JPH07231400A - Imaging device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] In the displacement shooting mode, the horizontal angle of view that corresponds to the split rotation angle of the camera when shooting a subject in a divided manner is adjusted to correspond to the change in the focal length of the shooting lens, thereby obtaining the shooting magnification. It is possible to continuously shoot an image corresponding to the included angle covered by the taking lens according to the change of the above without causing overlapping or omission of multiple screen boundaries. [Structure] A focal length of a photographing lens is detected, a horizontal angle corresponding to the detected focal length is calculated, and a camera is displaced and rotated for each horizontal angle of view based on a set number of displacements to photograph a plurality of images. Will be recorded.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a photographing apparatus which divides a subject for each angle of view in response to a change in the focal length of a photographing lens to photograph and obtain continuous images.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art According to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 62-274193, when a wide-area subject is divided into a plurality of screens and shot in a plurality of screens, the rotation direction of the camera is set at a predetermined angle corresponding to the view angle. There is known a support device for an electronic still camera which is capable of being photographed from various angles by displacing it to a different angle.

However, when the focal length of the taking lens changes, the angle of view of the taking lens changes in accordance with the change of the focal length, but the rotation angle in the taking of the camera is constant. If the boundaries of multiple screens do not match exactly and the edges of the screens overlap, or if the shooting angle of the shooting lens becomes longer than the camera-side rotation angle when the shooting focal length becomes long. , There is a drawback that a part of the subject that is not photographed may appear on the screen.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, according to the present invention, an image is taken by changing the rotation angle of the camera in various ways according to the angle of view (horizontal angle of view) of the taking lens which changes according to the focal length of the taking lens. It is another object of the present invention to provide an imaging device capable of solving problems such as inconsistency in the boundaries between a plurality of screens and formation of a subject region that is not captured in the screens.

[0005]

According to the present invention, there is provided a focal length detecting means for detecting a focal length of a photographing lens which is changed according to an object and a focal length detected by the focal length detecting means. An angle of view calculating means for calculating an angle of view of the photographing lens, a mode setting means for selectively setting the normal photographing mode or the displacement photographing mode, and a photographing lens for setting the photographing lens when the displacement photographing mode is set by the mode setting means. A directional displacement means supported by a supporting device including a camera, and capable of displacing a direction of an optical axis of a photographing lens toward a subject for each angle of view calculated by the angle-of-view calculation calculation, and this directional displacement means. Imaging means for opening and closing the shutter of the camera to photograph a subject in the direction each time the direction is displaced by Has an exposed fastening means to be subjected to exposure of the imaging in the direction of displacing the exposed in shadow thereafter,
Further, it has a displacement number setting means capable of setting the displacement number for each angle of view, and further has a set number display means capable of visually recognizing the set number set by the displacement number setting means,
Furthermore, a displacement returning means is provided for returning the state displaced by the direction displacement means to the non-displacement state after the displacement number setting means has finished photographing the displacement number set in advance.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing a system of a photographing apparatus of the present invention. In the figure, the amount of image pickup light incident from the taking lens 10 is controlled by the diaphragm 11, and the image pickup element
An optical image is formed on the 12 imaging surfaces.

Reference numeral 13 is an image processing unit for performing processing such as analog-digital conversion and data compression on the image data corresponding to the optical image photoelectrically converted on the image pickup surface of the image pickup device 12. A recording unit 14 is connected to the output side of the image processing unit 13
Data of the imaged subject is sent to and recorded at 14 from the image processing unit 13. The recording unit 14 is composed of, for example, an SRAM semiconductor memory card. The data recorded in the recording unit 14 is observed by the operator of the photographing device in the electronic viewfinder 15 connected to the output side of the image processing unit 13.

The amount of light incident on the optical lens 16 is converted into photometric data by the photometric circuit 17. The photometric circuit 17 is a control unit 18.
Connected to. The control output based on the photometric data is the control unit 18
From the shooting lens 10, diaphragm 11 and shooting element 12,
In the return loop formed by connecting the image processing unit 13 and the control unit 18, focus control is executed, and aperture value and shutter speed control corresponding to the exposure at which the subject should be imaged are executed. Reference numeral 19 denotes a focal length detector that detects a focal length at the time of capturing an image of the taking lens 10, and an optical image formed on the image pickup surface of the image pickup element 12 in focus upon receiving a focus control output of the control unit 18. It includes a lens driver for driving the taking lens 10 in the direction to reach. The focal length detector 19 detects the amount of movement of the lens barrel that moves in the direction of the optical axis when the taking lens changes the focal length. The amount of movement is detected by, for example, forming an electrical sliding resistance between the moving lens barrel and a fixed portion adjacent to the lens barrel to convert the amount of movement of the lens barrel with respect to the fixed portion into an electric signal. By. The output of the focal length detector 19 is connected to the control unit 18, and the control output of the control unit 18 based on the conversion output by the focal length detector 19 is sent to the angle-of-view calculator 20. This angle-of-view calculator 20 calculates the horizontal angle of view θ of the taking lens 10 according to the focal length at the time of image pickup, based on the following formula.

Θ = 2 tan {C / 2F} In the above formula, C is the horizontal length of the image pickup surface of the image pickup element 12 in the image pickup state in which the optical image of the image pickup lens 10 is obtained, and F is the image pickup lens. It is the focal length at the time of imaging. The angle of view expresses the range in which a light image can be incident on the image pickup surface of the image pickup device 12 as an angle. The horizontal angle of view means that the landscape is spread horizontally, so it is common for the horizontal line to be parallel to the longer side of the imaging surface of the image sensor 12 when the image is taken. The long side corresponds to a corner, and this long side is an angle formed with respect to the imaging lens 10.

The displacement driver 21 is connected to the output end of the angle-of-view calculator 20, receives the horizontal angle-of-view signal sent from the angle-of-view calculator 20 in response to changes in the focal length of the photographing lens 10, and then the displacement driver 21 receives the signal. A drive signal for horizontally rotating the photographing device by the horizontal angle of view is sent to the displacement device 22 connected to the output end.

Reference numeral 23 denotes a displacement number setting switch which is operated by an operator from outside the photographing apparatus. The displacement count indicator 24 is connected to the control unit 18 and is connected to the displacement count setting switch.
The control output relating to the number of displacements set by 23 is received, and the number of displacements is displayed so that it can be visually recognized from the outside of the imaging device. Reference numeral 25 denotes a mode switch which is operated by being operated from outside the photographing device. The mode switch 25 sets the system to the normal photographing mode or the displacement photographing mode. The normal photographing mode is a state in which the photographing device does not rotate at all during image pickup, and the displacement photographing mode is a state in which the subject is divided into the horizontal angle of view of the photographing lens 10 and rotated during photographing. 26 is a control unit that operates by being operated from the outside of the imaging device
It is a release switch that sends a control output to each unit via 18. The image sensor 12 connected to the control output terminal of the control unit 18.
Receives the control output sent through the control unit 18 by the operation of the release switch 26 and performs the electronic shutter operation. Reference numeral 27 denotes an exposure fixing switch that can be selected by an operation from outside the photographing device to perform automatic exposure or fixed exposure in the displacement photographing mode. In the fixed exposure, when a plurality of displacement times are set and displacement imaging is executed, the control unit 18 stores the exposure at the time of the first imaging in response to the end of the electronic shutter operation of the imaging device 12 in the first imaging. The stored exposure at the time of the first imaging is sent from the control unit 18 to the diaphragm 11 and the image sensor 12 in the subsequent displacement imaging, and is used for setting the aperture value and the electronic shutter speed, respectively.

FIG. 2 shows a specific structure of the displacement device 22 shown in FIG. The constituent elements of the displacement device 22 are built in the camera body 30. The mode setting button 31 is slidably installed on the lower wall 30A of the camera that constitutes a part of the camera body,
A mode operator 31A is externally provided through an opening 30B attached to A.
Is protruding. The mode switch 25 shown in FIG. 1 is fixedly installed in the sliding area along the lower wall 30A of the mode setting button 31. When the normal mode shooting is desired, the sliding end 31B of the mode setting button 31 enters the lower part of the tip (expanding upward) of the switch piece 25A at one end of the mode switch 25 and is in the closed state. The switch 25 is opened. Mode setting button 31
A stopper gear 32 is fixed to this. At the position shown in FIG. 2, the stopper gear 32 is set in the displacement mode photographing state and is not in mesh with the gear 33.

The axis of a pinion 35 is fixed to the rotary shaft of the pulse motor 34, and this pinion 35 meshes with a first intermediate gear 36 fixedly mounted coaxially with a gear 33 that meshes with a stopper gear 32 in normal mode photography. is doing. The small gear 37 fixed coaxially to the first intermediate gear 36 meshes with the small gear 39 fixed coaxially to the second intermediate gear 38. The second intermediate gear 38 meshes with the third intermediate gear 40. Third intermediate gear
40 meshes with the displacement gear 41. Displacement gear 41 is one end of the rotary shaft
41A is supported by a bearing 30B forming a part of the camera body 30. The other end 41B of the rotation shaft of the displacement gear 41 is fixed by press fitting or the like into a support hole 42A provided in the upper end surface of the rotation shaft of the displacement shaft 42 that rotates and slides on the camera body 30. A camera support device 43 is, for example, a tripod mount or the like. Support device
43 is the displacement axis 42 by the mounting screw 44 during displacement mode shooting
Fixedly attached to. The displacement device 22 built in the camera body 30 and the camera body 30 constitute the photographing apparatus of the present invention.

The pulse motor 34, the first intermediate gear 36,
The second intermediate gear 38, the third intermediate gear 40, etc. are the camera body 30.
Are respectively supported by bearings that are appropriately formed on the fixed portions that form a part of the.

The operation of this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS.

First, when displacement imaging is desired, the mode setting button 31 shown in FIG. 2 is slid in the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow 45 to the position shown in FIG. The stopper gear 32 is disengaged from the pinion 35, and the sliding end 31B is retracted from the tip of the switch piece 25A of the mode switch 25.
25 is in a closed state, a signal indicating that the mode is closed is input from the mode switch 25 shown in FIG. 1 to the control unit 18, and the system is set to the displacement photographing mode (step 1 in FIG. 3).

Next, in order to set the photographing magnification of the photographing lens 10 shown in FIG. 1, the focal length of the photographing lens is set (step 2 in FIG. 3). This setting is performed by being operated from the outside of the camera according to the desired photographing magnification. The set focal length is detected by the focal length detector 19 shown in FIG. 1 (step 3 in FIG. 3). This detection data is sent to the angle-of-view calculator 20 via the controller 18, and the angle of view (θ) corresponding to the detected focal length is calculated (step 4 in FIG. 3).
Here, the angle of view (θ) is the horizontal angle of view. In addition, θ is summarized as an integer in the frequency display.

Next, the operator sets the number of divided images of the subject, that is, the number of times of displacement (step 5 in FIG. 3). By operating a setting means that can be operated from the outside of the camera, for example, a setting button or the like to turn on / off the displacement number setting switch 23 shown in FIG. 1 a desired number of times, a displacement number display 21 is displayed via the control unit 18. Set while observing the displayed number of times. If the product of the angle of view (θ degrees) calculated by the angle of view calculator 20 and the set number of displacements (N times) is greater than 360 degrees (NO line in step 6 of FIG. 3), the imaging device Since it becomes unreasonable to rotate once or more, the displacement photographing mode is canceled and the set number of displacements is canceled and reset again (step 5 in FIG. 3). If the product of the angle of view (θ degrees) and the number of displacements (N times) is less than 360 degrees (see step 6 in FIG. 3).
(YES line), the release operation is started in order to perform rotational imaging with this number of displacements (step 7 in FIG. 3).

In the initial operation of starting the release operation, the photometry circuit 17 shown in FIG. 1 starts photometry (step 8 in FIG. 3) and sends photometry data to the control unit 18. The control output based on the photometric data is sent to the diaphragm 11 and the image sensor 12 to control the aperture value and the electronic shutter speed of the image sensor 12, respectively.

Next, in conjunction with the above-mentioned release operation, FIG.
When the release switch 26 shown in FIG. 3 is closed (step 9 in FIG. 3), the electronic shutter of the image pickup device 12 operates (step 10 in FIG. 3), and the optical image formed on the image pickup surface of the image pickup device 12 is changed. The corresponding image data is sent to the image processing unit 13 and the first shooting is executed. During shooting, the operator can observe the subject with the electronic viewfinder 15. The image data for one screen processed by the image processing unit 13 is sent to and recorded in the recording unit 14 (step 11 in FIG. 3).

Next, the control unit 18 judges the magnitude of the number of images recorded in the recording unit 14 (the number of recordings per screen) and the set displacement number N (step 12 in FIG. 3). When it is determined that the number of shots is less than N (YES line in step 12 of FIG. 3), the control unit 18 outputs a control signal to the displacement drive unit 21 via the angle-of-view calculator 20, and the focal length is calculated first. A command to rotate the displacement device 22 by the horizontal angle of view calculated according to is transmitted.

Based on this command, a pulse current is supplied to the pulse motor 34 shown in FIG. 2 to start rotation of the displacement device 22 (step 13 in FIG. 3). The rotational force of the pulse motor 34 is transmitted to the first intermediate gear 36, the second intermediate gear 38, and the third intermediate gear 40 to rotate the displacement gear 41. Displacement gear 41
Is fixed to the displacement shaft 42 and the support device 43, the rotational force of the displacement gear 41 transmitted from the pulse motor 34 causes the other components of the displacer and the camera body to be integrated as a unit of the displacement gear 41. It will be able to revolve around the periphery.

In this embodiment, the number of teeth of the gear train is, for example, one rotation angle of the camera corresponding to one pulse, and the pulse motor 34 is supplied with pulses required to rotate for the calculated horizontal angle of view. . When the rotation for the horizontal angle of view is completed, the control unit 18 shown in FIG. 1 commands the photometric circuit 17 to perform photometry in preparation for the next photographing (step 8 in FIG. 3). Subsequently, steps 9, 10 and 11 shown in FIG. 3 are executed, and after recording in the recording section 14 shown in FIG. 1, the number of photographings and the set displacement number N are compared (step 12 of FIG. 3). The displacement device is rotated until the number of images is equal to the above N (step of FIG. 3).
13), the above-mentioned loop is executed to continue shooting and recording for each horizontal angle of view. When the number of shots becomes equal to N, the operation exits from the loop described above (NO line in step 12 of FIG. 3), the process ends, and the split shooting ends.

It should be noted that photometry is performed for each horizontal angle of view,
The exposure based on the photometry is not taken, and the exposure based on the photometric data measured in the first shot is fixed by closing the exposure lock switch 27 (Fig. 1) that is linked to the exposure lock mechanism that can be operated from outside the camera. The imaging at the set number of displacements may be executed based on the fixed exposure. In this case, the control output of the control unit 18 based on the closing of the exposure fixing switch 27 is the aperture value of the aperture 11 and the image sensor 12.
The exposure that determines the electronic shutter speed is fixed in subsequent shooting. In this way, if the subject is in the normal light condition at the time of the first shooting, the normal light exposure in that condition is changed uniformly with the rotation of the camera thereafter and becomes semi-backlit or backlit. When applied to, at least the target object is not overexposed.

When the mode setting button 31 shown in FIG. 2 is slid in the direction of the arrow 45, the stopper gear 32 meshes with the pinion 33 and the mode switch 25 is opened to enter the normal photographing mode in which the camera does not rotate for each photographing. The display of the number of times displayed on the displacement number display 24 shown in FIG. 1 is reset to zero display by the control output of the control unit 18 based on the opening of the mode switch 25. Further, in this mode, current is not supplied to the pulse motor 34 shown in FIG. 2 even if the release switch is closed and photographing is performed.

[0026]

As described above, in the photographing apparatus of the present invention, the horizontal angle of view corresponding to the division rotation angle of the camera when dividing and photographing the object is set as the focal length of the photographing lens for obtaining the photographing magnification. Accordingly, the boundaries of the plurality of screens that have been photographed are accurately matched, and images corresponding to the comprehensive angle covered by the photographing lens are continuously obtained according to changes in the photographing magnification. Further, since the subject is photographed at the subsequent rotation position by the forward exposure in the first photographing of the plurality of photographing, it is possible to avoid the adverse effect on the screen of the backlight of the subject due to the rotation.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a specific configuration of functional blocks of a displacement device 22 shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Photographic lens, 11 Aperture, 12 Image sensor, 13
Image processing unit, 14 Recording unit, 17 Photometric circuit, 18
Control unit, 19 focal length detector, 20 angle of view calculator, 2
1 displacement driver, 22 displacement device, 23 displacement number setting switch, 24 displacement number indicator, 25 mode switch, 26 release switch, 27 exposure fixing switch, 30 camera body, 31 mode setting button, 32 stopper gear, 34 pulse motor , 35 pinions,
36 first intermediate gear, 38 second intermediate gear, 40
Third intermediate gear, 41 displacement gear, 42 displacement shaft, 43
Support device,

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] March 2, 1992

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be corrected] Drawing

[Correction target item name] All drawings

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Fig. 2]

[Figure 3]

[Figure 1] ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ───

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] April 9, 1992

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be corrected] Drawing

[Correction target item name] All drawings

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Figure 1]

[Fig. 2]

[Figure 3]

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A focal length detecting means for detecting a focal length of a photographing lens which is changed according to a subject, and an angle of view calculation for calculating an angle of view of the photographing lens according to the focal length detected by the focal length detecting means. Means and mode setting means capable of being selectively set to the normal photographing mode or the displacement photographing mode,
When the displacement photographing mode is set, the direction of the optical axis of the photographing lens, which is supported by a supporting device that supports the camera including the photographing lens and faces the subject for each angle of view calculated by the angle-of-view calculation, is set. Directional displacement means capable of displacement,
A photographing device for photographing a subject in the direction by opening and closing a shutter of the camera every time the direction is displaced by the direction displacement means. 2. The exposure means is provided with an exposure fixing means for using the exposure in the first photography before the displacement as it is as the exposure in the photography in the displaced direction thereafter. The imaging device described. 3. The photographing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a displacement number setting means capable of setting the displacement number for each angle of view. 4. The photographing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a set number display unit capable of visually recognizing the set number set by the displacement number setting unit. 5. A displacement returning means for returning the state displaced by the directional displacement means to a non-displacement state after the displacement number setting means has finished photographing the displacement number set in advance. Item 3 or Item 4
Shooting device.