JP2003134502A - Supervisory apparatus, supervisory method, and supervisory system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a supervisory apparatus that can surely conduct desirable photographing and reduce power consumption to a required minimum. SOLUTION: A standby power supply section 21 usually supplies power only to an external trigger reception section 10 for receiving an external trigger. When the external trigger reception section 10 receives the external trigger, a main power supply section 20 supplies power to each section of the supervisory apparatus. When power is supplied to a photographing section 6, a start control section 19 detects the end of setup of the photographing section 6 and then transmits a Ready signal to start the photographing operation of the photographing section 6. When photographing an image by one frame is finished, a photographing section start control section 18 terminates the photographing operation of the photographing section 6 to stop supply of power from the main power supply section.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a surveillance device used for applications such as surveillance cameras,
In particular, it relates to a monitoring device driven by a battery.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in companies, stores, houses, etc.
A monitoring system for monitoring an abnormality in a room using a monitoring device equipped with an image sensor (monitoring camera) has been put into practical use.
The image information taken by the image sensor is transmitted to, for example, a security company so that the security company can know whether there is any abnormality in the room.

By the way, conventionally, the supply of the drive voltage to the monitoring device provided with such an image sensor has been performed by a wire (power line) from a power source outside the monitoring device. Therefore, the construction for laying such a power line is expensive, and when such construction is performed, there is an inconvenience that the monitoring device cannot be freely moved because the power line is fixed. It was

Therefore, recently, a monitoring device has been developed in which a battery is mounted inside the device and the battery constantly supplies a voltage to a main part such as an image sensor. In this monitoring device, since the power line from the external power source is unnecessary, the construction cost for laying the power line can be reduced, and the cost burden on the system user can be reduced. Also, since no power line is required, the user can freely select the installation position of the monitoring device,
The monitoring device can be freely moved as needed.

[0005]

By the way, the battery mounted on the monitoring device has a long battery life, but it takes only about several hours for shooting a moving image. Therefore, except when necessary, it is necessary to effectively use the battery by suppressing the voltage supply from the battery as much as possible.

However, in the conventional battery-mounted monitoring device, the driving voltage is constantly supplied to the image sensor and the like, and the image capturing is performed even when the image capturing is unnecessary, that is, when there is no abnormality in the surroundings. There is. Therefore, there is a problem that unnecessary power is consumed when the photographing is unnecessary and the battery cannot be effectively used.

It should be noted that the above monitoring device is composed of an image capturing section, an image recognizing section, an image transmitting section and a wireless communication section, and only when the image recognizing section recognizes an abnormality based on the image captured by the image capturing section. Also, there has been proposed a configuration for saving power by supplying a drive voltage to the image transmission unit. However, even in this case, the drive voltage is constantly supplied to the image capturing unit and the image recognizing unit, and there is no unavoidable consumption of unnecessary power when image capturing is unnecessary.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to be able to surely perform a desired photographing operation and to minimize power consumption. To provide a simple monitoring device, a monitoring method, and a monitoring system.

[0009]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a monitoring device according to the present invention converts an input light into an electric signal to take an image of a surrounding situation, and A signal detection unit that detects a shooting instruction signal, a main power supply unit that supplies power to the shooting unit when the shooting instruction signal is detected by the signal detection unit, and a power supply to the signal detection unit. Standby power supply section for supplying
A control unit for controlling start and stop of the image capturing unit, the control unit detecting completion of setup of the image capturing unit after power supply to the image capturing unit is started, and It is characterized in that the photographing operation in the photographing unit is started, and after the predetermined photographing operation is completed, the photographing operation in the photographing unit is terminated and the power supply from the main power supply unit is stopped.

In the above structure, first, the photographing unit photographs the surroundings by converting the input light into an electric signal. Such an image capturing unit is not capable of capturing an image immediately after power is supplied, but is capable of capturing an image after a certain amount of time has passed, that is, after the setup is completed.
The standby power supply unit supplies power to the signal detection unit that detects the shooting instruction signal, and the main power supply unit supplies power to the shooting unit only when the shooting instruction signal is detected. It has become one.

In such a configuration, the control unit first starts the power supply to the photographing unit and then detects that the setting of the photographing unit is completed, and then starts the photographing operation in the photographing unit. It has become a thing. As a result, it is possible to perform control so that the image capturing unit can perform image capturing after it is in a state where it can reliably perform image capturing.
Further, the control unit terminates the photographing operation in the photographing unit and stops the power supply to the photographing unit after the predetermined photographing operation is completed.

Therefore, according to the above arrangement, in the state where the photographing instruction signal is not detected, the electric power is supplied only to the signal detecting means and the electric power is supplied to the photographing unit only at the time of photographing. Therefore, it is possible to surely perform the desired photographing operation and to minimize the power consumption of the monitoring device.

Further, the monitoring device according to the present invention may be arranged such that, in the above structure, the predetermined photographing operation is a photographing operation of an image for one frame.

According to the above arrangement, since the photographing operation performed in the photographing section is photographing one frame of image,
For example, power consumption in the image capturing unit can be significantly reduced as compared with the case of performing moving image capturing in which images of 30 frames per second are captured.

Further, in the monitoring apparatus according to the present invention, in the above configuration, the control section completes the set-up after a predetermined period of time has elapsed after power was supplied to the photographing section. It may be configured to detect that.

With the above arrangement, the control unit detects that the setup in the photographing unit has been completed by the elapse of a predetermined period. Here, the predetermined period may be set to a period equal to or longer than a period required for setup in the imaging unit. in this way,
The determination that the predetermined period has elapsed can be realized by providing a simple configuration such as a timer. Therefore, the control unit can be realized with a simple configuration.

Further, in the monitoring apparatus according to the present invention, in the above structure, the voltage of the electric signal obtained in the photographing unit after the control unit supplies power to the photographing unit has a predetermined level. It may be configured to detect that the setup is completed by detecting that the range has been reached.

According to the above configuration, the control unit detects that the setup in the photographing unit is completed by the voltage of the electric signal obtained in the photographing unit being within a predetermined level range. Therefore, it becomes possible to detect the completion of setup more reliably.

Also, in the monitoring device according to the present invention, in the above structure, the signal detecting means communicates with a sensor provided outside the device, and when an abnormality is detected in the sensor, the monitoring device is operated. The image capturing instruction signal may be transmitted from the sensor to the signal detecting means.

According to the above arrangement, when an abnormality is detected by the sensor, this triggers the shooting operation in the monitoring device. Therefore, it is possible to confirm what kind of situation the abnormality detected by the sensor actually is, and it is possible to more clearly grasp the situation.

Further, it is possible to confirm whether the abnormality detected by the sensor is really abnormal, in other words, whether it is an erroneous alarm or not, by a photographed image by the monitoring device. Therefore, more accurate monitoring can be performed.

Further, the monitoring device according to the present invention further comprises an image pickup control unit for controlling the image pickup condition parameter in the image pickup unit in the above-mentioned structure, and a predetermined device is provided immediately after the image pickup unit starts the image pickup operation. A configuration may be adopted in which the actual photographing is performed after performing the tentative photographing of the number of frames, analyzing the image by the tentative photographing, adjusting the photographing condition parameter, and adjusting the photographing condition parameter.

In the above arrangement, the image pickup control section for controlling the image pickup condition parameters is provided. Then, when the shooting operation is started, first, temporary shooting of a predetermined number of frames is performed, and based on the shooting result, the shooting control unit adjusts the shooting condition parameters so that the optimum shooting state is obtained, and then the actual shooting is performed. Shooting will be done. Therefore,
At the time of actual shooting, it is possible to obtain a shot image in which the shooting conditions are appropriately adjusted, and thus it is possible to obtain a monitoring image in a good shooting state.

Further, the monitoring device according to the present invention may be arranged such that, in the above structure, the photographing operation by the photographing section is performed by an electronic shutter system.

The electronic shutter system is a system in which the shutter time is appropriately set and the electronic image pickup device is exposed to light and photographed. Therefore, for example, in a situation in which it is necessary to shoot a subject with a high moving speed, it is possible to obtain a clear captured image without blurring by setting the shutter time shorter. Further, when the shooting environment is relatively dark, it is possible to secure the necessary brightness of the shot image by setting the shutter time longer. That is, by applying the electronic shutter system to the monitoring device of the present invention, the target to be monitored,
And it becomes possible to perform an optimal photographing operation according to the environment.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the monitoring method according to the present invention is a monitoring device provided with a photographing section for photographing the surrounding situation by converting the inputted light into an electric signal. A monitoring method performed, wherein the step of supplying power to the imaging unit when a shooting instruction signal is detected, and the setup of the imaging unit is completed after power supply to the imaging unit is started. The step of starting the photographing operation in the photographing unit after detecting that the photographing operation is performed, and ending the photographing operation in the photographing unit after the predetermined photographing operation is completed, and stopping the supply of electric power from the main power supply unit. It is characterized by having steps and.

According to the above method, when the photographing instruction signal is not detected, the power is supplied only to the signal detecting means, and the power is supplied to the photographing unit only at the time of photographing. Therefore, it is possible to surely perform the desired photographing operation and to minimize the power consumption of the monitoring device.

Further, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a monitoring system according to the present invention is connected to the above-mentioned monitoring device and the above-mentioned monitoring device via a communication means, and a monitoring center for managing the monitoring result in the monitoring device. And the image data photographed by the monitoring device is transmitted to the monitoring center via the communication means.

With the above configuration, a system is constructed in which the above monitoring device and the monitoring center that manages the monitoring result of this monitoring device are connected via the communication means. Here, as described above, since the monitoring device consumes extremely little power and can be driven by a storage battery, the system user can easily install the monitoring device in any place. Becomes Therefore, the monitoring center can comprehensively manage the monitoring results from the monitoring devices installed in various places.

Further, as described above, since the monitoring device can drive the storage battery and the like, it is not necessary to lay power lines and the like. Therefore, such a monitoring system can be constructed at low cost, and the system can be easily introduced.

[0031]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7.

FIG. 2 shows the outline of the system configuration of the monitoring system according to the present invention. In the present monitoring system, the monitoring device 1 and the external device 2 are connected so as to be capable of wireless communication, and the monitoring device 1 and the image monitoring center 3 use a communication line 4 (for example, a wireless LAN (local area network)). It is connected via the communication. Further, in this monitoring system, the monitoring device 1 and the image monitor 5 are connected via the communication line 4.

As will be described later, the monitoring device 1 is provided with an image sensor and the like, and takes an image of the situation around the place where it is installed. The monitoring device 1 has a main power supply unit of a power storage system inside the device, and secures a drive voltage for driving each part inside the device. That is, since the monitoring device 1 does not need to supply power from outside, a power line for supplying power, which is conventionally required, is unnecessary.
Therefore, the installation position of the monitoring device 1 can be freely selected, and the cost and labor for installing the power line can be saved.

Further, the monitoring device 1 does not require the above-mentioned power line and is capable of wireless communication with the image monitoring center 3 and the like. In other words, it can be said that the monitoring device 1 constitutes a wireless image sensor. In addition,
Details of the monitoring device 1 will be described later.

The external device 2 is composed of an external command device 2a and a sensor 2b (external sensor).
It is possible to perform wireless communication with the. The external command device 2a is operated by an operator to input
An external trigger, which will be described later, is transmitted to the monitoring device 1, and is composed of, for example, a PC (personal computer) or a mobile terminal.

The sensor 2b detects an abnormality in the surroundings and transmits an external trigger described later to the monitoring device 1, and at least one sensor 2b is installed at a predetermined position outside the monitoring device 1. That is, an external trigger is input to the monitoring device 1 when the sensor 2b detects an abnormality in the surroundings,
It is possible for the monitoring device 1 to start photographing.

The sensor 2b is composed of, for example, any one of a sound sensor, a vibration sensor, a heat source sensor, a moving body sensor, a smoke sensor, an optical sensor, an atmospheric pressure sensor, an air temperature sensor, an opening / closing sensor, a gas sensor, or a combination thereof. There is. The following describes each of these sensors.

The sound sensor detects the presence / absence of sound of a certain volume or higher. The vibration sensor detects the presence or absence of vibration above a certain level. The heat source sensor detects an object having a temperature higher than a certain temperature by infrared rays or the like. The moving body sensor detects the presence or absence of a moving object by utilizing the Doppler effect such as ultrasonic waves or electromagnetic waves.

The smoke sensor detects the presence or absence of smoke. The optical sensor detects the presence or absence of light having a certain level of brightness or higher.
The atmospheric pressure sensor detects whether or not the atmospheric pressure changes above a certain level. The air temperature sensor detects an air temperature above a certain level. The opening / closing sensor detects opening / closing of a door or a window. The gas sensor detects the presence or absence of combustible gas.

The image monitoring center 3 centrally manages the images transmitted from the monitoring device 1 via the communication line 4. Therefore, the image monitoring center 3 can grasp the presence or absence of abnormality in the room in which the monitoring device 1 is installed based on the image transmitted from the monitoring device 1.

The images taken by the monitoring device 1 are
It is also transmitted to the image monitor 5 via the communication line 4. If this image monitor 5 is installed in a room different from the room in which the monitoring device 1 is installed, the presence or absence of abnormality in the room in which the monitoring device 1 is installed is checked by the image monitor 5 in such a separate room. can do.

The image monitor 5 may be a PC or a mobile terminal, or may be integrated with the external command device 2a. Further, FIG. 2 shows a state in which only one monitoring device 1 is provided, but in reality, a plurality of monitoring devices 1 ... May be provided, and imaging from these monitoring devices 1 ... The image may be sent to the image monitoring center 3. In this case, in the image monitoring center 3, it becomes possible to centrally grasp the monitoring status of the monitoring devices 1 ... Installed at every place.

Next, the structure of the monitoring device 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the monitoring device 1 includes a photographing unit 6, an image compression unit 7, a wireless transmission / reception unit 8, a control unit 9, an external trigger reception unit (signal detection unit) 10, and a power supply unit 11. Has become.

The photographing section 6 is for photographing the surroundings of the monitoring device 1, and has a structure including an image sensor 12, a sample hold section 13, an A / D converter, a timing generator 15 and a synchronization generator 16. ing.

The image sensor 12 is, for example, a CCD.
(Charge coupled device) and CMOS (complementar)
y metal oxide semiconductor), it senses the surroundings and captures it as an image. In this embodiment, a CMOS sensor is used as the image sensor 12. In the CMOS sensor, photodiodes that convert light into electricity (electric charge) are arranged corresponding to each pixel, and a charge detection amplifier that converts the charge in each pixel into a voltage is provided. Then, the voltage converted by the charge detection amplifier for each pixel is switched by the MOS switch and output.

The reason why a CMOS sensor is used as the image sensor 12 in this embodiment will be described here. Like sensors such as CCD and CMOS,
An element that converts input light into an electric signal is generally
It takes a certain amount of time, that is, a setup time, from the start of power supply to the start of shooting. Here, the setup time of the CCD is about several hundred ms, but the setup time of the CMOS is about 50 to 100 ms. Therefore, in this embodiment, a CM with a shorter setup time is used.
The OS sensor is used as the image sensor 12.

The sample hold unit 13 is a block for temporarily holding the image data as an analog signal photographed by the image sensor 12 in sample units. The sample hold unit 13 is provided for the following reason. Image sensor 1
The image data as an analog signal photographed by 2 is converted into a digital signal in the A / D converter 14 in the subsequent stage. Generally, the A / D converter takes a little time to perform the A / D conversion for one sample. Therefore, when the value of the input signal greatly changes during conversion, a correct digital signal cannot be obtained. Therefore, a circuit that holds the value of the input signal when A / D conversion starts until one sample A / D conversion ends is required. The sample hold unit 13 plays this role.

The A / D converter 14 is a block for converting image data as an analog signal photographed by the image sensor 12 into a digital signal. As a result, image data as digital data can be obtained, and digital compression processing in the image compression unit 7 in the subsequent stage can be performed.

The image pickup control section 15 includes an A / D converter 14
The image capturing condition is determined based on the digital image data output from the image sensor 12, and the image capturing condition parameter in the image sensor 12 is controlled based on the result. The processing in the imaging control unit 15 is performed by, for example, a CPU (Central
Processing Unit), and RAM (Random Access Memo)
This is realized by causing an arithmetic processing unit such as ry) to execute the imaging control processing program.

The synchronization generator 17 is a block for generating a synchronization clock which is the basis of various operations in the photographing section 6. The timing generator 16 is a block that generates a timing signal that defines each operation timing in the image sensor 12, the sample hold unit 13, and the A / D converter 14 based on the synchronization clock generated by the synchronization generator 17. . By operating the image sensor 12, the sample hold unit 13, and the A / D converter 14 based on this timing signal, the process from image capturing to A / D conversion can be accurately performed without error.

Although not shown in FIG. 1, the A / D
An image processing unit that performs predetermined image processing on digital image data between the converter 14 and the image compression unit 7, and an image that recognizes an image processed by the image processing unit and determines whether there is an abnormality. A recognition unit or the like may be provided.

The image compression section 7 is a block for compressing the digital image data of the image photographed by the photographing section 6.
The data compression processing is realized by causing the arithmetic processing unit to execute a program including, for example, a data compression algorithm. By this data compression processing, the data size of the transmission image data can be reduced to the outside, and the communication time and cost can be reduced. The image data compressed by the image compression unit 7 is
An image compression / accumulation unit for temporarily accumulating may be provided as needed.

The wireless transmission / reception unit 8 outputs the image data compressed by the image compression unit 7 to the outside of the apparatus (the image monitoring center 3 via the communication line 4 by the wireless communication method.
And the image monitor 5). Examples of wireless communication methods include radio wave communication and optical communication. Although not shown, the wireless transmission / reception unit 8 includes a protocol conversion unit that converts image data to be transmitted into a signal according to a communication protocol, and a wireless signal transmission unit that transmits a wireless signal. The wireless signal transmission unit is composed of an RF module, for example, when performing communication by a radio wave method. Although only the function of the wireless transmission / reception unit 8 on the transmission side has been described above, it is assumed that the wireless transmission / reception unit 8 also has a function of receiving a radio signal from the outside of the device.

The control section 9 is a block having a start-up control section 19 and an image-pickup section start-up control section 18, and is a block for controlling power supply and operation of the image-pickup section 6.

The activation control unit 19 includes the external trigger receiving unit 1
When the power is turned on by receiving an external trigger at 0, it is a block that detects that the circuit is in a normal operating state. Then, the activation control unit 19
When it is detected that the circuit is in a normal operating state in (3), a Ready signal is transmitted to the imaging unit activation control unit 18.

The photographing section activation control section 18 is a block for controlling the photographing start operation, the photographing end operation, and the power-off operation for the photographing section 6. Specifically, when the imaging unit activation control unit 18 receives the Ready signal from the activation control unit 19, it transmits a start signal to the timing generator 16 and the synchronization generator 17 in the imaging unit 6 to start imaging. . Further, as will be described in detail later, when it is detected that a predetermined shooting operation is completed, a stop signal is transmitted to the timing generator 16 and the synchronization generator 17 in the shooting unit 6 to end the shooting and also stop the power supply. Let The details of the processing in the control unit 9 will be described later.

The external trigger receiving section 10 controls an interface for performing wireless communication with the external device 2.
That is, the external trigger receiving unit 10 is a wireless network interface with the external device 2. The wireless transmission / reception unit 8 may include the function of the external trigger reception unit 10.

Further, the external trigger receiving section 10 has an ID assigned to the photographing instruction signal transmitted from the external device 2.
Based on the number, it is possible to identify the external device 2 (external command device 2a, individual sensor 2b) that is the transmission source of the shooting instruction signal. This is to confirm whether the external device 2 is a correct communication partner. By identifying the external device 2 as described above, in the present monitoring system, for example, the monitoring device 1 is configured so that the imaging unit 6 can image the vicinity of the sensor 2b that is the transmission source of the imaging instruction signal.
It is also possible to rotate and move the.

The power supply unit 11 generates a drive voltage for driving each unit of the monitoring device 1 and supplies the drive voltage to each unit. For example, a battery (battery such as a storage battery or a solar battery).
It is composed of. In the present embodiment, the power supply unit 11 includes a main power supply unit 20 and a standby power supply unit 21.

The main power supply section 20 supplies a drive voltage to each section in the monitoring device 1 when an external trigger is received. The standby power supply unit 21 supplies a drive voltage to a portion of the monitoring device 1 that needs to be constantly driven, that is, the external trigger receiving unit 10 in this embodiment.

Here, an outline of the photographing operation of the monitoring device 1 in this embodiment will be described. 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, many surveillance video cameras shoot in a so-called moving image format. For example, NTSC (National Television Syste
m Committee) type video camera, 30 per second
You are taking a picture of the frame. However, as the surveillance image information required in the surveillance video camera,
The image information of 30 frames per second is often redundant, and for example, even a still image of about 2 frames per second is often sufficient as a monitoring function. Therefore, in the monitoring device 1 of the present embodiment, it is assumed that a still image is captured at a predetermined timing instead of the conventional so-called movie capturing.

Conventionally, there is also a surveillance video camera for taking a still image at a predetermined timing. FIG. 3A is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of a photographing signal in an image sensor according to a still image capturing method in a conventional surveillance video camera. Conventionally, even when a still image is captured, the image capturing operation performed by the image sensor of the capturing unit is 30
It is done in frames / second. When a still image shooting command is input by an external trigger, image data for one frame taken in the next frame is extracted and transmitted as an image signal. That is, although the still image data is output, the image capturing unit is always powered on and the image capturing operation is continuously performed.

Therefore, in this conventional example, as compared with the method of continuously transmitting the moving image, only the still image needs to be transmitted at a predetermined timing, so that the power consumption for the transmission can be reduced, but the image sensor It is always in operation and is consuming power continuously.

Therefore, in the monitoring device 1 of the present embodiment, in the state where the still image is not transmitted, the photographing unit 6 including the image sensor 12 as well as the block for transmitting the still image.
No electric power is supplied even to. FIG. 3B is an explanatory diagram showing a general shape of a photographing signal in the image sensor 12 of the still image capturing method in the monitoring device 1 of the present embodiment.

First, when the external trigger is not input, no power is supplied to the photographing section 6 and no photographing signal is output. Further, power is not supplied to each unit in the monitoring device 1 other than the external trigger receiving unit 10. Here, the respective units in the monitoring device 1 other than the external trigger receiving unit 10 are as follows in the configuration shown in FIG.
It corresponds to the control unit 9, the image compression unit 7, and the wireless transmission / reception unit 8 including the photographing unit 6. Further, a configuration that consumes electric power, which is not shown in FIG. 1, is also included in each unit in the monitoring device 1.

Then, when the external trigger is input, power is applied to the image capturing unit 6 and each unit in the monitoring apparatus 1, and after the setup is completed, one frame of a still image is captured, and still image data is captured. Is obtained. After that, when the shooting of one frame of the still image is completed, the power supply to the shooting unit 6 and each unit in the monitoring device 1 other than the external trigger receiving unit 10 is stopped again. According to such a method, power is supplied to each unit in the monitoring device 1 other than the image capturing unit 6 and the external trigger receiving unit 10 only when actually capturing a still image. It is possible to significantly reduce the power consumption as compared with the conventional example.

Next, the external trigger receiving section 10 will be described in detail. The external trigger receiving unit 10 is the external device 2
It detects an external trigger from the device and is composed of a simple circuit as shown in FIG.

As shown in the figure, the external trigger receiver 1
Reference numeral 0 is composed of a detector 10a formed of, for example, a diode, a level detection circuit 10b, and a signal determination circuit 10c. For example, when the sensor 2b detects an abnormality, an external trigger, which is a high frequency wireless signal, is output from the sensor 2b. This external trigger is connected to the external trigger receiver 10
Is received, the detector 10a detects a high frequency signal,
Generate a pulse train signal. Then, the level detection circuit 1
0b discriminates and shapes the pulse train signal at a predetermined level,
Obtain a pulse train signal.

In the signal judgment circuit 10c to which the pulse train signal is applied, it is judged whether the applied signal is an external trigger or not based on the number of pulses of the pulse train signal and the time interval. In this example, as shown in the figure, when three pulses are consecutive in the pulse train signal, the start signal is sent from the signal determination circuit 10c to the monitoring device 1.
It is sent to each part of. As a result, the power supply to the entire monitoring device 1 is started based on the activation signal.

In this way, the external trigger receiving section 10
Since it is composed of the simple circuit as described above, the current consumption is extremely small. Therefore, even if the standby power supply unit 21 constantly supplies the drive voltage to the external trigger receiving unit 10, the power consumption in the external trigger receiving unit 10 is small.

The same applies when the communication request signal is transmitted from the external command device 2a to the external trigger receiving section 10.

Next, the activation control operation in the control section 9 will be described in detail. As described above, when the power supply is started by the external trigger for instructing the image capturing, the activation control unit 19 detects that the image capturing unit 6 is in a normal operating state and then outputs the Ready signal to the image capturing unit. It is output to the activation control unit 18. Specifically, various methods are conceivable. For example, the following timer method and level detection method can be mentioned.

The timer method is a method of outputting a Ready signal when a predetermined time elapses after the supply of electric power is started. That is, in this method, a setup time from the start of power supply until the photographing unit 6 is in a stable state is obtained in advance, and the photographing unit 6 is considered to be in a stable state when the setup time has elapsed. Is. According to this method, it is possible to detect that the photographing unit 6 is in a normally operating state with a relatively simple configuration of a timer.

The level detection method is a method of outputting the Ready signal after the level detection circuit detects that the output voltage of the image sensor 12 is within a predetermined level range after the power supply is started. . That is, according to this method, it is possible to confirm that the image capturing unit 6 is in a stable state by detecting a representative value such as an output voltage at a predetermined pixel position of the image sensor 12 or an average value (average voltage) of pixel outputs in a predetermined range. This is a judgment method. According to this method, the stability of the imaging unit 6 can be detected more directly, so that the completion of the setup can be detected in consideration of the surrounding light and darkness and the environmental condition. For example, in the above timer method, the setup time is set so that setup can be completed reliably in all environments, so depending on the situation, shooting may start even though setup is complete. There is a possibility that it will not be done. On the other hand, according to the level detection method,
Since it is possible to directly detect that the setup is completed and start shooting immediately after that, depending on the situation, the shooting operation can be started earlier than the timer method.

As described above, the activation control unit 19 outputs the Ready signal indicating the start of the photographing operation after the power supply is started and the setup of the photographing unit 6 is completed. As a result, even immediately after the power is supplied, the setup of the image capturing unit 6 is completed, and the image capturing operation can be reliably performed before the image capturing can be started.

The photographing unit start-up control unit 18 has a start-up control unit 19
Synchronous generator 1 upon receiving the Ready signal from
7 and the timing generator 16 to start signals. Then, when the predetermined photographing operation is completed, a stop signal is similarly transmitted to the synchronization generator 17 and the timing generator 16, and the photographing unit 6
And the power supply is stopped. Examples of methods for determining the completion of a predetermined image capturing operation in the image capturing unit 6 include a timer method and a signal detection method as described below.

The timer system is a system in which a stop signal is transmitted when a predetermined time has elapsed since the start signal was transmitted. The predetermined time is set by, for example, the time required to complete the shooting of one frame.

The signal detection method is, for example, the image sensor 1
The output signal in 2 is monitored and 2
This is a method in which a stop signal is transmitted when it is detected that the blanking period of the frame of the frame has ended.

Here, the flow of processing in the monitoring device 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, in step 1 (hereinafter, referred to as S1), it is determined whether the external trigger receiving unit 10 has received an external trigger. If it is determined that the external trigger has not been received (NO in S1), the determination process of S1 is repeated. That is, S1 indicates a waiting state for receiving an external trigger.

If YES in S1, that is, if the reception of the external trigger is confirmed, the external trigger receiving unit 10 sends a signal indicating that power supply to each unit in the monitoring apparatus 1 is started, and the monitoring apparatus 1 Power supply to each part inside is started (S2).

After that, when the activation control section 19 is notified that the external trigger is received, the activation control section 19 detects that the above-mentioned setup time has elapsed, and the imaging section activation control section 18 is detected.
A Ready signal is transmitted to (S3).

The photographing unit start-up control unit 18 has a start-up control unit 19
When the Ready signal is received from the timing generator 16 and the synchronization generator 17 in the imaging unit 6.
In response to this, a start signal for starting the operation of the photographing unit 6 is sent (S4). The image capturing unit 6 that has received this start signal starts the image capturing operation (S5). Then, the image capturing unit activation control unit 18 determines whether or not the image capturing unit 6 has completed capturing an image of one frame. (S6). Here, when it is determined that the shooting for one frame is not completed (NO in S6),
The determination process of S6 is repeated. That is, S6 is 1
The figure shows a standby state until the image capturing for the frame is completed.

If YES in S6, that is, if it is determined that the image pickup for one frame is completed, the image pickup unit activation control unit 18 causes the timing generator 16 and the synchronization generator 17 to end the operation in the image pickup unit 6. Send a stop signal. Then, a signal for stopping the supply of electric power to each part of the monitoring device other than the external trigger receiving part 10 is sent (S7). When the process of S7 is completed, the process returns to S1 and shifts to the standby state of the external trigger.

Next, an embodiment of a photographing sequence different from the above will be described. FIG. 3C shows a shooting sequence in this embodiment. In this embodiment, when an external trigger is input and power is supplied to each part of the monitoring device, the same as the above until the shooting by the shooting unit 6 is started after the startup unit 9 waits for the setup time. It has been processed. Then, when the photographing unit 6 starts photographing, first, as temporary photographing, 3 to
Image data for 5 frames is acquired. The image data of the temporary shooting is not transmitted to the image compression unit 7, but is transmitted only to the imaging control unit 15.

Upon receiving the image data of the tentative photographing, the image pickup control section 15 analyzes the image data. Specifically, the overall brightness of the captured image and the white balance are analyzed. Then, the gain adjustment and the white balance adjustment in the image sensor 12 are performed based on the analysis result. After such adjustment is repeated 3 to 5 times, one frame of actual shooting is performed. The process after the actual shooting is performed is the same as above.

In this way, temporary shooting is performed before actual shooting,
By adjusting various camera parameters, an image obtained by actual photographing can be put in an optimum state, and a more accurate monitoring image can be obtained.
In addition, in this embodiment, although the number of image capturing operations in the image capturing unit 6 is increased by performing the temporary image capturing, the number of image capturing operations of only a few frames is increased, and the power consumption is slightly increased. Compared with the above, the effect of power saving is great.

The flow of processing in the monitoring device 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. The processing from S11 to S14 and the processing from S18 to S19 are the same as the processing from S1 to S4 in the flowchart shown in FIG.
Since it is the same as the processing from 6 to S7, its explanation is omitted here.

In S14, when a start signal is transmitted from the image pickup unit activation control unit 18, the image pickup unit 6 that has received the start signal starts the image pickup operation as temporary image pickup (S15).
Then, the image data of the tentative shooting is input to the shooting control unit 15, and the shooting control unit 15 adjusts shooting parameters such as gain adjustment and white balance adjustment (S16). The processing in S15 and S16 is
This is repeated for the number of frames (for example, 3 to 5 times) at which the temporary shooting is performed.

When the tentative photographing for a predetermined number of frames is completed, S
At 17, actual photographing is performed by the photographing unit 6. Then, the image capturing unit activation control unit 18 determines whether or not the image capturing unit 6 has completed capturing an image of one frame (S18), and the subsequent processes are performed.

Next, details of the operation for photographing an image for one frame will be described. In this embodiment, an electronic shutter system may be adopted as a system for capturing an image of one frame. FIG. 7A is a diagram for explaining an image reading operation for one frame by the electronic shutter method.

When the external trigger is input at time t1, as described above, the start signal is output from the activation control unit 19 after the setup time, and the start signal is input from the imaging unit activation control unit 18 to the imaging unit 6. . Then, at time t2, the shutter signal is input from the timing generator 16 to the image sensor 12. At this timing, the accumulated charge accumulated in the image sensor 12 is released, and the charge is accumulated again during the set shutter operation period, that is, the period from time t2 to time t3. Then, after the time t3 when the shutter operation is completed, the reading process of the image data based on the charges accumulated during the shutter time is performed.

Here, for example, the difference between the one-frame image shooting process according to the system shown in FIG. 3B (hereinafter referred to as the moving image shooting-based system) and the one-frame image shooting process according to the electronic shutter system explain.

In the moving image shooting compliant system, one frame of image data is acquired in accordance with the frame sequence when shooting a moving image. For example, in the NTSC system, one frame image is formed from two field images. Since the field image is formed at 60 images / sec (30 images / sec as a frame image), a still image exposed for 1/60 seconds can be obtained. That is, in the moving image shooting compliant method, the shutter time for obtaining one still image is fixed to the exposure time for one frame in moving image shooting.

Here, when it is necessary to photograph a fast-moving subject, for example, when the shutter time is 1/60 second, the photographed image may be blurred, and the subject can be clearly photographed. Disappear. That is, in the moving image shooting-based method, the shutter time is fixed for the above-mentioned reason, so that there is a problem that a desired shutter speed cannot be obtained.

On the other hand, in the electronic shutter system, since the shutter time can be set freely, the shutter speed can be set according to the moving speed of the subject. Therefore, it is possible to obtain the optimum photographed image for all kinds of subjects.

Further, since the shutter time can be changed, the brightness of the photographed image can be controlled. That is, if the environment of the shooting area is dark and the subject is not expected to move at high speed, the exposure time is lengthened by increasing the shutter time to increase the brightness of the shot image. It becomes possible.

Even when this electronic shutter system is adopted, it is possible to perform temporary shooting for several frames before actual shooting, as in the shooting sequence shown in FIG. 3C. It is possible. FIG. 7B shows this shooting sequence. That is, first, when an external trigger is input at time t4 and power is supplied to each part of the monitoring device, after the start-up part 9 waits for a setup time, at time t5, the imaging part 6 starts imaging by the electronic shutter method. Up to this point, the processing is the same as above. Then, image data for 3 to 5 frames is acquired as temporary shooting by the electronic shutter method. The image data of the temporary shooting is not transmitted to the image compression unit 7, but is transmitted only to the imaging control unit 15.

Then, the image pickup control section 15 analyzes the temporarily photographed image data as described above, and based on the analysis result, the shutter time adjustment, the gain adjustment, and the white balance adjustment in the image sensor 12 are performed. After repeating such adjustment 3 to 5 times, one frame of actual shooting is performed.

As described above, by performing the tentative photographing operation even in the electronic shutter system, the image obtained by the actual photographing can be put in an optimum state, and a more accurate monitoring image can be obtained.

In the shooting sequences shown in FIGS. 3 (c) and 7 (b), the above description is made such that temporary shooting for 3 to 5 frames is performed, but the number of frames is not particularly limited. However, the number of frames required for the image to be in the optimum state by the above adjustment may be set. Further, based on the analysis of the image data in the image pickup control unit 15, it may be set so that the provisional photographing operation is ended and the actual photographing processing is started at the time when it is determined that the image is in the optimum state.

Next, a specific example of the form when outputting one frame of image will be described below. First, 1
As a second example, as described above, when the external trigger is output from the external device 2, that is, the external command device 2a and / or the sensor 2b, one frame of image is captured in response to this. An example of terminating the processing is given. In this example, when an abnormality is detected by the sensor 2b and when the operator inputs an instruction to the external command device 2a, one frame of image is acquired.

As a second example, for example, the external command device 2a is provided with a timer function and an external trigger is generated at a predetermined interval (for example, every 5 seconds) by this timer. According to this example, one frame of image is periodically acquired at a predetermined interval. The means for periodically generating the external trigger is not limited to the external command device 2a, and such an external trigger generating means may be provided in the monitoring device 1. In this case, the external trigger generating means is provided so that the standby power supply unit 21 always supplies electric power.

As a third example, when an external trigger is input from the external command device 2a and / or the sensor 2b and the monitoring device 1 is activated, a predetermined period (for example, 20 seconds), a predetermined interval (for example, 0. An example in which an image for one frame is taken every 5 seconds) is given. In this case, one frame of image is periodically photographed for a certain period after the external trigger is input.

As described above, since it is possible to appropriately set the form for acquiring the image for one frame, the optimum operation is performed with the minimum power consumption required according to the application of the monitoring device 1. It becomes possible.

As described above, the monitoring device according to the present invention is
The main power supply unit and the standby power supply unit may be configured to supply power with a storage battery.

According to the above configuration, since the electric power is supplied by the storage battery, the power line from the external power source is unnecessary. Therefore, the construction cost for laying the power line can be reduced, and the cost burden on the system user can be reduced. Further, since the power line is unnecessary, the user can freely select the installation position of the monitoring device, and the monitoring device can be freely moved as needed.

Further, according to the above configuration, the power consumption of the monitoring device can be extremely reduced, so that the charging cycle of the storage battery can be lengthened. Therefore,
It is possible to reduce the maintenance work for charging.

Further, in the monitoring apparatus according to the present invention, the signal detecting means includes a communication means for communicating with an external device provided outside the device, and the photographing instruction signal is transmitted from the external device. It may be configured.

According to the above arrangement, it is possible to trigger the photographing operation in the monitoring device by sending the photographing instruction signal from the external device. Therefore, it is possible to control the photographing operation in the monitoring device by remote control from an external device, for example.

[0110]

As described above, the monitoring device according to the present invention converts the input light into an electric signal,
A photographing unit that photographs the surroundings, a signal detecting unit that detects a photographing instruction signal, and a main power supply that supplies power to the photographing unit when the photographing instruction signal is detected by the signal detecting unit. Unit, a standby power supply unit that supplies electric power to the signal detection unit, and a control unit that controls start and stop of the photographing unit, and the control unit starts power supply to the photographing unit. Then, after detecting that the setup of the image capturing unit is completed, the image capturing operation in the image capturing unit is started, and after the predetermined image capturing operation is completed, the image capturing operation in the image capturing unit is terminated and the main power supply is turned on. This is a configuration in which the supply of electric power from the unit is stopped.

As a result, when the photographing instruction signal is not detected, power is supplied only to the signal detecting means, and power is supplied to the photographing unit only at the time of photographing. Therefore, it is possible to surely perform the desired photographing operation and to minimize the power consumption of the monitoring device.

Further, the monitoring device according to the present invention may be arranged such that the predetermined photographing operation is a photographing operation of an image for one frame.

As a result, in addition to the effects of the above configuration, there is an effect that the power consumption in the photographing section can be significantly reduced.

Further, the monitoring apparatus according to the present invention may be arranged such that the main power source section and the standby power source section supply power with a storage battery.

As a result, in addition to the effect of the above configuration, the power line from the external power supply is not required, so that the construction cost for laying the power line can be reduced and the system user's cost burden is reduced. There is an effect that it becomes possible. Further, since the power line is not required, the user can freely select the installation position of the monitoring device, and the monitoring device can be freely moved as necessary.

Further, since the charging cycle of the storage battery can be lengthened, the maintenance work for charging can be reduced.

Further, in the monitoring apparatus according to the present invention, the control unit detects that the setup is completed when a predetermined period of time has passed after power is supplied to the photographing unit. May be

Thus, in addition to the effects of the above configuration, it is possible to determine that the predetermined period has elapsed by providing a simple configuration such as a timer, so that the control unit is simple. An effect that it can be realized by the configuration is exhibited.

Further, in the monitoring apparatus according to the present invention, after the control section supplies power to the photographing section, the voltage of the electric signal obtained in the photographing section is within a predetermined level range. It may be configured to detect the completion of the above setup by detecting.

Thus, in addition to the effect of the above configuration, it is possible to more reliably detect the completion of setup.

Further, in the monitoring apparatus according to the present invention, the signal detecting means includes a communication means for communicating with an external device provided outside the device, and the photographing instruction signal is transmitted from the external device. It may be configured.

Thus, in addition to the effects of the above configuration, it is possible to control the photographing operation in the monitoring device by remote control from an external device, for example.

Further, in the monitoring device according to the present invention, the external device is a sensor, and when an abnormality is detected in the sensor, the photographing instruction signal is transmitted from the sensor to the signal detecting means. It may be configured.

As a result, in addition to the effect of the above configuration, it becomes possible to confirm the actual situation of the abnormality detected by the sensor by the photographed image, and the situation can be more clearly understood. There is an effect that it can be performed.

Further, it is possible to confirm whether the abnormality detected by the sensor is really abnormal, in other words, whether it is an erroneous alarm or not, by the image taken by the monitoring device. Therefore, there is an effect that more accurate monitoring can be performed.

Further, the monitoring apparatus according to the present invention further comprises an image pickup control section for controlling the image pickup condition parameters in the image pickup section, and immediately after the image pickup section starts the image pickup operation, a temporary image pickup of a predetermined number of frames is carried out. The image capturing control unit may analyze the image obtained by the provisional capturing, adjust the capturing condition parameters, and then perform the actual capturing.

As a result, in addition to the effects of the above configuration, it is possible to obtain a photographed image in which the photographing conditions have been adjusted accurately during actual photographing, so that a monitoring image in a favorable photographing state can be obtained. There is an effect that it becomes possible.

Further, the monitoring device according to the present invention may be arranged such that, in the above structure, the photographing operation by the photographing section is performed by an electronic shutter system.

As a result, it is possible to perform an optimum photographing operation according to the object to be monitored and its environment.

Further, the monitoring method according to the present invention is a monitoring method performed in a monitoring device equipped with a photographing unit for photographing the surrounding situation by converting the input light into an electric signal. A step of supplying power to the image capturing unit when an instruction signal is detected; and a step of supplying power to the image capturing unit, detecting that setup of the image capturing unit is completed, and then A method having a step of starting a photographing operation in the photographing section and a step of ending the photographing operation in the photographing section and stopping the supply of electric power from the main power source section after a predetermined photographing operation is completed. is there.

As a result, the desired photographing operation can be reliably performed, and the power consumption of the monitoring device can be minimized.

Further, the monitoring system according to the present invention comprises the above-mentioned monitoring device and a monitoring center which is connected to the above-mentioned monitoring device through a communication means and manages the monitoring result of the monitoring device, and the monitoring device captures images. The image data that has been subjected to is transmitted to the monitoring center via the communication means.

As a result, as described above, the monitoring device consumes extremely little power and can be driven by a storage battery, so that the user of the system can easily install the monitoring device in any place. It becomes possible.
Therefore, the monitoring center has an effect of being able to comprehensively manage the monitoring results from the monitoring devices installed in various places.

Further, as described above, since the monitoring device can drive the storage battery and the like, it is not necessary to lay power lines and the like. Therefore, such a monitoring system can be constructed at low cost, and the system can be easily introduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a monitoring device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an outline of a system configuration of a monitoring system including the monitoring device.

FIG. 3A is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of a photographing signal in an image sensor by a still image capturing method in a conventional surveillance video camera. FIG. 2B is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of a photographing signal in the image sensor according to the still image capturing method in the monitoring device of this embodiment. The same figure (c)
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of a photographing signal in an image sensor of a still image capturing system in a monitoring device of an embodiment different from that of FIG.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of an external trigger receiving section and signal waveforms in this configuration.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing in the monitoring device of the present embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing flow in a monitoring device of an embodiment different from that of FIG.

FIG. 7A is an explanatory diagram for explaining an image reading operation for one frame by the electronic shutter system,
FIG. 2B is an explanatory diagram for explaining an image reading operation for one frame by the electronic shutter system in which temporary shooting is performed before actual shooting.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Monitoring device 2 External device 2a External command device 2b sensor 3 Image monitoring center 4 communication lines 5 image monitor 6 Shooting department 7 Image compression unit 8 Wireless transceiver 9 control unit 10 External trigger receiver 11 power supply 12 image sensor 15 Imaging control unit 18 Imaging unit startup control unit 19 Start-up control section 20 Main power supply section 21 Standby power supply

Continued front page    F-term (reference) 5C054 AA01 BA03 CA04 CC02 CH04                       EA01 EA03 EH07 FA09 HA18                 5C087 AA02 AA03 AA08 AA24 BB11                       BB20 BB65 BB74 DD05 DD20                       DD27 EE10 FF01 FF02 FF04                       FF13 FF16 FF19 GG02 GG69

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A photographing section for photographing the surroundings by converting the inputted light into an electric signal, a signal detecting means for detecting a photographing instruction signal, and the signal detecting means for transmitting the photographing instruction signal. When detected, a main power supply unit that supplies power to the image capturing unit, a standby power supply unit that supplies power to the signal detection unit, and a control unit that controls start and stop of the image capturing unit. And the control unit starts the photographing operation in the photographing unit after detecting that the setting of the photographing unit is completed after the power supply to the photographing unit is started, and the predetermined photographing is performed. After the operation is completed, the monitoring operation is terminated in the imaging unit, and the power supply from the main power supply unit is stopped. 2. The monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined photographing operation is a photographing operation of an image for one frame. 3. The control unit detects that the setup has been completed when a predetermined period of time has elapsed after power was supplied to the photographing unit. The monitoring device according to 2. 4. The setup is performed by detecting that the voltage of an electric signal obtained in the photographing unit is within a predetermined level range after power is supplied to the photographing unit by the control unit. The monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring device detects that the process has been completed. 5. The signal detecting means communicates with a sensor provided outside the apparatus, and when an abnormality is detected in the sensor, the photographing instruction signal is directed from the sensor to the signal detecting means. The monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the monitoring device is transmitted. 6. An imaging control unit for controlling an imaging condition parameter in the imaging unit is further provided, and immediately after the imaging unit starts the imaging operation, temporary imaging of a predetermined number of frames is performed, and the imaging control unit The monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the image is taken by the temporary shooting, the shooting condition parameter is adjusted, and then the actual shooting is performed. 7. The monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the photographing operation by the photographing unit is performed by an electronic shutter system. 8. A monitoring method carried out in a monitoring device provided with a photographing unit for photographing the surrounding situation by converting the inputted light into an electric signal, which is provided when a photographing instruction signal is detected. , Supplying power to the image capturing unit, and starting the image capturing operation in the image capturing unit after detecting completion of setup of the image capturing unit after power supply to the image capturing unit is started And a step of terminating the photographing operation in the photographing unit and stopping the supply of electric power from the main power source unit after a predetermined photographing operation is completed. 9. The monitoring device according to claim 1, further comprising: a monitoring device; and a monitoring center that is connected to the monitoring device via a communication unit and manages a monitoring result of the monitoring device. A monitoring system, wherein image data photographed by the device is transmitted to a monitoring center via the communication means.