JP2000217169A - Video monitor system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To transmit video data of an image pickup device to a monitor terminal with satisfactory response, without degrading quality and to display the data thereon, even when a transmission capacity of a communication network interconnecting the image pickup device and the monitor terminal is insufficient. SOLUTION: A video server device 30 is provided in a monitor center 7 and camera controllers 2a', 2b', etc., transmit tentatively video data photographed by cameras 1a, 1b, etc., to the video server device 30 via an ISDN 4, in response to video image distribution request from each of monitor terminals 20a, 20b, etc. The video server device 30 that tentatively stores or saves the data distributes the data to the monitor terminals 20a, 20b, etc., that are request sources.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a video surveillance system used for monitoring the state of a road or a river, for example.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a monitoring system in which a plurality of cameras are installed at important points on a road or a river, for example, and video data captured by these cameras is transmitted to a monitoring center via a public network or the like and displayed on a monitor. Is used.

[0003]

However, in this type of system which has been conventionally considered, a desired camera is designated from among a large number of cameras, and furthermore, from a large number of video data imaged by the designated camera. There are still many problems in efficiently specifying desired video data and displaying it on a terminal of a monitoring center.

In general, a plurality of monitoring terminal devices are installed in a monitoring center, and each time an operator performs a video distribution request operation on these monitoring terminal devices, a video transmission device is accessed via a public network. However, the camera side and the monitoring center side are generally connected via a basic interface of an integrated service digital network (ISDN), and when the video distribution requests from a plurality of monitoring terminal devices are concentrated, the transmission capacity becomes insufficient. And efficient video monitoring cannot be performed.

[0005] In general, a surveillance terminal device needs to have a function of displaying and monitoring video data, a function of remotely controlling the operation state of each camera, and the like. However, in order for the monitoring terminal device to have all these functions, it is necessary to install all application programs in advance, and if the number of monitoring terminal devices increases, the system price increases. In addition, if the function of each monitoring terminal device is specialized, a different monitoring terminal device must be selected and used for each work content, which lowers the workability of the operator.

A first object of the present invention is to provide a video monitoring system capable of efficiently transmitting desired video data relating to a monitoring target to a monitoring center and displaying the video data on the monitoring center. It is to provide.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a monitoring terminal with high responsiveness without deteriorating the quality of video data of an imaging device even when the transmission capacity of a communication network connecting the imaging device and a monitoring side is insufficient. An object of the present invention is to provide a video surveillance system capable of transmitting and displaying the video on a device.

A third object of the present invention is to provide a video surveillance system capable of reducing the processing load on the surveillance terminal device and reducing the cost without having to provide the surveillance terminal device with all application programs for using the system in advance. It is to provide.

A fourth object is to provide a video surveillance system capable of performing a remote operation of an imaging device from a monitoring terminal device with good responsiveness.

[0010]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, at least one image pickup apparatus is provided corresponding to a monitoring target and image pickup control is performed corresponding to the image pickup apparatus. A video surveillance system for providing a device and transmitting the video data obtained by the imaging device from the imaging control device to a monitoring center via a communication network and displaying the video data, wherein the video data is obtained by the imaging device in the imaging control device A video data storage unit for storing the video data in association with the management information for each of the video data, and a video data transmission request received from the monitoring center, the video data being stored in the video data storage unit. Video data transmission means for reading out video data to be transmitted and transmitting the video data to the monitoring center, and the monitoring center is provided with the imaging control via the communication network. Transmission request means for accessing a device and requesting transmission of the video data, and video browsing means for receiving and displaying the requested video data from the imaging control device. .

Specifically, each time image data is obtained by the image pickup apparatus, the image data is stored in the image pickup control apparatus in association with the management information, and the image data is stored in the image data storage means. List creation means for creating and storing the list information of the selected video data based on the management information, and, when a list transmission request is sent from the monitoring center, searching for the corresponding list information from the list creation means. List transmitting means for transmitting the video data included in the list information from the monitoring center to the video data based on the management information. Video data transmitting means for retrieving from the storage means and transmitting the video data to the monitoring center, and the monitoring center is operated by the monitoring center via a communication network. Video browsing means for transmitting the list transmission request, receiving and displaying the list information transmitted from the monitoring center, and further transmitting the video data transmission request and displaying the video data transmitted from the monitoring center. A configuration is provided.

Therefore, according to the first aspect, the list information is transmitted prior to the transmission of the video data, and the desired video data is designated based on the list information. , It is possible to efficiently select and check desired video data.

In particular, the management information is time stamp information indicating the imaging time of the video data, and the monitoring center designates the time stamp information corresponding to the desired imaging time from the list information and replaces the time stamp information with the video data. The video data is transmitted to the imaging control device in the transmission request, and the video data transmission means searches for the video data at the corresponding time based on the time stamp information included in the video data transmission request sent from the monitoring center and monitors the video data. It may be configured to transmit to the center. With this configuration, the monitoring side can efficiently browse the corresponding video data only by specifying the imaging time.

The list creation means creates and stores list information of a plurality of video data obtained in each time zone of a predetermined length, and the monitoring center includes a time zone including a desired monitoring target time. Is included in the list transmission request, and the list transmission means selects the list information of the time zone specified by the time stamp information included in the request when the list transmission request arrives from the monitoring center. May be transmitted to the monitoring center.

With this configuration, the list information is created in a time zone such as every day or every hour, so that the amount of information of each list information is reduced. For this reason, the time required to search for video data at a desired time from the list information can be reduced, thereby making it possible to greatly increase search efficiency.

On the other hand, in order to achieve the second object, a second aspect of the present invention is to provide at least one image pickup device corresponding to a monitoring target and to transmit video data obtained by the image pickup device to a communication network. A video server system connected to the imaging device via the communication network and connected to the monitoring terminal device via a private communication path in a video monitoring system for transmitting and displaying the monitoring terminal device via the communication terminal. . The imaging control device is provided with video data storage means for storing the video data each time video data is obtained by the imaging device, and the video server device transmits the video data from the imaging device via a communication network. Video receiving means for receiving and holding the received video data, and when a video transmission request arrives from the monitoring terminal device via the local communication path, the relevant video data is transmitted from the video receiving means via the local communication path. Video distribution means for transmitting to the monitoring terminal device, the monitoring terminal device further sends a video distribution request to the video server device via the local communication path,
A video browsing means for receiving and displaying video data transmitted from the video server device in response to the request is provided.

More specifically, a video surveillance system in which at least one imaging device is installed corresponding to a monitoring target, and video data obtained by the imaging device is transmitted to a monitoring terminal device via a communication network and displayed. , A video server device connected to the imaging device via a communication network and connected to the monitoring terminal device via a private communication path is provided. And a video receiving unit for receiving and holding the video data transmitted from the imaging device via the communication network, and a video transmission request from the monitoring terminal device via the local communication path. Receiving determination means for determining whether or not video data corresponding to the video distribution request has been received by the video receiving means; and when the reception determining means determines that the video data has not been received, the video data is transmitted via the communication network. A first video distribution unit that accesses an imaging device and causes the video reception unit to receive video data, and transfers the received video data to a requesting monitoring terminal device via a local communication path;
When it is determined that the reception has been received by the reception determination unit,
A second video distribution means for transferring a copy of the video data held in the video receiving means to the requesting monitoring terminal device via a private communication path, and the monitoring terminal device includes The server includes a video browsing unit that sends a video distribution request to the server device via a local communication path, receives video data transferred from the video server device in response to the request, and displays the video data.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the video data obtained by the imaging device is once transmitted to the video server device via the communication network, and is distributed from the video server device to the requesting monitoring terminal device. . For this reason, for example, when video data transmission requests for the same imaging device are generated from a plurality of monitoring terminal devices, the imaging device is accessed only when the first request is generated, and the imaging device is accessed for the second and subsequent requests. The video data is distributed from the video server device to the requesting monitoring terminal device without accessing. Therefore, even when requests from a plurality of monitoring terminal devices are concentrated, an increase in traffic on the communication network is suppressed,
As a result, even when using a public network having a small transmission capacity, smooth and efficient video monitoring can be performed. Further, since there is no need to reduce the amount of transmission data of video data, high-quality video monitoring can be performed with video data having a sufficient resolution.

The present invention also provides the above-mentioned video server device,
A video data storage unit for storing video data received and held by the video reception unit in association with the management information; and a video distribution request transmitted from the monitoring terminal device via a local communication path. Storage determination means for determining whether or not is a distribution request for a stored video; and when the storage determination means determines that the video distribution request is a distribution request for the stored video, And a third video distribution unit that retrieves the data from the data storage unit and sends it to the requesting monitoring terminal device.

According to the present invention, the video data once received by the video server device is stored as it is in association with the management information. When there is a distribution request for the stored video data, the video data is distributed from the video server device. Therefore, when performing not only real-time monitoring of video data but also retransmission of past video data, video data can be distributed from the video server device without accessing the imaging device. For this reason, it is possible to suppress an increase in traffic on the communication network and to perform more efficient video monitoring.

In order to achieve the third object, a video surveillance system according to the present invention comprises a video server device provided with program storage means for storing an application program required in a monitoring terminal device, and A distribution means is provided, and when a program distribution request arrives from the monitoring terminal device via the local communication path, the program distribution means reads an application program corresponding to the request from the program storage means and monitors the request source. It is configured to download to a terminal device.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the monitoring terminal device only needs to download the necessary application program from the video server device when necessary, and as a result, the monitoring terminal device has all the application programs installed in advance. There is no need to do so, so that the processing load on the monitoring terminal device can be reduced and the cost can be reduced.

Further, according to the present invention, when a plurality of imaging devices are installed and the remote control programs are different for each of the imaging devices, the remote control programs for the plurality of imaging devices are stored in the program storage means. deep. Then, the program distribution unit analyzes the designation information of the imaging device included in the program distribution request received from the monitoring terminal device, and selects a remote operation program corresponding to the imaging device designated by the designation information from the program storage unit. It is also characteristically read out and downloaded to the requesting monitoring terminal device.

With this configuration, even when the remote control program differs for each image pickup device, the optimum remote control program corresponding to each individual image pickup device can be downloaded only by specifying the image pickup device. For this reason, it is possible to always perform optimal remote control for each imaging device.

Further, in order to achieve the fourth object, the present invention provides at least one image pickup device corresponding to an object to be monitored, and a monitor terminal connected to the image pickup device via a communication network. A video server device connected to the device via a private communication path, and transmitting the video data obtained by the imaging device to the video server device via a communication network; What is claimed is: 1. A video surveillance system comprising: a function of distributing video data to a device; and a function of remotely controlling an operation state of the imaging device from the monitoring terminal device. A program storage means for storing a program and a remote control program for remotely controlling the operation state of the imaging apparatus are provided,
Network access means for performing different network access according to a program to be executed is provided. When the video browsing program is selected and executed by the network access means, the video server apparatus is accessed via the private communication path, while when the remote control program is selectively executed, the private communication path and the communication are accessed. It is configured such that an imaging device to be operated is directly accessed via a network.

With this configuration, it is possible to perform the remote operation of the imaging device with high responsiveness as compared with the case where the monitoring terminal device remotely controls the imaging operation via the video server device.

[0027]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a first embodiment of a video surveillance system according to the present invention.

In FIG. 1, for example, a plurality of cameras 1a as imaging devices are provided on a route of a highway or a main road.
1b are arranged in a distributed manner. These cameras 1
a, 1b,... are respectively provided with camera controllers 2a, 2b,... as image pickup controllers, and these camera controllers 2a, 2b,.
Is connected to ISDN4 via Each router 3a, 3
and the ISDN 4 are connected by subscriber lines 5a, 5b,... using the basic interface (2B + D).

For example, a monitoring center 7 is provided in a road management office. The monitoring center 7 includes a plurality of monitoring terminal devices 20a, 20b,..., And these monitoring terminal devices 20a, 20b,.
rk) 9 and to the router 8. LAN 9 is, for example, 10 Mbps or 100 Mbps.
It is composed of Ethernet with a transmission capacity of. The router 8 is connected to the ISDN 4 via the subscriber line 6.
Connected to. , Are hub devices for connecting the monitoring terminal devices 20a, 20b,... And the router to the LAN 9.

Each of the monitoring terminal devices 20a, 20b,...
Is constituted by, for example, a personal computer,
Each of the camera control devices 2a, 2b,.
Accessing via the SDN 4 and receiving video data from the accessed camera control devices 2a, 2b,...
It has an eb browser.

On the other hand, the camera control devices 2a, 2b,... Have a function as a WWW server, for example, and are configured as follows. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration. Since the camera controllers 2a, 2b,... Have the same configuration, the camera controller 2a is shown here as a representative.

The camera 1a comprises a camera body 11 and a camera driving section 12 for driving the camera body 11.
The video signal output from the camera body 11 is input to a video processing unit 21. The video processing unit 21 performs an A / D conversion process for converting the video signal into a digital signal, and the A / D-converted digital video signal is stored in the storage unit 22 as still image data at regular time intervals. . At this time, the control unit 24 adds time stamp information indicating the imaging time to each of the stored still image data.

Each still image data stored in the storage section 22 is read out from the storage section 22 in accordance with an instruction from the control section 24 and input to the video processing section 21. The video processing unit 24 performs a process of encoding and compressing the read still image data using, for example, the JPEG method.
The encoded video data obtained by this encoding is input to the communication interface unit (communication I / F) 23. Communication I
The / F23 has a function of transmitting and receiving encoded video data and control data to and from the ISDN 4 via the router 3a.

The control unit 24 includes, for example, a microcomputer as a main control unit. In addition to the communication control function of the WWW server and the control function of the camera driving unit 12, the control unit 24 includes a list creation / transmission control unit 241 and a requesting unit. An analysis unit 242 and a video data transmission control unit 243 are provided.

The list creation / transmission control means 241 creates and holds the list information of the still image data stored in the storage unit 22 at every predetermined time period, for example, every day or every hour. Then, it has a function of transmitting this list information in response to a request from the monitoring terminal devices 20a, 20b,. The list information includes, for example, a list of each still image data obtained within a time zone and time stamp information indicating the imaging time.

The request analysis means 242 is provided in the monitoring terminal 20
When a request signal arrives from a, 20b,..., it is determined whether the request type of the request signal is a list transmission request, a video data transmission request, or a remote operation request of the camera 1a.

When the video data transmission control means 243 receives a video data transmission request from the monitoring terminals 20a, 20b,... After transmitting the list information, the video data transmission control means 243 uses the time stamp information included in the transmission request as a key. Storage unit 2
2 is searched for corresponding still image data. Then, this still image data is transmitted from the communication I / F 23 to the requesting monitoring terminal device.

When a request for remote operation of the camera arrives from the monitoring terminal devices 20a, 20b,..., The camera driving unit 12 is controlled in accordance with the operation data. And so on.

Next, the operation of the video monitoring system thus configured will be described. FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing an outline of the operation procedure. The video signal output from the camera body 11 is A / D-converted at fixed time intervals in the video processing unit 21 of the camera control device 2a, and is thereby sequentially stored as still image data in the storage unit 22. Then, in the control unit 24, for example, every 1
For each time, list information of each still image data obtained during the period is created. The above processing is similarly performed in the other camera control devices 2b,.

Now, in this state, for example, the monitoring terminal device 2
It is assumed that a monitoring request operation specifying the camera 1a has been performed at 0a. Then, the monitoring terminal device 20a sends the LA
The camera control device 2a is accessed via the N9, the router 8, and the ISDN 4, thereby forming a communication link between the two. That is, a dial-up connection is established with the camera control device 2a. Then, when the operator designates the desired monitoring time zone, a list transmission request including the designation information of the desired monitoring time zone is transmitted from the monitoring terminal device 20a to the camera control device 2a.

On the other hand, when a list transmission request arrives from the monitoring terminal device 20a, the camera control device 2a specifies a desired monitoring time zone from the request content and reads out the corresponding list information. The message is transmitted to the monitoring terminal device 20a. This list information is displayed by the browser function in the monitoring terminal device 20a. Then, when the operator specifies a desired time in the list information, a video transmission request including the time stamp information of this time is transmitted from the monitoring terminal device 20a to the camera control device 2a.

When a video transmission request arrives after the transmission of the list information, the camera control device 2a stores the video data in the storage unit 22 based on the time stamp information included in the received video transmission request.
, The still image data at the corresponding time is read. After the still image data is encoded by the video processing unit 21, the monitoring terminal device 20 a of the request source is transmitted from the communication I / F 23.
Send to.

In the monitoring terminal device 20a, when video data arrives, the data is decoded and displayed on the display. Therefore, the operator can grasp the situation of the monitoring target place by watching the displayed video.

Thereafter, in the monitoring terminal device 20a, the above operation is performed each time a desired monitoring time in the list information is designated. Also, if you want to watch video from another time zone,
Specify the time zone you want to monitor. In this way, the corresponding list information is transmitted from the camera control device 2a. If a desired time in the list information is designated, the corresponding still image is transmitted from the camera control device 2a and displayed.

Further, when viewing an image of another camera 1b, a desired camera 1b is designated after disconnecting a communication link with the camera control device 2a. Then, the camera control device 2b is accessed from the monitoring terminal device 20a to form a communication link. In this state, if a list information transmission request and a video data transmission request are made, the camera 1b
At the desired time.

As described above, in the first embodiment, the camera control devices 2a, 2b provided for each of the cameras 1a, 1b,.
have a WWW server function for monitoring video data, and a general-purpose browser is provided for each monitoring terminal device 20a, 20b,..., and the camera control device 2a,. By accessing 2b,.., Video data captured by the cameras 1a, 1b,... Can be browsed and displayed by the monitoring terminal devices 20a, 20b,. Therefore, general-purpose We
A relatively inexpensive monitoring system can be constructed using the technology b.

Further, in the camera control devices 2a, 2b,... Provided for each of the cameras 1a, 1b, the still image data is accumulated and the list information is created every hour. Then, the monitoring terminal devices 20a, 20b,... Access the desired camera control devices 2a, 2b,.
send a list transmission request specifying a desired monitoring time zone to the camera control devices 2a, 2b,... to acquire corresponding list information. By transmitting a video transmission request from the monitoring terminal devices 20a, 20b, ... to the camera control devices 2a, 2b, ... by designating a desired time in the list information, the video at the desired time is transmitted to the camera control device 2a. , 2b,
.. To the monitoring terminal devices 20a, 20b,.

Therefore, it is possible to easily and reliably designate and acquire the video data at the desired time of the desired camera, and as a result, the monitoring efficiency of the video can be greatly improved.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a second embodiment of the video surveillance system according to the present invention. In this figure, the same parts as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description is omitted.

Each of the camera controllers 2a ', 2b',...
The camera 1a, 1 does not have a video data storage / delivery function.
b,.. are digitized and then encoded and transmitted, and the monitoring terminal devices 20a, 20
has only a function of controlling the cameras 1a, 1b,... in response to a request from the cameras b,.

The monitoring center 7 is provided with a video server device 30. The video server device 30 is connected to a plurality of monitoring terminal devices 20a, 20b,. The video server device 30 includes the cameras 1a, 1
have the function of storing and delivering the video data of b,..., for example, are configured as follows. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration.

That is, the video server device 30
Interface unit (LAN I / F) 31, buffer memory 32, external interface unit (external I / F) 33
And a control unit 34. LAN I / F 31
A communication interface process related to data transmission / reception to / from the LAN 9 is performed. The buffer memory 32 temporarily stores the video data transmitted from the camera control devices 2a ', 2b,' .... The external I / F 33 performs an interface process with a hard disk driver (HDD) 35 and a magneto-optical disk driver (MO) 36.

The control section 34 controls the entire server device, and includes, as functions according to the present invention, a request analysis section 341, a list creation / distribution control section 342, a video distribution control section 343, and a program distribution control section. 344.

The request analysis means 341 is provided for the monitoring terminal device 20.
It is analyzed whether the type of request data coming from a, 20b,... is a list distribution request, a video distribution request, or a program distribution request.

The list creation / distribution control means 342 creates and holds the list information of the still image data stored in the hard disk every predetermined time period, for example, every day or every hour. It has a function of distributing this list information in response to a request from the monitoring terminal devices 20a, 20b,. The list information includes, for example, a list of each still image data obtained within a time zone and time stamp information indicating the imaging time.

The video distribution control means 343 executes real-time distribution control and stored distribution control depending on whether the content of the distribution request is real-time distribution or stored distribution. The real-time distribution control accesses the camera control devices 2a ', 2b',... Via the ISDN 4 to form a communication link, and sends the video data of the cameras 1a, 1b,. , .... The accumulation / delivery control selectively reads out the video data accumulated on the hard disk after the real-time distribution and transmits the video data to the requesting monitoring terminal devices 20a, 20b,.

When the distribution request of the application program arrives from the monitoring terminal devices 20a, 20b,..., The program distribution control means 344 reads the corresponding application program from the magneto-optical disk according to the request content, and Original monitoring terminal devices 20a, 2
0b,.

Next, the operation of the video monitoring system configured as described above will be described. 6, 7 and 8 are flowcharts showing the control procedure of the video server device 30 and the contents thereof.

In the standby state, as shown in FIG. 6, the video server device 30 repeatedly monitors the arrival of a video distribution request in step S1 and the arrival of a program distribution request in step S2.

In this state, for example, the monitoring terminal 20
It is assumed that a download request for the video distribution program has been sent from a. Then, the video server device 30 executes the program distribution control shown in FIG.

That is, first, in step S11, the contents of the request are analyzed. Here, it is determined whether the application program requesting the download is the video distribution program, the camera remote operation program, or both. Here, it is determined that the program to be downloaded is a video distribution program.

In step S12, the application program corresponding to the request is selectively read from the magneto-optical disk according to the result of the analysis of the request, and the application program is read from the monitoring terminal device 2 of the request source.
0a. This download of the application program is repeatedly performed until the completion of the download of all the application programs is confirmed in step S13. Thus, the monitoring terminal device 20a can perform processing for receiving the distribution of the video data thereafter.

On the other hand, when remotely controlling the cameras 1a, 1b,..., Similarly, a download request of the camera remote operation program is transmitted to the video server device 30, and the download of the camera remote operation program is received. Remote control of the cameras 1a, 1b,.

If the remote control program differs for each camera 1a, 1b,...
Send out the download request together with the camera designation information. Then, the video server device 30 specifies a camera remote operation program to be downloaded based on the camera designation information included in the download request,
The corresponding program is read from the magneto-optical disk and downloaded to the requesting monitoring terminal devices 20a, 20b,.

Now, in the monitoring terminal device 20a, using the video distribution program acquired as described above,
It is assumed that a video distribution request for monitoring video data of the camera 1a in real time has been transmitted. Then, the video server device 30 executes the video distribution control as follows.

That is, as shown in FIG. 8, first, in step S21, the contents of the video distribution request are analyzed. Since it is a real-time distribution request, the process shifts from step S22 to step S23, where it is determined whether or not this is the first distribution request to the camera 1a. As a result of this determination, if it is now the first request, the router 8 and the ISDN are dialed up in step S24.
4, the camera controller 2a 'is accessed, and when a communication link is established with the camera controller 2a', a transmission request for video data is sent.

In response to this transmission request, the camera controller 2
When the video data is transmitted from a ′, the video server device 3
0, after receiving this transmitted video data in step S25, in step S26 the buffer memory 32
To be stored temporarily. Then, the stored video data is sequentially read out in step S27, and transmitted to the requesting monitoring terminal device 20a via the LAN 9.

In the interval between the sending operations, step S2
At 8, the video data temporarily stored in the buffer memory 32 is read and stored on the hard disk. At this time, time stamp information indicating the imaging time or the reception time is added to the video data stored in the hard disk. Thereafter, the above-described processing from step S25 to step S28 is repeated until the end of the reception of the video data is confirmed in step S29.

On the other hand, it is assumed that a real-time transmission request for the same camera image is sent from another monitoring terminal device 20b during the real-time distribution from the camera control device 2a 'to the monitoring terminal device 20a. Then, since this request is not the first distribution request to the camera 1a, the video server device 30 proceeds from step S23 to step S27, where the video server device 30 reads out the video data temporarily stored in the buffer memory 32, and This is transmitted to the monitoring terminal device 20b.

In other words, when a distribution request arrives from another monitoring terminal device for a camera video that has already started or ended reception, the video server device 30 does not access the camera control device and Distribute a copy of the data. Therefore, an increase in ISDN4 traffic is suppressed.

When video data from the same camera for a predetermined time, for example, one hour, is stored in the hard disk, the video server device 30 creates and stores list information of the stored video data. This list information is used at the time of the accumulation / delivery processing described below.

That is, when trying to view past video data captured by an arbitrary camera, the monitoring terminal 20
a, 20b,... first specify a time zone in which the video data to be viewed is included, and transmit a list transmission request including the specified information to the video server device 30. On the other hand, in response to the list transmission request, the video server device 30 sends the corresponding list information to the requesting monitoring terminal devices 20a, 20a.
b, ... is returned. Then, the monitoring terminal device 20a,
When the operator designates a desired time stamp in the list information at 20b,.
, A delivery request of the stored video is transmitted to the video server device 30.

When a request for distributing the stored video is sent from the monitoring terminal devices 20a, 20b,...
0 shifts from step S22 to step S30, where the corresponding stored video data is read from the hard disk according to the time stamp included in the distribution request, and the stored video data is read in step S31 by the requesting monitoring terminal device 20a, 20b,... This process is repeated until the distribution of the stored video data requested in step S32 ends. Thus, the storage and distribution of the past video data is performed.

Therefore, the monitoring terminal devices 20a, 20
b, ... also requested the distribution of past video data,
Access to the camera control devices 2a ', 2b',... Is not performed, and the corresponding stored video data is distributed from the video server device 30. For this reason, the traffic increase of ISDN4 is suppressed.

As described above, in the second embodiment, the video server device 30 is provided in the monitoring center 7, and each camera 1a, 1b,... Responds to the video distribution request of each monitoring terminal device 20a, 20b,. Are transmitted from the camera control devices 2a ', 2b',... To the video server device 30 via the ISDN 4, and the video server device 30 temporarily stores or accumulates the data.
a, 20b,...

Therefore, if a distribution request arrives from another monitoring terminal device for a camera video that has already started or ended reception, the camera control device is not accessed and the received video data is received from the video server device 30. Will be distributed. Also, when the monitoring terminal devices 20a, 20b,... Request distribution of past video data, access to the camera control devices 2a ′, 2b ′,.
The corresponding stored video data is distributed from the video server device 30. Therefore, an increase in the traffic of the ISDN 4 is suppressed. As a result, even when a public line having a small transmission capacity is used, effective responsiveness and effective video monitoring can be achieved.

In the present embodiment, the video server 30
, A video distribution program and a camera remote control program are stored in the storage device, and in response to a program distribution request from the monitoring terminal devices 20a, 20b,.
… To download.

Therefore, the monitoring terminal devices 20a and 20a
need only download the necessary application programs from the video server device 30 when necessary. As a result, the monitoring terminal devices 20a, 20b,... do not need to install all the application programs in advance. As a result, the monitoring terminal devices 20a, 20
0b,... And the cost can be reduced.

Furthermore, even if the remote control program is different for each camera 1a, 1b,...
Each camera 1a, 1b,...
The most suitable remote control program corresponding to is downloaded. For this reason, it is possible to always perform optimal remote control for each of the cameras 1a, 1b,.

(Other Embodiments) The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the system shown in FIG. 4, as a method of remotely controlling the cameras 1a, 1b,... From the monitoring terminal devices 20a, 20b,.
From the monitoring terminal devices 20a, 20b,.
., The camera control units 2a ', 2b',... However, in this method, it takes time until a communication link is formed between the monitoring terminal devices 20a, 20b,... And the camera control devices 2a ′, 2b ′,. It takes time for the operation control signals transmitted by the devices 20a, 20b,... To reach the camera control devices 2a ′, 2b ′,.

Therefore, the monitoring terminal devices 20a, 20b,.
Access to the video server device 30 when requesting distribution of video data from the monitoring terminal device 20a, 2
When the cameras 1a, 1b,... Are remotely controlled from 0b,..., The camera control devices 2a ′, 2b ′,.

This is because the monitoring terminal devices 20a, 20b,.
When the video distribution program is executed, the access destination is the video server device 30. On the other hand, when the camera remote operation program is executed, the access destination is the camera control device 2.
a ', 2b',... can be realized by configuring the communication processing of each program. With this configuration, the remote operation of the camera can be efficiently performed with good responsiveness.

Further, in the system of the second embodiment (FIG. 4), as a method of transferring video data from the camera control devices 2a ', 2b',... To the video server device 30 via the ISDN 4, Alternatively, an automatic transfer at a predetermined time may be considered. According to this method, the video data stored in the video server device 30 is automatically updated, so that the probability that the video data requested to be distributed by the monitoring terminal devices 20a, 20b,. It will be expensive and efficient monitoring can be performed.

Further, a time when the traffic of the ISDN 4 is small is set or detected in advance, and video data is transmitted using this time, or the camera control device 2
If the transmission is performed when the video data storage amount of a ', 2b',... exceeds a predetermined amount, the communication time in the ISDN 4 can be reduced.

In addition to the system configuration, the camera control device, the monitoring terminal device, and the video server device, the installation locations, the number of installations, and the control procedures and contents of the video distribution control and the program distribution control are also described. Various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0086]

As described in detail above, according to the first aspect, in the imaging control device, list information of video data stored in the video data storage means is created and stored, and the list information is sent from the monitoring center having a browser function. When a list transmission request is sent, the corresponding list information is transmitted to the monitoring center.
When a request for transmitting any video data included in the list information is sent from the monitoring center, the video data is retrieved from the video data storage means based on the management information and transmitted to the monitoring center. I am trying to do it.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the list information is transmitted prior to the transmission of the video data, and the desired video data is designated based on the list information. Thus, it is possible to provide a video surveillance system capable of efficiently transmitting desired video data to the monitoring center side for display.

In the second invention, there is provided a video server device connected to the imaging device via a communication network and connected to the monitoring terminal device via a private communication path. Then, in the video server device, when a video transmission request arrives from the monitoring terminal device via the local communication path, it is determined whether video data corresponding to the video distribution request has been received by the video receiving unit, If it is determined that the video data has not been received, the image data is received by accessing the imaging device via the communication network, and the received video data is transferred to the requesting monitoring terminal device via the local communication path. When it is determined that the video data has been received, a copy of the corresponding video data held in the video receiving means is transferred to the requesting monitoring terminal device via the local communication path.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the video data obtained by the imaging device is once transmitted to the video server device via the communication network, and is distributed from the video server device to the requesting monitoring terminal device. . For this reason, even when the transmission capacity of the communication network connecting the imaging device and the monitoring side is insufficient, the video data of the imaging device is transmitted to the monitoring terminal device with high responsiveness and displayed without deteriorating the quality. It is possible to provide a video surveillance system capable of performing the above.

Further, in the third invention, the video server device is provided with a program storage means for storing an application program required in the monitoring terminal device, and a program distribution means is provided. When a program distribution request arrives, the program distribution means reads an application program corresponding to the request from the program storage means and downloads the application program to the requesting monitoring terminal device.

Therefore, according to the present invention, it is not necessary to install all application programs for using the system in the monitoring terminal device in advance, and the processing load on the monitoring terminal device can be reduced and the cost can be reduced. An image monitoring system can be provided.

Further, in the fourth invention, the monitoring terminal device includes:
Network access for providing a video browsing program for receiving distribution of video data and a remote control program for remotely controlling an operation state of the imaging apparatus, and performing different network accesses according to the program to be executed Means are provided. When the video browsing program is selected and executed by the network access means, the video server apparatus is accessed via the private communication path, while when the remote control program is selectively executed, the private communication path and the communication are accessed. The imaging device to be operated is directly accessed via a network.

Therefore, according to the present invention, compared with the case where the remote control of the imaging operation is performed from the monitoring terminal device via the video server device, the video which can perform the remote operation of the imaging device from the monitoring terminal device with good responsiveness is provided. A monitoring system can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a first embodiment of a video surveillance system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a camera control device of the system shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram for explaining a video transmission operation of the system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a second embodiment of the video surveillance system according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a video server device of the system shown in FIG. 4;

6 is a flowchart showing a main routine of the video server device shown in FIG.

7 is a flowchart showing a program distribution control procedure of the video server apparatus shown in FIG. 5 and its contents.

8 is a flowchart showing a video distribution control procedure of the video server device shown in FIG. 5 and its contents.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1a, 1b, camera 2a, 2b, camera controller 3a, 3b, 8 router 4, integrated service digital network (ISDN) 5a, 5b, 6, subscriber line 7, monitoring center 9, LAN 10, hub device DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Camera main body 12 ... Camera drive part 20a, 20b, ... Monitoring terminal device 21 ... Video processing part 22 ... Storage part 23 ... Communication interface part (communication I / F) 24 ... Control part 241 ... List creation / transmission control means 242 ... request analysis means 243 ... video data transmission control means 30 ... video server device 31 ... LAN interface unit (LAN I / F) 32 ... buffer memory 33 ... external interface unit (external I / F) 34 ... control unit 341 ... request analysis means 342: list creation / distribution control means 343: video distribution control means 344: program distribution control means 35: c De disk driver 36 ... magneto-optical disk driver

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H04N 7/18 H04N 7/18 DF term (Reference) 5C054 AA01 AA05 CA04 CC03 CE12 CH02 DA00 DA08 EA05 EG00 EH07 FA09 FE02 FF02 GA00 GA01 GB02 GB05 GD03 HA18 5C084 BB01 BB24 DD12 FF03 GG07 GG09 GG17 HH12 HH13 5C087 BB03 BB14 BB32 BB62 BB74 EE06 EE14 FF01 FF02 FF19 FF20 GG03 GG18 GG18 GG18 GG18 GG18 GG18 GG18 GG18 GG18 HA01 HA02

Claims (15)

[Claims] At least one imaging device is provided corresponding to a monitoring target, and an imaging control device is provided corresponding to the imaging device. Video data obtained by the imaging device is transmitted from the imaging control device to a communication network. A video surveillance system for transmitting and displaying the video data to a monitoring center via a video server, wherein the imaging control device stores video data in association with the management information every time video data is obtained by the imaging device; A video data transmitting unit that reads out the relevant video data from the management information stored in the video data storage unit and transmits the read video data to the monitoring center when receiving a video data transmission request from the monitoring center, A transmission request unit that accesses the imaging control device via the communication network to request transmission of the video data; Video surveillance system comprising the video browsing means for displaying the image data requested to be transmitted is received from the imaging control device. 2. At least one image pickup device is provided corresponding to a monitoring target, and an image pickup control device is provided corresponding to the image pickup device, and video data obtained by the image pickup device is transmitted from the image pickup control device to a communication network. A video surveillance system for transmitting and displaying the video data to a monitoring center via a video server, wherein the imaging control device stores video data in association with the management information every time video data is obtained by the imaging device; A list creation unit that creates and stores list information of video data stored in the video data storage unit based on the management information; and when a list transmission request is sent from the monitoring center,
List transmitting means for retrieving the relevant list information from the list creating means and transmitting the list information to the monitoring center; Video data transmission means for searching data from the video data storage means based on the management information and transmitting the data to a monitoring center, wherein the monitoring center accesses the imaging control device via the communication network, Video browsing means for transmitting the list transmission request, receiving and displaying the list information transmitted from the imaging control device, and further transmitting the video data transmission request and displaying the video data transmitted from the imaging control device. A video surveillance system comprising: 3. The management information is time stamp information indicating an imaging time of video data, and the monitoring center designates time stamp information corresponding to a desired imaging time from list information, and specifies the time stamp information. The video data transmission unit transmits the video data at the corresponding time based on the time stamp information included in the video data transmission request sent from the monitoring center. 3. The video surveillance system according to claim 2, wherein the video surveillance is searched and transmitted to a monitoring center. 4. The list creation means creates and stores list information of a plurality of pieces of video data obtained in each time zone of a predetermined length, and the monitoring center outputs a desired monitoring target time. And transmitting the time stamp information designating a time zone including the time stamp included in the list transmission request. The list transmission unit, when a list transmission request arrives from the monitoring center, the time specified by the time stamp information included in the request. 3. The video surveillance system according to claim 2, wherein the list information of the band is selected and transmitted to the monitoring center. 5. A video surveillance system in which at least one imaging device is installed corresponding to a monitoring target, and video data obtained by the imaging device is transmitted to a monitoring terminal device via a communication network and displayed. A video server device connected to the imaging device via the communication network and connected to the monitoring terminal device via a private communication path, wherein the imaging control device obtains video data by the imaging device A video data storage unit that stores the video data for each of the video server devices, the video server device receives video data transmitted from the imaging device via a communication network, and holds the video data. When a video transmission request arrives via the local communication path, the relevant video data is sent from the video receiving means to the monitoring terminal device via the local communication path. The monitoring terminal device sends a video distribution request to the video server device via the local communication path, and transmits video data transmitted from the video server device in response to the request. A video surveillance system comprising video browsing means for receiving and displaying. 6. A video surveillance system in which at least one imaging device is installed corresponding to a monitoring target, and video data obtained by the imaging device is transmitted to a monitoring terminal device via a communication network and displayed. A video server device connected to the imaging device via the communication network and connected to the monitoring terminal device via a local communication path, wherein the video server device is connected to the imaging device via the communication network; Video receiving means for receiving and holding the transmitted video data, and when a video transmission request arrives from the monitoring terminal device via a local communication path, video data corresponding to the video distribution request is transmitted to the video receiving means. Receiving determination means for determining whether or not the image has been received; and when the reception determining means has determined that the image has not been received, the imaging apparatus is accessed via the communication network to access the image. A first video distribution unit for causing the receiving unit to receive the video data, and transferring the received video data to the requesting monitoring terminal device via the local communication path; and when the reception determining unit determines that the reception has been received, ,
Second video distribution means for transferring a copy of the relevant video data held in the video receiving means to the requesting monitoring terminal device via a private communication path, wherein the monitoring terminal device comprises: A video surveillance system comprising: a video browsing means for transmitting a video distribution request to a device via a local communication path, receiving and displaying video data transferred from a video server device in response to the request. 7. The video server device includes: a video data storage unit configured to store video data received and held by the video reception unit in association with the management information; And a storage determining unit that determines whether the request is a stored video distribution request when the video distribution request is transmitted, and determines that the video distribution request is a stored video distribution request by the storage determining unit. 7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising: a third video distribution unit that retrieves the corresponding stored video data from the video data storage unit and sends the retrieved video data to the requesting monitoring terminal device. Video surveillance system. 8. The video data accumulating means includes a list creating means for creating and storing list information of the accumulated video data based on the management information. Searching the corresponding list information from the list creating means in response to the list transmission request sent from,
List transmitting means for transmitting to the requesting monitoring terminal device, when designation information of any video data included in the list information is transmitted from the monitoring terminal device, the corresponding stored video data is also stored in the management information. 8. The video surveillance system according to claim 7, further comprising: video data transmission means for retrieving the video data from the video data storage means and transmitting the video data to the requesting monitoring terminal device. 9. The monitoring information is time stamp information indicating a time at which video data was captured or received, and the monitoring terminal device specifies time stamp information corresponding to a desired time from the list information, and Information is transmitted to the video server device in the video distribution request, and the third video data distribution means determines the time of the corresponding time based on the time stamp information included in the video distribution request transmitted from the monitoring terminal device. 9. The video monitoring system according to claim 8, wherein the stored video data is searched and transmitted to a monitoring terminal device. 10. The list creating means creates and stores list information of a plurality of pieces of video data received in the time zone for each predetermined time zone, and the monitoring terminal device includes The timestamp information specifying the time zone including the time is included in the list transmission request and transmitted. The list transmission means, when a list transmission request arrives from the monitoring terminal device, specifies the timestamp information included in the request. 9. The video surveillance system according to claim 8, wherein the selected list information of the time zone is selected and transmitted to the requesting monitoring terminal device. 11. The video server device, comprising: a program storage unit for storing an application program required by the monitoring terminal device; and a program distribution request from the monitoring terminal device via a private communication path. 8. The video surveillance system according to claim 6, further comprising: a program distribution unit that reads an application program corresponding to the request from the program storage unit and downloads the application program to the requesting monitoring terminal device. 12. The program storage unit stores at least one of a video browsing program for receiving distribution of video data and a remote operation program of an imaging device, wherein the program distribution unit is configured to receive a video data from a monitoring terminal device. 11. The video monitoring system according to claim 10, wherein the video browsing program and the remote control program are selectively read from the program storage unit and downloaded to the requesting monitoring terminal device in response to an incoming program distribution request. . 13. In a case where a plurality of imaging devices are installed and the remote operation programs are different for each of the imaging devices, the program storage unit stores the respective remote operation programs of the plurality of imaging devices, respectively. The program distribution unit analyzes the designation information of the imaging device included in the program distribution request received from the monitoring terminal device, and selectively selects a remote operation program corresponding to the imaging device designated by the designation information from the program storage unit. 13. The video surveillance system according to claim 12, wherein the video surveillance system is read out and downloaded to a requesting monitoring terminal device. 14. An image in which at least one imaging device is installed corresponding to a monitoring target, and which is connected to the imaging device via a communication network and connected to a monitoring terminal device via a private communication path. A server device, a function of transmitting video data obtained by the imaging device to the video server device via a communication network, and then distributing the video data from the video server device to a monitoring terminal device, and an operation state of the imaging device. A video surveillance system having a function of remotely controlling the monitoring terminal device, wherein the monitoring terminal device remotely controls a video browsing program for receiving distribution of the video data and an operation state of the imaging device. Program storage means for respectively storing remote control programs, and when the video browsing program is selected and executed, via the private communication path Network access means for accessing the video server device and directly accessing an operation target imaging device via a local communication path and a communication network when the remote operation program is selected and executed. Video surveillance system. 15. At least one image pickup device installed corresponding to a monitoring target, and at least one image display device that displays video data obtained by the image pickup device and remotely controls an operation state of the image pickup device. A monitoring terminal device, connected to the imaging device via a communication network and connected to the monitoring terminal device via a private communication path, stores video data received via the communication network, and stores the video data in the monitoring terminal device. A video server device for delivering, wherein the monitoring terminal device accesses the video server device when requesting delivery of video data, and the imaging device to be operated when remotely controlling an operation state of the imaging device. A video surveillance system characterized by direct access.