JP2010237781A - Imaging apparatus for monitoring, and imaging system for monitoring - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an imaging apparatus for monitoring and an imaging system for monitoring which transmits an image at before and after the occurrence of abnormality to a terminal of each home or a server of a monitoring center, when the abnormality is occurred. <P>SOLUTION: The imaging apparatus for monitoring which transmits at least an image and the position of circumference to a monitoring server for monitoring circumference environment of an object person to be monitored at timing of occurrence of the abnormality, has an imaging unit for imaging an image; a sound detecting unit for detecting a sound; an acceleration acquiring unit for detecting acceleration; a position detecting unit for detecting a position; and a control unit for controlling transmission of the image and the position, by detecting the timing of the occurrence of the abnormality, based on the detected data of the sound and the acceleration. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a monitoring imaging apparatus and a monitoring imaging system that monitor the surroundings of a person carrying the apparatus based on a captured image captured by an imaging apparatus such as a camera.

Conventionally, a crime prevention bell for children or women has been sold as a crime prevention device for notifying the surroundings of an abnormal situation when it occurs.
However, in an actual emergency, even if trained, the function as a security device cannot be fully used.
Therefore, it has been clearly pointed out from past cases that it is difficult to take action to prevent crime prevention in an actual emergency.
On the other hand, a rapid speed change such as sudden braking installed in a car is detected, and the system that starts the movie is automatically recorded by the imaging device installed at the front, thereby verifying the accident. It is used as a system (drive recorder) that is effective for (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
As a crime prevention device using the function of the drive recorder, there is a safety monitoring system having an imaging device and a speaker that is used by being attached to a school bag (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

JP 2005-205930 A JP 2006-285749 A

If the guardian watching the video detects the occurrence of an abnormality for the child, the safety monitoring system described above is for the detected guardian to give advice or avoid harm to the child Sounds for deterrence against.
However, in the safety monitoring system shown in Patent Literature 2, it is necessary that a guardian at home constantly monitors the image of the imaging device attached to the school bag while the child goes back and forth to school and cram school. is there.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and its purpose is to transmit images before and after the occurrence to an individual home terminal or a monitoring center server when an abnormality occurs. An object is to provide a monitoring imaging apparatus and a monitoring imaging system.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and the monitoring imaging apparatus of the present invention provides a monitoring server that monitors the surrounding environment of a person to be monitored with surrounding images and positions according to an abnormality occurrence timing. An imaging device for monitoring that transmits at least, an imaging unit that captures an image, a sound detection unit that detects sound, an acceleration acquisition unit that detects acceleration, a position detection unit that detects position, the sound and the acceleration And a control unit that detects the abnormality occurrence timing based on the detected data and controls transmission of the image and the position.

  The monitoring imaging apparatus of the present invention further includes an image storage unit having a capacity capable of storing the image in a preset time range, and the control unit stores the latest image in the time range in the image storage unit. It is memorized.

  The monitoring imaging apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that the control unit transmits an image stored in the image storage unit and an image after the transmission timing when the transmission timing is reached.

  The monitoring imaging apparatus according to the present invention further includes a switch for turning on / off the person to be monitored, and when the control unit detects an ON state of the switch, the abnormality detection timing is determined. .

  In the monitoring imaging apparatus of the present invention, the control unit detects the abnormality occurrence timing when the sound intensity exceeds a preset sound threshold or when the acceleration exceeds a preset acceleration threshold. It is characterized by that.

  In the monitoring imaging apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the control unit detects the abnormality occurrence timing when the sound intensity exceeds a preset sound threshold and the acceleration exceeds a preset acceleration threshold. Features.

  The monitoring imaging apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that when the control unit performs voice recognition on the sound and detects that it is a preset keyword, it performs control corresponding to the keyword.

  The monitoring imaging apparatus of the present invention is mounted on a person to be monitored so that an imaging direction captured by the imaging unit matches a line-of-sight direction of the person to be monitored.

  The monitoring imaging apparatus of the present invention further includes a light emitting unit, and the control unit causes the light emitting unit to emit light when transmitting the image.

  The monitoring imaging apparatus of the present invention further includes an audio output unit that outputs audio, and the control unit outputs preset audio data from the audio output unit when transmitting the image. And

  A monitoring imaging system according to the present invention includes a monitoring imaging device according to any one of the above and an image transmitted from the monitoring imaging device in a database corresponding to an identification signal for identifying the monitoring imaging device. It has a monitoring server that records and has a notification function in the event of an abnormality.

According to this invention, it is determined whether or not the control unit is in an abnormal state based on the result of detecting the sound by the voice acquisition unit and the result of detecting the force (acceleration) applied suddenly by the acceleration acquisition unit. Since it is determined whether or not to send the captured image data, position information (latitude / longitude) and time, it is not necessary for the guardian to always check the image of the child's going to and from school on the terminal as in the past. .
In addition, according to the present invention, when it is determined that there is an abnormal situation, the image data is transmitted to the monitoring server, so that there is no image data only in the monitoring imaging device itself, and the monitoring imaging device is broken. Since the image data cannot be erased, it has a suppressing effect on human beings who want to add harm.

It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the monitoring imaging system using the monitoring imaging device by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the attachment position with respect to the school bag of the monitoring imaging device in FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of monitoring operation by the monitoring imaging apparatus in FIG. 1.

<First Embodiment>
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a configuration example of a surveillance imaging system using a surveillance imaging apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In this figure, the surveillance imaging system is composed of a surveillance imaging device 1 carried by each surveillance subject, an information network N, a surveillance server 2, and a database 3. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the person to be monitored is an elementary school student.
The monitoring server 2 receives the identification information for identifying the monitoring imaging device 1 transmitted from the monitoring imaging device 1 at the abnormality occurrence timing, and the abnormality information having the image data, the position information, and the time information, and the database 3 Is stored in correspondence with the identification information. The monitoring imaging device 1 has a mobile phone function, and transmits abnormality information to the monitoring server 2 of the monitoring center by packet communication of the mobile phone. Here, an abnormality flag indicating abnormality is added to the abnormality information. When the monitoring server 2 detects that the input information is added with the abnormality flag, the monitoring server 2 determines that the abnormality information is abnormality information and performs monitoring. Notify the monitoring staff of the center of the alarm that informs the abnormality

When a monitoring person in the monitoring center checks the image data in the abnormality information received by the monitoring server 2 on the display screen of the monitoring server 2 and recognizes that it is abnormal, the terminal or protection provided in each home H An operation is performed to cause the monitoring server 2 to perform processing for transmitting abnormality notification information indicating an abnormality to the person's mobile phone. The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the terminal, the mail address of the mobile phone, and the phone number of the mobile phone are stored in the database 3 corresponding to the identification information.
When the monitor performs control to transmit the abnormality notification information to the monitoring server 2, the monitoring server 2 uses the identification information corresponding to the confirmed image data to send address information (URL, mail) from the database 3. (Address, telephone number) is read out, and abnormality notification information is transmitted to the terminal of the guardian of the person to be monitored or the mobile phone by e-mail or by preset text or voice. This sentence and voice are also stored in the database 3, and when the monitoring server 2 transmits the abnormality notification information, the monitoring server 2 determines whether the address information is a mail address or a telephone number. Text data is read, while if it is a telephone number, voice data is read.
In addition, as described above, the monitoring server 2 does not control the monitoring server 2 to check the image of the monitoring server 2 and notify the abnormality notification information. When received, the monitoring server 2 itself may be configured to perform a process of transmitting the abnormality notification information to the terminal of each home H or a guardian's mobile phone.

The information network N is a mobile communication network including a mobile phone network. The monitoring server 2 transmits and receives data to and from the monitoring imaging device 1 via a radio base station and an information network N (not shown).
The monitoring imaging device 1 is attached to a shoulder belt 101 of a school bag 100 carried by an elementary school student who is a subject of monitoring by an attachment mechanism (for example, screwing, cotton fastener, band, etc.). At this time, the imaging direction of the image in the monitoring imaging device 1 is set to the same direction as the direction of the line of sight of the primary schoolchild who is the monitoring target. As a result, an image in a direction in which the elementary school student turns his face is picked up by some sound or sign, and a landscape similar to the landscape seen by the elementary school student can be obtained as an image.

  The monitoring imaging device 1 includes an imaging unit 11, a sound acquisition unit 12, an acceleration acquisition unit 13, a position detection unit 14, a switch unit 15, a control unit 16, a storage unit 17, and a transmission / reception unit 18. Although not particularly shown, a battery with a charging function is provided to supply power for operating each of the above parts. The monitoring and imaging apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment may have either a configuration in which the imaging unit 11 is incorporated in the main body or a configuration in which the imaging unit 11 is separated. When separated, the imaging unit 11 is attached to the shoulder belt 101 by the attachment mechanism, and the monitoring imaging apparatus 1 main body excluding the imaging unit 11 is installed inside the school bag 100. At this time, the imaging unit 11 and the monitoring imaging apparatus 1 main body perform data transmission / reception using short-range wireless communication.

The imaging unit 11 is a digital camera (digital still camera or digital video camera) made of, for example, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), and outputs captured image data to the control unit 16. The captured image data may be either a still image or a moving image. Actually, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) camera or a web camera is used as the imaging unit 11.
The audio acquisition unit 12 includes a microphone, and outputs the audio signal acquired by the microphone to the control unit 16 as digital audio data by performing A / D (analog / digital) conversion.
The position detection unit 14 includes a GPS (Global positioning system) receiver, and outputs the latitude and longitude detected by the GPS receiver using the GPS to the control unit 16 as position information (including time information).

  The control unit 16 stores the image data input from the imaging unit 11 in the image data area in the time range set in advance in the storage unit 17. Here, the storage unit 17 includes a program for operating the control unit 16 including a microcomputer therein, a threshold data storage area set in advance, and the image data area for storing image data. Has been. This image data area is set to a data capacity capable of storing image data in a short time range (for example, 1 minute for a moving image and 100 sheets for a still image) immediately before an abnormal situation described later occurs. The control unit 16 uses this image data area as a ring buffer, and performs processing of sequentially overwriting new image data over the address where the oldest image data is stored.

In addition, when voice data is input, the control unit 16 reads a voice threshold for the voice data from the storage unit 17 and detects whether or not the strength of the voice data exceeds the voice threshold. Here, the control unit 16 determines the abnormal state A when the intensity of the audio data exceeds the audio threshold, and determines the normal state when the intensity of the audio data is lower than the audio threshold.
When the acceleration data is input, the control unit 16 reads an acceleration threshold value for the acceleration data from the storage unit 17 and detects whether the intensity of the acceleration data exceeds the acceleration threshold value. Here, when the intensity of the acceleration data exceeds the acceleration threshold value, the control unit 16 determines the abnormal state B, and when the intensity of the acceleration data is lower than the acceleration threshold value, the control unit 16 determines the normal state.
The transmission / reception unit 18 has a packet communication function of a mobile phone, and when a control signal for abnormal information transmission from the control unit 16 is input, it accesses a preset telephone number and connects to the monitoring server 2 Later, the abnormal information is packet-transmitted.

In the determination result described above, the control unit 16 determines that an abnormal state has occurred when either one of the abnormal state A or the abnormal state B is determined, and the abnormality occurrence timing at which the abnormal state has occurred is determined. And At this abnormality occurrence timing, the control unit 16 transmits / receives the image data stored in the image data area of the storage unit 17 and the image data captured thereafter (transmits / receives data by wireless communication). To the monitoring server 2.
Further, when both the abnormal state A and the abnormal state B are determined, the control unit 16 may be configured so that this time is set as the abnormality occurrence timing.
The switch unit 15 outputs an abnormal signal to the control unit 16 when an elementary school student who is a subject of monitoring presses a button to turn it on, for example.
When this abnormality signal is input, the controller 16 unconditionally (regardless of the intensity of the audio data and acceleration data) sets this point as the abnormality occurrence timing.

Even if the abnormality occurrence timing is not reached, the monitoring server uses the image data (image data stored in the image data area at that time) and the position information as observation information at regular intervals (for example, 10 minutes). 2 to send.
Unlike the abnormality information, no abnormality flag is added to the observation information, and the observation information is transmitted to the monitoring server 2 as a scheduled report.
When the observation information is input, since the abnormality flag is not added, the monitoring server 2 stores the image data and the position information in the movement history area of the database 3 as a scheduled report corresponding to the identification information.
Based on the history of observation information in the movement history area, the gait of the person to be observed until the abnormality occurrence timing becomes clear.

In addition, although not shown, a light emitting unit may be added to the monitoring imaging device 1 so that light is emitted in the same direction as the imaging direction at the abnormal timing. At the time when the light is emitted, the control unit 16 causes the imaging unit 11 to perform imaging, and transmits the image data in the direction in which the light is irradiated to the monitoring server 2 as image data after the abnormal timing. You may make it do. Moreover, the process of irradiating this light can indicate that a subject who is trying to inflict an image is picked up, and can aim at a deterrent effect.
Further, although not shown, a speaker may be provided in the monitoring and imaging apparatus 1 to notify that the captured image data has been transmitted to the monitoring center by sound at an abnormal timing. As a result, even if the surveillance imaging device 1 attached to the school bag is destroyed, the image data showing the subject to be harmed has already been transmitted to the surveillance center, so that it is recognized that it is useless. , You can suppress further actions.

In addition, when voice data is input, the control unit 16 may determine the abnormal state A by adding not only the voice intensity but also the result of voice recognition.
For example, the control unit 16 compares the feature amount extracted from the input voice data with the intensity of the voice exceeding the voice threshold value, and the comparison voice data of the template stored in the storage unit 17 (specific words, for example, help In this case, the abnormal state A may be determined when the similarity exceeds a preset similarity. Thereby, the accuracy of the determination of the abnormal state A can be improved.
In addition to the imaging unit 11 in which the imaging direction is aligned with the direction of the line of sight, the monitoring imaging device 1 may be provided with a plurality of imaging units to monitor the back, lateral, and upper directions. good.

The storage unit 17 is a non-volatile memory such as a hard disk device, a magneto-optical disk device, or a flash memory, a storage medium such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), or a RAM (Random Access Memory). Volatile memory or a combination thereof.
The control unit 16 in FIG. 1 may be realized by dedicated hardware, and the processing unit 30 includes a memory and a CPU (central processing unit), and the functions of the processing unit 30 are The function may be realized by loading a program for realizing into a memory and executing the program.
In the above-described embodiment, elementary school students are targeted for monitoring, but adults (for example, women, elderly people, etc.) may be monitored. In this case, as in the above-described embodiment, it is attached to the shoulder bag or handbag so that the line of sight of the person to be monitored and the imaging direction of the imaging unit 11 are the same.

Next, the operation of the surveillance imaging apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of the monitoring imaging apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment.
The imaging unit 11 captures an image in the line-of-sight direction of the monitoring subject and outputs the captured image data to the control unit 16.
When the image data is input, the control unit 16 records the input image data while incrementing the pointer in the ring buffer in the image data area (step S1).
Next, the position detection unit 14 outputs the latitude and longitude detected by the GPS receiver to the control unit 16 as position information including time information (step S2).
And the control part 16 inputs audio | voice data from the audio | voice acquisition part 12 at the timing which detects positional information, and inputs acceleration data from the acceleration acquisition part 13 (step S3).

Next, the control unit 16 compares the intensity of the audio data input from the audio acquisition unit 12 with the audio threshold, and compares the acceleration data input from the acceleration acquisition unit 13 with the acceleration threshold (step S4). .
At this time, when the intensity of the audio data exceeds the audio threshold value, the control unit 16 determines that the state is an abnormal state A. On the other hand, when the intensity of the audio data is lower than the audio threshold value, the control unit 16 determines that the normal state.
Similarly, when the intensity of acceleration data exceeds the acceleration threshold value, the control unit 16 determines that the state is an abnormal state B. On the other hand, when the intensity of acceleration data is lower than the acceleration threshold value, the control unit 16 determines that the state is normal.
Then, when either the abnormal state A or the abnormal state B is determined, the control unit 16 advances the process to step S5. On the other hand, when neither the abnormal state A nor the abnormal state B is determined, the process proceeds to step S1. Return to.

  When the abnormal state A or the abnormal state B is determined, the control unit 16 rearranges the data stored in the image data storage area of the storage unit 17 in the order of early time to obtain the image data and the position. The identification information is added to the monitoring server 2 as abnormal information including information (step S5), and the process returns to step S1.

<Second Embodiment>
In the first embodiment, the person to be monitored is an elementary school student, but in the second embodiment, the person to be monitored by the surveillance imaging device 1 is a police officer, a firefighter or a security company security guard. It is also good.
The configurations of the second embodiment and the first embodiment are the same as those in FIG. 1, and only different parts will be described below.
For example, the surveillance imaging device 1 is attached to a shoulder or a hat as a place to be worn so that the direction of the line of sight of the police officer and the imaging direction are the same.

In addition, since the hand cannot be used depending on the situation and the switch of the switch unit 15 cannot be pressed, the control unit 16 recognizes the input voice data and recognizes a specific keyword (stop, throw away the weapon, If the switch unit 15 is recognized as being in the first embodiment, the time is set as the abnormality occurrence timing.
In the case of the present embodiment, the monitoring server 2 is installed in a monitoring center of a police station (fire department, security company), and the abnormality information transmitted from the monitoring imaging device 1 is associated with the identification information. Store in database 3.
For example, in the case of a police officer, when interrogating a suspicious person during a patrol, if the suspicious person takes an abnormal action and the police officer generates a keyword voice, the surveillance imaging device 1 recognizes it as an abnormality occurrence timing and performs imaging. The abnormal information including the image data that has been sent is transmitted to the monitoring center of the police station.
Then, the supervisor of the monitoring center confirms the situation of the abnormal situation, and when the support is necessary, the support is directed to the place where the abnormal situation occurs based on the transmitted position information.

Further, in the case of a security guard, when there is an intruder to the home H, abnormal information is transmitted to the monitoring center, and the mobile phone (or mobile terminal) of the resident of the home H as in the first embodiment. ) Is notified by e-mail or telephone.
Further, in the case of an abnormal situation that exceeds the category of the security company, the monitoring center monitor forwards the transmitted abnormal information to the police station and reports the abnormal situation.
According to the present embodiment, for example, correspondence with a suspicious person of a police officer or a guard can be stored in a time range before and after the abnormal timing. The surrounding situation at the time of occurrence of an abnormality can be recorded with a line of sight.

<Third Embodiment>
In the first embodiment, the monitoring target person is an elementary school student. However, as a third embodiment, the monitoring target person of the monitoring imaging device 1 may be a construction site worker.
The configurations of the third embodiment and the first embodiment are the same as those in FIG. 1, and only different parts will be described below.
For example, the monitoring imaging device 1 is attached to a shoulder or a helmet as a place to be worn so that the direction of the line of sight of the worker and the imaging direction are the same.

In addition, depending on the situation, the worker at the construction site cannot press the switch of the switch unit 15 without using his / her hand by conveying materials or operating the machine.
For this reason, when the control unit 16 recognizes the input voice data and recognizes the voice as a specific keyword (work is completed, material is raised, a place is moved, etc.), the first part In the present embodiment, the time point is set as the abnormality occurrence timing in the same manner as when the switch unit 15 is stamped.
In the case of the present embodiment, the monitoring server 2 is installed in a construction company or a monitoring center at a construction site, and the abnormality information transmitted from the monitoring imaging device 1 is associated with the identification information in the database 3. Remember.

For example, when a worker falls from a staircase or underlays materials, the monitoring center's monitoring staff forwards the abnormal information sent to the police station or the fire department depending on the abnormal situation. To be notified.
The fire department prepares for emergency medical care based on the transmitted image data, and dispatches the fire engine or ambulance to a location corresponding to the position information included in the abnormality information.
According to the present embodiment, the situation of the disaster site can be supplied as information to the fire department or the police station within a certain range from the image data included in the abnormality information, so that the police and the fire department can quickly take appropriate measures.

  1 is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on the recording medium is read into the computer system and executed, thereby executing the monitoring and imaging apparatus. The control process may be performed. The “computer system” here includes an OS and hardware such as peripheral devices.

Further, the “computer system” includes a homepage providing environment (or display environment) if a WWW system is used.
The “computer-readable recording medium” refers to a portable medium such as a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a ROM, and a CD-ROM, and a storage device such as a hard disk built in the computer system. Furthermore, the “computer-readable recording medium” dynamically holds a program for a short time like a communication line when transmitting a program via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line. In this case, a volatile memory in a computer system serving as a server or a client in that case, and a program that holds a program for a certain period of time are also included. The program may be a program for realizing a part of the functions described above, and may be a program capable of realizing the functions described above in combination with a program already recorded in a computer system.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Monitoring imaging device 2 ... Monitoring server 3 ... Database 11 ... Imaging part 12 ... Audio | voice acquisition part 13 ... Acceleration acquisition part 14 ... Position detection part 15 ... Switch part 16 ... Control part 17 ... Memory | storage part 18 ... Transmission / reception part N ... Information network

Claims (11)

A monitoring imaging device that transmits at least a surrounding image and a position according to an abnormality occurrence timing to a monitoring server that monitors a surrounding environment of a person to be monitored,
An imaging unit that captures an image;
A sound detection unit for detecting sound;
An acceleration acquisition unit for detecting acceleration;
A position detector for detecting the position;
A monitoring imaging apparatus, comprising: a control unit that detects the abnormality occurrence timing based on the detection data of the sound and the acceleration and controls transmission of the image and the position. An image storage unit having a capacity capable of storing the image in a preset time range;
The monitoring imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit stores the latest image in the time range in the image storage unit.   The monitoring imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit transmits an image stored in the image storage unit and an image after the transmission timing when the transmission timing is reached. A switch for turning on / off the person to be monitored;
The monitoring imaging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein when the control unit detects an ON state of the switch, the abnormality determination timing is determined.   The control unit detects the abnormality occurrence timing when the sound intensity exceeds a preset sound threshold or when the acceleration exceeds a preset acceleration threshold. The monitoring imaging apparatus according to claim 4.   The control unit detects the abnormality occurrence timing when the sound intensity exceeds a preset sound threshold value and the acceleration exceeds a preset acceleration threshold value. 5. The monitoring imaging apparatus according to any one of 4 above.   7. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein when the control unit performs voice recognition on the sound and detects a preset keyword, the control unit performs control corresponding to the keyword. The monitoring imaging device according to 1.   8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the person to be monitored is attached so that an imaging direction captured by the imaging unit matches a line-of-sight direction of the person to be monitored. Imaging device for monitoring. It further has a light emitting part,
The monitoring imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit causes the light emitting unit to emit light when transmitting the image. A voice output unit for outputting voice;
The monitoring imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit outputs preset audio data from the audio output unit when transmitting the image. An imaging device for monitoring according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
A monitoring server that records an image transmitted from the monitoring imaging device in a database corresponding to an identification signal for identifying the monitoring imaging device, and has a notification function in the event of an abnormality. Imaging system.

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