WO2019187436A1 - Imaging device, imaging control device, imaging system, method for controlling imaging device, imaging program, and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is an imaging device with which it is possible to capture an image at a suitable position. The imaging device is provided with a drive unit, an imaging unit, an acquisition unit, and a control unit. The control unit causes the imaging device to move on the basis of an image captured by the imaging unit, the imaging device being moved so that a first imaging distance between a first imaging position and an imaging subject and a second imaging distance between a second imaging position and the imaging subject are equalized.

Description

Imaging apparatus, imaging control apparatus, imaging system, imaging apparatus control method, imaging program, and recording medium

The present invention relates to a photographing apparatus, a photographing control apparatus, a photographing system, a photographing apparatus control method, a photographing program, and a recording medium.
This application claims priority on Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-063039 filed in Japan on March 28, 2018, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

As an example of using an unmanned aerial vehicle that has been developed in recent years, for example, there is an example in which an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a photographing device is operated and photographed to check equipment. In photographing for such inspection, it is necessary to photograph all the equipment to be inspected from a certain position. However, since an advanced operation technique is required to operate the unmanned flight apparatus, there is a problem that it takes a long time to perform a desired shooting or causes a shooting omission (inspection omission).

As a technique for coping with this problem, Patent Document 1 discloses that an image viewed through a photographing device attached to an unmanned flying device is compared with an image captured immediately before to obtain an image duplication rate, and the duplication rate is predetermined. A technique for capturing an image when the overlap rate is equal to or less than the above is disclosed.

JP 2017-15704 A (published on January 19, 2017)

However, the technique described in Patent Document 1 can shoot an image while preventing omission of shooting, but cannot always shoot an image at a suitable position (desired position).

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and a main object thereof is to provide an imaging apparatus and related technology capable of imaging an image at a suitable position.

In order to solve the above-described problem, an imaging device according to one aspect of the present invention is an imaging device that images a subject, a driving unit that moves the imaging device, an imaging unit that images the subject, and a movement An acquisition unit that acquires an instruction; and a control unit that moves the imaging apparatus from a first imaging position to a second imaging position by the driving unit based on the movement instruction, and the control unit includes the imaging A first shooting distance between the first shooting position and the subject is equal to a second shooting distance between the second shooting position and the subject based on the image shot by the unit. The imaging device is moved so that

An imaging system according to an aspect of the present invention is an imaging system for imaging a subject, and the imaging system includes an imaging device that images the subject and an imaging control device that controls imaging of the imaging device, The imaging device includes a driving unit that moves the imaging device, an imaging unit that images the subject, and a first drive control signal for moving the imaging device to a first imaging position from the imaging control device. A second drive control signal for moving the photographing device from the first photographing position to the second photographing position, and the photographing device at the first photographing position and the second photographing position. A control signal receiving unit that receives a shooting control signal for shooting a subject, and a movement instruction indicated by the second drive control signal, the driving unit moves the shooting device from the first shooting position. A control unit that moves the camera to a second shooting position, the control unit based on an image shot by the shooting unit, a first shooting distance between the first shooting position and the subject, and The imaging device is moved so that a second imaging distance between the second imaging position and the subject is equal, and the imaging control device is configured to output the first drive control signal and the second drive control. A control signal transmission unit configured to transmit a signal and the imaging control signal to the imaging apparatus;

A method for controlling a photographing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is a method for controlling a photographing apparatus for photographing a subject, and a first image photographing step for photographing a first image of the subject at a first photographing position; , An acquisition step for acquiring a movement instruction for the photographing apparatus, a driving step for moving the photographing apparatus, and the driving step based on the movement instruction, wherein the photographing apparatus moves from a first photographing position to a second photographing position. A control step for controlling movement of the photographing device so as to move to a second image photographing step for photographing a second image of the subject at the second photographing position. Then, based on the first image, a first shooting distance between the first shooting position and the subject, and a second shooting distance between the second shooting position and the subject. Moving said imaging device such that equal.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a photographing apparatus and related technology that can photograph an image at a suitable position.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a usage mode of an imaging system according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a photographing system according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a drive control unit in the imaging apparatus according to the first embodiment. 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a photographing control unit in the photographing apparatus according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining calculation of a moving direction by a drive control unit in the photographing apparatus according to the first embodiment. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a flow of control processing of the imaging apparatus according to the first embodiment. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a usage mode of an imaging system according to Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structural example of the imaging | photography system which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a drive control unit in an imaging apparatus according to a second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram for describing calculation of movement information by a drive control unit in the imaging apparatus according to the second embodiment. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a flow of control processing of the imaging apparatus according to the second embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the usage condition of the imaging | photography system which concerns on Embodiment 3. FIG. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structural example of the imaging | photography system which concerns on Embodiment 3. FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a drive control unit in an imaging apparatus according to Embodiment 3. FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram for describing acquisition of rotation information by a drive control unit in an imaging apparatus according to a third embodiment. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a flow of control processing of the imaging apparatus according to the third embodiment.

<Embodiment 1>
An imaging system 1, an imaging apparatus 101, and a control method for the imaging apparatus 101 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

[Shooting system 1]
FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a usage mode of the imaging system 1 according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 1B is an example of a usage mode of the imaging system 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1A shows a view of the photographing target (subject) 105 and the photographing system 1 from obliquely above, and FIG. 1B shows the photographing target 105 and the photographing system 1 vertically upward (in the y-axis direction). ). Hereinafter, an axis parallel to the vertical direction is referred to as a y-axis, and an axis orthogonal to the y-axis and orthogonal to each other is referred to as an x-axis and a z-axis. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the imaging system 1 according to the first embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the photographing system 1 includes a photographing device 101 and a photographing control device 104.

The shooting system 1 operates as follows. First, the imaging control device 104 receives an input of a drive control signal (a first drive control signal and a second drive control signal) for driving the drive unit 102 of the imaging device 101 from the operator. The first drive control signal is a signal for moving the photographing apparatus 101 toward the photographing target 105, and the second drive control signal is for moving the photographing apparatus 101 from the first photographing position to the second photographing position. It is a signal for. The imaging control device 104 transmits a drive control signal to the imaging device 101. The imaging apparatus 101 receives the drive control signal and acquires plane information representing a plane included in the imaging target (subject) 105 based on the first image (image) captured by the imaging unit 103. The imaging apparatus 101 according to the first embodiment calculates a moving direction of the imaging apparatus 101 that is parallel to a plane included in the acquired imaging target 105. The imaging apparatus 101 translates in the calculated movement direction by the movement distance (specified distance) indicated by the movement distance information included in the drive control signal (second drive control signal). The photographing control device 104 receives an input of a photographing control signal for controlling the photographing unit 103 of the photographing device 101 from the operator, and transmits it to the photographing device 101. The imaging apparatus 101 receives the imaging control signal, and the imaging unit 103 images the imaging target 105.

In the above-described example, a case has been described in which the photographing apparatus 101 performs all the processes of photographing the photographing target 105, obtaining plane information, and calculating the moving direction. However, the present embodiment is not limited thereto. In the present embodiment, each process described above may be performed by a terminal other than the photographing apparatus 101, or a part of each process may be performed by a server.

In the above example, the case where the imaging device 101 is a drone (aircraft) that captures the imaging target 105 while flying, such as an inspection drone, a monitoring drone, and a security drone, has been described. The embodiment is not limited to this. In this embodiment, the imaging device 101 may be a device that travels on a road surface, such as UGV (Unmanned Ground Vehicle). However, when the photographing apparatus 101 is a drone, the problem that an image cannot be photographed at a particularly suitable position can be preferably solved. Therefore, the photographing apparatus 101 is preferably a drone.

[Photographing apparatus 101]
The imaging apparatus 101 is an imaging apparatus having a movement capability by the drive unit 102, and moves and captures based on the control signal received from the imaging control apparatus 104 and the first image captured by the imaging unit 103. . As illustrated in FIG. 2, the photographing apparatus 101 includes a drive unit 102, a photographing unit 103, and a control unit 201. In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 1A, the photographing unit 103 attached to the driving unit 102 photographs the photographing target 105.

[Drive unit 102]
The drive unit 102 is driven according to an instruction from the drive control unit 202 in the control unit 201 to move the imaging device 101 to a first imaging position that is an imaging position for imaging the imaging target 105. When the drive control unit 202 drives the drive unit 102 based on the first drive control signal, the drive unit 102 moves the imaging apparatus 101 toward the imaging target 105. When the drive control unit 202 drives the drive unit 102 based on the second drive control signal, the drive unit 102 takes the imaging apparatus 101 from the first imaging position at the same imaging position for imaging the imaging object 105. Move to a second shooting position. The first shooting position is also a position at which shooting of the shooting target 105 is started, and the second shooting position is also a position at which shooting of the shooting target 105 is ended.

[Shooting unit 103]
The imaging unit 103 acquires the first image and the second image (image) by imaging the imaging target 105. Here, the first image is an image acquired when the photographing unit 103 photographs the photographing target 105 at the first photographing position. The first image is also a moving image used for acquiring plane information of a subject for moving the photographing apparatus 101 from the first photographing position to the second photographing position. The second image is a main image taken at the second shooting position, and is an inspection image used for checking the shooting target 105 or the like.

In one aspect, the imaging unit 103 includes an optical component that captures the imaging space as an image such as a first image and a second image, and an imaging element such as a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) and a CCD (Charge Coupled Device). It is comprised so that it may comprise. In this case, the imaging unit 103 generates image data based on an electrical signal obtained by photoelectric conversion in the imaging element. In one aspect, the imaging unit 103 may output the acquired image data to the imaging control unit 203 as raw data. The imaging unit 103 may output the acquired image data to the imaging control unit 203 after performing image processing such as luminance imaging and noise removal on the acquired image data by an image processing unit (not shown). The photographing unit 103 may output both of the image data to the photographing control unit 203. Further, the photographing unit 103 may output image data and camera parameters such as a focal length at the time of photographing to the photographing control unit 203.

In FIG. 1A, the imaging unit 103 captures the imaging target 105 in a state in which the imaging unit 103 faces in a substantially horizontal direction with respect to the ground, that is, in a state in which the imaging unit 103 faces in a direction substantially parallel to the xz plane in FIG. However, the present embodiment is not limited to this. In the present embodiment, the photographing unit 103 can photograph the photographing target 105 in a state in which it is directed in an arbitrary direction. However, when the imaging target 105 has a high altitude such as a building, the imaging unit 103 captures images at least in a state facing the ground, that is, in a state other than the state facing the -y axis direction in FIG. It is preferable to photograph the object 105. Thereby, the imaging | photography part 103 can image | photograph the said building suitably, when the imaging | photography object 105 is a building. Further, when the photographing target 105 is a roof and the roof is photographed, the photographing unit 103 preferably photographs the photographing target 105 in a state facing the −y axis direction in FIG.

[Control unit 201]
Based on the moving distance information, the control unit 201 drives the driving unit 102 to move the photographing apparatus 101 to a second photographing position that is separated from the first photographing position by the moving distance indicated by the moving distance information.

The control unit 201 also includes a first photographing distance between the photographing device 101 and the photographing target 105 at the first photographing position, and a second between the photographing device 101 and the photographing target 105 at the second photographing position. The photographing apparatus 101 is moved so that the photographing distance becomes equal. More specifically, the control unit 201 moves the photographing apparatus 101 so that the plane on which the photographing target 105 is photographed and the moving direction of the photographing apparatus 101 are parallel.

As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 201 includes a drive control unit 202, an imaging control unit 203, a control signal determination unit 204, and a control signal reception unit (acquisition unit) 205. The unit 203, the control signal determination unit 204, and the control signal receiving unit 205 are controlled overall. The control unit 201 is configured by, for example, a CPU and the like, and performs control regarding processing commands, control, and data input / output in each functional block.

(Drive control unit 202)
The drive control unit 202 controls the drive unit 102. In one aspect, the drive control unit 202 includes an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), and the like.

When the control signal determination unit 204 determines that the control signal received from the imaging control device 104 is the first drive control signal, the drive control unit 202 moves the imaging device 101 toward the imaging target 105. Here, the position of the movement destination where the photographing apparatus 101 moves toward the photographing target 105 may be a position within a predetermined range from the photographing target 105, and may be the first photographing position, for example. Note that when the imaging apparatus 101 is already at the first imaging position or the second imaging position, that is, when the second drive mode is selected, the control signal determination unit 204 has received from the imaging control apparatus 104. Even if it is determined that the control signal is the first drive control signal, the drive control unit 202 may not move the photographing apparatus 101. As long as the drive control unit 202 can move the photographing apparatus 101 to the first photographing position, the movement start point of the photographing apparatus 101 is not particularly limited, and may be an arbitrary position.

When the control signal determination unit 204 determines that the control signal received from the imaging control device 104 is the second drive control signal, the drive control unit 202 captures images based on the first image captured by the imaging unit 103. The moving direction of the apparatus 101 is acquired. Then, the drive control unit 202 drives the drive unit 102 to move the photographing apparatus 101 in the movement direction. Note that if the photographing apparatus 101 has moved to the first photographing position and has not photographed the first image, or if the photographing apparatus 101 has not moved to the first photographing position, the control is performed. Even if the signal determination unit 204 determines that the control signal received from the imaging control device 104 is the second drive control signal, the drive control unit 202 may not move the imaging device 101.

When the control signal determination unit 204 determines that the control signal received from the shooting control device 104 is a shooting control signal, the shooting control unit 203 instructs the shooting unit 103 to shoot the shooting target 105. . The first drive control signal includes, for example, a signal indicating the start of driving and GPS information for moving the photographing apparatus 101 toward the photographing target 105. The second drive control signal includes, for example, a signal indicating the start of driving, movement distance information, and fixed axis information. The shooting control signal includes a signal indicating the start of shooting and a signal indicating the end of shooting.

Here, the movement distance information is information relating to the movement distance by which the driving unit 102 moves the photographing apparatus 101. The movement distance indicated by the movement distance information may always be constant until the photographing apparatus 101 finishes photographing the photographing target 105, or may change until the photographing apparatus 101 finishes photographing the photographing target 105. Good. For example, the movement distance indicated by the movement distance information included in the second drive control signal received by the imaging apparatus 101 from the imaging control apparatus 104 is the movement distance indicated by the movement distance information included in the second drive control signal received last time. And different. In this case, the imaging apparatus 101 moves based on the movement distance indicated by the movement distance information included in the newly received second drive control signal.

Further, the fixed axis information is, for example, information indicating a fixed axis that is a direction in which the photographing apparatus 101 does not move among the x axis, the y axis, and the z axis shown in FIG. The fixed axis indicated by the fixed axis information may always be constant until the photographing apparatus 101 finishes photographing the photographing target 105, or may change until the photographing apparatus 101 finishes photographing the photographing target 105. Good. For example, the fixed axis is the y-axis until the photographing apparatus 101 moves to the end of the photographing target 105 shown in FIG. 1, and when the photographing apparatus 101 moves to the end of the photographing target 105, the fixed axis is moved from the photographing control apparatus 104. It is assumed that a second drive control signal including fixed axis information that is the x axis or the z axis is received. In this case, the image capturing apparatus 101 moves while changing the moving direction based on the fixed axis information included in the second drive control signal received from the image capturing control apparatus 104.

In the above example, the image capturing apparatus 101 determines the moving direction based on the fixed axis information included in the second drive control signal received from the image capturing control apparatus 104. However, the present embodiment is not limited to this. Not. In the present embodiment, the fixed axis information is stored in advance in the storage unit 603 of the drive control unit 202 of the imaging apparatus 101, and the drive control unit 202 stores in the storage unit 603 according to the imaging status of the imaging target 105. Of the fixed axis information, the fixed axis information to be referred to may be changed. For example, as in the above-described example, when the drive control unit 202 determines that the imaging apparatus 101 has moved to the end of the imaging target 105, the drive control unit 202 uses the fixed axis information in which the fixed axis indicates the y axis. The fixed axis may refer to fixed axis information indicating the x axis or the z axis. Here, when the pixel or distance value in the first image photographed by the photographing unit 103 exceeds the range preset by the control unit 201, the drive control unit 202 causes the photographing apparatus 101 to reach the end of the photographing target 105. It can be determined that it has moved.

Hereinafter, the drive control unit 202 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the drive control unit 202 in the photographing apparatus 101. As shown in FIG. 3, the drive control unit 202 includes a movement direction calculation unit 601, a drive processing unit 602, a storage unit 603, and a data bus 604.

The movement direction calculation unit 601 calculates the movement direction of the imaging apparatus 101 based on the plane information acquired by the imaging control unit 203 and the movement distance information included in the second drive control signal received by the control signal reception unit 205. To do. A method for acquiring plane information and a method for calculating the movement direction will be described later.

The drive processing unit 602 moves the drive unit 102 based on the first drive control signal. In addition, the drive processing unit 602 drives the drive unit 102 based on the movement direction calculated by the movement direction calculation unit 601 and the second drive control signal received by the control signal reception unit 205.

The storage unit 603 stores the movement direction acquired by the movement direction calculation unit 601 and various data used for driving the driving unit 102. In one aspect, the storage unit 603 is configured by a storage device such as a RAM and an HDD.

The data bus 604 is a bus for exchanging data between the functional blocks.

(Shooting control unit 203)
The imaging control unit 203 controls the imaging unit 103. In one aspect, the imaging control unit 203 includes an FPGA, an ASIC, and the like. The imaging control unit 203 performs imaging control processing that causes at least the imaging unit 103 to perform imaging. Further, the imaging control unit 203 calculates the distance from the imaging unit 103 with the position of the imaging unit 103 as the origin for each pixel of the first image, and is included in the imaging target 105 based on the distance value of each pixel. Processing to detect a plane is performed.

Hereinafter, the photographing control unit 203 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the photographing control unit 203 in the photographing apparatus 101. As shown in FIG. 4, the imaging control unit 203 includes an image input unit 501, a three-dimensional coordinate calculation unit 502, a plane information acquisition unit 503, a storage unit 504, and a data bus 505.

The image input unit 501 acquires image data of the shooting target 105 shot by the shooting unit 103. In one aspect, the data format of the image data acquired by the image input unit 501 is not limited, and may be, for example, Bitmap and JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) as long as it is a still image. The data format of the image data may be a general-purpose data format such as AVI (Audio Video Interleave) and FLV (Flash Video) as long as it is a moving image, or may be a unique data format. Further, the image input unit 501 may convert the data format of the acquired image data.

The three-dimensional coordinate calculation unit 502 calculates three-dimensional coordinates with the origin of the position of the photographing unit 103 for an arbitrary point of the first image based on the image data acquired by the image input unit 501.

The plane information acquisition unit 503 acquires plane information indicating a plane based on the 3D coordinates acquired by the 3D coordinate calculation unit 502. A method for acquiring the plane information will be described later.

The storage unit 504 is the first image acquired by the image input unit 501, the three-dimensional coordinates calculated by the three-dimensional coordinate calculation unit 502, the plane information acquired by the plane information acquisition unit 503, and various types used for image processing. Save data etc. In one embodiment, the storage unit 504 includes a storage device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) and an HDD (Hard Disk Drive).

The data bus 505 is a bus for exchanging data between the functional blocks.

In the above example, the photographing control unit 203 is included in one photographing apparatus 101 as shown in FIG. However, the present embodiment is not limited to this, and the imaging control unit 203 may include a housing in which some functional blocks are independent. For example, in one aspect, an apparatus including the imaging control unit 203 may be configured using, for example, a PC (Personal Computer).

(Control signal determination unit 204, control signal reception unit 205)
The control signal receiving unit 205 receives a control signal from the imaging control device 104. The control signal determination unit 204 decodes the control signal received by the control signal reception unit 205 and determines whether the control signal is the first drive control signal, the second drive control signal, or the imaging control signal. .

[Photographing control device 104]
The imaging control device 104 controls driving and imaging of the imaging device 101 based on a control signal input by the operator. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the imaging control device 104 includes a drive operation input unit 401, an imaging operation input unit 402, and a control signal transmission unit 403.

The imaging control device 104 further includes an independent movement operation input unit (not shown) that autonomously moves the imaging device 101 by a predetermined distance in the movement direction in which the first imaging distance and the second imaging distance are equal. May be. The self-supporting movement operation input unit is, for example, a button, and the photographing apparatus 101 can be moved by a predetermined distance such as 1 m when the button is pressed by the operator and an input of the self-supporting movement operation is received.

[Driving operation input unit 401]
The drive operation input unit 401 receives at least an input of a second drive control signal for moving the photographing apparatus 101 from the first photographing position to the second photographing position from the operator. That is, the drive operation input unit 401 receives at least an input of a second drive control signal including movement distance information for moving the specified movement distance to the imaging apparatus 101. In one aspect, the drive operation input unit 401 receives at least an input of a second drive control signal including movement distance information for moving the drive unit 102 in a specified movement distance and movement direction from the operator. (Not shown) may be included. In this case, the operation input unit preferably includes a plurality of buttons so that the operator can select each direction such as the x-axis direction, the y-axis direction, and the z-axis direction.

The driving operation input unit 401 receives an input of a first drive control signal for moving the imaging device 101 to the first imaging position from the operator when the imaging device 101 is not at the first imaging position. May be.

[Shooting operation input unit 402]
The photographing operation input unit 402 receives at least an input of a photographing control signal for causing the photographing apparatus 101 to perform photographing processing from the operator. That is, the photographing operation input unit 402 causes the photographing apparatus 101 to photograph the first image and the second image of the photographing target 105 at the first photographing position and the second photographing position, respectively. Accepts input.

Note that the shooting operation input unit 402 may not accept input of shooting control signals at at least one of the first shooting position and the second shooting position. For example, when the drive operation input unit 401 accepts the input of the second drive control signal at the first image capture position, the image capture control unit 203 causes the image capture unit 103 to capture the first image, and the drive control unit 202a may drive the drive unit 102a and the imaging control unit 203 may cause the imaging unit 103 to capture the second image at a second imaging position in a series of flows. As described above, by omitting the reception of the input of the shooting control signal at at least one of the first shooting position and the second shooting position, the shooting of the first image and the shooting of the second image can be performed more efficiently. The control processing of the imaging apparatus 101 can be performed.

[Control signal transmission unit 403]
The control signal transmission unit 403 receives any one of the first drive control signal, the second drive control signal, and the shooting control signal input to the shooting operation input unit 402 input to the drive operation input unit 401 from the operator. It transmits to the imaging device 101 as a control signal. The control signal transmission unit 403 transmits a second drive control signal to the image capturing apparatus 101 after transmitting the first drive control signal, or transmits a first drive control signal after transmitting the second drive control signal. As a result, the driving mode of the photographing apparatus 101 can be switched between the first driving mode based on the first driving control signal and the second driving mode based on the second driving control signal. As described above, the photographing apparatus 101 can be moved to a more suitable position by switching the driving mode of the photographing apparatus 101 between the first driving mode and the second driving mode. As a result, the photographing apparatus 101 can photograph the first image and the second image at a more suitable position.

(Acquisition of plane information)
Hereinafter, the acquisition coordinates of plane information by the imaging control unit 203 will be described.

A three-dimensional coordinate calculation unit 502 in the imaging control unit 203 is based on the image data of the imaging target 105 acquired by the image input unit 501, n point group information (x1, y1, z1), ( x2, y2, z2),... (xn, yn, zn) are acquired. The acquisition method of point cloud information is not specifically limited, For example, acquisition by a stereo camera may be sufficient and acquisition by a TOF (Time of Flight) sensor may be sufficient. The plane of the imaging target 105 can be expressed by (Expression 1) using plane information (a, b, c).

Here, the plane information (a, b, c) indicates the normal vector of the plane. The plane information (a, b, c) is obtained by using n pieces of point group information (x1, y1, z1), (x2, y2, z2),... (Xn, yn, zn). And a coefficient for obtaining the least square error of the distance between the plane and the plane. The plane information acquisition unit 503 in the imaging control unit 203 calculates plane information (a, b, c) for obtaining the least square error by solving simultaneous equations of (Expression 2) to (Expression 4).

In the present embodiment, the plane information acquisition unit 503 is not limited to the mode of acquiring plane information based on the point cloud information as described above, as long as the plane information acquisition unit 503 acquires the plane information of the imaging target 105. . For example, the plane information acquisition unit 503 may acquire plane information of the imaging target 105 by detecting a plane based on a recognition method using machine learning.

(Calculation of moving direction)
Next, a method of calculating the movement direction by the drive control unit 202 will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram for describing calculation of the moving direction by the drive control unit 202 in the photographing apparatus 101.

The movement direction calculation unit 601 in the drive control unit 202 includes a movement distance included in the plane information (a, b, c) acquired by the plane information acquisition unit 503 and the second drive control signal received by the control signal reception unit 205. The movement distance l (> 0) indicated by the information is referred to. In one aspect, the travel distance l is set at a specified distance, for example 1 m. Using the plane information (a, b, c) and the movement distance l, the movement vector information (tx, ty, tz) shown in FIG. 5 can be expressed by (Expression 5) and (Expression 6). Hereinafter, a case where the movement vector information (tx, ty, tz) is a positive value will be described.

Further, the movement direction calculation unit 601 in the drive control unit 202 refers to the fixed axis information included in the second drive control signal received by the control signal reception unit 205. As shown in FIG. 5, when the fixed axis is the y-axis that is the vertical direction of the photographing apparatus 101, ty = 0. Therefore, the movement direction calculation unit 601 in the drive control unit 202 substitutes ty = 0 into (Expression 5) and (Expression 6), and solves the simultaneous equations of (Expression 5) and (Expression 6), thereby moving the movement vector. Information (tx, ty, tz) is calculated as (Equation 7) below. Thereby, the moving direction is calculated.

In the above example, the case where the fixed axis is the y-axis and ty = 0 has been described, but the present embodiment is not limited to this. In the present embodiment, movement vector information (tx, ty, tz) can be calculated in the same manner as in the above example even when the fixed axis is the x-axis and when the fixed axis is the z-axis. For example, when the fixed axis is the x-axis and tx = 0, the movement direction calculation unit 601 calculates movement vector information (tx, ty, tz) as the following (Equation 8).

If the fixed axis is the z-axis and tz = 0, the movement direction calculation unit 601 calculates movement vector information (tx, ty, tz) as the following (formula 9).

Further, when the fixed axes are the x-axis and the z-axis, and tx = tz = 0, the movement direction calculation unit 601 calculates the movement vector information (tx, ty, tz) as the following (formula 10). In this case, b = 0.

Note that the fixed axis is preferably the y-axis, or the x-axis and the z-axis. Setting the fixed axis to the y-axis and moving the imaging apparatus 101 to the end of the imaging target 105; setting the fixed axis to the x-axis and the z-axis; and moving the imaging apparatus 101 in the y-axis direction; By photographing the subject 105 while repeating the above, the subject 105 can be suitably photographed without omission.

[Control processing of photographing apparatus 101]
A control process (control method of the photographing apparatus) of the photographing apparatus 101 according to the first embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of control processing of the imaging apparatus 101.

In step S100, the control signal receiving unit 205 in the control unit 201 of the photographing apparatus 101 determines whether a control signal is received from the photographing control apparatus 104. When it is determined that the control signal receiving unit 205 has not received the control signal (NO in step S100), the control signal receiving unit 205 returns to the process in step S100. When the control signal receiving unit 205 determines that the control signal is received (YES in step S100), the process proceeds to step S101.

In step S101, the control signal determination unit 204 determines whether or not the received control signal is the first drive control signal. When the control signal determination unit 204 determines that the received control signal is the first drive control signal (YES in step S101), the process proceeds to step S102. If the control signal determination unit 204 determines that the received control signal is not the first drive control signal (NO in step S101), the process proceeds to step S104.

In step S102, the drive control unit 202 determines whether or not the first drive mode is selected. If the drive control unit 202 determines that the first drive mode is selected (YES in step S102), the process proceeds to step S103. When the first drive mode is not selected as the drive mode, the drive control unit 202 does not move the photographing apparatus 101 and returns to the process of step S100. Note that the case where the first drive mode is not selected means, for example, the case where the second drive mode is selected, that is, the photographing apparatus 101 is already in the first photographing position or the second photographing position. There are cases.

In step S103, the drive processing unit 602 in the drive control unit 202 drives the drive unit 102 based on the GPS information included in the first drive control signal, thereby moving the imaging device 101 to the first imaging position. . After step S103, the photographing apparatus 101 returns to the process of step S100. In step S103, the drive control unit 202 may move the photographing apparatus 101 to the first photographing position and determine whether or not the photographing apparatus 101 has been moved to the first photographing position.

In step S104, the control signal determination unit 204 determines whether or not the received control signal is a shooting control signal. When the control signal determination unit 204 determines that the received control signal is a shooting control signal (YES in step S104), the process proceeds to step S105. When the control signal determination unit 204 determines that the received control signal is not a shooting control signal (NO in step S104), the process proceeds to step S107.

In step S105, the imaging control unit 203 in the control unit 201 causes the imaging unit 103 to capture an image of the imaging target 105. For example, at the first photographing position, the photographing control unit 203 causes the photographing unit 103 to photograph the first image (first image photographing step). At the second shooting position, the shooting control unit 203 causes the shooting unit 103 to take a second image (second image shooting step).

In step S106, when the imaging control unit 203 causes the imaging unit 103 to capture the second image (YES in step S106), the process proceeds to step S112. When the imaging control unit 203 does not cause the imaging unit 103 to capture the second image (NO in step S106), that is, when the first image is captured, the process returns to step S100.

In step S107, if the control signal determination unit 204 determines that the second drive control signal has been received, the control signal is a movement instruction, and the photographing apparatus 101 has acquired a movement instruction in the second drive mode. Confirmed (acquisition step). Here, when the first image has already been shot (YES in step S107), that is, after the shooting control unit 203 causes the shooting unit 103 to take the first image, the control signal determination unit 204 sets the second image. If it is determined that the drive control signal has been received, the process proceeds to step S108. If the first image has not been captured (NO in step S107), the process returns to step S100. Note that the case where the first image has not been taken means that, for example, the photographing apparatus 101 has moved to the first photographing position and the first image has not been photographed, or the photographing apparatus 101 has The case where it has not moved to one photographing position is mentioned.

In step S108, the plane information acquisition unit 503 in the imaging control unit 203 acquires plane information based on the image data of the imaging target 105 captured by the imaging unit 103 acquired by the image input unit 501, and the process of step S109. Proceed to

In step S109, the movement direction calculation unit 601 in the drive control unit 202 converts the plane information acquired by the plane information acquisition unit 503 and the movement distance information included in the second drive control signal received by the control signal reception unit 205. Based on this, the moving direction of the photographing apparatus 101 is calculated (control step).

In step S110, the drive processing unit 602 in the drive control unit 202 moves the photographing apparatus 101 by driving the drive unit 102 in the calculated movement direction based on the movement distance information (control step, drive step).

In step S <b> 111, the drive control unit 202 determines whether the photographing apparatus 101 has moved by the movement distance (specified distance) indicated by the movement distance information included in the second drive control signal, and moves the photographing apparatus 101. Control. That is, the drive control unit 202 determines whether or not the photographing apparatus 101 has moved from the first photographing position to the second photographing position, and the photographing apparatus 101 moves so that the photographing apparatus 101 moves to the second photographing position. Control the movement of. If the drive control unit 202 determines that the distance that the photographing apparatus 101 has moved has reached the specified distance (YES in step S111), the process returns to step S100. If the drive control unit 202 determines that the distance traveled by the photographing apparatus 101 has not reached the specified distance (NO in step S111), the process returns to step S110, and the photographing apparatus 101 is continuously moved (control). Step).

Note that in the control steps in steps S109 to S111, the drive control unit 202 sets the first shooting position and the shooting target 105 based on the image data (first image) of the shooting target 105 shot by the shooting unit 103. The photographing apparatus 101 is moved so that the first photographing distance between the two and the second photographing distance between the second photographing position and the photographing object 105 are equal.

In step S112, the control unit 201 determines whether or not the photographing of the photographing target 105 by the photographing apparatus 101 has been completed. For example, when the control signal receiving unit 205 in the control unit 201 receives a shooting control signal including a signal indicating the end of shooting from the control signal transmitting unit 403 in the shooting control device 104, the control unit 201 takes the shooting device 101. It is determined that the shooting of the shooting target 105 is completed. When the control unit 201 determines that the photographing of the photographing target 105 by the photographing apparatus 101 is finished (YES in step S112), the control unit 201 finishes the control process of the photographing apparatus 101. When the control unit 201 determines that the photographing of the photographing target 105 by the photographing apparatus 101 has not ended (NO in step S112), the control unit 201 does not end the photographing process of the photographing apparatus 101 and returns to the process of step S100. . Then, the processes in steps S100 to S112 described above are repeated.

In this embodiment, after step S103, the process returns to step S100, and can proceed to various steps according to the signal transmitted from the imaging control device 104. Below, an example of the flow of a series of processes which image | photograph a 1st image and a 2nd image is shown. After step S103, the imaging apparatus 101 receives the imaging control signal, proceeds to step S100 to step S105, captures the first image at the first imaging position, and returns to the processing of step S100 via step S106. . Next, the photographing apparatus 101 receives the second drive control signal, proceeds from step S100 to step S104 to step S107 to step S111, moves from the first photographing position to the second photographing position, and step The process returns to S100. Next, the photographing apparatus 101 receives the photographing control signal, proceeds to step S100 to step S105, photographs the second image at the second photographing position, proceeds to step S112 via step S106, and ends the process. To do.

In the present embodiment, the steps need not be performed in the order described above. For example, after moving the photographing apparatus 101 to the first photographing position in step S103, the second image may be photographed instead of the first image at the first photographing position. In this case, the photographing apparatus 101 receives the photographing control signal, and proceeds to step S112 via step S101 and steps S104 to S106. Further, after moving to the first imaging device, the imaging device 101 may automatically capture at least one of the first image and the second image without receiving an imaging control signal.

Assume that the imaging apparatus 101 proceeds to step S111 and moves to the second imaging position, and then receives the second drive control signal again. In this case, the process proceeds from step S100 to step S104 to step S107 to step S111, and may be further moved from the second shooting position by the distance between the first shooting position and the second shooting position. Good. Further, the imaging apparatus 101 may proceed to step S111 and move to the second imaging position, and then automatically capture the second image without receiving an imaging control signal.

In the above-described processing, if the received control signal is the first drive control signal in step S102 and is not the first drive mode, the processing returns to step S100. However, if the photographing apparatus 101 is in the first photographing position or the second photographing position and is in the second drive mode when the first drive control signal is received in step S102, it is different from the photographing target 105. The photographing apparatus 101 may be moved toward the photographing target 105.

(Effects of the photographing system 1 according to the first embodiment)
According to the photographing system 1 according to the first embodiment, the photographing target 105 can be photographed while moving the photographing apparatus 101 in the moving direction calculated based on the plane information and the moving distance information. As a result, the photographing target 105 can be photographed while moving the photographing apparatus 101 so as to be at a suitable photographing position separated from the photographing target 105 by a certain distance. As a result, the photographing apparatus 101 moves to a position far from the photographing position or rotates due to an operator's operation error, and the photographing target 105 is photographed smaller than the desired image, or the photographing target 105 is It is possible to prevent a problem that the image is not reflected at a suitable position in the image.

Further, according to the imaging system 1 according to the first embodiment, the control unit 201 moves the imaging apparatus 101 so that the plane on which the imaging target 105 is captured and the moving direction of the imaging apparatus 101 are parallel. As described above, the photographing apparatus 101 is moved to a more suitable photographing position by moving the photographing apparatus 101 so that the plane on which the photographing object 105 is photographed and the moving direction of the photographing apparatus 101 are parallel to each other. 105 images can be taken.

[Modification]
In the example described above, the imaging apparatus 101 in the imaging system 1 has been described with respect to imaging a rectangular parallelepiped imaging target 105 having a plane as illustrated in FIG. 1, but the present embodiment is not limited thereto. In the present embodiment, for example, the present invention can also be applied when the imaging target 105 has a cylindrical shape having a curved surface. When the imaging target 105 has a cylindrical shape, the imaging device 101 performs imaging while moving so as to rotate around the cylindrical imaging target 105.

Note that, even when the imaging target 105 has a curved surface, the imaging control unit 203 in the imaging apparatus 101 can acquire plane information as in the above example. When n pieces of point group information (x1, y1, z1), (x2, y2, z2),... (xn, yn, zn) exist in the vicinity, the screen of the photographed photographing target 105 is curved. This is because (Equation 1) to (Equation 4) hold.

As described above, when the shooting target 105 is cylindrical, for example, the first image is regarded as an image of a tangent plane of a curved surface, and the section of the cylinder is regarded as a polygon instead of a circle. Can be moved along the circumscribing of the cylinder. In this case, it is approximated that the outer wall of the cylinder is multifaceted, and based on the first image, the imaging device 101 is moved for each approximate face of the cylinder, or is moved for each predetermined face, so that the first It can be moved from the shooting position to the second shooting position.

<Embodiment 2>
In the imaging system 1 according to the first embodiment described above, the imaging apparatus 101 captures the imaging target 105 by calculating the movement direction based on the plane information and the movement distance information included in the second drive control signal. However, like the imaging system 2 according to the second embodiment, the imaging apparatus 101a moves the imaging apparatus 101a based on the plane information and the three-dimensional coordinates of the first imaging area 901a and the second imaging area 901b. In addition, the photographing target 105 may be photographed by calculating the moving distance.

Hereinafter, the imaging system 2 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as those described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

[Shooting system 2]
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a usage mode of the imaging system 2 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the imaging system 2 according to the second embodiment.

7 and 8, the photographing system 2 includes a photographing device 101a instead of the photographing device 101 according to the first embodiment. Except for this point, the imaging system 2 has the same configuration as the imaging system 1 according to the first embodiment.

The photographing apparatus 101a according to the photographing system 2 operates as follows. When the imaging device 101 a receives the second drive control signal from the imaging control device 104, the imaging device 101 a acquires plane information representing a plane included in the imaging target 105 based on the image captured by the imaging unit 103. The photographing apparatus 101a refers to the image photographed by the photographing unit 103, and the first photographing position 901a when the first photographing position is the origin and the second photographing position when the second photographing position is the origin. The three-dimensional coordinates of the second imaging region 901b are acquired. The imaging apparatus 101a calculates the moving direction and moving distance of the imaging apparatus 101a from the acquired plane information and the three-dimensional coordinates of the first imaging area 901a and the second imaging area 901b. The imaging device 101a moves by the movement distance in the calculated movement direction and images the imaging target 105 at the second imaging position. As described above, in the imaging system 2 according to the second embodiment, the imaging apparatus 101a has the moving direction and the moving distance of the imaging apparatus 101a based on the plane information and the three-dimensional coordinates of the first imaging area 901a and the second imaging area 901b. Is different from the imaging system 1 according to the first embodiment in that

[Photographing apparatus 101a]
As illustrated in FIG. 8, the photographing apparatus 101 a includes a drive unit 102 a and a control unit 201 a instead of the drive unit 102 and the control unit 201. Except for this point, the imaging apparatus 101a has the same configuration as the imaging apparatus 101 according to the first embodiment.

[Driver 102a]
The drive unit 102a is driven according to an instruction from the drive control unit 202a in the control unit 201a to move the imaging device 101a to the imaging position of the imaging target 105.
[Control unit 201a]
The control unit 201a includes a first shooting area 901a that is a shooting area in which the shooting unit 103 has shot the shooting target 105 at the first shooting position, and a shooting in which the shooting unit 103 has shot the shooting target 105 at the second shooting position. The imaging apparatus 101a is moved according to the second imaging area 901b that is an area.

As shown in FIG. 8, the control unit 201 a includes a drive unit 102 a instead of the drive control unit 202. Except for this point, the control unit 201 a has the same configuration as the control unit 201.

(Drive control unit 202a)
Instead of the function of the drive control unit 202, the drive control unit 202a is based on plane information and the three-dimensional coordinates of the first imaging region 901a and the second imaging region 901b, that is, movement information of the imaging device 101a, that is, A function for calculating a moving direction and a moving distance is provided.

Hereinafter, the drive control unit 202a will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the drive control unit 202a in the photographing apparatus 101a. As illustrated in FIG. 9, the drive control unit 202 a includes a movement direction calculation unit 601 a instead of the movement direction calculation unit 601. Except for this point, the drive control unit 202 a has the same configuration as the drive control unit 202.

The movement direction calculation unit 601a calculates movement information of the imaging apparatus 101 based on the three-dimensional coordinates and the plane information of the first imaging area 901a and the second imaging area 901b in the image data captured by the imaging unit 103. Since the calculation method of the three-dimensional coordinates of the first imaging region 901a and the second imaging region 901b can be calculated by the three-dimensional coordinate calculation unit 502 in the imaging control unit 203, the description thereof is omitted. . Since the plane information acquisition method is the same as that of the above-described embodiment, the description thereof is omitted. A method for calculating the movement information will be described below.

(Calculation of movement information)
Next, a method for calculating movement information by the drive control unit 202a will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining calculation of movement information by the drive control unit 202a in the photographing apparatus 101a.

The movement direction calculation unit 601a in the drive control unit 202a uses the plane information (a, b, c) acquired by the plane information acquisition unit 503 and the three-dimensional coordinates of the first imaging region 901a and the second imaging region 901b. refer.

In the example illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 10, the movement direction calculation unit 601a includes the upper left field angle boundary (first angle) in the first shooting region 901a when the position of the shooting unit 103 at the first shooting position is the origin. The three-dimensional coordinates L0 (XL0, YL0, ZL0) of the imaging region 901a) and the three-dimensional coordinates R0 (XR0, YR0, ZR0) of the upper right field angle boundary are acquired. Further, the moving direction calculation unit 601a has an upper left field angle boundary (an end portion of the second imaging region 901b) in the second imaging region 901b when the position of the imaging unit 103 at the second imaging position is the origin. ) Three-dimensional coordinates L1 (XL1, YL1, ZL1) are acquired.

In this case, the three-dimensional coordinates L1 (X′L1, Y′L1, Z′L1) when the photographing unit 103 at the first photographing position is set as the origin is the movement vector information t = (tx, ty, tz). And can be represented by (Equation 11). In the second embodiment, the case where the movement vector information (tx, ty, tz) is a positive value will be described.

Here, since the photographing apparatus 101a moves in parallel with the surface of the photographing target 105, the three-dimensional coordinates L1 (XL1, YL1, ZL1) = the three-dimensional coordinates L0 (XL0, YL0, ZL0), and (Expression 11) is (Equation 12)

Further, as an example, the drive control unit 202a causes a part of the field angle boundary of the first imaging region 901a and a part of the field angle boundary of the second imaging region 901b not to overlap and to be adjacent to each other. When the photographing apparatus 101a is moved to the position shown in FIG.

Further, from FIG. 10, the relationships shown in the following formulas (Formula 14) and (Formula 15) are established.

The movement direction calculation unit 601a in the drive control unit 202a calculates the movement vector information tx as the following expression (Expression 16) by solving the simultaneous equations of (Expression 12) to (Expression 15).

Furthermore, the movement direction calculation unit 601a refers to the plane information (a, b, c) acquired by the plane information acquisition unit 503 and the fixed axis information included in the second drive control signal received by the control signal reception unit 205. . The plane information (a, b, c) acquired by the plane information acquisition unit 503 and the movement vector information t = (tx, ty, tz) have the relationship of (Formula 5) in the first embodiment. When the fixed axis is the y axis, ty = 0. In this case, the moving direction calculation unit 601a substitutes ty = 0 in (Equation 5) and solves the simultaneous equations of (Equation 5) and (Equation 16), thereby obtaining the movement vector information (tx, ty, tz). Calculated as (Equation 17) below. Thereby, the moving direction is calculated.

Also, the movement direction calculation unit 601a calculates a movement distance l that satisfies the relationship between (Expression 17) and the above (Expression 6).

In the above-described example, the drive control unit 202a does not overlap a part of the field angle boundary of the first imaging area 901a and a part of the field angle boundary of the second imaging area 901b, and is adjacent. The movement information is calculated by moving the photographing apparatus 101a as described above. However, the present embodiment is not limited to this, and the drive control unit 202a may move the photographing apparatus 101a according to the first photographing area 901a and the second photographing area 901b. Even in this case, the movement information can be calculated.

[Control Processing of Imaging Device 101a]
A control process (a method for controlling the photographing apparatus) of the photographing apparatus 101a according to the second embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a flow of control processing of the imaging apparatus 101a. Steps S200 to S202 and steps S204 to S207 are the same as steps S100 to S102 and steps S104 to S107 in the control processing of the photographing apparatus 101 according to the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

In step S203, the movement direction calculation unit 601a in the drive control unit 202a of the imaging apparatus 101a includes the three-dimensional coordinates and plane information of the first imaging region 901a and the second imaging region 901b in the image data captured by the imaging unit 103. Based on the above, the movement information of the photographing apparatus 101, that is, the movement direction and the movement distance are calculated.

(Effects of the photographing system 2 according to the second embodiment)
According to the photographing system 2 according to the second embodiment, the drive control unit 202a in the control unit 201a moves the photographing apparatus 101a according to the first photographing region 901a and the second photographing region 901b. Accordingly, the image capturing apparatus 101a can capture an image of the image capturing target 105 by moving the image capturing apparatus 101a in a suitable moving direction without referring to the moving direction information.

Further, the drive control unit 202a moves the photographing apparatus 101a so that at least a part of the first photographing region 901a and at least a part of the second photographing region 901b have a common photographing region. The photographing object 105 can be photographed without any omissions.

Also, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 10, the drive control unit 202a is adjacent to at least a part of the first imaging region 901a and at least a part of the second imaging region 901b without overlapping. As described above, by moving the photographing apparatus 101a, it is possible to photograph the entire photographing target 105 while preventing the photographing portions of the photographed images from overlapping. Thereby, the frequency | count of imaging | photography can be reduced and imaging | photography efficiency can be improved.

<Embodiment 3>
As in the imaging system 3 according to the third embodiment, the imaging device 101b in the imaging system 3 may move so as to face the plane of the imaging target 105 to capture the imaging target 105.

Hereinafter, the imaging system 3 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as those described in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

[Shooting system 3]
FIG. 12A is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a usage mode of the imaging system 3 according to the third embodiment. FIG. 12B is a diagram illustrating an example of a usage mode of the imaging system 3 according to the third embodiment. FIG. 13 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the imaging system 3 according to the third embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the imaging system 3 includes an imaging device 101 b instead of the imaging device 101 according to the first embodiment. Except for this point, the imaging system 3 has the same configuration as the imaging system 1 according to the first embodiment.

The imaging apparatus 101b according to the third embodiment operates as follows. When receiving the second drive control signal from the imaging control device 104, the imaging device 101b acquires plane information representing a plane included in the imaging target 105 based on the image captured by the imaging unit 103. The imaging apparatus 101b refers to the plane information and acquires rotation information for the imaging unit 103 and the plane of the imaging target 105 to face each other. The imaging device 101b rotates based on the acquired rotation information. The photographing apparatus 101b moves by a specified moving distance. As described above, the imaging system 3 according to the third embodiment relates to the first embodiment in that the imaging apparatus 101b rotates so that the imaging apparatus 101b and the plane of the imaging target 105 face each other based on the plane information of the imaging target 105. Different from the shooting system 1. Note that the photographing apparatus 101b may move after rotating at the first photographing position, or may move to the second photographing position after moving. In either case, the imaging unit 103 can face the imaging target 105 at the second imaging position that is the final destination.

[Photographing apparatus 101b]
As illustrated in FIG. 13, the photographing apparatus 101 b includes a drive unit 102 b and a control unit 201 b instead of the drive unit 102 and the control unit 201. Except for this point, the imaging apparatus 101b has the same configuration as the imaging apparatus 101 according to the first embodiment.

[Driver 102b]
The drive unit 102b is driven according to an instruction from the drive control unit 202b in the control unit 201b, thereby moving the imaging device 101b to the imaging position of the imaging target 105.

[Control unit 201b]
The control unit 201b rotates and moves the photographing apparatus 101b so that the photographing apparatus 101b and the photographing target 105 face each other at the second photographing position.

As illustrated in FIG. 13, the control unit 201 b includes a drive control unit 202 b instead of the drive control unit 202. Except for this point, the control unit 201b has the same configuration as the control unit 201.

(Drive control unit 202b)
The drive control unit 202b has a function of acquiring rotation information based on plane information instead of the function of the drive control unit 202. Hereinafter, the drive control unit 202b will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.

FIG. 14 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the drive control unit 202b in the photographing apparatus 101b.

As illustrated in FIG. 14, the drive control unit 202 b includes a rotation information acquisition unit 1401 instead of the movement direction calculation unit 601. Except for this point, the drive control unit 202b has the same configuration as the drive control unit 202.

The rotation information acquisition unit 1401 acquires rotation information for the imaging device 101b and the plane of the imaging target 105 to face each other based on the plane information acquired by the imaging control unit 203. A method for acquiring the rotation information will be described below.

(Obtain rotation information)
Next, a rotation information acquisition method by the rotation information acquisition unit 1401 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining the acquisition of rotation information by the rotation information acquisition unit 1401.

The rotation information acquisition unit 1401 refers to the plane information n = (a, b, c) acquired by the plane information acquisition unit 503. The rotation information acquisition unit 1401 can acquire the rotation information r = (φ, ψ, θ) for directly facing the optical axis direction z of the photographing apparatus 101b shown in FIG. it can. The rotation information r = (φ, ψ, θ) is a positive value.

The rotation information acquisition method by the rotation information acquisition unit 1401 is not limited to the method of calculating (Equation 18) by the above-described method. For example, the rotation information is acquired by acquiring the distance of a plurality of points at the view angle boundary of the first and second imaging regions by a distance sensor (not shown), and the imaging device 101b has the same distance value at each point. May be rotated.

[Control processing of photographing apparatus 101b]
A control process (control method of the photographing apparatus) of the photographing apparatus 101b according to the third embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of control processing of the photographing apparatus 101b. Steps S300 to S302 and steps S305 to S307 are the same as steps S100 to S102 and steps S305 to S307 in the control processing of the photographing apparatus 101 according to the first embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted.

In step S303, the rotation information acquisition unit 1401 in the drive control unit 202b of the imaging apparatus 101b acquires the rotation information of the imaging apparatus 101b based on the plane information.

In step S304, the drive control unit 202b moves the photographing apparatus 101b by driving the drive unit 102b based on the moving distance information and the rotation information.

(Effect by the photographing system 3 according to the third embodiment)
According to the imaging system 3 according to the third embodiment, the imaging device 101b rotates so that the imaging unit 103 of the imaging device 101b and the plane of the imaging target 105 face each other at the second imaging position, and captures the imaging target 105. can do. Thereby, the imaging target 105 can be imaged without distortion. Further, by photographing the entire photographing object 105 and moving it by a moving distance that does not superimpose an image, the number of photographing can be reduced and photographing efficiency can be improved.

[Variations of Embodiments 1 to 3]
In each of the above-described embodiments, the configuration and the like illustrated in the accompanying drawings are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these. Various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Moreover, a new technical feature can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in each embodiment.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the first image and the second image are taken separately, but one image is regarded as both the first image and the second image, and based on the image, the first image is taken. The photographing apparatus may be moved from the photographing position to the second photographing position.

Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, each component for realizing each function is described as being a different part, but actually has a part that can be clearly separated and recognized in this way. It doesn't have to be. In each of the above embodiments, each component for realizing each function may be configured using, for example, different parts, or all the components may be mounted on one LSI. Good. That is, it is only necessary to have each component that can realize each function regardless of the mounting form. Each component can be arbitrarily selected, and the invention having the selected configuration is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[Example of software implementation]
The control blocks (particularly the control units 201, 201a, and 201b) of the photographing apparatuses 101, 101a, and 101b may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like, or a CPU (Central It may be realized by software using a Processing Unit.

In the latter case, the photographing apparatuses 101, 101a, and 101b are configured such that a CPU (computer) that executes instructions of a photographing program that is software for realizing each function, and the photographing program and various data can be read by a computer system (or CPU). A ROM (Read Only Memory) or a storage device (these are referred to as “recording media”), a RAM (Random Access Memory) in which the shooting program is expanded, and the like are provided. Then, the object of the present invention is achieved by the computer system (or CPU) reading and executing the photographing program from the recording medium.

The computer system includes an OS and hardware such as peripheral devices. Further, if the computer system uses a WWW system, the computer system also includes a homepage providing environment (or display environment).

Recording media include portable media such as flexible disks and magneto-optical disks, storage devices such as hard disks built into computer systems, and temporary media such as tapes, cards, semiconductor memories, and programmable logic circuits in addition to ROM. Also includes non-tangible media. The recording medium also includes a recording medium that dynamically holds the shooting program for a short time, such as a communication line that transmits the shooting program via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line. Further, the recording medium includes a recording medium that holds a photographing program for a certain period of time, such as a volatile memory inside a computer system that is a server or a client in that case.

Further, the shooting program may be supplied to the computer system via any transmission medium (such as a communication network or a broadcast wave) that can transmit the shooting program. Note that one aspect of the present invention can also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave, in which the shooting program is embodied by electronic transmission.

[Summary]
An imaging device (101, 101a, 101b) according to aspect 1 of the present invention is an imaging device that takes an image of a subject (photographing target 105), and drives the drive unit (102) that moves the imaging device, and photographs the subject. An imaging unit (103) that performs the acquisition, the acquisition unit (control signal reception unit 205) that acquires a movement instruction, and the driving unit based on the movement instruction, the imaging unit is moved from the first imaging position to the second imaging position. And a control unit (201) that moves the first imaging distance between the first imaging position and the subject based on the image captured by the imaging unit, and the first The imaging device is moved so that the second imaging distance between the second imaging position and the subject is equal.

According to the above configuration, an image can be taken at a suitable position.

In the photographing apparatus according to aspect 2 of the present invention, in the aspect 1, the control unit moves the photographing apparatus so that a surface on which the subject is photographed and a moving direction of the photographing apparatus are parallel to each other. May be.

According to the above configuration, the image of the subject can be taken by moving the photographing device to a more suitable photographing position.

In the imaging device according to aspect 3 of the present invention, in the aspect 1, the control unit includes a first imaging area (901a) that is an imaging area in which the imaging unit images the subject at the first imaging position. The imaging device may be moved in accordance with a second imaging area (901b) that is an imaging area where the imaging unit has imaged the subject at the second imaging position.

According to the above configuration, the imaging apparatus can capture an image of the subject by moving the imaging apparatus in a suitable movement direction without referring to the movement direction information.

In the imaging device according to aspect 4 of the present invention, in the above aspect 3, the control unit has an imaging area in which at least a part of the first imaging area and at least a part of the second imaging area are common. The photographing device may be moved so as to have.

According to the above configuration, the subject can be photographed without any omissions.

In the imaging device according to aspect 5 of the present invention, in the aspect 4, the control unit does not overlap at least a part of the first imaging area and at least a part of the second imaging area, And the said imaging device may be moved so that it may adjoin.

According to the above-described configuration, it is possible to shoot the entire subject while keeping the shooting positions of the shot images not overlapping. Thereby, the frequency | count of imaging | photography can be reduced and imaging | photography efficiency can be improved.

The imaging device according to Aspect 6 of the present invention is the imaging device according to Aspect 1, wherein the control unit rotates and moves the imaging device so that the imaging device and the subject face each other at the second imaging position. May be.

According to the above configuration, the subject can be photographed without distortion.

The imaging device according to aspect 7 of the present invention is preferably a flying object in any of the above aspects 1 to 6.

When the photographing apparatus according to this aspect is a flying object, the problem that an image cannot be photographed at a particularly suitable position can be preferably solved.

An imaging control apparatus (104) according to an aspect 8 of the present invention is an imaging control apparatus that controls imaging of the imaging apparatus according to any one of the above aspects 1 to 7, and moves the imaging apparatus to the first imaging position. A first drive control signal for causing the imaging device to move from the first imaging position to the second imaging position; and A control signal transmission unit (403) that transmits a photographing control signal for photographing the subject at the photographing position and the second photographing position to the photographing apparatus.

According to the above configuration, the driving of the photographing device and photographing can be controlled by the photographing control device.

The photographing system (1, 2, 3) according to the ninth aspect of the present invention is a photographing system that photographs a subject, and the photographing system controls a photographing device that photographs the subject, and photographing of the photographing device. A photographing control device, and the photographing device moves the photographing device to a first photographing position from the driving unit that moves the photographing device, the photographing unit that photographs the subject, and the photographing control device. A first drive control signal, a second drive control signal for moving the photographing device from the first photographing position to a second photographing position, and the photographing device including the first photographing position and the second photographing control signal. A control signal receiving unit that receives a shooting control signal for shooting the subject at a second shooting position, and a moving instruction indicated by the second drive control signal, the driving unit causes the shooting device to A control unit that moves the camera from a shooting position to a second shooting position, and the control unit performs first shooting between the first shooting position and the subject based on an image shot by the shooting unit. The photographing apparatus is moved so that a distance and a second photographing distance between the second photographing position and the subject are equal to each other, and the photographing control apparatus includes the first drive control signal, the first A control signal transmission unit configured to transmit the second drive control signal and the imaging control signal to the imaging apparatus;

According to the above configuration, the same effects as those of the imaging device according to one aspect of the present invention can be obtained.

A control method for an imaging apparatus according to an aspect 10 of the present invention is a control method for an imaging apparatus that captures a subject, and a first image capturing step that captures a first image of the subject at a first capturing position; , An acquisition step for acquiring a movement instruction for the photographing apparatus, a driving step for moving the photographing apparatus, and the driving step based on the movement instruction, wherein the photographing apparatus moves from a first photographing position to a second photographing position. A control step for controlling movement of the photographing device so as to move to a second image photographing step for photographing a second image of the subject at the second photographing position. Then, based on the first image, a first shooting distance between the first shooting position and the subject, and a second shooting distance between the second shooting position and the subject. DOO moves the imaging device to be equal.

According to the above configuration, the same effects as those of the imaging device according to one aspect of the present invention can be obtained.

The photographing apparatus according to each aspect of the present invention may be realized by a computer. In this case, the photographing apparatus is realized by the computer by causing the computer to operate as each unit (software element) included in the photographing apparatus. A shooting program and a computer-readable recording medium on which the shooting program is recorded also fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (12)

1. An imaging device for imaging a subject,
   A drive unit for moving the imaging device;
   A photographing unit for photographing the subject;
   An acquisition unit for acquiring a movement instruction;
   A control unit that moves the imaging device from a first imaging position to a second imaging position by the drive unit based on the movement instruction;
   The control unit is configured to set a first shooting distance between the first shooting position and the subject and a first shooting distance between the second shooting position and the subject based on an image shot by the shooting unit. An imaging apparatus, wherein the imaging apparatus is moved so that the second imaging distance is equal.
2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit moves the imaging apparatus so that a surface on which the subject is imaged and a moving direction of the imaging apparatus are parallel to each other.
3. The control unit includes a first shooting region that is a shooting region in which the shooting unit has shot the subject at the first shooting position, and a shooting region in which the shooting unit has shot the subject at the second shooting position. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imaging apparatus is moved in accordance with the second imaging area.
4. The control unit moves the photographing apparatus so that at least a part of the first photographing region and at least a part of the second photographing region have a common photographing region. Item 4. The photographing apparatus according to Item 3.
5. The control unit moves the imaging device so that at least a part of the first imaging area and at least a part of the second imaging area do not overlap and are adjacent to each other. The imaging device according to claim 4.
6. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit rotates and moves the imaging apparatus so that the imaging apparatus and the subject are opposed to each other at the second imaging position.
7. The imaging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the imaging apparatus is a flying object.
8. A photographing control device for controlling photographing of the photographing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
   A first drive control signal for moving the imaging device to the first imaging position, and a second drive control signal for moving the imaging device from the first imaging position to the second imaging position And the said imaging device is provided with the control signal transmission part which transmits the imaging | photography control signal for making the said object image | photograph in said 1st imaging position and said 2nd imaging position to the said imaging device. Shooting control device.
9. A photographing system for photographing a subject,
   The photographing system includes a photographing device that photographs the subject, and a photographing control device that controls photographing of the photographing device,
   The imaging device
   A drive unit for moving the imaging device;
   A photographing unit for photographing the subject;
   A first drive control signal for moving the imaging device to the first imaging position from the imaging control device, and a second for moving the imaging device from the first imaging position to the second imaging position. A control signal receiving unit that receives the driving control signal and a photographing control signal for causing the photographing apparatus to photograph the subject at the first photographing position and the second photographing position;
   A control unit that moves the imaging device from a first imaging position to a second imaging position by the driving unit based on a movement instruction indicated by the second drive control signal;
   The control unit is configured to set a first shooting distance between the first shooting position and the subject and a first shooting distance between the second shooting position and the subject based on an image shot by the shooting unit. Move the photographing device so that the two photographing distances are equal,
   The photographing control device includes:
   An imaging system comprising: a control signal transmission unit configured to transmit the first drive control signal, the second drive control signal, and the imaging control signal to the imaging apparatus.
10. A method for controlling a photographing apparatus for photographing a subject,
    A first image capturing step of capturing a first image of the subject at a first capturing position;
    An acquisition step of acquiring a movement instruction for the imaging device;
    A driving step of moving the imaging device;
    Based on the movement instruction, in the driving step, a control step of controlling movement of the imaging device so that the imaging device moves from a first imaging position to a second imaging position;
    Including a second image photographing step of photographing a second image of the subject at the second photographing position;
    In the control step, based on the first image, a first shooting distance between the first shooting position and the subject, and a second shooting between the second shooting position and the subject. A method for controlling a photographing apparatus, wherein the photographing apparatus is moved so that a distance is equal.
11. An imaging program for causing a computer to function as the imaging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the imaging program causes the computer to function as the drive unit, the imaging unit, and the control unit.
12. A computer-readable recording medium on which the photographing program according to claim 11 is recorded.

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