JPH11146259A - Image pickup system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image pickup system which can deal with opposed requests for removing optical distortion and securing a resolution. SOLUTION: Concerning the image pickup system provided with an image generating means 13 for photographing a subject and generating a photographed image and a zoom means 11 for changing an image angle in photographing, this system is provided with a zoom position sensor 12 for outputting zoom position information based on the zoom means 11, recording means 16 and 24 for recording the photographed image provided by the image generating means 13 while pairing it with the zoom position information in photographing provided by the zoom position sensor 12, and correcting means 22 for correcting the optical distortion, based on the photographed images recorded in the recording means 16 and 24 and the zoom position information.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a camera-integrated VT.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an imaging system including an imaging device such as an R and an electronic still camera, and particularly to an imaging system capable of correcting optical distortion of a captured image due to a zoom position at the time of capturing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, a camera-integrated VTR, an electronic still camera, and the like generally convert a subject image obtained by an imaging lens including a zoom lens and a focus lens by an imaging device such as a CCD to convert a captured image. Has been generated.

Here, it is known that distortion (hereinafter referred to as optical distortion) as shown in FIG. 3 occurs depending on the zoom position of the zoom lens. That is, when the image to be formed at the position of the rectangle (indicated by the broken line in FIG. 3) is on the telephoto side, as shown in FIG. When zooming to the wide-angle side at the position (2), as shown in FIG. 3 (b), an image is formed at the position of a "barrel" in which each side is curved outward.

Conventionally, as a technique for electrically correcting this optical distortion, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 4-23575,
JP-A-5-207357, JP-A-5-28440
There is one proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5 (1993) -205.

[0005] In a camera photographing method described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 4-23575, a video signal including aberration and distortion is temporarily input to a memory, and a correction amount set in advance in the memory is set based on a zoom position. By correcting the data of the image, the distortion is changed according to the zoom position, and the corrected image is output according to the zoom position.

A video camera described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-207357 stores image information obtained by a CCD in a memory, and controls the timing of reading the image information from the memory based on positional information of an imaging lens. Thus, the distortion in the formed image caused by the imaging lens is eliminated by the electrical processing.

The imaging apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-284405 sets a distortion correction amount based on a zoom position of a zoom lens, corrects a distortion of a subject image formed on a sensor by an imaging unit, The distortion-corrected subject image is read and controlled as a video signal.

[0008]

However, in the above-mentioned prior art, since the optical distortion is always corrected for the photographed image, there is a problem that only an image with reduced resolution can be obtained. .

That is, for example, when it is desired to create a large image by combining and editing a plurality of images taken side by side using an image editor or the like, it is better to remove the optical distortion even if the resolution is reduced. However, when a book such as a newspaper is photographed, there is a demand for securing a resolution even when optical distortion remains. However, a device that always corrects optical distortion cannot cope with a case where resolution is prioritized.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has as its object to provide an imaging system capable of meeting the conflicting demands of removing optical distortion and ensuring resolution.

[0011]

According to the present invention, there is provided an image pickup system comprising: an image generating means for photographing a subject and generating a photographed image; and a zoom means for changing an angle of view during photographing. A zoom position sensor for outputting zoom position information by the zoom means; a photographed image obtained by the image generation means; and a zoom position information at the time of photographing obtained by the zoom position sensor. Means and correction means for correcting optical distortion based on the photographed image and zoom position information recorded in the recording means.

Thus, when it is desired to remove the optical distortion even if the resolution is reduced, the optical distortion can be corrected by the correcting means based on the photographed image recorded in the recording means and the zoom position information. On the other hand, when it is desired to ensure the resolution even when the optical distortion remains, the high-resolution photographed image recorded in the recording unit can be directly output without correcting the optical distortion by the correcting unit.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of an imaging system according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. here,
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an imaging system according to the present embodiment. FIG.
FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing functions of U. As shown in FIG. 1, the imaging system according to the present embodiment is a camera-integrated VTR.
And a camera device 1 such as an electronic still camera and a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a personal computer) 2.

The camera device 1 includes a zoom lens 11 for changing the angle of view during photographing, and a zoom lens 11
A zoom position sensor 12 that outputs zoom position information of
C for generating an electrical image signal from the subject optical image
A CD 13, a signal processing unit 14 for performing predetermined signal processing on an image signal from the CCD 13 to convert the image signal into a video signal, an A / D converter 15 for digitally converting the video signal from the signal processing unit 14, and an A / D A memory 16 for recording the digital video signal from the converter 15 and the zoom position information from the zoom position sensor 12 as a set, and an interface for transmitting the digital video signal and the zoom position information recorded in the memory 16 to the personal computer 2 17 are provided.

The personal computer 2 has an interface 21 for receiving a digital video signal and zoom position information from the camera device 1, a CPU 22 having a function of correcting optical distortion of a photographed video signal based on the zoom position information, and a digital video signal. A hard disk 23 and a memory 24 for storing signals and zoom position information, a display device 25 for displaying a captured video signal from the CPU 22, and a monitor 26 are provided.

In the above configuration, the CPU 22 has a switch means 22a which can be switched in accordance with a user's instruction.
And a correcting means 22b for correcting optical distortion of the photographed video signal based on the zoom position information. It is possible to select whether to output the data or to output the data to the hard disk 23 as it is.

The operation of the imaging system configured as described above will be described. CC through the zoom lens 11
The captured image formed on D13 is converted into a video signal by the signal processing unit 14, converted into a digital video signal by the A / D converter 15, and stored in the memory 16. At the same time, the zoom position information detected by the zoom position sensor 12 is also stored in the memory 16 in combination with the above-mentioned captured image.

The photographed video signal and zoom position information stored in the memory 16 are transmitted to the interface 1 on the camera device 1 side.
7 is transmitted to the interface 21 of the personal computer 2 side,
Once stored in the memory 24. Note that the captured image stored in the memory 24 includes optical distortion.

If it is desired to remove the optical distortion even if the resolution is reduced, the CPU 22 responds to the user's instruction.
Is switched by the switch means 22a, and the correction means 22b calculates and corrects the degree of image distortion based on the zoom position information in the memory 24. The captured image on which the optical distortion has been corrected by the correction unit 22b is stored in the hard disk 23 and displayed on the monitor via the display device 25 as necessary.

On the other hand, when it is desired to ensure the resolution even when the optical distortion remains, the switch means 22a of the CPU 22 is switched according to the instruction of the user, and the photographed video signal in the memory 24 is not passed through the correction means 22d. Is transferred to and stored in the hard disk 23 as it is. The high-resolution captured image stored in the hard disk 23 is displayed on the monitor via the display device 25 as necessary.

As described above, in the imaging system of the present embodiment, it is possible to arbitrarily select in response to the user's instruction in response to the conflicting requirements of removing the optical distortion and ensuring the resolution. For example, if you want to create a large image by combining and editing a plurality of images taken side by side using an image editor or the like, optical distortion is removed even if the resolution is reduced, while books such as newspapers When the image is taken, the resolution can be ensured even if the optical distortion remains.

In the above embodiment, the camera device 1 and the personal computer 2 have been described.
A CPU having a function of correcting optical distortion may be provided inside the camera device, and the same operation may be performed by the camera device alone. The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. .

[0023]

Since the imaging system according to the present invention has the above-described configuration, when it is desired to remove optical distortion even if the resolution is reduced, the correction unit corrects the captured image recorded in the recording unit. Optical distortion can be corrected based on the zoom position information. On the other hand, when it is desired to ensure the resolution even when the optical distortion remains, the high-resolution photographed image recorded in the recording unit can be directly output without correcting the optical distortion by the correcting unit. Therefore, it is possible to arbitrarily respond to conflicting demands for removing optical distortion and ensuring resolution.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an embodiment of an imaging system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing C in an embodiment of the imaging system of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating functions of a PU.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing optical distortion.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 camera device 2 personal computer 11 zoom lens 12 zoom position sensor 13 CCD 14 signal processing unit 15 A / D converter 16 memory 17 interface 21 interface 22 CPU 22a switch means 22b correction means 23 hard disk 24 memory 25 display device 26 monitor

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An imaging system comprising: an image generating unit that captures a subject and generates a captured image; and a zoom unit that changes an angle of view at the time of capturing. A zoom that outputs zoom position information by the zoom unit. A position sensor; a recording unit that records a set of a photographed image obtained by the image generating unit and zoom position information at the time of photographing obtained by the zoom position sensor; and a photographed image recorded by the recording unit An image pickup system comprising: a correction unit that corrects optical distortion based on the zoom position information.