Imaging device, measuring device, imaging device control method and control program

Abstract

To provide compact imaging means capable of imaging an entire body.SOLUTION: A distance to an object person is measured by a distance sensor 22, and a pedestal part 32 is moved to a lateral side of the object person on the basis of the information on the measured distance so that the object person can be imaged from the lateral side while following the object person. At this time, a lens direction of a second camera is made to be a direction of a first camera so that imaging means that is compact and can image an entire body can be provided when creating composite imaging information by compositing first imaging information captured by the first camera and second imaging information captured by the second camera.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a stride measuring device that can measure stride with high accuracy despite its simple configuration. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a stride measuring device that uses a video camera to capture an image including the feet of a running subject, and uses a computer to acquire the landing position of one foot and the landing position of the other foot that is put forward following the first foot based on the time change in the position of the subject's feet in the image, thereby calculating the stride. This stride measuring device calculates the stride directly from an image including the subject's feet, and can measure the stride with high accuracy despite its simple configuration. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2004-167002 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the stride measurement device described in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that it cannot obtain information about walking other than stride because it captures only the subject's feet. On the other hand, in order to capture images of things other than the subject's feet, it is necessary to increase the distance between the subject and the camera, which causes a problem in that the device becomes large.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its main object to provide a compact imaging means capable of imaging the whole body. Another object of the present invention is to provide a control method and a control program for the compact imaging means. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve at least one of the above objects, the present invention employs the following means.

[0007] The imaging device of the present invention comprises: A distance measuring means for measuring a distance to a subject; A first imaging means for imaging at least a part of the subject; A second imaging means is located above or below the first imaging means and captures an image of at least a part of the subject in a direction toward which the first imaging means is located; a moving means for moving the first imaging means and the second imaging means based on the distance measured by the distance measuring means; an imaging information synthesis unit that synthesizes first imaging information captured by the first imaging unit and second imaging information captured by the second imaging unit; The present invention is characterized in that it comprises It is something.

[0008] This imaging device measures the distance to the subject using a distance measuring means, and moves the first imaging means and the second imaging means, which image at least a part of the subject based on the distance to the subject measured by the distance measuring means, to the side of the subject to image the subject. Then, the imaging information synthesis means synthesizes the first imaging information captured by the first imaging means and the second imaging information captured by the second imaging means, thereby imaging the entire body of the subject. In this way, by imaging the subject using two imaging means, the entire body of the subject can be imaged in a state where the distance between the imaging means and the subject is closer than when imaging is performed using a single imaging means. In addition, at this time, the first imaging means and the second imaging means are positioned on the side of the subject by the moving means, and the second imaging means images the direction in which the first imaging means is located. Therefore, compared to when the imaging direction of the first imaging means and the imaging direction of the second imaging means are parallel to each other, when the first imaging information and the second imaging information are synthesized, the effort of image correction required for synthesizing the boundary between the first imaging information and the second imaging information can be reduced. By doing so, when imaging the entire body of the subject, the distance between the subject and the first and second imaging means can be narrowed, making it possible to miniaturize the device.

[0009] In the imaging device of the present invention, the first imaging means and the second imaging means may be characterized in that at least a part of a side surface of the first imaging means facing the subject and at least a part of a side surface of the second imaging means facing the subject abut against each other. This makes it possible to reduce the effort of image correction required for combining the boundary between the first imaging information and the second imaging information when combining the first imaging information and the second imaging information.

[0010] In the imaging device of the present invention, the moving means may move the first imaging means and the second imaging means to the side of the subject based on the distance by moving along a rail provided in parallel to the side of a moving area in which the subject walks or runs. By providing the rails in parallel, the distance between the first imaging means and the subject and the second imaging means can be always kept constant when the first imaging means and the second imaging means move along the rail, so that it is easy to compare changes over time when comparing multiple pieces of imaging information.

[0011] The measuring device of the present invention comprises: Any one of the imaging devices described above; A walking information calculation means for calculating information regarding the walking or running of the subject based on the imaging information captured by the imaging means; The present invention is characterized in that it comprises It is something.

[0012] This measuring device can calculate information about the walking or running of the subject based on the imaging information captured by the imaging means in the walking information calculation means. At this time, since the measuring device is equipped with any of the imaging devices described above, it is possible to obtain the same effect as any of the imaging devices described above, for example, the effect of reducing the effort of image correction required when combining the first imaging information and the second imaging information at the boundary between the first imaging information and the second imaging information.

[0013] The measuring device of the present invention may further comprise a walkway having a pressure sensor for detecting pressure when the subject walks or runs, and the walking information calculation means calculates information regarding the walking or running of the subject based on the imaging information and the pressure information output from the pressure sensor. By doing so, more detailed information can be obtained compared to when the pressure sensor is not provided.

[0014] A method for controlling an imaging apparatus according to the present invention includes the steps of: 1. A method for controlling an imaging device, comprising: a distance measuring means for measuring a distance to a walking or running subject; a first imaging means for imaging at least a part of the subject; a second imaging means located above or below the first imaging means for imaging at least a part of the subject in a direction in which the first imaging means is located; a moving means for moving the first imaging means and the second imaging means based on the distance measured by the distance measuring means; and an imaging information combining means for combining first imaging information captured by the first imaging means and second imaging information captured by the second imaging means, a distance measurement step of measuring a distance to the target person; a moving step of moving the first imaging means and the second imaging means based on the distance measured in the distance measuring step; an imaging step of imaging the subject with the first imaging means and the second imaging means and outputting first imaging information and second imaging information; an imaging information combining step of combining the first imaging information and the second imaging information; Characterized in that it comprises It is something.

[0015] In the control method of the imaging device, the distance measurement means measures the distance to the subject, and the first imaging means and the second imaging means, which image at least a part of the subject based on the distance to the subject measured by the distance measurement means, are moved to the side of the subject to image the subject. The imaging information synthesis means then synthesizes the first imaging information captured by the first imaging means and the second imaging information captured by the second imaging means, thereby imaging the entire body of the subject. In this way, by imaging the subject using two imaging means, the entire body of the subject can be imaged in a state where the distance between the imaging means and the subject is closer than when imaging is performed using a single imaging means. In addition, at this time, the first imaging means and the second imaging means are positioned to the side of the subject by the moving means, and the second imaging means images the direction in which the first imaging means is located. Therefore, compared to when the imaging direction of the first imaging means and the imaging direction of the second imaging means are parallel to each other, when the first imaging information and the second imaging information are synthesized, the effort of image correction required when synthesizing the boundary between the first imaging information and the second imaging information can be reduced. By doing so, even when imaging the entire body of the subject, the distance between the subject and the first and second imaging means can be narrowed, making it possible to miniaturize the device.

[0016] The program of the present invention is a program for making one or more computers execute each step of the control method of the imaging device. This program may be recorded in a computer-readable storage medium (e.g., a hard disk, a ROM, a CD, a DVD, a flash memory, etc.), may be transmitted from one computer to another computer via a transmission medium (a communication network such as the Internet or a wired / wireless LAN), or may be transferred in any other form. In addition, even if it is executed by a device that executes each step of the control method, the device on which the program is executed and the device on which the processing is performed may be different. In either case, by making one computer execute this program or by making multiple computers share and execute each step, it is possible to obtain the same effect as the above-mentioned control method. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the outline of the configuration of a measuring device 20. As shown in FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a side view showing an outline of the configuration of the rail member 30a and the base portion 32. As shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a side view showing the outline of the configuration of the base portion 32. As shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram for explaining the electrical connections of the measuring device 20. As shown in FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a measurement processing routine. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a comparative diagram showing an example of imaging information of a comparative example. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a comparative diagram showing an example of imaging information according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] Next, the measurement device 20 will be described in detail as an example of an embodiment of the present invention. The embodiments and drawings described below are intended to illustrate a part of the embodiment of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention to these configurations. Appropriate modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. In addition, the same or similar symbols are used for corresponding components in each drawing. In addition, an example of a control method for the measurement device 20 will be shown to clarify an example of a measurement method of the present invention.

[0019] As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, a measuring device 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a distance sensor 22 provided on the walking or running direction side of an area where a subject walks or runs (dotted area in Fig. 1), a rail 30 provided on the side of the area where the subject walks or runs, a base unit 32 provided movably on the rail 30, a first camera 34a and a second camera 34b (hereinafter also referred to as "camera 34"; see Fig. 3) attached to the base unit 32 for photographing the subject, and a control unit 40 (see Fig. 4) for controlling the movement of the base unit 32 and the synthesis of the image information output from the camera 34. When the subject walks or runs, the distance sensor 22 of the measuring device 20 acquires the distance to the subject as distance information, and the control unit 40 moves the base unit 32 along the rail 30 to a position to the side of the subject based on the distance information. The subject is then imaged by the camera 34, and the first imaging information output from the first camera 34a and the second imaging information output from the second camera 34b are combined to obtain composite imaging information of the subject, and information relating to the walking or running of the subject is measured based on this composite imaging information. In this way, the base 32 follows the walking or running of the subject, and the camera 34 provided on the base 32 can image the subject from the side of the subject.

[0020] The distance sensor 22 is a known distance sensor that corresponds to the distance measuring means of the present invention, which measures the distance between the distance sensor 22 and the subject, and outputs the distance information to the control unit 40. In this way, the distance information between the distance sensor 22 and the subject, in other words, the position information of the subject, can be output to the control unit 40. As such a distance sensor 22, for example, a distance sensor or position sensor that detects the distance to the subject using infrared rays, radio waves, ultrasonic waves, or the like can be used.

[0021] The rail 30 is an assembled rail formed by connecting a plurality of rail members 30a of a predetermined length, and one end side is provided at a position directly beside the distance sensor 22 and parallel to the side of the subject. A rack gear 31 is provided on the upper surface of this rail 30, and a pinion gear 33 provided on the base part 32 fits with the rack gear 31. In this way, when the control unit drives the motor 35 (see FIG. 3), the pinion gear 33 rotates, and the base part 32 moves along the rail 30 to a position parallel to the subject (a position equidistant from the subject), and can move to the side of the subject (for example, directly beside the subject).

[0022] 3, the base 32 corresponds to the moving means of the present invention, and is provided with a pinion gear 33 that engages with a rack gear 31 (see FIG. 2) provided on the rail 30, and a first camera 34a and a second camera 34b that capture images of the subject. A motor 35 is provided on the base 32 at a position that allows the pinion gear 33 to rotate via a gear, and the rotation of the motor 35 is controlled by a control signal from the control unit 40, and the pinion gear rotates in accordance with the rotation of the motor, thereby controlling the position of the base 32.

[0023] The first camera 34a is a known imaging means corresponding to the imaging means of the present invention, and is, for example, a camera such as a digital camera or a digital video camera. The first camera 34a is fixed to the base 32, and moves with the movement of the base 32. The first camera 34a is fixed with a lens (not shown) tilted in a direction facing diagonally upward, and mainly images an area including the upper body of the subject.

[0024] The second camera 34b is a known imaging means corresponding to the imaging means of the present invention, and is, for example, a camera such as a digital camera or a digital video camera. The second camera 34b is fixed in a state where a part of it abuts on the upper side of the first camera 34a of the base part 32, and moves with the movement of the base part 32. The second camera 34b is fixed in a tilted direction in which the lens (not shown) faces diagonally downward, and mainly images an area including the lower body of the subject. Specifically, the first camera 34a is fixed at a position where the upper surface of the lens side (not shown) of the first camera 34a and the lower surface of the lens side (not shown) of the second camera 34b abut each other. This can reduce the effort required to synthesize the first imaging information captured by the first camera 34a and the second imaging information captured by the second camera 34b, compared to a case where the lens directions of the first camera 34a and the second camera 34b are fixed in a position parallel to each other.

[0025] The control unit 40 corresponds to the imaging information synthesis means of the present invention, and as shown in FIG. 4, is configured as a microprocessor centered on a CPU 41, and includes a ROM 42 in which various control programs including a subject information calculation processing routine for controlling the movement of the base 32 and the camera 34 and a synthesis program for synthesizing the first imaging information and the second imaging information are stored, a RAM 43 in which the photographing information captured by the camera is temporarily stored, and an interface 44 (hereinafter referred to as "I / F 44") for transmitting and receiving various signals between the distance sensor 22, the base 32, the camera 34, etc. are electrically connected via a bus 45. The control unit 40 controls the position of the base 32 based on the distance information output from the distance sensor 22, synthesizes the first imaging information output from the first camera 34a and the second imaging information output from the second camera 34b, and calculates information regarding walking or running from the synthesized imaging information. In this way, information regarding the walking or running of the subject can be calculated.

[0026] Next, an operation performed when calculating information related to the walking or running of a subject will be described by taking a subject information calculation processing routine executed by the control unit 40 as an example. When a start button (not shown) is pressed and a start signal is input to the control unit 40, the CPU 41 reads the subject information calculation processing routine from the ROM 42 and executes the subject information calculation processing routine repeatedly. Note that FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the subject information calculation processing routine. Note that when the start button (not shown) is pressed, power is supplied to the distance sensor 22, and the distance sensor 22 detects the distance to the subject and outputs distance information to the control unit 40.

[0027] When the subject information calculation process routine is executed, the CPU 41 moves the base 32 to a position on the side (directly beside) the subject based on the distance information output from the distance sensor 22 (step S110). Specifically, a rotation signal for rotating the motor 35 is output, and the motor 35 is rotated until the base 32 moves to a position where the distance between the distance sensor 22 and the subject indicated by the distance information output from the distance sensor 22 is the same as the distance between one end of the rail 30 and the base 32. In this way, the base 32 can be moved to a position directly beside the subject.

[0028] Next, the CPU 41 acquires the first imaging information and the second imaging information from the first camera 34a and the second camera 34b (step S120). Specifically, imaging signals are output to the first camera 34a and the second camera 34b, and the first imaging information output from the first camera 34a and the second imaging information output from the second camera 34b are temporarily stored in the RAM 43. In this way, it is possible to image the subject from directly beside the subject.

[0029] Next, the CPU 41 synthesizes the first imaging information and the second imaging information to create synthetic imaging information (step S130). At this time, the first imaging information and the second imaging information are corrected and synthesized using a known correction method such as keystone correction. By doing so, the lens (not shown) of the first camera 34a faces upward, and the lens (not shown) of the second camera 34b faces downward, so that the entire subject can be imaged even at a position close to the subject, compared to the case of imaging with one camera. In other words, the subject and the camera 34 can be positioned closer to each other, so that the size can be reduced. Furthermore, since the upper surface of the lens side (not shown) of the first camera 34a and the lower surface of the lens side (not shown) of the second camera 34b are in contact with each other, when the first imaging information and the second imaging information are synthesized into one synthetic imaging information, the change in the imaging information of the boundary surface during synthesis is small, so that the effort required for correcting the imaging information can be reduced.

[0030] Next, the CPU 41 calculates information related to the walking or running of the subject based on the composite imaging information (step S140). Specifically, for example, the coordinates of each joint are calculated using a skeleton estimation algorithm, and the coordinates of each joint are compared with those generated from imaging information after a predetermined time has passed to calculate movement information of each joint, or the coordinates of the reference position of the waist are calculated to calculate the operating angle of the hip joint. In this way, information related to the walking or running of the subject can be calculated.

[0031] Here, the relationship between the positional relationship between the first camera 34a and the second camera 34b and the imaging information is shown. Fig. 6 is a photograph showing an example of a comparative example. This photograph shows first imaging information (Fig. 6A), second imaging information (Fig. 6B), and composite imaging information (Fig. 6C) captured by arranging the first camera 34a and the second camera 34b in a state where the lens directions are substantially parallel. As is clear from Fig. 6C, when the first camera 34a and the second camera 34b are arranged in a parallel state, there is a deviation in the imaging information at the boundary portion, and it is not possible to properly combine them.

[0032] Next, an example of the embodiment is shown in Fig. 7. Here, Fig. 7 shows the first imaging information (Fig. 7A), the second imaging information (Fig. 7B), and the composite imaging information (Fig. 7C) when the upper surface of the first camera 34a (not shown) on the lens side and the lower surface of the second camera 34b (not shown) on the lens side are in contact with each other, and the first camera 34a is arranged at an elevation angle of 18° and the second camera 34b is arranged at a depression angle of 18°. As is clear from Fig. 7, when the first camera 34a and the second camera 34b are arranged in the above-mentioned embodiment, seamless composite imaging information is obtained.

[0033] According to the embodiment of the measuring device 20 described above in detail, the distance to the subject is measured by the distance sensor 22, and the base unit 32 is moved to the side of the subject based on the measured distance information, so that the subject can be imaged from the side by following the subject. At this time, by setting the lens direction of the second camera 34b to the direction of the first camera 34a, when the first imaging information captured by the first camera 34a and the second imaging information captured by the second camera 34b are synthesized to generate synthesized imaging information, it is possible to image a wide range at a close distance from the subject in comparison with imaging information captured by one camera.

[0034] In addition, since the upper surface of the lens side (not shown) of the first camera 34a and the lower surface of the lens side (not shown) of the second camera 34b abut each other, when combining the first imaging information captured by the first camera 34a and the second imaging information captured by the second camera 34b, the effort required for image correction in the boundary area can be reduced.

[0035] Furthermore, by moving the base 32 along a rail 30 that is set up parallel to the area in which the subject walks or runs, the distance between the camera 34 and the subject is kept equidistant, making it easy to compare changes in the subject over time.

[0036] It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be embodied in various forms within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0037] For example, in the above-described embodiment, a walkway having a pressure sensor may be provided in the area where the subject walks or runs, instead of the distance sensor 22. In this way, the position where the subject walks or runs can be detected by the pressure sensor, and the same effect as the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

[0038] In the above-described embodiment, a pressure sensor may be provided in the area where the subject walks or runs. In this way, pressure information when the subject walks or runs can be obtained, and more detailed information about the subject's walking or running can be calculated.

[0039] In the above-described embodiment, the upper surface of the lens side of the first camera 34a and the lower surface of the lens side of the second camera 34b are in contact with each other, but they are not limited to being in contact with each other and may be located close to each other. In this case, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

[0040] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the first camera 34a is fixed with the lens (not shown) tilted in a direction facing diagonally upward, and the second camera 34b is fixed with the lens (not shown) tilted in a direction facing diagonally downward, but the lens (not shown) of the first camera 34a may be horizontal and the lens (not shown) of the second camera 34b may be diagonally downward, or the lens (not shown) of the first camera 34a may be upward and the lens (not shown) of the second camera 34b may be horizontal. In either case, the same effect as the above-mentioned embodiment can be obtained. [Industrial Applicability]

[0041] As shown in the above-described embodiment, the present invention can be used in the imaging field, particularly as a walking information measuring device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 20...measuring device, 22...distance sensor, 30...rail, 30a...rail member, 31...rack gear, 32...base portion, 33...pinion gear, 35...motor, 34...camera, 34a...first camera, 34b...second camera, 40...control unit, 41...CPU, 42...ROM, 43...RAM, 44...interface, 45...bus.

Claims

1. a first imaging means having a lens fixed at an inclination in a direction facing diagonally upward and configured to mainly image an area including an upper body of a subject; A second imaging means is located above the first imaging means, has a lens fixed at an incline facing diagonally downward, and mainly images an area including a lower body of the subject; an imaging information synthesis means for synthesizing first imaging information captured by the first imaging means and second imaging information captured by the second imaging means; A distance measuring means for measuring a distance to a subject; a moving means for moving the first imaging means and the second imaging means based on the distance measured by the distance measuring means; The present invention is characterized in that it comprises Imaging device.

2. The moving means moves the first imaging means and the second imaging means to the side of the subject based on the distance by moving along a rail provided in parallel to the side of a moving area in which the subject walks or runs. The imaging device according to claim 1 .

3. The first imaging means and the second imaging means are characterized in that at least a part of a side surface of the first imaging means on the subject side and at least a part of a side surface of the second imaging means on the subject side abut against each other.

3. The imaging device according to claim 1.

4. An imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 3; a walking information calculation means for calculating information regarding the walking or running of the subject based on the first imaging information and the second imaging information; The present invention is characterized in that it comprises Measuring equipment.

5. 5. The measuring device according to claim 4, a walkway having a pressure sensor that detects pressure when the subject walks or runs; Equipped with The walking information calculation means calculates information regarding the walking or running of the subject based on the first imaging information, the second imaging information, and the pressure information output from the pressure sensor. Measuring equipment.

6. 1. A method for controlling an imaging device, comprising: a distance measuring means for measuring a distance to a subject; a first imaging means, the lens of which is fixed at an incline facing diagonally upward and which mainly images an area including the upper body of the subject; a second imaging means, which is located above the first imaging means, the lens of which is fixed at an incline facing diagonally downward and which mainly images an area including the lower body of the subject; a moving means for moving the first imaging means and the second imaging means based on the distance measured by the distance measuring means; and an imaging information combining means for combining first imaging information captured by the first imaging means and second imaging information captured by the second imaging means, a distance measurement step of measuring a distance to the target person; a moving step of moving the first imaging means and the second imaging means based on the distance measured in the distance measuring step; an imaging step in which the first imaging means mainly images an area including an upper body of the subject, and the second imaging means mainly images an area including a lower body of the subject, and outputs first imaging information and second imaging information; an imaging information combining step of combining the first imaging information and the second imaging information; Characterized in that it comprises A method for controlling an imaging device.

7. 7. A program for executing the method for controlling an image pickup apparatus according to claim 6 on one or more computers.

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