Controller, method for control, and program

Abstract

To provide a camera controller in which a camera is correctly assigned to a button for selecting a camera to control.SOLUTION: A controller for controlling a plurality of imaging devices acquires first positional information on a position of a first imaging device and second positional information on a position of a second imaging device. The acquisition means assigns one of the imaging devices to each of a plurality of buttons for selecting an imaging device to control of the imaging devices on the basis of the first positional information and the second positional information acquired by the acquisition means. The controller controls the imaging device selected as a control target by one of the buttons.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control device for an imaging device. [Background technology]

[0002] In a camera controller that controls multiple image capture devices, the user can select the camera to be controlled by pressing a button. For example, by pressing the number 1 button, the control target can be switched to control the camera assigned the camera number 1.

[0003] Furthermore, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for making it easier to grasp the shooting space by determining the display position of a display unit according to the shooting angle of each camera. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-10186 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When assigning camera numbers, it is possible to assign them in the order in which they were registered. However, with such a method, since the camera numbers do not correspond to the actual installation positions of the cameras in the space, it is difficult to know which camera number to select in order to select the desired camera as the control target.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE An object of the present invention is to provide a camera controller that appropriately assigns cameras to buttons for selecting the camera to be controlled. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the control device of the present invention has the following configuration: That is, the control device controls a plurality of imaging devices, and includes an acquisition means for acquiring first position information relating to the position of a first imaging device and second position information relating to the position of a second imaging device, an assignment means for assigning one of the plurality of imaging devices to each of a plurality of buttons for selecting an imaging device to be controlled among the plurality of imaging devices based on the first position information and the second position information acquired by the acquisition means, and a control means for controlling the imaging device selected as the control target by at least one of the plurality of buttons. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a camera controller that appropriately assigns cameras to buttons for selecting cameras to be controlled. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an imaging system according to a first embodiment; [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a camera controller according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the orientation of a subject in the first embodiment; [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a housing of a camera controller according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 5] Flowchart of camera number assignment process in the first embodiment [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the arrangement of cameras in the first embodiment; [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing calculation of camera orientation and relative positional relationships between cameras in the first embodiment; [Figure 8] Flowchart of position estimation process in the first embodiment [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a housing of a camera controller according to a first embodiment; [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the arrangement of cameras, a subject, and x and y axes in the second embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a configuration of a camera controller according to a third embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the relationship between the arrangement of cameras and camera groups in the third embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the relationship between the arrangement of cameras and camera groups in the third embodiment. [Figure 14] Flowchart of camera group classification processing in the third embodiment DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] <First embodiment> A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

[0011] An example of a system configuration in this embodiment is shown in Fig. 1. In the imaging system 100, a camera controller 110 and six pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras 120 are connected via a network 130. In this embodiment, the camera controller 110 and the PTZ cameras 120 are connected via the network 130, but the connection method is not limited to this. For example, a LAN cable, SDI (Serial Digital Interface), or HDMI (registered trademark) (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) may also be used.

[0012] The camera controller 110 can control the PTZ camera by panning, tilting, zooming, etc. Also, the PTZ camera 120 can distribute captured video data via a network. In this embodiment, the PTZ camera 120 is described as being capable of pan-tilt-zoom control, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a camera without a PTZ control function may also be used.

[0013] (Camera controller configuration) FIG. 2(a) illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of a camera controller 110 for realizing each function of the control device of each embodiment. Note that each function of each embodiment in FIG. 2(b) described below may also be realized by the hardware configuration shown in FIG. 2(a). The control device in each embodiment may be realized by the hardware shown in FIG. 2(a) or by software. The configuration of the camera controller 110 is not limited to this. For example, it may have a computer-like configuration.

[0014] The camera controller 110 is a control device having a CPU 201, a RAM 202, a ROM 203, an input interface (I / F) 204, an output I / F 205, a display unit 205, a network I / F 206, and an internal bus 207 that enables intercommunication.

[0015] The CPU 201 is a central processing unit that performs overall control of the camera controller 110. In this embodiment, the CPU 201 manages camera registration information that is configured from the camera group, camera number, camera IP address, and camera name of the connected PTZ camera.

[0016] The RAM 202 has a work area for temporarily storing programs for the CPU 201 to control the camera controller 110, images input from the PTZ camera 120, and the like.

[0017] The ROM 203 stores a program for the CPU 201 to control the camera controller 110, images input from the camera 120, and the like.

[0018] The input I / F 204 is an interface for transmitting operations input by the user to the CPU 201, and examples of such interfaces include a button, a dial, a joystick, and a touch panel. Information indicating the operations received by the input I / F 204 is transmitted to the CPU 201 via the internal bus 207. From the input I / F 204, the user can transmit instructions regarding settings for the camera 120, the imaging direction, an automatic tracking function, and other controls for the PTZ camera 120, as well as instructions regarding distribution settings for distributing video data to a client device (not shown).

[0019] Display unit 205 displays images acquired from camera 120 and a setting screen of camera controller 110. Display unit 205 is, for example, a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL panel. Note that, although an example is shown here in which camera controller 110 has a display unit, for example, a configuration in which a display monitor that displays captured images and a setting screen and camera controller 110 each exist as separate entities may also be used.

[0020] The network I / F 206 is an interface that connects to the network 130. It is also an interface for transmitting an operation instruction from a user input from the input I / F 204 to the PTZ camera 120 via the network 130. It is also an interface for acquiring an image from the PTZ camera 120 via the network 130 (image acquisition).

[0021] (Functional configuration of camera controller 110) FIG. 2B shows an example of the functional configuration of the camera controller 110 according to this embodiment.

[0022] Each function in Fig. 2(b) can also be realized by a process in which one or more processors read and execute a program that realizes one or more functions of each embodiment. The program may be supplied to a system or device having a processor via a network or a storage medium. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions of each embodiment.

[0023] The control unit 208 accepts operations from a user and controls the camera controller 110 and the PTZ camera 120 .

[0024] The subject determination unit 209 determines a subject (reference subject) that is the target of face direction calculation by the position estimation unit 211 described later. The method of determining the reference subject is to first calculate the similarity between subjects in each image (0 to 100, the larger the value, the more similar it is), and to determine a subject whose similarity between subjects in each image is greater than a predetermined threshold as the reference subject, but is not limited to this. For example, it may be determined by AI processing. Also, when multiple people are detected from an image, the user may be allowed to determine the reference subject.

[0025] The orientation calculation unit 210 calculates the orientation of the face of the reference subject in the image captured by the PTZ camera 120 so that the device position estimation unit 211 described later can estimate the device position. The orientation of the face of the reference subject in the image is calculated by a predetermined face orientation detection process, and the orientation of the face of the reference subject up, down, left, and right is calculated as the shooting angle. In this embodiment, the shooting angle is defined as a positive angle on the right side in the horizontal direction and a positive angle on the upper side in the vertical direction when viewed from the direction in which the camera is shooting the subject.

[0026] FIG. 3 shows the relationship between the PTZ camera and the subject, and the direction of the subject's face and the shooting angle θ. As shown in FIG. 3(a), the subject is set as the origin. As shown in FIG. 3(b), the direction in which the face faces right as seen from the camera is the positive direction of the shooting angle θ. That is, when the subject is located to the right of the camera, the shooting angle θ is negative, and when the subject is located to the left, the shooting angle θ is positive. In addition, in the vertical direction, the direction in which the face of the reference subject faces upward is the positive direction of the shooting angle θ as shown in FIG. 3(c). Note that only the horizontal direction of the face may be calculated, or only the vertical direction of the face may be calculated. For example, when the PTZ cameras 120a to 120f are arranged as shown in FIG. 6(a), the shooting angle is as shown in FIG. 6(b).

[0027] From the calculation result of the face direction, the relative position of the PTZ camera 120 with respect to the subject in real space can be estimated. For example, the face direction of the reference subject in the image captured by the PTZ camera 120a is calculated to be -20° horizontally and 20° vertically as shown in Fig. 6(b). At this time, the PTZ camera 120a captures the reference subject from the left side in the horizontal direction and from above in the vertical direction. In other words, it can be estimated that the reference subject is captured from the upper left as shown in Fig. 6(a).

[0028] In this way, the information indicating the face direction corresponds to the imaging position of the PTZ camera 120. More specifically, the information indicating the face direction is information indicating the relative positional relationship (relative position) between the subject and the imaging device.

[0029] Based on the calculation result from the orientation calculation unit 1102, the position estimation unit 211 estimates the positions of the PTZ cameras 120a to 120f.

[0030] The allocation unit 212 allocates a camera number based on the position of the PTZ camera 120 estimated by the position estimation unit 211 and the position of a camera number selection button 401, which will be described later.

[0031] (Housing configuration of camera controller 110) An example of the housing of camera controller 110 according to this embodiment will be shown with reference to Fig. 4(a). Housing 400 of camera controller 110 will be described as being composed of display unit 205, camera number selection button 401, zoom seesaw 402, joystick 403, and group switching button 404, but is not limited to this. For example, a GUI (Graphical User Interface) that displays control buttons on display unit 205 as shown in Fig. 4(b) may be used.

[0032] The camera number selection buttons 401 are ten buttons provided on the housing of the camera controller 110, and each button is assigned a camera number from 1 to 10. For example, when the camera number selection button 401 No. 1 is pressed, the PTZ camera with the camera number 1 is selected as the control target. At this time, it becomes possible to perform PTZ operation on the PTZ camera 120 with the camera number 1 selected as the control target from the zoom seesaw 402 or joystick 403 described later.

[0033] The zoom seesaw 402 is installed on the housing of the camera controller 110, and by operating it, it is possible to control the zoom of the PTZ camera 120 that is the object of control.

[0034] The joystick 403 is installed on the housing of the camera controller 110, and can perform pan / tilt control of the PTZ camera 120 to be controlled by operating it in the left / right, up / down directions.

[0035] Camera group switching button 404 is a button provided on the housing of camera controller 110, and by pressing it, it is possible to toggle between camera groups 1 to 20. The camera groups will be described later.

[0036] Fig. 4(b) is a GUI in which various control buttons are displayed on the display unit 205, and images a-f acquired from the PTZ cameras 120a-f are displayed. Furthermore, by touching or clicking the buttons displayed on the display unit 205, instructions to the PTZ camera 120 can be input. Also, in Fig. 4(b), images a-f acquired from the connected PTZ cameras 120a-f are displayed, but this is not limiting. For example, it may be possible to display only images acquired from the PTZ camera 120 to be controlled.

[0037] (Basic Control) Basic control will be described with reference to Fig. 2 and Fig. 4. When the camera controller 110 detects an unregistered PTZ camera 120 on the network 130, the control unit 208 assigns a camera number to the unregistered PTZ camera 120 and updates the camera registration information. The camera number assignment process will be described later. The updated camera registration information is stored in the ROM 203.

[0038] The control unit 208 detects the operations of the camera number selection button 401 , the zoom seesaw 402 , the joystick 403 , and the group switching button 404 .

[0039] When the control unit 208 detects an operation of the camera number selection button 401, it performs control to switch the PTZ camera 120 to be controlled. Specifically, based on the camera registration information, it determines the camera to be controlled from the selected camera number information, and instructs the network I / F 206 to switch the PTZ camera to be controlled. For example, in a state where the camera registration information is registered as shown in Fig. 4(c), when the camera number selection button for camera number 2 is pressed while camera number 1 is selected, the PTZ camera to be controlled is switched from PTZ camera 120a to PTZ camera 120d.

[0040] Then, the image data is instructed to be acquired from the PTZ camera 120d after switching. At this time, the image data to be acquired may be only that of the PTZ camera 120d to be controlled, or the image data of all the PTZ cameras 120a-f registered in the camera registration information, that is, currently connected, may be instructed to be acquired. The acquired image data is output to the display unit 205.

[0041] When the control unit 208 detects an operation of the joystick 403 or the zoom seesaw 402 , it instructs the PTZ camera 120 to be controlled via the network I / F 206 to pan, tilt, or zoom.

[0042] When the control unit 208 detects an operation of a button for issuing an instruction to change settings (not shown), it instructs the PTZ camera 120 to be controlled to change the settings via the network I / F 206. Furthermore, when a setting change for the camera controller 110 is accepted, the control unit 208 changes the settings of the camera controller 110.

[0043] The ROM 203 stores program data and camera registration information data.

[0044] (Camera number assignment flow) Next, the camera number allocation process in the camera controller 110 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 5 and FIG. 6. This control flow is started when an unregistered PTZ camera 120 is detected on the network. In this embodiment, a case where there are no registered cameras and six unregistered PTZ cameras 120a to f are newly detected will be described. FIG. 6(a) shows an arrangement situation in which a subject and PTZ cameras a to f are arranged in the center, and this embodiment will describe the camera number allocation process when the PTZ cameras 120a to f are arranged as shown in FIG. 6(a). In addition, the PTZ camera 120a captures an image a, the PTZ camera 120b captures an image b, and the PTZ camera 120c captures an image c. The PTZ camera 120d captures an image d, the PTZ camera 120e captures an image e, and the PTZ camera 120f captures an image f.

[0045] Fig. 6(b) shows the arrangement of Fig. 6(a) expressed in two-dimensional coordinates in the horizontal and vertical directions. In Fig. 6(b), in the two-dimensional coordinates in the horizontal and vertical directions, PTZ camera 120a is located at the upper left, PTZ camera 120b is located at the lower left, PTZ camera 120c is located at the upper center, PTZ camera 120d is located at the lower center, PTZ camera 120e is located at the upper right, and PTZ camera 120f is located at the lower right.

[0046] In step S501, the object determining unit 209 acquires an image from the unregistered PTZ camera 120, and determines an object (reference object) for which the orientation of the object is calculated by the orientation calculating unit 210 (described later).

[0047] In this embodiment, if a person cannot be detected in the acquired image 200, the PTZ camera 120 is operated so that a face can be detected. In this case, the PTZ camera 120 is operated from an input device (not shown) for operating the imaging device that is directly connected to each imaging device, but this is not limited to this. For example, if the PTZ camera 120 has a person detection function and a pan / tilt mechanism, the angle of view may be automatically adjusted. In this case, the angle of view may be adjusted using person detection that searches for a registered person, or a search may be performed with a zoom angle of view so as to improve the identification score, or a combination of a rough search with a wide angle of view and a detailed search with a zoom angle of view may be performed to improve the identification speed. Alternatively, a user may select a reference subject from an image captured by one of the PTZ cameras 120 using the input I / F 204, and the other PTZ cameras 120 may automatically pan and tilt to search for the selected reference subject.

[0048] In addition, in this embodiment, when there is a single person in each image, the person is determined as the reference subject, and when there are multiple people in each image, the user selects the reference subject via the input I / F 204, but this is not limited to this. For example, the device may automatically select a subject stored in advance in a storage medium such as the ROM 203 of the camera controller 110 and adjust the angle of view, or the range and speed of the subject's movement may be examined, and the angle of view may be adjusted for a person with little movement and determined as the reference subject. After the subject determination unit 209 determines the reference subject in step S501, the process proceeds to step S502.

[0049] In step S502, the PTZ cameras 120a to 120f control the image capturing direction so that the reference subject is captured at a predetermined position, and the process proceeds to step S503. Specifically, face recognition is performed on the reference subject determined in the images a to f, and pan-tilt (zoom) control is performed so that the reference subject is captured at the center of the image of each camera. In this embodiment, step S102 is performed automatically, but may be performed manually by the user. At this time, if the face of the reference subject is not captured, zoom control may be performed so that the subject's face direction can be calculated by the direction calculation unit 210 described later. Also, if the face direction of the reference subject can be calculated in the acquired image by the direction calculation unit 210 described later, this process does not need to be performed.

[0050] In step S503, the subject determination unit 209 determines whether the PTZ cameras 120a to f have captured the same subject. The PTZ cameras 120 that have captured the same subject proceed to step S505, and the PTZ cameras 120 that have not captured the same subject proceed to step S504. In this embodiment, the method of determining whether the subjects are the same is to use similarity, but is not limited to this. For example, the user may determine whether the subjects are the same via the input I / F 204, or the determination may be made using AI. When calculating the similarity and determining whether the subjects are the same, it is determined that the subjects are the same if the similarity is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. In this embodiment, the PTZ cameras 120a to f are assumed to capture the same subject.

[0051] In step S504, if there is a PTZ camera 120 that is not shooting the same subject, the control unit 208 transmits an instruction to the display unit 205 to notify the user. After displaying the notification on the display unit 205, this flow is terminated for the PTZ camera 120 that is not shooting the same subject.

[0052] In step S505, the orientation calculation unit 210 calculates the orientation (imaging angle) of the face of the reference subject in the images a to f captured by the PTZ cameras 120a to f, and proceeds to step S506. The orientation (imaging angle) of the face of the reference subject is information indicating the relative positions of the cameras in the group (relative positions). Specifically, when the angle of the reference subject facing the PTZ camera 120d is set to 0, the orientation (imaging angle) is determined by the magnitude of the imaging angle of the reference subject in the horizontal direction (X axis) and vertical direction (Y axis) of the images a to f. The calculation result of the orientation calculation unit 210 in this embodiment is shown in FIG. 7(a).

[0053] In step S506, the position estimation unit 211 estimates the positions of the PTZ cameras 120a-f based on the face direction (imaging angle) calculated in step S505, and proceeds to step S507. The estimation result of the relative position in this embodiment is shown in Fig. 7(b). A specific method of estimating the camera position will be described later.

[0054] In step S507, the allocation unit 212 allocates camera numbers based on the camera positions estimated in step S506 and the positions of the camera number buttons 401. At this time, the combination of PTZ cameras 120 estimated to be arranged horizontally in step S506 is assigned to the combination of camera numbers corresponding to the buttons of the camera number buttons 401 in the same row. Also, the combination of PTZ cameras 120 estimated to be arranged vertically in step S506 is assigned to the combination of camera numbers corresponding to the buttons of the camera number buttons 401 in the same column. The assigned camera numbers are updated in the registration information, and this flowchart ends. In this embodiment, the positions of the camera number buttons 401 are set in the ROM 203, but this is not limited. They may be set by inputting them in advance by the user. The camera numbers are updated by the above process.

[0055] The updated camera registration information is shown in FIG. 7(c). For example, in the case of the arrangement state of FIG. 7(a), the PTZ camera 120a is arranged at the upper left when facing the subject, so in the case of the camera controller 110 of FIG. 4(a), the camera number 1 is assigned to the camera number button located at the upper left. Similarly, the PTZ camera 120b arranged at the lower left is assigned the camera number 6 at the lower left. The PTZ camera 120c arranged at the upper center is assigned the camera number 2 located to the right of the camera number 1 in the same row. The PTZ camera 120d arranged at the lower center is assigned the camera number 7 located to the right of the camera number 6 in the same row. The PTZ camera 120e arranged at the upper right is assigned the camera number 3 located to the right of the camera number 2 in the same row. The PTZ camera 120d arranged at the lower right is assigned the camera number 8 located to the left of the camera number 7 in the same row.

[0056] (Camera position calculation method) Next, the camera position calculation method will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 8. In this embodiment, the first threshold value and the second threshold value described later are set to 10 and will be described as being set in the ROM 203, but this is not limiting. They may be set in advance by the user, or may be set by the control unit 208 based on the number of imaging devices to be connected.

[0057] In step S801, the position estimation unit 211 calculates the difference value (absolute value) of the shooting angle in the vertical direction between the PTZ cameras 120a-f to estimate whether each combination of the PTZ cameras 120 is arranged side by side. In this embodiment, the difference (difference value) of the shooting angle is calculated for all combinations of the PTZ cameras 120 connected to the camera controller 110, but this is not limited to this. Any PTZ camera 120 connected to the camera controller 110 may be used, or the PTZ cameras 120a-f may be arranged in ascending order of horizontal angle to calculate the combination of adjacent PTZ cameras 120a-f.

[0058] In this embodiment, all combinations of PTZ cameras 120 refer to 15 combinations: (PTZ camera 120a, PTZ camera 120b), (PTZ camera 120a, PTZ camera 120c) ... (PTZ camera 120e, PTZ camera 120f). Next, if the calculated difference in shooting angle is equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold (first threshold), the process proceeds to step S802, and if it is greater than the first threshold, the process proceeds to step S803.

[0059] For example, when PTZ cameras 120a-f are arranged as shown in Fig. 6(a), the difference in the vertical shooting angle between (PTZ camera 120a, PTZ camera 120c) is 0 as shown in Fig. 7(a), which is less than the first threshold, so the process proceeds to step S802. Also, the difference in the shooting angle between (PTZ camera 120a, PTZ camera 120b) is 20, which is greater than the first threshold, so the process proceeds to step S803.

[0060] In step S802, the position estimation unit 211 estimates whether each combination of the PTZ cameras 120 is arranged side by side. At this time, if the difference in the shooting angle in the vertical direction for each combination of the PTZ cameras 120 is equal to or less than a first threshold, it is estimated that the combinations are arranged side by side. In other words, it is estimated that the difference in the coordinates in the vertical direction between the PTZ cameras 120 is small and the combinations are arranged side by side, and the process proceeds to step S805.

[0061] In step S803, the position estimation unit 211 estimates that the combination of PTZ cameras 120 is not side-by-side when the difference in the shooting angles in the vertical direction is greater than the first threshold value. In other words, it estimates that the difference in coordinates in the vertical direction is large and the combination is not side-by-side, and proceeds to step S804.

[0062] In step S804, the position estimation unit 211 calculates the difference (absolute value) in the horizontal imaging angle to estimate whether the combination of PTZ cameras 120 is arranged vertically. If the calculated difference in the imaging angle is equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold (second threshold), the process proceeds to step S806, and if it is greater than the first threshold, the process proceeds to step S805. For example, as shown in FIG. 7(b), the difference in the horizontal imaging angle between (PTZ camera 120a, PTZ camera 120b) is 0, so the process proceeds to step S806. The difference in the horizontal imaging angle between (PTZ camera 120a, PTZ camera 120d) is 20, so the process proceeds to step S805.

[0063] In step S805, the position estimation unit 211 estimates that the combination of PTZ cameras 120 is not vertically aligned when the difference in the horizontal shooting angle is greater than the second threshold value. In other words, it estimates that the difference in the horizontal coordinates is large and the combination is not vertically aligned, and proceeds to step S807.

[0064] The camera number buttons 401 are arranged in different columns, and the process advances to step S807.

[0065] In step S806, the position estimation unit 211 estimates that the combination of PTZ cameras 120 is vertically aligned when the difference in the horizontal shooting angle is equal to or less than the second threshold value. In other words, it estimates that the difference in the horizontal coordinates is small and is not vertically aligned, and proceeds to step S807.

[0066] In step S807, the position estimation unit 211 estimates the relative positional relationship of the PTZ cameras 120 connected to the camera controller 110. In this embodiment, a method for estimating the relative positional relationship of the six PTZ cameras 120a to f will be described.

[0067] If the difference in the vertical shooting angles is equal to or less than the first threshold, that is, for the combination of PTZ cameras 120 estimated to be arranged side by side in step S802, it is estimated that the PTZ cameras 120 with the smallest horizontal shooting angles are arranged from the left. For example, in each combination of PTZ cameras 120a to f, the PTZ cameras 120a, 120c, and PTZ camera e are estimated to be equal to or less than the first threshold, that is, arranged side by side, based on the estimation result in step S802.

[0068] PTZ cameras 120a, 120c, and 120e, which are presumed to be arranged side by side, are presumed to be arranged side by side in the order of PTZ camera 120a, PTZ camera 120c, and PTZ camera 120e from the left in ascending order of horizontal shooting angle. Similarly, in the combination of PTZ camera 120b, PTZ camera 120d, and PTZ camera 120f, which are presumed to be arranged side by side, they are presumed to be arranged side by side in the order of PTZ camera 120b, PTZ camera 120d, and PTZ camera 120f from the left.

[0069] Next, for combinations of PTZ cameras 120 in which the difference in horizontal shooting angle is equal to or less than the second threshold, that is, in which it is estimated that they are arranged vertically, it is estimated that the PTZ cameras 120 are arranged from the top in order of the larger vertical shooting angle. For example, in the combination of PTZ cameras 120a to 120f, it is estimated from the estimation result of step S806 that the difference in vertical shooting angle is equal to or less than the second threshold, that is, in which they are arranged vertically. Furthermore, it is estimated that the PTZ cameras 120a and 120b are arranged vertically from the top in this order from the size of the vertical shooting angle. Similarly, it is estimated that the PTZ cameras 120c and 120d are arranged vertically from the top in this order, and further it is estimated that the PTZ cameras 120e and 120f are arranged vertically from the top in this order.

[0070] At this time, if the horizontal and vertical shooting angles are the same, the user may be notified to decide the placement, or it may be assumed that they are in the same position. If they are in the same position, the allocation unit 212 may allocate the same camera number 401.

[0071] 7B shows the result of position estimation by the position estimation unit 211 in this embodiment. In S507, the allocation unit 212 allocates camera numbers to the PTZ cameras 120a to 120f based on the camera number button 401 and the estimation result in S807.

[0072] By performing such control, in an imaging system that assumes that multiple imaging devices are freely arranged in locations where images are taken, the buttons for selecting the camera to be controlled can be appropriately assigned based on the positions of the cameras. This control method can also appropriately assign camera numbers based on the positions of the cameras in the controller shown in Fig. 9, in which, for example, 20 camera number selection buttons 401 are provided, 5 vertically and 4 horizontally, and the camera numbers are assigned in order vertically.

[0073] This allows the user to intuitively select the camera to be controlled by simply selecting the camera number according to where in the studio the camera is installed when selecting the camera to be controlled.

[0074] <Second embodiment> In the first embodiment, the camera controller 110 is described which calculates the camera position two-dimensionally in the vertical and horizontal directions and assigns the camera number selection button according to the camera position.

[0075] In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the camera position is calculated as two-dimensional position information in the horizontal direction and the depth direction, and the camera number is assigned so that the arrangement position of the camera number selection button corresponds to the camera position in two dimensions. Also, the camera number selection button is assumed to be installed horizontally like the camera controller 110 of the first embodiment, as shown in FIG.

[0076] In step S505 of the flowchart in FIG. 5, the control unit 208 calculates the camera position based on the shooting angle of each camera in the group and the distance to the subject, and the process proceeds to step S506.

[0077] The shooting angle of the PTZ camera 120 is calculated in the same manner as in the first embodiment. The distance between the PTZ cameras 120a-c and the subject is calculated using a predetermined distance measurement method. The distance between the reference subject and the PTZ camera 120 may be calculated, for example, from a wireless terminal that is held by the subject and is capable of using Bluetooth (registered trademark) and the PTZ camera 120 that is equipped with a wireless communication module that complies with the Bluetooth 5.1 specifications.

[0078] The distance may be calculated from the size of the subject in an image when the face direction calculated by the direction calculation unit 210 and the zoom value of the PTZ camera 120 are unified. Alternatively, the distance may be calculated from a PTZ camera 120 equipped with a wireless communication module capable of communicating with an RFID (Radio Frequency Identifier) ​​tag or UWB tag held by the subject. When calculating using Bluetooth, the distance of the PTZ camera 120 to the wireless terminal held by the subject is calculated using three-point positioning, which is an existing distance positioning method, or a reception result of a radio wave signal from a wireless terminal held by the subject.

[0079] Then, based on the distance to the subject of the PTZ camera 120, the camera position (x, y) is calculated as shown in Fig. 10. The x-axis is the horizontal direction, and the y-axis is the depth direction. The camera position is calculated as a relative position with the subject, which has been pan-tilted in process S103 so as to be photographed at the center of the image, as the origin. Fig. 10(a) illustrates the arrangement of the cameras, the subject, and the x and y axes in this embodiment. Fig. 10(b) shows the calculated camera positions. Note that the x and y values ​​are in m.

[0080] In step S 506 , the position estimation unit 211 assigns a camera number based on the two-dimensional camera position and the position of the camera number selection button 401 .

[0081] Specifically, the horizontal position of camera number selection button 401 is determined based on the x coordinate of the camera position of PTZ camera 120 estimated in step S506, and the vertical position of camera number selection button 401 is determined based on the y coordinate. In this embodiment, the horizontal position of camera number selection button 401 is position information indicating the number of the button from the left among the camera number selection buttons installed on the housing. The vertical position of camera number selection button is position information indicating the number of the button from the top among the camera number selection buttons 401.

[0082] The horizontal positions of the camera number selection button 401 are assigned in order from the PTZ camera 120 with the smallest x coordinate, and the vertical positions of the camera number selection button are assigned in order from the PTZ camera 120 with the smallest y coordinate. If the difference in the x coordinate between the cameras is smaller than a predetermined threshold (third threshold), the same horizontal positions are assigned, and if the difference in the y coordinate between the cameras is smaller than a predetermined threshold (fourth threshold), the same vertical positions are assigned. In this embodiment, the third threshold and the fourth threshold are both 1 m.

[0083] 10(b) shows the relationship between the horizontal and vertical positions of the camera number selection buttons corresponding to the cameras. The horizontal position of the camera number selection button is 1 for PTZ camera 120a, which has the smallest x coordinate of the camera position, 2 for PTZ camera 120b, which has the second smallest x coordinate of the camera position, and 3 for PTZ camera 120c, which has the third smallest x coordinate. The vertical position of camera number selection button 401 is 1 for PTZ camera 120a, which has the smallest y coordinate, and the vertical position of PTZ camera 120c is the same as PTZ camera 120a, 1, because the difference in y coordinate between PTZ camera 120c and PTZ camera 120a is smaller than the fourth threshold. The vertical position of PTZ camera 120b, which has a larger y coordinate than PTZ camera 120c, is 2.

[0084] A case will be described where a camera number is assigned to the camera controller 110 in Fig. 4(a). Since the horizontal position and vertical position of the camera number selection button for PTZ camera 120a are 1 and 1, the camera number 1, which is the first button from the left and the first button from the top of camera number selection buttons 401 installed on the housing, is assigned.

[0085] Similarly, since the horizontal position of camera number selection button 401 for PTZ camera 120b is 2 and the vertical position is 2, camera number 7, which is the second button from the left and the second button from the top of camera number selection button 401 installed on the housing, is assigned.

[0086] Furthermore, since the horizontal position of camera number selection button 401 for PTZ camera 120c is 3 and the vertical position is 1, camera number 3, which is the third button from the left and the first button from the top of camera number selection button 401 installed on the housing, is assigned.

[0087] Through the above process, camera numbers are assigned so that the camera positions installed in the studio correspond to the camera number selection buttons 401 in two dimensions, the horizontal direction and the depth direction.

[0088] As described above, by assigning camera numbers so that the placement positions of the camera number selection buttons correspond to the camera positions in two dimensions, horizontally and in the depth direction, it is possible to appropriately assign camera numbers to PTZ cameras 120 even when the subject is viewed from above.

[0089] <Third embodiment> In the first embodiment, an imaging system was described that assigns camera numbers based on the positions of the PTZ cameras 120 and the camera number selection buttons 401. In the present embodiment, a camera controller 110 is described that further includes a classification unit (camera group classification unit 1101) that assigns camera groups according to the subject (reference subject) to be imaged, as shown in Fig. 11. By classifying the camera groups in this way, it is possible to appropriately assign camera number buttons even when there are multiple subjects (Fig. 12(a)) or when controlling a PTZ camera 120 placed in another room (Fig. 13(a)).

[0090] Here, the camera group can be switched by the camera group switching button 404, and a camera number is assigned to each camera group. For example, a case will be described in which there is a PTZ camera 120x in camera group 1 and camera number 1, and a PTZ camera 120z in camera group 2 and camera number 1. To switch the control target from the PTZ camera 120x to the PTZ camera 120z, the camera group switching button is pressed and camera number 1 is selected, thereby switching the control target of the PTZ camera 120 assigned the same camera number. The positional relationship between the subject and each camera in this embodiment is shown in Figs. 11 and 12, and this embodiment will be described using the camera controller 110 in Fig. 4 and the flow chart in Fig. 14.

[0091] First, a case where there are a plurality of reference subjects in the same studio as shown in FIG. 12(a) will be described.

[0092] In step S1401, the camera group classification unit control unit 1101 classifies the camera groups for each reference object based on the similarity calculated by the object determination unit 209 in step S501, as in the first embodiment. In the case of Fig. 11, the PTZ camera 120a and the PTZ camera 120b are classified into camera group 1, and the PTZ camera 120c and the PTZ camera 120d are classified into camera group 2. After the camera group classification, the process proceeds to step S502.

[0093] In steps S503 and after, the flow proceeds for each camera group. For example, in step S503, it is determined whether each camera group is shooting the same subject. In addition, in S506, the (relative) position of the PTZ camera 120 is estimated for each camera group.

[0094] The camera registration information updated in this flow is shown in FIG. 12(b).

[0095] By allocating a camera number to each camera group as described above, even when there are a plurality of reference subjects, it is possible to appropriately allocate camera numbers.

[0096] In this embodiment, the camera groups are classified using the similarity between the cameras, and the camera positions are obtained by calculation using the shooting angles of the cameras, but the GPS position information of each camera may be used. Specifically, cameras installed within a predetermined distance may be classified into the same camera group based on the GPS position information of each camera, and the camera positions may be calculated based on the relative positional relationship of each camera in the camera group. A case in which the positional relationship of the camera group and the camera number is calculated based on the distance and the camera numbers are assigned will be described with reference to the flowcharts of Figs. 13 and 14.

[0097] FIG. 13(a) shows a case where one camera controller 110 is used to control the PTZ camera 120 in studio 1 and studio 2.

[0098] As in the second embodiment, camera numbers are assigned based on the two-dimensional camera position and the position of the camera number selection button. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the same camera number is assigned to PTZ cameras 120 whose relative positions between the PTZ cameras 120 and the reference object are close to each other among camera groups. Note that cameras whose x and y coordinates differ by 1 m or less are considered to have close camera positions.

[0099] In camera group 1 and camera group 2, the calculation results of the relative positions of the subject and PTZ camera 120 are similar for PTZ camera 120a and PTZ camera 120d, PTZ camera 120b and PTZ camera 120e, and PTZ camera 120c and PTZ camera 120f. Therefore, PTZ camera 120a and PTZ camera 120d are assigned camera number 1, PTZ camera 120e is assigned camera number 7, the same as PTZ camera 120b, and PTZ camera 120f is assigned camera number 3, the same as PTZ camera 120c.

[0100] The camera registration information updated by the above process is shown in Fig. 13(b). The same camera number is assigned to the PTZ cameras 120 for which the calculation results of the relative positions of the subject and the PTZ cameras 120 are similar in each studio.

[0101] This makes it possible to intuitively switch the PTZ camera 120 to be controlled even when switching between camera groups.

[0102] Pan-tilt-zoom control may be performed on PTZ cameras 120 assigned the same camera number. For example, in Fig. 13(b), a case will be described in which a pan-tilt-zoom operation is received on PTZ camera 120b when PTZ camera 120b is selected as the camera to be controlled. In this case, the same pan-tilt-zoom control as for PTZ camera 120b is also performed on PTZ camera 120e, which is assigned the same camera number as PTZ camera 120b.

[0103] In this way, by controlling the pan / tilt / zoom of multiple cameras that are assigned the same camera number, it is possible to link and pan / tilt / zoom the cameras installed close to each other in each studio.

[0104] A part or all of the embodiments described above may be combined as appropriate. Also, a part or all of the embodiments described above may be selectively used. [Explanation of symbols]

[0105] 110 Camera Controller 120 PTZ Camera 201 CPU 212 Allocation Section 211 Position estimation part 401 Camera number selection button

Claims

1. A control device for controlling a plurality of imaging devices, an acquisition means for acquiring first position information relating to a position of a first imaging device and second position information relating to a position of a second imaging device; an allocation means for allocating one of the plurality of image capture devices to each of a plurality of buttons for selecting an image capture device to be controlled among the plurality of image capture devices, based on the first position information and the second position information acquired by the acquisition means; a control unit for controlling an imaging device selected as a control target by at least one of the plurality of buttons; A control device comprising:

2. 2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the first position information and the second position information are information relating to a relative position between the imaging device and a subject imaged by the imaging device.

3. a direction calculation unit that calculates a direction of a face of the subject from a first captured image captured by the first imaging device, The control device according to claim 2 , wherein the control device determines a relative position of the subject with respect to the imaging device based on a result of the calculation by the orientation calculation unit.

4. 3. The control device according to claim 2, wherein the control device determines a relative position of the subject with respect to the imaging device based on a result of reception of radio waves from a wireless device held by the subject.

5. The control device according to claim 2, characterized in that a first button for controlling the first imaging device is determined based on the positions of the multiple buttons installed on a housing of the control device and the first position information and the second position information acquired by the acquisition means.

6. The control device according to claim 2, characterized in that when a difference value between the first position information and the second position information is greater than a predetermined threshold value, a second button for controlling the second imaging device is positioned at a different position from the first button.

7. The camera group classification means further comprises a camera group classification means for classifying the plurality of image capture devices into camera groups, The control device according to claim 2 , wherein the plurality of buttons are determined based on position information of image capture devices classified into the same camera group.

8. The imaging device further includes an image acquisition unit for acquiring captured images of the plurality of imaging devices, 3. The control device according to claim 2, wherein the camera group classification means classifies the camera groups based on a similarity between the plurality of captured images acquired by the image acquisition means.

9. The control device according to claim 7 , wherein among the image capture devices classified into different camera groups, image capture devices whose relative positions are equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold value are assigned to the same button.

10. Further comprising a display unit for displaying a GUI, The plurality of buttons are displayed on the display unit. The control device according to claim 1 .

11. A reception means for receiving a pan / tilt / zoom operation; The camera further includes a PTZ control unit that performs pan / tilt / zoom control on the imaging device based on pan / tilt / zoom operations, The control device according to claim 7, characterized in that, when a pan / tilt / zoom operation is accepted by the accepting means, the PTZ control means performs pan / tilt / zoom control on an imaging device of a first camera group to which the first button is assigned and an imaging device of a second camera group to which the first button is assigned.

12. A control method for controlling a plurality of imaging devices, comprising: an acquiring step of acquiring first position information relating to a position of a first imaging device and second position information relating to a position of a second imaging device; an assignment step of assigning one of the plurality of image capture devices to each of a plurality of buttons for selecting an image capture device to be controlled among the plurality of image capture devices, based on the first position information and the second position information acquired in the acquisition step; a control step of controlling an imaging device selected as a control target by at least one of the plurality of buttons; A control device comprising:

13. A program for causing a computer to execute the control method according to claim 12.

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