JP2001034615A - Work support system and work support method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a work support system and work support method which are suitable to improve the working efficiency by acquiring easily the detailed information on a target object and also facilitating the intuitive understanding of the target object. SOLUTION: A feature information is extracted from an image that is fetched by a CCD camera 1, and an area including the current spot is specified from the position measured by a GPS 2 and an error of measurement of the GPS 2. A data base 16 is retrieved on the basis of the specified area and a target object corresponding to the relevant position information is retrieved in the area. The matching is secured between the extracted feature information and the retrieved target object, and a target object that is accordant with the feature information is selected. The selected target object is outputted to a display part 13 and a voice conversion part 17.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to manufacturing / distribution management,
The present invention relates to a system and a method for searching and outputting a target required for performing maintenance and inspection work in a field such as a service. In particular, the present invention makes it easy to obtain detailed information on a target and intuitively detects a target. The present invention relates to a work support system and a work support method suitable for improving work efficiency by facilitating understanding of the work.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a support system for on-site operations such as maintenance and inspection work, portable terminals such as pen computers (computers for inputting information using an electronic pen) and multimedia devices such as digital cameras are known. A multimedia portable terminal system combining the above has been put to practical use. For example, systems supporting field operations include “Fuji Tohoku: Multimedia Mobile Terminal System Application, Vol. 70 No. 11 pp600-603 1997” and “mobile medi
a magazine: Mobile system example, pp29-32, 1999/2 "
There is one described in.

The former system is used for maintenance and maintenance of plant equipment.
This is an example of applying a multimedia portable terminal system to inspection work.The portable terminal displays guidance on inspection items, captures images of the site with a digital camera connected to the portable terminal, and sends it to the central management center. In addition, the information on the fault location is shared between the portable terminal and the central management center, thereby improving the efficiency of the inspection work.

The latter system is an example in which a multimedia portable terminal system is applied to maintenance and inspection work of gas pipes, gas appliances, and the like. Inspection that has been conventionally performed on a paper basis using a mobile phone and a pen computer. In addition to performing work using mobile terminal applications, information on inspection work is shared between sites and offices via data communication using mobile phones, thereby improving the efficiency of inspection work.

[0005]

However, such a support system has just started to be put into practical use.
From the viewpoint of support from the system side, the system user interface and operability are still insufficient. In addition, in work such as maintenance and inspection at the site, various information such as drawings, photographs, and documents related to the equipment are used for grasping the state of the equipment and determining the work. However, in recent years, with an increase in the amount of equipment, the amount of work related to searching and updating information has been increasing. In addition, there is a need to enhance the function of transmitting information from the site in order to speed up injury handling. For this reason, portable terminals have been studied as support tools for on-site operations with the development of multimedia technologies such as mobile communication.

Under these circumstances, the operator can easily obtain a large amount of information such as drawings and images stored in the database as needed, and the operator can easily and intuitively understand the operation. Providing a user interface is an important issue. Therefore, the present invention has been made by focusing on such unresolved problems of the conventional technology, and makes it easy to obtain detailed information about a target object and to intuitively understand it. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a work support system and a work support method suitable for improving work efficiency.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, a work support system according to claim 1 of the present invention comprises:
A system for retrieving and outputting a target specified by position information, comprising: storage means for storing the target in association with the position information; image capturing means for capturing an image; Position measuring means for measuring the target object, and output means for outputting detailed information on the target, and extracting characteristic information from the image captured by the image capturing means, and the position measured by the position measuring means. From the measurement error of the position measurement means and the area including the current point is specified, the storage means is searched based on the specified area, and a target corresponding to the position information corresponding to the area is searched for, The extracted feature information is matched with the found target to select a target that matches the feature information, and detailed information on the selected target is output to the output unit. You have me.

With this configuration, when an image is captured by the image capturing unit, feature information is extracted from the captured image, and the position of the current point is measured by the position measuring unit. An area including the current point is specified from the position and the measurement error of the position measuring means. Then, the storage unit is searched based on the specified area, and as a result of the search,
When a target corresponding to the position information corresponding to the area is found, the extracted feature information is matched with the found target to select a target that matches the feature information, Detailed information on the selected target is output to the output means.

Here, the detailed information on the target means information necessary for performing the work and specified by the position information. For example, when performing maintenance and inspection work on a telephone pole, the work is performed. Information on the utility pole at the place where the work is performed (injury information, information on the type of utility pole, construction year, etc.). When performing maintenance and inspection work on the manhole, information on the manhole at the place where the work is performed (injury information, manhole type, Information on construction year). Hereinafter, the same applies to the work support system according to claims 2 to 4 and the work support method according to claims 8 to 11.

[0010] The characteristic information is information obtained by converting a characteristic portion of the captured image into a processable one.
Characters, numbers, figures, symbols and other features included in the image, for example, when capturing an image of a utility pole including a utility pole number, the utility pole number included in the image, the manhole including the manhole number If an image has been captured, it is the manhole number contained in that image. Less than,
The same applies to the work support system according to claim 3 and the work support method according to claims 8 and 10.

The term "matching" refers to determining whether feature information and a target satisfy a predetermined relationship. This includes determining whether the feature information matches the target. In addition to determining whether or not the feature information and the target are similar, it also includes determining whether the target information is similar to the target information. Hereinafter, Claim 2
The same applies to the work support system according to any one of the first to fourth aspects and the work support method according to the eighth to eleventh aspects.

The storage means is for storing the target in association with the position information, and it is sufficient that the target is stored at least at the time of operation of the present system, and the target is stored in advance. You don't need to. Less than,
The same applies to the work support systems according to claims 2 to 4. Further, the work support system according to claim 2 of the present invention is a system for searching for and outputting a target specified by position information, wherein the target is stored in association with the position information. Means, a voice input means for inputting voice, a position measuring means for measuring the position of the current position, and an output means for outputting detailed information on the target object, wherein a feature is provided from the voice input by the voice input means. Along with extracting information, an area including a current position is specified from the position measured by the position measurement means and a measurement error of the position measurement means, and the storage means is searched based on the specified area to search the storage area. The target corresponding to the position information corresponding to was searched for, and the extracted characteristic information was matched with the searched target to select a target that matched the characteristic information, and the target was selected. Detailed information about target object and outputs to the output unit.

With this configuration, when a voice is input by the voice input unit, feature information is extracted from the input voice, and the position of the current location is measured by the position measurement unit. An area including the current point is specified from the position and the measurement error of the position measuring means. Then, the storage means is searched based on the specified area. As a result of the search, when a target corresponding to the position information corresponding to the area is searched for, the extracted feature information is searched for. The target that matches the selected target is selected, and detailed information on the selected target is output to the output unit.

Here, the characteristic information refers to information obtained by converting a characteristic part of the input voice into a processable one.
For example, if you enter a voice that contains the telephone number,
The telephone pole number included in the voice, and when a voice including the word of the manhole number is input, the manhole number included in the voice. Hereinafter, the same applies to the work support system according to claim 4 and the work support method according to claims 9 and 11.

Further, according to a third aspect of the present invention, the work support system communicates between a database server that stores a target specified by position information and a portable mobile terminal, and A mobile terminal, the mobile terminal, image capturing means for capturing an image, position measuring means for measuring the position of the current location, and output means for outputting detailed information about the target The feature information is extracted from the image captured by the image capturing unit, and the position information of the position measured by the position measuring unit and the extracted characteristic information are transmitted to the database server. When the detailed information on the target is received, the detailed information on the received target is output to the output unit, and the data Susaba includes a storage means for storing the target in association with the position information,
When the position information and the characteristic information are received from the mobile terminal, an area including the current location of the mobile terminal is specified from the received position information and the measurement error of the position measurement unit, and the specified area is also specified. And searching the storage means for a target corresponding to the position information corresponding to the area, and matching the received characteristic information with the searched target to match the target with the characteristic information. An object is selected, and detailed information on the selected target is transmitted to the portable terminal.

With such a configuration, in the portable terminal,
When the image is captured by the image capturing unit, the feature information is extracted from the captured image, the position of the current position is measured by the position measuring unit, and the position information of the measured position and the extracted feature information are obtained. Sent to the database server. In the database server, when the position information and the characteristic information are received from the mobile terminal, an area including the current location of the mobile terminal is specified from the received position information and the measurement error of the position measuring means. Then, the storage means is searched based on the specified area. As a result of the search, when a target corresponding to the position information corresponding to the area is searched, the received feature information is searched for. The target that matches the target information is selected, and a target that matches this feature information is selected.
The detailed information about the selected target is transmitted to the mobile terminal.

In the portable terminal, when the detailed information on the target is received from the database server, the received detailed information on the target is output to the output means. Further, the work support system according to claim 4 according to the present invention,
Communication between the database server that stores the target specified by the position information and the mobile terminal that is movable,
A system for outputting detailed information on the target at the mobile terminal, wherein the mobile terminal includes a voice input unit for inputting voice, a position measuring unit for measuring a position of a current location, and the detailed information on the target. Output means for outputting the characteristic information from the voice input by the voice input means, transmitting the position information of the position measured by the position measuring means and the extracted characteristic information to the database server, When the detailed information on the target is received from the database server, the detailed information on the received target is output to the output unit, and the database server associates the target with the position information. Storage means for storing the location information and the feature information from the portable terminal when receiving the location information and the feature information. From the position information and the measurement error of the position measuring means, an area including the current position of the portable terminal is specified, and the storage means is searched based on the specified area and corresponds to the position information corresponding to the area. Searching for a target to be selected, selecting the target that matches the received characteristic information and the searched target and matching the characteristic information,
Detailed information on the selected target is transmitted to the portable terminal.

With such a configuration, in the portable terminal,
When the voice is input by the voice input unit, the feature information is extracted from the input voice, and the position of the current position is measured by the position measuring unit, and the position information of the measured position and the extracted feature information are obtained. Sent to the database server. In the database server, when the position information and the characteristic information are received from the mobile terminal, an area including the current location of the mobile terminal is specified from the received position information and the measurement error of the position measuring means. Then, the storage means is searched based on the specified area. As a result of the search, when a target corresponding to the position information corresponding to the area is searched, the received feature information is searched for. The target that matches the selected target is selected, and detailed information on the selected target is transmitted to the mobile terminal.

In the portable terminal, when the detailed information on the target is received from the database server, the received detailed information on the target is output to the output means. Furthermore, the work support system according to claim 5 according to the present invention,
5. The work support system according to claim 1, wherein the output unit displays a detailed information on the target, and a voice output unit outputs the detailed information on the target by voice. 5. Having.

With such a configuration, the display means displays the detailed information on the selected or received target, and the voice output means outputs the detailed information on the selected or received target by voice. Is done. Here, the output of the detailed information on the target may be performed simultaneously by both the display means and the sound output means. May be performed.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the work support system according to any one of the first and third aspects, the output means displays detailed information on the target. Means, and audio output means for outputting the detailed information on the target by voice, and outputs the detailed information on the selected or received target to the display means together with the image captured by the image capturing means. It is supposed to.

With this configuration, the detailed information on the selected or received target is displayed on the display together with the image captured by the image capturing unit. here,
As the display mode, the detailed information about the target and the image may be displayed in separate areas on one screen, or if the detailed information about the target is composed of characters, the detailed information about the target and the image may be displayed. You may make it superimpose and display an image.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the work support system according to the fifth aspect, the display means is a head-mounted display having a transmissive display. With such a configuration, the detailed information on the selected or received target is displayed so as to be superimposed on the visual field visible through the head mounted display.

On the other hand, in order to achieve the above object, a work supporting method according to claim 8 of the present invention is a method for searching for and outputting a target specified by position information, wherein the target is A storage step of storing in the storage means in association with the position information; an image capturing step of capturing an image by the image capturing means; a feature information extracting step of extracting feature information from the captured image; A position measuring step of measuring the position of the area, an area specifying step of specifying an area including the current position from the measured position and the measurement error of the position measuring means, and searching the storage means based on the specified area. Searching for a target corresponding to the position information corresponding to the area, and matching the extracted feature information with the searched target to obtain the feature information. Comprising a matching step of selecting a target which case, an output step of outputting to the output unit detailed information about the target that was selected, the.

Further, the work support method according to the ninth aspect of the present invention is a method for searching and outputting a target specified by position information, wherein the target is associated with the position information and stored. A voice input step of inputting voice by voice input means, a feature information extraction step of extracting feature information from the input voice,
A position measuring step of measuring the position of the current position by the position measuring means, an area specifying step of specifying an area including the current position from the measured position and the measurement error of the position measuring means, and based on the specified area A search step of searching the storage means for searching for a target corresponding to the position information corresponding to the area, and matching the extracted feature information with the searched target to match the feature information And an output step of outputting detailed information on the selected target to an output unit.

Further, according to the work support method of the present invention, a communication is performed between a database server for storing a target specified by position information and a movable portable terminal. The mobile terminal for outputting detailed information about the mobile terminal, wherein, for the mobile terminal, an image capturing step of capturing an image by image capturing means, and a feature information extracting step of extracting feature information from the captured image A position measuring step of measuring the position of the current position by the position measuring means, a first transmitting step of transmitting the position information of the measured position and the extracted characteristic information to the database server, and receiving the position information from the database server. An output step of outputting detailed information on the target to an output unit. A storage step of storing in the storage means in association with the position information, a specifying step of specifying an area including the current location of the mobile terminal from the position information received from the mobile terminal and the measurement error of the position measurement means, A search step of searching the storage means based on the specified area and searching for a target corresponding to the position information corresponding to the area; and searching for the feature information received from the mobile terminal and the searched target. And a second transmitting step of transmitting detailed information on the selected target to the portable terminal.

Further, in the work support method according to the present invention, a communication is performed between a database server for storing a target specified by position information and a movable portable terminal, and A voice input step of inputting voice with voice input means for the mobile terminal, a feature information extracting step of extracting feature information from the input voice, and a position measurement. A position measuring step of measuring the position of the current position by means;
A first transmission step of transmitting the position information of the measured position and the extracted feature information to the database server, and an output step of outputting detailed information on the target received from the database server to output means, For the database server, the storage step of storing the target in the storage unit in association with the position information, and the current position of the mobile terminal based on the position information received from the mobile terminal and the measurement error of the position measurement unit. A specifying step of specifying an area including a point; a search step of searching the storage unit based on the specified area to search for a target corresponding to position information corresponding to the area; Matching the feature information received from the above with the searched out target to select a target that matches the feature information Including a Gusuteppu, a second transmission step of transmitting the detailed information about the target that is selected to the portable terminal.

In the above, the work support system and the work support method for achieving the above object have been proposed. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the following first to fourth storage media can be used to achieve the above object. You can also suggest. The first storage medium is a storage medium storing a program for searching for and outputting a target specified by position information, and a storage unit for storing the target in association with the position information. A computer capable of utilizing image capturing means for capturing an image, position measuring means for measuring the position of the current location, and output means for outputting detailed information on the target, the image capturing means capturing Extracting the feature information from the image, specifying the area including the current position from the position measured by the position measuring means and the measurement error of the position measuring means, and searching the storage means based on the specified area. Searching for a target corresponding to the position information corresponding to the area, matching the extracted characteristic information with the searched target, and selecting a target that matches the characteristic information. , Detailed information about the target was selected to output to said output means, those computer-readable storing a program for functioning.

With this configuration, when the information stored in the storage medium is read by the computer and the computer functions based on the read information,
The same operation as the work support system according to the first aspect is obtained. Further, the second storage medium is a storage medium storing a program for searching for and outputting a target specified by the position information, and is a storage medium for storing the target in association with the position information. A computer that can use means, voice input means for inputting voice, position measuring means for measuring the position of the current position, and output means for outputting detailed information on the target object, using the voice input means. The feature information is extracted from the extracted voice, and an area including a current position is specified from the position measured by the position measurement means and the measurement error of the position measurement means, and the storage means is searched based on the specified area. And searching for a target corresponding to the position information corresponding to the target area, matching the extracted feature information with the searched target, and matching the target information with the target information. Selected, and to print detailed information on the target which is selected to the output unit, in which programmable computer-readable storing to function.

With this configuration, when the information stored in the storage medium is read by the computer and the computer functions based on the read information,
The same operation as the work support system according to the second aspect is obtained. Further, the third storage medium is a storage medium storing a program for searching for a target specified by the position information and outputting detailed information on the target,
9. A program for causing a computer to execute the storing step, the image capturing step, the feature information extracting step, the position measuring step, the area specifying step, the searching step, the matching step, and the output step according to claim 8. It is a computer-readable one that stores a program.

With this configuration, when the information stored in the storage medium is read by the computer and the computer functions based on the read information,
The same operation as the work supporting method according to the eighth aspect is obtained. 10. The storage step according to claim 9, wherein the fourth storage medium is a storage medium storing a program for searching for a target specified by position information and outputting detailed information on the target. A computer readable program storing a program for causing a computer to execute the voice input step, the feature information extraction step, the position measurement step, the region identification step, the search step, the matching step, and the output step. is there.

With this configuration, when the information stored in the storage medium is read by the computer and the computer functions based on the read information,
The same operation as the work supporting method according to the ninth aspect is obtained.

[0033]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 to 4 are diagrams showing an embodiment of a work support system and a work support method according to the present invention. In the first embodiment, when the work support system and the work support method according to the present invention perform maintenance and inspection work on a utility pole, the work is performed at a place (work site) where the work is performed. This is applied when obtaining detailed information on telephone poles.

First, the configuration of the work support system according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of the work support system according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, this system includes a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera 1 for capturing an image and a GPS (Global Positioning System) for measuring the position of a current position.
2 and a headphone 3.

The portable terminal 4 includes an image processing section 30 for processing an image captured by the CCD camera 1, a position detection section 40 for detecting the position of the current position using the GPS 2, and a target search section for searching for a target. 50 and a detailed information output unit 60 for displaying a target. Image processing unit 30
Is an image input unit 5 for inputting an image captured by the CCD camera 1, an image storage unit 6 for storing the image input by the image input unit 5, and a characteristic portion including characters, numerals, and the like from the image in the image storage unit 6. , A feature portion recognizing portion 8 that recognizes the feature portion extracted by the feature portion extracting portion 7 to generate feature information, and a feature that stores the feature information generated by the feature portion recognizing portion 8. And an information storage unit 12. The extraction and recognition of the characteristic portion is based on an example of a known technique (for example, Hitachi: Machine Vision for Road Traffic Monitoring Observing the Flow of Cars, IPSJ Symposium, 1998).

The position detecting section 40 stores position information consisting of latitude and longitude measured by GPS2.
And an area specifying unit 10 for specifying an area including the current position from the position information in the position information storage unit 9 and the measurement error of the GPS 2 (about several hundred meters). When the measurement error of the GPS 2 is 100 m, for example, the area specifying unit 10 specifies an area having a radius of 100 m around the point specified by the position information in the position information storage unit 9 as an area including the current point. It is supposed to.

The target searching unit 50 searches the database 16 based on the area specified by the area specifying unit 10 and the database 16 storing the target. A target candidate storage unit 11 for storing some targets as candidates for the target, a matching unit 13 for matching feature information of the feature information storage unit 12 with the target of the target candidate storage unit 11, A target storage unit 19 that stores the target selected by the unit 13 and a detailed information storage unit 18 that stores detailed information included in the target in the target storage 19 are stored.

The database 16 stores a target table 20 for storing the target in association with the position information. The structure of the target table 20 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the structure of the target object table 20. The target object table 20 registers the target object in association with the position information. The target object has a telephone pole number uniquely assigned to the telephone pole and detailed information (detailed information such as injury history, telephone pole type, and construction of the telephone pole). Year, etc.). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, each record is totaled and registered for each target. Each record includes a field 400 for registering a telephone pole number, a field 402 for registering position information, and a field 404 for registering detailed information.

The search section 14 searches the database 16 based on the area specified by the area specifying section 10 and searches for a telephone pole number corresponding to the corresponding position information in this area. The matching unit 15 includes the feature information storage unit 12
And the utility pole number of the target candidate storage unit 11 is matched to select a utility pole number that matches this feature information.

The target storage unit 19 stores the telephone pole number selected by the matching unit 15, and the detailed information storage unit 18 stores the telephone pole number in the target storage unit 19 based on the telephone pole number. The corresponding detailed information is read from the database 16 and stored. The detailed information output unit 60 includes a display unit 13 that displays the detailed information of the detailed information storage unit 18 so as to be superimposed on the image of the image storage unit 6, and converts the detailed information of the detailed information storage unit 18 into a sound and
And a voice conversion unit 17 for outputting to the The display unit 13 is configured by, for example, a head mounted display.

Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the first embodiment, and FIG.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a display screen of a display unit 13. When performing maintenance / inspection work on a power pole, if a worker wants to obtain detailed information on a power pole to be worked at a work site, first, as shown in FIG. Inputs an image of a telephone pole with the CCD camera 1.

Next, the process proceeds to step S102, where C
The image captured by the CD camera 1 is input from the image input unit 5, the input image is stored in the image storage unit 6, and the process proceeds to step S104. Characteristic portions including characters, numbers, and the like are extracted, and the process proceeds to step S106. Step S10
In step S6, the extracted characteristic part is recognized by the characteristic part recognizing unit 8 to generate characteristic information. The process proceeds to step S108, and the generated characteristic information is stored in the characteristic information storage unit 12.

Next, the process proceeds to step S110, where G
The position of the current position is measured by the PS2, the position information including the measured latitude and longitude is stored in the position information storage unit 9, and the process proceeds to step S112. An area including the current point is specified from the position information and the measurement error of GPS2. Next, the process proceeds to step S114, where the search unit 14 searches the database 16 based on the area specified by the area specifying unit 10, and as a result of the search, the telephone number corresponding to the position information corresponding to this area Is found, the found utility pole number is stored in the target candidate storage unit 11, and step S
Move to 116. In step S116, the matching unit 15 performs matching between the feature information in the feature information storage unit 12 and the utility pole number in the target candidate storage unit 11, and proceeds to step S118 to match the feature information with the utility pole number. It is determined whether or not these are matched (Yes), the process proceeds to step S120. If it is determined that the feature information and the utility pole number do not match (No), the process returns to step S116.

In step S120, the matching unit 15
Is stored in the target storage unit 19,
In step S122, the detailed information corresponding to the utility pole number is read from the database 16 based on the utility pole number in the target object storage unit 19, and stored in the detailed information storage unit 18. Next, the process proceeds to step S124, where the detailed information in the detailed information storage unit 18 is displayed on the display unit 13 so as to be superimposed on the image in the image storage unit 6, and the process proceeds to step S126. Information storage unit 18
Is read out by voice and output to the headphones 3. In this case, on the display screen 25 of the display unit 13, as shown in FIG. 4, an area 27 for displaying the detailed information of the detailed information storage unit 18 is provided in a part of the area 26 for displaying the image of the image storage unit 6. They are displayed overlapping.

As described above, when the worker inputs the image of the utility pole with the CCD camera 1, the utility pole number included in the image of the utility pole is recognized, and the area including the position of the current position is specified and specified. Some pole number candidates corresponding to the area are searched, and furthermore, a pole number matching the recognized pole number among the searched pole numbers is selected, and detailed information corresponding to the selected pole number is It is displayed superimposed on the input image and read out by voice. The worker performs maintenance and inspection work on the telephone pole while referring to the detailed information displayed on the display unit 13 and the audio content of the detailed information output via the headphones 3.

As described above, in the present embodiment, CC
The feature information is extracted from the image captured by the D camera 1, an area including the current position is specified from the position measured by the GPS 2 and the measurement error of the GPS 2, and the database 16 is searched based on the specified area. A target corresponding to the position information corresponding to the area is searched for, the extracted feature information is matched with the searched target to select a target that matches the feature information, and detailed information on the selected target is selected. Is output to the detailed information output unit 60.

Thus, the measurement error of the GPS 2 is complemented by matching with the feature information, and the ambiguity of the feature information is complemented by the search with the position information of the GPS 2, whereby the feature included in the image captured by the CCD camera 1 is obtained. The worker can output a target object suitable for the section, so that the worker can capture detailed information on the power pole to be worked while at the work site simply by capturing an image of the power pole to be worked with the CCD camera 1. It can be easily obtained. Therefore, it is possible to easily obtain detailed information on the target object as compared with the related art, and it is possible to improve work efficiency.

Further, in the present embodiment, the detailed information output unit 60 is provided with a display unit 13 for displaying the detailed information in the detailed information storage unit 18 and a headphone 3 which converts the detailed information in the detailed information storage unit 18 into a voice. And a voice conversion unit 17 for outputting to the Accordingly, the worker can grasp the detailed information on the target both visually and audibly, so that the worker can intuitively understand the detailed information on the target. Therefore, it is easier to intuitively understand detailed information on the target object than in the related art, and it is possible to improve work efficiency.

Further, in the present embodiment, the detailed information in the detailed information storage section 18 is displayed on the display section 13 while being superimposed on the image in the image storage section 6. Accordingly, the worker can compare the image of the utility pole to be worked with the detailed information of the utility pole, and thus can more intuitively understand the target. Therefore, it is easier to intuitively understand the target, and the work efficiency can be further improved.

Further, in the present embodiment, the display unit 13
Was composed of a head mounted display. Accordingly, the work can be performed while viewing the detailed information on the target displayed on the display unit 13, so that there is no need to particularly perform an operation for viewing the detailed information on the target during the work, and the work efficiency can be improved. It can be further improved.

In the first embodiment, the database 16 corresponds to the storage means according to the first aspect, and includes a CCD
The camera 1 corresponds to the image capturing means according to claim 1,
SP2 corresponds to the position measuring means described in claim 1, the display unit 13, the voice conversion unit 17 and the headphones 3 correspond to the output means described in claim 1, and the display unit 13 is described in claim 5 or 6. The voice conversion unit 17 and the headphones 3 correspond to the voice output unit according to the fifth or sixth aspect of the present invention.

Steps S100 and S102 correspond to the image capturing step of the present invention.
Steps S04 to S108 correspond to the feature information extracting step described in claim 8, step S110 corresponds to the position measuring step described in claim 8, and step S112 corresponds to claim 8.
Step S114 corresponds to the described area specifying step.
Corresponds to the search step described in claim 8, and corresponds to step S
Steps S116 to S122 correspond to the matching step described in claim 8, and steps S124 and S126 correspond to the output step.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 5 and 6 are diagrams showing an embodiment of a work support system and a work support method according to the present invention. In the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the work support system and the work support method according to the present invention are used by a worker at a work site to perform maintenance and inspection work on utility poles. Is applied to a case where detailed information on a utility pole to be worked is obtained, but differs from the first embodiment in that a search for a target is connected to the portable terminal 4 via the network 30. The point is that the processing is performed by the database server 28.

First, the configuration of the work support system according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the work support system according to the present invention. Hereinafter, only portions different from the first embodiment will be described, and the same portions will be denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted. This system comprises a CCD camera 1, a GPS 2 and a headphone 3 as shown in FIG.
And a database server 28 connected to the mobile terminal 4 via the network 30. The database server 28 is provided in an office or the like.

The portable terminal 4 includes an image input unit 5, an image storage unit 6, a characteristic part extraction unit 7, a characteristic part recognition unit 8, a characteristic information storage unit 12, a position information storage unit 9, a detailed information It comprises a storage unit 18, a display unit 13, a voice conversion unit 17, and a communication unit 44 that communicates with the database server 28. The communication unit 44 is connected to the network 30 by wire or wirelessly.

The database server 28 has the database 16, and when receiving the characteristic information and the position information from the portable terminal 4, specifies the area including the current position of the portable terminal 4 from the received position information and the measurement error of the GPS 2. Then, the database 16 is searched based on the specified area, a target corresponding to the position information corresponding to the area is searched for, and the received target information is matched with the searched target to obtain the target information. Is selected, and detailed information on the selected target is transmitted to the mobile terminal 4. Specifically, for example, it is realized by the same configuration as the area specifying unit 10 and the target search unit 50 in the first embodiment.

Next, the operation of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the second embodiment. When performing maintenance and inspection work on a utility pole, when a worker tries to obtain detailed information on a utility pole to be worked on at a work site, the portable terminal 4 first requires, as shown in FIG. In step S200, an operator inputs an image of a telephone pole using the CCD camera 1.

Next, the process proceeds to step S202, where C
The image captured by the CD camera 1 is input from the image input unit 5, the input image is stored in the image storage unit 6, and the process proceeds to step S204. Characteristic portions including characters, numbers, and the like are extracted, and the process proceeds to step S206. Step S20
In step S6, the extracted characteristic part is recognized by the characteristic part recognizing unit 8 to generate characteristic information. Then, the process proceeds to step S208, and the generated characteristic information is stored in the characteristic information storage unit 12.

Next, the process proceeds to step S210, where G
The position of the current position is measured by the PS 2, the position information including the measured latitude and longitude is stored in the position information storage unit 9, the process proceeds to step S 212, and the feature of the feature information storage unit 12 is determined by the communication unit 44. The information and the position information in the position information storage unit 9 are transmitted to the database server 28 via the network 30.

In the database server 28, step S
If the characteristic information and the position information are received from the mobile terminal 4 in 214, the process proceeds to step S216,
An area including the current position of the mobile terminal 4 is specified from the received position information and the measurement error of the GPS 2. Next, proceeding to step S218, the database 16 is searched based on the specified area, and as a result of the search, when the telephone pole number corresponding to the corresponding position information is found in this area, step S220 is performed. Then, the received feature information is matched with the found utility pole number, and the process proceeds to step S222, where it is determined whether the feature information matches the utility pole number, and the result of the matching is determined. If it is determined that they match (Yes), the process proceeds to step S224. As a result of the matching, when it is determined that the feature information and the utility pole number do not match (N
o) returns to step S222.

In step S224, the utility pole number selected by the matching is stored, and the flow advances to step S226 to read detailed information corresponding to the utility pole number from the database 16 based on the stored utility pole number. In step S228, the read detailed information is transmitted to the mobile terminal 4 via the network 30. When the portable terminal 4 receives the detailed information from the database server 28 in step S230, the process proceeds to step S232, where the received detailed information is stored in the detailed information storage unit 18, and the detailed information storage unit 18 The detailed information is displayed on the display unit 13 so as to be superimposed on the image in the image storage unit 6, and the process proceeds to step S234, where
Thereby, the detailed information in the detailed information storage unit 18 is read out by voice and output to the headphones 3.

As described above, when the operator inputs the image of the telephone pole with the CCD camera 1, the telephone pole number included in the image of the telephone pole is recognized, and the area including the position of the current position is specified and specified. Some pole number candidates corresponding to the area are searched, and furthermore, a pole number matching the recognized pole number among the searched pole numbers is selected, and detailed information corresponding to the selected pole number is It is displayed superimposed on the input image and read out by voice. The worker performs maintenance and inspection work on the telephone pole while referring to the detailed information displayed on the display unit 13 and the audio content of the detailed information output via the headphones 3.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the portable terminal 4 extracts the characteristic information from the image captured by the CCD camera 1 and stores the position information of the position measured by the GSP 2 and the extracted characteristic information on the database server 28. Send to
When the detailed information on the target is received from the database server 28, the received detailed information on the target is output to the detailed information output unit 60, and the database server 28 receives the position information and the characteristic information from the mobile terminal 4. If so, an area including the current position of the mobile terminal 4 is specified from the received position information and the measurement error of the GPS 2, and the database 16 is searched based on the specified area, and the position information corresponding to the area is determined. A corresponding target is searched for, the received feature information is matched with the searched target to select a target matching the feature information, and detailed information on the selected target is transmitted to the mobile terminal 4. I made it.

As a result, the measurement error of the GPS 2 is complemented by matching with the feature information, and the ambiguity of the feature information is complemented by the search with the position information of the GPS 2, whereby the feature included in the image captured by the CCD camera 1 is obtained. The worker can output a target object suitable for the section, so that the worker can capture detailed information on the power pole to be worked while at the work site simply by capturing an image of the power pole to be worked with the CCD camera 1. It can be easily obtained. Therefore, it is possible to easily obtain detailed information on the target object as compared with the related art, and it is possible to improve work efficiency.

Further, in the present embodiment, the detailed information output section 60 is provided with a display section 13 for displaying the detailed information of the detailed information storage section 18 and a headphone 3 which converts the detailed information of the detailed information storage section 18 into voice. And a voice conversion unit 17 for outputting to the Thus, the worker can grasp detailed information on the target both visually and auditoryly, and thus can intuitively understand the target. Therefore, it is easier to intuitively understand the target than in the past, and the work efficiency can be improved.

Further, in the present embodiment, the detailed information in the detailed information storage section 18 is displayed on the display section 13 so as to be superimposed on the image in the image storage section 6. Accordingly, the worker can compare the image of the utility pole to be worked with the detailed information of the utility pole, and thus can more intuitively understand the target. Therefore, it is easier to intuitively understand the target, and the work efficiency can be further improved.

Further, in the present embodiment, the display unit 13
Was composed of a head mounted display. Accordingly, the work can be performed while viewing the detailed information on the target displayed on the display unit 13, so that there is no need to particularly perform an operation for viewing the detailed information on the target during the work, and the work efficiency can be improved. It can be further improved.

In the second embodiment, the database 16 corresponds to the storage means according to the third aspect,
The camera 1 corresponds to the image capturing means according to the third aspect.
SP2 corresponds to the position measuring means described in claim 3, the display unit 13, the voice conversion unit 17 and the headphones 3 correspond to the output means described in claim 3, and the display unit 13 is described in claim 5 or 6. The voice conversion unit 17 and the headphones 3 correspond to the voice output unit according to the fifth or sixth aspect of the present invention.

Steps S200 and S202 correspond to the image capturing step of the present invention.
Steps S204 to S208 correspond to the feature information extraction step described in claim 10, step S210 corresponds to the position measurement step described in claim 10, and step S212 corresponds to the first transmission step described in claim 10. Steps S232 and S234 correspond to the output step described in claim 10.

Step S216 corresponds to the area specifying step, step S218 corresponds to the search step described in claim 10, and steps S220 to S226.
Corresponds to the matching step described in claim 10, and step S228 corresponds to the second transmission step. In the first and second embodiments, the feature information is extracted from the image captured by the CCD camera 1. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be configured as shown in FIG. . FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of the work support system according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 7, the portable terminal 4 includes a microphone 1a for inputting a voice, a voice processing unit 70 for processing the voice input by the microphone 1a, a position detecting unit 40, and a target searching unit 50. And a detailed information output unit 60;
It is composed of The audio processing unit 70 includes the microphone 1
The voice recognition unit 8a includes a voice recognition unit 8a that recognizes voice input in step a to generate feature information and a feature information storage unit 12 that stores feature information generated by the voice recognition unit 8a.

With such a configuration, the measurement error of the GPS 2 is complemented by matching based on the feature information, and the ambiguity of the feature information is complemented by the search based on the position information of the GPS 2, whereby the voice input by the microphone 1 a is obtained. Can output a target that conforms to the features included in the work part. Therefore, the operator simply inputs the characteristics of the utility pole to be worked by using the microphone 1a by voice, and the work target can be determined while staying at the work site. Detailed information on the utility pole can be easily obtained. Therefore, it is possible to easily obtain detailed information on the target object as compared with the related art, and it is possible to improve work efficiency.

Further, in the first and second embodiments, the display unit 13 is simply constituted by a head-mounted display.
A head-mounted display having a transmission type display may be used. In this case, the display unit 13 does not display the detailed information in the detailed information storage unit 18 superimposed on the image in the image storage unit 6 but displays only the detailed information in the detailed information storage unit 18.

With this configuration, the detailed information on the selected or received target is displayed so as to be superimposed on the visual field visible through the head mounted display. Accordingly, the worker can compare the actual power pole to be worked with the detailed information of the power pole, so that the detailed information on the target can be more intuitively understood. Therefore, it is easier to intuitively understand the detailed information on the target, and the work efficiency can be further improved.

In the first and second embodiments, the portable terminal 4 is configured as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
The OM, the RAM, and the like may be connected by a bus. In this case, a control program indicating the processing shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 3 and 6 is stored in the ROM, and the CPU
A control program stored in a predetermined area of the ROM is read and activated, and these processes are executed according to the program.

The present invention is not limited to this. When executing the processing shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 3 and 6, the program is read from a storage medium storing a program indicating these procedures into a RAM and executed. You may do so. Here, the storage medium is RAM, ROM
And the like, a magnetic storage type storage medium such as FD and HD, an optical read type storage medium such as CD, CDV, LD, and DVD, and a magnetic storage type / optical read type storage medium such as MO. Regardless of an electronic, magnetic, optical, or other reading method, any storage medium that can be read by a computer includes any storage medium.

[0077]

As described above, according to the work support system according to the first or third aspect of the present invention or the work support method according to the eighth or tenth aspect of the present invention, the worker can use the image capturing means. Just import the image of the work target,
It is possible to easily obtain detailed information of a work target while staying at a work site. Therefore, it is possible to easily obtain detailed information and improve work efficiency as compared with the related art. .

Further, claim 2 or claim 4 according to the present invention.
12. The work support system according to claim 9, or claim 9 or claim 11.
According to the described work support method, the worker can easily obtain detailed information of the work target while staying at the work site by simply inputting the feature of the work target by voice using the voice input means, Therefore, it is possible to obtain detailed information easily as compared with the related art, and it is possible to obtain an effect of improving work efficiency.

Further, according to the work support system according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the worker can grasp detailed information on the target object both visually and auditoryly.
The detailed information on the target can be intuitively understood, and therefore, the detailed information on the target can be more intuitively understood and the work efficiency can be improved as compared with the related art. Is also obtained.

Further, according to the work support system of the sixth aspect of the present invention, the worker can compare the image of the work target with the detailed information of the work target.
The detailed information on the target can be intuitively understood, and therefore, the detailed information on the target can be more intuitively understood and the work efficiency can be improved as compared with the related art. Is also obtained.

Further, according to the work support system of the present invention, since the worker can compare the actual work object with the detailed information of the work object,
The detailed information on the target can be more intuitively understood, and therefore, the intuitive understanding of the detailed information on the target can be further facilitated and the working efficiency can be further improved. Can be

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of a work support system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a structure of a target object table 20.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display screen of a display unit 13;

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of a work support system according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation of the second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of a work support system according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 CCD camera 1a Microphone 2 GPS 3 Headphones 4 Portable terminal 7 Feature extraction part 8 Feature recognition part 8a Voice recognition part 10 Area specification part 14 Search part 15 Matching part 16 Database 13 Display part 17 Voice conversion part 20 Target object table 28 Database server 44 Communication unit

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Nobuhiro Muto 2-3-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Within Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (72) Inventor Yukihisa Katayama 2-3-3, Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo No. 1 Within Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (72) Hirohisa Tezuka, Inventor 2-3-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (72) Manabu Mogi 2-chome, Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo No.3-1 Inside Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (72) Inventor Tomoya Kosaka 2-3-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo F-Term within Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (reference) 2C032 HB22 HC11 5B049 AA06 BB07 BB31 CC00 DD00 DD03 EE05 FF04 FF06 GG03 GG06 GG07 GG09 5B075 ND20 NK07 PP07 PP10 PQ02 PQ04 PQ32 9A001 DD11 HH23 JJ01 JJ11 JJ71 LL09

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A system for searching for and outputting a target specified by position information, comprising: a storage unit for storing the target in association with the position information; and an image capturing unit for capturing an image. A position measuring means for measuring the position of the current position, and an output means for outputting detailed information on the target, wherein characteristic information is extracted from an image captured by the image capturing means, and the position measuring means is extracted. A region including a current position is specified from the position measured in step 2 and the measurement error of the position measurement unit, and the storage unit is searched based on the specified region, and a target corresponding to the position information corresponding to the region. Search for things,
The extracted feature information is matched with the found target to select a target that matches the feature information, and that detailed information on the selected target is output to the output unit. Characteristic work support system. 2. A system for searching for and outputting a target specified by position information, comprising: storage means for storing the target in association with the position information; and voice input means for inputting voice. A position measuring unit that measures the position of the current point, and an output unit that outputs detailed information on the target.Extracting feature information from the voice input by the voice input unit, An area including a current position is specified from the measured position and the measurement error of the position measurement means, and the storage means is searched based on the specified area and a target corresponding to the position information corresponding to the area. Search for
The extracted feature information is matched with the found target to select a target that matches the feature information, and that detailed information on the selected target is output to the output unit. Characteristic work support system. 3. A system that performs communication between a database server that stores a target specified by position information and a mobile terminal that is movable, and outputs detailed information about the target using the mobile terminal. The mobile terminal includes: an image capturing unit that captures an image; a position measuring unit that measures a position of a current position; and an output unit that outputs detailed information about the target. The image capturing unit captures the image. Extracting the feature information from the image, transmitting the position information of the position measured by the position measuring means and the extracted feature information to the database server, and receiving detailed information on the target from the database server, The detailed information about the received target is output to the output unit, and the database server stores the target in the location information. And a storage unit for storing the location information and the characteristic information from the mobile terminal, based on the received location information and the measurement error of the location measurement unit, the current location of the mobile terminal. Is specified, and the storage means is searched based on the specified area to find a target corresponding to the position information corresponding to the area,
The received feature information and the searched target are matched to select a target that matches the feature information, and detailed information on the selected target is transmitted to the mobile terminal. Characteristic work support system. 4. A system that performs communication between a database server that stores a target specified by position information and a mobile terminal that is movable and outputs detailed information about the target to the mobile terminal. The mobile terminal includes: a voice input unit that inputs a voice; a position measurement unit that measures a position of a current location; and an output unit that outputs detailed information on the target. Extracting characteristic information from the voice, transmitting the position information of the position measured by the position measuring means and the extracted characteristic information to the database server, and receiving detailed information on the target from the database server; And outputting detailed information about the target to the output unit. The database server stores the target in the position information. When the position information and the characteristic information are received from the mobile terminal, the current position of the mobile terminal is determined from the received position information and the measurement error of the position measurement unit. Specifying an area including the area, searching the storage means based on the specified area, searching for a target corresponding to position information corresponding to the area,
The received feature information and the searched target are matched to select a target that matches the feature information, and detailed information on the selected target is transmitted to the mobile terminal. Characteristic work support system. 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output unit includes a display unit that displays detailed information about the target, and an audio output unit that outputs the detailed information about the target by voice. A work support system comprising: 6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output unit includes a display unit that displays detailed information about the target, and an audio output unit that outputs the detailed information about the target by voice. A work support system, wherein the detailed information on the selected or received target is output to the display unit together with the image captured by the image capturing unit. 7. The work support system according to claim 5, wherein the display means is a head-mounted display having a transmissive display. 8. A method for retrieving and outputting a target specified by position information, comprising: storing a target in a storage unit in association with the position information; A capturing image capturing step, a feature information extracting step of extracting feature information from the captured image, a position measuring step of measuring the position of the current position by the position measuring means, and a measurement error of the measured position and the position measuring means. An area specifying step of specifying an area including a current point from a search step of searching the storage means based on the specified area to find a target corresponding to position information corresponding to the area, A matching step of matching the extracted feature information with the searched out target to select a target that matches the feature information; and details of the selected target. Work supporting method characterized by comprising an output step of outputting to the output unit to broadcast, the. 9. A method for retrieving and outputting a target specified by position information, comprising: a storage step of storing the target in a storage unit in association with the position information; Voice input step, a feature information extracting step of extracting feature information from the input voice, a position measuring step of measuring the position of the current position by the position measuring means, and a measurement error of the measured position and the position measuring means. An area specifying step of specifying an area including a current point; a search step of searching the storage means based on the specified area to search for a target corresponding to position information corresponding to the area; A matching step of matching the extracted feature information with the searched out target to select a target that matches the feature information; and detailed information on the selected target. Work supporting method characterized by including an output step of outputting to the output means. 10. A method for performing communication between a database server that stores a target specified by position information and a movable portable terminal, and outputting detailed information on the target at the portable terminal. For the portable terminal, an image capturing step of capturing an image by an image capturing unit, a feature information extracting step of extracting feature information from the captured image, and a position for measuring a position of a current position by the position measuring unit. A measuring step, and a first step of transmitting position information of the measured position and the extracted feature information to the database server.
And outputting the detailed information on the target received from the database server to an output unit. The storage unit associates the target with the position information for the database server. A storage step of storing; a specifying step of specifying an area including a current position of the mobile terminal from the position information received from the mobile terminal and a measurement error of the position measuring means; and the storing based on the specified area. Searching means for searching for a target corresponding to the position information corresponding to the area, and matching the characteristic information received from the portable terminal with the searched target to obtain the characteristic information. A matching step of selecting a suitable target, and a second step of transmitting detailed information on the selected target to the portable terminal.
And transmitting the work. 11. A method of performing communication between a database server that stores a target specified by position information and a movable mobile terminal, and outputting detailed information on the target at the mobile terminal. For the portable terminal, a voice input step of inputting voice by voice input means, a feature information extracting step of extracting feature information from the input voice, and a position measurement of measuring the position of the current position by the position measurement means A first transmitting step of transmitting the position information of the measured position and the extracted feature information to the database server, and an output step of outputting detailed information on the target received from the database server to an output unit; And a storage unit for storing the target in the storage unit in association with the position information for the database server. From the location information received from the mobile terminal and the measurement error of the location measurement means to specify an area including the current location of the mobile terminal; and storing the storage means based on the specified area. A search step of searching and searching for a target corresponding to the position information corresponding to the area, matching the characteristic information received from the portable terminal with the searched target and matching the characteristic information A matching step of selecting a target, and a second step of transmitting detailed information on the selected target to the portable terminal.
And transmitting the work.