JP2012093837A - Monitoring support system and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a monitoring system and a program which can easily identify whether a person existing in a monitoring target area is permitted to enter the monitoring target area with high accuracy.SOLUTION: A monitoring camera 12 photographs a work area. A transmission device 14 transmits a request signal to a work area A. Then, an ID card 16 possessed by a permitted person emits infrared light in a predetermined emission state when receiving the request signal transmitted from the transmission device 14. A host computer 18 displays a moving image photographed by the monitoring camera 12 on a display.

Description

  The present invention relates to a monitoring support system and a program.

  As a method for preventing a suspicious person from entering a specific area, there is known a method for allowing a monitor to monitor a specific area. As a monitoring method by the surveillance staff, the surveillance area is photographed with a surveillance camera, and the surveillance person sees the image obtained by photographing through the monitor. There is known a method for making a monitor judge whether or not there is a person who is doing this. However, when a wide range of monitoring target areas are monitored by this method, even if a known person is in the monitoring target area, it is difficult to specify the person. There is also a limit on the duration of concentration of the observer. Furthermore, the burden is further increased when the supervisor has to monitor a plurality of locations in the monitoring target area through a plurality of monitoring monitors. Considering the burden on the observer, there may be a method of increasing the number of observers and monitoring them in shifts, but in that case, the cost increases.

  From such a background, a technique for identifying a person in a monitoring target area using an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag has been developed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). However, this technology has the problem that the radio wave reflection / absorption characteristics are different for each monitored area, so the exact position (about ± 1 m at most) cannot be grasped unless the position specifying function is adjusted very finely. Have. In addition, outdoors, there is a problem in that location accuracy may deteriorate due to interference of radio waves due to movement of obstacles such as automobiles. Furthermore, there is a problem that a person who does not own the RFID tag cannot be monitored.

  Therefore, a person is photographed with a camera at the entrance and exit of the monitoring target area, a person image is extracted from the image obtained by shooting, and specific information for identifying the person is associated with the extracted person image, and the monitoring target is extracted. A person tracking method for tracking a person who enters the area with a surveillance camera is being studied.

JP 2007-179491 A

  However, the person tracking method described above has a problem that even if a person can be specified once in the monitoring target area, the person cannot be identified afterwards or by overlapping with another person.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is easy and highly accurate whether or not a person existing in the monitoring target area is permitted to enter the monitoring target area. It is an object to provide a monitoring support system and program that can be identified.

  In order to achieve the above object, the monitoring support system according to claim 1 can be possessed by a person, a photographing means for photographing the monitoring target area, a transmission device for transmitting a light emission request signal to the monitoring target area, and a person. A light emitting device that emits light that can be photographed by the photographing means in a light emitting state predetermined for each holder when receiving a light emission request signal transmitted from the transmission device, and the light emitting device And a display device for displaying an image obtained by photographing by the photographing means during a predetermined period including a period in which light is emitted from.

  According to the monitoring support system of claim 1, the monitoring target area is shot by the shooting unit, and a light emission request signal is transmitted to the monitoring target area by the transmission device. When the light emission request signal transmitted from the transmission device is received, light that can be photographed by the photographing means is emitted in a light emission state predetermined for each holder.

  In the present invention, the display device displays an image obtained by photographing by the photographing means during a predetermined period including a period during which light is emitted from the light emitting device.

  That is, in the present invention, the light emitted from the light emitting device in a predetermined light emission state for each holder and the person in the monitoring target area are photographed and displayed by displaying the photographed image. It is possible to easily identify which person is permitted to enter the monitoring target area and which person is not permitted to enter the monitoring target area.

  Thus, according to the monitoring support system of claim 1, since the image obtained by the photographing means is displayed during the predetermined period including the period in which light is emitted from the light emitting device, the monitoring is supported. It is possible to easily and accurately identify whether a person existing in the target area is a person permitted to enter the monitoring target area.

  Further, according to the present invention, as in the invention described in claim 2, the permitter associated with the light emission state of the light emitting device that can be possessed by the permitter permitted to enter the monitoring target area. Storage means for storing permitted person information to be indicated, detection means for detecting the light emission state from an image obtained by photographing by the photographing means, and the permitter corresponding to the light emission state detected by the detection means in the storage means A judgment unit for judging whether or not information is stored, and a warning device provided with a warning unit for issuing a warning when the judgment unit judges that the permitter information is not stored. May be. As a result, it is possible to more easily and accurately identify whether a person existing in the monitoring target area is a person permitted to enter the monitoring target area.

  Further, according to the present invention, as in the invention described in claim 3, the determination unit further determines whether or not a human image is included in an image obtained by photographing by the photographing unit, The warning unit may issue a warning when it is determined by the determination unit that the permitter information is not stored and it is determined that the person image is included. Thereby, an authorized person can be easily specified from an image obtained by photographing.

  Further, according to the present invention, as in the invention described in claim 4, the light emitting position of the light emitting state indicated by the image obtained by the determination unit is further changed within a predetermined period. The warning means may further issue a warning when the determination means determines that the light emission position has not changed within the predetermined period. Thereby, it is possible to easily identify whether or not a person in the monitoring target area has been stopped for a predetermined period.

  Further, according to the present invention, as in the fifth aspect of the present invention, the photographing unit may photograph the monitoring target area at a predetermined photographing time interval. Thereby, while being able to improve convenience, the burden concerning a monitoring person can be reduced.

  On the other hand, in order to achieve the above object, a program according to claim 6 is provided by a computer, an imaging unit that images a monitoring target area, a transmission device that transmits a light emission request signal to the monitoring target area, and a person. A light emitting device capable of emitting light that can be photographed by the photographing means in a light emitting state predetermined for each holder when receiving a light emission request signal transmitted from the transmission device, and the light emission Obtained by being photographed by the photographing means of the monitoring system including a display device that displays an image obtained by photographing by the photographing means during a predetermined period including a period in which light is emitted from the device. Detection means for detecting the light emission pattern from the image, the light emission of the light emitting device that can be possessed by a permitter authorized to enter the monitoring target area Determining means for determining whether or not the permitter information corresponding to the light emission state detected by the detection means is stored in the storage means storing the permitter information indicating the permitter associated with the state; and When the determination means determines that the permitter information is not stored, it functions as an alarm means for issuing an alarm.

  Therefore, according to the program of the sixth aspect, the computer can be caused to act in the same manner as the second aspect of the invention. Whether or not an existing person is permitted to enter the monitoring target area can be identified more easily and with high accuracy.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to easily and accurately identify whether or not a person existing in the monitoring target area is permitted to enter the monitoring target area.

It is a block diagram which shows an example of the whole structure of the monitoring system which concerns on embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the external structure of the ID card which concerns on embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the principal part structure of the electric system of the ID card which concerns on embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the principal part structure of the electric system of the host computer which concerns on embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the main memory content of the secondary memory | storage part with which the host computer which concerns on embodiment was equipped. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the ID information database which concerns on embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the permission state management database which concerns on embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of the monitoring process program which concerns on embodiment. It is the schematic which shows an example of the display screen of the display with which the host computer which concerns on embodiment was equipped. It is the schematic which shows an example of the display screen of the display with which the host computer which concerns on embodiment was equipped. It is the schematic which shows an example of the display screen of the display with which the host computer which concerns on embodiment was equipped. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of the person monitoring process routine program which concerns on embodiment. It is the schematic which shows an example of the display screen of the display with which the host computer which concerns on embodiment was equipped.

  Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Here, a case will be described in which the monitoring support system according to the present invention is applied to a monitoring system that monitors the state of each of the work areas A to C as monitoring target areas provided outdoors.

  First, the configuration of a monitoring system 10 to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, in order to avoid complications, the configuration of the monitoring system 10 will be described using the work area A as an example. In the following description, when it is not necessary to distinguish between the work areas A to C, the work areas A to C are simply referred to as “work areas” without adding the final alphabet.

  FIG. 1 shows an example of the overall configuration of a monitoring system 10 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the monitoring system 10 includes a monitoring camera 12, a transmission device 14, an ID (Identification) card 16, and a host computer 18. The surveillance camera 12 is a video camera that takes a moving image of the work area A. In the monitoring system 10 according to the present embodiment, a plurality (two in this case) of monitoring cameras 12 are installed in the work area A, and each of the monitoring cameras 12 has a different person existing in the work area A. It is arranged to shoot from the direction. In the monitoring system 10 according to the present embodiment, a digital camera that captures 30 frames per second is applied as the monitoring camera 12.

  The ID card 16 is possessed by a person permitted to enter any of the work areas A to C (hereinafter referred to as “permitted person”). The ID card 16 stores unique ID information for each authorized person. Further, the ID card 16 has a function of emitting infrared light according to stored ID information to the outside, and allows the permitter to shoot the emitted infrared light by the monitoring camera 12. It is installed. In the monitoring system 10 according to the present embodiment, the permitter is obliged to wear the helmet and wear the ID card 16 on the outer surface of the helmet. You may be required to wear it on other things that the permitter has to possess.

  FIG. 2 shows an external perspective view of the ID card 16. As shown in the figure, the ID card 16 is formed in a flat plate shape having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, and the face photograph and name of the permitter are written on the surface. Further, the upper right corner of the ID card 16 in front view is formed of a light-transmitting material (in this embodiment, a transparent plastic member), and has a shape with a corner. A light emitting element 16 </ b> A is embedded in the upper right corner of the ID card 16 when viewed from the front. In the ID card 16 according to the present embodiment, a light emitting diode that emits infrared light (so-called infrared LED) is applied as the light emitting element 16A. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a light emitting diode or light emitting diode that emits visible light is used. A device that emits light that can be photographed by the monitoring camera 12, such as a light emitting element other than the above, may be applied. In addition, the ID card 16 shown in FIG. 2 is possessed by an authorized person who works in the work area A. However, the ID card 16 for visitors is an ID except that the face photograph and name are not written on the surface. The same as that of the card 16.

  The transmission device 14 transmits a radio wave having directivity to the work area A, and a request signal for requesting the person existing in the work area A to provide ID information for identifying the person. Send.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of the main configuration of the electric system of the ID card 16. As shown in the figure, an ID card 16 includes an issuing element 16A, a CPU (central processing unit) 16B that controls the operation of the entire ID card 16, and a RAM used as a work area when the CPU 16B executes various processing programs. (Random Access Memory) 16C, ROM (Read Only Memory) 16D in which ID information, various processing programs, and various parameters are stored in advance, and a communication I / F that controls transmission and reception of various signals between external devices (Interface) 16E, an antenna 16F connected to the communication I / F 16E, and a power source 16G for supplying driving power to each part of the ID card 16 are provided. In the figure, in order to avoid complication, illustration of connection wiring from the power supply 16G to each part of the power supply destination is omitted.

  A light emitting element 16A is connected to the CPU 16B, and the CPU 16B can selectively switch between light emission and non-light emission of the light emitting element 16A. Further, the RAM 16C and the ROM 16D are connected to the CPU 16B, and the CPU 16B can access the RAM 16C and the ROM 16D. Further, a communication I / F 16E is connected to the CPU 16B, and the CPU 16B can exchange various signals with an external device or the like via the communication I / F 16E. In the ID card 16 according to the present embodiment, the CPU 16B, the RAM 16C, the ROM 16D, the communication I / F 16E, the antenna 16F, and the power supply 16G are configured as an IC tag, thereby reducing the size and cost of the ID card 16. Has been realized.

  Further, in the ID card 16 according to the present embodiment, the CPU 16B causes the light emitting element 16A to emit light in a predetermined light emitting state so that the ID information stored in the ROM 16D can be specified. Here, a light emission period (flashing pattern) is applied as the light emission state, and the light emission period is determined in advance according to the frame rate of the monitoring camera 12. In addition, as another form of the light emission state, a light emission state, light emission luminance, or the like representing a unique pattern (for example, a pattern in which “x”, “◯”, or the like is combined) according to ID information can be exemplified.

  On the other hand, the host computer 18 plays a central role in the monitoring system 10. In the monitoring system 10 according to the present embodiment, the host computer 18 is installed in the monitoring room where the monitoring person is stationed. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be installed in another room or a security company. Good.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of the main configuration of the electrical system of the host computer 18. As shown in the figure, the host computer 18 includes a CPU 18A that controls the operation of the entire host computer 18, a RAM 18B that is used as a work area when the CPU 18A executes various processing programs, various processing programs, various parameters, and the like. To display a ROM 18C stored in advance, a secondary storage unit (here, a hard disk device) 18D used for storing various information, a keyboard 18E used for inputting various information, and various information A display 18F used, and an input / output I / F (interface) 18G that is electrically connected to each of the monitoring camera 12 and the transmission device 14 and that exchanges various signals with these external devices. These parts are electrically connected by the system bus BUS. It is connected to.

  Accordingly, the CPU 18A accesses the RAM 18B, ROM 18C, and secondary storage unit 18D, acquires various input information via the keyboard 18E, displays various information on the display 18F, and communicates with the monitoring camera 12 via the input / output I / F 18G. Various signals can be exchanged between them, and various signals can be exchanged with the transmission device 14 via the input / output I / F 18G.

  FIG. 5 schematically shows main storage contents of the secondary storage unit 18D. As shown in the figure, the secondary storage unit 18D is provided with a database area DB for storing various databases and a program area PG for storing application programs for performing various processes. It has been.

  The database area DB includes an ID information database DB1 and a permission state management database DB2. Hereinafter, the configuration of these databases will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 6 shows an example of the configuration of the ID information database DB1. As shown in the figure, the ID information database DB1 stores ID information and permitter name information corresponding to the ID information in association with each other. In the figure, the authorized person name information indicating the authorized person name “Ichiro Takenaka” for the ID information “1001” and the authorized person “Jiro Takenaka” for the ID information “1002” are shown. The authorized person name information indicating the name is "1003" and the authorized person name information indicating the authorized person name "Saburo Takenaka" is "1004" and the authorized person name information "1004" is "Shiro Takenaka". The example in which the permitter name information indicating the permitter name is stored in association with each other is illustrated. As described above, in the monitoring system 10 according to the present embodiment, unique ID information is assigned to each permitter so as not to overlap between permitters.

  FIG. 7 shows an example of the configuration of the permission state management database DB2. As shown in the figure, the permission state management database DB2 is configured to store each information of monitoring target area information indicating a monitoring target area, time slot information indicating a time slot, and permitter ID information. Yes. The monitoring target area information is information indicating each of the work areas A to C, and the time zone information is information indicating a time zone of work performed in the work area indicated by the corresponding monitoring target area information. The ID information is information indicating ID information of an authorized person who is permitted to enter a time zone corresponding to the corresponding work area.

  In the figure, the authorized person who is permitted to enter the work area A is assumed to be the owner of the ID card 16 in which “1001” to “1020” is stored as ID information from 0:00 to 5:00. From 5 o'clock to 20 o'clock, it is assumed that the owner of the ID card 16 storing any of “1001” to “4200” as ID information, and from 20 o'clock to 0 o'clock, ID information from “1001” to “2050” A form example is shown in which one of the above is stored as the holder of the ID card 16 stored therein. Further, in the figure, the authorized person who is permitted to enter the work area B has an ID card 16 in which any of “5001” to “6200” is stored as ID information from 0:00 to 5:00. From 5 o'clock to 20 o'clock as the owner of the ID card 16 in which “5001” to “8200” is stored as ID information, and from 20 o'clock to 0 o'clock as ID information from “5001” to “ A configuration example is shown in which the holder of the ID card 16 in which any of “7000” is stored.

  Next, the operation of the monitoring system 10 according to the present embodiment will be described.

  First, the monitor turns on the power of each of the monitoring camera 12, the transmission device 14, and the host computer 18. In response to this, the monitoring camera 12 continuously shoots the work area A, and transmits to the host computer 18 moving image information indicating a moving image composed of images obtained by shooting. The host computer 18 receives the moving image information transmitted from the monitoring camera 12, and displays the moving image indicated by the received moving image information on the display 18F.

  Further, the host computer 18 instructs the transmission device 14 to transmit a request signal at a predetermined time interval (for example, every 30 minutes), and the transmission device 14 responds to the work area A accordingly. In response, a request signal is transmitted. When the CPU 16B of the ID card 16 possessed by the authorized person existing in the work area A receives the request signal transmitted from the transmitting device 14, the light emitting element 16A emits light according to the ID information stored in the ROM 16D. Light up in the state. Since the light emitting element 16 </ b> A emits infrared light, the infrared light is captured by the monitoring camera 12 and displayed on the display 18 </ b> F of the host computer 18. Accordingly, the monitor can grasp the state of the work area A by observing the moving image displayed on the display 18F, and a person who is not emitting infrared light from the ID card 16 is displayed on the display 18F. If it is, it can be easily determined that there is a possibility of a suspicious person.

  By the way, in the monitoring system 10 according to the present embodiment, the host computer 18 executes monitoring processing for reducing the monitoring burden on the monitoring staff. Therefore, hereinafter, the monitoring process according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Note that FIG. 8 shows predetermined conditions (in this embodiment, each of the monitoring camera 12, the transmission device 14, and the host computer 18 is turned on, and all of these are in a state of waiting for an instruction from the outside. Is a flowchart showing the processing flow of the monitoring processing program executed by the CPU 18A of the host computer 18 at predetermined time intervals (in this embodiment, every second) after satisfying This monitoring processing program is stored in advance in the program area PG of the secondary storage unit 18D. Here, in order to avoid complications, a case where the databases shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 have already been constructed will be described as an example. Here, a case where the work area A is monitored in order to avoid complications will be described.

  In step 100 of the figure, moving image information is acquired from each monitoring camera 12. In the monitoring system according to the present embodiment, as the processing of step 100, image information for 30 frames is acquired as moving image information from each monitoring camera 12, but at least infrared light emitted from the light emitting element 16A. What is necessary is just to acquire the image information of the frame number which can detect the light emission state.

  In the next step 102, it is determined whether or not an image indicating a person (hereinafter referred to as “person image”) is included in the image indicated by each image information acquired in the process of step 100. A person image is extracted when it is determined that the image is included.

  In the next step 104, it is determined whether or not a person image has been extracted in the process of step 102. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 106, and each image information acquired in the process of step 100 is used. It is determined whether or not the displayed moving image includes an image indicating infrared light emitted from the light emitting element 16A (hereinafter referred to as “infrared light image”), and an infrared light image is included. If it is determined that the infrared light image is present, an infrared light image is extracted.

  In the next step 108, it is determined whether or not an infrared light image has been extracted in the process of step 106. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 110. If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step 110. 114.

  In step 110, the light emission state of the infrared light emitted from the light emitting element 16A is detected from the infrared light image extracted in the process of step 106. If the light emission state is detected, the process of step 200 described later is performed. The position information indicating the light emission position in the light emission state in the work area A is stored in the secondary storage unit 18D, and the secondary storage unit 18D is processed in this step 110 of the monitoring processing program executed a predetermined number of times before. Is deleted from the secondary storage unit 18D. In the monitoring processing routine program according to the present embodiment, 20 times is applied as the “predetermined number of times” applied in step 110. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a number of times such as 30 times or 40 times is applied. Alternatively, any number of times may be used as long as it is possible to detect that the person is stopped at the same position for a predetermined period in the person monitoring processing routine program described later. Further, in the monitoring processing program according to the present embodiment, as the “position information” applied in step 110, information indicating addresses given in advance to each of the areas obtained by dividing the work area A with a grid mesh in advance is used. Applicable. In this case, a mode in which the work area A is divided by a mesh of 100 sections and any number of 1 to 100 is given as an address to each section can be exemplified. In addition, two-dimensional coordinates previously applied to the work area A may be applied as “position information”. Further, in the monitoring system 10 according to the present embodiment, the light emitting element 16A of the ID card 16 is caused to emit light at a light emission period corresponding to the ID information stored in the ID card 16, so in this step 110, the light emitting element 16A. The flashing pattern of the light emitting element 16 is detected as the light emission period. For example, the blinking pattern corresponding to the ID information “1001” is sequentially turned on, off, turned off, and turned on at predetermined frame intervals, and the blinking pattern corresponding to the ID information “1002” An example is given in which lighting, extinguishing, extinguishing, lighting, and lighting are sequentially performed at frame intervals.

  In the next step 112, it is determined whether or not the light emission state detected in the process of step 110 is an unauthorized light emission state. That is, the light emission state detected in the process of step 110 is a light emission state indicating permitter ID information not included in the permitter ID information assigned to the current time zone in the work area A of the permission state management database DB2. It is determined whether or not. And when it becomes affirmation determination by this step 112 (The light emission according to ID information in which the light emission state detected by the process of the said step 110 corresponds to the permission person ID information allocated to the work area A of permission state management database DB2) If not, the process proceeds to step 114.

  On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step 104, the process proceeds to step 116, the same process as in step 106 is performed, then the process proceeds to step 118, and the same process as in step 108 is performed. If an affirmative determination is made in step 118, the process proceeds to step 114. If a negative determination is made, the monitoring processing program is terminated.

  In step 114, it is determined whether or not an alarm by the processing in step 120 described later when the previous monitoring processing program is executed is being executed. If the determination is affirmative, the monitoring processing program is terminated. On the other hand, when it becomes negative determination, it transfers to step 120.

  In step 120, an alarm is issued on the display 18F to prompt the monitor to confirm the status of the work area A, and then the process proceeds to step 122. Specifically, in step 120, as a process in the case where an affirmative determination is made in step 112, the person who enters the work area A (work area B or C) is entered instead of the authorized person permitted to enter the work area A. Information indicating that the authorized person who is permitted to enter the work area A is displayed. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, an image of the work area indicated by the image information acquired in the process of step 100 is displayed on the display 18 </ b> F, and “an authorized person of another work area is displayed in the currently displayed work area. Is likely to be lost. "Is displayed.

  In step 120, as a process in the case where a negative determination is made in step 108, there is a possibility that an unauthorized person who is not permitted to enter any of the work areas A to C has entered the work area A. Display high information. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, an image of the work area indicated by the image information acquired in the process of step 100 is displayed on the display 18 </ b> F, and “a suspicious person has entered the currently displayed work area. A message screen with the message “It is highly possible” is displayed.

  Further, in step 120, as a process when an affirmative determination is made in step 118, information indicating that there is a high possibility that the ID card is left in work area A is displayed. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, an image of the work area indicated by the image information acquired in the process of step 100 is displayed on the display 18 </ b> F, and “the ID card is misplaced in the currently displayed work area. Message is likely. "

  In step 122, the process waits until a predetermined timing is reached as a timing for ending the alarm, and when an affirmative determination is made, the process proceeds to step 124. After the alarm is terminated, the present monitoring processing program is terminated.

  In the monitoring processing program according to the present embodiment, the “predetermined timing” applied in step 122 is the timing at which instruction information for instructing the user to end the alarm is input via the keyboard 18E. Although applied, it is not restricted to this, For example, it cannot be overemphasized that other timings, such as the timing which became predetermined time, or the timing when predetermined time passed since the alarm started, may be applied. .

  On the other hand, when a negative determination is made in step 112 (the light emission state corresponding to the ID information corresponding to the permitter ID information in which the light emission state detected in the processing of step 110 corresponds to the work area A of the permission state management database DB2) If YES, the process moves to step 126, executes the person monitoring process routine program, and then ends the monitoring process program. Here, the person monitoring processing routine program will be described with reference to FIG. The person monitoring process routine program is also stored in advance in the program area PG of the secondary storage unit 18D.

  In step 200 of the figure, it is determined whether or not an alarm is being executed by the process of step 208 described later when the previous person monitoring process routine program is executed. On the other hand, if the monitoring processing program is terminated, a negative determination is made, and the routine proceeds to step 202.

  In step 202, whether the light emission state detected in the process of step 110 is the light emission state detected in the process of step 110 when the monitoring processing program is executed a predetermined number of times (20 times in the present embodiment). If the determination is negative and the negative determination is made, the person monitoring process routine program is terminated. If the determination is affirmative, the routine proceeds to step 204.

  In step 204, the monitoring processing program is executed before the position information indicating the light emission position of the light emission state detected in the processing of step 110 of the currently executed monitoring processing program and a predetermined number of times (in this embodiment, 20 times). It is determined whether or not there is a difference with the position information indicating the light emission position of the light emission state detected in the processing of step 110 at the time, and if the determination is negative, the person monitoring processing program is terminated. On the other hand, if the determination is affirmative, the routine proceeds to step 206. Note that the “difference” applied in step 204 may include an error. For example, as an error included in the difference, an error for one adjacent address can be exemplified.

  In step 206, position information indicating the light emission position of the light emission state detected in the processing of step 110 of the currently executed monitoring processing program and the processing of step 110 when the monitoring processing program is executed a predetermined number of times ago are detected. It is determined whether or not the difference between the light emission position and the position information indicating the light emission position exceeds a threshold value (two adjacent addresses in the present embodiment). On the other hand, if the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 208, where an alarm is issued on the display 18F to prompt the supervisor to confirm the status of the work area A, and then the process proceeds to step 210. Specifically, in step 208, information indicating that there is a high possibility that the authorized person permitted to enter the work area A has not moved for a predetermined period of time is displayed. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, an image of the work area indicated by the image information acquired in the process of step 100 is displayed on the display 18 </ b> F, and “an authorized person who has not moved to the currently displayed work area for a predetermined period of time. Message is likely to be present. "

  In step 210, the process waits until a predetermined timing is reached as a timing for ending the alarm. When an affirmative determination is made, the process proceeds to step 212. After the alarm is terminated, the person monitoring processing program is terminated.

  In the monitoring processing program according to the present embodiment, the “predetermined timing” applied in step 210 is the timing at which instruction information for instructing the user to end the alarm is input via the keyboard 18E. Although applied, it is not restricted to this, For example, it cannot be overemphasized that other timings, such as the timing which became predetermined time, or the timing when predetermined time passed since the alarm started, may be applied. .

  As described above in detail, in the monitoring system 10 according to the present embodiment, the work area A is photographed by the monitoring camera 12, the request signal is transmitted to the work area A by the transmission device 14, and is possessed by the permitter. When the request signal transmitted from the transmission device 14 is received by the ID card 16, infrared light is emitted in a predetermined light emission state and obtained by being photographed by the monitoring camera 12 by the display 18 F of the host computer 18. Therefore, the monitor can easily and accurately identify whether or not a person existing in the work area A is permitted to enter the work area A. it can.

  Further, in the monitoring system 10 according to the present embodiment, permission state management that stores permitter ID information associated with the light emission state from the ID card 16 possessed by the permitter permitted to enter the work area A. A database DB2 is provided, and the CPU 18A detects a light emission state of the ID card 16 from a moving image captured by the monitoring camera 12, and permitter ID information corresponding to the detected light emission state is included in the permission state management database DB2. Since the warning is issued via the display 18F when the permitter ID information is not included in the permission state management database DB2, the monitor is not allowed to operate the person who exists in the work area A. Whether or not the person is permitted to enter the area A can be identified more easily and with high accuracy.

  In the monitoring system 10 according to the present embodiment, the CPU 18A determines whether a person image is included in the image obtained by the monitoring camera 12, and the permitter ID information is in the permission state management database DB2. And when the image obtained by the surveillance camera 12 is determined to contain a person image, an alarm is issued via the display 18F. Can be easily identified.

  Further, in the monitoring system 10 according to the present embodiment, an alarm is issued when the light emission position in the light emission state indicated by the image captured by the monitoring camera 12 has not changed for a predetermined period. It is possible to easily identify whether a person has been stopped for a predetermined period.

  In the monitoring system 10 according to the present embodiment, since the monitoring camera 12 always captures a moving image of the work area A, the person who is present in the work area A enters the work area A. Thus, it is possible to more easily and accurately identify whether or not the person is authorized.

  In the above embodiment, the case where a warning by visual display on the display 18F is applied has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the host computer 18 is provided with sounding means such as a buzzer or a speaker. In addition, a warning form by the ringing by the ringing means or an image forming apparatus (for example, a printer) is provided in the host computer 18, and an image showing the warning content is formed on a recording medium (for example, paper) by the image forming apparatus. The form which warns by this is mentioned. In these cases, the same effects as in the above embodiment can be obtained. Further, the warning may be performed by combining at least any two of the visual display on the display 18F, the sound (audible display) by the sounding means, and the permanent visual display by the image forming apparatus.

  In the above-described embodiment, the description has been given by taking the form example in the case of shooting at 30 frames per second. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, an image of one frame may be shot every 3 seconds. . In this way, the work area may be imaged at predetermined imaging time intervals. As a result, it is possible to reduce the burden on the supervisor because the trouble of photographing by the supervisor is saved.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment gave and demonstrated the example in the case of image | photographing using the two monitoring cameras 12, this invention is not limited to this, It is the one monitoring camera 12. Alternatively, three or more surveillance cameras 12 may be installed.

  In the above embodiment, the work area A has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and each of the work area B and the work area C has the same configuration as in the above embodiment. Similar actions and effects can be obtained. When a moving image obtained by photographing the work area B or the work area C is displayed and the monitoring process is executed, for example, by specifying the work area via the keyboard 18E of the host computer 18, the display 18F is displayed. In addition, a mode in which a moving image of a designated work area is displayed and the monitoring process is executed on the moving image can be exemplified. In this case, it is possible to monitor across multiple work areas simply by specifying the work area, which can further reduce the burden on monitoring personnel and contribute to lower labor costs. Can do.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment gave and demonstrated the example which displays the moving image obtained by image | photographing with the one monitoring camera 12 on the display 18F, this invention is not limited to this, A several A moving image captured by each of the surveillance cameras 12 may be displayed using a plurality of screens, or a plurality of displays 18F may be prepared in advance, and each of these displays 18F may be displayed. On the other hand, a moving image obtained by photographing with one monitoring camera 12 may be displayed. In this case, a mode in which the monitoring process is performed on the moving image displayed on the screen of the display 18F designated via the keyboard 18E of the host computer 18 can be exemplified.

  In the above embodiment, each of the two monitoring cameras 12 has been described with reference to an example in which the entire work area is captured at different angles of view. However, the present invention is not limited to this, For example, each of the plurality of monitoring cameras 12 may be caused to photograph different partial areas in the work area. In this case as well, a plurality of surveillance cameras 12 may be used to shoot one area from various angles. As a result, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a situation where infrared light emitted from the ID card 16 cannot be captured.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the case where the one transmission apparatus 14 was used with respect to work area A-C was mentioned as an example, it demonstrated, this invention is not limited to this, Work area A- One transmitter 14 may be installed for each of C.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the mode in which infrared light is emitted from the ID card 16 has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, visible light is emitted from the ID card 16. May be.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where a digital camera that captures a moving image is applied as the monitoring camera 12 is described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a camera that captures a still image, so-called A digital electronic still camera may be applied. Also in this case, the same effect as the above embodiment can be obtained.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment gave and demonstrated the example in the case of transmitting a request signal by predetermined transmission time (in the said embodiment, 30 minutes) interval, this invention is not limited to this. For example, the request signal may be transmitted from the transmission device 14 when the supervisor instructs the transmission of the request signal via the keyboard 18E of the host computer 18. As a result, infrared light can be emitted from the ID card 16 in response to the request of the monitor, so that convenience can be improved and the burden on the monitor of the monitor can be reduced.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the description has been given by taking an example in which a moving image is always displayed on the display 18F. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a request signal is transmitted by the transmission device 14. In synchronization with this, the CPU 18A controls the monitoring camera 12 to start capturing a moving image, and from this point in time until the ID card 16 starts emitting light and ends (for example, The shooting may be terminated when a predetermined period of time has elapsed as 1.5 seconds). Moreover, you may make it make the monitoring camera 12 image | photograph in the period which added several seconds to this predetermined period. As described above, when the request signal is transmitted by the transmission device 14, the monitoring target area is set in a predetermined period including the period from when the ID card 16 receives the request signal until the end of light emission until the end. You may make it photograph. Thereby, the capacity of the storage area (for example, the storage area of the secondary storage unit 18D) required for storing the image information can be reduced, and further, the power consumption for photographing can be suppressed. Can do.

  Moreover, although the case where the camera for visible light was applied as the monitoring camera 12 was demonstrated in the said embodiment, this invention is not limited to this, It is good also as a form which applies an infrared camera. Also in this case, the same effect as the above embodiment can be obtained.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the example in the case of displaying a predetermined message on 18F as a warning which prompts the supervisor to confirm the status of the work area was described, as another example, Instead of the predetermined message described in the above embodiment, a code number indicating the type of alarm may be displayed. For example, the code number corresponding to the message shown in FIG. 9 is “E1”, the code number corresponding to the message shown in FIG. 10 is “E2”, the code number corresponding to the message shown in FIG. 11 is “E3”, The code number corresponding to the message shown in FIG. 13 is “E4”. Further, together with the messages or the code numbers shown in FIGS. 9 to 11 and 13, the permitter ID information corresponding to the light emission state displayed on the display 18 </ b> F and the permitter name corresponding to the permitter ID information are listed. It may be displayed in tabular form. When displaying the permitter name, the CPU 18A reads the permitter name information corresponding to the permitter ID information from the ID information database DB1, and displays the permitter name indicated by the read permitter name information on the display 18F. Show it. In addition to the name of the permitter, information related to the permitter such as the department name to which the permitter belongs and the place of birth may also be displayed. In this case, for example, personal information indicating a department name or a place of birth for each permitter may be associated with the ID information in the ID information database DB1 in advance.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the specific light emission state was allocated for every permitter, it is not restricted to this, You may assign the same light emission state to a permitter per work area unit. That is, the light emitting element 16A of the ID card 16 possessed by the authorized person in the work area A emits light in a unique light emitting state for the work area A, and the light emitting element 16A of the ID card 16 possessed by the authorized person in the work area B is the working area. B emits light in a unique light emission state, and the light emitting element 16A of the ID card 16 possessed by the authorized person in the work area C emits light in a unique light emission state for the work area C.

  Moreover, although the case where the outdoor work area is set as the monitoring target area has been described in the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, for example, an unspecified number of hospitals, schools, museums, museums, and the like. A specific indoor area where a person can enter can be set as a monitoring target area. Also in this case, the same effect as the above embodiment can be obtained.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the location in which the light emitting element 16A in the ID card 16 is embedded is formed with a translucent material, and the infrared light emitted from the light emitting element 16A can be photographed with the monitoring camera 12. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the entire exterior of the ID card 16 may be made of a light-transmitting material (for example, transparent plastic), or the light-emitting element 16A is exposed to the outside. May be. Thus, the ID card 16 only needs to be configured so that infrared light can be captured by the monitoring camera 12.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, in order to make it easy to catch infrared light with the surveillance camera 12, although it comprised so that the corner | angular part of the ID card 16 might be taken, the scattering of infrared light was promoted. For example, the scattering of infrared light may be facilitated by forming a large number of irregularities in a portion having translucency (a portion where the light emitting element 16A is embedded). As described above, in the part having translucency covering the light emitting element 16 </ b> A in the ID card 16, the infrared light is sufficiently incident on the lens of the monitoring camera 12 even if the number of the monitoring cameras 12 is small. It is preferable that the infrared light is scattered over a wide range.

  In the above-described embodiment, the monitoring camera 12 and the host computer 18 are connected by a wired cable so as to enable communication between the monitoring camera 12 and the host computer 18. For example, the monitoring camera 12 and the host computer 18 may be configured to be communicable via a wireless LAN or Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

  In the above embodiment, the monitoring processing program and the person monitoring processing routine program have been described with reference to an example in which the secondary storage unit 18D is stored in advance. However, the present invention is not limited to this. A form in which these programs are provided in a state of being stored in a recording medium that can be read by a computer such as a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, or a USB memory may be applied or distributed via a wired or wireless communication means A form may be applied.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Monitoring system 12 Monitoring camera 14 Transmission apparatus 16 ID card 16A Light emitting element 18 Host computer 18A CPU
18F display

Claims (6)

Photographing means for photographing the monitored area;
A transmission device that transmits a light emission request signal to the monitoring target area;
A light-emitting device that can be possessed by a person, and that emits light that can be photographed by the photographing means in a light-emitting state predetermined for each holder when the light-emission request signal transmitted from the transmission device is received; ,
A display device for displaying an image obtained by photographing by the photographing means in a predetermined period including a period in which light is emitted from the light emitting device;
Monitoring support system including.   The storage means storing the permitter information indicating the permitter associated with the light emission state of the light emitting device that can be possessed by the permitter permitted to enter the monitoring target area, and is photographed by the photographing means Detection means for detecting the light emission state from the obtained image, determination means for determining whether or not the permitter information corresponding to the light emission state detected by the detection means is stored in the storage means, and the determination The monitoring support system according to claim 1, further comprising an alarm device including an alarm unit that issues an alarm when it is determined by the means that the permitter information is not stored. The determination means further determines whether or not a person image is included in the image obtained by being photographed by the photographing means,
The monitoring support system according to claim 2, wherein the warning unit issues a warning when it is determined by the determination unit that the permitter information is not stored and it is determined that the person image is included. The determination means further determines whether or not the light emission position of the light emission state indicated by the image obtained by photographing by the photographing means has changed within a predetermined period,
The monitoring support system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the warning unit further issues a warning when the determination unit determines that the light emission position has not changed within the predetermined period.   The monitoring support system according to claim 1, wherein the imaging unit images the monitoring target area at a predetermined imaging time interval. Computer
An imaging means for imaging the monitoring target area, a transmission device that transmits a light emission request signal to the monitoring target area, and a light emitting device that can be possessed by a person when the light emission request signal transmitted from the transmission device is received A light emitting device that emits light that can be photographed by the photographing means in a light emitting state that is predetermined for each holder, and a photographing period that is taken by the photographing means during a predetermined period including a period in which light is emitted from the light emitting device. Detecting means for detecting the light emission pattern from an image obtained by photographing by the photographing means of a monitoring system configured to include a display device for displaying the obtained image;
Detected by the detection means in a storage means storing permitter information indicating the permitter associated with the light emission state of the light emitting device that can be possessed by the permitter permitted to enter the monitoring target area A function for determining whether or not the permitter information corresponding to the light emission state is stored; and an alarm means for issuing an alarm when the determination unit determines that the permitter information is not stored Program to let you.

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