JP2001285849A - Photographing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To follow and photograph a quickly moving target without losing sight of it without increasing the total number of photographing cameras. SOLUTION: Two photographing cameras 21c and 21f suited to the position of the target Mvb are selected from the plural photographing cameras 21a to 21h. They are turned into a wide mode by a zooming mechanism to follow the target Mvb and the position of the target Mvb is calculated by triangulation. Toward the calculated position, the desired picture of the target Mvb is obtained by one of the other cameras 21a, 21b, 21d, 21e, 21g and 21h.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a photographing system having a plurality of photographing cameras for photographing a target to be photographed and a camera control device for controlling the photographing cameras.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As shown in FIG. 16, there is disclosed a technique for predicting a moving direction and a moving speed of a moving body based on image data to be photographed and for tracking the moving body (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-837).
No. 12: hereinafter referred to as Conventional Example 1). Conventional example 1
First, in parallel with recording the image data from the photographing camera 1 on the recording device 2, the image data is input to the image processing device 3, and the image data is shifted by an arbitrary time by the image processing device 3. 3 is stored in the image memory. Then, a difference of each frame of the image data is extracted in real time to detect a moving amount of the moving body 4 as a shooting target, and based on the moving amount, a moving direction and a moving amount of the moving body 4 are predicted. According to the prediction result, the camera control unit 8 adjusts the swing angle (pan) and the tilt angle (tilt) of the photographing camera 1 so that the moving body 4 is always at the center of the field of view 5 of the photographing camera 1. Has become.

However, in a sports competition such as rugby or soccer, when tracking and photographing a moving object 4 such as an athlete or a ball, if the user attempts to track the moving object 4 while taking an enlarged image, Since the movement of the moving object 4 is intense, the photographing camera 1 often loses sight of the moving object 4.

Therefore, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-276351 (hereinafter referred to as Conventional Example 2), as shown in FIG. 17, a wide-angle camera is used to photograph a sports stadium where no athlete or ball is present. The position of each moving object 13 is detected by comparing the actual photographed image 12 with the comparative image 11 to extract the moving objects 13 such as a player or a ball. There is disclosed a technique in which a telephoto camera tracks a moving body 13 based on this information.

[0005]

In the prior art 2, as described above, a wide-angle camera for specifying the position of the moving body 13 over the entire sports stadium and a plurality of telephoto cameras (for displaying images to a viewer) are provided. Shooting camera). Of these, the wide-angle camera needs to always identify the moving body 13, so that a plurality of wide-angle cameras are installed so that the moving body 13 is not lost even if the moving body 13 is hidden by another player. It is necessary to use and photograph the moving body 13 from a plurality of angles. For this reason, the number of required wide-angle cameras has increased, and the total number of photographing cameras, including telephoto cameras and wide-angle cameras, has increased considerably, leading to an increase in equipment costs and labor required for management. .

An object of the present invention is to provide a photographing system capable of reducing the total number of photographing cameras.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems,
The invention according to claim 1 is a photographing system including a plurality of photographing cameras for photographing a target to be photographed and a camera control device for controlling the photographing camera, wherein each of the photographing cameras is an image enlargement of a photographed image. A zoom mechanism for changing the rate, and an optical axis direction changing mechanism for changing the optical axis direction,
The camera control device includes: a zoom command unit that gives a command to each of the zoom mechanisms of each of the photographing cameras; an optical axis direction command unit that gives a command to each of the optical axis direction changing mechanisms of each of the photographing cameras; A position calculation unit that selectively specifies at least one shooting camera among the shooting cameras and calculates the position of the target based on a shot image of the one shooting camera, the optical axis direction command unit includes: Based on the position of the target calculated by the position calculating unit, the optical axis direction changing mechanism of another photographic camera other than the one photographic camera is drive-controlled.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the position calculating section selectively specifies at least two photographing cameras among the plurality of photographing cameras, and obtains each photographed image from the two photographing cameras. Is used to calculate the position of the target according to the triangulation method.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the mode of the two photographing cameras is switched from the general photographing mode to the target position specifying mode from among the plurality of photographing cameras and specified according to the position of the target. Is what you do.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the position calculation section reduces an image enlargement ratio by a zoom command section with respect to a zoom mechanism of at least one of the plurality of photographing cameras. When the target is instructed to be captured within a certain angle of view, the position of the target is calculated based on a wide-range captured image from the camera.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the drive control of the zoom mechanism by the zoom command unit and the drive control of the optical axis direction changing mechanism by the optical axis direction command unit are manually operated by a predetermined switch. It can be switched to at least one of time change and external input.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided at least one of display means for displaying the photographed image, recording means for recording the photographed image, and communication means for transmitting the photographed image to the outside through a predetermined communication path. Is further provided.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS <Structure> FIGS. 1 and 2 are block diagrams showing a photographing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 3 and 4 show moving objects in a first state in a subject space. FIGS. 5 to 7 show examples of images taken by each photographing camera in the first state, and FIGS. 8 and 9 show arrangements of moving objects and photographing cameras in the second state in the subject space. FIGS. 10 to 12 each show an example of an image captured by each camera in the second state. In FIG. 2, the imaging camera is typically 1 for simplicity.
Only the stand is shown.

This photographing system is shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3, FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a plurality of moving objects (first to sixth moving objects Mva to Mvf) as photographing targets such as athletes or balls in a predetermined subject space 20 such as a sports stadium.
Frequently moves, any of the moving objects Mva to M
With vf as a target, this target is set to a plurality of photographing cameras 21a.
21 to 21h (first to eighth photographing cameras: hereinafter, these may be collectively referred to as 21) while photographing while tracking. Hereinafter, an example in which the second mobile unit Mvb is set as the target will be described.

More specifically, this photographing system uses a plurality of photographing cameras 21a to 21h to control moving objects Mva to Mvf.
When photographing one of the targets (the second moving body Mvb), the plurality of photographing cameras 21a to 21h are appropriately switched between a target position specifying camera and a general photographing camera, and the target position specifying camera photographs the target Mvb. While specifying the position of the target Mvb in the subject space 20, the optical axis of one of the general photographing cameras is directed toward the position of the target Mvb.
The desired target image is obtained by taking the image b.

As shown in FIG. 2, each photographing camera 21 captures a moving image by photoelectric conversion and outputs it as an image signal, and the image magnification of the photographed image is set to a telephoto state (telephoto state).
A wide-angle and telephoto system including a zoom mechanism 23 that switches between an optical axis and a wide state (wide-angle state), and an optical axis direction changing mechanism 24 that changes the optical axis of the image capturing camera 21 for capturing an image in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction. The imaging unit 22, the zoom mechanism 23, and the optical axis direction changing mechanism 24 are used.
Is driven based on a signal from the camera control device 25.

The camera control unit 25 is a united unit as shown in FIG. 1 and simultaneously controls a plurality of photographing cameras 21 (21a to 21h), and is provided from an image pickup unit 22 of each photographing camera 21 as shown in FIG. An image processing unit 31 that performs predetermined image signal processing on the image signal that has been processed, and a target Mvb (see FIGS. 3, 4, 8, and 9) extracted from the image processed by the image processing unit 31. Position calculating section 32 for calculating the position of the target Mvb within the
Each photographing camera 2 according to the position of the target Mvb calculated in
A mode switching unit 33 for setting and switching between the target position specifying mode and the general photographing mode every time, and a zoom command unit 34 for giving a command to the zoom mechanism 23 of each photographing camera 21 based on the setting switching by the mode switching unit 33. And an optical axis direction instructing unit 35 for issuing an instruction to the optical axis direction changing mechanism 24 of each photographing camera 21 based on the setting change in the mode switching unit 33.

The image processing section 31 performs predetermined image signal processing such as black level correction, white balance adjustment, and gamma correction on the image signal supplied from each photographing camera 21.

In particular, the image processing unit converts each of the moving objects Mva to Mv from the photographed image given from each photographing camera 21.
An image recognizing unit 39 for extracting features such as the uniform number of the moving objects Mva to Mvf (athletes), the contour of the face and the color of the clothes while extracting the image of f, and the features are extracted by the image recognizing unit 39. The feature parameter is collated with a predetermined feature parameter input by the target specifying means 38 as a predetermined input device, and if the collation result is positive, an image region having the feature is set to the target Mvb. Collating means 40 for determining that

As shown in FIG. 13, the image recognizing section 39 extracts a contour in a photographed image and divides the contour into several areas. A region dividing function unit 42 for dividing a region, a texture extracting function unit 43 for extracting a texture for each region to perform region division, and a pattern for specifying a photographing target by performing pattern matching for each region of a photographed image A matching function unit 44 and a statistical identification function unit 45 that specifies a shooting target by using the feature description itself of the divided area.
And a structure identification function unit 46 that identifies the object to be imaged by identifying the structure of the feature of each area.

The contour extraction function unit 41 extracts a contour of a discontinuous portion of an image as an edge by extracting a point of change in density, and divides the image into several continuous regions using the edge as a boundary line. , As a specific method,
Although methods such as second derivative processing and Hough transform are applied, when edge detection is performed from a grayscale image, it is generally interrupted in some places. Method, shrinkage method or elongation mark method is applied.

The area dividing function unit 42 applies an area expansion method, a statistical temporary test method, a feature space mapping method, or the like, and divides the area based on the shape characteristics of the area and the image characteristics inside the area. Things. Here, the shape feature is a geometric feature (distance, area, center of gravity, center, etc. of the target image), a core of a region after the thinning process, a feature of a closed curve, and the like. The statistical features include density distribution parameters (average density, variance, etc.), color, and the like of the image.

The texture extraction function unit 43 extracts a unique characteristic of a repetitive pattern arranged according to a certain rule, performs modeling, extracts a texture from an image, and thereby performs identification and classification (segmentation) of the image pattern. That is, the homogeneous region extraction method is applied.

The pattern matching function section 44 detects whether or not there is an identical or a similar pattern to a standard pattern (template) prepared in advance in the obtained photographed image. The object to be photographed is specified by moving the template while superimposing the template on the obtained photographed image and examining the correlation between the pixel data levels of the two images (template matching).

If the two images to be compared are not in a simple parallel movement relationship, or if the captured image is described by feature parameters, the statistical identification function unit 45 cannot perform direct matching of the images. This is used because matching between descriptions is required.Calculate the coincidence probability between a feature vector of a captured image and a certain category, and determine the category having the maximum as the category to which the captured image belongs, and thereby use the captured image. In view of the feature vector, it is possible to select the most reliable category.

The structure identification function unit 46 describes the structure of the captured image and extracts features. For example, there is a method in which the structure of a captured image is graphed by extracting edges and feature points, and recognition is performed based on the similarity of the graph. In this case, a branch point driven type that focuses on a branch point of the graph and performs feature extraction. And a line-segment-driven type that extracts features by focusing on the adjacency of a plurality of lines in a graph.

The collating means 40 determines whether or not the target Mvb is photographed in each photographed image provided from each photographing camera 21, whether the target Mvb is photographed in the photographed image, Judgment of the size, D
A memory circuit such as a RAM is built-in, and after storing the characteristic parameter given through the target specifying means 38 in the memory circuit, it is collated with the characteristic parameter given from the image recognition unit 39, and the collation result is positive. If
The fact that the target Mvb is photographed in the photographed image, the position and the size of the target Mvb in the frame when the photographing is performed, and the like are determined, and information related to these determination results is output to the position calculation unit 32. It has become.

As shown in FIG. 14, the position calculating unit 32 is a camera 21a to 21h for shooting an image showing the target Mvb among a plurality of camera 21a to 21h.
Target camera extracting unit 51 for extracting the target camera, and the photographing cameras 21 a to 21 extracted by the target camera extracting unit 51.
h, a camera specifying unit 52 that specifies shooting cameras 21a to 21h suitable for a target position specifying camera and a general shooting camera, and a captured image provided by the shooting cameras 21a to 21h specified by the camera specifying unit 52. And a triangulation calculation unit 53 that calculates the position of the target Mvb in the subject space 20 according to the triangulation method based on the triangulation method.

The target photographing camera extracting unit 51 stores the information given from the matching unit 40 of the image processing unit 31 (ie, information as to whether or not the target Mvb is photographed in the photographed image of each photographing camera 21). Based on this, all the photographing cameras 21a to 21h projecting the target Mvb are extracted and output to the camera specifying unit 52 as candidates for the target position specifying camera and the general photographing camera.

When a plurality of photographing cameras 21a to 21h are extracted by the target photographing camera extracting unit 51, the camera specifying unit 52 determines each pair of the plurality of photographing cameras 21a to 21h. The angle θ between the optical axes of the paired photographing cameras 21a to 21h (see FIG.
And FIG. 9), and the camera 21a to 21h, which form a pair of combinations in which each θ is closest to 90 degrees, are specified as target position specifying cameras. In addition, corner photographing cameras 21a-2
The angle of the optical axis of 1 h is not shown in FIG.
When the optical axis direction instructing section 35 gives an instruction to the optical axis direction changing mechanism 24 of each of the corner photographing cameras 21a to 21h, the information at that time is also given to the camera specifying section 52 of the position calculating section 32.

Further, the camera specifying unit 52 outputs the target Mv calculated by the triangulation calculating unit 53 described later among the photographing cameras 21a to 21h extracted by the target photographing camera extracting unit 51.
The photographing cameras 21a to 21h installed at positions most suitable for the coordinate position b are specified as general photographing cameras. Here, the most suitable position includes, for example, a position having the shortest separation distance from the coordinate position of the target Mvb, and is defined by a predetermined reference. Alternatively, the photographing cameras 21a to 21 at the most suitable positions as general photographing cameras
h may be manually input through the operation unit 65 (FIGS. 1 and 2).

The triangulation calculation unit 53 includes a camera identification unit 52
, The separation distance between the pair of photographing cameras 21a to 21h, the angle of each optical axis of the pair of photographing cameras 21a to 21h, and the target in the photographed image photographed by each photographing camera 21. From the position of Mvb, the unknown side length (ie, the separation distance between each of the photographing cameras 21a to 21h as the target position specifying camera and the target Mvb) is calculated using the sine theorem, and the coordinates based on the object space 20 are set. Goal M in space
The coordinate position of vb is calculated.

The mode switching unit 33 includes the photographing camera 21a specified as the target position specifying camera by the camera specifying unit 52.
In addition to setting the target position specifying mode for the other shooting cameras 21a to 21h, the general shooting mode is set for the other shooting cameras 21a to 21h, and the fact is output to the zoom command unit 34 and the optical axis direction command unit 35. Specifically, data is generated in which a mode flag for identifying one of the target position identification mode and the general imaging mode is added to the end of the identification code previously associated with each of the imaging cameras 21a to 21h. Then, the data is output to the zoom command section 34 and the optical axis direction command section 35.

The zoom command section 34 is a mode (target position specifying mode or general photographing mode) specified by the mode flag in the data supplied from the mode switching section 33.
, The photographing cameras 21a to 2a specified as the target position specifying camera and the general photographing camera by the camera specifying unit 52
The image enlargement ratio of 1h is individually set. For example, with respect to the photographing cameras (target position specifying cameras) 21a to 21h set in the target position specifying mode, the image magnification is reduced to, for example, the minimum, and the target Mvb is set at any position within a certain angle of view. The photographing cameras 21a to 21h are set as wide-angle cameras so that they can be captured, and each of the photographing cameras 21a to 21h specified as a target position specifying camera and a general photographing camera is set to that effect as an image magnification parameter.
Is transmitted to the zoom mechanism 23 of FIG. On the other hand, with respect to the photographing cameras 21a to 21h set to the general photographing mode, the image magnifying power is set to a predetermined image magnifying power, and the fact is specified as a target position specifying camera and a general photographing camera as an image magnifying power parameter. Each camera 21a-21h
Is transmitted to the zoom mechanism 23 of FIG. Here, as the predetermined method, for example, the image data is extracted by the image
It is sufficient to set an image enlargement ratio such that the image area of the target Mvb output from 0 falls within a certain central area in the frame.

The optical axis direction command unit 35 is provided with a mode switching unit 33
The camera 21a specified as the target position specifying camera and the general shooting camera by the camera specifying unit 52 according to the mode (target position specifying mode or general shooting mode) specified by the mode flag in the data given from
By setting the adjustment parameters related to the optical axis directions of 〜21h, that is, the swing angle (pan) and the tilt angle (tilt), the zoom of each of the photographing cameras 21a to 21h specified as the target position specifying camera and the general photographic camera is set. It is transmitted to the mechanism 23. At this time, based on the photographed images given from the two photographing cameras 21a to 21h specified as the target position specifying cameras, the moving direction and the moving of the coordinate position of the target Mvb calculated by the triangulation calculating unit 53 described above. The speed is predicted by the same method as in the conventional example 1 shown in FIG. 16, and the optical axis direction of the photographing cameras 21 a to 21 h as the general photographing cameras is instructed so as to track the predicted position. Has become.

The image processing unit 3 of the camera control device 25
1. The position calculation unit 32, the mode switching unit 33, the zoom command unit 34, and the optical axis direction command unit 35 are functional elements operated by a predetermined software program in a general CPU to which a ROM, a RAM, and the like are connected. .

The photographed image obtained by the camera control device 25 is output to a predetermined monitor device (display means) 61 and displayed thereon, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and is stored in a predetermined recording device such as a video tape deck. (Recording means) 62 is recorded on a predetermined recording medium, or is output by a predetermined communication device (communication means) 63 to an external wired or wireless communication path.

The automatic tracking mode and the manual operation mode can be switched by an automatic / manual switching switch 64. When the automatic tracking mode is set by the automatic / manual switching switch 64, the camera control is performed. The image recognition unit 39 and the matching unit 40 of the image processing unit 31 of the device 25, the target photographing camera extraction unit 51 of the position calculation unit 32, the camera identification unit 52, the triangulation calculation unit 53, the mode switching unit 33, the zoom command unit 34, Each of the optical axis direction command units 35 functions,
After recognizing the coordinate position of the target Mvb input in step 8 based on the photographed image from the target position specifying camera, the general photographing camera automatically tracks the coordinate position. On the other hand, when the manual operation mode is set by the auto / manual changeover switch 64, each of the photographing cameras 21a to 21
1h, and the drive control of the zoom mechanism 23 and the optical axis direction changing mechanism 24 is performed.

<Operation> The photographing system having the above configuration will be described with reference to an example used in photographing at a soccer stadium.

First, the target competitor (the second moving body Mv
The characteristic parameter of b) is input to the camera control device 25 through the target specifying means 38.

In the image processing section 31 of the camera control device 25, first, the image recognition section 39 shown in FIG. 13 extracts the features of the shot images given from all the shooting cameras 21a to 21h, and identifies the features as target specifying means. The collation means 40 collates the feature parameter input at 38 with the target Mvb to recognize the image. At this time, the matching means 4
0 indicates whether or not the target Mvb is photographed in the photographed image for each photographed image given from each of the photographing cameras 21a to 21h, and the target Mv in the frame when photographed.
The position and size of b are determined, and the result of the determination is output to the position calculation unit 32.

In the position calculating section 32, the target photographing camera extracting section 51 shown in FIG.
Among the photographing cameras 21a to 21h, the photographing cameras 21a to 21h that photograph the photographed image in which the target Mvb is projected are extracted, and the photographing cameras 21a to 21h suitable for the target position specifying camera are extracted from the extracted photographing cameras 21a to 21h. 21h is specified by the camera specifying unit 52.

In the camera specifying section 52, the target photographing camera extracting section 51 uses a plurality of photographing cameras 21a to 21h.
Is extracted, the plurality of photographing cameras 21a to 21a-2
For all combinations forming a pair of 1h, the angles θ (FIGS. 4 and 9) formed by the optical axes of the respective paired photographing cameras 21a to 21h are calculated.
Photographing cameras 21a-21h forming a pair of combinations close to 0 degrees
Is specified as the target position specifying camera.

For example, in the example of FIGS. 3 and 4, when three of the second photographing camera 21b, the third photographing camera 21c, and the sixth photographing camera 21f are capturing an image of the target (second moving body) Mvb. The angle formed by the optical axis 55 of the second photographing camera 21b and the optical axis 56 of the sixth photographing camera 21f with the target Mvb is close to 180 degrees. On the other hand, the angle θ between the optical axis 57 of the third photographing camera 21c and the optical axis 56 of the sixth photographing camera 21f is close to 90 degrees. In this case, the camera specifying unit 5
2 is a third camera 21c and a sixth camera 21f
Is specified as a target position specifying camera.

When the pair of the target position specifying cameras (the third photographing camera 21c and the sixth photographing camera 21f) is determined in this way, the mode switching unit 33 sends the two photographing cameras 2 to each other.
1c and 21f, the target position specifying mode is set, and based on this setting, the zoom command unit 34
c, 21f are set to the image enlargement ratio of the wide-angle camera, and a command is given to the zoom mechanism 23 of the two photographing cameras 21c, 21f. Similarly, the optical axis direction instructing unit 35 gives an instruction to the optical axis direction changing mechanism 24 of each of the photographing cameras 21c and 21f.

The two photographing cameras 21c and 21f specified as the target position specifying cameras are the target Mv as wide-angle cameras.
A wide area image including b in part is captured. FIG. 5 shows an image taken by the third camera 21c at this time, and FIG. 6 shows an image taken by the sixth camera 21f.

Next, the target Mvb is photographed by both photographing cameras 21c and 21f (step S1 in FIG. 15). The captured image is stored in an image processing unit 31 of the camera control device 25.
Is input to Then, after the image processing unit 31 extracts the image of the target Mvb within the frame in each captured image, the triangulation calculation unit 53 calculates the coordinate position of the target Mvb according to the triangulation method (step S2 in FIG. 15). . This calculation result is output to the camera specifying unit 52. In the camera specifying unit 52, the photographing cameras 21a to 21h installed at the positions most suitable for the coordinate position of the target Mvb defined by a predetermined reference, such as the position with the shortest separation distance from the coordinate position of the target Mvb. Is specified as a general photographing camera. Alternatively, the photographing cameras 21a to 21h at the most suitable positions as general photographing cameras may be manually input by the operation unit 65 (FIGS. 1 and 2).

Then, the calculation result in the triangulation calculation unit 53 is output to the zoom command unit 34 and the optical axis direction command unit 35, and based on this, the zoom mechanism 23 and the optical axis direction change mechanism 24 of the general photographing camera are output. Drive controlled. In particular, the optical axis direction command unit 35 determines the moving direction and moving speed of the coordinate position of the target Mvb calculated by the triangulation calculating unit 53 as shown in FIG.
6, the optical axis directions of the photographing cameras 21a to 21h as general photographing cameras are instructed so as to track the predicted position.
The target Mvb may be photographed by the general photographing camera in which the zoom mechanism 23 and the optical axis direction changing mechanism 24 are drive-controlled in this way (step S3 in FIG. 15). FIG. 7 shows an example of a state in which the image magnification is set to a large value as the captured image of the target Mvb at this time.

As described above, the wide area image is photographed by the target position specifying camera functioning as a wide angle camera, and the position of the target Mvb is calculated based on the wide area image. , The target Mvb hardly protrudes from a wide-area image even if the target Mvb moves violently in the subject space 20,
The photographing camera 21 can be prevented from losing the target Mvb.

Next, consider a case where the target Mvb has moved to the positions shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 (second state) in the object space 20. In this case, the example of FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 (first state)
, The second photographing camera 2 as the target position specifying camera
When 1b and the sixth photographing camera 21f are selected, the two photographing cameras 21c and 21f and the target Mvb are substantially aligned, and it becomes difficult to perform the calculation by the triangulation method in the triangulation calculation unit 53.

The sixth photographing camera 21f sets the target Mvb
When capturing an image that captures the image from the front, it is preferable to use the sixth camera 21f as a general camera. In this case, as in step S4 in FIG. 15, the target photographing camera extracting unit 51 again extracts the photographing cameras 21a to 21h that are candidates for the target position specifying camera,
The camera specifying unit 52 again selects the most suitable photographing camera 21a to 21h as the target position specifying camera, and then proceeds to step S
5, the target position specifying camera is replaced with another photographing camera 21a.
It may be changed to ~ 21h. 8 and 9 show a state in which the second photographing camera 21b and the eighth photographing camera 21h are specified as target position specifying cameras. The captured image of the second capturing camera 21b at this time is shown in FIG. 10 and the captured image of the eighth capturing camera 21h is shown in FIG. 12 is shown in FIG.

As described above, when the target position is detected by the target position specifying camera as a wide-angle camera and the target is photographed by a general photographing camera such as a telephoto camera based on this position, all the photographing cameras 21a 21h are switched between the target position specifying camera and the general photographing camera, and the optimal target position specifying camera and the general photographing camera can be specified according to the position of the target. The total number of the photographing cameras 21a to 21h can be reduced as compared with the case where the photographing cameras are separately installed in advance.

In the above-described embodiment, a sports game such as a soccer game or a rugby game has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It is also possible to use. In this case, a target position specifying camera is selected from a plurality of photographing cameras, and the position of each photographing target is specified based on the image captured by the target position specifying camera, while the other cameras are used as general photographing cameras. By photographing the enlarged image, it is possible to record information such as the face of the resident and a walked route in the store.

In the above embodiment, any two photographing cameras 21a to 21h are specified as target position specifying cameras. However, any three photographing cameras 21a to 21h are specified as target position specifying cameras. May be specified.

Alternatively, when the distance from the photographing camera to the target can be accurately detected only by the size of the target in the image frame, or when the distance from the photographing camera to the target can be detected using a distance sensor, for example, Only one camera may be specified as the target position specifying camera.

The drive control of the zoom mechanism 23 by the zoom command section 34 and the drive control of the optical axis direction changing mechanism 24 by the optical axis direction command section 35 are also executed based on time setting, external input, and the like. May be performed.

Further, in the above embodiment, the zoom and the optical axis direction of each photographing camera are controlled in accordance with the position of the target or manually, but, for example, a specific movement of the target Mvb is controlled by the image processing unit. The image may be recognized at 31 and the zoom and optical axis direction of each camera may be controlled accordingly.

In the above embodiment, the image processing unit 3
1 is provided in the unified camera control device 25, but the image processing unit 3 is provided for each of the photographing cameras 21a to 21h.
1 may be installed to perform image processing simultaneously and in parallel for each of the photographing cameras 21a to 21h.

[0059]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, each photographing camera is provided with a zoom mechanism for changing an image magnification of a picked-up image and an optical axis direction changing mechanism for changing an optical axis direction. In the control device, the position calculation unit selectively specifies at least one of the plurality of photographing cameras, and based on a photographed image of the one photographing camera, for example, a triangulation method according to claim 2. The target position is calculated according to the following formula, and based on the target position, the optical axis direction instructing unit drives and controls the optical axis direction changing mechanism of another photographing camera. The total number of photographing cameras can be reduced as compared with Conventional Example 2 in which a dedicated wide-angle camera and a telephoto camera for actually photographing a target image are separately provided.

In particular, according to the third aspect of the present invention, the mode of the two photographing cameras among the plurality of photographing cameras is switched from the general photographing mode to the target position specifying mode according to the position of the target and specified. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the photographing camera set in the target position specifying mode from losing the target.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the position calculation unit reduces the image enlargement ratio by the zoom command unit with respect to the zoom mechanism of at least one of the plurality of photographing cameras and sets the target. When instructed to capture within a certain angle of view, the position of the target is calculated based on the wide-area captured image from the camera, so even if the target moves violently in the subject space, the wide-area This makes it difficult for the target to protrude from the perfect image, thereby preventing the photographing camera from losing the target.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the drive control of the zoom mechanism by the zoom command unit and the drive control of the optical axis direction changing mechanism by the optical axis direction command unit are manually operated and time-changed by a predetermined switch. And the external input can be switched, so that the driving method of the photographing camera can be easily changed depending on the application, and it is convenient.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, at least one of display means for displaying a photographed image, recording means for recording the photographed image, and communication means for transmitting the photographed image to the outside through a predetermined communication path. , It is possible to effectively use a captured image captured by the capturing camera.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an imaging system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an imaging system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement of moving objects and a photographing camera in a first state in a subject space.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement of moving objects and a photographing camera in a first state in a subject space;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image captured by each imaging camera in a first state.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image captured by each imaging camera in a first state.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image captured by each imaging camera in a first state.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement of moving objects and a photographing camera in a second state in a subject space.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement of moving objects and a photographing camera in a second state in a subject space.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image captured by each capturing camera in a second state.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image captured by each capturing camera in a second state.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image captured by each imaging camera in a second state.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image processing unit.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a position calculation unit of the camera control device.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an operation of the imaging system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the principle of a photographing system of Conventional Example 1.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing the principle of a photographing system of Conventional Example 2.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Mvb target 20 subject space 21 (21a to 21h) shooting camera 22 imaging unit 23 zoom mechanism 24 optical axis direction changing mechanism 25 camera control device 31 image processing unit 32 position calculation unit 33 mode switching unit 34 zoom command unit 35 optical axis direction command Unit 38 target specifying unit 39 image recognition unit 40 matching unit 41 contour extraction function unit 42 region division function unit 43 texture extraction function unit 44 pattern matching function unit 45 statistical identification function unit 46 structure identification function unit 51 target photographing camera extraction unit 52 Camera specifying unit 53 Triangulation calculation unit 61 Monitoring device 62 Recording device 63 Communication device 64 Switch 65 Operation unit

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H04N 5/232 H04N 5/232 CB (72) Inventor Haruyuki Nakano Azuchicho, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka 3-13-13 Osaka International Building Minolta Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hideo Hotomi 2-3-13 Azuchicho, Chuo-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture F-term in Osaka International Building Minolta Co., Ltd. 2H105 AA12 AA13 AA14 EE05 EE16 5C022 AA01 AB61 AB62 AB63 AB65 AB66 AC01 AC27 AC31 AC42 AC54 AC69 AC74 5C054 AA01 AA05 CA04 CC05 CF06 CG03 CG06 CH02 CH08 EA01 EA03 EA07 EB05 FC01 FC12 FC13 FC14 FC15 FC16 FF02 GA01 GB01 HA31

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A photographing system comprising: a plurality of photographing cameras for photographing a target to be photographed; and a camera control device for controlling the photographing camera, wherein each of the photographing cameras changes an image magnification of a photographed image. A zoom mechanism, an optical axis direction changing mechanism for changing an optical axis direction, the camera control device includes: a zoom command unit that gives a command to each of the zoom mechanisms of each of the shooting cameras; and each of the each of the shooting cameras. An optical axis direction instructing unit for giving an instruction to the optical axis direction changing mechanism, selectively identifying at least one of the plurality of photographing cameras, and setting the target based on a photographed image of the one photographing camera; A position calculation unit for calculating a position, wherein the optical axis direction command unit is configured to perform a shooting operation on a camera other than the one shooting camera based on the target position calculated by the position calculation unit. A driving system for controlling the optical axis direction changing mechanism. 2. The photographing system according to claim 1, wherein the position calculation unit selectively specifies at least two photographing cameras among the plurality of photographing cameras, and the two photographing cameras. A photographing system for calculating the position of the target according to a triangulation method based on each photographed image from the camera. 3. The photographing system according to claim 2, wherein a mode of the two photographing cameras among the plurality of photographing cameras is determined from a general photographing mode to a target position according to the position of the target. An imaging system characterized by switching to a mode and specifying the mode. 4. The photographing system according to claim 1, wherein the position calculation unit is configured to control a zoom mechanism of at least one of a plurality of photographing cameras. When the zoom command unit instructs that the target can be captured within a certain angle of view by reducing the image enlargement ratio, the position of the target is calculated based on a wide-area photographed image from the photographing camera. An imaging system characterized in that: 5. The photographing system according to claim 1, wherein drive control of said zoom mechanism by said zoom command unit and said optical axis direction changing mechanism by said optical axis direction command unit. An imaging system, wherein the drive control can be switched to at least one of manual operation, time change, and external input by a predetermined switch. 6. The photographing system according to claim 1, wherein a display means for displaying the photographed image, a recording means for recording the photographed image, and photographing through a predetermined communication path. An imaging system, further comprising at least one of communication means for transmitting an image to the outside.