JP2008040616A - Monitoring method and device in dark place - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technology for monitoring in a dark place for simultaneously and easily monitoring a plurality of monitor objects at low costs. <P>SOLUTION: A plurality of monitor objects 40 in a dark place are simultaneously monitored by using an infrared CCD camera 10, a processor (personal computer) 20 for carrying out image processing and marks 30 attached to the monitor objects 40. The marks 30 on which near infrared rays are reflected are respectively attached to the plurality of monitor objects 40, and the marks 30 attached to the plurality of monitor objects 40 are irradiated with the near infrared rays by the infrared CCD camera 10, and the reflected rays of light from the marks 30 are received. The processor 20 receives the information of the marks 30 received by the infrared CCD camera 10 as image information, and judges the presence/absence of the existence of the monitor objects 40 by processing the image information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a monitoring method and a monitoring apparatus in a dark place. More specifically, the present invention relates to a monitoring method and a monitoring apparatus capable of simultaneously monitoring a plurality of monitoring objects such as an automobile in a dark place at a low cost.

  In recent years, crimes such as theft have increased rapidly with the deterioration of security in Japan. In the case of car theft, statistics have been around 35,000 in the 10 years from 1989 to 1998. It has been reported that the number increased nearly 20% in 2011 to 43,000 cases, and increased rapidly to 63,000 cases in 2001. It occurs at a rate of approximately one per minute. In many cases, luxury cars are stolen at night, and the amount of damage per car is enormous.

  In Japan, theft of cars is a serious problem, but as you can see from Table 1, it can be seen that in the United States and other European countries, more cars are being damaged.

Conventionally, many systems have been developed and used for vehicle monitoring and theft prevention. The main methods used in these systems are (1) a method using an abnormality detection sensor, (2) a method using an immobilizer, (3) a method using GPS and a mobile phone, and (4) using an indoor camera. There is a method to detect abnormalities.

  In the above method (1), when there is an abnormality such as an impact on the car or an opening of the door, it is detected by a sensor such as a sound pressure sensor, a Doppler sensor, a tilt sensor, etc. Report or threaten a suspicious person (Non-Patent Document 1, etc.). Since the sound pressure sensor responds to sound, it detects when the door opens or receives a strong impact. The Doppler sensor reacts when an object approaches and detects the approaching, wandering, and intrusion of a suspicious person. The tilt sensor reacts to the tilt of the vehicle body, and can report it to the user of the car, for example, when a tow truck is moved.

  The immobilizer used in the method (2) above does not electrically start the engine unless the ID code received in the key matches the ID code registered in advance in the electronic control unit in the vehicle body. This is the mechanism. If this system is installed, the engine cannot be started even if the key pile is completely duplicated, so that theft can be prevented (Non-Patent Document 2, etc.).

  As a vehicle theft detection method combining the GPS and the mobile phone in (3) above, for example, there is a system presented in Non-Patent Document 3. This system has two anti-theft modes, a warning mode and a tracking mode. If someone opens the door or trunk of the car in the alert mode, the hazard of the vehicle will flash, and at the same time a warning email will be sent to the car user's phone, and the location of the car and the opening and closing of the door can be confirmed with the mobile phone When this happens, you will receive a warning email again and you will be able to horn. Further, when the user changes to the tracking mode, the position of the car can be confirmed from the GPS information at any time.

In the method using the indoor camera in (4) above, an indoor camera is installed at a proper position in the passenger compartment, an image of the driver's seat is taken by the indoor camera, the image signal is sent to a management center, etc., and image processing is performed. If it is recognized, it is reported to the car user (Patent Documents 1 and 2).
Homepage http://www.carmoni.com/ Homepage http://www.jama.or.jp/lib/jamareport/066/04.html Homepage http://www.meiwa.tv/new_page_171.htm JP 2003-291882 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-291784

  However, the above-mentioned various conventional methods are limited to one vehicle that is an object to be monitored, and cannot monitor several to about ten vehicles at the same time. In addition, there are many cases where special hardware is required, installation of a monitoring system is expensive, and running costs are high.

  The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances as described above, and it is an object to provide a monitoring method and a monitoring device in a dark place that can simultaneously and easily monitor a plurality of monitoring objects at low cost. And

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention firstly monitors a plurality of monitoring objects in a dark place at the same time using an infrared CCD camera, a processing device for performing image processing, and a mark attached to the monitoring object. In this method, marks that reflect near infrared rays are attached to a plurality of monitoring objects, respectively, and the infrared rays are applied to the marks that are attached to a plurality of monitoring objects by an infrared CCD camera. The reflected light from the mark is received, the processing device receives the arrangement information of the plurality of marks received by the infrared CCD camera as image information, and the processing device stores the received arrangement information of the plurality of marks in advance. There is provided a monitoring method in a dark place, characterized by comparing the arrangement information of a plurality of marks and determining the presence or absence of a monitoring object based on the comparison result.

  Second, in the second invention, the processing device prepares image information received from the infrared CCD camera as original image information when all the monitoring objects to which the marks are attached are prepared. A monitoring method in a dark place is provided.

  Third, there is a method of simultaneously monitoring a plurality of monitoring objects in a dark place using an infrared CCD camera, a processing device for performing image processing, and a mark attached to the monitoring object. In addition, a mark having a different shape that reflects near infrared rays is pasted, and the infrared CCD camera irradiates the mark that is pasted on a plurality of objects to be monitored with reflected light from the mark. The processing device receives the shape information of a plurality of marks received by the infrared CCD camera as image information, and the processing device scans the received image information and creates the shape information of the obtained mark in advance. Matching with a template of the same shape as the mark pasted on multiple monitoring objects, and based on the matching result, the presence or absence of the monitoring object is judged It provides a monitoring method in the dark for.

  Fourth, in any one of the first to third inventions, the processing device issues an alarm when it is determined that the monitoring target is no longer present, or informs the monitor of that fact. There is provided a monitoring method in a dark place characterized by comprising a warning means.

  Fifth, in any one of the first to fourth inventions, the processing apparatus provides a monitoring method in a dark place, characterized in that it receives image information from an infrared CCD camera by wire or wirelessly.

  Sixth, it is an apparatus for simultaneously monitoring a plurality of monitoring objects in a dark place, and is attached to each of the plurality of monitoring objects, irradiating the mark with near-infrared rays and a mark that reflects near-infrared rays, The infrared CCD camera that receives the reflected light and the arrangement information of the plurality of marks received by the infrared CCD camera are received as image information, and the received arrangement information of the plurality of marks is stored in the plurality of marks stored in advance. There is provided a monitoring device in a dark place comprising a processing device having an image processing unit for comparing with arrangement information and determining the presence / absence of a monitoring object based on the comparison result.

  Seventh, in the sixth invention, the processing device prepares image information received from the infrared CCD camera as original image information when all the monitoring objects to which the marks are attached are prepared. A monitoring device in a dark place is provided.

  Eighth, an apparatus for simultaneously monitoring a plurality of monitoring objects in a dark place, each of which is attached to a plurality of monitoring objects, has a different shape and reflects near infrared rays, and a near infrared ray. An infrared CCD camera that irradiates the mark and receives its reflected light, and receives shape information of a plurality of marks received by the infrared CCD camera as image information, scans the received image information, and obtains the shape of the mark An image processing unit that matches information with a template that has been created in advance and has the same shape as a mark attached to a plurality of monitoring objects, and determines the presence or absence of the monitoring object based on the matching result. There is provided a monitoring device in a dark place, characterized by comprising a processing device having the above.

  Ninthly, in any of the sixth to eighth inventions, the processing device issues an alarm when notifying that the monitoring object is no longer present, or notifies the monitoring person of the information to that effect. A monitoring device in a dark place, comprising a warning means.

  Tenth, in any one of the sixth to ninth inventions, there is provided a monitoring device in a dark place, wherein the processing device receives image information from an infrared CCD camera by wire or wirelessly.

  According to the present invention, special hardware is required only by using an infrared CCD camera, a processing device that performs image processing, and a mark that is attached to the monitoring object, such as a car in a dark place. In addition, it is possible to monitor at the same time with a simple method and low cost.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an image of a monitoring system in a dark place according to the present invention. This monitoring system includes an infrared CCD camera 10, a personal computer 20 as a processing apparatus for performing image processing, and a plurality of monitoring systems. A mark 30 to be attached to the object 40 is used. A commercially available personal computer can be used as the personal computer 20. That is, the monitoring system in the dark place according to the present invention is substantially relatively inexpensive and easy to install with only the infrared CCD camera 10 and the personal computer 20 for processing an image taken by the infrared CCD camera 10. There is a merit that can be built with system configuration.

  As described above, the theft of the monitored object 40 such as a car often occurs at night or in a dark place where lighting is weak or absent. In the dark place, it is very difficult to capture the monitoring object 40 using the infrared CCD camera 10. Therefore, in the present invention, a near-infrared reflective mark 30 that reflects the near-infrared rays when the near-infrared rays are irradiated to each of the plurality of monitoring objects 40 is attached. The near-infrared reflective mark 30 needs to be made of a material that easily reflects near-infrared rays. As long as these conditions are satisfied, the material is not particularly limited, and a commercially available seal or sheet may be used. In order to investigate the reflection characteristics of the mark 30, the inventor conducted experiments using various materials such as a mirror, an aluminum wheel, the back surface of a CD (compact disc), a reflection plate made of a plastic plate, a reflection plate made of a plastic sheet, and the like. However, particularly effective ones were a reflector made of a plastic plate and a plastic sheet.

  In the present invention, a difference method and a template matching method, which will be described later, are used as an image recognition method used for monitoring, but the shape of the mark 30 to be used is changed by both methods. In the case of the difference method, the marks 30 to be attached to the monitoring object 40 in the monitoring region may be the same or different, but in the case of the template matching method, the shape is determined by the monitoring object 40. Need to be different. The shape of the mark 30 is not limited to a simple shape such as a square, a rectangle, a circle, or an ellipse, but may be an arbitrary shape such as a star or a polygon. The shape and dimensions of the mark 30 can be set in consideration of the aesthetic appearance when it is attached to the monitoring object 40, ease of image processing, and the like. When performing image recognition by the difference method in the case of a car, for example, a square having a size of 20 cm × 20 cm can be used. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Further, the attachment position of the mark 30 may be a place that is reflected in the infrared CCD camera 10, and it is possible to take into consideration the beauty of the monitoring object 40 and the difficulty of being noticed by suspicious persons.

  As an infrared camera, there are a type that detects infrared rays naturally emitted from an object and takes a thermal image, and a type that captures reflected light from an object by irradiating near infrared rays. An infrared CCD camera 10 of this type is used. It is preferable that the number of the infrared CCD camera 10 is one, and when the car is the monitoring object 40, an area including several to about ten can be covered. Moreover, it is preferable to install in the position which can cover such an area | region.

  The personal computer 20 may be provided in a monitoring room or a monitoring center near the area where the monitoring object 40 exists, or may be provided in a monitoring room or a monitoring center in a remote place. The infrared CCD camera 10 and the personal computer 20 may be connected by wire or wirelessly. Various methods currently used can be used for the wired connection and the wireless connection.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic hardware configuration of the personal computer 20. The personal computer 20 includes an input unit 21, a processing unit 22, a main storage device 23, a mass storage device 24, and an output unit 25, which are interconnected by a bus 26. The input unit 21 receives image information from the infrared CCD camera 10 and can input various information necessary for data processing and the like. In addition to processing as a normal computer CPU, the processing unit 22 performs necessary image processing by a control program stored in the main storage device 23, comparison of a plurality of mark arrangement information, and determination of the presence or absence of the monitoring object 40. When it is determined that the monitoring object 40 no longer exists, various processes necessary for monitoring such as notifying the monitor of an alarm or information to that effect are performed. The main storage device 23 can store a program for the processing unit 22 to perform various processes necessary for monitoring, in addition to a program for performing image processing for monitoring. The large-capacity storage device 24 stores large-capacity data such as a built-in or external hard disk device, MO, DVD device, etc., and stores various data necessary for monitoring. The output unit 25 can perform screen output such as a display or print output such as a printer.

  Next, the operation of the monitoring system of the present invention will be described by taking as an example the case of monitoring a car in a parking lot using the “difference method” as an image recognition method.

  The difference method is an image recognition method that can be easily applied mainly when the monitoring object 40 is a stationary object. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the difference method.

  First, as schematically shown in the left of FIG. 3, marks 30 are attached to all the monitoring objects 40, and an image in a state where all the monitoring objects 40 exist in the monitoring object area is used as an original image 51. Have it ready. This is because the image taken in advance by the infrared CCD camera 10 is processed by the processing unit 22 of the personal computer 20 and the data is stored as data of the original image 51 (arrangement information of the plurality of marks 30), for example, in a large capacity storage. It is stored in the device 24. This processing includes image processing, and performs region extraction processing in addition to noise removal processing performed in normal image processing. In this area extraction processing, each monitoring object 40 existing in the monitoring object area is divided into individual areas, and information such as the size and position of image data corresponding to the monitoring object 40 in the individual area is obtained. Is.

  Next, using the infrared CCD camera 10 periodically at predetermined time intervals, images at that time (arrangement information of the plurality of marks 30) are taken, and the processing unit 22 of the personal computer 20 performs a plurality of times each time. The arrangement information of the marks 30 is obtained as the photographed image 52 as shown on the right side of FIG. 3, the arrangement information of the plurality of marks 30 in the original image 51 and the photographed image 52 is compared, and data of the difference image 53 is obtained. 3 is an example of an image in which one mark 30 is not shown. Therefore, the difference image 53 is as shown in the lower diagram of FIG. In this example, the processing device 22 determines whether or not the difference has occurred due to the absence of the mark 30 based on information such as the size and position of the difference area in the data of the difference image 53. If it is determined that the error has occurred, the user is notified. In addition, when the monitoring target 40 is in the monitoring state, when the user uses a car or the like, the usage information can be transmitted to the personal computer 20 by an appropriate method. Here, the monitoring state can be released, for example, after moving the vehicle to be used or after removing the mark 30 from the vehicle to be used (in this case, the mark 30 is detachable), and the original image information 51 is read again. This can be done by updating.

  Next, the operation of the monitoring system of the present invention will be described by taking as an example the case where the monitoring target 40 that moves to some extent is monitored using the “template matching method” as the image recognition method.

  The template matching method is an image recognition method that can be easily applied mainly to a case where the monitoring object 40 moves to some extent. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the template matching method.

  First, as schematically shown in advance on the right side of FIG. 4, a template 61 having the same shape as the mark 30 attached to the monitoring object 40 is prepared in advance. In this case, a mark 30 having a different shape is set for each monitoring object 40, and a template 61 having a shape corresponding to the mark 30 is prepared. The template 61 may be stored in the mass storage device 24 of the personal computer 20.

  Next, the infrared CCD camera 10 is periodically used to capture an image at that time, and the processing unit 22 of the personal computer 20 sets the shape information of the plurality of marks 30 as 62 each time. As shown on the left side of FIG. 4, each time the captured image 62 is scanned as shown in FIG. 4, matching with the template 61 is performed. If the processing unit 22 fails to match the template 61, the processing unit 22 determines that the monitoring target 40 to which the mark 30 of the shape is attached is gone, and notifies the user. Of course, also in this case, when the monitoring object 40 is in the monitoring state, when the user uses a car or the like, the usage information can be transmitted to the personal computer 20 by an appropriate method. Here, the monitoring state can be released, for example, by the personal computer 20 executing a process of excluding the shape of the mark 30 attached to the monitoring object 40 from the template 61.

  As described above, the present invention has been described in detail on the basis of the embodiment. However, according to the present invention, various modifications and changes can be made.

  For example, the monitoring target of the present invention can be not only a car but also various items such as merchandise stored in a dark place.

It is the figure which showed typically the image of the monitoring system in the dark place by this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware schematic structure of the personal computer used with the monitoring system in the dark place by this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the difference method used as an image recognition method in this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the template matching method used as an image recognition method in this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Infrared CCD camera 20 Personal computer 30 Mark 40 Monitoring object 21 Input part 22 Processing part 23 Main memory device 24 Mass storage device 25 Output part 51 Original image 52 Photographed image 53 Difference image 61 Template 62 Photographed image

Claims (10)

A method of simultaneously monitoring a plurality of objects to be monitored in a dark place using an infrared CCD camera, a processing device for performing image processing, and a mark attached to the object to be monitored,
Paste marks that reflect near-infrared rays to multiple monitoring objects,
The infrared CCD camera irradiates the mark attached to a plurality of monitoring objects with near-infrared light and receives reflected light from the mark,
The processing device receives array information of a plurality of marks received by the infrared CCD camera as image information,
The processing device compares the received arrangement information of the plurality of marks with the arrangement information of the plurality of marks stored in advance, and determines whether or not the monitoring target exists based on the comparison result. Monitoring method in the dark.   The processing apparatus prepares image information received from an infrared CCD camera as original image information when all the monitoring objects to which the marks are attached are prepared, respectively. Monitoring method in the dark. A method of simultaneously monitoring a plurality of objects to be monitored in a dark place using an infrared CCD camera, a processing device for performing image processing, and a mark attached to the object to be monitored,
A plurality of marks that reflect near-infrared rays are attached to multiple monitoring objects,
The infrared CCD camera irradiates the mark attached to a plurality of monitoring objects with near-infrared light and receives reflected light from the mark,
The processing device receives shape information of a plurality of marks received by the infrared CCD camera as image information,
The processing device scans the received image information, and matches the shape information of the obtained mark with a template that has been created in advance and has the same shape as the mark attached to a plurality of monitoring objects. A method for monitoring in a dark place, wherein the presence or absence of a monitoring object is determined based on the above.   4. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a warning unit that issues an alarm when it is determined that the monitoring target is no longer present, or informs the monitor of the information to that effect. Monitoring method in the dark as described in 1.   5. The dark place monitoring method according to claim 1, wherein the processing device receives image information from the infrared CCD camera by wire or wireless. A device for simultaneously monitoring a plurality of monitoring objects in a dark place,
A mark that is attached to each of a plurality of monitoring objects and reflects near infrared rays,
An infrared CCD camera that irradiates the mark with near infrared rays and receives the reflected light; and
The arrangement information of the plurality of marks received by the infrared CCD camera is received as image information, the received arrangement information of the plurality of marks is compared with the arrangement information of the plurality of marks stored in advance, and based on the comparison result And a monitoring device in a dark place, comprising a processing device having an image processing unit for determining the presence or absence of a monitoring object.   The processing apparatus prepares image information received from an infrared CCD camera as original image information when all the monitoring objects to which the marks are attached are prepared, respectively. A monitoring device in the dark. A device for simultaneously monitoring a plurality of monitoring objects in a dark place,
A mark that is attached to each of a plurality of monitoring objects, has a different shape, and reflects near infrared rays;
An infrared CCD camera that irradiates the mark with near infrared rays and receives the reflected light; and
The shape information of a plurality of marks received by the infrared CCD camera is received as image information, the received image information is scanned, and the shape information of the obtained marks is pasted on a plurality of previously created monitoring objects. A monitoring device in a dark place, comprising a processing device having an image processing unit that matches a template having the same shape as a worn mark and determines the presence / absence of a monitoring target based on the matching result.   9. The processing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising warning means for generating an alarm when it is determined that the monitoring object is no longer present or notifying the monitoring person of information to that effect. The monitoring device in the dark place as described in the item.   The monitoring apparatus in a dark place according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the processing apparatus receives image information from the infrared CCD camera by wire or wirelessly.