Monitoring camera and swing correction method

• US 10,237,482 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2017
• Issued: 03/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: I-Pro Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ohara, Masamichi, Yokoyama, Takamasa, Yoshino, Kazuki, Sakakibara, Yoshio, Yamagi, Yoichiro, Kuribayashi, Hironori, Urashima, Yoshihito, Wada, Jyouji, Okamura, Shinichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Nam D
• Application Number:
  US15/428,560
• Publication Number:
  US 20170230580A1
• Time in Patent Office: 768 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/02 Bodies
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/561 Support related camera accessories
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2217/005 Blur detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1963 Arrangements allowing camera rotation to change view, e.g. pivoting camera, pan-tilt and zoom [PTZ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/667 Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/6812 based on additional sensors, e.g. acceleration sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/6815 by distinguishing pan or tilt from motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/683 performed by a processor, e.g. controlling the readout of an image memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/69 Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2628 Alteration of picture size, shape, position or orientation, e.g. zooming, rotation, rolling, perspective, translation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A monitoring camera sets ON or OFF of swing correction in accordance with setting information about whether or not the swing correction of an image (that is, captured image) captured by an image sensor is performed, and corrects swing by cutting out a part of the captured image based on a swing detected value of a vibration sensor in a case where the swing correction is set ON. The monitoring camera outputs the captured image while maintaining a state thereof in a case where the swing correction is set OFF.

Claims

1. A monitoring camera which is capable of performing pan rotation and tilt rotation, the monitoring camera comprising:

a capturing portion that captures an image;

a sensor that detects swing of the monitoring camera;

a swing correction amount calculating portion that calculates a correction amount of the swing of the image captured by the capturing portion, based on a swing detected value of the sensor;

a rotation control portion that generates a control signal for performing at least one of the pan rotation and the tilt rotation to reduce the swing of the monitoring camera, based on the swing detected value of the sensor;

a swing correction portion that performs swing correction of the image in accordance with the correction amount calculated by the swing correction amount calculating portion; and

a rotation mechanism portion that performs at least one of the pan rotation and the tilt rotation in accordance with the control signal generated by the rotation control portion.

2. The monitoring camera according to claim 1,

wherein the sensor detects the swing of the monitoring camera in which at least one of the pan rotation and the tilt rotation is performed by the rotation mechanism portion.

3. The monitoring camera according to claim 1,

wherein the swing correction amount calculating portion calculates an image shift amount related to cut-out of the image captured by the capturing portion as the correction amount;

and

wherein the swing correction portion outputs an image obtained by cutting out a part of the image captured by the capturing portion in accordance with the image shift amount calculated by the swing correction amount calculating portion.

4. The monitoring camera according to claim 1,

wherein the capturing portion includes a swing correction lens which is capable of being driven in a direction perpendicular to an optical axis of the monitoring camera;

wherein the swing correction amount calculating portion calculates a shift amount with respect to the optical axis of the swing correction lens as the correction amount; and

wherein the swing correction portion changes a capturing range of the image captured by the capturing portion based on the driving of the swing correction lens corresponding to the shift amount calculated by the swing correction amount calculating portion and outputs the image with the changed capturing range.

5. The monitoring camera according to claim 1, wherein the rotation control portion generates a signal for not allowing the monitoring camera to perform the pan rotation and the tilt rotation as the control signal, when an absolute value of each of a pan rotation angle and a tilt rotation angle corresponding to the swing detected values of the sensor is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

6. The monitoring camera according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is disposed at a position where a starting point of a detection axis of the swing of the monitoring camera overlaps the optical axis of the capturing portion.

7. A swing correction method used in a monitoring camera being capable of performing pan rotation and tilt rotation, the swing correction method comprising:

capturing an image by a capturing portion;

detecting swing of the monitoring camera by a sensor;

generating a control signal for performing at least one of the pan rotation and the tilt rotation by a processor to reduce the swing of the monitoring camera based on a swing detected value of the sensor;

performing at least one of the pan rotation and the tilt rotation by a rotation mechanism portion in accordance with the generated control signal;

calculating a correction amount of the swing of the image captured by the capturing portion based on the swing detected value of the sensor by the processor; and

performing swing correction of the image by the processor in accordance with the calculated correction amount.