JP2000099860A - Communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a communication system capable of remarkably reducing the burden of an operator and simultaneously performing extremely prompt and precise judgment especially about a matter for which urgency like a countermeasure against disaster, etc., is required in the communication system to include a master station and a slave station to be connected with the master station via a transmission line. The communication system is provided with a display to display image information photographed by a camera installed at a high place of the master station and also image information transmitted from the side of the slave station to the side of the master station. SOLUTION: A control system part 6 to automatically link plural images and to display them on the display 7 is provided on the side of the master station. In addition, an identification signal device 3 to transmit an intrinsic identification signal with the photographed image information is provided on the side of the slave station. When the image information and the identification signal from the slave station are received, the photographing direction of the camera 8 at the high place on the side of the master station is automatically controlled to direct toward the slave station by which the identification signal is received by the control system part 6 of the master station.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a communication system including a master station and a slave station, such as a radio communication system for disaster prevention, and more particularly to display control of a plurality of pieces of image information in the master station of the communication system. It is.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a communication system including a master station and a slave station connected to the master station via a transmission line, the master station uses a camera (hereinafter referred to as a high camera) installed at a high place of the master station. Camera) to collect the entire image of the required location in the system, collect images captured by the camera on the slave station via the transmission line, and display both images on the display device of the master station. Communication systems are known. For example, when a fire occurs in the system, the operator of the master station, on the display device, a first image (partial image of the fire scene) taken from a nearby child station near the scene, and the master station's image. Check the second image (overall image of the fire site) taken from a distance with a high-altitude camera, and comprehensively judge the situation from both image information,
He was working on issuing disaster prevention information. In this way, in order for the master station to accurately perform operations such as issuing disaster prevention information, it is necessary to refer not only to the images shot by the slave station cameras near the site but also to the images shot by the high-altitude cameras of the master station. Then, it is indispensable to make a report on the place of refuge, etc. after judging the situation comprehensively.

However, in a conventional communication system of this type, the first image captured by the camera on the slave station near the site described above and the second image captured by the high-level camera on the master station are mutually separated. Processed completely independently, each image is
It was only displayed in a hanging manner on the display device of the master station. Adjustment of the shooting direction of the high-altitude camera on the master station side is a manual adjustment, and is performed by the judgment and operation of the master station operator with reference to the “partial image of the site” taken by the slave station camera. Had to adjust the shooting direction of the camera.

[0004]

As described above, in the conventional communication system, when an "all image of the site" is photographed by the high-altitude camera of the master station, the operator of the master station operates the camera of the slave station. Since the photographing direction of the high-altitude camera was manually adjusted with reference to the "partial image of the site" photographed in the above, there was a problem that the work was extremely complicated and the adjustment took time. Therefore, there is a problem that it cannot be put to practical use especially in a communication system requiring urgency, such as reporting a fire report or issuing disaster prevention information. The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and has been made to solve such a problem. The present invention significantly reduces the burden on the operator and, in particular, promptly deals with items requiring urgency such as disaster countermeasures. It is an object of the present invention to provide a communication system capable of making accurate judgments.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a communication system including a master station having a camera and a slave station connected to the master station via a transmission line and having a camera. The master station displays first image information shot by a slave station camera and transmitted via a transmission line, and second image information shot by the master station camera. In a communication system having a display device, the master station is provided with control means for automatically linking the first and second image information and displaying the first and second image information on the display device.
The slave station further includes means for transmitting a unique identification signal together with the first image information.
When receiving the image information and the identification signal, the control means for automatically controlling the shooting direction of the camera on the master station side toward the slave station that has received the identification signal based on the identification signal. It was done.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of one embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the communication system includes a master station and a plurality of slave stations connected to the master station via a wireless line. In the drawing, reference numeral 1 denotes a camera on the slave station side, 2 denotes a wireless device, 3 denotes an identification signal device, 4 denotes a GPS receiver (GPS position information detecting device), 5
Denotes a wireless station controller on the master station side, 6 denotes an image control system unit, 7 denotes a display device, 8 denotes a high-altitude camera, and 9 denotes an image server. If the area of one communication system is, for example, within the administrative area of each municipalities (for example, within a range of about several km), it is extremely practical in operation. Any size may be used as long as it is within a photographable range. Further, in the present embodiment, an example in which the transmission line between the master station and each slave station is a wireless line will be described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the communication line in which the transmission line is a wired line is described. It can also be applied to systems.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
In the system, as a specific example of a place where each slave station is installed and a monitoring target monitored by each slave station, the following (a) to (a)
(f). (A) Broadcasting outdoor child station devices installed in evacuation centers such as schools and parks Child station devices are installed in each evacuation site designated by local governments such as municipalities, and evacuation of victims in the event of a disaster Video of each evacuation site is taken to understand the situation. For example, the evacuation status of the victim is changed every moment. (B) Broadcasting outdoor child station equipment installed at enlightenment roads and major intersections Enlightenment roads are used for ambulances, fire trucks, police cars,
A road designated to ensure the passage of priority vehicles, such as SDF vehicles and relief supply vehicles. Slave stations are installed at the main points and major intersections of this road, and for example, in order to grasp the entry status of general vehicles on the road and traffic conditions of the main road, Shoot the video. (C) Broadcast outdoor slave stations installed in river basins Slave stations are installed at major locations in rivers to monitor the rise of rivers due to heavy rainfall and the relationship with warning water levels. Shoot water level images at major locations.

(D) Broadcast outdoor slave station installed in a danger area of steep slope A slave station is installed in a place designated as a danger area of steep slope, and a collapse accident caused by heavy rain or earthquake To prevent the situation, take a picture of each danger area.

(E) An indoor slave station installed in a main building An indoor slave station is installed in a main building. For example, when a fire occurs, an image of the vicinity of the fire site is photographed.

(F) Mobile station slave station device installed in a vehicle such as a fire truck or police car A slave station device is installed in a vehicle such as a fire truck or a police car,
Film footage of the disaster site.

Each slave station device is provided with a sensor for detecting an abnormality in accordance with an object to be monitored, for example, the amount of water. When the sensor detects an abnormality, the camera 1 is automatically activated to take a picture. To start. Also, depending on the usage form,
A control signal for instructing the start of shooting is transmitted from the master station, and shooting is automatically started when the slave station receives this control signal, or the camera 1 always shoots continuously. Good. Also, if there is an operator on the slave station side,
Needless to say, the shooting may be started manually. Each slave station transmits image information captured by the camera 1 to the master station. Hereinafter, a still image will be described as an example of the image information, but the present invention can also be applied to a quasi-moving image and a moving image. Although not shown in FIG. 1, each slave station includes a still image codec, an image memory, a transmission control device, and a modem.
It is configured so that still images can be transmitted to the master station at a transmission speed of about 9600 bps. For example, the image compression method of the still image codec is the JPEG method, and the image memory has a memory capacity of about 20 screens in standard image quality for transmission and reception. Here, when the slave station is a fixed station, the identification information of the own station including the position information (latitude / longitude information) of the own station, the place name, and the like stored in advance in the identification signal device 3 together with the image information. To the master station. Also,
When the slave station is a mobile station, position information (latitude / longitude information) of the own station detected by the GPS receiver 4, together with image information,
The identification information of the own station including the place name and the like stored in advance in the identification signal device 3 is transmitted to the master station. As a communication control for automatically transmitting image information and identification information of the own station from a plurality of slave stations to a master station, polling control is given.
For example, a master station designates one slave station and transmits a polling signal. After the designated slave station transmits image information and identification information of its own station, the master station designates another slave station and performs polling. A signal is transmitted, and this is repeated in order so that each slave station transmits in turn. When the number of slave stations in the system is small, the slave station may automatically transmit the information.

[0012] For example, when the area of the communication system is within the administrative area of a municipal government, it is extremely practical for operation such as disaster prevention measures if it is arranged at a government office of each municipal office. In the master station, when the wireless channel control device 5 receives the image information and the identification information from each slave station, the information is transferred to the image control system unit 6. The image control system unit 6 receives and analyzes the identification information of the slave station, identifies the slave station to which the image has been transmitted, and identifies the slave station identified from the azimuth information of all slave stations stored in the memory in advance. The azimuth information is read out, and a control signal for controlling the shooting direction of the high-altitude camera 8 is given to the high-altitude camera 8 based on the azimuth information of the slave station. Height camera 8
Is controlled so that the photographing direction is directed in the same direction as the slave station to which the image information has been automatically transmitted upon receiving this control signal. At the same time, the image control system unit 6 accesses the image server 9 and obtains a past image (for example, an image of a building before a fire occurs or a normal image before a flood rise) photographing the vicinity of a slave station to which image information has been sent. Image showing the water level of the river at the time).

As described above, the image control system unit 6 of the master station
After receiving the first image (partial image of the site) captured by the slave station under the control of, the shooting direction of the high-altitude camera 8 of the master station is automatically switched in conjunction with the first image (image information). The second image (overall image of the site) obtained by photographing the vicinity of the slave station from which the satellite was transmitted from a distance with the high-altitude camera 8 is automatically obtained. At the same time, the image server 9 is accessed, and a third image (a past image of the site) that is a past image near the slave station that has transmitted the image information is read. The image control system unit 6 centrally manages the plurality of images obtained in this way and displays them on the display device 7 in association with each other. For example, a first image (partial image of the site) captured by the slave station is displayed on the display device 7A, and a second image (whole image of the site) captured from a distance by the high-altitude camera 8 of the master station is displayed. A third image (a past image of the site) that is displayed on the display device 7B and is a past image near the slave station that has transmitted the image information is displayed on the display device 7C. Therefore, unlike the related art, there is no need for the operator of the master station to perform the troublesome work of manually adjusting the shooting direction of the high-altitude camera each time, and the burden on the operator is remarkably reduced. Since the third image is displayed in a unified manner, it is possible to make a remarkably quick and accurate determination as compared with the related art.

As an application example, a plurality of pieces of image information, which are displayed in an integrated manner, are stored again in a memory in the image server 9, and are managed for each identification number of the slave station. If it is configured to connect to the Internet or the like, image information can be shared among a plurality of communication systems, not limited to one communication system. In particular, it is extremely useful when disasters occur not only within one municipality but also over a wide area and it is necessary for local governments to cooperate in disaster prevention measures.

Next, a specific example of a method of controlling a plurality of pieces of image information in conjunction will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a control operation according to one embodiment of the present invention. In the image control system unit 6, when the information of the town to be designated is inputted by the key operation of the operator of the master station, the image control system unit 6 connects the image server 9, the high altitude camera 8 and the wireless line control. Control for starting the device 5 at the same time is performed. Upon receiving the start-up control, the image server 9 searches for past image information near the search location from the image information stored in the memory in advance, and displays the searched image on the display device 7C.
To be displayed. Further, the image control system unit 6 provides a code signal predetermined to the high-altitude camera 8 in accordance with the input town-chome information of the search point. In accordance with this code signal, the electric pan head of the high-altitude camera 8 is controlled, and the high-altitude camera 8 is automatically pointed in the direction of the location designated by the operator.
The image taken by the high-altitude camera 8 is displayed on the display device 7B. Further, the image control system unit 6 transmits a control signal for calling the wireless device 2 of the slave station near the designated location via the wireless channel control device 5. The wireless device 2 of the slave station that has received the control signal activates the camera 1 and starts shooting. The captured video is compressed by a still image codec, temporarily stored in an image memory, and transmitted to a master station after a predetermined time. As described above, the polling signal may be received from the master station, and the slave station may return the image information in response to the polling signal. The image information captured by the slave station is received by the wireless channel control device 5 of the master station, and is displayed on the display device 7A via the image control system unit 6.

Here, in order to display a plurality of images in an interlocked manner or to manage them collectively, a unique ID code is assigned to each point (one town street in the above example). Good. Then, when information indicating the ID code is input from any one of the wireless line control device 5, the high-level camera 8, the image server 9, and the image control system unit 6 itself, The corresponding ID code is assigned to another device to be linked, and the common ID controls each device in the system to operate in conjunction.

As described above, by controlling a plurality of images in conjunction with each other, the following excellent effects (a) to (c) can be obtained. (A) Multifaceted image comparison on the same time axis is possible: When a disaster occurs, it is important to perform multifaceted image comparison on the same time axis. In the above-described embodiment, the camera of the slave station has a role of “ant's eyes” for photographing the details of the scene from the vicinity, and the high camera of the master station photographs the whole scene from a distance. "Bird's eye" role. Then, by displaying images captured from different viewpoints in an interlocking manner on the display device of the master station, it is possible to make an extremely accurate determination when taking a disaster countermeasure. (A) Multi-faceted image comparison on different time axes of the present and the past is possible: In addition to the current image information by the above-mentioned slave camera and the high-altitude camera of the master station, the past image information stored in the image server is also included. In addition, by displaying all the images in association with each other, it is possible to accurately grasp the scale of the disaster. (C) Dramatically rapid response is possible: Response in the event of a disaster, in particular, is a matter of one minute and one second. By controlling a plurality of multifaceted images to be displayed in conjunction with each other, not only can the operator manually remove the troublesome work of manually adjusting the shooting direction of the high-altitude camera, but also the operator can control a plurality of multifaceted images. Since a clear image can be viewed at a time, it is possible to make a drastically quick and comprehensive judgment as compared with the related art.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a master station according to another embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 107 is a display device, 108 is a high altitude camera, 109 is a control storage device, 11
0 is a character generator, 111 is a voice generator, and 112 is a speaker. The control storage device 109 stores the high-altitude camera 10
8 is controlled and the direction data is stored. The character generation device 110 refers to the azimuth data stored in the control storage device 109 from among a plurality of pre-recorded region name character data, and reads the region name character data corresponding to the shooting region of the high altitude camera 108. Is read and supplied to the display device 107. The display device 107 displays the area name character data corresponding to the shooting area together with the image information shot by the high camera 108. In addition, the sound generation device 111 refers to the azimuth data stored in the control storage device 109 from among the sound data of a plurality of region names recorded in advance, the region corresponding to the shooting region of the high-level camera 108. The audio data of the name is reproduced, and the high-altitude camera 1 is reproduced via a speaker 112 installed near the display device 107.
The audio data of the area name corresponding to the shooting area 08 is output. With the configuration as in the present embodiment, the operator of the master station can quickly and reliably grasp the area corresponding to the captured image information.

[0019]

As described above, according to the present invention, there is no need for the operator to perform cumbersome work such as manually adjusting the shooting direction of the high-altitude camera, and the burden on the operator is significantly reduced. At the same time, since a plurality of multifaceted images are displayed in a unified manner in cooperation, it is possible to construct a communication system capable of making remarkably quicker and more accurate determinations as compared with the related art.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a control operation according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a master station according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: Camera, 2: Radio,
3: identification signal device, 4: GPS receiver, 5: wireless channel control device, 6: image control system unit, 7, 107: display device,
8, 108: high-altitude camera, 9: image server,
109: control storage device, 110: character generator, 111: voice generator, 112: speaker.

Continued on the front page F-term (reference) 5C054 CE12 CE15 CF06 CG07 DA07 EA03 EH07 FE16 FE17 FE28 FF06 HA18 5C087 AA02 AA03 AA09 AA10 AA24 BB18 DD02 DD03 DD04 EE06 EE07 FF01 FF02 FF16 GG02 AFF23 GG02 HH23 KK15

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A communication system comprising a master station having a camera and a slave station connected to the master station via a transmission line and having a camera, wherein the master station is a camera on the slave station side. In a communication system having a display device for displaying first image information photographed and transmitted via a transmission line and second image information photographed by a camera of the master station, A communication system comprising a control unit for automatically associating the first and second image information with each other and displaying the information on a display device. 2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein
Means for transmitting a unique identification signal together with the first image information to the slave station, wherein the control means of the master station, when receiving the first image information and the identification signal from the slave station, A communication system comprising: control means for controlling a shooting direction of a camera on a master station side to be automatically directed to a slave station receiving the identification signal based on the identification signal. 3. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the master station includes an image server storing third image information photographed in the system in the past, and the control means of the master station includes: A communication system as control means for controlling the first, second and third image information to be automatically linked and displayed on a display device. 4. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein a first means for recording character data of an area name and a second means for recording voice data of an area name in said master station.
A speaker for reproducing sound, character data of an area name corresponding to a shooting area of the camera of the master station is extracted from the first means, and displayed together with the second image information; And a control unit for extracting audio data having an area name corresponding to a shooting area of the camera of the master station and providing the audio data to the speaker.