JP2005136774A - Camera surveillance system and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform the many-sided concentrated photographing of a designated spot to be photographed by simultaneously controlling the directions of a plurality of surveillance cameras in response to the designation of the spot to be photographed even in a status that the directions of the plurality of surveillance cameras existing in a surveillance area are not same. <P>SOLUTION: In a local PC2, in a status that the set position of each camera 15 for surveillance configuring a home security system 1 is stored and managed, when a spot to be photographed (abnormality generation spot) is specified, each camera 15 which can photograph the spot is selected from among those cameras 15, and the photographing direction of each selected camera is determined based on the camera position and the spot to be photographed, and the revolving control of each camera 15 is performed so that the camera can be pointed in the photographing direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a camera monitoring system and a program including a plurality of monitoring cameras.

Conventionally, as a camera monitoring system, for example, when displaying a monitoring image captured by a monitoring camera having a turning function, when a monitoring place is selected and specified on an operation screen, a table prepared in advance is referred to. There is known a surveillance camera system that displays the camera image while controlling the orientation of the camera (see Patent Document 1). There is also known a surveillance camera system that adjusts the shooting direction and angle of view when performing automatic shooting in response to intruder detection (see Patent Document 2). Furthermore, a monitoring system is known in which one camera is provided in association with each sensor, and photographing is performed by the corresponding camera by sensor detection (see Patent Document 3).
JP 2003-009138 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-258017 JP 2002-216278 A

 However, the technique disclosed in Patent Literature 1 described above has a problem in that various tables need to be prepared in advance and the shooting direction is set in advance. Further, in the technique of Patent Document 2 described above, shooting is performed with a predetermined camera, and even if the shooting direction and the angle of view are adjusted, it is good depending on the positional relationship between the intruder and the camera. There was a problem that proper shooting was hindered. Furthermore, in the technique of Patent Document 3 described above, since the sensor and the camera are fixedly associated with each other, the same problem as in the conventional technique described above occurs, and the shooting is limited to one-way shooting. .

  An object of the present invention is to specify a plurality of surveillance cameras in a surveillance area by controlling the orientations of the plurality of surveillance cameras all at once in response to the designation of a shooting point even when the orientations of the surveillance cameras are in a distant state. It is to be able to intensively shoot the point from various angles.

The invention described in claim 1 is a camera monitoring system comprising a plurality of monitoring cameras, a position storing means for storing and managing the position of each monitoring camera existing in the monitoring area, and a specifying means for specifying a shooting point. When a shooting point is specified by the specifying unit, a selection unit that selects each monitoring camera capable of shooting the specified point from among a plurality of monitoring cameras, and for each monitoring camera selected by the selection unit, Determination means for determining the shooting direction of the camera based on the camera position and the designated point, and control for controlling each monitoring camera so that the camera faces the shooting direction determined for each monitoring camera by the determination means Means.
Furthermore, a program for realizing the main functions shown in the invention described in claim 1 is provided to the computer (the invention described in claim 7).

The invention described in claim 1 may be as follows.
The designation means designates a position automatically detected by a pre-installed sensor as an imaging point (the invention according to claim 2).

  The designation means designates a position calculated based on each position automatically detected by a plurality of sensors having different installation locations as an imaging point.

 The position storage means stores and manages a camera position and a sensor position on a figure similar to an actual monitoring area, and the determination means determines a shooting direction of the camera based on the camera position and the sensor position on the similar figure. Is determined (invention of claim 4).

   Display means for displaying a figure similar to the actual monitoring area is provided, the position storage means stores and manages the camera position on the similar figure for each of a plurality of monitoring cameras, and the determination means is on the similar figure. When an arbitrary position is designated as a photographing point, the photographing direction of the camera is determined based on the camera position on the figure and the designated position (the invention according to claim 5).

 The position storage means stores and manages a camera position on a figure similar to an actual monitoring area, and the selection means determines the presence or absence of an obstacle between the shooting point and the camera position on the figure, If there is an obstacle, the camera is excluded from selection, and if there is no obstacle, the camera is selected (invention of claim 6).

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when a shooting point (for example, an abnormality occurrence point) is designated in a state where the position is stored and managed for each monitoring camera existing in the monitoring area, a plurality of points are detected. Among the surveillance cameras, each surveillance camera capable of photographing the designated point is selected, and for each selected surveillance camera, the photographing direction of the camera is determined based on the camera position and the designated point, and this photographing direction Each surveillance camera is controlled so that the camera faces the camera, so even if the orientation of each surveillance camera varies, the orientation of multiple surveillance cameras can be changed simultaneously in response to the designation of the shooting location. By controlling, it becomes possible to perform multi-centered shooting of the designated point from various angles, and it is possible to improve the monitoring capability and realize a highly reliable monitoring system. In this case, it is not necessary to preset the shooting direction as in the prior art, the shooting direction is not fixed, and simultaneous shooting is possible in any direction, which is highly practical.

  According to the invention described in claim 2, in addition to having the same effect as that of the invention described in claim 1, the position automatically detected by a pre-installed sensor is designated as the shooting point. A point can be automatically specified, and automatic shooting of the point can be performed. In addition, you may make it identify the sensor position which detected abnormality generation | occurrence | production as an imaging | photography point.

  According to the invention described in claim 3, in addition to having the same effect as that of the invention described in claim 1, the position calculated based on the respective positions automatically detected by a plurality of sensors having different installation locations is taken as the shooting point. Therefore, even if the number of sensors installed in the monitoring area is small, it is possible to specify the shooting point in detail. In addition, when the occurrence of abnormality is detected by a plurality of sensors, an intermediate point of each sensor position may be specified as a shooting point.

  According to the invention described in claim 4, in addition to having the same effect as the invention described in claims 1 and 2/3 described above, the camera position and sensor position on the figure similar to the actual monitoring area are stored and managed. In this state, since the shooting direction of the camera is determined based on the camera position and the sensor position on the similar figure, the shooting direction can be easily and accurately calculated on the graphic coordinate system.

  According to the invention described in claim 5, in addition to having the same effect as that of the invention described in claim 1 described above, an arbitrary position on the graphic is displayed in a state where a graphic similar to the actual monitoring area is displayed. When specified as a shooting point, the shooting direction of the camera is determined based on the camera position and the specified position on this figure, so you can freely check the current status of the arbitrarily specified position at any time. Can do.

  According to the invention described in claim 6, in addition to having the same effect as that of the invention described in claim 1 described above, the camera position on the figure similar to the actual monitoring area is stored and managed. If there is an obstacle as a result of determining whether there is an obstacle between the shooting point and the camera position, the camera is excluded from the selection target, and if there is no obstacle, the camera is selected as the selection target. Therefore, it is possible to select only a camera that can shoot a shooting point satisfactorily except for a camera whose shooting is hindered by an obstacle.

(Example 1)
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overview of the overall configuration of the camera monitoring system in this embodiment.
This camera surveillance system is a disaster prevention surveillance system constructed for general home use, and includes a home security system 1 for controlling various types of surveillance equipment and a local PC (personal computer) linked to the home security system 1. Computer) 2 and a remote PC 4 on the remote side connected to the local PC 2 via a network (Internet) 3.

  The home security system 1 includes, for example, a fire occurrence detection sensor 11, a gas leak occurrence detection sensor 12, a passive sensor (infrared monitoring sensor) 13, and a magnet sensor as various sensor groups that are fixedly arranged at predetermined indoor positions. 14 and a monitoring WEB camera 15 as a group of a plurality of monitoring cameras fixedly arranged at a predetermined position indoors. These sensors 11 to 14 are provided with dedicated cables. Alternatively, it is always connected to the controller 16 via a wireless LAN (local area network).

  The fire occurrence detection sensor 11 is a sensor that monitors the amount of change in smoke or heat generated in the event of a fire, and the gas leak occurrence detection sensor 12 is a sensor that detects and reports a gas leak. The passive sensor (infrared monitoring sensor) 13 senses infrared rays generated from the human body or senses intruders by blocking infrared rays, and the magnet sensor 14 is a sensor that monitors the open / closed state of doors and windows. It is. In addition, these sensors 11-14 have the same type of sensors installed at a plurality of different locations as required.

The monitoring WEB camera 15 is a stationary digital still camera or digital video camera that can be rotated 360 degrees, and includes an image sensor such as a CCD image sensor, and has a wide-angle shooting function, a zoom function, a white balance adjustment function, and the like. In response to an access from the local PC 2, a captured image corresponding to the WEB browser is transmitted to the access source.
The controller 16 manages the operating states of the various sensors 11 to 14 and is always connected to the local PC 2 by serial connection or the like, and an alarm signal (sensor detection signal) is sent to the local PC 2 in response to sensor detection. Outgoing output.

 The local PC 2 exchanges information and commands with the home security system 1 in accordance with the installed control software 21. The local PC 2 works in conjunction with the controller 16 to photograph which position in the room should be photographed at the time of sensor detection. In addition to specifying the target point (abnormality occurrence point), the camera position and the shooting point are selected for each of the selected cameras from among a plurality of monitoring WEB cameras 15 that select each camera capable of shooting the shooting point. Based on this, the shooting direction of the camera is determined, and control is performed so that each camera faces the shooting direction. In other words, a shooting point is specified in response to sensor detection, and control is performed so that the shooting point is multifacetedly focused by a plurality of monitoring WEB cameras 15. Then, the local PC 2 takes in each photographed image taken in a concentrated manner and displays it on the list screen.

 The local PC 2 is connected to the network 3 via a router 22 and a modem / TA (terminal adapter) 23. Similarly, the remote PC 4 is connected to the network 3 via the router 41 and the modem / TA 42. The remote PC 4 enables the monitoring image to be confirmed from a remote location by accessing the local PC 2 via the Internet. The remote PC 4 may be able to execute the same control as the local PC 2 via the Internet.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a creation screen in the mode (layout mode) switched when creating a figure (floor plan) similar to the actual monitoring area on the local PC 2 side.
Here, when creating a floor plan, each element is combined while selecting and designating various graphic elements prepared in advance, and similar figures (for example, 1 / 100 reduction figure). In this case, a reduced graphic is created by combining graphic elements while selecting graphic elements according to walls, doors, windows, and the like that partition the room. Hereinafter, this similar figure (floor plan) is simply referred to as “map”.

 In addition, on the menu bar provided on the lower side of the map, buttons for “operation”, “camera video”, “layout”, and “end” are arranged as various function buttons. Here, “operation” is, for example, a button used when a position on the map is arbitrarily designated, and “camera image” is a button used when switching to a camera image screen, and “ “Layout” is a button used when switching to the layout mode, and “End” is a button operated every time various processes are ended.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which objects representing various sensors 11 to 14 and a plurality of monitoring WEB cameras 15 are pointed on a figure similar to an actual monitoring area (floor plan: map). .
In this case, corresponding to the various sensors 11 to 14 and the plurality of monitoring WEB cameras 15 arranged in the actual monitoring area, the position on the map corresponding to the arrangement position is pointed with a pointing device such as a mouse. The operation of designating and arranging the object corresponding to the designated position is repeated for each sensor and each camera. In the figure, “white circle” indicates the position where the sensor is arranged, and “triangle with filled interior (isosceles triangle)” indicates the position where the camera is arranged. This triangle The arrow direction indicated by indicates the direction of the camera. In the figure, “S1 to S6” indicate sensor IDs for identifying various sensors 11 to 14, and “V1 to V3” indicate camera IDs for identifying the monitoring WEB camera 15. Yes.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the contents of the sensor table 24 provided on the local PC 2 side, and FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the contents of the camera table 25.
The sensor table 24 stores and manages the arrangement positions on the map corresponding to the various sensors 11 to 14, and has items of “sensor ID” and “map coordinates” for each sensor. Here, the “map coordinates” indicate positions on the map (coordinate values in the two-dimensional coordinate system) (the same applies hereinafter). The camera table 25 stores and manages the arrangement position on the map corresponding to the plurality of monitoring WEB cameras 15, and has items of “camera ID” and “map coordinate” for each camera.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing basic components of the local PC 2.
The CPU 201 is a central processing unit that controls the overall operation of the local PC 2 according to the operating system and various application software in the storage unit 202. The storage device 202 has a program storage area and a data storage area, and has a drive system in addition to a magnetic / optical memory and a semiconductor memory. The program storage area in the storage device 202 stores an application program (control software) 21 for realizing the present embodiment in accordance with an operation procedure shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 to be described later, and the data storage area The sensor table 24 and the camera table 25 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 are stored. The storage device 202 may be a detachable storage medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD, in addition to a fixed memory such as a hard disk. Programs and data in the storage device 202 are loaded into a RAM (for example, a static RAM) 203 as necessary, or data in the RAM 203 is saved in the storage device 202.

  On the other hand, a communication device 204, an input device 205, and a display device 206, which are input / output peripheral devices, are connected to the CPU 201 via a bus line, and the CPU 201 controls operation of these input / output devices according to an input / output program. I do. The input device 205 is an operation unit that constitutes a pointing device such as a keyboard, a touch panel, a mouse, or a touch input pen, and inputs character string data and various commands. The display device 206 is a liquid crystal display device that performs full-color display, a CRT display device, a plasma display device, or the like.

  Next, the operation concept of the camera monitoring system in the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. Here, each function described in these flowcharts is stored in the form of a readable program code, and operations according to the program code are sequentially executed. In addition, the operation according to the above-described program code transmitted via the transmission medium can be sequentially executed. This also applies to other embodiments described later, and in addition to the recording medium, operations specific to this embodiment can be executed using programs / data supplied externally via a transmission medium.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing map creation processing executed on the local PC 2 side.
First, the local PC 2 performs a floor plan (map) creation process in a state where the creation screen is displayed and output in response to an instruction to switch to the layout mode (step A1). In this case, as described above, the operator combines the elements while selecting and designating various graphic elements prepared in advance, and creates a map while accurately adjusting the aspect ratio to the actual dimensions. Here, when the “end button” on the creation screen is operated, objects are arranged at positions on the map corresponding to the arrangement positions corresponding to the various sensors 11 to 14 and the plurality of monitoring WEB cameras 15. Processing to display is started.

 That is, corresponding to the various sensors 11 to 14, the position on the map corresponding to the arrangement position is designated as a point, the sensor ID is designated, and the sensor object is further selected and designated. Sensor objects are arranged and displayed (step A2). And sensor ID and the sensor position (map coordinate) on a map are matched and registered into the sensor table 24 (step A3). Hereinafter, the above-described operation is repeated while designating sensors one by one (steps A2 to A4) until the registration process for all sensors is completed (step A4).

 Similarly, corresponding to a plurality of monitoring WEB cameras 15, a position on the map corresponding to the arrangement position is designated as a point, this camera ID is designated, and further, an object for camera is selected and designated. An object for the camera is arranged and displayed at the designated position (step A5). And camera ID and the camera position (map coordinate) on a map are matched and registered into the sensor table 24 (step A6). Hereinafter, the above-described operation is repeated while designating the cameras one by one (steps A5 to A7) until the registration process for all the cameras is completed (step A7).

FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are flowcharts showing the operation on the local PC 2 side in conjunction with the home security system 1.
First, the controller 16 on the home security system 1 side manages the operating states of the various sensors 11 to 14 and transmits an alarm signal corresponding to the sensor to the local PC 2 in response to detection of any sensor. That is, when the controller 16 detects a fire, a gas leak, an intruder, an opening of a door or a window, the controller 16 identifies a sensor that has detected an abnormality and indicates a sensor ID at which position the sensor is activated. Is sent to the local PC 2. Here, the local PC 2 constantly monitors whether or not an alarm signal is transmitted from the controller 16 (step B1), and when receiving the alarm signal, acquires the sensor ID from the alarm signal (step B2). Then, it is checked whether or not the acquired sensor ID is one (step B3).

 Here, if the acquired sensor ID is one (YES in step B3), the local PC 2 accesses the sensor table 24 based on this sensor ID to read out the corresponding “map coordinates” and to detect the sensor ID. In addition to specifying the position on the map (step B4), this specified position is specified as a shooting point (abnormal point) on the map (step B5). That is, if there is one sensor that has detected an abnormality, the position of the sensor is directly specified as an abnormality occurrence point to be imaged.

On the other hand, when a plurality of sensor IDs are acquired from the alarm signal (NO in step B3), the sensor table 24 is accessed, and for each sensor, the “map coordinates” are read and the position of each sensor on the map is determined. Specify (step B6). Then, an intermediate point is calculated from each sensor position (step B7), and this intermediate point is specified as a shooting point (abnormal point) on the map (step B8). The shooting location on the map specified in this way is point-displayed in a specific color (for example, red) and blinked to warn the operator that an abnormality has occurred (step B9). In this case, an alarm sound may also be generated.
FIG. 11A shows a map display example before the occurrence of abnormality is detected, and FIG. 11B shows a map display example after the occurrence of abnormality. Here, the black circles in FIG. 11B indicate the specified shooting point (abnormal point), and this portion is displayed blinking in red.

 After the shooting location is specified and the warning is displayed in this way, the process proceeds to a process of controlling the orientation of each camera in order to perform centralized shooting of the shooting location with a plurality of monitoring WEB cameras 15. That is, first, the local PC 2 accesses the camera table 25 and designates the head camera ID (first camera ID) (step B10). Then, the process proceeds to step B11 in FIG. 9, the camera table 25 is accessed based on the designated camera ID, the camera position “map coordinates” on the map is read, and the virtual position connecting this camera position to the shooting point A line (temporary straight line) is drawn on the map (step B12), and it is checked whether the virtual line (temporary straight line) hits an obstacle (a figure of a wall dividing the room) on the map (step B13).

If there is no obstacle (NO in step B13), the designated camera is selected as a camera capable of photographing the photographing point, the designated camera 15 is set in an operable state, and start of monitor photographing is instructed (step) B14). And the process which calculates a camera direction based on the coordinate of the imaging | photography point on a map and the map coordinate of a designated camera is performed (step B15).
FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a method of calculating the camera orientation. Here, assuming that the coordinate value of the shooting point on the map is (XS2, YS2) and the map coordinate value of the designated camera is (XV3, YV3), the horizontal movement angle θ of the camera can be obtained according to the following equation.
tan θ = | YS2-YV3 | / | XS2-XV3 |

 Based on the calculated movement angle, the orientation of the designated camera (object orientation) on the map is changed and displayed (step B16). That is, as shown in FIG. 11B, the direction of the camera on the map (the direction of the object) is changed and displayed so as to be directed to the specified shooting point (abnormal point). Further, the local PC 2 transmits a rotation command instructing that the orientation of the camera should be adjusted according to the calculated movement angle to the designated camera 15 (step B17). In this case, the designated camera 15 adjusts the angle in the horizontal direction of the camera while turning in the direction indicated by the movement angle.

 The local PC 2 stores and manages the camera angle (currently, the default value at the time of camera installation) that is currently facing for each monitoring WEB camera 15 in the camera table 25, and the movement calculated as described above. A difference between the angle and the current camera angle may be obtained, and only the angle corresponding to the difference may be turned. In this case, the current camera angle in the camera table 25 may be updated every time the camera angle is changed.

 When the processing for one camera is completed in this way, the camera table 25 is accessed to check whether there are other unprocessed cameras (step B18). After designating the camera ID (step B19), the process returns to step B11 in order to repeat the same operation as described above for the designated camera. In this case, if a provisional line connecting the shooting position from the camera position on the map hits an obstacle on the map (YES in step B13), the process proceeds to step B18 to remove the designated camera from the selection target.

When all the cameras have been designated (NO in step B18), it is checked whether or not the “camera video button” is operated (step B20). If the “camera video button” is not operated, the first step is performed. Returning to B1, when the “camera video button” is operated, the current image at the abnormality occurrence point is acquired from each camera 15 (step B21), and each captured image is displayed in a list on the same screen (step B21). B22).
FIG. 12A shows a state where the “camera video button” is operated, and FIG. 12B shows a display state after the camera video button is operated, and switches from the map display screen to the list screen of captured images. . Here, when the “end button” is operated (step B23), the process returns to the first step B1.

  As described above, in this first embodiment, the local PC 2 has a shooting location (abnormality occurrence location) in a state where the installation position is stored and managed for each monitoring camera 15 constituting the home security system 1. When the camera 15 is identified, the camera 15 that can photograph the spot is selected from the cameras 15, and the shooting direction of the camera is determined for each selected camera 15 based on the camera position and the shooting spot. Since each camera 15 is controlled to turn so that the camera is directed in this shooting direction, a plurality of cameras can be responded to the specification of shooting points even when the directions of the monitoring cameras are different. By controlling the direction of the surveillance cameras all at once, it becomes possible to shoot in a multifaceted manner at the relevant point, improving the surveillance capability and realizing a highly reliable surveillance system. Door can be. In this case, it is not necessary to preset the shooting direction as in the prior art, the shooting direction is not fixed, and simultaneous shooting is possible in any direction, which is highly practical.

In this case, among the various sensors 11 to 14 constituting the home security system 1, since the position of the sensor that has detected an abnormality is specified as the shooting point, the shooting point can be automatically specified, and the point Automatic shooting is possible.
In addition, when the occurrence of abnormality is detected by multiple sensors, the middle point of each sensor position is set as the shooting point. Therefore, even if the number of sensors installed in the monitoring area is small, It can be specified in detail.

The local PC 2 sets the position (map coordinates) on the map for each sensor 11 to 14 and each camera 15 to the camera position and the sensor position on the map in a state where the sensor table 24 and the camera table 25 store and manage them. Since the shooting direction of the camera is determined based on this, the shooting direction can be easily and accurately calculated on the map coordinate system.
In the state where the camera position on the map is stored and managed, if there is an obstacle as a result of determining whether there is an obstacle (wall) between the shooting point and the camera position on the map, If the camera is excluded from the selection target and there is no obstacle, the camera is selected. Therefore, only the camera that can shoot the shooting point satisfactorily can be selected except for the camera whose shooting is hindered by the obstacle. .

In the first embodiment described above, the remote PC 4 on the remote side is not particularly mentioned, but the image can be confirmed even from the remote PC 4 when an abnormality occurs. In this case, the local PC 2 may transmit a warning message notifying the occurrence of an abnormality to the remote PC 4 and transmitting a list of camera images at the time of the occurrence of the abnormality to the remote PC 4. In this case, it does not matter whether the list of each camera image is transmitted to the remote PC 4 or according to an instruction from the remote PC 4 regardless of whether or not the “camera video button” is operated.
(Example 2)

A second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14.
In the first embodiment described above, the shooting location is specified based on the sensor position where the occurrence of abnormality is detected among the various sensors 11 to 14 constituting the home security system 1. In the embodiment, when an arbitrary position on the map is designated as a point, this designated position is identified as a shooting point, so that the current situation at the designated position can be freely checked at any time.
Here, the same or the same names in both embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, the description thereof will be omitted, and the following description will focus on the features of the second embodiment. .

FIG. 13A shows a state in which an “operation button” is clicked, and FIG. 13B shows a state in which an arbitrary position on the map is designated as a shooting point.
Here, after the “operation button” is clicked, a pointing device such as a mouse is used to designate a point for checking the current situation, and an X mark is displayed at this designated position. In this case, as shown in FIG. 13B, the direction of the camera on the map (the direction of the object) is changed so as to face an arbitrarily designated shooting point.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing only the characteristic part of the second embodiment among the operations on the local PC 2 side linked with the home security system 1.
First, the local PC 2 displays and outputs a map in which the object is arranged for each of various sensors and cameras as shown in FIG. 13A in a state where a map similar to that in the first embodiment is created. (Step C1). In this state, when the “operation button” is clicked and an arbitrary position on the map is designated (step C3), the designated position (map coordinates) on the map is specified as a shooting point and specified. A cross is displayed at the shooting location on the map (step C3).

 After the shooting points are specified in this way, the process proceeds to a process for controlling the orientation of each camera in order to perform the central shooting of the shooting points with a plurality of monitoring WEB cameras 15. That is, first, the local PC 2 accesses the camera table 25 and designates the head camera ID (first camera ID) (step C4). Then, the process proceeds to step B11 in FIG. 9, and thereafter, the same processing as in the first embodiment described above is performed. That is, the direction of each camera is controlled while determining the shooting direction for each camera based on the camera position and shooting point on the map, or the shooting acquired from each camera 15 in response to the operation of the “camera video button”. Display a list of images.

  As described above, in the second embodiment, when a map similar to the actual monitoring area is displayed, when an arbitrary position on the map is designated as a shooting point, Since the direction of each camera is controlled while determining the shooting direction of each camera based on the camera position and the shooting position, the current status of the arbitrarily designated position can be freely checked at any time.

  In the second embodiment described above, the remote PC 4 on the remote side is not particularly mentioned, but it is possible to freely check the current status of the arbitrarily designated position at any time from the remote PC 4 as well. it can. In this case, the remote PC 4 acquires a map from the local PC 2 via the Internet, displays and outputs the map, and when an arbitrary position on the map is pointed, transmits the specified position to the local PC 2. Here, after specifying the position designated by the remote PC 4 as the shooting point, the local PC 2 executes a process for controlling the direction of each camera in order to focus on the shooting point, and then displays a list of each camera image. What is necessary is just to transmit to remote PC4. In this case, the list of camera images may be transmitted to the remote PC 4 regardless of whether or not the “camera video button” is operated.

In the first and second embodiments described above, the fire occurrence detection sensor 11, the gas leak occurrence detection sensor 12, the passive sensor 13, and the magnet sensor 14 are exemplified as various sensors. A sensor that monitors the destruction of a special window (jalousie) such as a bathroom, a sensor that monitors an intruder from a fence, or the like may be used.
Further, when the button is operated in an emergency, it may be a case where an intruder or occurrence of an emergency is recognized by analyzing a camera image.

Further, the camera 15 is not limited to a camera that is fixedly installed, and may be, for example, a camera that can travel on a rail or a movable camera. Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments described above, the direction of the camera is changed by turning the camera in the horizontal direction, but the camera may be turned in the vertical direction (elevation angle).
In addition, the local PC 2 creates a map or the like according to the installed control software 21, but the map may be created on the controller 16 side of the home security system 1. The remote PC 4 may be a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone.

  On the other hand, a recording medium (for example, a CD-ROM, a flexible disk, a RAM card, etc.) on which program codes for executing the above-described units are recorded may be provided to the computer. That is, a recording medium having a computer-readable program code, a function of storing and managing the position of each monitoring camera existing in the monitoring area, and a plurality of monitoring cameras when a shooting point is designated A function for selecting each surveillance camera capable of photographing the designated point, a function for determining the photographing direction of the camera based on the camera position and the designated point for each selected surveillance camera, and a surveillance camera It is also possible to provide a computer-readable recording medium that records a program for realizing the function of controlling each surveillance camera so that the camera is directed in the shooting direction determined every time.

The block diagram which showed the outline | summary of the whole structure of a camera monitoring system. The figure which showed the creation screen at the time of the mode (layout mode) switched when creating the figure (room plan) similar to an actual monitoring area on the local PC2 side. The figure which showed the state which has arrange | positioned the object which represents various sensors 11-14 and the several cameras 15 on the figure (floor plan: map) similar to an actual monitoring area. The figure which showed the content of the sensor table 24 provided in the local PC2 side. The figure which showed the content of the camera table 25 provided in the local PC2 side. The block diagram which showed the basic component of local PC2. The flowchart which showed the map creation process performed by the local PC2. The flowchart which showed the operation | movement by the side of local PC2 interlock | cooperating with the home security system 1. FIG. The flowchart following FIG. The figure for demonstrating the method to calculate camera direction. (A) shows the example of a map display before abnormality occurrence is detected, (B) is the figure which showed the example of a map display after abnormality occurrence. (A) shows the state where the camera video button is clicked, and (B) shows the display state after the camera video button is operated. In 2nd Example, (A) shows the state which clicked the operation button, (B) has shown the state which designated the arbitrary positions on a map as an imaging | photography spot. The flowchart which showed only the characteristic part of 2nd Example among the operations by the side of local PC2 interlock | cooperating with the home security system 1. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 Home security system 2 Local PC
11 Fire occurrence detection sensor 12 Gas leak occurrence detection sensor 13 Passive sensor 14 Magnet sensor 15 Monitoring web camera 16 Controller 24 Sensor table 25 Camera table 25
201 CPU
202 Storage Device 204 Communication Device 205 Input Device 206 Display Device

Claims (7)

In a camera surveillance system with multiple surveillance cameras,
Position storage means for storing and managing the position of each monitoring camera existing in the monitoring area;
A designation means for designating a shooting point;
When a shooting point is specified by the specifying unit, a selection unit that selects each monitoring camera capable of shooting the specified point among the plurality of monitoring cameras;
For each surveillance camera selected by the selection means, a determination means for determining the shooting direction of the camera based on the camera position and the designated point;
Control means for controlling each surveillance camera so that the camera faces the shooting direction determined for each surveillance camera by the decision means;
A camera surveillance system comprising: The designation means designates a position automatically detected by a pre-installed sensor as a shooting point;
2. The camera monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the camera monitoring system is configured as described above. The designation means designates a position calculated based on each position automatically detected by a plurality of sensors having different installation locations as a shooting point.
2. The camera monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the camera monitoring system is configured as described above. The position storage means stores and manages a camera position and a sensor position on a figure similar to an actual monitoring area,
The determining means determines the shooting direction of the camera based on the camera position and the sensor position on the similar figure.
4. The camera monitoring system according to claim 2, wherein the camera monitoring system is configured as described above. Provide a display means to display a figure similar to the actual monitoring area,
The position storage means stores and manages the camera position on the similar figure for each of a plurality of monitoring cameras.
The determination means determines the shooting direction of the camera based on the camera position and the specified position on the figure when an arbitrary position on the similar figure is specified as a shooting point.
2. The camera monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the camera monitoring system is configured as described above. The position storage means stores and manages a camera position on a figure similar to an actual monitoring area,
The selection means determines whether or not there is an obstacle between the shooting point and the camera position on the figure, and if there is an obstacle, the camera is excluded from the selection. If there is no obstacle, the camera , Select
2. The camera monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the camera monitoring system is configured as described above. Against the computer,
A function for storing and managing the position of each surveillance camera in the surveillance area;
When a shooting location is designated, a function of selecting each surveillance camera capable of photographing the designated location from among a plurality of surveillance cameras;
For each selected surveillance camera, a function for determining the shooting direction of the camera based on the camera position and the designated point;
A function to control each surveillance camera so that the camera is directed in the shooting direction determined for each surveillance camera;
A program to realize

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