JP2011124965A - Subject dimension measuring camera apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an apparatus and method for measuring the size or dimensions of a subject accurately and easily even if imaging is performed while zooming out (reducing) or zooming in (enlarging) the subject while capturing the subject or the situation of a job site using an electronic camera. <P>SOLUTION: A camera apparatus with a subject dimension measuring or comparing function comprises a plurality of beam sources. The plurality of beam sources are mounted in the camera while being spaced apart from one another so as to radiate light emission beams in parallel with an optical axis of the camera. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a camera device having a function of measuring or comparing the dimensions of a subject.

  Professional cameras have been used in various fields such as security cameras, broadcast cameras, and conference cameras as security cameras and security cameras, and imaging systems, captured image quality, convenience, etc. according to their respective purposes are required. ing. In particular, with improved camera performance and resolution, it is now possible to monitor professional cameras and surveillance cameras with more detailed images, even if the subject is in a remote location or in a night-vision state that could not be discriminated in detail. ing. For this reason, applications for measuring and comparing the size and dimensions of subjects using these camera devices are also expanding.

  For surveillance cameras, security cameras, and professional cameras, if the size and dimensions of the subject can be measured, and the size and size of a specific part of the subject can be compared and recognized, the purpose of use And applications will be greatly expanded. Especially when taking pictures and analyzing images from a remote location in dangerous places such as accident sites, fire sites, water sites, high places, and places where people cannot easily enter, the size and dimensions of the subject If it can be measured, it will be extremely useful as image data.

  Activating a surveillance camera and recording the accident situation and crime scene status, acquiring the size and distance data of people and objects in the image, understanding the damage status of buildings, construction sites and bridges, and the size of paint peeling Compare the size appropriately, such as when you are away from airplanes, cars, trains, etc., or when parts are inaccessible or damaged, scratches, etc., or when storing objects or fitting bolts and nuts etc. It is also necessary to inspect whether it can be stored in advance.

  Conventionally, for civil engineering work by camera imaging, measuring the size of a subject part at a construction site, etc., a memo board that has been measured and filled in with a standard measuring instrument such as a major scale or level, and a cigarette box whose size can be estimated A photograph is taken with a coin, a person, etc., and the size and dimensions of an object are measured or compared.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, electronic cameras are often used for civil engineering and construction site measurement and analysis, and image recording data is acquired, recorded, and then subjected to image analysis. In addition to the advantage that image data can be recorded and stored as actual data, this has the advantage that the time required for analysis can be greatly reduced by first taking an image and analyzing in detail only the problematic part.

  When analyzing problem areas (for example, scratches, damage, paint removal, bolt dropout, cracks, discoloration) from images taken at construction sites, it is necessary to accurately measure and record the size of the shape. . In addition, since these problem areas need to be analyzed in detail, when taking an image with an electronic camera, a zoom lens camera gradually narrows the image from a wide-angle (zoom-out) state to a narrow-angle (zoom-in) state to obtain a detailed image. It will be. In other words, the target portion is imaged in several sizes from the whole image to the detailed enlarged image of the problem portion, and the analysis is performed. That is, the size and shape of the problem part in the vertical, horizontal, and diagonal directions are measured according to the respective sizes (zoom degree).

  In order to analyze the size and dimensions of the captured image according to the zoom-up of the zoom camera, it is necessary to display a certain scale on the screen. If there is something that can be compared in size and size on the screen, it can be compared with that, but it is difficult to measure the size and size of the subject on a flat screen or the like where there is no object to be compared.

  In order to solve such a problem, a method of inserting a standard dimension in the standard value (default value) of the zoom lens on the screen may be considered. In other words, this is a method of displaying a dimension at a specific zoom value (default value) on the screen and comparing it with the subject to obtain the dimension. However, in this method, the vicinity of the default value can be accurately compared, but cannot be accurately displayed in a zoomed-in or zoomed-out state. In particular, when camera performance and monitor resolution are improved and an enlarged image zoomed in on a subject at a relatively distant location is used for measurement, due to limitations such as the size of the display monitor, the comparison with the default value in the enlarged image There was a shift.

  Various methods for performing appearance inspection and dimension measurement on buildings and structures have been proposed. For example, in the method disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-137868 (Patent Document 1), a collimated laser beam is projected to a measurement site as a method for measuring the outer shape of an existing building, and two collimation points to be measured are measured. An example is shown in which a laser beam is applied to a point and the dimension between two points is measured by triangulation. It is also disclosed that a video camera is used for this measurement.

  However, in this method, it is necessary to fix the camera at the time of measurement, and to set two collimation points between the two points to be measured, and to perform the measurement operation each time. Will be fixed and measured. In order to improve the efficiency of the measurement, if the object is photographed and recorded by a video camera at a place away from the measurement point, and the dimensions of the problem part can be calculated from the recorded data, the measurement work can be made extremely efficient. That is, it has been required to measure the size and dimensions of recorded video images with an electronic camera or a video camera as accurately and simply as possible.

JP-A-6-137868

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described necessity and situation, and zooms out (zooms in) or zooms in (enlarges) a subject while imaging the subject and the field situation with an electronic camera. An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a method for measuring the size and dimensions of a subject accurately and easily even if an image is taken.

  Further, in the present invention, there is provided an apparatus and a measurement method that can accurately and easily measure the size and dimensions of a measurement object from a recorded image that is captured even in a relatively remote place where a person cannot enter. For the purpose of provision.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a camera device with a subject size measurement or comparison function, wherein the plurality of beam light sources and the plurality of beam light sources emit light in parallel with the optical axis of the camera. The camera is mounted on the camera at a predetermined distance so as to irradiate the beam.

  As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of beam light sources such as LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) are mounted so as to be irradiated in parallel with the optical axis of the camera, and the plurality of beams are set at a predetermined distance. Since it is mounted on the camera at a distance, beam light is irradiated onto the subject when the camera is directed to the subject to be photographed. Since the interval between the irradiated light beams is separated by a predetermined distance, the interval is always a predetermined distance even in the zoom-up or zoom-in state. It is possible to measure the size and dimensions of the subject and the problem area on the basis of this distance from the imaging screen or the screen on which it is recorded.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to a second aspect of the present invention, in the camera device according to the first aspect, a scale corresponding to the predetermined distance is displayed on a monitor screen that displays an image captured by the camera. It can be displayed.

  As described above, according to the present invention based on claim 2, since the predetermined separation distances of the plurality of light beams are displayed as scales on the imaging monitor screen of the camera, not only the spot irradiated with the light beams but also the subject object and Other sizes and dimensions on the monitor screen can be easily measured or compared.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to a third aspect of the present invention, in the camera device according to the second aspect, the scale on the monitor screen is linked in proportion to the zoom-in or zoom-out amount of the camera. It is characterized by that.

  As described above, according to the present invention based on claim 3, since the scale on the monitor screen is linked in proportion to the zoom-in or zoom-out amount of the camera, the zoom-out (enlargement) of the subject can be performed. The scale reference value always represents the separation distance of the beam light even when the image is reduced, and it is possible to measure and compare the size and dimensions of the subject and other images displayed on the screen using this scale. It becomes.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the camera device according to the first aspect, the plurality of beam light sources can be changed in a horizontal direction or a vertical direction around the camera optical axis. It is characterized by.

  As described above, according to the present invention based on claim 4, since the plurality of beam light sources can be configured to be changed in the horizontal direction or the vertical direction around the camera optical axis, it is desired to measure the dimensions on the monitor screen. By changing the direction of the beam light source according to the shape of the location, the size and dimensions of the image can be measured and compared more easily.

  Furthermore, in order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 5 is the camera device according to claim 1, wherein when the camera device and the subject are not facing each other, a plurality of irradiated beam light sources are arranged. Means for correcting the measurement distance is provided.

  As described above, according to the present invention based on claim 5, when the camera device and the subject are not facing each other, the camera device and the camera device are provided with means for correcting the distance display between the plurality of beam light sources. Even if it is not in the position where it faces directly, it becomes possible to measure and compare the size and dimensions of the image on the monitor screen more accurately.

  It should be noted that any combination of the above components, an increase in the number of pan heads and multiple cameras, and the application of the apparatus, system, and method according to the present invention to other distance measurement methods are included in other aspects within the scope of the invention. Is also effective.

  With such a configuration, using the camera device of the present invention, the subject is zoomed out (reduced) or zoomed in (enlarged) while imaging the subject and the situation in the field, and the size and dimensions of the subject are captured. Can be measured accurately and simply and compared.

  Furthermore, since the size and dimensions of the measurement object can be measured from the recorded image even in a place where a person cannot enter in a relatively remote place using the camera device of the present invention, a building or bridge It can be widely used for civil engineering and construction sites such as airplanes, damaged parts of airplanes, vehicles, etc., imaging of troubled parts, measurement of size and dimensions, damage situation and image analysis of the site.

It is a camera apparatus by this invention, and its operation explanatory drawing. It is explanatory drawing which shows the monitor image of the camera apparatus by this invention. It is a figure explaining the camera apparatus by this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows a mode that a dimension is measured with the camera apparatus by this invention. It is explanatory drawing of other embodiment of the camera apparatus by this invention. It is explanatory drawing of other embodiment of the camera apparatus by this invention.

(Embodiment 1)
An embodiment embodying the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The drawing is schematically drawn for convenience of explanation. FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing an example of a video camera apparatus and its operation according to the present invention. A surface portion (measurement object) 101 such as a building such as a civil engineering work or a construction site or a bridge is measured by the camera apparatus 102 according to the present invention. It shows a state in which a photograph is taken and the size and dimensions of the photographed part are measured.

  The camera device 102 has a built-in zoom lens 103, and beam light sources 104 and 105 are mounted on both sides in the horizontal direction with the zoom lens 103 interposed therebetween. Although the camera device 102 can achieve the object with a fixed lens instead of a zoom lens, a zoom lens is preferred. In addition, with a compound-eye camera that combines a wide-angle fixed lens and a zoom lens, the wide-angle lens captures the entire image over a wide area, searches for problems such as scratches, and zooms in on the part you want to shoot. Will improve.

  As the beam light source, any of an LED, a laser diode (LD), a lamp, and the like can be used, but it is necessary that the beam divergence angle and the beam spot diameter are as small as possible and excellent in light collecting properties. A spot light source irradiated in a spot shape or a slot light source irradiated in a slot (line) shape can be used. It is more effective to select the wavelength of the beam light depending on the color of the object to be measured and the measurement environment. That is, it is desirable to have a wavelength and luminance that can be distinguished from the color and luminance on the surface of the measurement object 101.

  In the camera apparatus 102 of FIG. 1, the beam light sources 104 and 105 have substantially the same specifications and performance, and are separated by a distance d on both sides across the lens. The beam lights 107 and 108 emitted from the respective beam light sources are the lenses. It is installed so as to be parallel to the optical axis 106. Here, the beam light source is installed so as to ensure a sufficient degree of parallelism with the optical axis of the lens and to ensure a separation distance d between the two light sources accurately.

  In FIG. 1, the camera device 102 is in a position facing the measurement object 101. Beam light emitted from two beam light sources installed in the camera apparatus 101 is emitted as two spot lights on the object. The separation distance between the two spot lights is indicated as d. If the beam light source is extremely excellent in light condensing performance, the distance between the centers of the two spots is always the separation distance d regardless of the distance between the measurement object 101 and the camera device 102. That is, the distance d between the two beam light sources is a reference for the measurement object.

  FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the luminance distribution on the monitor screen 201 and the horizontal reference line at the upper and lower (vertical) center of the screen when the measurement object is imaged by the camera apparatus 102 of the present invention. As the measurement object, it is assumed that it is used for photographing a problem location and measuring its size in the detection of damages such as buildings, bridges, paint peeling, and color unevenness in civil engineering work and construction work.

  The camera device 102 captures a photograph by capturing a damaged portion 202 of a scratch or paint peeling that becomes a problem location. In the monitor screen 202, the damaged portion 202 is photographed in the central portion, and the spot light spots 203 and 204 irradiated from the two beam light sources 104 and 105 are projected on the horizontal reference line 205 in the upper and lower central portions. The separation distance between the spot light spots 203 and 204 is d as a reference, and scales corresponding to the reference dimension d are displayed as a horizontal scale 206 and a vertical scale 207 on the screen. For convenience, a circle having a diameter that is the distance d between the two spots 203 and 204 is drawn.

  The horizontal scale 206 is displayed several times with respect to the reference dimension d or divided into several reference dimensions d. The size of the division can be displayed by being subdivided or roughened according to the size and type of the problem part to be measured. The horizontal scale 206 is movable in the vertical (vertical) direction on the screen, and the horizontal dimension X of the damaged portion 202 can be measured. Similarly, the vertical scale 207 is displayed on the scale and can be moved in the horizontal direction on the screen. The vertical scale 207 can be moved to the damaged portion 202 and the vertical dimension Y can be measured.

  The scale, characters, operation instructions, circles, etc. on the monitor screen shown in this embodiment are drawn and displayed by a character generator or the like. In addition, the monitor is configured to allow interactive (bidirectional) operation with the user. Figures, characters, etc. created by the character generator on the monitor screen by input operation means such as a touch pen, mouse, and remote control It is constructed so that the measurement of the size of the damaged part is convenient by moving the to the appropriate place. The monitor screen itself may be attached to the camera device or at a point away from the camera device. For convenience of work, it is also conceivable to record an image photographed by the camera device, reproduce it as a monitor image later, and analyze the image.

  Various methods of creating the scales 206 and 207 serving as a reference are conceivable. It is also possible to create scales 206 and 207 so that they can be expanded and contracted, adjust them according to the two displayed spots, and confirm the scale by expanding and contracting the reference dimension d. More precisely, it can be determined from the luminance distribution of the horizontal reference line 205 in the upper and lower (vertical) center portion where the two spots 203 and 204 exist, that is, the luminance difference. The lower diagram in FIG. 2 shows the luminance distribution on the horizontal reference line 205. Since the surface of the measurement object 101 has a substantially constant luminance distribution, and the spots 203 and 204 irradiated with the two beam light sources have higher luminance than the surroundings, this maximum portion is the central portion of the beam spot. Will be expressed. That is, the maximum value interval of the luminance distribution corresponds to d. Although the reference dimension d is measured using the luminance difference in the present invention, it can also be measured using the color difference when there is no difference between the luminance of the beam light and the surrounding luminance.

  The horizontal period H of the monitor screen 201 is constant, and the reference dimension on the screen is calculated by d / H by measuring the interval d. Memory divided or extended based on this reference dimension can be displayed on the scale. When the damaged portion 202 is zoomed in (enlarged) by the operation of the zoom camera, the distance between the two spots (reference interval) d increases, and the scale scale (reference interval) also increases proportionally. Conversely, when zooming out (reducing), the spot interval is narrowed, and the scale scale is proportionally shortened proportionally.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of the camera device 102 according to the present invention as seen from the front. The camera apparatus 102 is mounted on a so-called pan / tilt head 301 that can be rotated in a pan (horizontal) direction and a tilt (vertical) direction. The pan head 301 can be rotated in the pan (horizontal) direction by the pan rotation control means 303 mounted on the support 302 and can be rotated in the tilt (vertical) direction by the tilt rotation control means 304. It has become. These pan rotation control means 303 and tilt rotation means 304 are constituted by rotation means such as pulleys and gears, and are connected to a drive source (not shown) such as a motor.

  The camera device 102 is mounted on the camera platform 301 so as to rotate the tilt around the tilt rotation axis t, and rotates the pan rotation control means 303 and the tilt rotation control means 304 of the camera platform 301. The camera device can be rotated up, down, left and right. Here, pan (left / right) rotation and tilt (up / down) rotation mean rotation when the camera device is installed horizontally for the purpose of explaining the operation. May be replaced.

  The camera apparatus 102 includes a zoom lens 305, and beam light sources 306 and 307 are arranged in the left-right direction of the lens along the tilt rotation axis t with the zoom lens 305 interposed therebetween. The center dimension of these beam light sources is set to a reference dimension d and mounted. In this embodiment, the beam light sources 308 and 309 are arranged in the vertical direction of the lens along the pan rotation axis p with the zoom lens 305 sandwiched also in the vertical direction. The separation dimensions of these beam light sources are set to the reference dimension d as in the horizontal direction and are mounted.

  In FIG. 3, four beam light sources are arranged in the vertical and horizontal directions. However, a large number of beam light sources can be arranged in an oblique direction or around the zoom lens depending on the purpose of measurement or the shape of the damaged part of the measurement object. In addition, it is conceivable to change the type and wavelength characteristics of the beam light source depending on the color shape of the measurement object and the measurement environment to make measurement easier, but the two pairs of beam light sources that define the reference dimensions have the same characteristics. You need to specify things. In imaging and measurement by the camera device, a level is secured with a tripod or the like, and the camera device is installed so that the camera device faces the object to be measured.

  FIG. 4 shows how the dimension of the damaged area of the measurement object is measured with the camera device according to the present invention. In FIG. 4A, a circle (reference dimension circle) 401 whose diameter is the reference dimension between the two beam spots 203 and 204 on the monitor image 201 is indicated by a broken line. This circle is configured so that it can be enlarged or reduced by touch pen or mouse operation. In measurement, the size of the maximum diameter of the damaged portion can be measured by fixing the circle with a size corresponding to the maximum diameter of the damaged portion while expanding or reducing the circle. A small circle (measurement circle) 402 shows a state that is determined at a portion corresponding to the maximum diameter of the damaged portion 202. The measured diameter φ of the damaged portion can be output, recorded, and saved together with image information as dimension measurement data, or displayed on the display unit 403 on the monitor screen 201.

  In FIG. 4B, a square (reference square) 404 having a reference dimension between two beam spots 203 and 204 as one side is indicated by a broken line on the monitor image 201. This square is configured to be enlarged or reduced by a touch pen or mouse operation. When measuring, if the square is enlarged and reduced and the size corresponding to the maximum value in the horizontal and vertical directions of the damaged part is determined, the dimensions of the horizontal and vertical x and y values of the damaged part should be measured. Can do. A small square (measurement square) 404 shows a state where the broken portion 202 is determined at a portion corresponding to the maximum value in the horizontal direction. Similarly, the maximum value y in the vertical direction can be measured. The measured x value and y value that are the maximum values of the damaged portion can be output, recorded, and saved together with image information as dimension measurement data, or displayed on the display unit 403 on the monitor screen 201.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 5 shows an embodiment in which the measurement dimension is corrected in a state where the measurement object 101 and the camera device 102 cannot face each other. In normal dimension measurement, camera photographing and dimension measurement are performed with the object to be measured and the camera device facing each other. However, depending on the conditions and environment of the imaging location, it is not possible to face each other, and there is a situation in which measurement must be performed obliquely. In such a situation, since the distance between the two spot light spots irradiated on the measurement object is longer than the reference dimension d, it is necessary to correct the distance.

  In order to perform this correction, the angle between the lens optical axis 501 when the camera apparatus 102 is directed to the damaged portion of the measurement object 101 and the lens optical axis 502 when the camera apparatus is directed to face the measurement object. Ask for. In this case, first, the camera device 102 is aimed at the damaged portion of the measurement object 101 and recorded with the optical axis 501 as a reference, and then the camera device 102 is rotated around the pan rotation axis 503 on the pan head. The measurement object 101 is directly opposed. In order to determine the state in which the camera device 102 is directly facing the measurement object 101, a method of determining at the point where the luminance level of the beam light is maximized, or the beam light source is a circular shape, and the spot light shape on the measurement object 101 is true. There is a method to determine the point that becomes a circle.

  If the respective positions are determined, the angle between the optical axis 501 and the optical axis 501 is obtained, and the corrected reference dimension S can be obtained by d / cos θ. This correction is effective when the distance between the measurement object 101 and the camera device 102 is relatively short and the tilt angle θ is small.

(Embodiment 3)
In the above embodiment, the stationary object is the measurement object, but the present invention can be used to measure the dimension of the moving body. For measuring the dimensions of the moving body, it is more convenient to use a slot light source as a beam light source rather than a spot light source indicating a point. In FIG. 6, the monitor screen 201 when the inspection objects 601 and 602 on the conveyer are moving in the direction of the arrow (from left to right on the monitor screen 201) using the camera device 102 according to the present invention. Is shown. Two line beams 603 and 604 are irradiated at right angles to the moving direction of inspection objects (moving bodies) 601 and 602.

  The distance between the line beams is the reference dimension d as in the above embodiment. A horizontal scale 206 and a vertical scale 207 ticked with reference to the reference dimensions are displayed on the monitor screen so that they can be compared and measured. In the case of a moving object, it is difficult to measure dimensions from a moving image that is temporarily captured, unlike a still image. Therefore, a still image is taken out of the captured image by storing the image in a frame memory or the like, and the size and size of the object are measured from the image obtained by the still image by the same dimension measurement method as that of the above-described still object.

  With the above-described configuration, it is possible to easily measure the size and size of the subject and the problem portion while photographing the measurement target, and to compare and recognize the size of a specific portion of the subject. Since it has a camera device and a dimension measuring function, it can be used in various applications depending on the purpose. In the present application, as an embodiment, as an inspection dimension measuring camera, the size of a painted part such as a building is grasped and the dimension measurement is described as an example. Get size and size data of people and objects, record video data, inspect remote areas such as airplanes, cars, trains, and other areas where people can't enter, grasp size, and compare sizes For example, the apparatus and measurement method according to the present invention can be widely applied according to the purpose and application.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Measurement object 102 Camera apparatus 103 Zoom lens 104, 105 Beam light source 106 Lens optical axis 107, 108 Beam light 201 Monitor image 202 Damaged part 203, 204 Spot light spot 205 Horizontal reference line 206 Horizontal scale 207 Vertical scale 301 Pan head 302 Support body 303 Pan rotation control means 304 Tilt rotation control means 305 Zoom lenses 306, 307, 308, 309 Beam light source 401 Reference dimension circle 402 Measurement circle 403 Display unit 404 Support pan control unit 405 Measurement square 501 Lens optical axis 502 Direct-facing lens optical axes 601, 602 Moving body 603, 604 Line beam

Claims (6)

  In a camera device with a subject size measurement or comparison function, a plurality of beam light sources and the plurality of beam light sources are mounted on the camera at a predetermined distance so as to irradiate a light beam in parallel with the optical axis of the camera. A device characterized by that.   The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a scale corresponding to the predetermined distance can be displayed on a monitor screen that displays an image captured by the camera.   3. The camera apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the scale on the monitor screen is interlocked in proportion to a zoom-in or zoom-out amount of the camera.   2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of beam light sources can be changed in a horizontal direction or a vertical direction around the camera optical axis.   2. The camera device according to claim 1, further comprising means for correcting a measurement distance between a plurality of irradiated beam light sources when the camera device and a subject do not face each other.   In the camera device, a step of irradiating a measurement subject with a plurality of beam light sources parallel to the optical axis of the camera, and a spot of the plurality of beam light sources irradiated on the subject as a measurement portion of the measurement subject A method for measuring or comparing subject dimensions, comprising: matching, and measuring or comparing the size of a measurement portion of the subject using a distance display scale between the beam light sources displayed on the monitor screen of the camera.

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