JP2004312098A - Monitoring camera apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a monitoring camera apparatus whereby even one installation worker can simply carry out fine-adjustment of the horizontality of a camera field angle or the like. <P>SOLUTION: An LED 20 is provided to a front side of an enclosure of a camera main body 1, usually illuminates at application of power in a power supply section 21, and also is used for a field angle horizontality adjustment notice means. An operation section 18 is provided with e.g., an installation mode button, and when the button is operated, a microcomputer 14 informs an LED lighting control circuit 19 about the execution of an installation field angle adjustment mode. The LED lighting control circuit 19 receiving the execution notice of this mode from the microcomputer 14 applies lighting control to the LED 20 for horizontality notice by receiving a signal from a horizontality detection section 17 without applying lighting control to the LED 20 for indicating application of power to the power supply section 21. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
[Industrial applications]
The present invention relates to a monitoring camera device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
When the surveillance camera device is installed in a store or the like, the camera body is usually mounted on a mounting bracket fixed to a ceiling or a wall. And since it is difficult to fine-tune the horizontality of the camera angle of view only by looking at the posture of the camera body, the installation operator is, for example, a camera adjuster and a monitor monitor, and the camera adjuster is, for example, on a stepladder. The user stands by so as to be able to move on the camera body, and the monitor observer looks at the monitor and communicates the degree of levelness to the camera adjuster by radio or the like. Alternatively, the surveillance camera device may be installed alone. In this case, a simple monitor is brought near the installation location, and the camera adjuster himself performs fine adjustment of the horizontality of the camera body while watching the monitor and the camera posture. Will be.
[0003]
There is a technique using a target plate to correct a roll angle (tilt angle) of a camera (see Patent Document 1).
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-9-105616 [0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, as described above, when installing the surveillance camera device by itself, it is necessary to bring the simple monitor to the installation location, and the camera adjuster turns the line of sight to the simple monitor side and holds the camera body in hand. The adjustment work is performed, and the monitor cannot be normally viewed from the front, and the monitor placed on the floor is often viewed obliquely from a high position. It is difficult. In particular, when a ball joint is used as the mounting bracket, fine adjustment becomes very difficult.
[0006]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a surveillance camera device in which even one installation worker can easily finely adjust the horizontality of a camera view angle.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above problem, the surveillance camera device of the present invention detects a predetermined characteristic signal portion from a video signal obtained by shooting, and detects a predetermined characteristic signal portion from a reference time to a detection time of the characteristic signal portion. Means for obtaining information represented by time or the number of pixels; means for calculating difference information between first information obtained on the upper side of the screen and second information obtained on the lower side of the screen as the information; And a notifying unit that outputs a visible signal and / or an audible signal that differs depending on the information on the camera body side.
[0008]
With the above configuration, the camera installer can perform the fine adjustment of the horizontal angle of the camera angle of view alone by looking at the visible signal output on the camera main body side or listening to the audible signal. The characteristic signal portion is obtained, for example, by photographing a target plate having a characteristic light-dark pattern including a white region and a black region.
[0009]
The notifying unit may be configured to blink a light-emitting unit for power ON / OFF display provided in the camera main body unit to generate the visible signal. According to this, it is not necessary to newly provide a light emitting unit, and cost can be reduced.
[0010]
The information represented by the number of pixels from the reference time point to the detection time point of the characteristic signal portion may be obtained by using a function of detecting an existing pixel defect. According to this, by utilizing existing functions, new hardware can be eliminated or minimized, and cost can be reduced.
[0011]
The difference between the number of horizontal lines until the first information is obtained on the upper side of the screen and the number of horizontal lines from the last time the information is obtained on the lower side of the screen to the bottom of the screen, and the predetermined number of predetermined lines It may be configured such that certain line number difference information is calculated, and a visible signal and / or an audible signal that differs depending on the line number difference information are output on the camera main body side. According to this, it can be easily set so that a desired subject is projected in the middle in the vertical direction of the screen. In this configuration, one of the visible signal and the audible signal is output as a notification signal based on the line number difference information, and the visible signal and the audible signal are output as a notification signal based on difference information between the first information and the second information. It may be configured to output the other of the signals. It is preferable that the specified number of lines is configured to be set by an operation unit provided in the camera body.
[0012]
These surveillance camera devices may include means for determining the adjustment direction, and may be configured to notify the adjustment direction by the visible signal and / or the audible signal.
[0013]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a surveillance camera device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0014]
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a surveillance camera system including a camera body 1, a VCR (video tape recorder) 2, and a monitor 3. The lens mechanism 11 in the camera body 1 includes a lens group 11a, a focus control device 11b for adjusting the position of the lens group 11a to form a focused state, and a diaphragm unit 11c for adjusting the diaphragm (adjusting the amount of incident light). .
[0015]
The image sensor driving circuit 16 drives the image sensor (for example, CCD) 12. The image sensor 12 receives the image light of the subject that has passed through the lens mechanism 11, converts the light into an electric signal, and outputs the electric signal. The signal processing circuit 13 performs various kinds of signal processing on a signal output from the image sensor 12, and converts the signal into, for example, an NTSC video signal and outputs the signal. The output video signal is recorded by, for example, the VCR 2 and displayed on the monitor 3.
[0016]
The aperture control circuit 15 receives the signal output from the image sensor 12 and feeds back the aperture unit 11c so that the output signal level of the image sensor 12 becomes a predetermined level. Further, the microcomputer 14 obtains the frequency value of the video signal from, for example, the signal processing circuit 13 and performs the focus adjustment by driving the focus control device 11b such that the frequency value becomes the highest.
[0017]
The LED (light emitting diode) 20 is provided on the surface side of the housing of the camera body 1, and normally lights up in response to power-on of the power supply unit 21. In this embodiment, the LED 20 is used as a view angle horizontal adjustment degree notification unit. The operation unit 18 is provided with, for example, an installation mode button. When this button is operated, the microcomputer 14 notifies the LED lighting control circuit 19 of the execution of the installation view angle adjustment mode. The LED lighting control circuit 19 that has received the execution notification of this mode from the microcomputer 14 receives the signal from the horizontality detecting unit 17 and does not report the horizontality, instead of turning on the LED 20 for displaying the power ON of the power supply unit 21. The lighting control of the LED 20 for (informing of the angle of view horizontal adjustment) is performed.
[0018]
The above-mentioned horizontality detection unit 17 is configured as shown in FIG. 2, for example. The target extracting unit 17a extracts a target signal based on the NTSC video signal generated by the signal processing circuit 13. Here, as shown in FIG. 3, when the camera body 1 is installed, the target plate A is vertically arranged within the imaging range. The target plate A is a vertically long plate whose center is black and both sides are white. On the horizontal video signal corresponding to the target plate A, the target signal a corresponding to the white and black is obtained. Assuming that the camera body 1 is inclined with respect to the horizontal, the target plate A is displayed on the monitor 3 while being inclined. As shown in FIG. 4, the target extracting unit 17a first determines that a state where the luminance value of the horizontal video signal exceeds the threshold TH1 exists for a predetermined period, and then a state where the luminance value falls below the threshold TH2 continues for a predetermined period. When a state in which the luminance value exceeds the threshold value TH1 exists for a predetermined period, a signal indicating the presence of a characteristic pattern is provided to the time calculation unit 17b.
[0019]
The time calculation unit 17b starts time measurement with the horizontal synchronization signal as a trigger in each horizontal period, and generates elapsed time information T (see FIG. 4) when the signal indicating the presence of the characteristic pattern is received. On the monitor 3 shown in FIG. 3, the first target signal a is obtained, it becomes a ₁ point of FIG. 3, the end of the target signal a is obtained becomes a ₂ places FIG. Then, the elapsed time information T at _one place _a, as shown in FIG. 5 (a), _{T 1,} and the elapsed time information T at _{a 2} points, as shown also in FIG. 5 (b), the T _2.
[0020]
The first target signal time storage unit 17c stores the elapsed time information T _1, the final target signal time storage unit 17d stores the elapsed time information T _2. For the elapsed time information T _2, it continues to sequentially updated records the elapsed time information T of the second and subsequent, so that the elapsed time information T of the last storage state may be set to T _2. For calculating the elapsed time, a system master clock or the like can be used.
[0021]
The time difference calculation unit 17e calculates the time difference Δt by using a calculation formula of Δt = | T ₁ −T ₂ | [s] (see FIG. 5), and gives the time difference Δt to the blink control unit 17f. The time difference Δt indicates the degree of inclination of the captured target plate A (that is, the roll inclination of the camera body 1). In order to prevent the observer from being conscious of the vertical tilt on the monitor screen, as shown in FIG. 3, the vertical length α of the target plate A on the monitor screen is 1/1 / the screen vertical length β. It is desirably 2 or more. Therefore, in photographing the target plate A at the time of installing the camera, the installation position of the target plate A and the tele-wide adjustment in the camera body 1 are set so that α ≧ β / 2 is displayed on the screen. Keep going.
[0022]
The blinking control unit 17f changes the LED blinking cycle according to the value of the time difference Δt, as shown in the graph of FIG. In the case of the blinking cycle control shown in FIG. 6, the LED blinking cycle becomes longer as the inclination of the captured target plate A becomes larger, and the LED blinking cycle becomes shorter as the inclination becomes smaller. Is turned on continuously.
[0023]
The operator of the surveillance camera adjusts the roll of the camera body 1 so that the LED 20 is continuously lit while observing the lighting condition of the LED 20, so that the angle of view of the camera body 1 can be obtained without looking at the monitor 3. Horizontal adjustment can be performed.
[0024]
Here, if the camera has a function of detecting twelve pixel defects of the image pickup device (CCD), it is possible to set a threshold value and to know, for example, which pixel from the left end has a defect. It is possible to set the above-mentioned threshold values TH1 and TH2 using the above-mentioned threshold value setting function, and to determine whether there is a characteristic pattern. Then, by knowing the number of pixels up to the feature pattern on the horizontal line, processing equivalent to the above-described time measurement can be performed. In the above case, the time difference is obtained as a difference in the number of pixels, and the difference in the number of pixels indicates the degree of inclination of the target plate A at which the image is captured (that is, the inclination of the camera body 1 in the roll direction). Therefore, lighting control of the LED 20 can be performed according to the difference in the number of pixels. In the control using the function of detecting a pixel defect as described above, it is possible to perform the horizontality notification (the angle of view horizontal adjustment degree notification) by setting the software without adding any special hardware. In the high resolution model (about 400,000 pixels), the clock frequency of the system is about 70 nsec, and the minimum one pixel interval is this value.
[0025]
Further, in the above example, the power supply ON / OFF display LED 20 is used for the horizontality notification (the angle of view horizontal adjustment degree notification), so that a separate LED for the notification is not required. Although shown, a configuration in which a separate light emitting unit (such as an LED) is provided in the camera body 1 may be adopted. In addition to the configuration in which the lighting cycle of the light emitting unit is changed, a configuration in which a color change is generated in the light emitting unit, a configuration in which the degree of light emission (brightness) is changed, a configuration in which the number of light emissions of a plurality of light emitting units is changed, and the like are employed. Is what you can do.
[0026]
Further, for example, three light emitting units are provided, and when T ₁ -T ₂ is negative, the leftmost light emitting unit is turned on, and when T ₁ -T ₂ is positive, the rightmost light emitting unit is turned on. , T ₁ −T ₂ ≒ 0, the middle light emitting section is turned on. Alternatively, such light emission control rather than by, when T ₁ -T ₂ is negative, the LCD display unit or the like provided in the camera body performs the mark display prompting adjustment of counterclockwise, T ₁ -T _{When 2} is positive, a mark for prompting clockwise adjustment is displayed, and when T ₁ −T ₂ ≒ 0, an OK mark is displayed. In other words, the configuration may be such that it is possible to indicate the direction of adjustment instead of just the horizontality notification. Further, in addition to such a visible signal, a buzzer or a speaker may be provided, and an audible signal may be used to notify horizontality (angle of view angle horizontal adjustment) or an adjustment direction notification.
[0027]
In addition, the above-described levelness adjustment (view angle adjustment) is performed after roughly adjusting the target plate A to be located substantially at the center of the monitor 3 (imaging range). While adjusting the camera body 1 for (view angle adjustment), the camera body 1 is also moved in the tilt direction, so that the target plate A is shifted upward or downward in the imaging range. It happens.
[0028]
Therefore, the lower horizontal line from the first to the upper horizontal line number to a ₁ places the target signal a is obtained (corresponding to alpha ₁ in FIG. 3) and finally a ₂ places the target signal a is obtained up to the last horizontal line It calculates the number (corresponding to alpha ₂ in FIG. 3)). Then, line number difference information, which is a difference between the number of upper horizontal lines and the number of lower horizontal lines, and a predetermined number of lines (hereinafter referred to as γ) is calculated. Then, a visible signal and / or an audible signal that differs depending on the line number difference information may be output on the camera body side. The installation operator adjusts the camera body 1 in the tilt direction based on the visible signal and / or the audible signal, so that α ₁ ≒ γ and α ₂と な り γ. It will be located at the center in the vertical direction of the screen. It should be noted that the prescribed number of lines may be different between the upper and lower sides, or the prescribed number of lines may be set on the user side.
[0029]
One of a visible signal and an audible signal may be output as the notification signal based on the line number difference information, and the other of the visible signal and the audible signal may be output as the notification signal based on the Δt. For example, if the LED 20 is used for adjusting the horizontality of the camera angle of view, a buzzer or the like is separately provided, and an audible signal based on the line number difference information is obtained by changing the buzzer alarm interval. It is desirable that the specified number of lines can be set by an operation unit (numeric keypad or dial and line number display) 18 provided in the camera body 1. Further, the black and white pattern of the target plate A is an example, and the present invention is not limited to this.
[0030]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, there is an effect that even one installation worker can easily finely adjust the horizontality of the camera view angle.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a surveillance camera device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing specific contents of a horizontality detection unit in the camera main unit of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of installation of a monitoring camera.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing horizontal video lines corresponding to a target plate and threshold settings for target plate identification.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating calculation of a time difference Δt indicating a tilt of a camera angle of view.
FIG. 6 is a graph showing a relationship between a time difference Δt and an LED blinking cycle.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Camera body 17 Horizontalness detector 17a Target signal extractor 17b Time calculator 17c Initial target signal time memory 17d Final target signal time memory 17e Time difference calculator 17f Blinking controller 19 LED lighting control circuit

Claims (7)

Means for detecting a predetermined characteristic signal portion from a video signal obtained by shooting, and acquiring information represented by a time or a number of pixels from a reference time to a detection time of the characteristic signal portion; and Means for calculating difference information between the first information obtained on the upper side of the screen and the second information obtained on the lower side of the screen, and a visible signal and / or an audible signal which are different according to the difference information. A monitoring camera device, comprising: a notifying unit that outputs on a camera body side. 2. The surveillance camera device according to claim 1, wherein the notifying unit is configured to blink a light emitting unit for power ON / OFF display provided in the camera body to make the visible signal. Surveillance camera device. 3. The surveillance camera device according to claim 1, wherein the information expressed by the number of pixels from the reference time point to the detection time point of the characteristic signal portion is obtained using a function of detecting an existing pixel defect. A surveillance camera device characterized in that it is configured to: 4. The surveillance camera device according to claim 1, wherein the number of horizontal lines until the information is first obtained on the upper side of the screen and the number of horizontal lines until the information is last obtained on the lower side of the screen. Line number difference information, which is the difference between the number of horizontal lines up to the bottom and the predetermined number of lines, is calculated, and a visible signal and / or an audible signal that is different according to the line number difference information is calculated by the camera body. A surveillance camera device characterized in that it is configured to output on the unit side. 5. The monitoring camera device according to claim 4, wherein one of the visible signal and the audible signal is output as a notification signal based on the line number difference information, and notification based on the difference information based on the first information and the second information is performed. A surveillance camera device configured to output the other of the visible signal and the audible signal as a signal. 6. The surveillance camera device according to claim 4, wherein the prescribed number of lines is configured to be set by an operation unit provided in the camera body. The surveillance camera device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising: means for determining an adjustment direction, and configured to notify the adjustment direction by the visible signal and / or the audible signal. Surveillance camera device.

Images