Moving object image tracking apparatus and method
First Claim
1. A moving object image tracking apparatus comprising:
- a first rotation unit configured to rotate about an azimuth axis vertically oriented and rotatably supported;
a second rotation unit configured to rotate about an elevation axis rotatably supported and horizontally oriented, the elevation axis being perpendicular to the azimuth axis, the second rotation unit being horizontally rotatable from a front position at which the second rotation unit faces a front, to a back position at which the second rotation unit faces a back, via an angular position corresponding to a zenith, the second rotation unit having a movable range of at least 180°
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a driving unit configured to drive the first rotation unit and the second rotation unit to rotate independent of each other;
an acquisition unit supported by the second rotation unit and configured to acquire image data of a moving object by photography;
a first detection unit configured to detect, in the image data, a tracking error indicating a deviation of the moving object from a center of a field of view of the acquisition unit;
a second detection unit configured to detect angles indicating attitudes of the first rotation unit and the second rotation unit;
a third detection unit configured to detect angular velocities of the first rotation unit and the second rotation unit;
a first computation unit configured to compute first angular velocity instruction values for driving the first rotation unit and the second rotation unit to track the moving object, using the detected tracking error and the detected angles, when the moving object exists in a first range separate from the zenith by at least a preset distance;
an estimation unit configured to estimate a traveling direction of the moving object using the detected angles and the detected tracking error, when the moving object exists in a second range within the preset distance from the zenith;
a second computation unit configured to compute second angular velocity instruction values for driving the first rotation unit and the second rotation unit to track the moving object and avoid a zenith singular point, using the detected angles, the detected tracking error and the estimated traveling direction; and
a control unit configured to control the driving unit to eliminate differences between the first angular velocity instruction values and the angular velocities when the moving object exists in the first range, and to control the driving unit to eliminate differences between the second angular velocity instruction values and the angular velocities when the moving object exists in the second range.
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Abstract
An apparatus includes a first-computation unit computing first-angular-velocity-instruction values for driving first-and-second-rotation units to track a moving object, using a detected tracking error and a detected angles, when the moving object exists in a first range separate from a zenith by at least a preset distance, a second-computation unit computing second-angular-velocity-instruction values for driving the first-and-second-rotation units to track the moving object and avoid a zenith-singular point, using the detected angles, the detected tracking error and an estimated traveling direction, and a control unit controlling the first-and-second-rotation units to eliminate differences between the first-angular-velocity-instruction values and the angular velocities when the moving object exists in the first range, and controlling the first-and-second-rotation units to eliminate differences between the second-angular-velocity instruction values and the angular velocities when the moving object exists in a second range within the preset distance from the zenith.
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Citations
7 Claims
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1. A moving object image tracking apparatus comprising:
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a first rotation unit configured to rotate about an azimuth axis vertically oriented and rotatably supported; a second rotation unit configured to rotate about an elevation axis rotatably supported and horizontally oriented, the elevation axis being perpendicular to the azimuth axis, the second rotation unit being horizontally rotatable from a front position at which the second rotation unit faces a front, to a back position at which the second rotation unit faces a back, via an angular position corresponding to a zenith, the second rotation unit having a movable range of at least 180°
;a driving unit configured to drive the first rotation unit and the second rotation unit to rotate independent of each other; an acquisition unit supported by the second rotation unit and configured to acquire image data of a moving object by photography; a first detection unit configured to detect, in the image data, a tracking error indicating a deviation of the moving object from a center of a field of view of the acquisition unit; a second detection unit configured to detect angles indicating attitudes of the first rotation unit and the second rotation unit; a third detection unit configured to detect angular velocities of the first rotation unit and the second rotation unit; a first computation unit configured to compute first angular velocity instruction values for driving the first rotation unit and the second rotation unit to track the moving object, using the detected tracking error and the detected angles, when the moving object exists in a first range separate from the zenith by at least a preset distance; an estimation unit configured to estimate a traveling direction of the moving object using the detected angles and the detected tracking error, when the moving object exists in a second range within the preset distance from the zenith; a second computation unit configured to compute second angular velocity instruction values for driving the first rotation unit and the second rotation unit to track the moving object and avoid a zenith singular point, using the detected angles, the detected tracking error and the estimated traveling direction; and a control unit configured to control the driving unit to eliminate differences between the first angular velocity instruction values and the angular velocities when the moving object exists in the first range, and to control the driving unit to eliminate differences between the second angular velocity instruction values and the angular velocities when the moving object exists in the second range. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A moving object image tracking method comprising:
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preparing a first rotation unit configured to rotate about an azimuth axis vertically oriented and rotatably supported; preparing a second rotation unit configured to rotate about an elevation axis rotatably supported and horizontally oriented, the elevation axis being perpendicular to the azimuth axis, the second rotation unit being horizontally rotatable from a front position at which the second rotation unit faces a front, to a back position at which the second rotation unit faces a back, via an angular position corresponding to a zenith, the second rotation unit having a movable range of at least 180°
;driving the first rotation unit and the second rotation unit to rotate independent of each other; preparing an acquisition unit supported by the second rotation unit, and acquiring image data of a moving object by photography; detecting, in the image data, a tracking error indicating a deviation of the moving object from a center of a field of view of the acquisition unit; detecting angles indicating attitudes of the first rotation unit and the second rotation unit; detecting angular velocities of the first rotation unit and the second rotation unit; computing first angular velocity instruction values for driving the first rotation unit and the second rotation unit to track the moving object, using the detected tracking error and the detected angles, when the moving object exists in a first range separate from a zenith by at least a preset distance; estimating a traveling direction of the moving object using the detected angles and the detected tracking error, when the moving object exists in a second range within the preset distance from the zenith; computing second angular velocity instruction values for driving the first rotation unit and the second rotation unit to track the moving object and avoid a zenith singular point, using the detected angles, the detected tracking error and the estimated traveling direction; and controlling the first rotation unit and the second rotation unit to eliminate differences between the first angular velocity instruction values and the angular velocities when the moving object exists in the first, range, and controlling the first rotation unit and the second rotation unit to eliminate differences between the second angular velocity instruction values and the angular velocities when the moving object exists in the second range.
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Specification