JP2010087613A - Presentation-image distribution system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the occurrence of a situation that a presenter is not displayed on a monitor or the like of a distribution destination in a presentation image distribution system in which the presenter making a presentation is photographed so as to distribute the image of him/her. <P>SOLUTION: An image photographed by a PTZ camera 1 is inputted to a CPU 11 from an input part 15 of a PC 2. When a face of a presenter is not detected from the inputted image, the CPU 11 makes a control part 14 execute pan control, tilt control or zoom control to the PTZ camera 1 so as to detect the face. The image inputted from the PTZ camera 1 to the PC 2 is distributed from an output part 16 to a PC 5 in a remote place via a network 4 so as to display the image on a screen 6. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a system for distributing an image of a presentation state to a terminal device such as a remote personal computer via a network.

  In conventional remote lectures and remote presentations, a presentation image in which a presenter (lecturer, instructor, etc.) gives a lecture while giving an image of the presentation material projected on the screen by a projector, and is taken with a camera. Is generally distributed to a remote location via a network and displayed on a monitor or screen (see Patent Document 1).

  There are various patterns for the presentation image distributed at this time, depending on the intention of the distribution side. For example, if you want to distribute an image of only the presenter with a fixed camera, the presenter moves to the screen direction. In some cases, however, the presenter disappears frequently in images taken by the camera.

This means that the presenter will not be displayed on a remote monitor or the like, so that an audience listening at a remote location may lose a sense of realism and lose concentration and interest.
JP 7-2222052 A (paragraph 0002)

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and its purpose is to take a picture of a presenter who is giving a presentation and transmit the image to a remote location via a network. This is to reduce the occurrence of the situation where the presenter is not displayed on a remote monitor.

The present invention relates to a presenter of a presentation, a camera installed so as to be able to capture a display image of a presentation material, a camera control device that performs pan, tilt and zoom control of the camera, and a network of images captured by the camera A presentation image delivery system having an image transmission device for delivery via the camera control device, wherein the camera control device detects a face of a presenter from an image captured by the camera, and a face is detected by the face detection unit. And a first control unit that performs pan, tilt, or zoom control of the camera so that a face is detected when no face is detected.
Here, the camera captures the first photographing mode in which the pan angle, the tilt angle, and the zoom magnification are determined so that both the presenter and the display image of the presentation material are photographed simultaneously, and the presenter's face is photographed. A second shooting mode in which a pan angle, a tilt angle, and a zoom magnification are controlled so as to be positioned at the center of the image, and the first camera control means is configured such that the camera operates in the second shooting mode. In such a case, it may be configured to perform control to switch to the first shooting mode.
In addition, when the camera has the first shooting mode and the second shooting mode, and the camera control device detects the face by the face detection unit, whether or not the face faces the display image of the presentation material. And switching to the second shooting mode when the camera operates in the first shooting mode and the face does not face the direction of the display image of the presentation material for a predetermined time. You may comprise so that the 2nd control means which performs control may be provided.
Further, when the camera has the first shooting mode and the second shooting mode, and the camera control device detects the face by the face detection means, whether or not the face faces the display image of the presentation material. And switching to the first shooting mode when the camera is operating in the second shooting mode and the face is facing the direction of the display image of the presentation material for a predetermined time. You may comprise so that the 3rd control means which controls may be provided.
In addition, the camera is set such that the pan angle, the tilt angle, and the zoom magnification are determined so that both the presenter and the display image of the presentation material are photographed at the same time, and the face direction detecting means is not operated. When the face is detected by the face detection means, the camera control device has a motion detection means for detecting the motion of the presenter, and the camera control device You may comprise so that the 4th control means which performs control which switches to 3 imaging | photography modes may be provided.

  According to the present invention, in a presentation image distribution system in which a presenter who is giving a presentation is photographed and the image is transmitted to a remote location via a network, occurrence of a situation where the presenter is not reflected on a remote monitor or the like is reduced. be able to.

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a presentation image distribution system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  This presentation image distribution system includes a PTZ (Pan Tilt Zoom) camera 1, a PC (personal computer) 2 connected to the PTZ camera 1, and a monitor 3 connected to the PC 2. The PC 2 connects to a network 4 such as the Internet. The presentation image captured by the PTZ camera 1 is distributed to the PC 5 at a remote location via the PC 5 and is projected onto the screen 6 and displayed by the PC 5 and a projector (not shown). The PC 2 corresponds to the camera control device and the image transmission device of the present invention.

  The PTZ camera 1 can control the pan angle, the tilt angle, and the zoom magnification under the control of the PC 2, and is connected so that the captured image is input to the PC 2.

  The PC 2 includes a CPU 11, a ROM 12, a RAM 13, a control unit 14, an input unit 15, and an output unit 16 each connected to the CPU 11.

  The CPU 11 is a processing device that performs overall control of the PC 2 and various calculations. The ROM 12 stores programs executed by the CPU 2 and various fixed data. The RAM 13 temporarily stores programs and data during the operation of the CPU 11. The control unit 14 controls the PTZ camera 1 based on an instruction from the CPU 11. An image captured by the PTZ camera 1 is input to the input unit 15. The output unit 16 outputs an image captured by the PTZ camera 1 to the monitor 3, performs processing such as data compression on the image, and distributes the image to the remote PC 5 via the network 4.

  The operation of the presentation image distribution system having the above configuration will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a procedure from the installation of the PTZ camera 1 to the PC 2 acquiring an image while controlling the PTZ camera 1 in this presentation image distribution system.

  First, the PTZ camera 1 is installed (step S1). FIG. 3 shows an installation example. Here, the PTZ camera 1 is installed in front of the podium 9 so that the presenter 7 and the screen 8 on which the presentation material is projected and displayed can be photographed.

  Next, initial setting of the PTZ camera 1 is performed (step S2). In this initial setting, the user inputs various parameters from the operation unit (not shown) of the PC 2, and the CPU 11 stores them in the RAM 13.

  In the present embodiment, at the time of initial setting, three types of shooting modes for the PTZ camera 1, a mode switching line that indicates a reference position when switching modes according to the movement of the presenter in the shot image, etc. The wide side and tele side pan angle, tilt angle, zoom magnification, etc. are stored.

  On the wide side, as shown in FIG. 4, the presenter 7 and the screen 8 are photographed at the normal standing position of the presenter 7 during the presentation, in other words, the presenter 7 and the screen 8 are included. By operating the PC 2 while looking at the monitor 3 so as to obtain an image, among the parameters of the PTZ camera 1, the pan angle θ, the tilt angle φ, and the zoom magnification α are determined. Here, it is assumed that θ = θ1, φ = φ1, and α = α1. Further, the mode is switched to a predetermined position in the horizontal (left and right) direction of the image 21 on the monitor 3 (here, slightly to the left of the right end of the screen 8) with θ = θ1, φ = φ1, and α = α1. Set the line Lx1. This mode switching line Lx1 is set by determining the x coordinate of an xy orthogonal coordinate system (FIG. 6) described later. In addition, the direction in which the screen 8 is from the presenter 7 is set by the PC 2.

  As for the tele side, as shown in FIG. 5, the presenter 7 is facing the front in the normal standing position of the presenter 7 during the presentation, and the presenter 7 is greatly reflected in the center of the image 22 on the monitor 3. Thus, the pan angle θ, tilt angle φ, and zoom magnification α of the PTZ camera 1 are automatically set. The pan angle θ is constant regardless of the presenter 7, and the tilt angle φ and the zoom magnification α vary depending on the height of the presenter 7 and the size of the face. Here, it is assumed that θ = θ2, φ = φ2, and α = α2. This setting may be performed with a person other than the presenter standing up.

  Of the three types of shooting modes, the first shooting mode performs shooting by setting the parameters of the PTZ camera 1 to the above-described wide-side initial setting values (θ = θ1, φ = φ1, α = α1). In this mode, when the presenter 7 is not facing the screen 8 for a predetermined time, the mode is switched to a second shooting mode to be described later.

  In the second shooting mode, the parameters of the PTZ camera 1 are set to the tele-side initial setting values (for example, θ = θ2, φ = φ2, α = α2), and shooting is started. This is a mode for switching to the first photographing mode described above when the time screen 8 is faced.

  In this mode, the pan angle θ, tilt angle φ, and zoom magnification α of the PTZ camera 1 detect the face of the presenter 7 and the face 71 is placed at a predetermined position in the image 23 as shown in FIG. To automatically control. Here, in the xy rectangular coordinate system set outside the image 23, the left and right centers of the face 71 are located on the center line Lx2 where x = x2, and the upper end of the face 71 is located on the upper end line Ly1 where y = y1. Is controlled so that the lower end of the face 71 is positioned on the lower end line Ly2 where y = y2. The center line Lx2, the upper end line Ly1, and the lower end line Ly2 are also set at the initial setting.

  The third shooting mode is a mode in which the mode switching operation according to the direction of the face of the presenter 7 is not performed in the first shooting mode described above.

  When the initial setting is completed as described above and the user instructs to start shooting from the PC 2 (step S3), the PTZ camera 1 starts shooting in the first shooting mode (shooting mode 1) (step S4). An image photographed by the PTZ camera 1 is input to the PC 2, output to the monitor 3, transmitted to the remote PC 5 via the network 4, and displayed on the screen 6. As a result, the image 21 (excluding the mode switching line Lx1) shown in FIG. 4 is displayed on the monitor 3 and the screen 6.

  Next, the PC 2 performs processing for detecting the face of the presenter 7 and its orientation using the image input from the PTZ camera 1 (step S5), and checks whether a face has been detected (step S6).

  Here, it is assumed that a face has been detected (S6: Yes), and it is checked whether the camera is operating in the first shooting mode (step S7). Here, since the camera is operating in the first shooting mode (S7: Yes), it is checked whether or not the presenter has greatly moved from the normal standing position (step S8). Whether or not it has moved greatly is determined by whether or not the mode switching line Lx1 in FIG. 4 has been exceeded.

  Here, it is assumed that it has not moved greatly (S8: No), and it is checked whether or not the face of the presenter 7 faces the screen 8 (step S9). If it is facing (S9: Yes), the PC 2 acquires the image of the next frame from the PTZ camera 1 (step S10), and returns to step S6. The acquired image is transmitted to the remote PC 5 via the network 4.

  If the face of the presenter 7 is not facing the screen 8 (S9: No), the process proceeds to step S25 to check whether a predetermined time has elapsed. And when not having passed (S25: No), an image is acquired (step S10) and it returns to step S6. On the other hand, when the time has elapsed (S25: Yes), the process shifts to the second shooting mode (shooting mode 2) (step S26), and the PTZ camera is set so that the face 71 of the presenter 7 exists at the position shown in FIG. An image is acquired after automatically adjusting the pan angle θ, the tilt angle φ, and the zoom magnification α (step S27).

  That is, when operating in the first shooting mode, the presenter 7 switches to the second shooting mode when the presenter 7 faces in a direction other than the screen 8 without moving significantly for a predetermined time. In the second shooting mode, automatic adjustment of the PTZ camera 1 is always performed, so that tracking is automatically performed even if the presenter 7 moves to the vicinity of the screen 8. The reason for setting the “predetermined time” is, for example, to prevent the shooting mode from being switched when the presenter 7 glances at the screen 8.

  If it is determined in step S8 that the presenter 7 has moved greatly (S8: Yes), an image is acquired after shifting to the third shooting mode (shooting mode 3) (step S24 → S10). That is, when the presenter 7 moves greatly while operating in the first shooting mode, the mode shifts to the third shooting mode. In the third shooting mode, the pan angle θ, the tilt angle φ, and the zoom magnification α of the PTZ camera 1 are the same θ1, φ1, and α1 as in the first shooting mode, but mode switching by face detection is not performed.

  If the face of the presenter 7 is detected after switching from the first shooting mode to the second shooting mode (S26 → S27 → S10 → S6: Yes), the process proceeds in the order of S7: No → S14: Yes, and step In S16, it is checked whether or not the presenter 7 has moved greatly from the normal standing position. In the second shooting mode, whether or not the camera has moved greatly is determined based on whether or not the pan angle θ of the PTZ camera 1 has changed beyond a predetermined threshold value compared to the initial set value θ2 on the telephoto side. This threshold value is set at the time of initial setting (step S2).

  If it has not moved much (S16: No), it is checked whether the face is facing the screen 8 (step S19). If not (S19: No), the pan angle θ, tilt angle φ, and zoom magnification α of the PTZ camera 1 are automatically adjusted so that the center, upper end, and lower end of the face 71 appear in the positions shown in FIG. After S23), an image is acquired (step S10), and the process returns to step S6.

  If the face is facing the screen (S19: Yes), the process proceeds to step S20 to check whether a predetermined time has elapsed. If it has not elapsed (S20: No), the PTZ camera 1 is automatically adjusted (step S23), an image is acquired (step S10), and the process returns to step S6. On the other hand, when the time has elapsed (S20: Yes), the process proceeds to the first shooting mode (step S21), and the pan angle θ, tilt angle φ, and zoom magnification α of the PTZ camera 1 are set to the wide side initial setting values (θ1, After adjusting (φ1, α1) (step S22), an image is acquired (step S10), and the process returns to step S6.

  If it is determined in step S16 that the presenter 7 has moved greatly (S16: Yes), the process proceeds to the third shooting mode (step S17), and the pan angle θ, tilt angle φ, and zoom magnification α of the PTZ camera 1 are transferred. Is adjusted to the initial setting values (θ1, φ1, α1) on the wide side (step S18), an image is acquired (step S10), and the process returns to step S6. In step S17, position data in the X direction of the center of the face of the presenter 7 is stored.

  FIG. 7 shows an example image 24 when the presenter 7 moves greatly. FIG. 8 shows an image at the moment of switching from the state of FIG. 7 to the third shooting mode. Position data x3 in the x direction of the center of the face of the presenter 7 is stored.

  Thus, even when the presenter 7 moves greatly when operating in the second shooting mode, the mode shifts to the third shooting mode as in the case of operating in the first shooting mode. The position data x3 in the x direction of the center of the face of the presenter 7 stored when the second shooting mode is shifted to the third shooting mode is used as the position reference for the later shift to the first shooting mode. Become.

  When the face of the presenter 7 is detected after switching from the first shooting mode to the third shooting mode (S24 → S10 → S6: Yes), or switching from the second shooting mode to the third shooting mode. If the face of the presenter 7 is detected after the change (S17 → S18 → S10 → S6: Yes), the process proceeds in the order of S7: No → S14: No, and the presenter 7 returns to the original position in step S15. Investigate whether or not

  Here, whether or not the presenter has returned to the original position is whether the presenter 7 has returned to the right side of the mode switching line Lx1 in FIG. 4 in the case of switching from the first shooting mode to the third shooting mode. In the case where the second shooting mode is switched to the third shooting mode, whether or not the position data in the x direction of the center of the face of the presenter 7 has returned to a location on the right side of the previously stored x3. Judgment by.

  If it is determined that the image has not been returned (S15: No), the image is acquired as it is (step S10), and the process returns to step S6. If it is determined that the camera has returned (S15: Yes), the process proceeds to the first shooting mode (step S13), and an image is acquired.

  In any of the first to third shooting modes, when the face of the presenter 7 cannot be detected (S6: No), it is determined that the presenter 7 has been lost and the process proceeds to the first shooting mode (step S13). If the camera is operating in the second shooting mode (S11: Yes), the pan angle θ, the tilt angle φ, and the zoom magnification α of the PTZ camera 1 are set to the wide side before shifting to the first shooting mode. Is adjusted to the initial set values (θ1, φ1, α1) (step S12).

The processing of the flowchart described above is summarized as follows (1) to (8).
(1) Start shooting in the first shooting mode. The pan angle θ, tilt angle φ, and zoom magnification α of the PTZ camera 1 are set to the wide side initial setting values θ1, φ1, and α1, respectively.

(2) The face of the presenter 7 and its direction are detected.
(3) When the face is facing a direction other than the screen 8 for a predetermined time, the mode is switched to the second shooting mode, and the pan angle is set so that the center of the detected face is positioned on the horizontal center line Lx2. While θ is automatically adjusted, the tilt angle φ and zoom magnification α are automatically adjusted so that the upper and lower ends of the face are positioned on the upper end line Ly1 and the lower end line Ly2 in the vertical direction of the captured image.

  (4) In the second shooting mode, the parameters of the PTZ camera 1 are always automatically adjusted. Therefore, even if the presenter 7 leaves the normal standing position and moves to the vicinity of the screen 8, the face of the presenter 7 is automatically tracked.

(5) When the face is facing the screen 8 for a predetermined time, the mode is switched to the first shooting mode, and the pan angle θ, tilt angle φ, and zoom magnification α of the PTZ camera 1 are set to θ1, φ1, and α1, respectively.
(6) When the presenter 7 moves greatly from the normal standing position, the presenter switches to the third shooting mode, and the pan angle θ, tilt angle φ, and zoom magnification α of the PTZ camera 1 are set to θ1, φ1, and α1, respectively. When switching from the second shooting mode, the x-direction position coordinates of the face are stored. In the third shooting mode, the shooting mode is not switched by detecting the face orientation. When the face of the presenter 7 returns to the original position, the mode is switched to the first shooting mode.

(7) If the face cannot be detected, it is assumed that the presenter 7 has been lost, and the process proceeds to the first shooting mode.
(8) The processes (1) to (7) are repeated.

  As described in detail above, according to the presentation image distribution system of the present embodiment, the PTZ camera 1 is automatically controlled so that the presenter 7 is always photographed by the PTZ camera 1, so that an image with a sense of reality can be obtained. Distribution becomes possible. In addition, a comprehensive judgment is made according to the direction of the face of the presenter 7 and the moving distance from the normal standing position, and the shooting mode suitable for the state of the presenter 7 is switched. It can be expected that people will be more interested in the content of the presentation.

  In the above embodiment, the function of capturing an image from the PTZ camera 1 into the PC 2, the function of controlling the parameters of the PTZ camera 1 based on the content of the captured image, and the function of transmitting the captured image to the remote PC 5 However, each function may be provided in a separate device. Each function may be given to the PTZ camera 1.

  Note that the PTZ camera 1 and PC 2 of this embodiment are applied to an intruder detection system, and a mode for zooming in on the intruder's face and a mode for capturing the whole body while tracking the intruder are set. Thus, it is possible to acquire an image that matches the detection state of the intruder.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the presentation image delivery system of embodiment of this invention. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure from an operation of installing a PTZ camera to a PC acquiring an image while controlling the PTZ camera in the presentation image distribution system according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the example of installation of a PTZ camera. It is a figure which shows the image at the time of the parameter setting of the wide side of a PTZ camera. It is a figure which shows the image at the time of the parameter setting of the tele side of a PTZ camera. It is a figure which shows the display target position of the presenter's face in 2nd imaging | photography mode. It is a figure which shows the image of a mode that the presenter moved large in 2nd imaging | photography mode. It is a figure which shows the image of the moment which switched to the 3rd imaging | photography mode from the state of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  1 ... PTZ camera, 2 ... PC, 4 ... network, 5 ... remote PC, 6 ... remote screen, 7 ... presenter, 8 ... screen, 11 ... CPU, 12 ... ROM, 13 ... RAM, 14 ... control unit, 15 ... input unit, 16 ... output unit, 71 ... face of the presenter.

Claims (6)

The presenter of the presentation and the camera installed so that the display image of the presentation material can be photographed, the camera control device for controlling pan, tilt and zoom of the camera, and the image photographed by the camera are distributed via the network. A presentation image distribution system having an image transmission device,
The camera control device includes a face detection unit that detects a face of a presenter from an image captured by the camera, and the camera is configured to detect a face when the face is not detected by the face detection unit. And a first control means for performing pan, tilt, or zoom control. In the presentation image delivery system according to claim 1,
The camera has a first shooting mode in which a pan angle, a tilt angle, and a zoom magnification are set so that both the presenter and the display image of the presentation material are simultaneously photographed, and the presenter's face is the center of the photographed image. A presentation image distribution system comprising: a second shooting mode in which a pan angle, a tilt angle, and a zoom magnification are controlled so as to be positioned in a section. In the presentation image delivery system according to claim 2,
The first control means performs a control to switch to the first shooting mode when the camera is operating in the second shooting mode. In the presentation image delivery system according to claim 2,
The camera control device includes a face direction determination unit that determines whether or not the face is facing the direction of the display image of the presentation material when the face is detected by the face detection unit, and the camera operates in the first shooting mode. And a second control means for performing control to switch to the second photographing mode when the face is not directed to the direction of the display image of the presentation material for a predetermined time. Distribution system. In the presentation image delivery system according to claim 2,
The camera control device includes a face direction determining unit that determines whether or not the face is facing the direction of the display image of the presentation material when the face is detected by the face detecting unit, and the camera is in the second shooting mode. And a third control means for performing control to switch to the first photographing mode when the face is facing the direction of the display image of the presentation material for a predetermined time. Image distribution system. In the presentation image delivery system according to claim 4 or 5,
The camera has a panning angle, a tilting angle, and a zoom magnification that are set so that both the presenter and the display image of the presentation material are photographed at the same time, and the third photographing that is set so that the face direction detecting means does not operate. With mode,
When the face is detected by the face detection unit, the camera control device is configured to detect the presenter's movement, and when the presenter's movement exceeds a predetermined amount, the camera control device enters the third shooting mode. A presentation image distribution system comprising fourth control means for performing switching control.

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