Automatic tracking camera system utilizing the position of faces in the shot image

We developed an automatic tracking system camera for TV program production that is capable of making stable shots by detecting the performers' facial positions. This system can make tracking shots as specified by the user, by using a subject detection module in which input images are simultaneously processed by several image-processing algorithms installed in PCs on a local network. The robot camera is driven with a feedback control for correcting face positions in an image and a speed control for responding to the subject's movement. An experiment on automatic shooting of moving performers confirmed that this camera system can shoot "viewer-friendly" images, i.e., images without large vibrations that affect a subject's position in an image