JP2001339710A - Selection controlling system for monitoring image - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a monitoring screen of a high priority from being influenced by a control request of a low priority in a monitoring image selection controlling system comprising a plurality of television cameras and a plurality of displays for selectively displaying a monitoring screen. SOLUTION: The system is a monitoring image selection controlling system in which a plurality of television cameras 10-1 to 10-n that are dispersedly arranged and a plurality of displays 11-1 to 11-m are connected through channel connecting devices 13, 14 and a transmission path 12, further comprising a management table 16 that includes a terminal priority managing table a, a screen priority managing table b, a manipulation priority managing table c and the like, and a management controlling unit 15 that refers to the management table 16 to determine priority depending on a control request from the management table 16, controls the channel connecting devices 13, 14 and the like in accordance with a control request of a high priority, and performs switching of the television cameras 10-1-10-n and patrol controlling.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention comprises a plurality of television cameras distributed in various monitoring areas and a single or a plurality of display devices provided in a single or a plurality of monitoring units. The present invention relates to a monitoring image selection control system that controls to select a television camera and display it on a single or a plurality of display devices.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Monitoring of traffic conditions and road surface conditions in expressways and tunnels, monitoring of rivers such as dams and embankments, monitoring of various facilities such as plants and factories, and monitoring of distributed terminals such as bank terminals. 2. Description of the Related Art Various types of monitoring systems are known, such as monitoring, monitoring of entering / leaving a specific house or room. In such a system, a single or a plurality of television cameras for capturing an image of a monitored portion are arranged, and the captured video signal is transmitted to and displayed on a display device provided in the monitoring unit, and the display screen is monitored by a monitor. Thus, the presence or absence of an abnormality is determined.

[0003] In this case, a television camera is fixedly arranged so as to capture only a portion to be monitored within a preset range, or a television camera is configured to remotely control an imaging range such as an elevation angle, a depression angle, an azimuth angle, and a viewing angle. Etc. are known. Although the number of display devices for a plurality of television cameras is often different, a configuration in which the number of display devices is one-to-one when the number is the same is also known.
Since there is no need to perform selection switching, monitoring becomes easy.
In addition, in the case of the same number or a different number, a configuration in which imaging screens of the same television camera are displayed on different display devices, a configuration in which imaging screens of a plurality of television cameras are selectively switched and displayed on the display device, and the like are known. ing.

[0004] The band of the video signal of the NTSC system by the television camera is about 4 MHz. Therefore, if the band of the transmission path is set to 40 MHz, the frequency multiplexing becomes 10 MHz.
Video signals for channels can be transmitted using one transmission path. It is also known that one screen is divided into, for example, four, and multiplexed transmission is performed so that the imaging screens of four television cameras are displayed in a compressed manner. It is also known that a video signal is digitized and further subjected to band compression encoding for transmission. Time-division multiplexing or the like is used to transmit imaged video signals from a plurality of television cameras using a single transmission path. Can be.

For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of television cameras 100-1 to 100-n and a plurality of display devices 10
In a system in which 1-1 to 101-m are connected via one transmission line 102, if the number of channels of the transmission line 102 is the same as the number of television cameras and the number of display devices, 1 One-to-one connection is possible. Usually, the number of television cameras and the number of display devices are often different from each other, and one or a plurality of television cameras can be selected or sequentially switched to a single or a plurality of display devices. The imaging screen of the camera can be displayed. In that case, the television cameras 100-1 to 100-n and the transmission path 10
Switching connection with two channels or display devices 101-1 to 101-1
In order to perform switching connection between 01-m and the channel of the transmission path 102, channel connection devices 103 and 104 for combining, distributing, and switching video signals are provided.

By controlling the channel connection devices 103 and 104 from the display devices 101-1 to 101-m, a plurality of television cameras 1 can be connected to any of the display devices.
It is possible to select a desired television camera from 00-1 to 100-n and display an imaging screen of the television camera.

[0007] For example, by switching connection so that an image pick-up video signal of the television camera 100-1 is input to the display device 101-1, an image screen of the television camera 100-1 can be displayed on the display device 101-1. it can. At that time,
When the channel connection device 104 is controlled to distribute the imaged video signal of the television camera 100-1 also to the display device 101-2, the display device 101-1 and the display device 10
The same imaging screen can be displayed as 1-2.

The channel connection device 103 is connected to the transmission line 10
TV cameras 100-1 to 100 having more than two channels
When 0-n is installed, the number of television cameras corresponding to the maximum number of channels can be selectively connected according to control from the display device side. Also, the channel connection device 103,
The patrol control for monitoring over a wide range by one display device can be performed by controlling the 104 and sequentially switching and connecting a plurality of television cameras to one display device.

In the case of a system having a single monitoring unit provided with a single or a plurality of display devices, the system configuration is as described above, but a system in which a plurality of monitoring units are distributed is also known. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the higher-level monitoring unit 11 provided with a plurality of display devices 113-1 to 113-m.
1 and a plurality of display devices 114-1 to 114-1.
14-i, 115-1 to 115-j, and the lower monitoring units 112-1 and 112-2 are provided, loop transmission lines L0, L1, L2 are provided, the transmission line L0 is connected to the main line, and transmission is performed. A case where the routes L1 and L2 are branch lines and video signals are transmitted on a plurality of channels is shown.

A plurality of television cameras 110-1 to 110 are provided.
-P is connected to the branch line transmission line L1 via the channel connection device 121, and a plurality of television cameras 120-1 to 120-120 are connected.
-Q is connected to the branch line transmission line L2 via the channel connection device 124, and the branch line transmission line L1 and the lower monitoring unit 112 are connected.
-1 is connected via the channel connecting device 122, the branch line transmission line L2 and the lower monitoring section 112-2 are connected via the channel connecting device 125, and the main line transmission line L0 and the branch line transmission are connected. There is known a system in which the paths L1 and L2 are connected via channel connection devices 123, 127, 126 and 128, respectively, and the upper-level monitoring unit 111 is connected via a channel connection device 129 to this main transmission line L0. I have.

The channel connecting devices 121 to 129 have a channel selecting function or a function of synthesizing and distributing video signals, and show an example of connection between channels of the transmission lines L0, L1, and L2. For example, the display devices 113-1 to 113 -m of the upper monitoring unit 111 can selectively display the imaging screens of all the television cameras 110-1 to 110 -p and 120-1 to 120 -q. Monitoring unit 11
The imaging screens of the television cameras 110-1 to 110-p can be selectively displayed by the second display devices 114-1 to 114-i, and the display devices 115-1 to 115-1 of the lower monitoring unit 113 can be selectively displayed.
115-j, the television cameras 120-1 to 120-q
The case where the imaging screen can be selectively displayed. Note that, for example, by a connection indicated by a dashed line between the channel connection devices 123 and 127, an imaging screen of, for example, the television camera 120-1 under the control of the lower monitoring unit 112-2 is displayed on the display device of the lower monitoring unit 112-1. It is also possible to transmit a video signal so as to be displayed on 114-i.

The channel connection devices 121 to 129 are similar to the above-described channel connection devices connected by one transmission line.
This enables the synthesis, distribution, and switching of video signals. Therefore, when the number of TV cameras greater than the number of channels is arranged, the TV cameras are sequentially switched according to a control request input from the display device side, and Can be displayed on a desired display device. The same screen can be displayed on the display device of the lower monitoring unit and the display device of the higher monitoring unit. TV camera 110
The imaging ranges of -1 to 110-p and 120-1 to 120-q can be changed according to a control request input from the display device side.

[0013]

In a system in which a television camera and a display device are connected in a one-to-one relationship, a configuration in which the television camera is not switched is generally used. Is larger than the number of display devices. Therefore, a desired television camera is switched and connected to the display device. In addition, high-speed transmission is enabled by an optical transmission path or the like, and a large number of channels for transmitting video signals can be set. However, since the number of channels is limited, when a new TV camera is designated and its imaging screen is displayed, if there is no free channel, the TV camera in use is separated to form a free channel, and this free channel is formed. The TV camera specified in is switched and connected. However, there has been a problem that a display device that displays an imaging screen of a television camera separated to form an empty channel can be forcibly switched even for an important monitoring screen.

In some cases, the image screens of the same television camera are simultaneously displayed on different display devices. In such a case, when an important imaging screen is displayed on a certain display device,
When another display device sends a switching control request for displaying an imaging screen of another television camera, channel switching occurs when the number of channels on the transmission path is small. For this reason, there is a problem that the display screen of the display device that is monitoring an important screen is switched.

[0015] When a patrol stop request is sent from a certain display device while performing patrol control for sequentially displaying the imaging screens of the same television camera on a plurality of display devices and sequentially switching the television cameras, The patrol control is stopped, and a screen in which the patrol control is stopped is displayed on another display device.
In such a case, when a plurality of display devices are arranged adjacent to each other in the same monitoring unit, they can communicate with each other. In such a case, it is conceivable to make a telephone call in advance. However, when an emergency is required, there is a problem that rapid screen switching cannot be performed.

In the patrol control, a video signal is transmitted to the display device by sequentially switching the television cameras, and the display device is configured to sequentially switch the entire image pickup screen of each television camera. Is displayed. Therefore,
When it is desired to observe a specific imaging range of a certain TV camera in detail, patrol control is stopped and operation control such as the angle of view and azimuth of the TV camera is performed, and fine patrol control cannot be performed. There was a problem.
The present invention performs control according to the priority, including the priority of the television camera, and enables continuation of observation of an important screen.
It is another object of the present invention to enable fine patrol control.

[0017]

The surveillance image selection control system according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1. (1) A plurality of television cameras 10-1 to 10-n distributed and arranged, and a plurality of displays. A surveillance image selection control system that includes devices 11-1 to 11-m, transmits a video signal captured by a selected and designated television camera to a desired display device via a transmission path 12, and causes the display device to display the video signal. A management table 16 including a terminal priority management table for managing priorities corresponding to display devices that display an imaging screen of a television camera; controlling registration and updating of the management table 16; If there is no vacant channel, the TV camera which is capturing the lower priority display screen is disconnected by referring to the terminal priority management table to form a vacant channel, and this vacant channel is formed. And a management control unit 15 that performs connection control of the television camera in accordance with the imaging screen request to the panel.

(2) The management table 16 includes a terminal priority management table for managing priorities corresponding to display devices,
A screen priority management table for managing priorities corresponding to screen types displayed on the display device, an operation priority management table for managing priorities corresponding to operation input types for controlling the imaging range of the TV camera, And an operator priority management table for managing priorities.

(3) The management table 16 includes a preset information management table in which a single or a plurality of imaging conditions of a plurality of television cameras are set, and an order in which a plurality of television cameras are sequentially switched and connected to a display device. It has a configuration including a patrol information management table set in association with preset information in the preset information management table, and a channel management table for managing correspondence between a television camera and a channel connected to the television camera.

(4) The patrol information management table has a configuration in which a pointer that sequentially moves forward, a television camera number, and a preset number indicating an imaging condition set in the preset information management table are stored in association with each other. It is.

(5) The management control unit 15 has a terminal priority management table, a screen priority management table, an operation priority management table, and an operator priority management table. For all of the total priorities obtained by adding, the request is rejected when the total priority of the television camera corresponding to the request for changing or switching the imaging screen is the lowest, and when the total priority is not the lowest, the request is rejected. It has control means for performing the control in accordance with it.

(6) The management control unit has control means for displaying, on a display device whose display screen is to be changed, a comparison result of the overall priority and a control result with respect to a request for changing or switching the imaging screen. It is.

(7) The management control unit performs patrol control for sequentially switching the television camera with reference to the patrol information management table, and an arbitrary number of a plurality of display devices displaying a screen by the patrol control. In response to a request for continuous display of the imaging screen of a desired television camera due to patrol stop from the display device, patrol control means for stopping patrol control for this display device and continuing patrol control for another display device is provided. is there.

(8) A channel connection device for distributing, synthesizing, and switching the video signal is provided between the plurality of television cameras and the transmission line and between the plurality of display devices and the transmission line. , And controls the channel connection device with reference to the channel management table.

(9) There is an emergency telephone arranged corresponding to the imaging range of a plurality of television cameras, and the management control unit detects a call from the emergency telephone and gives priority to the television camera corresponding to the emergency telephone. It has a control means for maximizing the degree and displaying an image picked up by the television camera on a display screen being monitored.

(10) One or a plurality of lower monitoring units provided with a display device, an upper monitoring unit provided with a display device,
A plurality of television cameras connected to the lower monitoring unit via a branch transmission line, and a main transmission line connecting the transmission line of the branch system and the upper monitoring unit; This is a monitoring image selection control system in which a management table for managing and controlling the TV cameras connected to the transmission line of the system is provided, and a central management table for managing and controlling all the TV cameras is provided in the upper monitoring unit.

[0027]

1 is an explanatory view of an embodiment of the present invention, wherein 10-1 to 10-n are television (TV) cameras, and 11-1 to 11-m are displays provided on a monitoring unit. Device, 1
2 is a transmission path, 13 and 14 are channel connection devices for synthesizing, distributing and switching video signals, 15 is a management control unit, and 16 is a management table.

A plurality of television cameras 10-1 to 10-n
Are applied at predetermined intervals along the highway when applied to a highway monitoring system. When the present invention is applied to a river monitoring system, it is arranged at predetermined intervals along a river so that the water level of a dam and the open / closed state of a gate can be monitored. That is, they are distributed and arranged at locations where monitoring is required. The display devices 11-1 to 11-m are arranged in one or a plurality of monitoring units, and include operation input means such as a mouse and a keyboard, and display units such as a cathode ray tube and a liquid crystal panel. A plurality of observers monitor the presence or absence of an abnormality on the display screen, and send a request to switch the monitoring image to the management control unit 15.

The management control unit 15 includes a processor and the like, and includes an interface unit 17 between the display devices 11-1 to 11-m, a channel control unit 18 for controlling the channel connection devices 13 and 15, and a management unit. A table control unit 19 for controlling setting, reference, updating, and the like for the table 16;
The channel control unit 18 includes a determination processing unit 20 for performing priority determination and the like, and the display devices 11-1 to 11-m
A control means for switching the channels of the channel connection devices 13 and 14, distributing the video signal, and the like in accordance with an input operation from the device. A dedicated control signal line or transmission line 1 is provided between the management control unit 15 and the channel connection devices 13 and 14.
The multiplexed control signal can be transmitted through a path via the second or the like. The management table 16 includes a terminal priority management table a for determining and processing the priority when the imaging screen of the television camera displayed on the display device is switched, a screen priority management table b, and an operation priority management table b. It includes a degree management table c, an operator priority management table d, and the like.

Even if the transmission path 12 is a high-speed transmission path, the number of channels is limited because the band of the video signal from the television camera is relatively wide.
In general, the number is less than 0-1 to 10-n. The display screen of the television camera 10-1 is displayed on the display device 11.
-1, the channel connection devices 13 and 14 are connected as shown by the dashed arrows, and the television camera 10-2 is displayed.
When the monitor enters a connection request to display the image screen of the television camera 10-2 on the display device 11-1 in a state where the interface is not connected to the channel of the transmission path 12, the interface of the management control unit 15 It is added to the determination processing unit 20 via the unit 17, and this determination processing unit 20 determines the presence or absence of an empty channel, and if there is no empty channel, refers to the terminal priority management table a of the management table 16 and displays The TV cameras with the lowest priority of the imaging screens of the TV cameras 10-1, 10-3 to 10 -n are extracted, and the TV cameras are separated from the channels of the transmission line 12 to form vacant channels. A control signal for connecting the television camera 10-2 that has requested monitoring to the channel is transmitted from the channel control unit 18 to the channel connection device 13.

In this case, for the display device displaying the imaging screen of the television camera with the lowest priority, the television camera is forcibly disconnected by the switching request having the higher priority. Is displayed to notify that it is different from the failure occurrence. By such control, a display device displaying an important screen is not affected at all, and according to a control request of a supervisor or the like, even when there is no available channel, even when there is a high priority image screen display. Can forcibly form an empty channel, connect a desired television camera to the empty channel, and display an imaging screen of the television camera on a display device.

Further, by controlling the channel connection device 13, for example, the television camera 10-1 is connected to the display device 11-1.
The patrol control can be performed by sequentially switching from 10 to 10-n at a predetermined cycle. Also, by the function of synthesizing and distributing video signals in the channel connection devices 13 and 14,
It is also possible to divide the screen of the display device to perform multi-screen display. Also in this case, by setting the priority of the television camera that captures an important monitoring area to be high, the imaging screen of the television camera can be preferentially displayed on the display device. Also, for example, the display devices 11-1, 11-3, 1
1-m, the imaging screen by the patrol control is sequentially switched and displayed, and the display device 11-2 includes, for example, the television camera 1
It is also possible to control to continuously display the imaging screen of 0-1.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the management table. The terminal priority management table a, the screen priority management table b, the operation priority management table c, and the operator priority management table d are described above. It shows about. The terminal priority management table a includes, for example, the display devices 11-1 to 11-1 in FIG.
11-m are set as terminals M1, M2, M3,... This can be fixed to a preset state as described above,
The priority can be updated according to the importance of the display screen during system operation.

The screen priority management table b sets the priority according to the display screen type. For example, the gate of the screen name indicates the display screen at the time of the gate opening / closing operation, and the gate in the river monitoring system. Since the monitoring during the opening / closing operation is important, the priority is set to, for example, 400. The patrol 1 of the screen name corresponds to, for example, an enlarged display monitoring screen of an important part during the patrol operation, and has a higher priority. The priority of the screen name “normal” and “patrol 2” are set to 0 because they are not special important screens.

The operation priority management table c associates operation names with priorities. Fixing an operation name is an operation for fixedly setting the imaging range of a television camera. The priority is set high, for example, at 300, and is not affected by other control requests until the imaging range is set. The camera with the operation name indicates a change operation of the imaging area of the television camera, and the switching of the operation name indicates the switching of the television camera. The operator priority management table d sets a priority corresponding to an operator (a monitor of the monitoring unit), and can set an operator name or an operator ID in association with the priority. This operator priority management table d can be omitted. Note that updating of the management table by an operator of priority 0 can be prohibited to maintain security. Management control unit 15
(See FIG. 1) can control the updating of each of the above-described priority tables by determining the state of the system operation.

That is, the priorities corresponding to the television cameras are managed according to the display device, the display screen, the operation status, and the operator. For example, a display device used by a senior observer has a high terminal priority, and a mere observation display device has a low terminal priority. In the case of a display screen that should be continuously monitored during gate opening / closing operations, etc., the screen priority is set high, and in the case of a patrol screen, the screen priority is set high in the case of regular patrol, and the screen priority of the continuous patrol screen Decrease the degree. In addition, the operation priority during the operation of controlling the imaging direction of the TV camera is increased, but the operation priority is returned to the original one upon completion of the operation, and the operation priority of the operation of determining and fixing the imaging range of the television camera is set. The priority is raised, and the operation priority is restored when the operation is completed. These priorities are added in correspondence with the television camera to obtain an overall priority, and control requests are accepted in descending order of the overall priority.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the management table, showing a preset information management table e, a patrol information management table f, and a channel management table g. The preset information management table e indicates a case where a file name and comment contents corresponding to, for example, preset numbers 1 to 5 are set for the TV camera, and the preset number 1
Indicates that the imaging range of the television camera when applied to the river monitoring system is set in the upstream direction of the river, and the preset number 2 indicates that it is set in the downstream direction. The preset numbers 3 and 4 indicate that the gates 1 and 2 are set to be imaged, and the preset number 5 is such that the viewing angle is reduced so that the gate 1 is enlarged and displayed, that is, the zoom-up is performed. Indicates setting. Therefore, the imaging range of the television camera can be set in advance by the preset number.

The patrol information management table f registers pointers, TV cameras, and preset numbers in correspondence with each other.
Since the pointer 5 (see FIG. 1) is controlled to sequentially advance at a predetermined cycle, the television camera is selected according to the pointer. It is also possible to set so that the same television camera is selected by different pointers. The preset number of the patrol information management table f can be set by selecting the TV camera, displaying the contents of the preset information management table on a display device, and performing a preset setting input operation based on the content.

The channel management table g manages the correspondence between channel numbers and television cameras. As shown in the figure, the transmission lines L1 and L2 and
H1, CH2, ... and TV camera TV in use
, TV2,... Are set. For example, when all the TV cameras in use are set to the channel numbers corresponding to the number of channels of the transmission line L1, it is found that there are no free channels of the transmission line L1. Accordingly, when a request for connection to a new television camera is issued from the display device side, the management control unit 15 (see FIG. 1) immediately determines whether there is an empty channel by referring to the channel management table g. be able to.

Then, when there is no free channel and a request for displaying a new imaging screen is generated, the overall priority corresponding to the television camera in use set in the channel management table g is obtained. For example, when the display device 11-1 = M1, the priority is 20, and if a normal screen is displayed at that time, the priority is 0, and if no operation is being performed, the priority is 0. In other cases, the priority is 0, and the total priority obtained by adding the priorities is 20. If the display device 11-2 = M2, the priority is 1
0, if the gate opening / closing screen is displayed at that time,
If the priority is 400, and if no operation is being performed, the priority is 0,
In other cases, the priority of the operator is 0, and thus the total priority obtained by adding the priorities is 410. Comparing the overall priority in this case, the display device 11-2 is
It becomes higher by -1.

As described above, the overall priority of the other display devices is obtained, including the overall priority of the display device that has generated a new imaging screen request, and the television camera corresponding to the display device having the lowest overall priority is separated. Form an empty channel. A TV camera corresponding to the control request is connected to this empty channel. If the overall priority of the control request corresponding to the display device is lower than the overall priority of all other display devices, the control request is rejected.

In this case, the management control unit 1 controls the display device displaying the imaged screen of the separated television camera.
The display that the TV camera was disconnected from 5th mag is performed,
Notify that there is no system failure. Further, when the control request is rejected, the display device which has sent the control request is displayed with a message indicating that the current control request has been rejected, since the display device has a low priority that does not require urgency. Therefore, when an important screen is displayed and monitored, the display screen is not changed by a request from another display device. Even when the number of channels is small, if a request to display a high-priority screen is generated, an empty channel can be formed by disconnecting a low-priority TV camera, so that an important monitoring screen can be displayed. it can.

Based on the overall priority, the setting of the preset information management table e, the setting of the patrol information management table f, and the like are performed. For example, the overall priority of the display device that has sent the preset setting request is determined by the preset. Only when the priority is higher than the overall priority of the display device affected by the setting, the preset setting request is accepted and set in the preset information management table e.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the TV camera and terminal management table. FIGS. 4A to 4D show updates of the TV camera management table and the terminal management table. TV1
A management head number (management head No.) corresponding to .about.TV4 is set, and the terminal management table stores a management number, next indicating the next management number at the time of search, and transmission lines L1 and L2 to which the display device is connected. , Priority, and so on. This priority corresponds to, for example, the priority set in the terminal priority management table. Alternatively, the above-described overall priority can be used.

For example, FIG. 4A shows a television camera T
The management head numbers of V1 to TV4 are 01, 11,
21 and 31, the next number is 0 for the management numbers 01, 11, 21 and 31, and only the management head number is the corresponding management number, and the display device connected to the transmission line L1 of the management number 01 is shown. The priority is set to 20, the priority of the display device connected to the transmission line L1 of the management numbers 11 and 21 is set to 10,
The case where the priority of the display device connected to the transmission path L2 of the management number 31 is set to 10 is shown.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of an embodiment having a plurality of monitoring units according to the present invention. In FIG.
V3 is a lower monitoring unit, MN1 to MN8 are display devices, M1 to
M3 is a storage unit that has formed a management table and the like, CN1 to CN
Reference numeral 3 denotes a control unit, VDSW1 to VDSW3 denote switch units having a function of synthesizing, distributing, and switching video signals;
1 to TV7 are TV cameras, L0 is a main line transmission path, L
Reference numerals 1 and L2 denote branch transmission lines, and N1 to N9 denote channel connection devices.

The transmission lines L1 to L3 can be ring transmission lines using optical fibers. In that case, the lightning / photoelectric conversion means is provided in the channel connection devices N1 to N9. Further, there is provided means for terminating the ring-shaped transmission lines L1 to L3 when the video signal makes a round. These can apply various transmission means in the already known optical transmission system.

Further, a centralized management table for managing the priorities corresponding to all the television cameras can be formed in the upper monitoring unit SV1 in the storage unit M1 for centralized management. Alternatively, management tables for managing the priorities corresponding to the respective television cameras under management may be formed in the lower monitoring units SV2 and SV3 in the storage units M2 and M3 so as to be distributedly managed. Each control unit CN1
1 to CN3 correspond to the function of the management control unit 15 in FIG. 1 and have a configuration capable of mutually transmitting and receiving control information and the like and a configuration capable of controlling the channel connection devices N1 to N9. Therefore, from the display device of the lower monitoring unit SV2,
It is also possible to make a control request to a television camera managed by the lower monitoring unit SV3. That is, the imaging screens of the television cameras TV4, TV5,... Connected to the transmission line L2 can be displayed on the display devices MN4, MN5, MN6 of the lower monitoring unit SV2 connected to the transmission line L1. .

As a centralized management table, the upper monitoring unit S
In the case of a system in which a management table is formed in the storage unit M1 of V1, the TV camera management table and the terminal management table of FIG.
Are shown in correspondence with. For example, the display devices MN4, MN5,
MN6 is connected to the transmission line L1, and their priorities are set to 20 for the display device MN4 and 10 for the others, and
7 is connected to the transmission line L2, and its priority is set to 10.

Accordingly, the TV camera management table and the terminal management table shown in FIG. 4A display the imaging screen of the television camera TV1 on the display device MN4, and
2 is displayed on the display device MN5, the imaging screen of the television camera TV3 is displayed on the display device MN6, and the state where the imaging screen of the television camera TV4 is displayed on the display device MN7 is managed. is there.

In the management state shown in FIG. 4A, for example, when a preset control request for the television camera TV3 is transmitted from the display device MN7 of the lower monitoring unit SV3,
From the control unit CN3 of the lower monitoring unit SV3 to the higher monitoring unit SV1
In addition, the priority for the TV camera TV3 and the display device MN7
Make an inquiry about the priority of. The upper monitoring unit SV1
By the control process of the control unit CN1, the management table of the storage unit M1 is referred to, and the TV camera TV and the terminal management table shown in FIG.
The priority of 3 is 10, and the priority of the display device MN7 is 10.
And the priority information is stored in the control unit C
Under the control of N1, the data is sent to the lower monitoring unit SV3.

The control unit CN3 of the lower monitoring unit SV3 includes a television camera TV3 for performing preset control and a display device MN7.
Are the same, the control unit receives a preset control request from the display device MN7 and
3 is performed. The preset control in this case can be requested to, for example, the lower monitoring unit TV2, or can be once requested to the higher monitoring unit SV1. Alternatively, the preset control information can be transmitted by directly specifying the address of the television camera TV3. In any case, the status of the preset control setting of the television camera TV3 is notified to the higher-level monitoring unit SV1.

FIG. 4 (B) shows a case where an imaging screen during gate opening / closing operation by the television camera TV3 is displayed on the display device MN6 of the lower monitoring section SV2, and the display device MN6 corresponding to the management number 21 is shown. Is set to 410. In this state, as described above, the preset control request for the television camera TV3 is sent to the lower monitoring unit S.
Assuming that the display device MN7 of V3 is transmitted, as a result of inquiring of the priority to the upper monitoring unit SV1, the priority corresponding to the television camera TV3 is 410, the priority of the display device MN7 is 10, and the lower monitoring unit SV3 Control unit CN3
Rejects the preset control for the high-priority television camera TV3 and displays the rejection on the display device MN7.

The management table formed in the storage unit M1 of the upper monitoring unit SV1 manages the correspondence between the transmission paths L0, L1, L2, their channels, and the television cameras TV1, TV2,. Has a channel management table as shown in FIG. For example, the television cameras TV1 to TV1
When the TV 3 is connected to the transmission line L1 and all the channels of the transmission line L1 are in use and a request to display the image screen of the television camera TVa is issued from the display device MN7 of the lower monitoring unit SV3, the lower monitoring unit Control unit CN3 of unit SV3
Makes an inquiry to the upper monitoring unit SV1 about the status information of whether the TV camera TVa is unused or in use and, if not, whether there is a connectable channel.

In this case, it is determined that the television camera TVa is not in use, and that no vacant channel exists on the connectable transmission line L1, and this information is notified to the control unit CN3 of the lower monitoring unit SV3. The control unit CN3 includes a display device MN7.
, The priority corresponding to the television camera TV4 displaying the imaging screen, and the television camera TV of the channel in use of the transmission path L1.
Inquire the priority corresponding to TV1, TV2 and TV3. In this case, from the terminal management table of FIG. 4B, the priority of the television camera TV2 is 10 which is the lowest, and the display device M
The priority corresponding to N7 is 10, and the switching connection request in this case is accepted.

Then, by controlling the channel connecting device N1, the TV camera TV2 is separated to form an empty channel, and the TV camera TVa is controlled to be connected to the empty channel, and the channel connecting devices N1, N4, N7,.
By controlling N8, N5, and N6, the imaging screen of the television camera TVa is displayed on the display device MN7, and the channel management table and the television camera management table are updated. For example, TV2 in the TV camera management table of FIG. 4B is updated to TVa. If there are other low-priority display devices that have displayed the imaging screen of the television camera TV2, the fact that the switching connection of the television camera has been performed is displayed on them. If the priority of the display device MN7 is 5, the minimum priority in the above-described priority search is 10, so that the switching connection request from the display device MN7 having a lower priority is rejected. The rejection is displayed on the display device MN7.

In the case of the contents of the terminal management table shown in FIG. 4A, the TV camera T connected to the transmission line L2
When V4 is separated and unused, the management head number is 31 in the TV camera management table, the next of the management number 31 in the terminal management table is 00, and the management head number corresponding to the TV camera TV4 is 00, and the management is performed. The next of the number 21 is set to 31. Therefore, the contents are as shown in FIG. Thereby, in the priority search, after searching the priority of the management number 21, the management number 3 is searched.
A priority of 1 will be searched.

Further, according to the unused notification of the television camera TV2, the management head number of the television camera TV2 is 11, and as a result, the management head number is set to 00, and the management number is managed in the next of the management number 31 having the priority of 10. Number 11 is set. That is, the contents are as shown in FIG. Thereby, the priority 1 of the TV camera TV3 of the management head number 21
When the priority lower than 0 is searched, the next of the management number 31 is searched because the next of the management number 21 is 31, and the next of the management number 31 is 11 because the next of the management number 31 is 11. Search for.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view of the patrol operation. The television cameras TV1 and TV2 are connected to the transmission line L1, the television cameras TVa and TVb are connected to the transmission line L2, and the transmission lines L1 and L2 are omitted from the drawing. In a system in which the monitoring unit SV is connected via the connection device and the transmission line L1 is connected to the monitoring unit SV, the monitoring unit SV has a configuration including the switch unit SW, the display devices MNa and MNb, and the management control unit CN. is there.

The management control unit CN manages a channel management table CHT and a patrol information management table PTT. The channel management table CHT includes channels CH1 and CH2 on the transmission line L1, and channels CHa and CH2 on the transmission line L2.
CHb, and a television camera TV1, a channel CH1,
TV camera TV2 on channel CH2, channel CHa
Shows a state where the television camera TVa is connected to the television camera TVa, and the television camera TVb is connected to the channel CHb.

The patrol information management table PTT is
TV cameras TV1, TV2, T for pointers 1-5
Va, TVb, and a preset number are set, and the preset number indicates, for example, the content corresponding to the preset number in the preset information management table in FIG.

The pointer moves, for example, at intervals of 10 seconds. For example, when patrol is performed on the display device MNa, when the pointer = 1, the preset control according to the preset number 1 of the television camera TV1 is performed. To display the image capturing screen in the upstream direction, and when the next pointer = 2, perform the preset control according to the preset number 2 of the television camera TV1 to display the image capturing screen in the downstream direction,
When the pointer = 3, a normal imaging screen of the television camera TV2 is displayed. Similarly, when the pointer = 4, the imaging screen of the television camera TVa is displayed. When the pointer = 5, the imaging screen of the television camera TVb is displayed.
Since the value is 1, the above-described operation is repeated at intervals of, for example, 10 seconds.

Since the television cameras TV1 and TV2 and the television cameras TVa and TVb are connected to different transmission paths L1 and L2, a control step of the channel connection device is added according to the increment of the pointer. The switch unit SW allows the display device MNa, MNb to display the same patrol screen.

When a patrol stop command is input from the display device MNa while such a patrol screen is being displayed, the management control unit CN stops moving the pointer. As a result, the imaging screen of the television camera according to the contents of the pointer at that time is displayed. Therefore, when it is necessary to display the immediately preceding imaging screen, a command to return the frame is input from the display device MNa. As a result, the management control unit CN can display the imaging screen of the television camera according to the previous pointer on the display device MNa by returning the pointer by one.

While the patrol screen is being displayed by the display devices MNa and MNb, for example, when a patrol stop command is input from the display device MNa, the display devices MNa and MNb are displayed.
The priority of the correspondence is compared, and only when the priority of the display device MNa is high, the patrol stop instruction can be accepted. Thereby, it is possible to display the imaging screen according to the request of the display device having the higher priority.

The management control unit CN controls the switch unit SW to display an imaging screen according to the patrol stop request or the frame return request only on the display device to which the patrol stop command has been input. Patrol can be continued for other display devices. Thus, while the patrol screen is being displayed, the imaging screen to be monitored can be continuously displayed without affecting other display devices.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view of a patrol and an emergency telephone. A plurality of television cameras TV1, TV2,... Are arranged along a highway or a river, and the imaging areas EA1, EA2,. ..Emergency telephone TE for correspondence
, L1, TEL2,...
It connects to a transmission line via a and connects to a monitoring unit (not shown). Also, P is set by preset 1 of the TV camera TV1.
1 can be magnified and the preset 2 can magnify P2. In the monitoring section, the TV camera TV
1, TV2, ... and emergency telephone TEL1, TEL
.. Are managed.

For example, in the patrol information management table,
When the pointer is 1, the TV camera TV1, the preset number 1, the pointer 2, the TV camera TV1, the preset number 0, the pointer 3, the TV camera TV2, the preset number 0, the pointer 4, the TV camera TV3 (shown in FIG. Omitted), when the preset number is set to 0, as shown below, the image display screen P1 of the television camera TV1 when the pointer 1 is set, the image capture screen EA1 of the TV camera TV1 when the pointer 2 is set, and the pointer 3 At the time of, the imaging screen EA2 of the television camera TV2 is displayed, and at the time of the next pointer 4, when the emergency telephone TEL1 reports on the expressway that a falling object or a collision accident has occurred or a report such as damage to a river embankment, etc. Search and find the TV camera TV1 corresponding to the telephone set TEL1. Controls to display the imaging screen of the television cameras TV1 to display. As a result, it is possible to quickly perform monitoring when an emergency condition occurs.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but can be variously added and changed. Various types of networks are used between the distributed television cameras and the display device of the monitoring unit. Can be connected via Also, a plurality of monitoring units may be provided with the same function, not hierarchically, and all may exchange information for monitoring.

[0070]

As described above, according to the present invention, a plurality of television cameras 10-1 to 10-n and a plurality of display devices are arranged in a distributed manner so as to image a monitored object such as a highway or a river. 11-1 to 11-m, a monitoring image selection control system for transmitting an imaged video signal from a selected and designated television camera to a desired display device via a transmission path 12 and displaying the image signal. A management table 16 including a table a, a screen priority management table b, an operation priority management table c, an operator priority management table d, and the like;
The control corresponding to the priority is performed by the management control unit 15. For example, it is possible to form a vacant channel by separating a low-priority TV camera and to connect a new TV camera to the vacant channel. Thus, there is an advantage that monitoring can be continued without affecting a display device displaying an important monitoring screen with high priority.

A preset information management table e, a patrol information management table f, a channel management table g, and the like are provided as management tables for performing search, update, reference, and the like by the management control unit 15. Preset control of the television camera according to the preset information in the control can be performed, and a wide range of monitoring can be finely performed by a small number of supervisors.
In addition, by associating patrol control with an emergency telephone, it is possible to automatically switch to a television camera that captures an image of an emergency occurrence area, and to display an important monitoring screen without increasing the burden on the observer. be able to.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a management table.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a management table.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a television camera and a terminal management table.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of an embodiment having a plurality of monitoring units according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a patrol operation.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a patrol and an emergency telephone.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional example.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10-1 to 10-n Television camera 11-1 to 11-m Display device 12 Transmission line 13, 14 Channel connection device 15 Management control unit 16 Management table 17 Interface unit 18 Channel control unit 19 Table control unit 20 Judgment processing unit a Terminal priority management table b Screen priority management table c Operation priority management table d Operator priority management table

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F-term (reference)

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A video camera comprising a plurality of television cameras and a plurality of display devices arranged in a distributed manner, wherein a video signal picked up by a selected and designated television camera is transmitted to a desired display device via a transmission path and displayed on the display device. A management table including a terminal priority management table for managing priorities in accordance with the importance of the display device displaying the imaging screen of the television camera, and registering the management table. If there is no available channel at the time of requesting a new TV camera imaging screen, the terminal priority management table is searched to extract a TV camera corresponding to a display screen with a low priority, and And a management control unit for controlling the connection of the television camera according to the imaging screen request to the empty channel. Monitoring image selection control system according to symptoms. 2. The management table includes: a terminal priority management table that manages a priority corresponding to the display device; a screen priority management table that manages a priority corresponding to a screen type displayed on the display device; It has a configuration including an operation priority management table for managing priorities corresponding to operation input types for controlling an imaging range of a television camera, and an operator priority management table for managing priorities corresponding to operators. The surveillance image selection control system according to claim 1. 3. The management table includes a preset information management table in which one or a plurality of imaging conditions of the plurality of television cameras are set, and an order in which the plurality of television cameras are sequentially switched and connected to the display device. It is characterized by having a configuration including a patrol information management table set in correspondence with preset information of the preset information management table, and a channel management table for managing correspondence between the television camera and a channel connected to the television camera. The surveillance image selection control system according to claim 1 or 2. 4. The patrol information management table has a configuration in which a pointer that sequentially advances, a television camera number, and a preset number indicating an imaging condition set in the preset information management table are stored in association with each other. The surveillance image selection control system according to claim 3, wherein: 5. The management control unit according to the TV camera, the terminal priority management table, the screen priority management table, the operation priority management table, and the operator priority management table. For all of the total priorities with the added priority, if the total priority of the TV camera corresponding to the request for changing or switching the imaging screen is the lowest, the request is rejected. If not, the request is rejected. The monitoring image selection control system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising control means for performing control according to the request. 6. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein the management control unit includes a control unit that displays a comparison result of the overall priority and a control result with respect to a request for changing or switching an imaging screen on a display device whose display screen is changed. The monitoring image selection control system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein 7. The management control unit performs patrol control for sequentially switching the television camera with reference to the patrol information management table, and selects an arbitrary number of display devices from among a plurality of display devices displaying a screen based on the patrol control. Patrol control means for stopping patrol control for the display device and continuing patrol control for another display device in response to a request for continuous display of the imaging screen of the desired television camera due to patrol stop from the display device. The monitoring image selection control system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: 8. A channel connection device for distributing, synthesizing, and switching a video signal is provided between the plurality of television cameras and the transmission line and between the plurality of display devices and the transmission line, and the management is performed. The monitoring image selection control system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the control unit has a configuration for controlling the channel connection device with reference to the channel management table. 9. An emergency telephone arranged in correspondence with an imaging range of the plurality of television cameras, wherein the management control unit detects a call from the emergency telephone and detects a call from the emergency telephone. 9. The control device according to claim 1, further comprising control means for setting the priority to the highest and displaying an image picked up by the television camera on a display screen being monitored.
The monitoring image selection control system according to the item. 10. A single or plural lower-level monitoring units having a display device and a management control unit, an upper-level monitoring unit having a display device and a management control unit, and the lower-level monitoring unit are connected via a branch transmission line. A plurality of television cameras connected to each other, a main line transmission line connecting the transmission line of the branch line and the upper monitoring unit, and the lower monitoring unit is connected to the transmission line of the branch line. 10. A management table for managing and controlling the television cameras, and a centralized management table for managing and controlling all television cameras is provided in the upper monitoring unit. 2. The monitoring image selection control system according to claim 1.