JP2005092750A - Emergency notice device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable recognition whether a worker is in a state of fall or in a state of work when a fall signal is transmitted. <P>SOLUTION: When the fall signal is detected, a camera control unit 43 refers to BS-camera corresponding information stored in a memory 44 to select a monitor camera capable of photographing a place where the worker has fallen and instructs a camera interface 46 to input the infrared image of the selected monitor camera. The camera interface 46 stores in the memory 44 frame data of the infrared image of the specified monitor camera together with index data for specifying the monitor camera. An image processing part 45 enters the frame data of the infrared image, detects the radiation area of an infrared ray, and stores the detection result in the memory 44. A camera control unit 43 sends information on the radiation area corresponding to a human body to the camera interface 46 and instructs input and zooming of a visible image. The camera interface 46 pans the corresponding monitor camera up and down and right and left, zooms, and captures the human body. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an emergency notification device, for example, a system for reporting an emergency situation when an operator falls in a factory or the like.

  There is a factory that continues to operate all the time with almost no human resources. Even in such an advanced factory, some personnel are assigned to inspect the facilities in the factory and deal with abnormal situations.

  For in-factory communication, on-premises communication systems using weak radio waves such as PHS are used. And when the worker who carries the portable device of this communication system falls into a fall state, there exists a technique which makes a portable device transmit fall information automatically and raises a fall warning in the communication system which received the fall information. In addition, there is a device that displays the position information of the portable device that has transmitted the fall information on the screen of a fixed device (fixed phone) or portable device (mobile phone) of the communication system or a screen of a computer or the like connected to the communication system. Yes (see patent document below).

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a portable device that transmits fall information.

  The worker uses the clip 7 of the portable device 6 to attach the portable device 6 to a jacket pocket or a waist belt. The clip 7 incorporates a light emitting unit 51 such as an LED, and there is a light receiving unit 52 at a position corresponding to the light emitting unit 51 of the main body of the portable device 6, and when the operator attaches the portable device 6 to a pocket or belt The light output from the light emitting unit 51 does not reach the light receiving unit 52.

  In the portable device 6, there is a switch 4 that uses gravity, such as a mercury switch. The switch 4 is off when the portable device 6 is in a substantially vertical state, but is turned on when the portable device 6 is on its side. That is, the wearing state of the portable device 6 is detected by the wearing detection unit 5 including the light emitting unit 51 and the light receiving unit 52, and whether or not the portable device 6 is lying down is detected by the switch 4.

  Therefore, it is possible to determine whether or not the worker carrying the portable device 6 is in a fall state based on the signals of the attachment detection unit 5 and the switch 4. In other words, the fall detection unit 3 indicates that the output of the mounting detection unit 5 indicates the non-light receiving state of the light receiving unit 52 (ON, mounted), and the signal of the switch 4 is ON (horizontal). For example, a fall signal indicating that the worker is in a fall state is output. This fall signal is transmitted to the communication system via the radio unit 2 and the antenna 1 of the portable device 6 and the base station (BS) constituting the private communication system. If any of the signals of the attachment detection unit 5 and the switch 4 is turned off, the transmission of the fall signal is canceled.

  The communication system that has received the fall signal will investigate which of the multiple BSs installed in the factory has received the fall signal, and the operator will have fallen based on the information indicating the location of the corresponding BS. Position information indicating the location is sent to a fixed machine, another portable machine, or a computer. The person concerned can rush to the fall place based on the position information displayed on the screen of the fixed machine, the other portable machine, or the computer.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-255081 Japanese Patent No. 2997472

  Even if the portable device 6 shown in FIG. 1 lies down, it does not transmit a fall signal if it is not attached. Also, since the operator may bend or lie down to check the equipment, the portable device 6 will send a fall signal for a short time even if it lies down while wearing it. do not do.

  However, there are also facilities for workers to inspect underneath or to get hungry. At that time, the worker needs to release the portable device so that a fall signal is not transmitted.

  The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems individually or collectively, and an object thereof is to make it possible to recognize whether an operator is in a fall state or a work state.

  The present invention has the following configuration as one means for achieving the above object.

  The present invention provides an input means for inputting video of a surveillance camera, a detection means for outputting index data indicating a wireless communication device that has received the fall signal upon detection of a fall signal, and correspondence information stored in a memory. A monitoring camera corresponding to the index data is selected, the input means is requested to input an infrared image of the selected monitoring camera, a predetermined infrared radiation area is detected from the input infrared image, and a detection area is detected. And control means for requesting the input means to input an enlarged visible image centered on the screen.

  Further, based on the input means for inputting the video of the surveillance camera, the detection means for outputting the index data indicating the wireless communication device that has received the fall signal when the transmission of the fall signal is detected, and the correspondence information stored in the memory, Selection means for selecting a monitoring camera corresponding to the index data and requesting the input means to input video of the selected monitoring camera, a background image of the selected monitoring camera stored in the memory, and the input Image processing means for detecting a human body image by performing a differential process on the frame image of the video input by the means, processing the video input by the input means, and outputting an enlarged video centered on the detected human body image It is characterized by having.

  According to the present invention, an enlarged visible image centered on a predetermined infrared radiation region, or an enlarged image centered on a human body image detected by image difference processing is provided, whether the operator is in a fallen state, It can make it possible to recognize whether it is in a working state.

  Hereinafter, an emergency call system and apparatus according to embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, since the method etc. which were described in said patent document can be utilized for the production | generation method of the positional information which shows a fall place, the detailed description is abbreviate | omitted below.

[Constitution]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the emergency call system.

  In FIG. 2, base stations (BS) 10a-10n, which are wireless communication devices, are installed at various locations inside and outside the premises such as factories and communicate with portable devices outside the premises. The private branch exchange (PBX) 11 is also used as a private wireless communication control device.The private branch exchange (PBX) 11 collects lines from the BS 10a-10n, and is used for portable devices in the factory (not shown), fixed machines installed in guardhouses, and emergency communication. Line control between the devices 12 is performed. The PBX 11 is also connected to a communication line such as a public line or a dedicated line, and performs line control with an operation center or a security company outside the factory.

  Although the details will be described later, the emergency call device 12 controls a plurality of surveillance cameras 13a-13m installed corresponding to the BS 10a-10n. The computer 14 connected to the emergency call device 12 performs setting and monitoring of the operation of the emergency call device 12. Further, the computer 14 has a function of displaying the image information supplied from the emergency notification device 12 on a monitor, recording it in the storage 15, and reproducing it.

  Surveillance cameras 13a-13m are installed so that the coverage of each BS can be photographed. However, if the coverage of one BS is behind the equipment and cannot be photographed with only one surveillance camera, multiple surveillance cameras can be used. It is necessary to install. Further, if the communication range of a plurality of BSs can be photographed by panning the monitoring camera, one monitoring camera may be installed in the communication range of these BSs. In short, information that shows the correspondence between each BS's communication range and the monitoring camera that can shoot the range (see below “ BS-camera correspondence information ”) may be stored in the memory of the emergency call device 12.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of BS-camera correspondence information.For example, the communication range of BS 10a can be shot only by the video camera 13a, and three video cameras 13b, 13c and 13d are shown to be necessary. Further, the area name is a name given to the communication range of the BS, and by using this area name, the person concerned can know where the fall signal is transmitted outside the premises.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the emergency call device 12. As shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 4, the communication unit 41 has a communication interface with the PBX 11 and receives information including a fall signal from the PBX 11. When the fall signal detecting unit 42 detects the fall signal from the information received by the communication unit 41, the fall signal detecting unit 42 outputs the fall data indicating the BS that has received the fall signal and the portable device that has transmitted the fall signal. In addition, when the fall signal detection unit 42 detects the release of the fall signal (the transmission of the fall signal stops) from the information received by the communication unit 41, the fall signal detection unit 42 ends the output of the fall data.

  When a fall signal is detected, the camera control unit 43 refers to the BS-camera correspondence information stored in the memory 44 such as a hard disk on the basis of the fall data, and selects a video camera capable of shooting the fall place. Based on the captured video of the selected video camera and the processing result of the image processing unit 45, which are input via the camera interface 46 that inputs the video signals of the plurality of monitoring cameras and controls the plurality of monitoring cameras. Then, emergency call processing described later is executed. Devices that control multiple surveillance cameras and input video from multiple channels include multiscopes manufactured by NEC System Construction.

  The image processing unit 45 performs image processing on a video frame and the like, and sends the processing result to the camera control unit 43. The general-purpose interface 47 is a communication interface with the computer 14 shown in FIG. For communication between the emergency call device 12 and the computer 14, a LAN such as Ethernet (R), a serial bus such as IEEE1394 or USB, and a parallel bus such as GPIB can be used.

  The surveillance camera is preferably a video camera capable of photographing by switching between the infrared region and the visible region. Of course, an infrared camera and a visible camera may be combined together.

[Emergency call processing]
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the emergency call process of the camera control unit 43.

  First, the camera control unit 43 monitors the detection of the fall signal (S1), inputs the fall data when the fall signal is detected (S2), and refers to the BS-camera correspondence information stored in the memory 44. Then, a surveillance camera capable of photographing the fall place is selected (S3), and the camera interface 46 is instructed to input an infrared image of the selected surveillance camera (S4). When a plurality of surveillance cameras are designated, the camera interface 46 sequentially stores the infrared video frame data of the surveillance cameras in a predetermined area of the memory 44 together with index data for identifying the surveillance cameras.

  Next, the camera control unit 43 controls the image processing unit 45 to input the frame data of the infrared video stored in the memory 44 and execute image processing (S5). The image processing unit 45 detects the infrared radiation area, and uses the position information (coordinates within the frame) indicating the area and center of the radiation area, and the index data for identifying the surveillance camera as the detection result. At the same time, it is stored in a predetermined area of the memory 44. The camera control unit 43 refers to the index data of the detection results stored in the memory 44 to determine whether or not the detection results corresponding to all the selected monitoring cameras are complete (S6), and the image processing unit 45 until the detection results are complete. To repeat the detection process.

  When the detection results corresponding to all the selected monitoring cameras are obtained, the camera control unit 43 determines whether or not there is a radiation region having an area equal to or smaller than the maximum projected area of the human body within a predetermined range of the radiation intensity of the detection results. If there is (S7), the position information and index data corresponding to the radiation area are sent to the camera interface 46 (S8), and the input and zooming of the visible image are instructed (S9). If there are multiple corresponding radiation areas, for example, select the radiation area with the largest area, and if no corresponding radiation area is detected, “Return signal is received from □□□ in the ○ area. However, an emergency call message such as “The human body could not be detected” is notified to the portable device, the fixed device, and the computer 14 as character data and voice data (S10), and the process proceeds to step S13. Enter the name of the area described in Fig. 3 for ○, and the mobile phone number (extension number) for □□□.

  The range of radiation intensity to be detected is that the human body in a fall state is photographed in advance with a surveillance camera, and the radiation intensity of parts not covered by clothing such as the head, face, arms and hands is measured in advance. It may be determined based on.

  The camera interface 46 instructed to input and zoom the visible video pans the camera up and down, left and right, and zooms so that the center of the frame of the surveillance camera corresponding to the index data matches the input position information. The video obtained from the surveillance camera is encoded into a video stream of MPEG-4, for example, and buffered in the memory 44. On the other hand, the camera control unit 43 fixes an emergency call message (text data or voice data) such as “A fall signal has been received from □□□ in the ○ area, and the video in the ○ area will be relayed” to the mobile device. The communication unit 41 and the general-purpose interface 47 are controlled so that the video stream buffered in the memory 44 is transmitted to the portable device, the fixed device, and the computer 14 (S12).

  The image size of the video stream may be about QVGA (320 × 240 pixels), full motion, or about 10-15 frames / second. In addition, a video stream with an image size of VGA (640 × 480 pixels) and full motion (30 frames / second) may be separately generated for supply to the computer 14.

  The person who received the emergency call message observes the video displayed on the monitor of the portable device, fixed machine, or computer 14 and recognizes in which area the worker is falling or working. can do. If necessary, emergency call messages and video streams may be sent to an operation center or security company outside the factory, but the operators of the operation center and security company also observe the video displayed on the monitor. Thus, it is possible to recognize in which area the worker is in the fall state or the work state. Therefore, when the worker is in a fall state, the person concerned can rush to the fall place or request rescue. Further, when the worker is in the working state, the worker can be requested to stop the transmission of the fall signal by using a fixed machine near the worker or on-premise broadcasting.

  Further, the camera control unit 43 instructs the camera interface 46 to indicate “falling area” indicating the falling area at the corner of the frame of the video stream or “hh: mm: ss” indicating the falling signal reception time. Additional display of columns can be made. These additional displays are effective for making the relevant person recognize the fall area and the elapsed time after the accident.

  Thereafter, the camera control unit 43 monitors the detection of the release of the fall signal (S13), and when the release of the fall signal is detected and the fall signal detection unit 42 finishes outputting the fall data, the camera interface 46 monitors the camera. Is returned to the initial state (S14), and the process returns to step S1. The camera interface 46 instructed to return to the initial state sets the shooting direction of each surveillance camera, the degree of zooming, and the like to the initial state.

[Modification]
In the above, an example in which a fallen human body is detected using an infrared image has been described. However, there are cases where a human body cannot be detected effectively in a special environment. For example, in a high-temperature environment such as a steelworks, there are many extremely strong infrared radiation areas, and it is difficult to detect infrared radiation emitted from a human body. Further, in an extremely low temperature environment such as a refrigerated warehouse, since an operator wears a cold protection device, it is extremely difficult to detect infrared rays emitted from the human body. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the human body is detected not by infrared rays but by image difference processing.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating image difference processing.

  FIG. 6A is a frame image (background image) usually obtained from a surveillance camera. FIG. 6 (b) is a frame image obtained from the surveillance camera when the operator falls over in the imaging area of the surveillance camera. Accordingly, the background images of all the monitoring cameras are stored in the memory 44 in advance, and after receiving the fall signal, the camera control unit 43 controls the image processing unit 45 to control the background image and the current frame image ( The human body can be detected from the difference image (FIG. 6 (c)) obtained by performing the difference processing on FIG. 6 (b).

  In the above description, the surveillance camera is controlled to place the region where the human body is detected in the center of the frame, and zooming has been described. However, using the image processing of the image processing unit 45, the center placement and zooming of the frame are described. Can also be done.

  Specifically, after the video stream buffered in the memory 44 is read into the image processing unit 45 via the camera interface 46 and decoded, the image area including the human body image is cut out from each frame, and the cut out image area is extracted. The image is enlarged to a size such as QVGA or VGA, and the enlarged image is encoded again as a frame and buffered in the memory 44. Then, the communication unit 41 and the general-purpose interface 47 may be controlled so that the video stream of the enlarged image is transmitted to the portable device, the fixed device, and the computer 14.

The figure explaining the structure of the portable device which transmits fall information, Block diagram showing a configuration example of an emergency call system, Figure showing an example of BS-camera correspondence information, Block diagram showing a configuration example of an emergency call device, A flowchart showing an example of an emergency call process of the camera control unit, It is a figure explaining the difference process of an image.

Claims (3)

Input means for inputting video of the surveillance camera;
Detecting means for outputting index data indicating a wireless communication device that has received the fall signal when detecting the transmission of the fall signal;
Based on the correspondence information stored in the memory, the monitoring camera corresponding to the index data is selected, the infrared image of the selected monitoring camera is requested to be input to the input means, and a predetermined infrared ray is input from the input infrared image. An emergency call device comprising: a control unit that detects a radiation region and requests the input unit to input an enlarged visible image centered on the detection region.   2. The emergency notification device according to claim 1, wherein the input unit acquires the enlarged visible video by panning and zooming the monitoring camera. Input means for inputting video of the surveillance camera;
Detecting means for outputting index data indicating a wireless communication device that has received the fall signal when detecting the transmission of the fall signal;
Selection means for selecting a monitoring camera corresponding to the index data based on the correspondence information stored in the memory, and requesting the input means to input video of the selected monitoring camera;
A difference between the background image of the selected surveillance camera stored in the memory and the frame image of the video input by the input means is detected to detect a human body image, and the video input by the input means is processed. And an emergency notification device characterized by having an image processing means for outputting an enlarged image centered on the detected human body image.

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