Imaging Apparatus Common Optical Axis Telephoto Recognition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing imaging systems that capture wide-angle and telephoto images simultaneously face issues such as high cost, large size, parallax errors, and difficulty in tracking objects due to separate optical axes, leading to incomplete or distorted images and reduced precision in object recognition.
Innovation Solution
An imaging apparatus with a single imaging section featuring a directional sensor and optical systems where the wide-angle and telephoto images share a common optical axis, allowing for simultaneous acquisition and precise panning/tilting control to center objects within the telephoto view, enhancing image recognition accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If two independent cameras (wide-angle and telephoto) are used simultaneously, then both wide-angle and telephoto images can be captured, but the system cost and size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines wide-angle and telephoto optical systems into a single integrated camera unit with a shared image sensor. The optical system includes a wide-angle lens and a telephoto lens that can be switched or used simultaneously, eliminating the need for two separate cameras while maintaining the capability to capture both wide-angle and telephoto images.
Solution Approach 2:
The single camera system is designed to perform multiple functions by incorporating both wide-angle and telephoto optical paths. The image sensor can receive light from either optical path depending on the imaging mode required, making the system universal for both wide-angle and telephoto photography without requiring separate dedicated devices.
2Adaptability or versatility
If wide-angle and telephoto cameras are mounted separately, then each camera can capture its respective image, but parallax errors occur between the images
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the wide-angle and telephoto optical systems into a single camera body with a common image sensor plane. Both optical paths are aligned to share the same optical axis and focal plane, ensuring that images captured through either path are inherently aligned without parallax errors, eliminating the need for post-capture parallax correction.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If the wide-angle camera is fixed, then it can continuously monitor the scene, but the target object cannot be tracked when it moves beyond the wide-angle view
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a movable mirror or lens shifting mechanism that allows the telephoto optical path to dynamically adjust its field of view. When a target is detected at the edge of the wide-angle view, the system can shift the telephoto optical path to follow and track the moving target, extending the effective tracking range beyond the fixed wide-angle view while maintaining continuous monitoring capability.
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is an imaging apparatus capable of easily capturing a desired target object through a telephoto optical system and performing image recognition on the target object, which is captured by the telephoto optical system, on the basis of a telephoto image including the target object. In addition, provided is a method of recognizing the target object. The imaging apparatus includes: an imaging optical system that is formed of a wide-angle optical system and a telephoto optical system having a common optical axis; a directional sensor; a panning/tilting mechanism that rotates an imaging section, which includes the imaging optical system and the directional sensor, in horizontal and vertical directions; and an image acquisition section that respectively acquires a wide-angle image, for which light is received from the directional sensor through the wide-angle optical system, and a telephoto image for which light is received from the directional sensor through the telephoto optical system. A first target object (person P) is detected from a wide-angle image W1 acquired by the image acquisition section, the panning/tilting mechanism is controlled on the basis of information about a position of the detected first target object within the wide-angle image, and image recognition is performed on a telephoto image T2, which is acquired by the image acquisition section, when the first target object is positioned at the center of the wide-angle image, thereby recognizing the first target object or a second target object (face F) close to the first target object.