JP2021018396A - Control device, imaging system, moving body, control method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To solve the problem that a ball between grooves may shift in position to exert an influence on a movement of a lens.SOLUTION: A control device which controls an imaging device and a support mechanism supporting the imaging device rotatably may comprise a circuit configured to: control the support mechanism so as to put the imaging device in a first attitude such that a moving direction of a holding frame is a first direction having a component in a gravity direction; and also control a drive part to move the holding frame in the first direction through a guide structure, thereby adjusting the position relation among a ball, a first groove part, and a second groove part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

The present invention relates to control devices, imaging systems, moving objects, control methods, and programs.

Patent Document 1 discloses a camera module that moves a lens via a guide structure including a ball between grooves.
[Prior art literature]
[Patent Document]
[Patent Document 1] US Patent Application Publication No. 2008/253003

The misalignment of the balls between the grooves can affect the movement of the lens.

The control device according to one aspect of the present invention may be a control device that controls an image pickup device and a support mechanism that rotatably supports the image pickup device. The image pickup apparatus includes a lens, a holding frame for holding the lens, a guide structure for guiding the movement of the holding frame in the optical axis direction, and a driving unit for driving the holding frame along the optical axis direction via the guide structure. , A holding frame, a guide structure, and an accommodating portion accommodating a driving portion may be provided. The guide structure has a first guide portion provided on the holding frame and having a first groove portion along the optical axis direction, and a second groove portion provided on the accommodating portion and having a first groove portion along the optical axis direction facing the first groove portion. It may have a second guide portion and a ball arranged between the first groove portion and the second groove portion. The control device controls the support mechanism and controls the drive unit to guide the holding frame so that the posture of the imaging device is the first posture in which the moving direction of the holding frame is the first direction having the component in the gravity direction. A circuit configured to adjust the positional relationship between the ball, the first groove portion, and the second groove portion by moving the ball in the first direction through the structure may be provided.

The drive unit may have a magnet supported by one of the holding frame and the accommodating portion, and a coil and a yoke facing the magnet and supported by the other of the holding frame and the accommodating portion. The drive unit may press the first guide unit against the second guide unit by the magnetic force between the magnet and the yoke, and drive the holding frame in the optical axis direction via the guide structure by the Lorentz force generated in the coil. ..

The circuit may be configured to first position the posture of the imaging device in response to causing the support mechanism to perform a predetermined calibration that adjusts the posture of the imaging device.

The first direction may be a direction in which the moving direction of the holding frame is the direction of gravity.

The circuit guides the holding frame by controlling the drive unit so that the positional relationship between the ball, the first groove portion, and the second groove portion becomes a predetermined positional relationship when the posture of the image pickup device is the first posture. It may be moved in the optical axis direction via the structure.

The circuit guides the holding frame by controlling the drive unit so that the positional relationship between the ball, the first groove portion, and the second groove portion becomes a predetermined positional relationship when the posture of the image pickup device is the first posture. It may be configured to move to a predetermined position in the optical axis direction via the structure.

The holding frame may be movable from the first position to the second position in the optical axis direction. The predetermined position may be the first position or the second position.

The imaging system according to one aspect of the present invention may include the control device, the support mechanism, and the imaging device.

The moving body according to one aspect of the present invention may be a moving body provided with the above-mentioned imaging system.

The control method according to one aspect of the present invention may be a control method that controls the image pickup apparatus and the support mechanism that rotatably supports the image pickup apparatus. The image pickup apparatus includes a lens, a holding frame for holding the lens, a guide structure for guiding the movement of the holding frame in the optical axis direction, and a driving unit for driving the holding frame along the optical axis direction via the guide structure. , A holding frame, a guide structure, and an accommodating portion accommodating a driving portion may be provided. The guide structure has a first guide portion provided on the holding frame and having a first groove portion along the optical axis direction, and a second groove portion provided on the accommodating portion and having a first groove portion along the optical axis direction facing the first groove portion. It may have a second guide portion and a ball arranged between the first groove portion and the second groove portion. The control method may include a step of controlling the support mechanism so that the posture of the image pickup apparatus is set to the first posture in which the movement direction of the holding frame is the first direction having the component in the gravity direction. The control method may include a step of adjusting the positional relationship between the ball, the first groove portion, and the second groove portion by controlling the drive unit and moving the holding frame in the first direction via the guide structure.

The program according to one aspect of the present invention may be a program for operating a computer as the control device.

According to one aspect of the present invention, in an imaging device that moves a lens via a guide structure including a ball between opposing grooves, the ball between the grooves can be suppressed while suppressing power in the driving unit that drives the lens. The misalignment can be eliminated.

The outline of the above invention does not list all the necessary features of the present invention. Sub-combinations of these feature groups can also be inventions.

It is a figure which shows an example of the external perspective view of the image pickup system. It is a figure which shows an example of the external perspective view of the image pickup apparatus. It is a figure which shows an example of the exploded perspective view of the image pickup apparatus. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line AA shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line BB shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the positional relationship of a ball, a 1st guide rail, and a 2nd guide rail. It is a figure for demonstrating the positional relationship of a ball, a 1st guide rail, and a 2nd guide rail. It is a figure for demonstrating the positional relationship of a ball, a 1st guide rail, and a 2nd guide rail. It is a figure for demonstrating the positional relationship of a ball, a 1st guide rail, and a 2nd guide rail. It is a figure which shows an example of the functional block of an image pickup system. It is a figure which shows an example of the appearance of an unmanned aerial vehicle and a remote control device. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the processing procedure when the power of the image pickup system is turned on. It is a figure for demonstrating the state of change of the posture of the image pickup apparatus at the time of calibration. It is a figure for demonstrating the state of change of the posture of the image pickup apparatus at the time of calibration. It is a figure for demonstrating the state of change of the posture of the image pickup apparatus at the time of calibration. It is a figure which shows an example of a hardware configuration.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Also, not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential to the means of solving the invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes or improvements can be made to the following embodiments. It is clear from the description of the claims that such modified or improved forms may also be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

The claims, description, drawings, and abstracts include matters that are subject to copyright protection. The copyright holder will not object to any person's reproduction of these documents as they appear in the Patent Office files or records. However, in other cases, all copyrights are reserved.

Various embodiments of the present invention may be described with reference to flowcharts and block diagrams, wherein the block is (1) a stage of the process in which the operation is performed or (2) a device having a role of performing the operation. May represent the "part" of. Specific stages and "parts" may be implemented by programmable circuits and / or processors. Dedicated circuits may include digital and / or analog hardware circuits. It may include integrated circuits (ICs) and / or discrete circuits. The programmable circuit may include a reconfigurable hardware circuit. Reconfigurable hardware circuits include logical AND, logical OR, logical XOR, logical NAND, logical NOR, and other logical operations, flip-flops, registers, field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), programmable logic arrays (PLA), etc. It may include a memory element such as.

The computer-readable medium may include any tangible device capable of storing instructions executed by the appropriate device. As a result, the computer-readable medium having the instructions stored therein will include the product, including instructions that can be executed to create means for performing the operation specified in the flowchart or block diagram. Examples of computer-readable media may include electronic storage media, magnetic storage media, optical storage media, electromagnetic storage media, semiconductor storage media, and the like. More specific examples of computer-readable media include floppy® disks, diskettes, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), Electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), static random access memory (SRAM), compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disc (DVD), Blu-ray® disc, memory stick, An integrated circuit card or the like may be included.

Computer-readable instructions may include either source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages. Source code or object code includes traditional procedural programming languages. Traditional procedural programming languages are assembler instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcodes, firmware instructions, state setting data, or Smalltalk®, JAVA®, C ++. It may be an object-oriented programming language such as, and a "C" programming language or a similar programming language. Computer-readable instructions are used locally or on a local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet, to the processor or programmable circuit of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device. ) May be provided. The processor or programmable circuit may execute computer-readable instructions to create means for performing the operations specified in the flowchart or block diagram. Examples of processors include computer processors, processing units, microprocessors, digital signal processors, controllers, microcontrollers and the like.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of the imaging system 10 according to the present embodiment. The image pickup system 10 includes an image pickup device 100, a support mechanism 200, and a grip portion 300. The support mechanism 200 rotatably supports the image pickup device 100 around each of the roll axis, the pitch axis, and the yaw axis by using an actuator. The support mechanism 200 may change or maintain the posture of the image pickup device 100 by rotating the image pickup device 100 around at least one of a roll axis, a pitch axis, and a yaw axis. The support mechanism 200 includes a roll axis drive mechanism 201, a pitch axis drive mechanism 202, and a yaw axis drive mechanism 203. The support mechanism 200 further includes a base 204 to which the yaw shaft drive mechanism 203 is fixed. The grip portion 300 is fixed to the base portion 204. The grip unit 300 includes an operation interface 301 and a display unit 302. The image pickup device 100 is fixed to the pitch axis drive mechanism 202.

The operation interface 301 receives commands from the user for operating the image pickup apparatus 100 and the support mechanism 200. The operation interface 301 may include a shutter / recording button instructing shooting or recording by the imaging device 100. The operation interface 301 may include a power / function button instructing the power of the image pickup system 10 to be turned on or off, and the switching of the still image shooting mode or the moving image shooting mode of the image pickup device 100.

The display unit 302 may display an image captured by the image pickup apparatus 100. The display unit 302 may display a menu screen for operating the image pickup apparatus 100 and the support mechanism 200. The display unit 302 may be a touch panel display that receives commands for operating the image pickup apparatus 100 and the support mechanism 200.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the image pickup apparatus 100. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the image pickup apparatus 100. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA shown in FIG.

The image pickup apparatus 100 includes a lens 101, a holding frame 110, a guide structure 120, a drive unit 130, an accommodation unit 140, and a position sensor 148. The image pickup apparatus 100 adjusts the position of the lens 101 by moving the holding frame 110 in the optical axis direction by the drive unit 130 of the voice coil motor system.

The lens 101 may have a plurality of lenses. The lens 101 may function as a zoom lens, a varifocal lens, and a focus lens. The holding frame 110 holds the lens 101.

The guide structure 120 guides the movement of the holding frame 110 in the optical axis direction. The guide structure 120 has a first guide portion 121 and a second guide portion 122. The first guide portion 121 is provided on the holding frame 110 and guides the movement of the holding frame 110 in the optical axis direction. The second guide portion 122 is provided in the accommodating portion 140, faces the first guide portion 121, and guides the movement of the holding frame 110 in the optical axis direction.

The first guide portion 121 has a first guide rail 1212 along the optical axis direction. The first guide portion 121 may have a pair of first guide rails 1212. The first guide portion 121 may be integrally configured with the holding frame 110. The pair of first guide rails 1212 may be a pair of grooves formed in the holding frame 110. The first guide rail 1212 is an example of the first groove portion.

The second guide portion 122 has a second guide rail 1222 along the optical axis direction facing the first guide rail 1212. The second guide portion 122 may have a pair of second guide rails 1222 facing the pair of first guide rails 1212. The pair of second guide rails 1222 may be a pair of grooves formed in the accommodating portion 140. The second guide rail 1222 is an example of the second groove portion.

The guide structure 120 further includes a plurality of balls 123 arranged between the first guide rail 1212 and the second guide rail 1222. As the ball 123 rotates between the first guide rail 1212 and the second guide rail 1222, the holding frame 110 moves along the optical axis direction.

The drive unit 130 drives the holding frame 110 via the guide structure 120 along the optical axis direction. The drive unit 130 may function as a voice coil motor (VCM). The accommodating unit 140 accommodates the holding frame 110, the guide structure 120, and the driving unit 130.

The drive unit 130 has a magnet 131, a coil 132, and a yoke 133. The magnet 131 may be provided on the side of the holding frame 110. The magnet 131 is located outside the lens 101 in the radial direction. The coil 132 and the yoke 133 face the magnet 131 and are supported by the accommodating portion 140. The first guide portion 121 is pressed against the second guide portion 122 by the magnetic force 1301 between the magnet 131 and the yoke 133. The drive unit 130 drives the holding frame 110 in the optical axis direction via the guide structure 120 by the Lorentz force generated in the coil 132 by passing a current through the coil 132. The magnet 131 may be arranged between the pair of first guide rails 1212. The magnet 131 may be arranged in the first guide portion 121. The magnet 131 may be supported by the holding frame 110 by being fixed to the first guide portion 121. The magnet 131 may be supported by the accommodating portion 140, and the coil 132 and the yoke 133 may be supported by the holding frame 110.

The image pickup apparatus 100 further includes a position sensor 148, a flexible substrate (FPC) 150 connected to the coil 132 and the position sensor 148, an image sensor 170, and an infrared (IR) cut filter 172. The image pickup apparatus 100 further includes an outer cover 160 having an opening for exposing the lens 101.

The position sensor 148 detects the position of the holding frame 110. The position sensor 148 detects the position of the holding frame 110 as the position of the lens 101. The position sensor 148 may be a Hall element. The position sensor 148 may detect the position of the holding frame 110 by detecting the magnetic field generated by the magnet 131. The position sensor 148 may be arranged at the center of the coil 132 so as to be surrounded by the coil 132.

The image sensor 170 may be located at the bottom of the accommodating portion 140. The image sensor 170 converts the subject image formed through the lens 101 into an electric signal. The image sensor 170 may be composed of a CCD or CMOS. An IR cut filter 172 may be arranged above the image pickup surface of the image sensor 170.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB shown in FIG. Between one end of the first guide rail 1212 and one end of the second guide rail 1222 and the ball 123, and between the other end of the first guide rail 1212 and the other end of the second guide rail 1222 and the ball 123. There is space 1230 in. With such a space 1230, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the ball 123 and the first guide rail 1212 and the second guide rail 1222 while the holding frame 110 moves along the optical axis direction. Can rotate between, with almost no friction.

Here, the maximum propulsive force required for the drive unit 130, which is a VCM, is Fmax, the weight of the object system including the holding frame 110 and the lens 101 driven by the drive unit 130 is m, and the acceleration required for focus control is a (. ≈4G), the gravitational acceleration is g (≈1G), the rolling friction coefficient of the ball 123 is μr, and the magnetic attraction force of the magnet 131 is N. In this case, the maximum propulsive force Fmax can be expressed by the following equation.
Fmax = ma + mg + μrN

If there is a space 1230, the rolling friction coefficient μr≈0 can be set, so that Fmax = ma + mg = 5 mG.

On the other hand, when an impact is applied to the image pickup apparatus 100, the positional relationship between the ball 123, the first guide rail 1212, and the second guide rail 1222 may be displaced. As shown in FIG. 7A, when the ball 123 is displaced to one end of the first guide rail 1212, the ball 123 cannot rotate between the first guide rail 1212 and the second guide rail 1222 with almost no friction. That is, the rolling friction coefficient μr is not 0. In this case, for example, when μr≈0.3 and N≈20mG, Fmax = 7mG.

In order to correct the displacement of the positional relationship, it is necessary to further move the holding frame 110 in the optical axis direction in a state where the ball 123 is difficult to roll between the first guide rail 1212 and the second guide rail 1222. For example, as shown in FIG. 7A, when the ball 123 is displaced toward the object side (subject side), the holding frame 110 is held as an object in a state where the ball 123 is difficult to roll between the first guide rail 1212 and the second guide rail 1222. Need to move further to the side. By moving the holding frame 110 to the subject side and then moving the holding frame 110 to the imaging surface side, the positional relationship between the ball 123, the first guide rail 1212, and the second guide rail 1222 is corrected. Then, as shown in FIG. 7B, between one end of the first guide rail 1212 and one end of the second guide rail 1222 and the ball 123, and the other end of the first guide rail 1212 and the second guide rail 1222. Space 1230 can be created again between the other end and the ball 123.

Without the space 1230 as described above, the rolling friction coefficient μr is not 0, so that the electric power required by the drive unit 130 increases. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the drive unit 130 is driven in order to adjust the positional relationship between the ball 123, the first guide rail 1212, and the second guide rail 1222 in the absence of such a space 1230. In this case, the posture of the image pickup apparatus 100 is controlled via the support mechanism 200 so as to move the holding frame 110 in the direction of gravity. As a result, the electric power required by the drive unit 130 when the holding frame 110 is moved in the optical axis direction is reduced.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a functional block of the imaging system 10. The image pickup apparatus 100 includes an image pickup control unit 180, an image sensor 170, a memory 176, a lens control unit 182, a drive unit 130, a lens 101, a holding frame 110, and a guide structure 120.

The image sensor 170 may be composed of a CCD or CMOS. The image sensor 170 outputs the image data of the optical image formed through the lens 101 to the image pickup control unit 180. The image pickup control unit 180 may be composed of a microprocessor such as a CPU or MPU, a microcontroller such as an MCU, a system-on-chip (SOC), or the like. The image pickup control unit 180 is an example of a circuit. The image pickup control unit 180 may control the image pickup device 100 in response to an operation command of the image pickup device 100 from the grip unit 300.

The memory 176 may be a computer-readable recording medium and may include at least one of flash memories such as SRAM, DRAM, EPROM, EEPROM, and USB memory. The memory 176 stores a program or the like necessary for the image pickup control unit 180 to control the image sensor 170 or the like. The memory 176 may be provided inside the housing of the image pickup apparatus 100. The grip portion 300 may include another memory for storing the image data captured by the image pickup device 100. The grip portion 300 may have a slot in which the memory can be removed from the housing of the grip portion 300.

The lens 101 may function as a zoom lens, a varifocal lens, and a focus lens. The lens 101 is movably arranged along the optical axis. The lens control unit 182 drives the drive unit 130 in accordance with a lens control command from the image pickup control unit 180 to move the lens 101 along the optical axis direction. The lens control command is, for example, a zoom control command and a focus control command. The drive unit 130 includes a voice coil motor (VCM) that moves the lens 101 in the optical axis direction. The drive unit 130 may include an electric motor such as a DC motor, a coreless motor, or an ultrasonic motor. The lens control unit 182 is an example of a circuit.

The image pickup apparatus 100 further includes an attitude control unit 210, an angular velocity sensor 212, and an acceleration sensor 214. The angular velocity sensor 212 detects the angular velocity of the imaging device 100. The angular velocity sensor 212 detects the respective angular velocities around the roll axis, pitch axis, and yaw axis of the image pickup apparatus 100. The attitude control unit 210 acquires angular velocity information regarding the angular velocity of the imaging device 100 from the angular velocity sensor 212. The angular velocity information may indicate the respective angular velocities around the roll axis, pitch axis, and yaw axis of the image pickup apparatus 100. The attitude control unit 210 acquires acceleration information regarding the acceleration of the imaging device 100 from the acceleration sensor 214. The acceleration information may indicate a vibration level representing the magnitude of vibration of the image pickup apparatus 100. The acceleration information may indicate the acceleration in each of the roll axis, pitch axis, and yaw axis of the image pickup apparatus 100.

The angular velocity sensor 212 and the acceleration sensor 214 may be provided in the accommodating portion 140, which is a housing for accommodating the image sensor 170, the lens 101, and the like. In this embodiment, a mode in which the image pickup apparatus 100 and the support mechanism 200 are integrally configured will be described. However, the support mechanism 200 may include a pedestal that detachably fixes the image pickup apparatus 100. In this case, the angular velocity sensor 212 and the acceleration sensor 214 may be provided outside the housing of the image pickup apparatus 100 such as a pedestal.

The attitude control unit 210 controls the support mechanism 200 in order to maintain or change the attitude of the image pickup apparatus 100 based on the angular velocity information and the acceleration information. The attitude control unit 210 is an example of a circuit.

The attitude control unit 210 controls the support mechanism 200 so that the posture of the image pickup apparatus 100 is the first posture in which the movement direction of the holding frame 110 is the first direction having the component in the gravity direction. The first direction may be a direction in which the moving direction of the holding frame is the direction of gravity. The attitude control unit 210 may control the support mechanism 200 so that the image pickup direction of the image pickup apparatus 100 is downward in the vertical direction or upward in the vertical direction.

The attitude control unit 210 may first position the posture of the image pickup device 100 in response to causing the support mechanism 200 to perform a predetermined calibration for adjusting the posture of the image pickup device 100. When the attitude control unit 210 executes calibration, the actual posture (rotational positions of the pitch axis, roll axis, and yaw axis) of the image pickup device 100 and the image pickup device 100 recognized by the attitude control unit 210 Position correction is performed to match the attitude (rotational positions of the pitch axis, roll axis, and yaw axis). The attitude control unit 210 may perform calibration when the power of the imaging system 10 is turned on.

The lens control unit 182 controls the drive unit 130 to move the holding frame 110 in the first direction via the guide structure 120 while the image pickup device 100 is in the first posture. As a result, the lens control unit 182 adjusts the positional relationship between the ball 123, the first guide rail 1212, and the second guide rail 1222.

The lens control unit 182 is driven so that the positional relationship between the ball 123, the first guide rail 1212, and the second guide rail 1222 becomes a predetermined positional relationship when the posture of the image pickup apparatus 100 is the first posture. The holding frame 110 may be moved in the optical axis direction via the guide structure 120 by controlling the unit 130. The lens control unit 182 is used between one end of the first guide rail 1212 and one end of the second guide rail 1222 and the ball 123, and the other end of the first guide rail 1212 and the other end of the second guide rail 1222. The positional relationship between the ball 123, the first guide rail 1212, and the second guide rail 1222 may be adjusted so that a space is created between the ball 123 and the ball 123.

The lens control unit 182 is driven so that the positional relationship between the ball 123, the first guide rail 1212, and the second guide rail 1222 becomes a predetermined positional relationship when the posture of the image pickup apparatus 100 is the first posture. The unit 130 may be controlled to move the holding frame 110 to a predetermined position in the optical axis direction via the guide structure 120. The holding frame 110 may be movable from the first position to the second position in the optical axis direction. The predetermined position may be the first position or the second position. The moving range of the holding frame 110 from the first position to the second position may correspond to the driving range of the lens 101 corresponding to the closest end to the infinity end.

The posture control unit 210 takes the posture of the image pickup device 100 as the first posture in response to an instruction from the user, and the lens control unit 182 sets the ball 123 and the first posture in the state where the posture of the image pickup device 100 is the first posture. The positional relationship between the guide rail 1212 and the second guide rail 1222 may be adjusted. When the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 214 exceeds a predetermined threshold value, the attitude control unit 210 determines that there is a high possibility that a strong impact is generated on the image pickup device 100 and the position of the ball 123 is displaced. With the posture of the image pickup device 100 as the first posture, the lens control unit 182 has a positional relationship between the ball 123, the first guide rail 1212, and the second guide rail 1222 in the state where the posture of the image pickup device 100 is the first posture. May be adjusted.

The image pickup apparatus 100 as described above may be mounted on a moving body. The image pickup device 100 may be mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) as shown in FIG. The UAV 1000 may include a UAV main body 20, a gimbal 50, a plurality of imaging devices 60, and an imaging device 100. The gimbal 50 and the imaging device 100 are examples of an imaging system. The UAV1000 is an example of a moving body propelled by a propulsion unit. The moving body is a concept including a UAV, a flying object such as another aircraft moving in the air, a vehicle moving on the ground, a ship moving on the water, and the like.

The UAV main body 20 includes a plurality of rotor blades. The plurality of rotor blades are an example of a propulsion unit. The UAV main body 20 flies the UAV 1000 by controlling the rotation of a plurality of rotor blades. The UAV body 20 flies the UAV 1000 using, for example, four rotor blades. The number of rotor blades is not limited to four. Further, the UAV1000 may be a fixed-wing aircraft having no rotor blades.

The imaging device 100 is an imaging camera that captures a subject included in a desired imaging range. The gimbal 50 rotatably supports the imaging device 100. The gimbal 50 is an example of a support mechanism. For example, the gimbal 50 rotatably supports the imaging device 100 on a pitch axis using an actuator. The gimbal 50 further rotatably supports the image pickup device 100 around each of the roll axis and the yaw axis by using an actuator. The gimbal 50 may change the posture of the image pickup device 100 by rotating the image pickup device 100 around at least one of the yaw axis, the pitch axis, and the roll axis.

The plurality of imaging devices 60 are sensing cameras that image the surroundings of the UAV 1000 in order to control the flight of the UAV 1000. Two imaging devices 60 may be provided in front of the nose of the UAV 1000. Yet two other imaging devices 60 may be provided on the bottom surface of the UAV 1000. The two image pickup devices 60 on the front side may form a pair and function as a so-called stereo camera. The two imaging devices 60 on the bottom side may also be paired and function as a stereo camera. Three-dimensional spatial data around the UAV 1000 may be generated based on the images captured by the plurality of imaging devices 60. The number of image pickup devices 60 included in the UAV 1000 is not limited to four. The UAV 1000 may include at least one imaging device 60. The UAV1000 may be provided with at least one imaging device 60 on each of the nose, nose, side surface, bottom surface, and ceiling surface of the UAV1000. The angle of view that can be set by the image pickup device 60 may be wider than the angle of view that can be set by the image pickup device 100. The image pickup apparatus 60 may have a single focus lens or a fisheye lens.

The remote control device 600 communicates with the UAV 1000 to remotely control the UAV 1000. The remote control device 600 may communicate wirelessly with the UAV 1000. The remote control device 600 transmits to the UAV 1000 instruction information indicating various commands related to the movement of the UAV 1000 such as ascending, descending, accelerating, decelerating, advancing, reversing, and rotating. The instruction information includes, for example, instruction information for raising the altitude of the UAV 1000. The instruction information may indicate the altitude at which the UAV 1000 should be located. The UAV 1000 moves to be located at an altitude indicated by the instruction information received from the remote control device 600. The instruction information may include an ascending instruction to ascend the UAV 1000. The UAV1000 rises while accepting the rise order. Even if the UAV1000 accepts the ascending order, the ascending may be restricted if the altitude of the UAV1000 has reached the upper limit altitude.

FIG. 10 shows an example of a processing procedure when the power of the imaging system 10 is turned on. When the power of the imaging system 10 is turned on (S100), the attitude control unit 210 starts calibrating the support mechanism 200 (S102). The attitude control unit 210 drives the roll axis drive mechanism 201, the pitch axis drive mechanism 202, and the yaw axis drive mechanism 203 to rotate the image pickup device 100. The attitude control unit 210 sets the actual posture of the image pickup device 100 and the attitude control unit 210 based on the angular velocity and acceleration of the image pickup device 100 detected by the angular velocity sensor 212 and the acceleration sensor 214 when the image pickup device 100 is rotated. Performs position correction to match the attitude of the image pickup apparatus 100 recognized by.

Further, the attitude control unit 210 controls the image pickup apparatus 100 to the first posture by controlling the support mechanism 200. The attitude control unit 210 controls, for example, the support mechanism 200 so that the imaging direction of the imaging device 100 is downward in the vertical direction. When the image pickup system 10 is mounted on the UAV 1000 as shown in FIG. 9, when the power of the image pickup system 10 is turned on, the image pickup direction 401 of the image pickup apparatus 100 becomes the horizontal direction as shown in FIG. 11A. From this state, the attitude control unit 210 controls the gimbal 50 so that the imaging direction 401 of the imaging device 100 faces downward in the vertical direction, as shown in FIG. 11B. In this state, the lens control unit 182 moves the holding frame 110 in the first direction, which is the direction of gravity (S106). As shown in FIG. 11B, the lens control unit 182 moves the holding frame 110 downward in the vertical direction. Since the holding frame 110 moves in the direction of gravity, the holding frame 110 can be moved by minimizing the electric power of the drive unit 130 even when the position of the ball 123 is displaced. Then, the lens control unit 182 moves the holding frame 110 to a predetermined position in the optical axis direction and then moves it in the opposite direction, so that the misalignment of the ball 123 can be eliminated.

After that, the posture control unit 210 controls the posture of the image pickup apparatus 100 to the reference posture (S108). For example, the attitude control unit 210 controls the gimbal 50 so that the imaging direction of the imaging device 100 is horizontal, as shown in FIG. 11C.

FIG. 12 shows an example of a computer 1300 in which a plurality of aspects of the present invention may be embodied in whole or in part. The program installed on the computer 1300 can cause the computer 1300 to function as an operation associated with the device according to an embodiment of the present invention or as one or more "parts" of the device. Alternatively, the program may cause the computer 1300 to perform the operation or the one or more "parts". The program may cause the computer 1300 to perform a process or a step of the process according to an embodiment of the present invention. Such a program may be run by the CPU 1312 to cause the computer 1300 to perform certain operations associated with some or all of the blocks of the flowcharts and block diagrams described herein.

The computer 1300 according to this embodiment includes a CPU 1312 and a RAM 1314, which are connected to each other by a host controller 1310. The computer 1300 also includes a communication interface 1322, an input / output unit, which are connected to the host controller 1310 via an input / output controller 1320. Computer 1300 also includes ROM 1330. The CPU 1312 operates according to the programs stored in the ROM 1330 and the RAM 1314, thereby controlling each unit.

The communication interface 1322 communicates with other electronic devices via the network. A hard disk drive may store programs and data used by CPU 1312 in computer 1300. The ROM 1330 stores in it a boot program or the like executed by the computer 1300 at the time of activation, and / or a program depending on the hardware of the computer 1300. The program is provided via a computer-readable recording medium such as a CR-ROM, USB stick or IC card or network. The program is installed in RAM 1314 or ROM 1330, which is also an example of a computer-readable recording medium, and is executed by CPU 1312. The information processing described in these programs is read by the computer 1300 and provides a link between the program and the various types of hardware resources described above. The device or method may be configured to implement the operation or processing of information according to the use of computer 1300.

For example, when communication is executed between the computer 1300 and an external device, the CPU 1312 executes a communication program loaded in the RAM 1314, and performs communication processing on the communication interface 1322 based on the processing described in the communication program. You may order. Under the control of the CPU 1312, the communication interface 1322 reads the transmission data stored in the transmission buffer area provided in the RAM 1314 or a recording medium such as a USB memory, and transmits the read transmission data to the network, or The received data received from the network is written to the reception buffer area or the like provided on the recording medium.

Further, the CPU 1312 makes the RAM 1314 read all or necessary parts of a file or a database stored in an external recording medium such as a USB memory, and executes various types of processing on the data on the RAM 1314. Good. The CPU 1312 may then write back the processed data to an external recording medium.

Various types of information such as various types of programs, data, tables, and databases may be stored on recording media and subject to information processing. The CPU 1312 describes various types of operations, information processing, conditional judgment, conditional branching, unconditional branching, and information retrieval described throughout the present disclosure for the data read from the RAM 1314 and specified by the instruction sequence of the program. Various types of processing may be performed, including / replacement, etc., and the results are written back to RAM 1314. Further, the CPU 1312 may search for information in a file, a database, or the like in the recording medium. For example, when a plurality of entries each having an attribute value of the first attribute associated with the attribute value of the second attribute are stored in the recording medium, the CPU 1312 specifies the attribute value of the first attribute. Search for an entry that matches the condition from the plurality of entries, read the attribute value of the second attribute stored in the entry, and associate it with the first attribute that satisfies the predetermined condition. The attribute value of the second attribute obtained may be acquired.

The program or software module described above may be stored on a computer readable storage medium on or near the computer 1300. Also, a recording medium such as a hard disk or RAM provided in a dedicated communication network or a server system connected to the Internet can be used as a computer-readable storage medium, thereby allowing the program to be transferred to the computer 1300 over the network. provide.

Although the present invention has been described above using the embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes or improvements can be made to the above embodiments. It is clear from the description of the claims that such modified or improved forms may also be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

The order of execution of operations, procedures, steps, steps, etc. in the devices, systems, programs, and methods shown in the claims, specification, and drawings is particularly "before" and "prior to". It should be noted that it can be realized in any order unless the output of the previous process is used in the subsequent process. Even if the scope of claims, the specification, and the operation flow in the drawings are explained using "first", "next", etc. for convenience, it means that it is essential to carry out in this order. It's not a thing.

10 Imaging system 20 UAV main unit 50 Gimbal 60 Imaging device 100 Imaging device 101 Lens 110 Holding frame 120 Guide structure 121 First guide unit 122 Second guide unit 123 Ball 130 Drive unit 131 Magnet 132 Coil 133 Yoke 140 Accommodation unit 148 Position sensor 160 Outer cover 170 Image sensor 172 IR cut filter 176 Memory 180 Imaging control unit 182 Lens control unit 200 Support mechanism 201 Roll axis drive mechanism 202 Pitch axis drive mechanism 203 Yaw axis drive mechanism 204 Base 210 Attitude control unit 212 Angle speed sensor 214 Accelerometer 300 Grip section 301 Operation interface 302 Display section 600 Remote control device 1000 UAV
1300 computer 1310 host controller 1312 CPU
1314 RAM
1320 Input / Output Controller 1322 Communication Interface 1330 ROM

Claims (11)

A control device that controls an image pickup device and a support mechanism that rotatably supports the image pickup device.
The image pickup device
With the lens
A holding frame for holding the lens and
A guide structure that guides the movement of the holding frame in the optical axis direction,
A drive unit that drives the holding frame along the optical axis direction via the guide structure,
The holding frame, the guide structure, and the accommodating portion for accommodating the driving portion are provided.
The guide structure
A first guide portion provided on the holding frame and having a first groove portion along the optical axis direction, and a first guide portion.
A second guide portion provided in the accommodating portion and having a second groove portion along the optical axis direction facing the first groove portion, and a second guide portion.
It has a ball arranged between the first groove portion and the second groove portion, and has a ball.
The control device is
The support mechanism is controlled so that the posture of the image pickup apparatus is set to the first posture in which the movement direction of the holding frame is the first direction having the component in the gravity direction.
By controlling the drive unit and moving the holding frame in the first direction via the guide structure, the positional relationship between the ball, the first groove portion, and the second groove portion is adjusted. A control device equipped with a circuit. The drive unit
A magnet supported by one of the holding frame and the accommodating portion,
It has a coil and a yoke that face the magnet and are supported by the other of the holding frame and the housing.
The magnetic force between the magnet and the yoke presses the first guide portion against the second guide portion, and the Lorentz force generated in the coil pushes the holding frame in the optical axis direction via the guide structure. The control device according to claim 1, which is driven. The circuit is configured to make the posture of the image pickup apparatus the first posture in response to causing the support mechanism to perform a predetermined calibration for adjusting the posture of the image pickup apparatus. The control device described in. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the first direction is a direction in which the holding frame moves in the direction of gravity. In the circuit, the driving unit is set so that the positional relationship between the ball, the first groove portion, and the second groove portion is a predetermined positional relationship when the posture of the imaging device is the first posture. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the holding frame is controlled to move the holding frame in the optical axis direction via the guide structure. In the circuit, the driving unit is set so that the positional relationship between the ball, the first groove portion, and the second groove portion is a predetermined positional relationship when the posture of the imaging device is the first posture. The control device according to claim 5, wherein the holding frame is controlled to move the holding frame to a predetermined position in the optical axis direction via the guide structure. The control device according to claim 6, wherein the holding frame is movable from a first position to a second position in the optical axis direction, and the predetermined position is the first position or the second position. .. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.
With the support mechanism
An imaging system including the imaging device. A moving body that moves with the imaging system according to claim 8. A control method for controlling an image pickup device and a support mechanism that rotatably supports the image pickup device.
The image pickup apparatus includes a lens, a holding frame for holding the lens, a guide structure for guiding the movement of the holding frame in the optical axis direction, and the holding frame along the optical axis direction via the guide structure. A drive unit to be driven, a holding frame, a guide structure, and an accommodating unit for accommodating the drive unit are provided.
The guide structure is provided in the holding frame and has a first guide portion having a first groove portion along the optical axis direction, and the guide structure is provided in the accommodating portion and is provided along the optical axis direction facing the first groove portion. It has a second guide portion having a second groove portion and a ball arranged between the first groove portion and the second groove portion.
The control method is
A step of controlling the support mechanism so that the posture of the image pickup apparatus is set to a first posture in which the movement direction of the holding frame is the first direction having a component in the gravity direction.
By controlling the drive unit and moving the holding frame in the first direction via the guide structure, the stage includes a step of adjusting the positional relationship between the ball, the first groove portion, and the second groove portion. , Control method. A program for operating a computer as a control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.