JPH11355622A - Image pickup device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide minute movement that is in the same degree as the movement of an eye ball of an organism by consisting of an image pickup body that photographs a photographed object and a rotation driving body which rotates the image pickup body around three basic axes in a three-dimensional coordinate system. SOLUTION: An inner gimbals 18 supports a device body 14 through X direction shafts 18a in a freely rotatable way and also positions a visual sensor such as a CCD and an image pickup body such as a camera which are stored inside the body 14 at prescribed positions. A semicircular arc-shaped outer gimbals 19 is provided on the outer side of the body 14 in a horizontal plane that is parallel to a Y axis. The gimbals 19 is supported at both ends by Y direction shafts 16 and is rotatable together with the rotation of the shafts 16. Also, when a Z direction shaft 17 is turned around a Z axis, the gimbals 18 and the body 14 are rotated together with the shaft 17 in the same direction as the shaft 17. Thus, the body 14 can freely be rotated around each axis of the X, Y and Z axes.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus having an image pickup device such as a camera and a visual sensor mounted on an industrial robot, a micromachine, and other automatic control devices.
In particular, the present invention relates to an imaging device capable of adjusting a viewpoint of the imaging body to a predetermined position.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Industrial robots, micromachines, and other devices that perform various operations under automatic control are equipped with an image pickup device such as a camera or a visual sensor, and monitor surrounding conditions and the operation of an object to be photographed. There are those that make predetermined decisions. Some of such devices, such as a human eye, rotate a camera, a visual sensor, or the like to align a viewpoint with a predetermined position to shoot a desired shooting target, or to shoot a predetermined shooting target. Some have an imaging device that monitors the movement according to the movement of the camera. Such an imaging apparatus has an advantage that a wide range can be imaged without moving the device.

[0005] FIG. 5 shows a conventional example of an image pickup apparatus.
Is a front view thereof, and (b) is a side view thereof.

[0004] As shown in the figure, a spherical device main body 9 simulating the eyeball of a human eye has a camera (not shown) and a visual sensor typified by a charge-coupled device (hereinafter referred to as a CCD) inside. An imaging body is housed. On the outer periphery of the apparatus main body 9, an annular support member 10 rotatable about a Y-axis 12 is provided. Further, the apparatus main body 9 is rotatably supported on the support member 10 by an X-axis 11. That is, the imaging body is rotatable around the orthogonal X axis and Y axis by the apparatus main body 9 and the support member 10, and the viewpoint of the imaging body is changed by a combination of rotation around the X axis and around the Y axis. It can be aligned in any direction. In the drawing, reference numeral 13 denotes a support.

[0005]

However, in the above-described conventional imaging apparatus, the viewpoint of an imaging body such as a camera or a visual sensor is aligned by rotation about the X-axis and the Y-axis. There is a problem that it is difficult to finely adjust the position.

Further, for example, when a robot equipped with an imaging device moves from a flat ground to an inclined surface, the visual sensor and the light receiving section of the camera are inclined with respect to the horizontal position, and the image is also inclined. There is a problem, and it is necessary to perform predetermined image processing to obtain a horizontal image.

Further, as in the conventional image pickup apparatus shown in FIG. 5, an annular support member 10 provided on the outer periphery of the apparatus main body 9 is provided.
When the apparatus main body 9 is rotatably supported by the robot eyes imitating the shape of a human face, when the apparatus main body 9 is rotated around the Y axis, the supporting member 10 In some cases, the support member 10 is tilted toward the front side of a device such as an industrial robot, and a part of the support member 10 protrudes from the front surface of the device. Therefore, in order to prevent a part of the support member 10 from projecting, it is necessary to restrict the rotation angle of the apparatus main body 9 around the Y axis to a certain value or less.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and, first, is to provide an imaging apparatus capable of realizing minute movement equivalent to the movement of an eyeball of a living body. Even if the position of the viewpoint of the image pickup body is adjusted by a combination of rotation around the X axis and rotation around the Y axis, it is possible to correct the inclination of the light receiving unit of the image pickup body and obtain an image without inclination. Providing an imaging device, third
In addition, without the support members protruding to the front side of the device,
Fourth, an object of the present invention is to provide an imaging device in which the rotation angle of the imaging body is not restricted, and fourthly, to provide an imaging device that achieves the above-mentioned object and does not increase the weight by a simple and lightweight drive system. And

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, an image pickup apparatus according to the present invention is configured as follows.

[0010] The imaging apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention includes an imaging body for photographing an object to be photographed, and rotation driving means for rotating the imaging body around three base axes in a three-dimensional coordinate system. With this configuration, the imaging body can be rotated around the X axis, Y axis, and Z axis that are the base axes of the three-dimensional coordinate system, and a combination of these rotations can cause minute movement similar to the movement of the eyeball of a living body. Can be realized.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the imaging device of the first aspect, the imaging body is configured as a semiconductor imaging device.

With this configuration, the size of the image pickup body can be reduced.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the imaging apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the imaging center of the light receiving portion of the imaging body, on which an optical image is formed by incident light, is defined by the base axis. Of these, it was configured to be located on the axis of one base axis along the light incident direction.

With this configuration, even when the image pickup apparatus is tilted, the light receiving unit is rotated about the one base axis after the image pickup body is rotated about the other two base axes, and thereby the light receiving unit is rotated. By correcting the inclination of the section, an optical image that is always horizontal can be obtained.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image pickup apparatus, the rotation driving means includes a gimbal mechanism including an inner gimbal and an outer gimbal, and a driving body for rotating the image pickup body around three base axes. The imaging body is configured to be rotatably supported by the inner gimbal.

As described above, by adopting the gimbal mechanism composed of the inner gimbal and the outer gimbal and rotatably supporting the imaging body on the inner gimbal, the degree of freedom in the arrangement of the outer gimbal increases, and the The projecting portion can be reduced.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the imaging apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, a wire connected to the imaging body at a position eccentric from a rotation center of the imaging body. And a driving body for pulling the wire in a direction for rotating the imaging body.

According to this structure, the structure of the rotary driving means can be made simple and lightweight, and the cost can be reduced.

[0019]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view for explaining the principle of the present invention, FIGS. 2 to 4 relate to an embodiment of an image pickup apparatus, FIG. 2 is a plan view for explaining the entire structure, FIG. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, a semicircular inner gimbal 18 is provided inside the apparatus main body 14 along the inner peripheral surface of the apparatus main body 14 in the vertical direction along the X axis. At both ends of the inner gimbal 18, X-direction axes 18a, 18a are rotatably provided. The X-direction axes 18a, 18a are attached to the apparatus main body 14, and are rotatable relative to the inner gimbal 18 around the X axis together with the apparatus main body 14. In this manner, the inner gimbal 18 is
a and a CCD 18 which rotatably supports the apparatus main body 14 via a and 18a and which is accommodated inside the apparatus main body
And the like, and an imaging body such as a camera is positioned at a predetermined position.

Outside the main body 14, a semicircular outer gimbal 19 is provided in a horizontal plane parallel to the Y axis.
The outer gimbal 19 is supported at both ends by Y-direction shafts 16 and 16 and is rotatable with the rotation of the Y-direction shafts 16 and 16.

The inner gimbal 18 and the outer gimbal 19 are connected at the center of each gimbal 18, 19 by a Z-direction axis 17. Therefore, when the outer gimbal 19 rotates around the Y-direction axis 16, this rotation is transmitted to the inner gimbal 18 via the Z-direction axis 17, and rotates the apparatus body 14 together with the inner gimbal 18 in the same direction as the outer gimbal 19. Let it. Further, the Z-direction axis 17 penetrates the outer gimbal 19, protrudes to the other side of the outer gimbal 19, and is rotatable with respect to the outer gimbal 19. Therefore, when the Z-axis 17 is rotated around the Z-axis, the inner gimbal 18 and the apparatus body 14 rotate in the same direction as the Z-axis 17 together with the Z-axis 17.

As described above, the apparatus main body 14 has the X axis,
It is rotatable around each of the Y axis and the Z axis.

Next, a more specific embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, the device main body 14 is formed in a spherical shape simulating a human eyeball. A through-hole 14b (see FIG. 2) is formed in the center of the front of the apparatus body 14 at a portion corresponding to the pupil of the human eye, and a transparent plate 14c such as a glass plate is fitted into the through-hole 14b. Therefore, external light can pass through the transparent plate 14c and enter the inside of the apparatus main body 14.
In addition, a pattern 14a imitating an iris is drawn on the device main body 14 around the transparent plate 14c.

In this embodiment, the spherical main body 14 is rotatably supported from below by a guide member 22 having a rotatable spherical roller 22a at its tip. As described above, the apparatus main body 14 is supported from below by the guide member 22 because the Y-direction shafts 16, 16 supporting the apparatus main body 14 are not subjected to excessive load and smooth rotation is realized. To do that. Therefore, there is no need to particularly provide the apparatus main body 14 and the imaging body 4 such as a CCD in a case where the weight of the imaging body 4 is relatively light and does not hinder smooth rotation about each axis. In addition, as long as the apparatus main body 14 can be rotatably supported in all directions inside a housing (not shown) of a device such as an industrial mouth bot or the like, not only the above-described guide member 22 but also other guide means can be used. The device body 14 may be supported.

An inner gimbal 18 for supporting the image pickup body 4 is provided along the inner peripheral surface of the spherical device main body 14.
Also, both ends of the inner gimbal 18 are X-axis 18a, 18a.
Thus, it is attached to the apparatus main body 14 so as to be relatively rotatable. One end of the X-direction shafts 18a, 18a is connected to the inner gimbal 1
8 extend to the center of the apparatus main body 14 through both ends thereof, and a CCD 4b, which is a semiconductor imaging device,
Is attached. That is, the CCD 4b is connected to the apparatus main body 14 by the inner gimbal 18 and the X-axis 18a.
It is located in the center of the.

One end of each of wires w1 and w2 is connected to both the left and right sides of the apparatus main body 14 eccentric from the X axis. The other ends of the wires w1 and w2 are connected to a connecting member 24 provided behind the imaging device main body 14. When the connecting member 24 rotates forward and reverse around an axis parallel to the X axis by driving a driving body such as a stepping motor (not shown), one of the wires w1 (or w2) is pulled, and the apparatus main body 1 is pulled.
4 is rotated about the X axis. Further, when the apparatus main body 14 rotates around the X axis by the driving of the driving body, the X direction axes 18a, 18a and the CCD 4 rotate around the X axis integrally with the apparatus main body 14. The above-mentioned wires w1,
w2, the connecting member 24, the inner gimbal 18 and the driving body constitute a rotation driving means for rotating the imaging body 4 around the X axis.

The apparatus main body 14 can be rotatably supported around the X axis, and the imaging body 4 such as a CCD can be positioned and fixed at a predetermined position inside the apparatus main body 14. If so, the inner gimbal 18 does not necessarily need to be provided.

A semicircular outer gimbal 19 for rotating the apparatus main body 14 around the Y axis is provided horizontally along the outer peripheral surface of the apparatus main body 14. Both ends of the outer gimbal 19 are Y
It is rotatably supported by the direction shafts 16 and 16 around the Y axis. A rotation transmission mechanism 25 including a belt 25a and a pulley 25b is provided on one Y-direction shaft 16, and when a driving body such as a stepping motor (not shown) is driven,
The outer gimbal 19 rotates around the Y axis with the rotation of the pulley 25b. Further, the rotation of the outer gimbal 19 about the Y axis is transmitted to the apparatus main body 14 via the Z direction axis 17 and the inner gimbal 18, and rotates the apparatus main body 14 about the Y axis. The rotation transmission mechanism 25, the outer gimbal 19, the inner gimbal 18, the Z-direction shaft 17, and the driving body constitute rotation driving means for rotating the apparatus main body 14 around the Y axis.

At the center of the outer gimbal 19 is a through hole 17.
The Z-axis 17 is inserted through the through hole 17a and attached to the center of the inner gimbal 18 so as to extend to the rear of the outer gimbal 19. Reference numeral 14d denotes the device main body 1.
4 is a notch formed on the rear surface of the main body 14 so that the Z-axis 17 does not interfere with the main body 14 when the main body 14 rotates around the X axis.

One end of each of wires w3 and w4 is connected to an upper and lower position of the apparatus body 14 eccentric from the Y axis.
The other ends of w3 and w4 are connected to a connection member 26 provided on the side of the imaging device body 14. When the connecting member 26 rotates forward and reverse around an axis parallel to the Z-axis by driving a driver such as a stepping motor (not shown), one of the wires w3 (or w4) is pulled, and the apparatus main body 14 is moved in the Z-axis direction. Rotate around. The above wires w3, w4
With the connecting member 26, the inner gimbal 18 and the driving body,
Rotation driving means for rotating the imaging body 4 around the Z axis is configured.

The positional relationship between the connecting members 25 and 26 and the wires w1, w2, w3 and w4 changes due to the rotation of the apparatus main body 14 around the Y axis and the rotation around the Z axis. However, in order to allow the apparatus main body 14 to be reliably rotated via the wires w1, w2, w3, and w4 by the rotation of the connecting members 25 and 26,
A wire w is provided between the connecting members 25 and 26 and the apparatus body 14.
Guides 27a, 27b, 27 for 1, w2, w3, w4
c and 27d need to be provided. As means for rotating the apparatus main body 14 about the Z axis, the wire w
Not limited to 3, w4 and the connecting member 26, a rotary shaft of a driving body such as a motor may be directly connected to the Z-direction shaft 17. Also in this case, the rotation of the apparatus body 14 about the Y axis and the rotation about the Z axis change the positional relationship between the driving body and the Z-direction axis 17, but the driving of the driving body is performed even if the positional relationship changes. The apparatus main body 14 is securely connected via the Z-axis 17.
In this case, the rotation shaft of the driving body and the Z-direction shaft 17 may be connected by a flexible connection hose or the like.

The control of the driving of the driving body for rotating the apparatus body 14 around the X, Y, and Z axes can be manually operated. By setting the rotation angle as a parameter and controlling the driving of the driver according to the parameter, the driver can be automatically controlled in an arbitrary photographing direction. .

Next, the operation of the image pickup apparatus of the present invention having the above-described configuration will be described.

The external light passes through the transparent plate 14c of the apparatus main body 14, enters the inside of the apparatus main body 14, and is input to the light receiving section of the CCD 4b via the lens 4a of the image pickup body 4. Thereby, an optical image is formed on the light receiving unit. Reference numeral 4c denotes an infrared sensor which detects, for example, a human as a heat source, measures the output and the distance to a human (heat source) using a computer, and quickly moves the line of sight of the imaging device. Used for In addition, in order to change the line of sight of the imaging device according to the surrounding conditions, in addition to the infrared sensor, various sensors such as a microphone sensor that responds to voice and surrounding sound, an ultrasonic sensor that measures the distance to the target, etc. It can also be mounted inside the device.

When changing the line of sight of the image pickup apparatus, the driving of the driving body is controlled manually or automatically to set the apparatus main body 14 in the X direction.
The image pickup body 4 is rotated around the axis, around the Y axis, and around the Z axis, and the image pickup body 4 is positioned at a predetermined rotation angle position by a combination of these three axes.

In this case, the rotation angle position of the image pickup body 4 is adjusted by a combination of the rotations around the X axis and the Y axis, and the light receiving section of the image pickup body 4 is kept horizontal by the rotation around the Z axis. The optical image formed on the light receiving section can be made horizontal. Thus, the X axis and Y
By adding rotation about the Z-axis as well as rotation about the axis, the imaging body 4 can be positioned at any arbitrary rotation angle position, and the positioning operation can be performed quickly and finely. can do.

In particular, by positioning the imaging center of the light receiving section of the imaging body 4 on the Z-axis, the imaging body 4 is positioned at a predetermined rotation angle position by a combination of rotations around the X axis and the Y axis. By correcting the inclination of the light receiving unit by rotation about the Z-axis, the light receiving unit can always be kept horizontal and a horizontal optical image can be obtained even when the imaging device is inclined. Become.

[0040]

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image pickup apparatus capable of realizing fine position control with a rotation angle, a movement speed and a large degree of freedom, which are substantially the same as those of the eyeball of a living body.

Further, when a semiconductor image pickup device is used as the image pickup device, the image pickup device can be made small, lightweight and inexpensive.

Further, the imaging center of the light receiving portion of the imaging body is positioned on the axis of one of the base axes along the light incident direction, thereby rotating around the other two base axes. Thus, the inclined light receiving section can be corrected to a horizontal state, and a horizontal optical image can always be obtained.

Further, the rotation driving means is constituted by a wire connected to the imaging body at a position eccentric from the center of rotation of the imaging body and a driving body for pulling the wire, whereby the configuration of the rotation driving means is reduced. In addition to being simple and lightweight, the price of the imaging device can be reduced.

Further, it is possible to provide an image pickup apparatus having no unnecessary protrusion on the outside of the front surface of the image pickup apparatus and no space limitation.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the principle of an imaging device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view according to an embodiment of the imaging apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a front view according to an embodiment of the imaging apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional side view according to an embodiment of the imaging apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a conventional example of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 4 ... Image pick-up body 4a ... Lens 4b ... CCD 9 ... Device main body (conventional example) 10 ... Support member 11 ... X direction axis 12 ... Y direction axis 13 ... Support body 14 ... Device main body 14a ... Pattern imitating an iris 14b ... Through hole 14c ... Transparent plate 14d ... Notch 16 ... Y direction axis 17 ... Z direction axis 18 ... Internal gimbal 18a ... X direction axis 19 ... Outer gimbal 22 ... Guide member 24,25,26 ... Connecting member 25a ... Belt 25b ... Pulleys 27a, 27b, 27c, 27d: guides w1 to w4: wires

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An imaging apparatus, comprising: an imaging body for imaging an object to be imaged; and rotation driving means for rotating the imaging body around three base axes in a three-dimensional coordinate system. 2. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the imaging body is a semiconductor imaging device. 3. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein an imaging center of a light receiving unit of the imaging body, on which an optical image is formed by the incident light, is set in a direction of incidence of the light on the base axis. An imaging apparatus characterized by being located on the axis of one of the base axes along the axis. 4. The rotation driving means has a gimbal mechanism including an inner gimbal and an outer gimbal, and a driving body for rotating the imaging body around three base axes, wherein the imaging body is provided with the inner gimbal. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the imaging device is rotatably supported on the imaging device. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotation driving unit includes a wire connected to the imaging body at a position eccentric from a rotation center of the imaging body, and a driving body that pulls the wire in a direction for rotating the imaging body. The imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: