Imaging apparatus, control method, program, and storage medium

Abstract

To reduce a risk of heat damage to a lens barrel, while preventing unintentional change of an optical zoom position.SOLUTION: An imaging apparatus has a first filter that is arranged closer to a subject than an imaging optical system, and attenuates the amount of light incident on an image pick-up device. The imaging apparatus has a first mode for picking up an image with the imaging apparatus, and a second mode for standing by without picking up an image with the imaging apparatus, in a transition from the first mode to the second mode, inserts the first filter onto an optical path of the image pick-up device, and in a transition from the second mode to the first mode, withdraws the first filter from the optical path.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an imaging device, a control method, a program, and a storage medium. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there was a risk of the resin forming the lens barrel being thermally damaged by sunlight being concentrated by a lens and being irradiated to one spot inside the lens barrel for a long period of time.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that changes the optical zoom position by a predetermined amount toward the wide-angle side when a predetermined time has elapsed since both the camera body and the imaging lens barrel became immobile, thereby preventing light from being concentrated at one point inside the lens barrel for a long period of time. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-142713 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the method of Patent Document 1 has a problem in that the optical zoom position changes without the user's intention.

[0006] In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to prevent unintentional changes in the optical zoom position while suppressing thermal damage to the lens barrel due to sunlight. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, an imaging device according to one embodiment of the present invention is characterized in having an imaging element for capturing an image of a subject by an imaging optical system, a first filter arranged on the subject side of the imaging optical system and for attenuating the amount of light incident on the imaging element, a setting unit for setting the imaging element to a first mode in which imaging is performed by the imaging device or a second mode in which the imaging device waits without capturing imaging, and a control unit for inserting the first filter into the optical path of the imaging element when transitioning from the first mode to the second mode, and removing the first filter from the optical path when transitioning from the second mode to the first mode. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent unintentional changes in the optical zoom position while reducing the risk of thermal damage to the lens barrel. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a system configuration including an imaging device according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 2] A flow diagram illustrating the characteristic operations of this embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, the embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. The embodiment described below is an example of a means for realizing the present invention, and should be appropriately modified or changed depending on the configuration of the device to which the present invention is applied and various conditions, and the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment. In addition, a configuration may be made by appropriately combining parts of each embodiment described later.

[0011] <Embodiment 1> (Device configuration) The configuration of an imaging device according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a system including an imaging device according to this embodiment.

[0012] The imaging device 10 is connected to a network 30 such as a local area network (LAN) via a power supply device 20 described later, and is capable of communicating with a client device 40, which is an external information processing device similarly connected to the network 30.

[0013] The power supply device 20 supplies power to the imaging device 10. For example, the power supply device 20 is a switching hub compatible with PoE (Power Over Ethernet) and can supply power to the imaging device 10 via a LAN cable. In this embodiment, the imaging device 10 realizes power supply and network connection by a PoE-compatible switching hub, but these may be realized by separate devices. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which the power supply is received by a general power supply device and the imaging device 10 is connected to the network by a general switching hub.

[0014] The network 30 is made up of network devices that mediate communication between the imaging device 10 and a client device 40 (described later), and is made up of a plurality of network devices (routers, switches, cables, etc.) that comply with a communication standard such as Ethernet.

[0015] The client device 40 is a computer device connected to the network 30, and can acquire and display images from the imaging device 10 via the network. In addition, by transmitting and receiving control commands for the imaging device 10 via the network 30, various parameters of the imaging device 10 can be set. For example, the client device 40 is a general-purpose computer such as a personal computer (PC). Although one client device 40 is illustrated in FIG. 1, multiple client devices may be used.

[0016] Next, a detailed description will be given of the configuration of the imaging device 10. Note that solid arrows extending from each block indicate the flow of data, and dashed arrows indicate the flow of power supply.

[0017] The imaging device 10 is composed of a camera section 100, a lens barrel section 110, a camera platform section 120, and an external ND filter section .

[0018] The camera unit 100 includes a shutter unit 101 , an imaging unit 102 , a system control unit 103 , a memory 104 , a communication unit 105 , a power supply unit 106 , and a tally lamp 107 .

[0019] The lens barrel unit 110 includes a lens control unit 111, a lens power supply unit 112, a zoom lens 113 which is a group of multiple lenses that constitute an imaging optical system, a focus lens 114, an ND filter 115, and an aperture .

[0020] The pan head section 120 includes a pan head control section 121, a pan head power supply section 122, and a drive mechanism 123. The drive mechanism 123 is a PT (pan-tilt) mechanism including a pan drive section and a tilt drive section for changing the imaging direction.

[0021] The external ND filter section (first filter) 130 includes an external ND filter control section (control section) 131, an external ND filter power supply section 132, and an external ND filter 133. The external ND filter 133 is an ND filter for dealing with sunlight outdoors, and has a stronger optical density than the ND filter (second filter) 115 included in the lens barrel section 110. In other words, the first filter section 130 is configured to have a larger light attenuation rate (reduce the amount of light more) than the second filter 115.

[0022] The camera unit 100 and the lens barrel unit 110 may be configured to be detachable via a mount, and the camera unit may be able to capture images with different angles of view by replacing the camera unit with a different lens barrel unit. Also, the camera unit 100 and the lens barrel unit 110 may be configured as an integrated unit.

[0023] Similarly, the camera unit 100 and the pan head unit 120 may be configured to be detachable via a mount, or may be configured as an integrated unit.

[0024] Furthermore, the camera unit 100, lens barrel unit 110, and camera platform unit 120, excluding the external ND filter unit 130, may be common members constituting an image capture device for indoor photography. In other words, an image capture device for indoor photography with the external ND filter unit 130 attached thereto may be the image capture device 10 for outdoor photography.

[0025] Next, the movement of each of the above-mentioned parts will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 1. Here, the arrow OA in Fig. 1 is the optical axis of the imaging optical system (imaging element), and in the following description, the direction in which the optical axis OA extends will be the optical axis direction.

[0026] The external ND filter 133 provided in the external ND filter section 130 is a filter arranged closest to the subject among the lenses and filters on the optical axis OA provided in the imaging device 10, and is arranged so as to be insertable and removable onto the optical axis OA of the imaging element. This filter is intended to adjust the amount of light when used outdoors, and has a stronger density than the ND filter 115 of the lens barrel section 110. By inserting it onto the optical axis OA, the amount of light can be adjusted to, for example, 1 / 32.

[0027] The external ND filter control unit 131 receives a drive instruction from the system control unit 103 of the camera unit 100, and controls the insertion and removal of the external ND filter 133 in accordance with the instruction.

[0028] The external ND filter power supply section 132 supplies the power supplied from the power supply section 104 of the camera section 100 to each section of the external ND filter section 130 .

[0029] Among the lenses included in lens barrel 110, zoom lens 113, which is disposed closest to the subject, varies magnification by moving in the direction of optical axis OA.

[0030] A focus lens 114 disposed closer to the image side than this performs focus adjustment by moving in the direction of the optical axis OA.

[0031] Furthermore, the ND filter 115, which is disposed closer to the image sensor than the external ND filter unit 130, is a turret-type ND filter that adjusts the amount of light stepwise by rotating a plurality of ND filters with different densities and arranging them on the optical axis. In other words, it is a filter that can adjust the attenuation rate of light, and can adjust the amount of light to, for example, clear, 1 / 2, 1 / 4, 1 / 8, and 1 / 16. Note that the ND filter 115 is not limited to a turret type, and may be a gradation type that can continuously adjust the density of the amount of light from clear to 1 / 16.

[0032] Aperture 116, which is disposed closest to the image side, adjusts the amount of light incident on camera unit 100 by adjusting the aperture diameter. In this manner, the first filter is configured to be disposed closer to the subject side than the second filter. This allows exposure to be adjusted by reducing high-luminance light such as sunlight during outdoor use with the first filter, while adjusting the image light of the subject incident on camera unit 100 with the second filter.

[0033] The combination of the lens group, ND filter, and aperture provided in lens barrel section 110 is one example, and the configuration may include an anti-shake lens for image stabilization.

[0034] The lens control unit 111 receives drive instructions from the system control unit 103 of the camera unit 100, and controls the zoom lens 113, the focus lens 114, the ND filter 115, and the aperture 116 in accordance with the instructions.

[0035] The lens power supply section 112 supplies the power supplied from the power supply section 104 of the camera section 100 to each section of the lens barrel section 110 .

[0036] The shutter section 101 provided in the camera section 100 is a light-shielding member that is arranged between the image capturing section 102 and the optical path of the light beam incident from the lens barrel section 110, and by moving a shutter curtain, the subject is projected onto the image sensor of the image capturing section 102 for the desired period of time.

[0037] The imaging unit 102 includes an image sensor (CCD sensor or CMOS sensor) (not shown) and captures an image of a subject. The image sensor converts the subject image output from the image sensor into an electrical signal and inputs it to the system control unit 103.

[0038] The system control unit 103 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), and performs overall control of the imaging device 10 .

[0039] For example, an exposure control value can be calculated based on the luminance information of a video signal, and the shutter curtain of the shutter unit 101 can be driven. Furthermore, based on the calculation result, an instruction can be given to the lens control unit 111 to drive the ND filter 115 and the aperture 116.

[0040] Furthermore, when the system control unit 103 receives an instruction to change the imaging direction from the client device 40 via the communication unit 105 , it can instruct the camera platform control unit 121 to drive the driving mechanism 122 .

[0041] In addition, when the system control unit 103 receives a zoom or focus change instruction from the client device 40 via the communication unit 105, it can instruct the lens control unit 111 to control the driving of the zoom lens 113 and the focus lens 114.

[0042] In addition, when the system control unit 103 receives an instruction to insert or remove an external ND filter from the client device 40 via the communication unit 105, it can instruct the external ND filter control unit 131 to drive the device to insert or remove the external ND filter 133.

[0043] Furthermore, when the system control unit 103 receives an ON / OFF instruction for the tally lamp from the client device 40 via the communication unit 105, it can control the turning on and off of the tally lamp 107. Here, the tally lamp may be equipped with a green LED and a red LED, and may be configured to switch between green and red lighting in response to an instruction. Alternatively, the system control unit 103 may be configured to similarly control the tally lamp 107 in response to a tally signal input from a tally terminal (not shown). In video production, the lighting of the tally lamp is used to inform those around that the video from the imaging device in question is being used for broadcast.

[0044] Furthermore, when the system control unit 103 receives a control command relating to power saving settings for the imaging apparatus 10 from the client device 40 via the communication unit 105, it can instruct the power supply unit 106 to change the power supply to each unit.

[0045] The system control unit 103 also includes hardware for performing image processing on video signals, and performs image interpolation, color conversion processing, and compression processing on the video signals input from the imaging unit 102, and transmits the processed signals to the memory 104 and the communication unit 105. The system control unit 103 can also convert the signals into an appropriate signal format and transmit the signals to a video interface (not shown) (for example, HDMI (registered trademark) (High Definition Multimedia Interface) or SDI (Serial Digital Interface)).

[0046] The memory 104 includes a non-volatile memory and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The non-volatile memory stores the processing procedures (programs) of the system control unit 103, various settings, GUI (Graphical User Interface) data such as menu screens, etc. The RAM can be used as a work area for the system control unit 105.

[0047] The communication unit 105 is a network processing circuit, and distributes the video signal from the system control unit 103 to the network 30. It also receives various control commands for the imaging device 10 from the client device 40 and transmits them to the system control unit 103. Then, it transmits a control command response from the system control unit 103 to the client device 40.

[0048] The power supply unit 106 supplies power from the power supply device 20 to each function of the camera unit 100, as well as to the external ND filter power supply unit 132 of the external filter unit 130, the lens power supply unit 112 of the lens barrel unit 110, and the pan / tilt power supply unit 122 of the pan / tilt unit 120.

[0049] Furthermore, when an instruction to set the power saving mode is received from the system control unit 103, the imaging device 10 can transition to the power saving state by transitioning to the power saving mode and supplying power only to the system control unit 103, the memory 104, and the communication unit 105. In this way, the user can suppress the power consumption of the entire imaging device 10 by issuing an instruction to set the power saving setting from the client device 40 when shooting is finished.

[0050] In the power saving mode, the imaging unit 102 is not operating, and therefore no video signal is input to the system control unit 103. Therefore, various image processing operations are not operating, and video distribution processing via the communication unit 105 is also not operating. Furthermore, since no power is supplied to the lens barrel unit 110, the camera platform unit 120, and the external ND filter unit 130, the user cannot control the units contained therein via control commands.

[0051] However, even in the power saving mode, an instruction to cancel the power saving setting can be received from the client device 40 via the communication unit 105, and the system control unit 103 can control the power supply unit 106 in accordance with this instruction. When the power supply unit 106 receives an instruction from the system control unit 103 to return the power setting to normal, it transitions to the normal mode and can resume the power supply to each unit.

[0052] A driving mechanism 123 provided in the camera platform unit 120 is made up of a gear mechanism and a DC motor or a stepping motor, which are driving sources (not shown), and changes the imaging direction by a pan / tilt mechanism.

[0053] The camera platform control unit 121 receives a drive instruction from the system control unit 103 of the camera unit 100, and controls the pan / tilt drive of the drive mechanism 123 in accordance with the instruction.

[0054] The pan head power supply unit 122 supplies the power supplied from the power supply unit 106 of the camera unit 100 to each component of the pan head unit 120 .

[0055] (Operation description) The characteristic operations of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Note that the operations described below are executed by the system control unit 103 of the camera unit 100 of the imaging device 10 according to a program stored in the non-volatile memory of the memory 104, and start when power is supplied to the imaging device 10.

[0056] In S201, the system control unit 103 inquires of the external ND filter control unit 131 about the state of the external filter 133. If the external ND filter 133 is inserted, the process of S201 is repeated, and if the external ND filter 133 is removed, the process transitions to S202.

[0057] In S202, the system control unit 103 inquires of the power supply unit 106 about the current power state, and determines whether the mode is normal mode (first mode) or power saving mode (second mode). If the mode is normal mode, the process proceeds to S203, and if the mode is power saving mode, the process proceeds to S215.

[0058] The normal mode is a mode in which power is supplied to the imaging device 10 and imaging is performed by the imaging device 10, and the image captured by the imaging device 10 is distributed via the network 30 to an external information processing device (client device 40) connected to the network 30.

[0059] The power saving mode is a mode in which power is supplied to the imaging device 10 as described above, but the imaging device 10 is in standby and does not capture images.

[0060] In S203, the system control unit 103 waits for receipt of an external ND filter insertion instruction command from the client device 40 via the communication unit 105. If the command is received, the process proceeds to S209, instructs the external ND filter control unit 131 to insert the external ND filter 133, and then proceeds to S201. If the command to insert the external ND filter is not received, the process proceeds to S204.

[0061] In S204, the system control unit 103 determines whether the current state of the tally lamp 107 is on or off. If it is on, the process proceeds to S205, and if it is off, the process proceeds to S212.

[0062] In S205, the system control unit 103 waits for reception of a tally lamp turn-off instruction command from the client device 40 via the communication unit 105. If the command is received, the process proceeds to S210, and if the command is not received, the process proceeds to S206.

[0063] In this embodiment, the tally lamp is turned off in response to an instruction from the client device 40. However, as described above, the tally lamp may be turned off in response to an input from a tally terminal (not shown).

[0064] In S206, the system control unit 103 waits for reception of a command instructing the setting of the power saving mode from the client device 40 via the communication unit 105. If the command is received, the process proceeds to S207, and if the command is not received, the process proceeds to S203 and the above-mentioned process is repeated.

[0065] In S207, the system control unit 103 instructs the external ND filter control unit 131 to insert the external ND filter 133, and the process proceeds to S208.

[0066] In S208, the system control unit (setting unit) 103 sets the imaging device 10 to a power saving mode and instructs the power supply unit 106 to transition to the power saving mode. Then, the process returns to S202 and the process is repeated. In S210, the system control unit 103 turns off the tally lamp 107 and transitions to S211.

[0067] In S211, the system control unit 103 instructs the external ND filter control unit 131 to insert the external ND filter 133, as in S207, and then returns to S202 to repeat the process.

[0068] In S212, the system control unit 103 waits for reception of a command to instruct to turn on the tally lamp from the client device 40 via the communication unit 105. If the command is received, the process proceeds to S213, and if the command is not received, the process proceeds to S206. Note that, although the tally lamp is turned on in response to an instruction from the client device 40 here, the command may be input from a tally terminal (not shown) as described above.

[0069] In S213, the system control unit 103 turns on the tally lamp 107, and then the process proceeds to S214.

[0070] In S214, the system control unit 103 instructs the external ND filter control unit 131 to remove the external ND filter 133, and then returns to S202 to repeat the process.

[0071] In S215, the system control unit 103 waits for reception of a power saving setting release instruction command (a command instructing the setting of normal mode) from the client device 40 via the communication unit 105. If the power saving setting release command is received, the process proceeds to S216, and if the power saving setting release command is not received, the process of S215 is repeated.

[0072] In S216, the system control unit (setting unit) 103 sets the imaging device 10 to the normal mode, and instructs the power supply unit 106 to transition to the normal mode. Then, the process transitions to S214.

[0073] When the state of the imaging device 10 (the power state of the power supply unit 106) transitions from the normal mode to the power saving mode, or when the state of the tally lamp 107 transitions from the on state to the off state, through the steps described above, the external ND filter 133 is inserted. In other words, when the imaging device 10 is not used for shooting or broadcasting, the external ND filter 133 can prevent a strong amount of light from entering the lens barrel, thereby reducing the risk of thermal damage to the lens barrel.

[0074] Furthermore, after the external ND filter 133 has been put into an inserted state by the above processing, if the power state of the power supply unit 106 transitions from the power saving mode to the normal mode, the external ND filter 133 can be returned to the removed state.

[0075] Also, when the state of the tally lamp 107 transitions from an off state to an on state, the external ND filter 133 can be removed again.

[0076] In this embodiment, when the mode is changed to the power saving mode, that is, in S207, the external ND filter 133 is simply inserted, but in addition to this, the attenuation rate of the ND filter 115 arranged on the optical path OA in FIG. 1 may be changed to be larger (or to be maximized). Also, the aperture diameter of the diaphragm 116 may be reduced. This process further attenuates the light incident on the imaging unit 102, so that it is possible to reduce the risk of the image sensor being deteriorated (such as sunburn) by the light incident on the imaging unit 102 during the power saving mode.

[0077] It should be noted that, if these processes are performed in S207, when transitioning from the power saving mode to the normal mode, i.e., in S216, processes are executed to return the ND filter 115 inserted in S207 and the aperture 116 closed to their original states.

[0078] In this embodiment, the power saving mode is entered based on an instruction from the client device 40, but the system control unit 103 may be configured to control the power saving mode when no instruction is received from the client device for a predetermined period of time is used as a trigger. In other words, even if the image capture device 10 is determined not to be used by the user and the power saving mode is automatically entered, the external ND filter is inserted into the optical path of the image capture element.

[0079] In this embodiment, when the mode is changed from the first mode (normal mode) to the second mode (power saving mode), the first filter (external ND filter) is inserted into the optical path of the image sensor, and when the mode is changed from the first mode to the second mode, the first filter (external ND filter) is removed from the optical path. Here, the first mode and the second mode may be a distribution mode and a non-distribution mode, respectively. That is, the mode in which the image captured by the image capture device 10 is distributed to the client device 40 may be the first mode, and the mode in which the image captured by the image capture device 10 is not distributed to the client device 40 may be the second mode. In this case, when the mode is changed from the distribution mode to the non-distribution mode, the external ND filter is inserted, so that the amount of light entering the lens barrel during non-distribution can be reduced, and thermal damage to the lens barrel can be suppressed.

[0080] In this way, the lens barrel can be protected from the risk of thermal damage caused by strong light, such as sunlight, entering the lens barrel without changing the optical zoom position.

[0081] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

[0082] <Other embodiments> The present invention can be realized by a process of reading and executing a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-mentioned embodiment 1. The program is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and is read and executed by one or more processors in the computer of the system or device. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0083] 10. Imaging device 20 Power supply device 30 Network 40 Client Device 100 Camera section 110 Lens barrel 120 Head 130 External ND filter section

Claims

1. an imaging element that captures an image of a subject using an imaging optical system; a first filter disposed closer to the subject than the imaging optical system and configured to attenuate the amount of light incident on the imaging element; a setting means for setting a first mode in which an image acquired by imaging is distributed to another device or a second mode in which the image is not distributed to the other device; a control means for inserting the first filter into an optical path when transitioning from the first mode to the second mode, and for removing the first filter from the optical path when transitioning from the second mode to the first mode; An imaging device comprising:

2. a second filter that is disposed closer to the image sensor than the first filter and is insertable into and removable from an optical path of the image sensor; 2. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the second filter is a filter capable of adjusting the attenuation rate of light incident on the imaging element, and the attenuation rate of light of the first filter is higher than the attenuation rate of light of the second filter.

3. 3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control means controls exposure of the subject by adjusting the attenuation rate of light of the second filter in the first mode.

4. 3. The imaging device according to claim 2, wherein the control means increases the attenuation rate of the second filter when the mode is changed from the first mode to the second mode.

5. further comprising a diaphragm for adjusting the amount of light incident on the imaging element; 2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means reduces the aperture diameter of the diaphragm when the mode is changed from the first mode to the second mode.

6. a communication means for receiving an instruction to set either the first mode or the second mode from another device; 2. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the control means inserts the first filter into the optical path in response to the communication means receiving an instruction to transition from the first mode to the second mode.

7. if the communication means does not receive an instruction for the imaging device from the other device for a predetermined time, the imaging device transitions from the first mode to the second mode; 7. The imaging apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the control means inserts the first filter into the optical path of the imaging element.

8. A control method performed by an imaging device having an imaging element that captures an image of a subject using an imaging optical system, and a first filter that is disposed closer to the subject than the imaging optical system and attenuates an amount of light incident on the imaging element, a setting step of setting the image capturing device to a first mode in which an image acquired by imaging is distributed to another device or a second mode in which the image is not distributed to the other device; a control step of inserting the first filter onto an optical path when transitioning from the first mode to the second mode, and removing the first filter from the optical path when transitioning from the second mode to the first mode; A control method comprising:

9. A program for causing a computer to execute the control method according to claim 8.

10. A computer-readable storage medium storing the program according to claim 9.

Images