Image capture device, image capture device control method, computer program, and storage medium

Abstract

To provide an imaging control device that controls a plurality of imaging units which can easily compensate for a blind spot in a set imaging range when an imaging range of a predetermined imaging unit is set.SOLUTION: An imaging control device that controls a plurality of imaging units that share a predetermined imaging range and perform imaging includes setting means that sets an imaging range of at least one imaging unit among a plurality of imaging units on the basis of a user operation, and control means that automatically controls the imaging direction or angle of view of the other imaging unit such that another imaging range other than the imaging range set by the setting means among the predetermined imaging range is captured by the other imaging unit among the plurality of imaging units when the capturing range of at least one imaging unit is set by the setting means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an imaging device for controlling a plurality of imaging units. Imagery Place , imaging control method, computer program and storage medium It is related to. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Imaging devices that are equipped with multiple imaging units and are capable of capturing images over a wide area have become widespread. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes an imaging device that can capture images of a wide area using a plurality of imaging units.

[0003] There is also an imaging device that can be connected to a client terminal device such as a PC via a network, and after installation, allows the user to set the shooting location while checking the video displayed on the client terminal device. Such an imaging device is described in Patent Document 2. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-20536 [Patent Document 2] Patent Application No. 2015-554689 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When setting the shooting location of each imaging unit in the imaging device having a plurality of imaging units disclosed in Patent Document 1, the following operations are required. When using a fixed imaging unit for important locations (fixed cameras) and using a non-fixed imaging unit (variable camera) to capture other locations to eliminate blind spots, the user must set up the variable camera while checking the video image.

[0006] When performing the above-described operations, it is difficult to determine the range of a blind spot from a moving image, and therefore it is not easy to set the variable camera so as to compensate for the blind spot. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for controlling a plurality of image capturing units. Imagery In the device, when the imaging range of a predetermined imaging unit is set, an imaging device that can easily compensate for blind spots in the set imaging range is provided. equipment etc. The purpose is to provide [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] An imaging device, a plurality of imaging units including a first imaging unit and a second imaging unit, each of which is movable around a rotation axis along the circumference of an annular guide and which capture images of a predetermined imaging range in a shared manner; a setting unit for setting a photographing range of the second imaging unit based on a user operation; a control means for automatically controlling a photographing direction or an angle of view of the first photographing unit so that, when a photographing range of the second photographing unit is set by the setting means, a photographing range other than the photographing range set by the setting means is photographed by the first photographing unit, The control means controls the first imaging unit to circulate and capture images of the other imaging ranges based on the maximum angle of view of the first imaging unit and the other imaging ranges. shadow The method is characterized in that it determines whether to [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, in an imaging control device for controlling multiple imaging units, when the imaging range of a specified imaging unit is set, an imaging control device can be obtained that can easily compensate for blind spots in the set imaging range. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an imaging apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an installation environment of an imaging device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of settings of the imaging apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a control flow of the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of settings of an imaging apparatus according to a second embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a control flow of the second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of an installation environment of an imaging device according to a third embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of settings of an imaging apparatus according to a third embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a control flow of the third embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an imaging apparatus according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an installation environment of the imaging device according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of settings of an imaging apparatus according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a control flow of the fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each drawing, the same members or elements are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted or simplified. In the embodiments, the present invention will be described as being applied to a network camera as an imaging device, but the imaging device also includes electronic devices with imaging functions, such as digital still cameras, digital movie cameras, smartphones with cameras, tablet computers with cameras, and in-vehicle cameras. [Example]

[0011] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an imaging apparatus according to a first embodiment, and the configuration of the imaging apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Reference numeral 115 denotes an imaging device such as a network camera, which has a plurality of imaging units for capturing images in a predetermined imaging range (e.g., 360°) in a divided manner, that is, a first camera unit indicated by 101, a second camera unit indicated by 102, a third camera unit indicated by 103, a network processing unit 114, a control unit 113, etc.

[0012] The first camera unit 101 is composed of a first change means 104, a first imaging unit 105, and a first detection unit . The second camera unit 102 is composed of a second change means 107 , a second imaging unit 108 , and a second detection unit 109 . The third camera unit 103 is composed of a third changing means 110 , a third imaging unit 111 , and a third detection unit 112 .

[0013] The first camera unit 101, the second camera unit 102, and the third camera unit 103 are each movable along the circumference of an annular guide (not shown). The direction of movement of the first camera unit 101, the second camera unit 102, and the third camera unit 103 along the circumference of the guide is referred to as the pan direction. This allows first camera unit 101, second camera unit 102, and third camera unit 103 to capture images in a predetermined imaging range (360°) in the pan direction. Note that the predetermined imaging range may be a range narrower than 360°.

[0014] In this embodiment, the first camera unit 101 and the second camera unit 102 are used as cameras (fixed cameras) that serve to capture images of specific locations, and the third camera unit 103 is a camera (variable camera) that serves to capture images so as to compensate for blind spots of the fixed cameras. The first change means 104, the second change means 107, and the third change means 110 are configured by a drive mechanism not shown, and the user can independently adjust the direction of the optical axis and the shooting angle of view for each imaging unit using a client terminal device 117 described later.

[0015] The first imaging unit 105, the second imaging unit 108, and the third imaging unit 111 are each composed of an actuator for a zoom lens group (not shown), a control circuit, an imaging element, a video processing circuit, etc. Each imaging unit can control the actuator and change the shooting angle of view in response to instructions from a control unit 113 (described later). The first detection unit 106, the second detection unit 109, and the third detection unit 112 are composed of angular displacement acquisition means (not shown) such as a rotary encoder, and acquire the direction of the optical axis of each imaging unit and transmit it to the control unit 113 described later.

[0016] The network processing unit 114 is a network processing circuit that converts the image signals output from the video processing circuits in each imaging unit into a format that conforms to a communication protocol, and then distributes the signals to the network 116, which will be described later. Furthermore, control signals for controlling the image capture device 115 can be transmitted and received in accordance with the communication protocol.

[0017] The control unit 113 has a built-in CPU and memory (not shown), and functions as a control means, a setting means, and a receiving means for executing various operations for controlling the entire device based on programs stored in the memory. Note that the memory functions not only as a storage area for the programs executed by the control unit 113, but also as a work area during program execution. The control unit 113 can calculate the area to be photographed (hereinafter, blind spot area θZ) to photograph the blind spot using the variable camera from the horizontal angle of view of the fixed camera and the direction of the horizontal optical axis (hereinafter, pan angle).

[0018] Furthermore, the control unit 113 changes the horizontal angle of view and the pan angle of the variable camera based on the calculated blind spot area θZ and the maximum horizontal angle of view of the variable camera. Furthermore, the control unit 113 can compare the calculated blind spot area θZ with the maximum horizontal angle of view of the variable camera, and determine the horizontal angle of view, pan angle, and number of rotations N of the variable camera.

[0019] Here, "cycling" means periodically repeating the operation of sequentially switching the direction of the optical axis of the variable-speed camera in a predetermined time interval and in a predetermined order. For example, if the number of cycles is N, the operation of sequentially switching the direction of the optical axis of the camera in the direction of N predetermined locations is performed in a cycle, and the shooting of each of the N locations is cyclically repeated at a predetermined cycle.

[0020] The network 116 is configured with a LAN cable, a network hub, and the like, and by connecting the imaging device 115 and a client terminal device 117 (described later) via the network, various signals can be transmitted and received. The imaging device 115 may be compatible with, for example, PoE (Power over Ethernet), and may be configured to receive power from the network hub via the LAN cable.

[0021] Reference numeral 117 denotes a client terminal device, such as a PC, which includes a display (not shown) for displaying the image signal received via the network 116, and an input unit (not shown) that can input user instructions. The input unit is composed of a pointing device such as a mouse, and the user can use the input unit to operate a GUI (Graphical User Interface) displayed on the display.

[0022] Furthermore, the user can set the imaging range (the imaging angle of view and the imaging direction) of the fixed camera through the GUI. The functions of the control unit 113 may be provided on the client terminal device 117. In addition, although the client terminal device 117 and the imaging device are separate entities in the embodiment, they may be integrated.

[0023] The user can set whether or not to automatically set the angle of view and the direction of the variable camera through the GUI. More specifically, an automatic setting button (not shown) is provided on the GUI, and the user operates the automatic setting button by operating the input unit.

[0024] When the automatic setting button is selected to ON, the angle of view and direction of the movable camera are automatically determined according to the angle of view and direction of the fixed camera that are preset by the user. That is, when the shooting range of at least one imaging unit is set, the shooting direction or angle of view of the other imaging unit is automatically controlled so that the other imaging unit among the multiple imaging units captures the other shooting ranges within the predetermined shooting range other than the shooting range set by the setting means.

[0025] Here, if no fixed cameras are set when the automatic setting button is pressed, or if all cameras are set as fixed cameras, a pop-up or other error notification may be displayed. Alternatively, in the above cases, the automatic setting button may be grayed out, preventing the user from operating the button.

[0026] Hereinafter, a method for calculating the blind spot θZ of the variable camera will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an installation environment of the imaging device of Example 1, and shows an example in which the first imaging unit 105 and the second imaging unit 108 are fixed cameras, and the user has set them in advance so that their angles of view overlap.

[0027] Here, the imaging device 115 is assumed to be fixed to the ceiling, and FIG. 2 is a view of the imaging device as seen from the ceiling side, but the location where the imaging device 115 is installed is not limited to the ceiling, and it may also be installed on a wall that is perpendicular to the ground, etc. 201 is a line parallel to the ceiling, and the right side is defined as a pan angle of 0° and the left side as a pan angle of 180°.

[0028] Point 202 is the rotation axis (pan axis) of the pan direction of the first change unit 104, the second change unit 107, and the third change unit 110, and the pan axis is assumed to be perpendicular to the paper surface. Each imaging unit can change the pan angle around point 202 as its axis. The first image capturing unit 105 (not shown) is stopped in a state where it has rotated left by a pan angle θA around the axis of point 202. The second image capturing unit 108 (not shown) is also stopped in a state where it has rotated left in the pan direction by a pan angle θB around the axis of point 202.

[0029] Also, it is assumed that the third imaging unit 111 (not shown) is stopped in a state where it has rotated left by a pan angle θCN in the pan direction around the point 202 as an axis. The control unit 113 compares the calculated blind spot area θZ with the maximum horizontal angle of view of the third imaging unit 111, Based on the result, the number of times N is set. If the blind spot area θZ is smaller than the maximum horizontal angle of view, no patrol is performed, but if it is larger, patrol is performed.

[0030] In other words, the imaging direction or angle of view of the other imaging device (third imaging unit) is automatically and periodically controlled to be changed so that the other imaging unit (third imaging unit) can photograph the imaging range (blind spot) other than the imaging ranges of the first and second imaging units in multiple rounds. When the third imaging unit 111 patrols the blind spot area N times (N locations), the pan angle θCN of the third imaging unit is switched sequentially for each patrol position, such as θC1, θC2, . . . θCN.

[0031] For example, when N=3, the third imaging unit 111 cycles through pan angles θC1, θC2, and θC3 in order to capture three imaging angles of view centered on the optical axis of the imaging unit. When N=1, the third imaging unit 111 does not cycle and captures images at an imaging angle of view centered on the optical axis of the imaging unit at θC1. Details will be explained in FIG. 3.

[0032] The optical axis center of the first imaging unit 105 is indicated by dotted line 203, the optical axis of the second imaging unit 108 is indicated by dotted line 204, and the optical axis of the third imaging unit 111 is indicated by dotted line 205, and these optical axes intersect at point 202. The position of dotted line 203 corresponds to pan angle θA, the position of dotted line 204 corresponds to pan angle θB, and the position of dotted line 205 corresponds to pan angle θC.

[0033] The first imaging unit 105 has a horizontal angle of view θA', which is represented by the interior angle between half lines 206 and 207, each of which has point 202 as its end. The second imaging unit 108 has a horizontal angle of view θB', which is represented by the interior angle between half lines 208 and 209, each of which has point 202 as its end. The third imaging unit 111 has a horizontal angle of view θC′, which is represented by the interior angle between dotted lines 210 and 211 with point 202 as the end.

[0034] Each imaging unit has a limit to the horizontal angle of view indicated by θA'MAX, θB'MAX, and θC'MAX, and each imaging unit can change the horizontal angle of view to any angle within this limit. θZ is the outer angle between the half lines 206 and 209, and represents the blind spot area when the first imaging unit 105 and the second imaging unit 108 are set as fixed cameras.

[0035] The blind spot area θZ is calculated by the control unit 113 using the following formula. θZ=360°-(θA+θA' / 2)+(θB-θB' / 2) =360°-θA-θA' / 2+θB-θB' / 2 ···(1)

[0036] Here, based on the calculated θZ and θC'MAX, the control unit 113 determines the horizontal angle of view, pan angle, and number of rotations of the third imaging unit 111. More specifically, this will be explained with reference to the flowchart in FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the settings of the imaging device of the first embodiment. With reference to FIG. 3, the pan angle, horizontal angle of view, and rotation settings of the third imaging unit 111 that are automatically determined by the processing of the control unit 113 will be described.

[0037] 3A shows an example of the settings of the third imaging unit 111 when θA=155°, θA'=150°, θB=25°, θB'=150°, and θC'MAX=160°. In this case, the blind spot θZ is calculated as follows using the above formula (1): θZ=360°-θA-θA' / 2+(θB-θB' / 2) =360-155-150 / 2+25-150 / 2=80°

[0038] Here, as shown in FIG. 3A, if θZ<θC'MAX, the third imaging unit 111 sets θC'=θZ and the number of cycles N=1, and captures an image with the set angle of view. The pan angle θCN (N is an integer) of the third imaging unit 111 is calculated by the following formula. θCN=θA+θA' / 2+θC' / 2*(2N-1) ···(2) Therefore, the pan angle θC1 in the case of Figure 3(A) is calculated as follows using equation (2): is calculated. θC1=155+150 / 2+80 / 2=270°

[0039] 3B shows an example of the settings of the third imaging unit 111 when θA=125°, θA'=80°, θB=55°, θB'=80°, and θC'MAX=90°. In this case, the blind spot θZ is similarly calculated as follows: θZ=360-125-80 / 2+55-80 / 2=210° At this time, since θZ>θC'MAX, the control unit 113 increases the number of rotations and determines the horizontal angle of view θC' and pan angles θC1 to θC3 during rotation according to the number of rotations.

[0040] Specifically, if θZ>θC′MAX, the control unit 113 increments the number of cycles by 1 in the following equation (3). Note that the number of cycles N is set as N=1 by default. N=N+1 (3) Then, θC′ is calculated using the following equation (4).

[0041] θC'=θZ / N (4) Here, the calculated θC' is compared with θC'MAX again. If θC' is smaller than θC'MAX, the horizontal angle of view θC' and N during rotation are determined. On the other hand, if the horizontal angle of view θC′ during rotation is larger than θC′MAX, N in equations (3) and (4) is increased until θC′ becomes smaller than θC′MAX.

[0042] In the case shown in FIG. 3B, N=3, and the horizontal angle of view θC′ of the third imaging unit 111 is calculated as follows using equation (3): θC'=θZ / N =210 / 3=70° Note that θC' is not limited to the calculation method described above, and may be calculated by a method in which θC' is cycled through θZ at the maximum angle of view C'MAX a number of times greater than or equal to the minimum number of cycles N such that N*θC'MAX>θZθ.

[0043] Here, either the method of rotating at θC' calculated using equation (3) or the method of rotating at θC'MAX described above can be used, but the former has a smaller angle of view, so it is possible to set it to capture blind spots at a higher resolution. Furthermore, N and θC′ may be calculated by a method other than the above. For example, the control unit 113 may divide the calculated θZ by θC'MAX, and determine the number of cycles based on the result, and calculate θC'.

[0044] Using Figure 3(B) as an example, when θZ is divided by θC'MAX, the result is 2 with a remainder of 30°. When a remainder is produced by division like this, the number of cycles N is determined to be 3, which is the division result of 2 plus 1. On the other hand, for example, when θZ=180° and θC'MAX=90°, if division is performed in the same way, the result is divisible by 2. In this case, the division result of 2 is set as the number of cycles. After determining N by the above method, θC' is calculated in the same manner using the above-mentioned equation (3).

[0045] 3(B), the optical axis when the pan angle is θC1 is indicated by 301, the optical axis when the pan angle is θC2 by 302, and the optical axis when the pan angle is θC3 by 303. The pan angles θC1 to θC3 are calculated as follows using equation (2): θC1=125+80 / 2+(70 / 2)*1=200° θC2=125+80 / 2+(70 / 2)*3=270° θC3=125+80 / 2+(70 / 2)*5=340°

[0046] In the case of FIG. 3(B), the third imaging unit 111 is set to cycle so as to capture images in the directions of θC1, θC2, and θC3 while maintaining θC' (=70°). Here, if there are structural constraints on the pan angle of the third imaging unit 111 and the driving range is limited, the rotation range determined above may be changed in accordance with the constraints.

[0047] If the blind spots cannot be captured in full due to limitations in the driving range, the user may be notified of this by, for example, displaying a pop-up message on the UI. This allows the user to change the settings while understanding the limitations of the driving range of the variable-speed camera. That is, the user may be able to change the shooting direction or angle of view of the third imaging unit using the UI such as the GUI. That is, at this time, the control unit functions as a receiving unit that receives changes to the shooting direction or angle of view of the other imaging units.

[0048] Furthermore, even in an imaging device that does not have a means for changing the shooting angle of view and has an imaging unit that has a fixed shooting angle of view, it is possible to similarly calculate the pan direction and number of rotations by considering the above-mentioned θC'MAX as a fixed angle of view θC'.

[0049] In addition, in the examples of Figures 3(A) and (B), the shooting angle of view of the third imaging unit is set to match the blind spot, but this is not limited to this, and the angle of view may be set so as to have a margin for the blind spot. More specifically, in FIG. 3A, θC'=80° is set for the blind spot area θZ=80°, but it is also possible to set θC'=90° so that θZ<θC'.

[0050] As a result, the angle of view of the third imaging unit, which is a variable camera, overlaps with the angle of view of the first and second imaging units, which are fixed cameras, making it easier to see the relationship between the positions of the images displayed on the client terminal device, improving user visibility. Furthermore, if the margin is zero, there is a possibility that blind spots will remain due to driving errors, etc., and, for example, if the subject moves during patrol, the subject may be lost.

[0051] However, by providing a margin as described above, blind spots can be reliably eliminated even if there is a driving error or the like, and a moving subject is less likely to be lost. In this way, in this embodiment, the angle of view of the other imaging unit when taking an image is automatically controlled depending on the size of the imaging range or whether the imaging direction is changed by making multiple rounds, so that blind spots can be easily compensated for.

[0052] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a control flow of the first embodiment, and an example of a method for determining the horizontal angle of view and the pan angle of the variable-angle camera will be described with reference to the control flow of Fig. 4. Note that the processing of this flowchart is performed by the control unit 113 executing a computer program stored in a memory (not shown).

[0053] When the user turns on the automatic setting button by operating the UI of the display unit of the client terminal device 117, the control unit 113 starts this control flow, and the process then proceeds to S401. In S401, the number of cycles N of the third image capture unit 111 is set to 1, and the process proceeds to S402. In S402, θA, θA', θB, and θB' are obtained, and the process proceeds to S403.

[0054] In S403, θZ is calculated using, for example, equation (1), and the process proceeds to S404. In S404, it is determined whether the calculated θZ is greater than θC'MAX. If θZ is less than θC'MAX, the process proceeds to S405, and if θZ is greater than θC'MAX, the process proceeds to S407.

[0055] That is, in step S404, it is determined whether or not to change the photographing direction by rotating multiple times based on the maximum angle of view of the third imaging unit. In S405, θC' is changed to θZ, and the process proceeds to S406. In S406, θC1 is calculated using the method for determining the shooting orientation described above, and the process proceeds to S411.

[0056] On the other hand, in S407, the number of cycles N is incremented by 1, and the process proceeds to S408. In S408, the blind spot area θZ is divided into N equal parts to obtain θC', and the process proceeds to S409. In S409, it is determined whether θC' is larger than θC'MAX. If θC' is smaller than θC'MAX, the process proceeds to S410. On the other hand, if it is larger, the processes of S407 to S409 are repeated.

[0057] In S410, θC1 to θCN are calculated using the method for determining the shooting orientation described above, and the process proceeds to S411. In S411, the shooting parameters of the third imaging unit 111 are changed based on the determined θC1 or θC1 to θCN, θC', and if the number of visits N is 2 or more, the control unit 113 sets the third imaging unit to visit two or more locations, and then ends the processing.

[0058] Here, before the change or patrol is carried out, a pop-up message or the like may be displayed on the display unit of the client terminal device 117 to notify the user that a change will be made. As described above, the GUI may be a UI that allows the user to modify the automatically determined horizontal angle of view, pan angle, and rotation settings in response to the notification such as the pop-up display.

[0059] Here, the patrol settings are parameters such as the patrol order, the time interval until the robot is driven to the next patrol position, and the stopping time at one patrol position. As described above, in this embodiment, the horizontal angle of view, pan angle, and number of rotations of the variable camera are automatically determined according to the horizontal angle of view and pan angle of the fixed camera, so the user does not have to perform cumbersome manual settings to capture blind spots with the variable camera. [Example]

[0060] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the settings of the imaging apparatus of the second embodiment, and the configuration of the imaging apparatus of the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. The same components as those in Fig. 1 are assigned the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0061] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the installation environment of the imaging device 115 when the first imaging unit 105 and the second imaging unit 108 are selected as fixed cameras and the user sets the respective angles of view so that they do not overlap.

[0062] θZ' is the interior angle between the ray 207 and the ray 208, and represents another blind spot that occurs diagonally to the blind spot θZ when the first imaging unit 105 and the second imaging unit 108 are set as fixed cameras. In such a case, θZ' is also calculated in addition to the blind spot θZ described in the first embodiment. The calculation of θZ' will be described later.

[0063] Here, when the automatic setting button is pressed, the control unit 113 determines which blind spot area, θZ or θZ', to photograph. More specifically, when the user presses the automatic setting button, a notification means such as a pop-up display is used to prompt the user to decide which blind spot area should be photographed by the variable-speed camera.

[0064] The control unit 113 determines the horizontal angle of view, pan angle, and number of rotations of the third imaging unit 111 for either of the selected blind spots. Furthermore, the decision as to which of the blind spots θZ and θZ' to photograph is not limited to the above-described method of user selection, but may be made by having the control unit 113 automatically make the decision. For example, after calculating θZ and θZ', the control unit 113 compares the magnitudes of θZ and θZ'.

[0065] If θZ is larger, the third imaging unit 111 determines the horizontal angle of view, pan angle, and number of rotations for θZ. On the other hand, if θZ' is larger, the third imaging unit 111 determines the horizontal angle of view, pan angle, and number of rotations for θZ'. This makes it possible to automatically determine the larger blind spot and set the variable camera to shoot in accordance with the larger blind spot area, even if the user does not know which of θZ and θZ' is larger.

[0066] Here, for example, if θZ is selected, the horizontal angle of view, pan angle, and number of rotations of the third imaging unit 111 are determined by the method described in the first embodiment. On the other hand, calculation of the imaging parameters of the third imaging unit 111 when θZ′ is selected will be described below.

[0067] Here, the control unit 113 determines the horizontal angle of view θC′, pan angle θC, and number of rotations N′ of the third imaging unit 111 based on the calculated blind spot area θZ′ and the maximum horizontal angle of view of the third imaging unit 111. The third imaging unit 111 (not shown) is controlled so as to stop at a position rotated by a pan angle θCN′ (where N′ is an integer) around the point 202 as an axis.

[0068] When the third imaging unit 111 patrols the blind spot area θZ′ N′ times (N′ locations), the pan angle θCN′ of the third imaging unit 111 is determined for each patrol position, such as θC1, θC2, . . . θCN′. For example, when N'=2, the third imaging unit 111 rotates between two imaging angles of view with θC1 and θC2 as the center of the optical axis of the imaging unit. When N'=1, similar to the first embodiment, the third imaging unit 111 does not rotate, but takes images with the optical axis fixed facing one predetermined direction.

[0069] The blind spot θZ′ of the third imaging unit 111 is calculated by the control unit 113 using the following formula. θZ'=360°-θA'-θB'-θZ ···(5) Here, the control unit 113 determines the horizontal angle of view, pan angle, and number of rotations N' of the third imaging unit 111 based on the calculated θZ' and θC'MAX.

[0070] Fig. 5 shows the settings of the third imaging unit 111 when θA = 205°, θA' = 90°, θB = -25°, θB' = 90°, θC'MAX = 90°, θZ = 40°, and θZ' = 140°. Note that Fig. 5 illustrates an example in which the third imaging unit 111 is set to capture an image of the blind spot θZ'.

[0071] At this time, the blind spot area θZ′ is calculated as follows using the above-mentioned equation (5): θZ'=360-90-90-40=140° Here, as shown in FIG. 5, if θZ'>θC'MAX, the control unit 113 increases the number of cycles N' to 2 or more, and determines the horizontal angle of view θC' and pan angles θC1 to θCN' according to the number of cycles N'.

[0072] More specifically, if θZ'>θC'MAX, the control unit 113 increments the number of cycles by 1 in the following equation (6). N'=N'+1 (6) Then, θC′ is calculated using the following equation (7). θC'=θZ' / N' (7)

[0073] Here, the calculated θC' is compared with θC'MAX again. If θC' is smaller than θC'MAX, the horizontal angle of view θC' and N' during rotation are determined. On the other hand, if the horizontal angle of view C' during rotation is larger than θC'MAX, N in equations (6) and (7) is increased until θC' becomes smaller than θC'MAX.

[0074] In the case shown in FIG. 5, the third imaging unit 111 has N=2, and the horizontal angle of view θC′ during rotation is calculated by the following equation (8). θC'=θZ' / N' (8) =140 / 2=70°

[0075] The pan angle θCN′ of the third imaging unit 111 is calculated by the following equation (9). θCN'=θB+θB' / 2+(θC' / 2)*(2N'-1) ···(9) Therefore, the pan angles θC1 and θC2 in the case of FIG. 5 are calculated as follows using equation (9): θC1=-25+45+35=55° θC2=-25+45+35*3=125°

[0076] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a control flow of the second embodiment, and an example of a method for determining the horizontal angle of view and the pan angle of the variable-angle camera in the second embodiment will be described with reference to the control flow of Fig. 6. The processing of this flowchart is performed by the control unit 113 executing a computer program stored in a memory (not shown).

[0077] When the two fixed cameras do not have overlapping angles of view, and the user operates the UI of the display unit of the client terminal device 117 to turn on the automatic setting button, the control unit 113 starts this control flow.

[0078] In S601, θZ and θZ' are calculated using the method for determining the blind spot area described above, and the process proceeds to S602. In S602, the magnitudes of θZ and θZ' are compared. If θZ is greater than θZ', the process proceeds to S611.

[0079] On the other hand, if θZ is smaller than θZ', the process proceeds to S603. In other words, if there are multiple blind spots, the shooting direction or angle of view of the third imaging unit (another imaging unit) is automatically controlled so that the other imaging unit captures a larger blind spot. In S611, the imaging parameters of the third imaging unit 111 are calculated using the method described in the first embodiment so as to capture θZ, and the process proceeds to S612.

[0080] In S603, the number of cycles N' is set to 1, and the process proceeds to S604. In S604, it is determined whether the calculated θZ' is smaller than θC'MAX. If it is smaller than θC'MAX, the process proceeds to S605, and if it is larger than θC'MAX, the process proceeds to S607. In S605, θC' is changed to θZ', and the process proceeds to S606.

[0081] In S606, θC1 is calculated using the method for determining the shooting orientation described above, and the process proceeds to S610. In S606, the number of cycles N' is incremented by 1, and the process proceeds to S608. In S608, the blind spot area θZ' is divided into N' equal parts to obtain θC', and the process proceeds to S609.

[0082] In S609, it is determined whether θC' is greater than θC'MAX. If θC' is smaller than θC'MAX, the process proceeds to S610. On the other hand, if it is greater, the processes of S607 to S609 are repeated. In S610, θC1 to θCN' are calculated using the method for determining the shooting orientation described above, and the process proceeds to S612.

[0083] In S612, the imaging parameters of the third imaging device 103 are changed based on the determined imaging parameters, and the process ends. With the method described above, when there are two blind spots, it is possible to select the larger blind spot or any blind spot of the user's choosing, and then automatically set the parameters to capture the selected blind spot. [Example]

[0084] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an installation environment of the imaging device of the third embodiment. Referring to FIG. 7, an example of an installation environment of the imaging device will be described in which the vertical optical axis directions (hereinafter referred to as tilt angles) of the imaging units of the two fixed cameras are different. Here, it is assumed that the imaging device 115 is fixed to, for example, a ceiling 701. 702 is a dotted line perpendicular to the ceiling, and in the drawing, the right side of the same plane as the ceiling 701 is defined as 0°, and the side below the dotted line 702 is defined as 90°.

[0085] Point 703 is the rotation axis of the tilt direction of first change unit 104, second change unit 107, and third change unit 110, and represents the tilt axis perpendicular to the paper surface. The tilt angle of each imaging unit can be changed around point 703 as an axis. The first imaging unit 105 (not shown) is stopped in a state where the optical axis 203 has rotated by a tilt angle θA″ around the point 703 as an axis.

[0086] Further, the second imaging unit 108 (not shown) is stopped in a state where the optical axis 204 has rotated by a tilt angle θ B ″ in the tilt direction around the point 703 as an axis. Furthermore, the third imaging unit 111 (not shown) is rotated around the optical axis 205 in the pan direction by a pan angle θC″M (where M is an integer) around the point 703, and is stopped for a predetermined period of time.

[0087] The first imaging unit 105 has a vertical angle of view θA′″, which is represented by the interior angle between half lines 704 and 705, each of which has point 703 as its end. The second imaging unit 108 has a vertical angle of view θB′″, which is represented by the interior angle between half lines 706 and 707, each of which has point 703 as its end.

[0088] The third imaging unit 111 has a vertical angle of view θC′″, which is represented by the interior angle of dashed lines 708 and 709 with point 703 as the end. Each imaging unit has a vertical angle of view limit indicated by θA'''MAX, θB'''MAX, and θC'''MAX, and each imaging unit can change the vertical angle of view to any angle within this limit.

[0089] Here, the control unit 113 can automatically determine the vertical rotation area (hereinafter, θX) in which the variable camera rotates to capture blind spots, based on the vertical angle of view and tilt angle of the fixed camera. θX is illustrated as the interior angle of half lines 704 and 707. Here, θX is calculated using the following equation (10).

[0090] θX=(θB''+θB''' / 2)-(θA''-θA''' / 2) ···(10) The control unit 113 compares the calculated θX with the maximum vertical angle of view θC'''MAX of the third imaging unit 111, and sets the number of rotations M in the vertical direction based on the result. If θX is smaller than the maximum vertical angle of view, no rotations are made in the vertical direction, and if it is larger, rotations are made in the vertical direction.

[0091] When the third imaging unit 111 moves vertically within the θX area M times (M locations), the tilt angle θC''M of the third imaging unit 111 is switched for each moving position, such as θC''1, θC''2, ... θC''M. Furthermore, when the third imaging unit 111 rotates in the pan direction in addition to the tilt direction, the total number of rotations L is calculated according to the values ​​of the number of rotations N and M in each direction. The number of rotations L is calculated by the following formula (11).

[0092] L=N*M (11) For example, when N=1 and M=2, the number of cycles L is 2, and the third imaging unit 111 cycles through two shooting angles of view with θC1 as the pan angle and θC''1 and θC''2 as the tilt angles of the imaging unit. When N=1 and M=1, the third imaging unit 111 does not cycle, and captures images at a fixed shooting angle of view with θC1 and θC''1 as the center of the optical axis of the third imaging unit. Also, when N is 2 or more, the total number of cycles L is calculated from the result of multiplying the number of cycles M in the vertical direction by the number of cycles N in the horizontal direction. Details will be described later.

[0093] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the settings of the imaging device of the third embodiment. With reference to FIG. 8, an example of the settings of the variable camera when the tilt angles of the two fixed cameras are different will be described. In this embodiment, the settings of the pan angle, vertical angle of view, and number of rotations in the horizontal direction of the two fixed cameras will be described using the cases of FIGS. 3(A) and 3(B) as examples.

[0094] Fig. 8(A) is a diagram showing an example of vertical rotation settings when combined with the horizontal rotation in Fig. 3(A). Here, 801 is a two-dimensional map showing the maximum angle of view of the pan angle and tilt angle of the image capture device 115. The X axis in the diagram represents the angle in the pan direction, and the Y axis represents the angle in the tilt direction. Reference numeral 802 denotes the photographing angle of view of the first imaging unit 105, 803 the second imaging unit 108, and 804 the third imaging unit 111, respectively.

[0095] Furthermore, 805 indicates a position corresponding to the optical axis of the first imaging unit 105, and 806 indicates a position corresponding to the optical axis of the second imaging unit 108. Furthermore, 807 indicates a position corresponding to the optical axis of the third imaging unit 804 when the tilt angle is θC''1, and 808 indicates a position corresponding to the optical axis of the third imaging unit 804 when the tilt angle is θC''2. Here, the coordinates (X, Y) of the position corresponding to the optical axis 807 are (θC1, θC''1), and the coordinates (X, Y) of the position corresponding to the optical axis 808 are (θC1, θC''2).

[0096] In FIG. 8A, the tilt angle θA″ of the first imaging unit is set to 25°, the vertical angle of view θA′″ to 30°, the tilt angle θB″ of the second imaging unit is set to 60°, and the vertical angle of view θB′″ to 20°. Also, the maximum vertical angle of view of the third imaging unit is set to θC′″MAX to 50°, and N is set to 1. In this case, θX is calculated as follows using equation (10) above:

[0097] θX=(θB''+θB''' / 2)-(θA''-θA''' / 2) =60+10-25+15=60° Here, as shown in FIG. 8(A), if θX>θC′″MAX, the control unit 113 increases the number of cycles M in the vertical direction, and determines the vertical angle of view θC′″ and tilt angles θC″1 to θC″M according to the number of cycles M.

[0098] More specifically, if θX>θC′″MAX, the control unit 113 increments the cycle number M by 1 in the following equation (12). Note that the cycle number M is set as M=1 by default. M=M+1 (12) Then, θC′″ is calculated using the following equation (13). θC′′′=θX / M (13)

[0099] Here, the calculated θC′″ is compared with θC′″MAX again. If θC′″ is smaller than θC′″MAX, θC′″ and M are determined. On the other hand, if θC′″ is greater than θC′″MAX, then equations (12) and (13) are repeated until θC′″ becomes smaller than θC′″MAX.

[0100] In the case shown in FIG. 8, the third imaging unit 111 has M=2, and θC′″ is calculated as follows using equation (13): θC'''=θX / M =60 / 2=30° By calculating θC′″ in this way, it is possible to set the blind spot to be photographed with higher resolution even when θX>θC′″MAX.

[0101] Note that θC''' is not limited to the calculation method described above, and may be calculated, for example, by rotating within θX at θC'''MAX. In this case, it is possible to set the third imaging unit 111 to capture blind spots with the minimum number of rotations while fixing the angle of view at the maximum. Moreover, the tilt angles θC″1 and θC″2 in FIG. 8(A) are calculated as follows using the following equation (14):

[0102] θC''M=θA''-θA''' / 2+(θC''' / 2)*(2M-1)...(14) θC''1=25-30 / 2+(30 / 2)*1=25° θC''2=25-30 / 2+(30 / 2)*3=55° The total number of cycles is calculated as follows using the above-mentioned formula (11): L=N*M =1*2=2

[0103] Therefore, in the case of FIG. 8(A), the third imaging unit 111 is set to capture images in the vertical direction of θC''1 and θC''2 cyclically while maintaining the pan angle θC, horizontal angle of view θC', and vertical angle of view θC''. That is, the coordinates (θC1, θC''1) of the position corresponding to the optical axis 807 and the coordinates (θC1, θC''2) on the two-dimensional plane of the position corresponding to the optical axis 808 are determined as follows:

[0104] (θC1, θC''1)=(270°, 25°) (θC1, θC''2)=(270°, 55°) Here, if there is a structural constraint on the tilt angle of the third imaging unit 111 and the driving range is limited, the patrol range determined above may be changed in accordance with the constraint. If it is not possible to capture images that cover all blind spots due to the driving range constraint, the user may be notified of this by, for example, displaying a pop-up message on the UI.

[0105] This allows the user to change the settings while understanding the limitations of the variable camera's driving range. Also, if θX<θC''MAX, θC'''=θX, and the number of cycles M=1, and the third imaging unit 111 is set to capture an image in the fixed optical axis direction at a predetermined angle of view, just like the other imaging units.

[0106] The tilt angle θC″1 at this time can also be calculated in the same way using the above-mentioned equation (14). FIG. 8B is a diagram showing an example of vertical rotation settings in the same state as FIG. 3B with respect to the pan direction.

[0107] 8(A), 810 to 815 indicate positions corresponding to the optical axis of the third imaging unit 804 during rotation. The coordinates of the positions corresponding to optical axis 810, optical axis 811, optical axis 812, optical axis 813, optical axis 814, and optical axis 815 are (θC1, θC''1), (θC2, θC''1), (θC3, θC''1), (θC1, θC''2), (θC2, θC''2), and (θC3, θC''2).

[0108] Here, the settings in Figure 8(B) are θA''=25°, θA'''=30°, θB''=60°, θB'''=20°, θC'''MAX=50°, and N=3. The tilt angle, vertical angle of view, and number of cycles M of the third imaging unit 111 are determined in the same way as in the case of Figure 8(A), but the number of cycles L is calculated as follows using the above-mentioned equation (11):

[0109] L=N*M =3*2=6 8(B), the third imaging unit 111 is set to repeatedly move around a total of six locations in the horizontal and vertical directions. That is, the coordinates of the optical axes 810 to 815 are determined as follows.

[0110] (θC1, θC''1)=(200°, 25°) (θC2, θC''1)=(270°, 25°) (θC3, θC''1)=(340°, 25°) (θC1, θC''2)=(200°, 55°) (θC2, θC''2)=(270°, 55°) (θC3, θC''2)=(340°, 55°)

[0111] Furthermore, the number of times to cycle and the coordinates to cycle through are not limited to those described above, and may be other. Specifically, the lower part of the imaging angle of view 802 and the upper part of the imaging angle of view 803 are regarded as areas to be photographed by the variable camera, and these locations are also patrolled in addition to the coordinates described above. For example, in FIG. 8B, the coordinates of the following eight locations in total may be patrolled in the following order, for example. The order is not limited to the following order.

[0112] (θC1, θC''1)=(200°, 25°) (θC2, θC''1)=(270°, 25°) (θC3, θC''1)=(340°, 25°) (θB, θC''1)=(55°, 25°) (θA, θC''2)=(125, 55°) (θC1, θC''2)=(200°, 55°) (θC2, θC''2)=(270°, 55°) (θC3, θC''2)=(340°, 55°)

[0113] The angle of view of the third image capture unit 111 when capturing the added coordinates θA and θB may be the maximum angle of view, or may be set to a range that does not overlap with the fixed camera or other patrol settings. Conversely, the capture range may be patrolled so that it partially overlaps with the capture range of other cameras. By configuring various settings in this way, it becomes possible to further flexibly expand the range in which the patrol settings of the variable camera are implemented.

[0114] Furthermore, the image or CG shown in map 801 may be displayed on the GUI of the client terminal device. In this case, after the automatic determination of the shooting parameters is completed, the user can readjust the shooting parameters while checking map 801. Furthermore, the user can see which shooting positions on the map are being visited during the tour.

[0115] 9 is a diagram showing a control flow of the third embodiment, and an example of a method for determining the imaging angle of view, the direction of the optical axis, and the patrol setting of the variable camera will be described with reference to the control flow of Fig. 9. Note that the processing of this flowchart is performed by the control unit 113 executing a computer program stored in a memory (not shown). When the user turns on the automatic setting button through a UI operation, if one or more of the tilt angles or vertical angles of view of the two fixed cameras differ and a blind spot occurs, the control unit 113 starts this control flow and proceeds to S901.

[0116] In S901, the horizontal angle of view θC' for rotation, the number of rotations N in the horizontal direction, and θC1 to θCN are calculated using the method described in the first embodiment, and the process proceeds to S902. In S902, the number of rotations M in the vertical direction of the third imaging unit 111 is set to 1, and the process proceeds to S903. In S903, the tilt angle θA″ and vertical angle of view θA′″ of the first imaging unit, and the tilt angle θB″ and vertical angle of view θB′″ of the second imaging unit are acquired, and the process proceeds to S904.

[0117] In S904, θX is calculated using the method for determining the vertical circulation area θX described above, and the process proceeds to S905. In S905, it is determined whether the calculated θX is larger than the maximum vertical angle of view θC′″MAX. If θX is smaller than θC′″MAX, the process proceeds to S906, and if θX is larger than θC′″MAX, the process proceeds to S908.

[0118] In S906, θC′″ is changed to θX, and the process proceeds to S907. In S907, θC″1 is calculated using the method for determining the shooting orientation described above, and the process proceeds to S912. In S908, the number of times M in the vertical direction is incremented by 1, and the process proceeds to S909.

[0119] In S909, θX is divided into M equal parts to obtain θC′″, and the process proceeds to S910. In S910, it is determined whether θC′″ is greater than θC′″MAX. If θC′″ is less than θC′″MAX, the process proceeds to S911. On the other hand, if it is greater, the processes of S908 to S910 are repeated.

[0120] In S911, θC″1 to θC″M are calculated using the method for determining the shooting direction described above, and the process proceeds to S912. In S912, the number of cycles L and the coordinates are determined by the above-mentioned determination method, and the process proceeds to S913. In step S913, the imaging parameters of the third imaging unit 111 are determined based on the determined number of cycles L and coordinates. If the number of cycles L is 2 or more, the third imaging unit 111 is set to cycle, and the process ends.

[0121] Here, before the change or patrol is carried out, the client terminal device 117 may be notified of the change by a pop-up display or the like. Furthermore, the configuration may be such that the user can readjust the automatically determined vertical angle of view, tilt angle, and rotation setting at the timing of the notification such as the pop-up display.

[0122] By using the method described above, the vertical angle of view, tilt angle, and number of rotations of the variable camera can be automatically determined according to the vertical angle of view and tilt angle of the fixed camera, which makes it easy for users to set up the variable camera to capture blind spots. [Example]

[0123] Fig. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of an imaging apparatus according to a fourth embodiment, and the configuration of the imaging apparatus according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 10. The same components as those in Fig. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. Reference numeral 1001 denotes a fourth camera unit, which includes a fourth change means 1002 , a fourth imaging unit 1003 , and a fourth detection unit 1004 .

[0124] The fourth change means 1002 is composed of a drive mechanism not shown, and the user can arbitrarily change the direction of the optical axis of the fourth imaging unit 1003 manually or by remote control from the client terminal device 117 described later. The fourth imaging unit 1003 has the same configuration as the first imaging unit 105, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0125] The fourth detection unit 1004 is configured with an angular displacement acquisition means (not shown) including a rotary encoder or the like, and acquires the direction of the optical axis of the fourth imaging unit 1003 and transmits it to the control unit 113 .

[0126] When the first imaging unit 105 and the second imaging unit 108 are set by the user as fixed cameras, the control unit 113 calculates θZ' in addition to the blind spot area θZ. The calculation of θZ and θZ' has been described in Examples 1 and 2, so a description thereof will be omitted.

[0127] Here, the control unit 113 determines the shooting angle of view θD', shooting direction θD, and number of cycles N'' of the fourth imaging unit 1003 based on the calculated blind spot area θZ' and the maximum horizontal angle of view of the fourth imaging unit 1003. The calculation of the shooting angle of view θD', shooting direction θD, and number of cycles N'' will be described later. After calculating the above parameters, the control unit 113 issues to the fourth imaging unit 1003 an instruction to change the imaging angle of view and the imaging direction, and an instruction to patrol.

[0128] When the number of rounds N''=1, no rounds are made, and the fourth image capturing unit 1003 captures an image of a fixed point, similar to a fixed camera. Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an installation environment of the imaging device of Example 4, and an example of an installation environment of the imaging device 115 when there are four imaging units will be described with reference to Fig. 11. It is assumed that the fourth imaging unit 1003 is stopped at a position rotated by the pan angle θDN around the axis of point 202 (the optical axis is at the position indicated by the dotted line 1101).

[0129] When the fourth imaging unit 1003 patrols the blind spot area N'' times, the pan angle θDN of the fourth imaging unit 1003 is determined for each patrol position, such as θD1, θD2, . . . θDN''.

[0130] For example, when N''=2, the fourth image capturing unit 1003 rotates between two image capturing angles of view θD1 and θD2 centered on the optical axis of the image capturing unit. When N''=1, the fourth image capturing unit 1003 does not rotate, but captures images at a fixed image capturing angle of view centered on the optical axis at θD1. The optical axis of the fourth imaging unit 1003 is indicated by a dotted line 1101 and intersects with it at point 202 .

[0131] The fourth imaging unit 1003 has a horizontal angle of view θD′, which is represented by the interior angle between dotted lines 1102 and 1103, with point 202 as the end. The fourth imaging unit 1003 has a limit to the photographing angle of view indicated by θD′MAX, and the photographing angle of view can be changed to any angle within this limit.

[0132] θZ' is the inner angle between the ray 207 and the ray 208, and represents the blind spot that occurs diagonally to the blind spot θZ when the first imaging unit 105 and the second imaging unit 108 are set as fixed cameras. Here, the control unit 113 determines the horizontal angle of view, pan angle, and number of scans N'' of the fourth imaging unit 1003 based on the calculated blind spot areas θZ' and θD'MAX. More specifically, this will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 13.

[0133] Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the settings of the imaging device of the fourth embodiment, and the pan angle, horizontal angle of view, and rotation settings of the fourth imaging unit 1003 that are automatically determined by the processing of the control unit 113 will be described with reference to Fig. 12. Note that the same components as those in Fig. 11 are assigned the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted.

[0134] FIG. 12 shows an example of the settings of the fourth imaging unit 1003 when θA=170°, θA'=70°, θB=-25°, θB'=90°, θC'MAX=90°, θD'MAX=90°, θZ=80°, and θZ'=120°. As shown in FIG. 12, when θZ'>θD'MAX, the control unit 113 increases the number of cycles N'' from 1 and determines the horizontal angle of view θD' and pan angles θD1 to θDN'' according to the number of cycles. The determination of the number of cycles N'' will be described later with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 13.

[0135] In the case shown in FIG. 12, the number of rotations of the fourth imaging unit 1003 is N''=2, and the horizontal angle of view θD' during rotation is calculated by the following equation (15). θD'=θZ' / N'' (15) =120 / 2=60°

[0136] The pan angle θDN″ of the fourth imaging unit 1003 is calculated by the following equation (16). θDN''=θB+θB' / 2+θD' / 2*(2N''-1) ···(16) Therefore, the pan angles θD1 and θD2 in the case of FIG. 12 are calculated as follows using equation (16): θD1=-25+45+30=50° θD2=-25+45+30*3=110°

[0137] Here, as described in the first embodiment, if there is an overlap in the angles of view of the fixed cameras and there is only one blind spot, two variable cameras may be set to divide or patrol one blind spot area. Furthermore, if the number of visits N of the third imaging unit 111 is different from the number of visits N'' of the fourth imaging unit 1003, the magnitudes of N and N'' may be compared, and the stay time at each location during the visit may be changed depending on the result.

[0138] For example, when N=3 and N''=2, the time spent at each location by the third imaging unit 111 is shortened, and the time taken for one tour from the start to the end of the tour is set to be equal for the two variable cameras. This operation causes the start and end timings of the tour to match for the two variable cameras, improving user visibility in the GUI.

[0139] In order to match the time required for one round from the start to the end of the tour, the stay time of the fourth image capturing unit 1003 at each location may be extended. Fig. 13 is a diagram showing a control flow of the fourth embodiment, and a method for determining the horizontal angle of view and the pan angle of the variable-angle camera of the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to the control flow of Fig. 13. Note that the processing of this flowchart is performed by the control unit 113 executing a computer program stored in a memory (not shown).

[0140] When the user operates the UI to turn on the automatic setting button, the control unit 113 starts this control flow. In S1301, the imaging parameters of the third imaging unit 111 are calculated using the method described in the first embodiment, and the process proceeds to S1302.

[0141] In S1302, the number of cycles N'' of the fourth image capturing unit 1003 is set to 1, and the process proceeds to S1303. In S1303, the blind spot area θZ' is calculated using the method for determining θZ' described above, and the process proceeds to S1304.

[0142] In S1304, it is determined whether the calculated θZ' is smaller than θD'MAX. If θZ' is smaller than θD'MAX, the process proceeds to S1305, and if θZ' is larger than θD'MAX, the process proceeds to S1307. In S1305, θD' is changed to θZ', and the process proceeds to S1306.

[0143] In S1306, θD1 is calculated using the method for determining the shooting orientation described above, and the process proceeds to S1310. In S1307, the number of cycles N'' is incremented by 1, and the process proceeds to S1308. In S1308, the blind spot area θZ' is divided into N'' equal parts to obtain θD', and the process proceeds to S1309.

[0144] In S1309, it is determined whether θD' is greater than θD'MAX. If it is less than θD'MAX, the process proceeds to S1310. On the other hand, if it is greater, the processes of S1307 to S1309 are repeated. In S1310, θD1 to θDN'' are calculated using the method for determining the shooting orientation described above, and the process proceeds to S822.

[0145] In S1311, the imaging parameters of the third imaging device 103 and the fourth imaging device 1003 are changed based on the determined imaging parameters, and the process ends. In this embodiment, the imaging device 115 has been described as having four camera units, but the imaging device 115 may have five or more camera units. In this case, the blind spots for all imaging units are calculated using a calculation method similar to that for θZ and θZ', and the imaging angle of view, direction of the optical axis, and number of rotations of the variable camera are set so that each blind spot is photographed based on instructions from the control unit 113.

[0146] As described above, according to this embodiment, the user can easily set up the adjustable camera to capture blind spots in an imaging device with four or more camera units. Similarly, it is also possible to easily set up the adjustable camera to capture blind spots in an imaging device with five or more camera units.

[0147] In addition, as in Example 4, when there are multiple blind spots, the shooting direction or angle of view of multiple other imaging units may be automatically controlled so that each blind spot is photographed using multiple other imaging units. Furthermore, when there are multiple blind spots, information regarding the blind spots that are to be photographed by other imaging units may be received. Furthermore, a user may be able to select which blind spot should be photographed by which imaging unit using a UI such as a GUI.

[0148] The present invention has been described in detail above based on its preferred embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible based on the gist of the present invention, and these modifications are not excluded from the scope of the present invention.

[0149] Furthermore, a computer program that realizes all or part of the control in this embodiment and the functions of the above-described embodiment may be supplied to the imaging device via a network or various storage media. Then, a computer (or a CPU, MPU, etc.) in the imaging device may read and execute the program. In this case, the program and the storage medium storing the program constitute the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0150] 101 First Camera Section 102 Second Camera Section 103 Third Camera Club 104 First Change Method 105 First imaging unit 106 First detection unit 107 Secondary Change Method 108 Second Imaging Unit 109 Second detection unit 110 Third means of change 111 Third Imaging Unit 112 Third detection unit 113 Control Unit 114 Network Processing Unit 115 Imaging device 116 Network 117 Client terminal device

Claims

1. a plurality of imaging units including a first imaging unit and a second imaging unit, each of which is movable around a rotation axis along the circumference of an annular guide and which capture images of a predetermined imaging range in a shared manner; a setting unit for setting a photographing range of the second imaging unit based on a user operation; a control means for automatically controlling a photographing direction or an angle of view of the first photographing unit so that, when a photographing range of the second photographing unit is set by the setting means, a photographing range other than the photographing range set by the setting means is photographed by the first photographing unit, The control means determines whether the first imaging unit will patrol and photograph the other shooting range based on the maximum angle of view of the first imaging unit and the other shooting range.

2. 2. The imaging device according to claim 1, further comprising: a receiving unit that receives a change in the imaging direction or angle of view of the first imaging unit controlled by the control unit.

3. The imaging device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, when the first imaging unit patrols and images the other imaging range, the control means controls the first imaging unit to periodically change the shooting direction or angle of view based on the shooting direction or angle of view of the first imaging unit.

4. 4. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the imaging direction includes at least one of a pan direction and a tilt direction.

5. The imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the plurality of imaging units further includes a third imaging unit that is movable along the circumference of the annular guide with the rotation axis as the center.

6. The imaging device according to claim 5, characterized in that, when there are multiple blind spots, the control means compares the sizes of the multiple blind spots and determines, based on the comparison result, which of the blind spots should be photographed by the third imaging unit.

7. A control method for an imaging device having a plurality of imaging units including a first imaging unit and a second imaging unit, each of which is movable around a rotation axis along the circumference of an annular guide and which captures an image in a predetermined imaging range, a setting step of setting a photographing range of the second photographing unit based on a user operation; and a control step of automatically controlling a photographing direction or a field angle of the first photographing unit when the photographing range of the second photographing unit has been set by the setting step so that the first photographing unit photographs a photographing range other than the photographing range set by the setting step, within the predetermined photographing range; A control method for an imaging device, characterized in that the control step determines whether or not the first imaging unit will patrol and photograph the other imaging range based on the maximum angle of view of the first imaging unit and the other imaging range.

8. A computer for an imaging device having a plurality of imaging units, each of which includes a first imaging unit and a second imaging unit, and which are movable around a rotation axis along the circumference of a circular guide, and which capture images by sharing a predetermined imaging range, a setting means for setting the imaging range of the second imaging unit based on a user operation; and a control means for automatically controlling the photographing direction or angle of view of the first photographing unit so that, when the photographing range of the second photographing unit is set by the setting means, the first photographing unit photographs a photographing range other than the photographing range set by the setting means, out of the predetermined photographing range. A program for functioning as The control means determines whether or not the first imaging unit will patrol and photograph the other imaging range based on the maximum angle of view of the first imaging unit and the other imaging range.

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

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