Imaging device, control method, computer program, and storage medium

Abstract

To provide an imaging apparatus in which unnecessary rotation of an image caused by rotation of a movable unit can easily be corrected.SOLUTION: The imaging apparatus includes: an imaging unit that acquires an image; a movable unit that changes the direction of the imaging unit through rotation thereof around a predetermined axis; and correction processing means that corrects a rotation of an image caused by rotation of the movable unit based on information on a relationship between a rotation angle around the axis and a rotation angle of the image acquired by the imaging unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an imaging device and the like, and particularly to an imaging device and the like capable of changing the orientation of an imaging unit.

Background Art

[0002] In an imaging device having a plurality of imaging units, there is known a multi-eye camera in which when one rotation axis is rotated, the plurality of imaging units move or rotate simultaneously in a group. In this multi-eye camera, each imaging unit is arranged, for example, on a spherical surface, and since it is in a torsional positional relationship with respect to the rotation axis, the image has a rotational component around the optical axis as the rotation axis rotates.

[0003] Here, the torsional positional relationship means that the direction of the perpendicular line passing through the center point of the rotating sphere on the rotation axis and the direction of the optical axis of the imaging unit at a point on the spherical surface are not parallel but inclined. The rotation component of the image of the imaging unit around the optical axis varies depending on the relative positional relationship between the position where the imaging unit is attached, the optical axis of the imaging unit, and the rotation axis. Structurally, the farther away from the end of the rotation axis, the less the rotation, and the closer to the end of the rotation axis, the more the rotation. Therefore, the videos acquired from each imaging unit rotate at different rotation angles.

[0004] On the other hand, Patent Document 1 shows a method for solving the problem that the pan-tilt axis tilts when the installation location of the imaging device is tilted.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] However, the prior art disclosed in the above-mentioned patent documents is for correcting the inclination of an image caused by the inclination of the mounting position, and does not correct the acquired image by an imaging unit arranged in a torsional positional relationship with the rotation axis.

[0007] In addition, when correcting the inclination of the pan-tilt axis using Patent Document 1, it is necessary to calculate parameters due to the parameters caused by the installation environment and the pan-tilt angle, so the processing becomes complicated. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an imaging device capable of easily correcting unnecessary rotation of an image caused by rotation of a movable part.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] To achieve the above object, the imaging device of the present invention includes: an imaging unit that acquires an image; a movable unit that holds the imaging unit and changes the orientation of the imaging unit by rotating around a predetermined axis; Detection means for performing a predetermined detection operation on the image; correction processing means for performing correction processing to correct the rotation of the image caused by the rotation of the movable unit based on information indicating the relationship between the rotation angle of the movable unit around the predetermined axis and the rotation angle of the image acquired by the imaging unit; The correction processing means switches whether to perform the correction processing according to the type of detection function in the detection means; The optical axis of the imaging unit is not parallel to a perpendicular line perpendicular to the predetermined axis.

Effects of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to realize an imaging device capable of easily correcting unnecessary rotation of an image caused by rotation of a movable part.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

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Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described using examples. In each figure, the same members or elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations are omitted or simplified. Also, in the examples, an example of applying the imaging device to a network camera will be described. However, the imaging device includes electronic devices having an imaging function such as a digital still camera, a digital movie camera, a smartphone with a camera, a tablet computer with a camera, and an in-vehicle camera.

Examples

[0012] Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 1, Example 1 of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of the imaging device in Example 1. The imaging device 101 includes a movable part 102, an imaging part 103, a processing part 104, etc. The display part 105 functions as display means for displaying images. Here, the display part 105 may be an external monitor or the like, or may be the display part of a terminal such as a PC, and is connected to the imaging device via a network. The processing part 104 may also be included in a terminal such as an external PC connected to the imaging device via a network. That is, the imaging device of this embodiment is not limited to an integrated type, and includes a system configured separately. Note that the display part 105 may be integrated with the imaging device.

[0013] When the display part 105 is connected to a terminal such as a PC, shooting control and pan / tilt control of the imaging device can be remotely controlled based on a control signal from the PC. The movable part 102 supports the imaging part 103 so as to be rotatable in the tilt direction (around a predetermined axis). The movable part 102 is rotatable in the pan direction.

[0014] Also, the movable part 102 is rotatable in the pan direction, for example, by manually rotating it at the time of initial setting (initial installation). The imaging part 103 includes a lens barrel including a lens and an image sensor, and acquires a video signal (image). The imaging part 103 is supported by a spherical housing.

[0015] The processing part 104 has a built-in CPU as a computer, and functions as control means for executing various operations of the entire imaging device based on a computer program stored in a program memory (not shown). The processing part 104 has an angle storage part 106, an angle correction value storage part 107, an image acquisition part 108, an image rotation correction processing part 109, and a detection function processing part 110. The angle memory unit 106 stores the value of the angle (pan angle) at the initial setting of the movable unit 102. Here, the angle memory unit 106 is composed of, but not limited to, SRAM, DRAM, PROM, EEPROM, etc. The angle information stored in the angle memory unit 106 is sent to the angle correction value memory unit 107. On the other hand, the image acquired by the imaging unit 103 is sent to the image acquisition unit 108. The image captured by the image acquisition unit 108 is output to the display unit 105. The interface to the display unit 105 can be wired or wireless, and the image is transmitted via a communication unit (not shown) using IP distribution, HDMI (registered trademark), SDI, etc. The image sent to the display unit is also sent to the image rotation correction processing unit 109.

[0016] Then, in the image rotation correction processing unit 109, rotation correction is performed on the image using the angle correction information transmitted by the angle correction value memory unit 107. After the rotation correction is performed on the image, various detection processes are performed on the image by the detection function processing unit 110. The detection processes include multiple types of detection functions such as processes performed based on images and sounds such as person recognition, person counting, intrusion detection, theft detection, and scream detection. And the detected results are superimposed and displayed on the display unit 105.

[0017] Hereinafter, the structure of the imaging device 101 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2(A) and (B). FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the imaging device in the present invention. In FIGS. 2(A) and (B), an example is shown in which the upper part of the imaging device 101 is fixed and installed on the XY plane of the ceiling, but the upper part of the imaging device 101 may be installed downward, or installed on the XZ plane or YZ plane.

[0018] In addition, the imaging unit 103 can rotate in the tilt direction with the movable axis 202 as the rotation axis and can pan-rotate in the direction of arrow 203 with the movable axis 204 as the rotation axis. The imaging units 103a to 103d are housed in a spherical housing. Further, the imaging units 103a to 103d can rotate in the tilt direction with the movable axis 202 as the rotation axis by the movable part 102 pivotally supporting the spherical housing rotatably at both ends in the diameter direction of the spherical housing. Also, the imaging units 103a to 103d can rotate in the pan direction by rotating the movable part 102 around the movable axis 204.

[0019] First, an example in which these rotations are performed manually will be described. However, as will be described later, they may be rotated electrically by a motor or the like. Note that the movable axes 202 and 204 themselves do not have to rotate. That is, it is sufficient that the imaging unit rotates around the axes of the movable axes 202 and 204, and the movable axes include such ones.

[0020] In this embodiment, the optical axes of the imaging units 103a to 103d are arranged in a twisted (tilted) direction that is not parallel to the perpendicular line drawn from the center point (not shown) on the axis of the movable part 102. Note that the optical axis of each imaging unit faces outward from the center of the spherical housing. In the figure, four imaging units from the imaging unit 103a to the imaging unit 103d are depicted, but the number of imaging units is not limited to this. As long as they have a twisted positional relationship with respect to the movable axis, the effects of this embodiment can be obtained whether there is a single imaging unit or a plurality of imaging units.

[0021] Here, if the optical axis of the imaging unit 103 faces a direction parallel to the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the movable part 102, it is defined as not being twisted. On the other hand, it is defined that the greater the twist is as the optical axis of the imaging unit 103 approaches parallel to the rotation axis of the movable part 102. That is, when the twist is large, the captured image captured by the imaging unit 103 is likely to rotate when the movable part 102 is rotated.

[0022] FIG. 2(B) shows a state in which the spherical housing is rotated about the movable axis 202 by the movable part 102 of the imaging device 101 by about 90 degrees in the direction of arrow 201 from the state of FIG. 2(A). Focusing on the imaging unit 103a here, in the state of FIG. 2(A), the positive Z-axis direction (the upward direction on the image screen captured by the imaging unit 103a) is rotated by a predetermined angle due to the rotation about the movable axis 202 in FIG. 2(B) and tilts in the positive Y-axis direction.

[0023] Thus, the rotation around the optical axis of the imaging unit 103a occurs as the movable part 102 moves in the direction of arrow 201. This is because the optical axis of the imaging unit 103a is in a twisted positional relationship and not parallel to the perpendicular line of the movable axis 202. As a result, when the image captured by the imaging unit 103a is displayed on the display unit, the screen that was upright in FIG. 2(A) becomes an image rotated, for example, about 45 degrees to nearly 90 degrees to the right in the case of FIG. 2(B).

[0024] FIG. 3 shows examples of the display images of the imaging unit 103a before and after rotating the movable part 102. FIG. 3 is an image diagram of the captured image. The captured image of the imaging unit 103a before rotating the movable part 102 by a predetermined angle about the movable axis 202 in the direction of arrow 201 (the state of FIG. 2(A)) is shown as A in FIG. 3. Also, the captured image of the imaging unit 103a after rotating the movable part 102 by a predetermined angle about the movable axis 202 in the direction of arrow 201 (the state of FIG. 2(B)) is shown as B in FIG. 3. For the person image that was displayed upright with respect to the XY plane before rotation, a change in the imaging angle (such as rotation) occurs as the movable axis 202 rotates.

[0025] That is, a change in the imaging angle occurs in which a rotation around the optical axis centered on the Y-axis (in the direction of arrow 301) and shifts in the X direction (in the direction of arrow 302) and Z direction (in the direction of arrow 303) are mixed. As a result of the rotation centered on the Y-axis, the displayed image of the person tilts from the screen of FIG. 3(A) to the screen of FIG. 3(B).

[0026] On the other hand, when using a detection function such as person detection by image recognition or the like, a method may be employed in which the silhouette shape of a person is detected to identify the human body. In such a case, a person who is photographed at an angle may be misdetected without being identified as a person. In this embodiment, when unnecessary rotation occurs in the image of the imaging unit due to, for example, a tilt operation of the movable unit 102 in this manner, correction processing for correcting the rotation component by internal processing is performed at a stage prior to performing the detection processing by image recognition or the like. Thereby, the false detection rate is reduced.

[0027] FIGS. 4(A) and (B) are diagrams for explaining a control method of the imaging device in this embodiment, and the flow of control in this embodiment will be described using the flowchart of FIG. 4(A). The flow starts at step S401. At step S402, when the imaging device is installed, the user initially sets the respective angles of the pan and tilt of the lens barrel with the imaging unit. The angles at the time of the initial setting are detected when the imaging device is activated. At step S403, the images captured by each imaging unit are rotationally corrected by internal processing with reference to a rotation correction table (rotation correction information) corresponding to the set angles and the distances from the rotation axes. Here, although a rotation correction table is used, correction information for the rotation angle may be obtained using a mathematical formula or the like.

[0028] Note that the rotation correction table is stored in the angle correction value storage unit 107, and is a table regarding information representing the relationship between the rotation angle around the drive axis and the rotation angle of the image of the imaging unit based on the arrangement relationship between the imaging unit and the drive axis. Here, step S403 functions as correction processing means (correction processing step) for performing correction processing for correcting the rotation of the image caused by the rotation of the movable unit based on the table, together with the image rotation correction processing unit 109.

[0029] FIG. 4(B) shows an example of the result of the correction processing in step S403. In the image shown at B in FIG. 4(B) (corresponding to the image at B in FIG. 3), unnecessary rotation has occurred due to the tilt operation, and the person is out of the upright position. The correction process in step S403 is to perform rotational correction on the image to correct such an image to the orientation in which the person stands upright. The rotated image as shown at B in FIG. 4(B) is corrected to an upright image as shown at C by step S403. Thereafter, in step S404, using the image after rotational correction, image recognition processing such as face recognition and person detection is performed in the detection function processing unit 110. Here, step S404 functions as a detection means for performing a predetermined detection operation based on the image.

[0030] Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 5, a method for calculating the rotation correction angle will be described. FIG. 5(A) is an explanatory diagram of the rotation correction angle, and FIG. 5(B) is a diagram showing an example of a correction angle table. Here, for the sake of simplicity, the lens barrel of the imaging device 101 is regarded as a sphere 501, the position where the imaging unit is attached is regarded as a point 502, and the rotation axis for performing tilt rotation is assumed to be an axis 503.

[0031] Also, a in the figure is the radius of the sphere, and r is the distance from the intersection point 505 of the perpendicular line drawn from the point 502 to the axis 503 to the center 506 of the sphere. Also, the point 502 represents the position of the imaging unit that has rotated by an angle θ with the axis 503 as the rotation axis from the tilt horizontal position (the state in FIG. 2(A)) in which the imaging unit faces in a direction parallel to the XY plane in FIG. 2. Also, assume that the optical axis of the imaging unit is, for example, a direction outward passing through the point 502 from the center 506.

[0032] At this time, the orbit along which the imaging unit can move is the solid line part of the circle 504, and the circle 504 is the intersection line of the plane passing through the point 505 and perpendicular to the axis 503 and the sphere 501. The component in the rotation direction around the optical axis of the imaging unit when the tilt rotation is performed by an angle θ from the tilt horizontal position (the state in FIG. 2(A)) can be represented by Equation 1 below.

Equation

[0033] Fig. 5(B) shows an example of the angle correction table 507 included in the angle correction value storage unit 107. Here, the angle correction table 507 is a table representing the relationship between the rotation angle around the movable axis and the rotation angle of the image of the imaging unit based on the arrangement relationship between the imaging unit and the movable axis.

[0034] In this embodiment, the imaging device has four imaging units, but the number of imaging units is not limited to this. Also, the angle correction table shall include correction tables for each of the plurality of imaging units. Here, a table in the case where the imaging units are arranged symmetrically as shown in Fig. 2 is shown. That is, the imaging units A to D are arranged on the intersection line of a predetermined plane including the axis 503 and the sphere 501, and in the said predetermined plane, with respect to the perpendicular line of the axis 503 passing through the center 506, the imaging units A and B are in a line-symmetrical positional relationship with the imaging units D and C respectively. However, the arrangement of the imaging units is not limited to this, and an asymmetrical case may also be acceptable.

[0035] In the table, the position of each imaging unit arranged on the imaging device and the correction angle corresponding to the angle θ of tilt axis rotation initially set manually by the installer, for example, are uniquely determined. The position of the imaging unit here is the position where the imaging units 103a to 103d are attached as shown in Fig. 2, which varies depending on the imaging device. Also, here, for simplicity, the set values of the tilt angle are shown every 1 degree, but it is assumed that more detailed resolution settings are also possible.

[0036] Alternatively, if the image recognition ability (detection ability) is high, it may be set at coarser angles. Furthermore, when the characteristics of the image recognition ability (detection ability) change non-linearly with respect to the rotation angle of the image, the pitch of the tilt angle may be set unevenly according to the above non-linear characteristic curve. That is, the set values of this table are set according to the characteristics of the image recognition ability (detection ability).

[0037] Using the angles of the correction angles shown in this table, after rotationally correcting each acquired image, perform a detection function process by image recognition or the like, and display it on the display unit 105. In the imaging device as shown in FIG. 2, as described above, each imaging unit is arranged symmetrically left and right. In such a symmetric case, rotational correction may be performed by having only the correction table of the imaging unit on one side with respect to the axis of symmetry.

[0038] That is, in FIG. 2, a pair of the imaging unit 103a and the imaging unit 103d are symmetric left and right, and a pair of the imaging unit 103b and the imaging unit 103c are in a symmetric positional relationship. Therefore, the angle correction table possessed by the angle correction value storage unit 107 only needs to be a table for the imaging unit on one side with respect to the axis of symmetry. That is, it may have a table for one of the pair of imaging units and omit the table for the other imaging unit. In the image acquired by the imaging unit on the side opposite to the axis of symmetry, correct rotation can be performed correctly by performing reverse rotation correction by only the angle of the rotation correction value of the imaging unit in the symmetric position. When the imaging units are arranged symmetrically left and right in this way, rotational correction can be performed by efficiently using the capacity of the angle correction value storage unit 107.

Example

[0039] Next, Example 2 in the present invention will be described. Hereinafter, Example 2 will be described with reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of the imaging device of Example 2. In the imaging device shown in FIG. 1, the correction angle was determined using the angle storage unit 106 and the angle correction value storage unit 107, but in this example, since it is moved electrically, the method for determining the correction angle is different from that of Example 1.

[0040] In FIG. 6, the imaging unit 103 performs driving such as panning and tilting by the driving of the driving unit 601. Here, the driving unit 601 functions as a driving means for rotating the movable part around the movable axis. The driving unit includes motors such as a DC motor, a stepping motor, and an ultrasonic motor, and rotates the drive shaft using a gear mechanism with gears or a belt, etc., but the driving method is not limited to this. The driving unit 601 performs driving according to the driving instruction sent from the driving angle calculation unit 603 via the driving instruction unit 602.

[0041] The driving instruction unit 602 includes devices such as a motor driver, and the driving angle calculation unit 603 calculates the driving angle using a calculation - processable IC such as a microcomputer, an FPGA, or an ASIC. Also, the driving angle calculation unit 603 calculates the driving angle according to the operation amount by the operation unit 604 of the imaging device 101.

[0042] The driving angle calculated by the driving angle calculation unit 603 is transmitted to the angle correction value storage unit 107, and the rotation correction angle corresponding to the driving angle is extracted from the table, and correction is performed by the image rotation correction processing unit 109. In FIG. 6, the driving angle is directly output from the driving angle calculation unit 603 to the angle correction value storage unit 107. However, in cases where it is difficult to control the driving angle, such as when driving with a DC motor, it is desirable to use a detection sensor such as an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, or an encoder separately to obtain the rotation angle.

[0043] This embodiment also includes the control when using such a sensor for angle detection. In that case, the angle value detected by the sensor for angle detection mounted on the driving unit 601 is transmitted to the angle correction value storage unit 107. In FIG. 6, the other components shown are the same as those described in the first embodiment, and the description is omitted.

[0044] Hereinafter, the control sequence of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation flow of the second embodiment. In step S702, when an instruction to rotate the rotation axis during shooting is sent from the drive instruction unit 602 to the drive unit 601, the drive shaft rotates. After moving to the desired position and when the rotation stops in step S703, the amount of movement (rotation angle) from before driving is calculated in step S704. Note that in step S704, which is an example of open-loop control, the control sequence is different when controlling separately using a sensor or when performing feedback control.

[0045] In step S705, the distance r from the drive shaft at the position where the imaging unit is attached and the correction angle corresponding to the angle θ of the drive shaft after rotation by driving are extracted from the table. In step S706, rotation correction is performed by internal processing using the extracted correction angle. That is, the rotation angle of the image is acquired from the storage means according to the rotation angle by the driving means and correction processing is performed. Then, in step S707, image processing such as image recognition by each processing function is performed using the image after rotation correction.

[0046] Note that when there is no drive instruction, the process proceeds from S702 to S707 and image processing such as detection processing is performed as needed. Note that in the second embodiment, the sequence is such that rotation correction is not performed during rotation. However, when it is necessary to perform detection on the image during driving, such as when driving at a low speed, calculations for rotation correction may be performed even during driving.

[0047] In this embodiment, it is necessary to take into account that the image may rotate not only in terms of the tilt angle but also in terms of the change in the pan angle. When the tilt is facing horizontally, the image shifts horizontally as the pan rotates. However, the greater the tilt angle from the horizontal axis, the more the pan rotation causes the image to move with a rotation component. Therefore, when the drive shaft is moved electrically, a table considering the arrangement pattern of each drive shaft (a combination of two pan angles and tilt angles) is held in the angle correction value storage unit.

Example

[0048] Next, Example 3 in the present invention will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation flow of Example 3. In Example 3, the control in an imaging device having a plurality of types of detection / detection functions is shown. There are various detection functions, such as those for detecting a human body, those for detecting an intruder, and those for detecting the removal of an object. Although there are various methods for detecting such functions, there are those that lead to false detection when the target image moves in the rotation direction and those that do not. For example, intrusion detection, which issues an alert based on a determination of whether or not a certain area has been invaded, etc., may cause false detection because the distinction between entering and leaving the area is reversed when the image rotates.

[0049] On the other hand, for removal detection that issues an alert when an object placed is removed, etc., a method of detecting based on the temporal difference of the image may be used in some cases. In such types of detection where the direction of the image does not affect the discrimination, the influence of rotation is small. Thus, there are cases where rotation correction is required depending on the type of detection function used and cases where it is not. Based on this, the control sequence will be described.

[0050] The operation flow starts at step S801, and in step S802, the pan / tilt angle is set in the initial settings at the time of installation. Then, in step S803, the detection function to be used is selected. In step S804, it is determined whether the selected detection function is of a type that requires rotation correction. If Yes (correction is required), control is performed in the order of step S805 and step S806 in the same manner as in Example 1 to perform rotation correction.

[0051] In step S804, if the selected detection function does not require rotation correction, it proceeds to step S806 without performing correction, and the processing of the detection function is performed. That is, steps S804 and S805 function as correction processing means for switching whether to perform correction in the correction processing unit according to the type of detection function in the detection means.

Example

[0052] Next, four embodiments of the present invention will be described. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a display example on the display unit 105 in Embodiment 4. The images from A to D being displayed are images captured by the imaging units 103a to 103d, respectively. Although an example of displaying images from four imaging units is shown, the number of images on the display video is not limited to this.

[0053] On the display unit 105, images acquired from the imaging units 103a to 103d, a rotation correction function operation window 901, and a rotation display function operation window 902 are provided. The rotation correction function operation window 901 is an operation window for switching whether to independently use the rotation correction function in each imaging unit. By switching this operation window, it is possible to switch whether to perform internal processing for rotating and correcting an image at a stage prior to the processing of the detection function on the image acquired by each imaging unit.

[0054] This makes it possible to display whether the correction processing is being performed on the display screen of the display means. In addition, the rotation display function operation window 902 is an operation window for switching whether to rotate and correct the image displayed on the display unit 105. This operation window can also be set and operated independently for each image from the imaging unit, similar to the rotation correction function operation window 901. This enables the image rotation correction processing unit 109 to switch whether to perform correction on each image obtained from each imaging unit.

[0055] By using this rotation display function operation window 902 to switch the ON and OFF of rotation correction, it is possible to switch whether the image displayed on the display unit 105 is the one before rotation correction or the one after rotation correction. Also, although the rotation correction function operation window 901 and the rotation display function operation window 902 show a method of switching ON and OFF by a pull-down in the figure, the operation method is not limited to this. Further, the rotation correction function operation window 901 and the rotation display function operation window 902 function independently and do not necessarily need to be displayed as a set.

Example

[0056] Next, Example 5 of the present invention will be described. In Examples 1 to 4, what was described as the rotation correction function was to rotate the captured image in the processing unit 104 of the imaging device 101. In Example 5, instead of rotating the image, it is different in that the detection direction is adjusted to the rotation angle of the imaging unit in the detection function processing.

[0057] Hereinafter, the description will be made with reference to FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of the imaging device of Example 5. Here, the differences from Example 1 will be described. The rotation correction angle extracted in the angle correction value storage unit 107 is transmitted to the detection function correction processing unit 1001. In the detection function correction processing unit 1001, a detection function considering the angle correction from the angle correction value storage unit 107 is applied to the image received from the image acquisition unit 108. That is, the detection function correction processing unit 1001 functions as correction processing means for changing the detection direction of image recognition according to the angle correction when performing detection processing such as image recognition.

[0058] In Example 1, the image rotation correction processing unit 109 was provided, but in this Example 5, it does not have a process for rotating the image, and is characterized in that it performs a process considering rotation at the detection function processing stage. In this example, by performing such a process, it is possible to prevent the loss of the peripheral portion of the image due to rotating and processing the image, and the captured image can be used efficiently. Therefore, there is an effect that it can surely detect even when a suspicious person or the like appears in the peripheral portion of the screen.

Example

[0059] In the above example, the form in which the images captured by the imaging units 103a to 103d are respectively output was described, but in Example 6, the case where a composite image (panorama image) is created by the imaging units 103a to 103d will be described. The images captured by each of the imaging units 103a to 103d have different amounts of inclination. Therefore, if the images captured by the imaging units 103a to 103d are synthesized without correction, they may be difficult for the user to view due to the difference in the amount of inclination (twist amount). Therefore, in this embodiment, the inclination of the image is corrected and then synthesized. Specifically, the image rotation correction processing unit 109 performs correction processing for correcting the rotation of the image caused by the rotation of the movable part on each of the images of the imaging units 103a to 103d based on the rotation correction table. Then, the corrected images are synthesized and output to the display unit.

[0060] As described above, the present invention has been described in detail based on its preferred embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made based on the gist of the present invention, and they are not excluded from the scope of the present invention. Note that part or all of the control in this embodiment may be supplied to the imaging device via a network or various storage media as a computer program that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments. Then, a computer (or a CPU, MPU, etc.) in the imaging device may read and execute the program. In that case, the program and the storage medium storing the program constitute the present invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0061] 101: Imaging device 102: Movable part 103, 103a to 103d: Imaging unit 104: Processing unit 105: Display unit 106: Angle storage unit 107: Angle correction value storage unit 108: Image acquisition unit 109: Image rotation correction processing unit 110: Detection function processing unit 201, 203: Movable direction 202, 204: Movable axis

Claims

1. An imaging unit that acquires an image, A movable unit that holds the imaging unit and changes the orientation of the imaging unit by rotating around a predetermined axis, Detection means for performing a predetermined detection operation on the image, Correction processing means for performing correction processing to correct the rotation of the image caused by the rotation of the movable unit based on information indicating the relationship between the rotation angle of the movable unit around the predetermined axis and the rotation angle of the image acquired by the imaging unit, and having, The correction processing means switches whether to perform the correction processing according to the type of detection function in the detection means, An imaging device, characterized in that the optical axis of the imaging unit is not parallel to a perpendicular line perpendicular to the predetermined axis.

2. The imaging unit includes a first imaging unit that acquires a first image and a second imaging unit that acquires a second image, The correction processing means, Based on information indicating the relationship between the rotation angle of the movable unit around the predetermined axis and the rotation angle of the first image, performs a first correction process for correcting the rotation of the first image caused by the rotation of the movable unit, and based on information indicating the relationship between the rotation angle of the movable unit around the predetermined axis and the rotation angle of the second image, performs a second correction process for correcting the rotation of the second image caused by the rotation of the movable unit. The imaging device according to claim 1, characterized by performing the above.

3. The first and second imaging units have a positional relationship symmetric with respect to a perpendicular line of the predetermined axis, and the correction processing means performs correction processing for correcting the rotation of the second image acquired by the second imaging unit using the information for the first imaging unit. The imaging device according to claim 2, characterized by performing the above.

4. Storage means for storing the information, Drive means for rotating the movable unit around the predetermined axis, and having, The correction processing means acquires the rotation angle of the image from the storage means according to the rotation angle by the drive means and performs the correction processing. The imaging device according to claim 1, characterized by performing the above.

5. The correction processing means performs the correction processing on the image for performing a predetermined detection operation by the detection means. The imaging device according to claim 1, characterized by performing the above.

6. Having a plurality of the imaging units, and the correction processing means is capable of switching whether to perform correction on each of the images obtained from each of the imaging units. The imaging device according to claim 1, characterized by performing the above.

7. A control method for controlling an imaging device having an imaging unit that acquires an image and a movable unit that holds the imaging unit and changes the orientation of the imaging unit by rotating around a predetermined axis, a detection step of performing a predetermined detection operation on the image, a correction processing step of performing correction processing for correcting the rotation of the image caused by the rotation of the movable unit based on information indicating the relationship between the rotation angle of the movable unit around the predetermined axis and the rotation angle of the image acquired by the imaging unit, wherein the correction processing step switches whether to perform the correction processing according to the type of detection function in the detection step, characterized in that the optical axis of the imaging unit is not parallel to a perpendicular line perpendicular to the predetermined axis.

8. A computer program for causing a computer to function as each means of the imaging device according to any one of Claims 1 to 6.

9. A computer-readable storage medium storing the computer program according to Claim 8.

Images