easily and accurately change and set the desired direction and range on the screen. The angle and range limits that can be changed are determined by the specifications of the VAP8 and the zoom lens.

Next, the operation of the remote controller 1 and the camera 11 during the above-mentioned photographing will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, the operation on the remote controller 1 side will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. [Step 101] When the photographer presses the range instructing button at the position desired to be photographed, that is, the positions of points P1 and P2, the control circuit in the remote controller 1 drives a light emitting element (not shown) to output the signals P1 and P2. It is transmitted to the camera 11 side. [Step 102] When the photographer goes to the position where he wants to focus and presses the focus point instruction button,
The control circuit in the remote controller 1 drives a light emitting element (not shown) to transmit a signal of the focus point F to the camera 11 side. [Step 103] When the photographer presses the shutter button, the control circuit in the remote controller 1 drives a light emitting element (not shown) and transmits a release signal to the camera 11 side.

Next, the operation of the control processing circuit 2 of the camera 11 which operates based on the signal transmitted from the remote controller 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. [Step 201] It is judged whether or not the position signals (signals indicating the direction and range of the screen) of the points P1 and P2 are received from the remote controller 1 by the reception sensor 2, and if not received, the process stands by in this step. After that, by receiving this signal, the process proceeds to step 202. [Step 202] A signal indicating the direction and range of the screen, which is received by the reception sensor 2, is fetched. [Step 203] The VAP8 is read by the captured direction and range signals of the screen and various data in the storage circuit 4.
The control angle and the magnification of the automatic zoom mechanism 9 are calculated. [Step 204] The VAP 8 is adjusted by the V-control circuit 5 based on the calculated angle data, and the optical axis is adjusted. Further, the Z-control circuit 6 adjusts the automatic zoom mechanism based on the calculated magnification data to match the frame range. [Step 205] The reception sensor 2 determines whether or not the signal of the focus point F is received, and if not received, waits at this step. After that, by receiving this signal, the process proceeds to step 206. [Step 206] The autofocus mechanism 10 is adjusted to the focus point F by the F-control circuit 7, and the lens is focused. [Step 207] The reception sensor 2 determines whether or not a release signal is received, and if not received, waits at this step. After that, by receiving this signal, the process proceeds to step 208. [Step 208] The shutter is driven through a shutter drive circuit (not shown) to perform an exposure operation.

As described above, it is possible to easily take an image with an expected frame. Also, the above procedure can be changed. Furthermore,
It is also possible not to perform the processing of step 101 and only to specify the center point and the focus point F, which allows more simple shooting (however, the shooting range becomes inaccurate). In the case of a video camera, the shooting screen is moved only by using the remote control and instructing only the center point of the screen and the zoom ratio.

FIG. 4 shows the orientation of the camera 11 and VAP.
It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship of eight.

When the camera 11 swings to the left or right with respect to the screen to be shot, the characteristics of VAP8 are set to
By appropriately controlling the angle of, the screen shot on the photo or video will be the same regardless of the orientation of the camera. Although FIG. 4 shows the case where the camera 11 swings to the left and right, the same applies to the case where it is up and down.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are views for explaining the positions (points P1, P2) designated by the photographer with the remote controller 1 and the range of the photograph actually photographed.

When the photographer designates points P1 and P2 with the remote controller 1, a quadrangle passing through the points P1 and P2 is formed. Since the aspect ratio of the screen to be photographed is fixed, the frame of the photograph including this quadrangle is determined.

The "case 1" of FIG. 5 and the "case 2" of FIG.
It shows whether P1 and P2 are on the left side / right side or the upper side / lower side of the frame, depending on the ratio of the length and width of the quadrangle formed by the points P1 and P2.

According to the present embodiment, the direction and range of the screen, that is, the composition can be set easily and accurately by a simple instruction from the remote controller without using a large-scale electric platform for fixing the camera. It will be possible.

Further, there is an effect that the photographer can place himself in the frame that he or she expects and can photograph without being restricted by time such as a self-timer.

Further, although a video camera incorporating a VAP for image stabilization is already known, in the case of such a camera, the VAP is used for image stabilization when it is held in a hand and is used on a tripod or the like. When self-shooting is performed, it is not necessary to dispose a new VAP by using the VAP for frame adjustment as in the above embodiment. or,
As a result, the functions of the VAP can be used to the maximum extent, and a camera with high cost performance can be obtained.

(Correspondence between Invention and Embodiment) In this embodiment, the receiving sensor 2 and the control processing circuit 3 correspond to the detecting means of the present invention, and the control processing circuit 3 and the memory circuit 4 correspond to the control means of the present invention. The VAP 8 and V-control circuit 5 correspond to the optical axis changing means of the present invention, and the Z-control circuit 6 and the F-control circuit 7 are provided.
Corresponds to the lens driving means of the present invention.

The auto-zoom mechanism 9 corresponds to the zoom optical system of the present invention, and the auto-focus mechanism 10 corresponds to the focus optical system.

The above is the correspondence relationship between each configuration of the embodiments and each configuration of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the configurations of these embodiments, and the functions or embodiments shown in the claims or the embodiments It goes without saying that any structure may be used as long as it can achieve the function of.

(Modification) The present invention shows an example in which a VAP (variable apex angle prism) is used as a means for displacing the photographing optical axis, but the present invention is not limited to this, and is perpendicular to the optical axis. Any optical system that can change the shooting optical axis, such as a shift optical system that moves the optical member in a plane, a system that moves the shooting plane in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis, or a system that moves the shooting plane by image processing It may be something like this.

Further, although the present invention is described as applied to a camera such as a single-lens reflex camera, a lens shutter camera, a video camera, etc., it may be applied to other optical devices and other devices, and also as a constituent unit. Is something that can be done.

Further, the present invention may be constructed by appropriately combining the above-described embodiments or their techniques.

[0041]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Control means for calculating the amount of displacement of the photographic optical axis and the amount of lens drive based on relative position information detected from the signal from the remote controller, and optical axis changing means for displacing the photographic optical axis according to the information from the control means. And a lens driving means for driving the lens according to the information from the control means, and the photographing direction and the photographing range are automatically determined by a signal from the remote controller.

Therefore, it is possible to easily carry out shooting with an intended composition without being equipped with expensive equipment such as an electric pan head or being restricted by the shooting start time.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of an image pickup apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a case where shooting is performed by the remote controller and the camera of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing operations on a remote controller side and a camera side of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a relationship between a camera and VAP in this embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an example of a position designated by a photographer with a remote controller and a range of a photograph actually photographed in the present embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining another example of the position instructed by the photographer with the remote controller and the range of the photograph actually photographed in this embodiment.

[Explanation of Codes] 1 Remote Control 2 Reception Sensor 3 Control Processing Circuit 4 Storage Circuit 5 V-Control Circuit 6 Z-Control Circuit 7 F-Control Circuit 8 Variable Vertical Angle Prism (VAP) 9 Auto Zoom Mechanism 10 Auto Focus Mechanism 11 Camera

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Hiroshi Nishimura 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Masato Hasegawa 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Within the corporation

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A detection means for detecting a relative position of a camera and a remote control from a position signal from a remote controller, and a displacement amount of a photographing optical axis and a lens drive amount based on relative position information detected by the detection means. An image pickup apparatus comprising: a control unit for calculating, an optical axis changing unit for displacing a photographing optical axis according to information from the control unit, and a lens driving unit for driving a lens according to information from the control unit. 2. The photographing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit includes a storage unit that stores information necessary for calculating a displacement amount of the photographing optical axis. 3. The photographing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the optical axis changing means is a variable apex angle prism. 4. The photographing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lens driving unit is a unit that drives a focus optical system and a zoom optical system. 5. The photographing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position signal from the remote controller is a signal indicating a direction with respect to the camera and a photographing range.