Patent Application
20200319537
The present disclosure relates to a mounting apparatus, an image capturing system, and an image generation system.
In recent years, a virtual viewpoint image generation apparatus has been known that includes a plurality of image capturing apparatuses (cameras) installed in a facility such as a stadium, to generate, for a sporting event, a concert, or the like, a virtual viewpoint image from an any specified viewpoint using multi-viewpoint images captured from a multiplicity of directions by groups of a plurality of the cameras.
In a case where the plurality of cameras are installed in spectators stands in a facility such as a stadium, the cameras need to be installed on the building frame such as column portions, ceiling surfaces, or wall surfaces in the spectators stands such that the cameras do not obstruct the view of the spectators.
In this case, depending on requirements such as the number of cameras installed, an image capturing direction, and the structure of a stadium or the like in which the cameras are installed, the plurality of cameras may need to be installed in parallel on one mounting apparatus.
In particular, in the stadium or the like, locations where the cameras can be mounted are limited. Thus, in order to prevent the installed cameras from causing problems such as obstruction to movement of spectators or obstruction of field of view of the spectators or in order to reduce the scale of installation work, it is desirable to reduce the number of mounting apparatuses as much as possible and to install the plurality of cameras in parallel on one mounting apparatus.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2012-191495 discloses a method for mounting a three-dimensional camera including two cameras installed in parallel in a horizontal direction on one mounting apparatus.
However, the technology described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2012-191495 does not take into consideration a case where image capturing directions span wide angles with respect to a forward direction of the mounting apparatus. Thus, when the image capturing direction of a certain camera is oblique to the forward direction of the mounting apparatus, an adjacently installed camera may enter an image capturing range of the certain camera.
In view of the problems described above, the present disclosure provides a technology for inhibiting an adjacently installed camera from entering the image capturing range.
According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a mounting apparatus comprising: a base unit configured to fix the mounting apparatus to an object; a holding unit on which a plurality of image capturing apparatuses are installable; a rotation mechanism unit installed on the base unit to rotatably support the holding unit; and a plurality of adjustment units configured to rotate at least around an axis substantially parallel to a rotation axis of the rotation mechanism unit, the plurality of adjustment units enabling the plurality of image capturing apparatuses to rotate in an identical direction around an axis substantially parallel to the rotation axis of the rotation mechanism unit.
Further features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments (with reference to the attached drawings).
Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Note, the following embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the claimed invention. Multiple features are described in the embodiments, but limitation is not made an invention that requires all such features, and multiple such features may be combined as appropriate. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the same reference numerals are given to the same or similar configurations, and redundant description thereof is omitted.
Hereinafter, with reference to
The camera mounting apparatus 200 includes a base unit 20, a camera holding arm (holding unit) 21, and a plurality of adjustment mechanisms 22. The base unit 20 is a base that is fixed to the column portion 50 in the stadium. The camera holding arm 21 is an arm that can hold a plurality of camera units 100. The camera holding arm 21 is shaped to extend horizontally from an upper part of the pillar portion 50 in the stadium so that two camera units 100 are installed in parallel on the camera holding arm 21. The plurality of adjustment mechanisms 22 are fixed to the camera holding arm 21 to hold the plurality of camera units 100 respectively and can adjust an image capturing direction of each of the camera units 100 in a pan/tilt/roll direction.
Here, as illustrated in
Now, another case will be described where, as illustrated in
Thus, as illustrated in
However, in a case where the installation interval is w2, which is wider than w1, the camera holding arm 23 is larger than the camera holding arm 21. For example, a large number of cameras need to be installed, in a case where, a virtual viewpoint image generation system is installed in a stadium, and the system includes a plurality of cameras and generates a virtual viewpoint image from an any specified viewpoint using multi-viewpoint images from a multiplicity of directions captured and acquired by a group of cameras. Accordingly, a large number of mounting apparatuses for the cameras are also required. A plurality of images captured by the plurality of cameras installed on the mounting apparatuses are used to generate virtual viewpoint images. Note that the virtual viewpoint image is an image representing a vision from a specified viewpoint. The virtual viewpoints may be freely (any) specified by a user or may be selected from a plurality of candidates by the user. Additionally, designation of the virtual viewpoints may be executed automatically by an image generation system for virtual viewpoint images based on the results of image analysis or the like.
When the mounting apparatuses are commonly used with installation intervals corresponding to various image capturing directions and wide-angle image sensing of the multiplicity of cameras installed at various locations in the stadium, the installation interval between the cameras increases. As a result, the mounting apparatuses are larger in size, causing various problems such as increased manufacturing costs, increased mounting work costs due to increased size and weight of the mounting apparatus, and increased transportation costs. Methods are also available for providing a plurality of types of mounting apparatuses each corresponding to required installation intervals depending on the image capturing directions and ranges of the cameras at the respective mounting locations. However, the methods cause problems such as increased costs and complicated installation work due to increased component types.
In contrast, with reference to
The camera mounting apparatus 300 includes a base unit 30, a camera holding arm 31, an arm rotation mechanism unit 32, and an adjustment mechanism 22. The base unit 30 is fixed to the column portion 50 in the stadium. The camera holding arm 31 is an arm on which the two camera units 100a and 100b can be installed in parallel in the horizontal direction. The arm rotation mechanism unit 32 is a mechanism that rotatably supports the camera holding arm 31 with respect to the base unit 30. The arm rotation mechanism unit 32 supports, at a position where the two camera units 100a and 100b are substantially symmetrically arranged, the camera holding arm 31 rotatably around a rotation axis corresponding to the vertical direction with respect to the horizontal direction in which the plurality of camera units are installed in parallel.
The plurality of adjustment mechanisms 22 are fixed to the camera holding arm 31 to hold the camera units 100a and 100b respectively and can adjust the image capturing directions of the respective camera units respectively. In the present embodiment, the adjustment mechanism 22 can adjust the image capturing direction to three axial directions including a tilt rotation direction and a roll rotation direction, in addition to a pan rotation direction corresponding to a rotation axis substantially parallel to the rotation axis of the arm rotation mechanism unit 32. Additionally, the adjustment mechanism 22 enables the plurality of cameras to rotate in the same direction along the pan rotation direction. The camera units 100a and 100b perform a pan rotation while the relation between respective camera units 100a and 100b in the image capturing direction (optical axis) is maintained. Additionally, both of the camera units 100a and 100b rotate in a clockwise direction with respect to the pan rotation axis. Additionally, the adjustment mechanism 22 can also rotate the plurality of cameras in opposite directions along the pan rotation direction. In such a case, one of the camera units 100a and 100b (for example, the camera unit 100a) rotates in a clockwise direction with respect to the pan rotation axis, and the other (for example, the camera unit 100b) rotates anticlockwise with respect to the pan rotation axis.
In a case where the installation interval between two camera units 100a and 100b is w1, in the example illustrated in
This may increase a degree of freedom in the image capturing direction of each of the camera units installed in parallel without increasing the installation interval between the camera units 100a and 100b from w1.
Note that in the example of
Note that, in the description in the present embodiment, the example is illustrated in which the two camera units are arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction with respect to the ground surface but that no such limitation is intended and that the two camera units may be installed in parallel in a upper/lower direction (vertical direction).
Additionally, in the present embodiment, the example in which the two camera units are installed in parallel is described, but the number of the camera units is not limited to two. For example,
As described above, under the condition that a multiplicity of cameras are installed to face a variety of directions in a stadium or the like, the same camera mounting apparatuses can be used in a multiplicity of locations, and the installation interval between the plurality of camera units can be shortened.
Thus, the camera holding arm can be downsized, and the camera mounting apparatus as a whole can be downsized. Thus, manufacturing costs and costs required for transportation, mounting work, or the like can be reduced.
A camera mounting apparatus according to a second embodiment will be described using
As illustrated in
The automatic panhead mechanism 151 is a mechanism fixed to the camera holding arm 41 to hold the camera units 100a and 100b and can adjust the orientations of the camera units 100a and 100b to instructed directions. The automatic panhead mechanism 151 includes a movable mechanism (movable mechanism unit) 17 for adjusting the camera unit in the pan direction, and a movable mechanism (movable mechanism unit) 18 for adjusting the camera unit in the tilt direction. Similar to the adjustment mechanism 22 according to the first embodiment, the automatic panhead mechanism 151 enables the plurality of cameras to rotate in the same directions along the pan rotation direction. Additionally, the automatic panhead mechanism 151 enables the plurality of cameras to rotate in opposite directions along the pan rotation direction.
The control unit 80 can transmit an instruction to and drive at least the arm rotation mechanism unit 42 and the automatic panhead mechanism 151.
In the present embodiment, the cables 51a and 51b and the cable 52 transmit signals providing instructions for the respective rotation directions, and also supplies driving power to each of the automatic panhead mechanisms 151a and 151b and the arm rotation mechanism unit 42.
Now, effects of the camera mounting apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described taking, as an example, a case where the image capturing direction of each of the camera units 100a and 100b is an oblique direction V3 with respect to the forward direction of the column portion 50 in the stadium on which the camera mounting unit 400 is mounted, as illustrated in
Thus, even in a case where the installation interval between the two camera units 100a and 100b is w3 as is the case with
This may increase the degree of freedom in the image capturing directions of the camera units installed in parallel without increasing installation interval between the camera units 100a and 100b from w3. Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the control unit 80 controls the arm rotation mechanism unit 42 and the automatic panhead mechanisms 151a and 151b that can adjust the image capturing direction of each of the camera units 100a and 100b, thus enabling the image capturing direction of each camera unit to be adjusted in a short time.
In this manner, according to the present embodiment, the image capturing directions of the plurality of camera units can be remotely changed, and thus, for example, in a case where a plurality of competitions are conducted in the same stadium, image capturing can be performed switching between the plurality of competitions in different competition locations in a short time. Furthermore, rotation of the arm rotation mechanism unit 42 may increase the degree of freedom in an image capturing location. In addition, since the image capturing directions of the camera units can be remotely changed, the image capturing directions can be switched even in a situation where spectators are in the stadium or the like.
Note that, in the present embodiment, similarly to the configuration illustrated in
Additionally, the control unit 80 may also be configured to control camera-side settings such as adjustment of the focus and exposure of each of the camera units. Accordingly, in a case where the object to be captured is changed, each of the camera units can be easily set to optimal setting.
Note that, in the present embodiment, the control unit 80 is installed in the camera mounting apparatus on each of the column portions in the stadium, but that no such limitation is intended. For example, as illustrated in
Additionally, as illustrated in
Such integrated control enables a quicker change in image capturing directions of the camera units, and also allows centralized confirmation of the status of each of the camera units and the status of the rotation mechanism.
The control units 80 and 85a to 85c and the integration unit 90 may be information processing apparatuses such as personal computers in a monitoring chamber for monitoring the stadium. A configuration in which a plurality of arm rotation mechanisms and a plurality of automatic panhead mechanisms connected in a wired or wireless manner can be remotely controlled may be employed.
The present disclosure may inhibit the adjacently installed camera from entering the image capturing range.
Embodiment(s) of the present disclosure can also be realized by a computer of a system or apparatus that reads out and executes computer executable instructions (e.g., one or more programs) recorded on a storage medium (which may also be referred to more fully as a ‘non-transitory computer-readable storage medium’) to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s) and/or that includes one or more circuits (e.g., application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)) for performing the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s), and by a method performed by the computer of the system or apparatus by, for example, reading out and executing the computer executable instructions from the storage medium to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s) and/or controlling the one or more circuits to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s). The computer may comprise one or more processors (e.g., central processing unit (CPU), micro processing unit (MPU)) and may include a network of separate computers or separate processors to read out and execute the computer executable instructions. The computer executable instructions may be provided to the computer, for example, from a network or the storage medium. The storage medium may include, for example, one or more of a hard disk, a random-access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a storage of distributed computing systems, an optical disk (such as a compact disc (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD), or Blu-ray Disc (BD)™), a flash memory device, a memory card, and the like.
While the present disclosure has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.
This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-071506, filed on Apr. 3, 2019, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-071506 | Apr 2019 | JP | national |
