JP2012029191A - Video recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a video recorder capable of preventing erroneous recording by a camera due to an unexpected situation.SOLUTION: The video recorder comprises: a plurality of camera connection parts 31 and 32 respectively connected to cameras outputting image information; an image processing part 21 which converts each image information received from each camera 50 connected to the camera connection parts 31 and 32 to a piece of recorded image information associated with each camera; an image recording part 26 which records the recorded image information processed by the image processing part 21; connection state setting parts 22 and 27 which identify the camera connection part 31 or 32 connected to the camera; and an alarm processing part 24 which when reception of the image information from the camera set by the connection state setting parts 22 and 27 stops, originates alarm information.

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus to which a video camera is connected and which can always record a predetermined area.

  At present, surveillance cameras are provided everywhere from the viewpoint of crime prevention, and images recorded by the surveillance cameras are recorded and reproduced, and various apparatuses for this purpose are used. As this apparatus, for example, a security video management system disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known.

JP 2006-160491 A

  However, there are many uses for such surveillance cameras. For example, a crime prevention device that is installed separately by installing an installation location such as a camera in the installation target in advance, such as an elevator, a security device in a building, or a security camera installed outdoors even in an urban area If the system is monitored and recorded at the center, the camera and system can be easily maintained, and problems such as recording failures can be quickly dealt with.

  On the other hand, there is also a crime prevention system temporarily installed to prevent entry into a building using a temporary scaffolding at a construction site.

  In such a system temporarily installed outdoors, the wiring from the camera to the recording apparatus cannot be hidden inside, and the recording apparatus may be forced to be installed outdoors. In such a system, a camera or cable exposed to the outside may be damaged, and there is a problem that recording cannot be performed.

  The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus that can solve the above-mentioned problems and prevent camera recording errors due to unforeseen circumstances.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a recording apparatus having the following configuration.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of camera connection units respectively connected to cameras that output image information;
An image processing unit that converts each image information received from each camera connected to the camera connection unit into one recorded image information corresponding to each camera;
An image recording unit for recording the recorded image information processed by the image processing unit;
A connection status setting unit that identifies a camera connection unit connected to the camera;
And a warning processing unit that transmits warning information when reception of image information from the camera set by the connection information setting unit is stopped.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the recording apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the alarm processing unit transmits different warning information depending on the camera connection unit in which the reception of the image information is stopped. .

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, there is further provided a recording apparatus according to the first or second aspect, further comprising a standby power source for transmitting alarm information by the alarm processing unit.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, any one of the first to third aspects is characterized in that the connection status setting unit is configured by a switch provided corresponding to the camera connection unit. One recording device is provided.

  According to the present invention, a plurality of cameras can be connected to the camera connection unit, and the image information transmitted from each camera can be converted into one recorded image information and recorded. At this time, if the reception of video information from the camera stops due to various reasons such as cable disconnection or disconnection from the power outlet, the conversion to recorded image information will be disturbed, so the reception stop will be recognized more reliably. It is possible to notify the fact that a reception failure has occurred by transmitting warning information based on the information thus obtained.

  In addition, by sending different warning information depending on the camera connection unit, it is possible to reliably recognize which camera has failed.

  Further, even when the operation of the apparatus cannot be ensured, such as when the main power supply of the recording apparatus is interrupted, the alarm information can be transmitted by providing a standby power supply.

It is a schematic perspective view which shows the external appearance of the video recording apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is an exploded view which shows the structure of the casing of the recording device of FIG. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the recording apparatus in FIG. 1.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an appearance of a recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The recording device 1 is a device that is installed in the field such as a temporary scaffold at a construction site, connects a plurality of video cameras, and records images from the connected video cameras together.

  In the recording apparatus 1, constituent members for processing and recording an image received from a camera are housed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped casing 2 configured to prevent water from entering the recording apparatus 1. The size of the recording apparatus 1 is a small one having a width of W20 cm, a depth of D10 cm, and a height of H15 cm, and does not require a large space at the mounting location.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the casing 2 holds a rectangular tubular casing body 3, a lid member 4 fixed so as to seal an upper opening of the casing body 3, and an internal member 7. A bottom plate 5 is provided.

  The casing body 3 is a cylindrical member that is open at the top and bottom, and a through hole 9 for fixing the bottom plate is provided on a side surface. The lid member 4 is disposed in the upper opening of the casing body 3, and rainwater and the like are prevented from entering from the opening by the side wall 10 of the lid member.

  In addition, by opening the upper part of the casing body 3 and forming a watertight structure with a detachable lid member, for example, setting of internal members such as switching of a setting switch to be described later, replacement of a part such as a battery, etc. Can be made easier.

  The bottom plate 5 includes a placement portion 11 having substantially the same shape as the internal cross-sectional shape of the casing body 3 and a fixing portion 12 provided downward on both sides of the placement portion 11.

  The mounting portion 11 is provided with a notch 14 for guiding the cable to the outside. As the cables, there are a power cable 41 to the external power source of the recording apparatus 1, and power cables 52a and 52b and image cables 51a and 51b of a camera connected to a power connector and an image connector described later.

  The fixing portion 12 is provided with a screw hole 13 for fixing the casing body 3 and the bottom plate 5. The screw 6 is arranged in the screw hole 13 through the through hole 9 of the casing body 3, and is screwed. 3 and the bottom plate 5 are fixed. Since the fixing portion 12 of the bottom plate 5 is provided below the placement portion 11 on which the internal member 7 is placed, the fixing portion 12 reaches the internal member 7 even if rainwater or the like enters through the gap of the screw 6. There is nothing. Therefore, the internal member 7 disposed inside the casing 2 can prevent water from entering from above, such as rain, while facilitating the routing of the cable to the outside and providing the casing with a watertight structure with a simple configuration. Can be granted.

  The internal member 7 accommodated in the casing 3 is a circuit member constituting a functional block as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the recording apparatus 1 is described as being connected to two cameras, the first camera 50a and the second camera 50b. However, as will be described later, the recording apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes four recording apparatuses. Can be connected to a single camera.

  The recording apparatus 1 includes a control calculation unit 20, a battery 25, a recording unit 26, a setting switch 27, an image output unit 28, a speaker 29, an image receiving unit 30, image connectors 31a to 31d, and power connectors 32a to 32d.

  The control arithmetic unit 20 controls the operation of the entire apparatus, and includes four functional blocks: an image processing unit 21, a setting change unit 22, a connection confirmation unit 23, and an alarm processing unit 24.

  The battery 25 functions as a spare battery and does not supply power to the apparatus during normal operation. When power is not supplied to the apparatus from the power cable 41 connected to the external power supply 40, the battery 25 It is used for the operation to send an alarm. Therefore, a relatively small battery is sufficient, and the recording apparatus 1 can be configured in a small size.

  The recording unit 26 is for recording image data sent from a camera connected to the recording apparatus 1, and a semiconductor memory, a hard disk drive, or the like can be used.

  The setting switch 27 is used to perform various settings of the recording apparatus 1, specifically, settings of a connector connected to the camera. The setting switch can be configured by, for example, an on / off switch corresponding to the connector, and can be set by adjusting switching of the switch corresponding to the connector to which the camera is connected.

  The image output unit 28 is for outputting the image data stored in the recording unit 26 to an external monitor or the like. The image output unit 28 may be an interface for image transfer, for example, a hub for connecting to an electronic computer and transmitting / receiving information for operating the control calculation unit from the outside. Also good.

  The image connectors 31a to 31d are connectors for connecting the image cables 51a and 51b of the cameras 50a and 50b connected to the recording apparatus 1. The image information sent from each of the cameras 50a and 50b is sent to the control calculation unit 20 via the image receiving unit 30 and processed by the image processing unit 21.

  The power connectors 32 a to 32 d are connectors for connecting power cables 52 a and 52 b for supplying power to the cameras 50 a and 50 b connected to the recording apparatus 1.

  The camera connected to the recording device 1 is a camera that can output a captured image as image data. The camera may be a still camera that captures still images or a movie camera that captures moving images. Moreover, not only the thing image | photographed by visible light but you may use an infrared camera.

  Next, the operation of the recording apparatus 1 will be described. After determining the attachment positions of the recording device 1 and the camera, the image cable and power cable of the camera are routed to the recording device 1 and connected to the image connector and the power connector. Up to four cameras can be installed in the recording apparatus 1 as described above. In the present embodiment, the description will proceed assuming that two cameras are attached.

  The camera according to the present embodiment is used for monitoring nighttime intrusion at a construction site, and an infrared camera equipped with an infrared light source is used to enable photographing even in a dark environment.

  When the setting switch corresponding to the connector to which the camera is connected is switched to the connection side, processing of image data output from the camera is started. The setting change unit 22 records the setting change status regarding which connector the camera is connected to.

  Image data sent continuously or intermittently from the camera is converted into one recorded image information corresponding to each camera by the image processing unit 21. At this time, the connection confirmation unit 23 always confirms whether image data from the set camera has been received. Confirmation of the image reception of the camera by the setting change unit 22 may be performed by confirming, for example, a synchronization signal included in the image data.

  For example, the image processing unit 21 assigns which camera information is included in the image information and associates it with the camera to create recorded image information. The recorded image information is stored in the recording unit 26.

  The recorded image information recorded in the recording unit 26 is output to an external device via the image output unit 28 and can be confirmed on a display device such as a monitor.

  While the image processing unit 21 is recording an image on the recording unit 26, an image from the camera is caused by a camera failure, a power cable and an image cable being dropped or cut, a power cable 41 connected to the external power supply 40 being dropped or cut, and the like. If data reception cannot be confirmed, the following processing is performed.

  If the connection confirmation unit 23 cannot confirm an image from one camera due to a camera failure or the disconnection or disconnection of the power cable and image cable, the alarm processing unit 24 transmits warning information as follows.

  When the operation of the recording apparatus is not performed due to the disconnection / disconnection of the power cable 41, the operation is switched to the power drive from the battery 25, and the warning processing unit 24 transmits the warning information.

  First, when the reception of the image information cannot be confirmed, the warning processing unit 24 identifies a camera that cannot receive the image and causes the speaker 29 to utter a predetermined audio alarm.

  Note that the sound uttered from the speaker 29 at this time may be different for each camera. Also, the sound may be different even when the reception from all the cameras cannot be confirmed due to the disconnection / cutting of the power cable.

  As described above, according to the recording device of the present invention, even when the image data cannot be recorded due to a cable being dropped or the like, the trouble can be solved by issuing an alarm. .

  The recording apparatus of the present invention can be widely used as an image recording apparatus for a monitoring camera that is temporarily installed outdoors, such as a monitoring system at a construction site.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Recording device 2 Casing 3 Casing main body 4 Cover member 5 Bottom plate 7 Internal member 9 Through-hole 10 Side wall 11 Mounting part 12 Fixing part 13 Screw hole 14 Notch 20 Control calculating part 21 Image processing part 22 Setting change part 23 Connection confirmation part 24 alarm processing unit 25 battery 26 recording unit 27 setting switch 28 image output unit 29 speaker 30 image receiving units 31a to 31d image connectors 32a to 32d power connector

Claims (4)

A plurality of camera connections connected to each camera outputting image information;
An image processing unit that converts each image information received from each camera connected to the camera connection unit into one recorded image information corresponding to each camera;
An image recording unit for recording the recorded image information processed by the image processing unit;
A connection status setting unit that identifies a camera connection unit connected to the camera;
An alarm processing unit for transmitting warning information when reception of image information from the camera set by the connection information setting unit is stopped.   The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the warning processing unit transmits different warning information depending on a camera connection unit that stops receiving image information.   The recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a standby power source for transmitting alarm information by the alarm processing unit. 4. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connection status setting unit includes a switch provided corresponding to the camera connection unit. 5.

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