Control device, imaging system, control method, and program for controlling imaging unit according to image capturing direction and zoom magnification

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9961268-B2
Application number	US-201514929063-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 30, 2015
Priority date	Nov 14, 2014
Publication date	May 1, 2018
Grant date	May 1, 2018

Abstract

On a display screen of a display unit which displays an image captured by an imaging unit, the image capturing direction and the zoom magnification for a specified imaging region to be captured by the imaging unit are determined. If the determined image capturing direction is out of a range of the image capturing direction of the imaging unit that can be changed, the zoom magnification of the imaging unit is restricted to be lower than the zoom magnification determined in the determination.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A control device comprising:
an acceptance unit configured to accept a specification of a specified region on a display screen of a display unit which displays an image captured by an imaging unit;
a determination unit configured to determine an image capturing direction and a zoom magnification for the specified region accepted by the acceptance unit; and
a control unit configured to control the imaging unit on the basis of the image capturing direction and the zoom magnification determined by the determination unit,
wherein, in a coordinate system in which x denotes a pan direction and y denotes a tilt direction, when an upper limit value of a movable range in the pan direction is defined as Lx, when a center coordinate of the specified region is defined as (x0, y0) and horizontal and vertical sizes thereof are defined as (w0, h0), and when a center of an imaging region determined finally is defined as (X, Y) and horizontal and vertical sizes thereof are defined as (W, H),
the control unit changes the image capturing direction of the imaging unit such that equations of (X, Y)=(x0, y0), (W, H)=(w0, h0) hold in a case where the center of the specified region is within the movable range in the pan direction of the imaging unit, and
the control unit changes the image capturing direction of the imaging unit such that equations of X=Lx, W=w0+2×(x0−Lx), H=W×(h0/w0) hold in a case where the center of the specified region is not within the movable range in the pan direction of the imaging unit,
wherein the acceptance unit is realized by a processor or a combination of the processor and software,
wherein the determination unit is realized by a processor or a combination of the processor and software, and
wherein the control unit is realized by a processor or a combination of the processor and software.

2. The control device according to claim 1 ,
wherein, in the case where the imaging unit is unable to be directionally changed into the image capturing direction determined by the determination unit due to a physical restriction on driving of the imaging unit, the control unit restricts the zoom magnification of the imaging unit to be the zoom magnification lower than the zoom magnification determined by the determination unit so that the specified imaging-region is included in a viewing angle to be captured by the imaging unit.

3. The control device according to claim 1 ,
wherein, in the case where the imaging unit is unable to be directionally changed into the image capturing direction determined by the determination unit due to a physical restriction on driving of the imaging unit, the control unit restricts the zoom magnification to be the highest zoom magnification among the zoom magnifications for making the specified region included in the viewing angle captured by the imaging unit.

4. The control device according to claim 1 ,
wherein, in the case where the imaging unit is unable to be directionally changed into the image capturing direction determined by the determination unit due to a physical restriction on driving of the imaging unit, the control unit displays on the display screen of the display unit, a cutout image obtained by cutting a part of the imaging region corresponding to the specified region in the captured image captured by the imaging unit at a zoom magnification lower than the zoom magnification determined by the determination unit.

5. The control device according to claim 4 , further comprising
an image processing unit configured to change a size of the cutout image,
wherein the image processing unit magnifies the cutout image and displays the magnified image on the display screen of the display unit,
wherein the image processing unit is realized by a processor or a combination of the processor and software.

6. The control device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control unit changes a display mode of an image representing the specified region depending on whether the image capturing direction determined by the determination unit is unable to be directionally changed due to a physical restriction on driving of the imaging unit.

7. The control device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the determination unit determines the image capturing direction of the imaging unit with reference to a center of a viewing angle of the imaging unit.

8. The control device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the acceptance unit accepts the specification of the specified region by illustration of a rectangular shape.

9. The control device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the acceptance unit accepts the specification of the specified region from a terminal device connected to the control device through a network.

10. The control device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a reception unit configured to receive the captured image captured by the imaging unit through a network,
wherein the control unit controls the zoom magnification of the imaging unit through the network,
wherein the reception unit is realized by a processor or a combination of the processor and software.

11. A control method for a control device, comprising:
an acceptance step of accepting a specification of a specified region on a display screen of a display unit which displays an image captured by an imaging unit;
a determination step of determining an image capturing direction and a zoom magnification for the specified region accepted in the acceptance step; and
a control step of controlling the imaging unit on the basis of the image capturing direction and the zoom magnification determined by the determination step,
wherein, in a coordinate system in which x denotes a pan direction and v denotes a tilt direction, when an upper limit value of a movable range in the pan direction is defined as Lx, when a center coordinate of the specified region is defined as (x0, y0) and horizontal and vertical sizes thereof are defined as (w0, h0), and when a center of an imaging region determined finally is defined as (X, Y) and horizontal and vertical sizes thereof are defined as (W, H),
the control step changes the image capturing direction of the imaging unit such that equations of (X, Y)=(x0, y0), (W, H)=(w0, h0) hold in a case where the center of the specified region is within the movable range in the pan direction of the imaging unit, and
the control step changes the image capturing direction of the imaging unit such that equations of X=Lx, W=w0+2×(x0−Lx), H=W×(h0/w0) hold in a case where the center of the specified region is not within the movable range in the pan direction of the imaging unit,
wherein the acceptance step is executed by a processor or a combination of the processor and software,
wherein the determination step is executed by a processor or a combination of the processor and software, and
wherein the control step is executed by a processor or a combination of the processor and software.

12. The control method for a control device according to claim 11 ,
wherein, in the control step, in the case where the imaging unit is unable to be directionally changed into the image capturing direction determined in the determination step due to a physical restriction on driving of the imaging unit, a cutout image obtained by cutting a part of the imaging region corresponding to the specified region in the captured image captured by the imaging unit is displayed on the display screen of the display unit at a zoom magnification lower than the zoom magnification determined in the determination step.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for executing a control method for a control device, the control method

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Kimura Takumi

Classifications

• H04N23/661 Primary

  Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet · CPC title

• H04N23/69

  Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming · CPC title

• H04N23/631

  Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters · CPC title

• H04N23/635

  Region indicators; Field of view indicators · CPC title

• H04N23/695

  Control of camera direction for changing a field of view, e.g. pan, tilt or based on tracking of objects · CPC title