JPH10268416A - Remote control tripod universal head device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To set restrictions on photographing operation from the viewpoint of protecting privacy by setting a photographing area where a specified object exists as the area where a telephotographing action is restricted and setting an allowable zoom restriction value on a telephoto-side within this restricted area. SOLUTION: A camera is pointed at the vicinity of the object whose telephotographing is desired to be restricted by executing a panning action by operating a joystick within the movable range 80 of the optical axis of the camera. For example, when the telephotographing of a private house 82 is restricted, the camera is turned in a left rotating direction with the central position CP of the angle of all panning actions as a reference and pointed at a position PA on this side of the house 82. Next, a focal distance is set to be the allowable maximum focal distance in a more left side area than the panning position PA by operating a zoom operation lever. Then, the panning position PA of a boundary in the telephotographing restricted area and the maximum focal distance are stored in a RAM by depressing a limit button. On and after it, the zoom value is restricted in a more outside area than the panning position PA.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a remote control pan head device, and more particularly to a remote control pan head device capable of preliminarily setting settings for controlling camera operation such as panning, tilting, and zooming.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There is a case where a video camera is installed outside a facility used by an unspecified number of people, such as a museum or a government office building, to provide a facility for freely photographing and observing the surrounding scenery. is there. Such a video camera is mounted on a remote control camera head, and can perform desired photographing by performing panning, tilting, zooming, and the like by remote control from a controller.

[0003] However, there is a use mode in which an unspecified person zooms in on a neighboring house at a high magnification and observes the situation.
A problem arises in terms of privacy protection. Therefore, conventionally, when there is a subject that must not be photographed in a photographable range, for example, the rotatable range of panning is limited so that the camera is not suitable for such a subject.

[0004]

However, the above-described conventional operating range limiting method has a disadvantage that the operating range is unnecessarily limited, and it is not possible to take an image of a subject such as a distant mountain or a river which may be taken. is there. The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and provides a remote control pan head device capable of setting a restriction on a photographing operation from the viewpoint of privacy protection and securing a photographable range as wide as possible. The purpose is to:

[0005]

According to the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, at least one of a pan driving unit and a tilt driving unit built in a camera platform body is remotely operated to position a camera at a desired photographing position. In a remote control head device capable of changing a focal length of a lens by remotely operating a lens driving unit of the camera, a restricted area for restricting a telephoto operation in an entire photographing range indicating a movable range of an optical axis of the camera. And a limit value setting for setting a zoom limit value indicating an upper limit of a zoom operation on a telephoto side when an optical axis of the camera is directed to a limited area set by the area setting means. Means, first storage means for storing the boundary of the restriction area set by the restriction area setting means, second storage means for storing the zoom restriction value set by the restriction value setting means, When the shooting position specified by the operation of the operation member for specifying the pan direction or the tilt angle of the pan coincides with the boundary of the restricted area stored in the first storage means or is inside the restricted area. Control means for limiting the zoom operation on the telephoto side with the zoom limit value stored in the second storage means as an upper limit.

According to the present invention, when there is a specific subject such as a private house which is likely to cause a privacy problem in the entire photographing range of the camera, the photographing region in which the subject exists is set in advance as a restriction region for restricting the telephoto operation. Is set and stored in the first storage means. Then, an upper limit zoom limit value allowable on the telephoto side of the zoom operation is set for this limited area, and the zoom limit value is stored in the second storage means.

After the above setting, when the photographer designates a photographing position by remotely operating the remote control pan head device, the designated photographing position is the boundary of the restricted area stored in the first storage means or the boundary thereof. If it is inside, in the limit area, the upper limit on the telephoto side of the zoom operation is limited to the zoom limit value stored in the second storage means. This makes it impossible to perform zooming at a high magnification exceeding the zoom limit value for a specific shooting area.

Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a usage state such as zooming a private house or the like at a high magnification and observing the state, and also to enable photographing in a range of a focal length equal to or less than the zoom limit value, and privacy does not pose a problem. It is possible to photograph other subjects at a magnification of about (low magnification).
Further, in order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a remote control pan head device for remotely controlling at least one of a pan driving unit and a tilt driving unit built in a pan head main body to position a camera at a desired shooting position. Prohibition area setting means for setting an area where the shooting is prohibited out of the entire shooting range indicating the movable range of the optical axis of the camera, and a pan position and a tilt position for defining the boundary of the prohibition area set by the prohibition area setting means Storage means for storing the boundary condition of the camera head, and the photographing position specified by the operation of the operation member for specifying the pan direction or the tilt angle of the camera platform body is grasped from both the pan position and the tilt position, and stored in the pre-storage means. Any one of panning and tilting based on the correlation between the grasped pan position and tilt position so that the optical axis of the camera does not enter the inside of the prohibited area. It is characterized by comprising a control means for limiting the movable range of the square, the.

According to the present invention, when there is a specific subject such as a private house which is likely to pose a privacy problem in the entire photographing range of the camera, the photographing area in which the subject exists is set in advance as a photographing prohibited area. The boundary condition of the prohibited area is defined by the relationship between the pan position and the tilt position,
The boundary condition is stored in the storage means. After performing such setting, when the photographer remotely operates the remote control pan head device to designate a photographing position, the designated photographing position is grasped by a correlation between the pan position and the tilt position. And
If the designated shooting position is at or inside the boundary of the prohibited area stored in the storage means, the correlation between the current pan position and the tilt position is set so that the camera cannot be pointed within the prohibited area. Based on this, the movable range of one of the panning operation and the tilting operation is limited.

That is, based on the relationship between the pan position and the tilt position, the movable range of the tilt is restricted with respect to the pan position, or the movable range of the pan is restricted with respect to the tilt position. This makes it possible to secure a wider photographable area as compared with the conventional method of separately limiting the pan movable range and the tilt movable range.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A preferred embodiment of a remote control pan head device according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view including a partly broken view of a remote control head to which the present invention is applied. Remote control head 10 shown in FIG.
Is mainly composed of a pan head 12, a pan axis body 14, and a camera 1
And a camera mounting portion for supporting the camera head 6.
2 is fixedly installed on a mounting table 17 via a pan shaft main body 14.

The camera platform 12 has a camera mounting plate 18 for supporting the camera 16. The camera mounting plate 18 has a left side surface supported by a tilt shaft 22 extending from a side surface of the camera body 20. . The tilt shaft 22 is rotationally driven about its axis 22A by a tilt drive unit including a motor (tilt motor) (not shown), a worm wheel, and a worm gear built in the camera platform main body 20. The camera 16 supported by the plate 18 can be tilted to a desired position. The tilt drive unit detects the tilt position by a potentiometer (not shown) built in the camera platform main body 20, and notifies the camera controller 40 described later of the detection result.

A pan shaft 2 is provided at a lower portion of the head body 20.
4 is provided rotatably via a bearing 25. The pan shaft 24 is driven by a pan drive unit including a motor (pan motor) 26, a worm wheel 28, and a worm gear 30 built in the camera platform body 20. The pan drive unit detects the panning position by a potentiometer 32 built in the camera platform body 20 and notifies the camera controller 40 of the detection result.

The camera platform 12 is remotely controlled by a camera platform controller 40 connected via a relay circuit (relay box) 38. For example, pan head controller 40
Is operated, the control signal is converted into a drive signal by the relay circuit 38 and output to the tilt motor of the tilt drive unit and the pan motor 26 of the pan drive unit.

In addition to the joystick 42, the pan head controller 40 is provided with a focus adjustment knob, a zoom operation lever, a limit button, and the like. FIG.
It is a block diagram showing composition of a remote control pan head device. The head device mainly includes an input unit 50, a control unit 52, a driven unit 5
4 and an interface 56.

The input section 52 includes a focus value setting means 6
1, a zoom value setting means 62, a pan value setting means 63, a tilt value setting means 64, an angle restriction setting means 65, and a focal length restriction setting means 66. Each setting means is provided on an operation panel of the camera platform controller 40. For example, the focus value setting means 61 is a focus adjustment knob, and the zoom value setting means 62 is a zoom operation lever, a pan value setting means 63.
The tilt value setting means 64 corresponds to the joystick 42, the angle restriction setting means 65 and the focal length restriction setting means 66 correspond to limit buttons.

The control unit 52 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 7
1, a ROM 72, a RAM 73, and an input / output port (I / O port) 74, which are connected by a bus. Each setting means of the input unit 50 is connected to the I / O port 74 via a corresponding interface. The driven portion 54 includes a focus motor 76, a zoom motor 77,
And the pan motor 26 and the tilt motor 79 of the head body 20
including. Each of these motors is connected to a corresponding drive circuit, and each drive circuit is connected to the I / O port 74 via a corresponding interface. And
The driven unit 54 is driven based on a control signal output from the CPU 71.

Next, a description will be given of a method of restricting the operation of the remote control head device configured as described above. In the first embodiment described below, even when a subject such as a private house is photographed, privacy is unlikely to be a problem if the photographing target is not clearly seen as in the case of photographing at low magnification. The operation on the telephoto side is restricted for an outer area including a specific subject in the entire movable area of the table 12.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the entire photographing range of the camera 16. The photographing range 80 shown in FIG.
The horizontal direction (horizontal axis) indicates a panning angle, and the vertical direction (vertical axis) indicates a tilting angle. First, the joystick 42 is operated to perform a panning operation, and the camera 16 is directed to the vicinity of a subject whose telephoto is to be restricted. For example, when restricting the telephoto of the private house 82, the camera 16 is turned in the left rotation direction with reference to the center position (CP) of the entire panning operation angle, and the camera 16 is turned to the position PA in front of the private house 82.

Next, the zoom operation lever is operated to set a maximum allowable focal length (zoom limit value) α mm in the area on the left side of the pan position PA. When the limit button is pressed in this state, the pan position PA and the maximum focal length αmm indicating the boundary line of the telephoto restricted area are stored in the RAM.
73 is recorded. Thereafter, in a region outside the pan position PA of the boundary (left side in the figure), the telephoto side of the zoom value is limited to the maximum focal length αmm.

Similarly, the joystick 42 is operated in the reverse direction (right rotation direction) to perform a panning operation, and the camera 16 is pointed at the position of the subject (private house 83) whose telephoto is to be restricted. For example, the center position of all panning operation angles (CP
) Is rotated in the clockwise direction to the position PB in front of the private house 83. Then, the zoom operation lever is operated to set the maximum allowable focal length (zoom limit value) β mm at the panning position PB. When the limit button is pressed in this state, the panning position PB and the maximum focal length βmm indicating the boundary line of the telephoto restricted area are set to RA.
Recorded in M73.

Thereafter, in a region outside the pan position PB of the boundary (right side in the figure), the telephoto side of the zoom value is limited to the maximum focal length βmm. The limit button may be provided independently for the left direction (for setting PA) and the right direction (for setting PB). One limit button may be shared and the current panning position is closer to the center position (CP). May be automatically recognized to determine whether the setting is PA or PB.

In order to prevent erroneous operation, it is desirable that the limit button be enabled only when it is pressed simultaneously with another specific button, or that the limit button be provided with a cover. Note that a limit button may be provided on an external adapter detachably connectable to the camera platform controller 40. Once the pan position indicating the boundary of the telephoto shooting restriction area and the allowable maximum focal length are released, the camera is positioned in the restriction area to be released, and the release button is pressed, so that the data in the memory (RAM) is released. To be erased.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart at the time of operation of the first embodiment. When the control processing of the remote control head is started (Step S10, only step numbers are described below), first, each value setting means (61, 61) for pan / tilt (P / T), zoom (Z), and focus (F) is set. 6
2, 63, 64) are determined (S12).

If there is no change in the signal, the process ends (S
24). In S12, the joystick 42, the zoom operation lever, and the like are operated, and reference numerals 61, 62, and 6 in FIG.
If there is a change in the signal output from any one of the value setting units 3 and 64, an operation other than zooming is first performed in response to the signal (S14). ). That is, a pan / tilt operation and a focus operation are performed.

Next, it is determined whether or not the pan position is outside the restricted area indicated by the boundary value PA or PB recorded in the RAM 73 (S16). The pan position may be a value of a control signal based on the operation of the joystick 42 or an actual position signal from a position detector such as a potentiometer of the camera platform main body 20. Embodiment 1 and second to second embodiments to be described later.
In the fourth embodiment, the value of the control signal is shown.

In step S16, the pan position, that is, the value of the control signal for the panning operation is set to the boundary value PA or PB.
, That is, the area (unrestricted area) between PA and PB shown in FIG. 3, the process proceeds to S22, where the zoom operation is not limited and the command value of the zoom control signal is Is performed in accordance with. On the other hand, in S16, the value of the control signal of the pan operation reaches the boundary value PA or PB, and the boundary value PA shown in FIG.
If the zoom control signal is within the area (restricted area) on the left side of PB or on the right side of PB, it is determined whether or not the zoom control signal is equal to or greater than the zoom limit value (α or β) stored in the RAM 73 (S18).

If the zoom control signal is less than the zoom limit value, the process proceeds to S22, and the zoom operation is executed according to the instruction without any restriction on the zoom operation. On the other hand, if the zoom control signal is equal to or larger than the zoom limit value in S18, the zoom control signal is changed to the zoom limit value (for example, αmm) (S20). Then, the zoom operation is performed to the allowable maximum focal length indicated by the zoom limit value (S22).

When the zoom operation is restricted in this way, a warning may be displayed on a monitor or the like indicating that the zoom operation is not performed up to the value instructed by the zoom operation lever. Although FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate the limitation of the panning operation, the tilting operation also includes a tilting angle (upward limiting angle TA, downward limiting angle TB) and a zoom limiting value (maximum). (Allowable focal lengths γmm, δmm) can be set.

That is, when the tilt angle for limiting the zoom is set for the tilt, the value of the tilt control signal is replaced in step S16 instead of or in addition to the determination of the pan position. But RAM 73
Is determined to be outside the boundary values TA and TB stored in. In this determination, when the value of the control signal of the tilt operation reaches the boundary value boundary value TA or TB and enters the limited area, it is determined whether or not the zoom control signal is equal to or greater than the zoom limit value. Changes the zoom control signal to the zoom limit value.

As a result, within the preset restriction area, the zoom operation is restricted with the upper limit of the zoom restriction value. Next, a second embodiment of the operation restriction of the remote control head will be described. In the second embodiment, the operation on the telephoto side of an area surrounding a specific subject in the entire photographing range 80 of the camera 16 is restricted.

The number of subjects for which telephoto shooting is restricted may be one or more. The first to n-th limit buttons are provided so that the telephoto shooting limit can be set for a plurality of subjects. First, joystick 4
Operate the camera 2 near the subject whose telephoto is to be restricted.
Turn 6. For example, the camera 16 is mounted on a private house 83 shown in FIG.
Turn to.

Then, the zoom operation lever is operated to set the maximum allowable focal length (zoom limit value) α mm. Then, the user presses the first limit button to set the limit input mode. Note that the limit button is lit during the limit input mode. Then, as shown in FIG.
Align the optical axis of the camera 16 with the point a at the upper left that surrounds, and press a set button (not shown). Thus, the pan position (Pa) and the tilt position (Ta) of the point a are recorded in the RAM 73. Similarly, for each of the points b, c, and d surrounding the private house 83, the optical axis of the camera 16 is aligned, the set button is pressed, and the pan position and the tilt position of each point are stored in the RAM 73.
To record. The control is easier if the set buttons are divided into four for each of the points a to d.

Thereafter, when the first limit button is pressed, the first limit button is turned off, and the four pan positions a to d are set.
RAM for tilt position and maximum allowable focal length (αmm)
Set to 73. Other subject (for example, private house 82)
For setting the zoom limit, the same operation is performed for the second and subsequent limit buttons.

In order to release the set limit once, the limit button to be released may be pressed twice in succession, or the release button may be pressed after pressing the limit button once. As a method of designating the area where the zoom operation is restricted, besides the method of designating the four points a to d, the optical axis of the camera 16 is moved to a specific area by operating pan and tilt while pressing the limit button. The limit button may be released after surrounding the. As a result, the area can be specified in an irregular shape other than a quadrilateral. However, in this case, since the data amount increases, the RAM having a large storage capacity is used.
73 must be used.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart at the time of operation of the second embodiment. In the figure, the same processes as those in the flowchart of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 4 are denoted by the same step numbers, and the description thereof is omitted. In step S17 following step S14, the pan / tilt positions are set to a, b, c,
It is determined whether or not the area is inside the area (restricted area) surrounded by d. As described with reference to FIG. 6, when the restricted area is specified by a rectangle having four points a, b, c, and d as vertices, the pan and tilt coordinates of each point are respectively set to the point a (Pa, Pa,
Ta), point b (Pa, Tb), point c (Pc, Tb), and point d (Pc, Ta).

In step S17, if the values of the pan and tilt control signals are out of the restricted area, the process proceeds to step S17.
Proceeding to 22, the zoom operation is not restricted,
A zoom operation according to the command value of the zoom control signal is performed. On the other hand, in S17, the value of the control signal of the panning operation reaches the boundary value of the restricted area,
When entering the restricted area, the process proceeds to S18.

When a plurality of areas (restricted areas) for restricting telephoto shooting are set, the same judgment is made for each restricted area in S17, and the processing is performed when any one of the restricted areas satisfies the above condition. Goes to S18. S
The processing after 18 is the same as the processing described with reference to FIG. It is conceivable to smooth the change of the focal length before and after the boundary so as not to suddenly move to the wide side near the boundary.

In the above-described first and second embodiments, the case where the telephoto end of the zoom is limited has been described. However, as a means for providing the same effect as this, focusing is performed when the pan / tilt position enters the limited area. May be moved to the closest side. Usually, an object to be photographed is often located far away, so that if the focus is moved to the closest side, the focus cannot be achieved on the telephoto side. Therefore, photographing is not possible in the telephoto state. To obtain an in-focus image, the zoom is operated to the wide side, and as a result, the same purpose as in the case where the telephoto end is restricted can be achieved. .

Next, a description will be given of a third embodiment of the operation restriction of the remote control head. In the third embodiment, the camera 16
Setting a region including a specific subject in the entire photographing range 80 as a photographing prohibited region, and restricting a movable range by a correlation between a pan position and a tilt position so that the optical axis of the camera 16 does not enter the photographing prohibited region. It is. For example, as shown in FIG.
A case will be described in which an area at the lower left corner including the area 2 and an area at the upper right corner including the private house 83 are set as areas where photography is prohibited (impossible areas).

In the case where the non-photographable areas are set for the four left, right, upper and lower corners of the entire photographing range 80 of the camera 16, the pan / tilt non-photographable areas are all pan / tilt operation areas. In the case of less than half, the non-capturable area can be set by specifying any one point of A, B, C, and D in the capturing range 80 as shown in FIG.

For example, the pan / tilt is set to the point A, and the limit button is pressed. The CPU 71 stores the pan / tilt coordinates (PA, TA) of the point A in the RAM 73, and sets an area outside the point A (shaded area in the figure) as an unphotographable area. In this case, whether the pan position PA of the designated point A is on the right side or the left side of the center position CP,
Whether the tilt position TA is above or below the tilt center position CT is determined, and the shaded area is automatically recognized. Other points B, C, and D can be similarly set.

As shown in FIG. 9, the entire photographing range 80 of the camera is divided into four parts based on the center line. The first limit button is a lower left area, the second limit button is a lower right area, and a third limit button. The setting area of each limit button may be fixed so that the button sets the upper right area and the fourth limit button sets the upper left area. By using the limit button in which the setting area is fixed as described above, the specified point is located on the right side or left side of the center position CP, and is located above or below the tilt center position CT. This is unnecessary, and the processing of the CPU 71 is reduced. Further, there is an advantage that it is possible to set an area in which the non-shooting area exceeds the center line, such as the area specified by points A and B in FIG.

To release the set restricted area, press the release button in each area to be released, or
Or, press four independently provided release buttons. FIG.
FIG. 1 is a flowchart at the time of operation when a non-shooting area defined by a point A is set in FIG. When control processing of the remote control head is started (S30), first, pan / tilt (P / T), zoom (Z), and focus (F) are performed.
It is determined whether there is a change in the signal of each value setting means (S32). If there is no change in the signal of each value setting means, the control process ends (S52).

In step S32, if the joystick 42, the zoom operation lever, or the like is operated and the signal is changed in any of the above-mentioned value setting means, an operation other than pan / tilt is executed in response to the signal. (S3
4). That is, a zoom operation and a focus operation are performed. Next, it is determined whether or not the pan control signal has reached PA (S36), and it is determined whether or not the tilt control signal has reached TA (S4).
4).

In step S36, if the pan control signal has not reached PA, the process proceeds to step S42, where the pan operation according to the command value of the control signal is executed without any restriction on the pan operation. If the pan control signal has reached PA in S36,
Subsequently, it is determined whether or not the tilt control signal is at or outside the TA point (in this case, the lower side) (S38). If the tilt control signal is higher than TA in S38, the process proceeds to S42, where the pan operation according to the command value of the control signal is executed without any restriction on the pan operation.

In S38, if the tilt control signal is equal to or lower than TA, the pan control signal is fixed at PA (S40). Then, a pan operation is performed based on the pan control signal (S42). As a result, the point A (PA, TA
The camera is not positioned in the non-capturable area specified in ()).

If the panning operation is restricted in S40, a warning indicating that the panning operation is not performed up to the command value or a message indicating that only the tilting operation is possible is displayed on the monitor or the like. Good. On the other hand, in step S44, if the tilt control signal has not reached TA, the process proceeds to step S50, where the tilt operation according to the command value of the control signal is executed without any restriction on the tilt operation.

If the tilt control signal has reached TA in S44, it is then determined whether or not the pan control signal is at or outside the PA point (in this case, the left side) (S46). . If the pan control signal is on the right side of PA in S46,
The process proceeds to S50, where the tilt operation according to the command value of the control signal is performed without any restriction on the tilt operation.

In S46, if the pan control signal coincides with PA or is on the left side of PA, the tilt control signal is fixed to TA (S48). Then, a tilt operation is performed based on the tilt control signal (S50). Thereby, the point A (PA, TA)
The camera will not be located in the non-capturable area specified in.

If the tilt operation is restricted in S48, a warning indicating that the tilt operation is not performed up to the command value, or a message indicating that only the pan operation is possible is displayed on the monitor or the like. Good. Also, when a non-capturable area defined by points B, C, and D other than point A shown in FIG. 9 is set, the same processing as described above is performed for each point.

Next, a fourth embodiment for limiting the operation of the remote control head will be described. In the fourth embodiment, the camera 16
Is set as a shooting prohibited area only in an area surrounding a specific subject in the entire shooting range 80, and the movable range is limited based on a pan / tilt correlation. That is, as in the case described in the second embodiment, the area including the subject whose movable range is limited is specified. The number of subjects whose photography is prohibited may be one or more. In order to set the prohibition of shooting for a plurality of subjects, n
The point that the limit buttons are provided is the same as in the second embodiment.

First, the user operates the joystick 42 to point the camera 16 near the subject whose photography is to be prohibited. For example, the camera 16 is pointed at the private house 83 shown in FIG. Next, press the first limit button to enter the limit input mode,
As described in FIG. 6, the points a at the four corners surrounding the private house 83,
The optical axis of the camera 16 is adjusted for each of the points b, c, and d, the set button is pressed, and the pan position and the tilt position of each point are recorded in the RAM 73.

Thereafter, the first limit button is pressed, and the pan position and the tilt position of each of the points a to d are set in the RAM 73. That is, as described in FIG. 6, a, b, c, d
When the restricted area is designated by a rectangle having the four points as vertices, the pan and tilt coordinates of each point are respectively set to the point a (P
a, Ta), point b (Pa, Tb), point c (Pc, T
b) and point d (Pc, Ta).

When prohibition of photographing is set for another subject (for example, private house 82), the same operation is performed after the second limit button. Note that the method of canceling the once-impossible photographing impossible area is the same as in the second embodiment described above. FIG. 13 is a flowchart at the time of operation of the fourth embodiment. In this figure, the same processes as those in the flowchart of the third embodiment shown in FIG. 11 are denoted by the same step numbers, and the description thereof is omitted.

In step S37 following step S34, it is determined whether the pan control signal has reached Pa or Pc. Then, if the pan control signal has not reached Pa or Pc, the process proceeds to S42, and the pan operation according to the command value of the control signal is executed without limiting the pan operation. If the pan control signal has reached Pa or Pc in S37, then it is determined whether the tilt control signal matches Ta or Tb or whether it is between Ta and Tb. (S39).

In S39, the tilt control signal does not match Ta or Tb, and Ta and Tb
If not, the process proceeds to S42, and the pan operation according to the command value of the control signal is executed without any restriction on the pan operation. If the determination condition is satisfied in S39, the pan control signal is set to Pa
Or, it is fixed to Pc (the value that matched in the process 37) (S
41). Then, a pan operation is performed based on the pan control signal (S42).

In parallel with the processing S37, it is determined whether or not the tilt control signal has reached Ta or Tb (S45). If the tilt control signal has not reached Ta or Tb, the process proceeds to S50, and the tilt operation according to the command value of the control signal is executed without any restriction on the tilt operation.

If the tilt control signal has reached Ta or Tb in S45, then whether the pan control signal matches Pa or Pc,
Alternatively, it is determined whether or not it is between Pa and Pc (S4).
7). If the pan control signal does not match Pa or Pc in S47 and is not between Pa and Pc, the process proceeds to S50, and the tilt operation is not restricted and the command value of the control signal is A corresponding tilt operation is performed.

In S47, if the determination condition is satisfied, the tilt control signal is set to Ta or Tb (step S47).
(The value that matches at 45) (S49). Then, a tilt operation is performed in accordance with the fixed control signal (S50). As a result, the camera is not positioned in the non-capturable area defined by the four points a to d.

According to the remote control pan head device described in the first to fourth embodiments, the pan / tilt rotation angle is not sacrificed more than necessary, and the photographing can be performed within the photographing range. Even when there are a plurality of objects to be restricted, it is possible to individually set the restricted areas, and it is possible to secure a wide photographable range.

[0062]

As described above, according to the remote control camera head apparatus of the present invention, the photographing area in which a specific subject exists is set in advance as a restriction area for restricting the telephoto operation, and is allowed within this restriction area. Since the zoom limit value on the telephoto side that can be set is set, zooming at a high magnification exceeding the zoom limit becomes impossible for a specific shooting area.

According to the present invention, it is possible to take a picture of the above-mentioned restricted area within a range not exceeding the zoom limit value, and it is possible to take pictures of other subjects at a magnification (low magnification) that does not cause a privacy problem. There is an advantage. Further, according to the remote control pan head device according to the present invention, a shooting region where a specific subject is present is set in advance as a shooting prohibited region, and the correlation between the pan position and the tilt position allows one position to be set to the other position. Since the movable range was limited,
Compared to the conventional case where the movable range of the pan and the movable range of the tilt are separately limited, the advantage that the movable range of the pan and the tilt can be sacrificed more than necessary, and a wide photographable area can be secured. is there.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a remote control head to which the present invention is applied, including a partial cutaway.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a remote control pan head device;

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram used to explain a first embodiment of operation restriction of the remote control head device;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing when the remote control pan head device according to the first embodiment operates.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram used to describe a second embodiment of the operation restriction of the remote control pan head device;

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram used to describe a method of setting a restricted area.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing when the remote control head device according to the second embodiment is operated.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram used to explain a third embodiment of the operation restriction of the remote control pan head device;

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram used to describe a method of setting a restricted area.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram used to describe another mode of setting a restricted area.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing when the remote control head device according to the third embodiment is operated.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram used to explain a fourth embodiment of the operation restriction of the remote control head device;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a processing flow when the remote control head device according to the fourth embodiment is operated.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Remote control head 12 ... Pan head 14 ... Pan axis main body 16 ... Camera 20 ... Pan head main body 22 ... Tilt axis 40 ... Pan head controller 42 ... Joystick 62 ... Zoom value setting means 63 ... Pan value setting means 64 ... Tilt value Setting means 65 ... Angle limit setting means 66 ... Focal length limit setting means 71 ... Central processing unit (CPU) 73 ... RAM

Claims (6)

[Claims] At least one of a pan driving unit and a tilt driving unit built in a camera platform body is remotely operated to position a camera at a desired photographing position, and a lens driving unit of the camera is remotely operated to operate a lens. In a remote control pan head device capable of changing the focal length of the camera, a restricted area setting means for setting a restricted area for restricting telephoto operation out of the entire photographing range indicating the movable range of the optical axis of the camera, wherein the optical axis of the camera is A limit value setting unit that sets a zoom limit value indicating an upper limit of a zoom operation on a telephoto side when being directed to the limited region set by the region setting unit; and a limiting region set by the limited region setting unit. First storage means for storing a boundary; second storage means for storing a zoom limit value set by the limit value setting means; and an operation member for designating a pan direction or a tilt angle of the camera platform body If the shooting position specified by the operation matches the boundary of the restricted area stored in the first storage means or is inside the restricted area, the zoom restriction stored in the second storage means Control means for restricting a zoom operation on the telephoto side with a value as an upper limit, a remote control head device. 2. A limited panning or tilting position which is a boundary of the restricted area is designated by the restricted area setting means, and based on a center of an entire photographing range indicating a movable range of an optical axis of the camera, The remote control pan head device according to claim 1, wherein an area outside of the specified pan position or tilt position is set as the restriction area. 3. The restricted area setting means specifies a closed curve that defines a boundary of the restricted area, and sets an inner area surrounded by the closed curve as the restricted area. 1 remote control head device. 4. A remote control head device for remotely controlling at least one of a pan driving unit and a tilt driving unit incorporated in a head body to position a camera at a desired photographing position. Prohibition area setting means for setting an area in which imaging is prohibited in the entire imaging range shown; and storage means for storing boundary conditions of a pan position and a tilt position for defining a boundary of the prohibition area set by the prohibition area setting means. The photographing position designated by the operation of the operation member for designating the pan direction or the tilt angle of the camera platform body is grasped from both the pan position and the tilt position, and the prohibition indicated by the boundary condition stored in the previous storage means. Move one of panning and tilting based on the correlation between the grasped pan position and tilt position so that the optical axis of the camera does not enter the area. A remote control head device comprising: control means for limiting a range. 5. A pan position and a tilt position, which are boundaries of the prohibited area, are designated by the prohibited area setting means, and a center of an entire photographing range indicating a movable range of an optical axis of the camera is defined as a reference. 5. The remote control pan head device according to claim 4, wherein a region outside the designated pan position and tilt position is set as the prohibited region. 6. The prohibited area setting means specifies a closed curve defining a boundary of the prohibited area, and an inner area surrounded by the closed curve is set as the prohibited area. 4 remote control head device.