JP2013073602A - Image monitoring device and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image monitoring device for efficiently acquiring state information of an image output device such as a camera by preventing duplicate inquiry.SOLUTION: An image monitoring device 4 includes: a communication part 7 capable of communicating with a plurality of cameras 2; a patrol information generation part 16 for generating patrol information showing the transmission order of a request signal for state information to the plurality of cameras 2; and a storage part 11 for storing the patrol information. Also, the image monitoring device 4 includes: an inquiry control part 18 for performing inquiry control to successively transmit the state request signal to the cameras 2 on the basis of the patrol information; and a communication control part 13 for, when image data is received from the cameras 2 or the state information is transmitted from the cameras 2 as a response to the state request signal, performing control to receive the state information from the cameras 2. The inquiry control part 18 performs skip control to skip the transmission of the state request signal to the cameras 2 from which the state information has been received after starting the inquiry control.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image monitoring apparatus that communicates with an image output apparatus and obtains status information of the image output apparatus, and in particular, an image having a function of efficiently inquiring a state to a large number of image output apparatuses. It relates to a monitoring device.

  Conventionally, as an image monitoring device, in order to check whether an image output device such as a camera or an image recording device (recorder) is operating normally, an image output device that is not receiving image data in advance is extracted, An apparatus that inquires only about an image output apparatus has been proposed (Patent Document 1).

  In such a conventional image monitoring apparatus, status information is received together with image data for an image output apparatus that is transmitting image data, while a surplus session is used for an image output apparatus that is not transmitting image data. Status information is received by sequentially inquiring status from the image monitoring apparatus. In this way, it is possible to efficiently acquire state information from an image output apparatus that is not transmitting image data, and to efficiently acquire state information of an image output apparatus such as a camera while the image monitoring apparatus is activated. I have to.

JP 2010-056814 A

  By the way, in general, the image monitoring apparatus has a function of switching a camera (so-called live display camera) that is a transmission target of image data by a user operation or the like. Therefore, in the case of a method of extracting a camera that is not being displayed live in advance as in the conventional image monitoring device, the state of the image output device that has already acquired the state by a live display switching operation or the like is again displayed. A query is made (hereinafter referred to as “duplicate query”). Such a duplication inquiry becomes a factor of inefficient acquisition of camera status information. In addition, an increase in the number of cameras whose status is to be inquired is not preferable because it may cause a camera that cannot inquire about the status while the image monitoring apparatus is activated.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems. For image output devices such as cameras that have already acquired state information by live display or the like, by omitting (skipping) the state inquiry, a duplicate inquiry is made. An object of the present invention is to provide an image monitoring apparatus capable of preventing and efficiently acquiring status information of an image output apparatus.

  An image monitoring apparatus according to the present invention includes a communication unit capable of communicating with a plurality of image output devices, and transmission of a status request signal for requesting the plurality of image output devices to transmit status information indicating the status of the image output devices. Based on the cyclic information stored in the storage unit, the image output based on the cyclic information generation unit that generates the cyclic information indicating the order, the storage unit that stores the cyclic information generated by the cyclic information generation unit An inquiry control unit that performs inquiry control for sequentially transmitting the state request signal to the device; and status information from the image output device when receiving image data from the image output device or as a response to the state request signal A communication control unit that performs control to receive status information from the image output device when the message is transmitted. And it performs skip control to skip the transmission of the status request signal to the image output device receiving the information.

  Thus, inquiry control is performed in which the status request signal is sequentially transmitted to a plurality of image output apparatuses (cameras, recorders, etc.) based on the tour information generated by the image monitoring apparatus. The image monitoring apparatus can receive status information from the image output apparatus when receiving image data from the image output apparatus or when status information is transmitted from the image output apparatus as a response to the status request signal. . The state information is information indicating the state of the image output apparatus (for example, normal, recording abnormality, communication abnormality, remaining capacity reduction, etc.). In the image monitoring apparatus of the present invention, after the inquiry control is started, skip control is performed to skip without transmitting a status request signal, for example, to an image output device that has received status information with reception of image data. . Thereby, for example, by live display, it is possible to prevent the “duplication inquiry” in which the status request signal is repeatedly transmitted to the image output device that has already received the status information. Can efficiently inquire about the status.

  In the image monitoring apparatus of the present invention, the storage unit stores a state reception time that is a time when the state information is received, and the tour information generation unit is arranged in order from the image output device having the oldest state reception time. The changed tour information may be generated, and the inquiry control unit may transmit the status request signal in order from the image output device having the oldest status reception time based on the tour information.

  As a result, the image output apparatus having the oldest time when the status information is received (status reception time) can be inquired with the highest priority. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of image output apparatuses that are not inquired about the state for a long time. In particular, in an image monitoring device that does not always monitor (for example, a monitoring terminal of a type that turns off the power), the state of the circulation information list that is the last image output device is not inquired about the state (circulation). However, according to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently reduce the number of such image output devices (image output devices whose status is not inquired for a long time). Therefore, the present invention is particularly effective for an image monitoring apparatus that does not always monitor.

  Further, in the image monitoring apparatus of the present invention, the storage unit has a maximum tour time indicating a time from the start of the inquiry control to the end of the inquiry control to all the image output devices included in the tour information. And the inquiry control unit may transmit the state request signal at an inquiry time interval calculated based on the maximum circulation time and the total number of the image output devices.

  Thus, by determining the maximum tour time (for example, 24 hours), the query time interval can be adjusted so that the status query for all the image output devices is completed within the maximum tour time. Assuming that the inquiry time interval is a fixed time (for example, 60 seconds), as the number of image output devices increases (for example, 30000), the time until the inquiry to all the image output devices is completed (maximum number of cycles). There is a possibility that a situation in which all the image output devices cannot be inquired within a time desired by the administrator or the like (for example, 24 hours) may occur. On the other hand, according to the present invention, even when the number of image output devices increases, the inquiry time interval can be adjusted so that the inquiry of the state for all the image output devices is completed within the maximum circulation time. . The maximum tour time can be set in advance by, for example, an administrator.

  In the image monitoring apparatus of the present invention, the storage unit further stores a predetermined reference inquiry time interval, and the inquiry control unit, when the inquiry time interval is equal to or more than the reference inquiry time interval, The state request signal may be transmitted at a reference inquiry time interval.

  As a result, when the number of image output devices that inquire about the status is small, by making an inquiry at a predetermined inquiry time interval (reference inquiry time interval), the status for all image output devices within a short time Can be completed. If the number of image output devices that query the status is small (for example, 30), the query time interval is calculated based on the maximum tour time and the total number of image output devices as described above. Therefore, if the startup time of the image monitoring apparatus is short, there is a possibility that an image output apparatus that is not circulated during the startup of the image monitoring apparatus is likely to occur. On the other hand, according to the present invention, when the number of image output devices is small, by making an inquiry at an appropriate time interval (reference inquiry time interval), even when the startup time of the image monitoring device is short, During the activation of the image monitoring apparatus, it becomes possible to complete the inquiry of the status to all the image output apparatuses. The reference inquiry time interval can be set in advance by, for example, an administrator.

  The program of the present invention is a program executed by an image monitoring apparatus that can communicate with a plurality of image output apparatuses, and the program causes the computer to change the state of the image output apparatus to the plurality of image output apparatuses. Processing for generating cyclic information indicating the transmission order of status request signals for requesting transmission of status information to be indicated, processing for storing the cyclic information generated by the cyclic information generation unit in a storage unit, and storage in the storage unit Processing for performing inquiry control for sequentially transmitting the state request signal to the image output device based on the cyclic information that has been performed, and when receiving image data from the image output device, or the state request signal A process for performing control to receive the status information from the image output device when the status information is transmitted from the image output device as a response to , And the said program performs skip control to skip the transmission of the status request signal to the image output apparatus which receives the state information after starting the inquiry control.

  Even with this program, as in the case of the above-described device, it is possible to prevent “duplicate inquiry” in which a status request signal is repeatedly transmitted to an image output device that has already received status information, and a large number of image outputs. It is possible to efficiently inquire about the state of the apparatus.

  According to the present invention, with respect to an image output device such as a camera that has already acquired a status by live display or the like, by omitting (skipping) the status inquiry, the duplication query is prevented, and the status information of the image output device is displayed. Can be acquired efficiently.

It is explanatory drawing of the system (image monitoring system) to which the image monitoring apparatus in embodiment of this invention is applied. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the image monitoring apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen of an image monitoring apparatus. It is a figure which shows an example of correspondence information. It is a figure which shows an example of a state management table. It is a figure which shows an example of patrol information and early patrol information. It is explanatory drawing of regeneration of cyclic information. It is a flowchart which shows the flow (main flow) of operation | movement of the image monitoring apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow (subflow) of the production | generation process of cyclic information. It is a flowchart which shows the flow (subflow) of the reception process of status information. It is explanatory drawing of the regular timing process performed with an image monitoring apparatus.

  Hereinafter, an image monitoring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to an image monitoring system that receives and displays image data from an image output device such as a camera or a recorder installed in a monitoring area by an image monitoring device installed in a remote monitoring center. Is illustrated. This image monitoring apparatus has a function of efficiently acquiring status information from an image output apparatus (camera or recorder), and this function is realized by a program stored in an HDD or the like of the image monitoring apparatus.

(Image surveillance system)
First, the overall configuration of a system (image monitoring system) to which an image monitoring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image monitoring system. As shown in FIG. 1, the image monitoring system 1 includes a camera 2 and an image recording device (recorder) 3 installed in a monitoring area such as a store (for example, a convenience store) or a financial institution (for example, a bank) in a shopping street, An image monitoring device 4 installed in a monitoring center at a location remote from the area is provided.

  The camera 2 captures an image of the monitoring area and outputs the acquired image data to the image monitoring device 4 via the network 5. A plurality of cameras 2 may be installed in one monitoring area (three are installed in the example of FIG. 1), or only one camera 2 may be installed in one monitoring area. For example, one image recording apparatus 3 is set in each monitoring area. The camera 2 and the image recording device 3 are connected to each other via a local area network (LAN) 6, and image data acquired by the camera 2 is sent to the image recording device 3. The image recording device 3 records the image data sent from the camera 2. In addition, the image recording device 3 outputs the recorded image data to the image monitoring device 4 via the network 5. Note that the image recording apparatus 3 is not necessarily provided in the monitoring section. The camera 2 can directly transmit the acquired image data, status information, and the like to the image monitoring device 4. The monitoring center is a management headquarters that comprehensively monitors a plurality of monitoring areas. By using the image monitoring apparatus 4, a plurality of monitoring areas can be monitored from a remote monitoring center.

  The network 5 is composed of, for example, the Internet, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to this, and a network such as a public telephone network or a mobile phone network may be selected as appropriate. Note that, here, communication protocols, exchange facilities, Internet service provider facilities, and the like use general techniques, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The camera 2 is installed at an arbitrary installation location in the monitoring area and has a function of taking an image in the monitoring area. The camera 2 also has a function of performing processing such as output of image data to the image monitoring device 4 and recording of the image data in its own device (camera 2). Further, the camera 2 detects whether or not an abnormality has occurred in its own device (camera 2) (whether an abnormality has occurred in the camera 2 or whether or not shooting by the camera 2 has been interrupted). It has a function. The camera 2 has a function of recording the detected abnormal state as state information when it detects an abnormality of its own device (for example, an abnormality related to image capturing or recording).

  A camera number (identifier) for identifying each camera 2 is set in advance in the camera 2. The camera number is stored in a memory (not shown) built in the camera 2. The camera number is used for associating image data captured by the camera 2 with the installation location of the camera 2. The camera 2 has a function of digitally encoding image data taken at each installation location and transmitting the image data and camera number to the image recording device 3 or the image monitoring device 4 via the network 5. Yes. Further, the camera 2 has a function of transmitting its own apparatus status information together with the camera number to the image recording apparatus 3 or the image monitoring apparatus 4 via the network 5.

  The image recording device 3 is installed for each monitoring area, receives image data input from the camera 2 installed in the monitoring area, and outputs the image data to the image monitoring apparatus 4 or its own device. A function of performing processing such as recording in the (image recording apparatus 3) is provided. Also, the image recording device 3 is not affected by whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the camera 2 or its own device (whether an abnormality has occurred in the setting of the camera 2 or its own or in the control process, or the shooting of the camera 2 has been interrupted) Etc.). The image recording device 3 has a function of recording the detected abnormal state as state information when the occurrence of an abnormality in the camera 2 or its own device (for example, an abnormality relating to image capturing or recording) is detected. Yes.

  A recorder number (identifier) for identifying the image recording apparatus 3 is also set in advance in the image recording apparatus 3. The recorder number is stored in a memory (not shown) built in the image recording apparatus 3. This recorder number is used for associating the camera 2 with the image recording apparatus 3 that records image data of the camera 2. The image recording device 3 has a function of digitally encoding the recorded image data and transmitting the image data together with the camera number and the recorder number to the image recording device 3 via the network 5. Further, the image recording device 3 has a function of transmitting the status information of its own device together with the recorder number to the image recording device 3 via the network 5.

  The image monitoring device 4 is installed in a monitoring center and has a function of centrally managing the state of the camera 2 and the image recording device 3 in each monitoring area. The image monitoring device 4 is configured by, for example, a dedicated terminal device, a general-purpose personal computer (installed with a dedicated program), or the like. The image monitoring device 4 is activated, for example, when a monitoring person at the monitoring center performs monitoring of the monitoring area, and is terminated when the monitoring ends. The image monitoring apparatus 4 according to the present embodiment is particularly suitable for a system that does not always start the image monitoring apparatus 4, that is, a system that starts the image monitoring apparatus 4 only when confirming an image of a monitoring area from a remote location. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to this, and the image monitoring apparatus 4 can also be applied to a system that always activates the image monitoring apparatus 4. The activation and termination are not limited to activation and shutdown of the hardware of the image monitoring device 4, but may be activation and termination of a dedicated program when the image monitoring device 4 is configured by a general-purpose personal computer.

  The image monitoring device 4 transmits a request signal (image request signal) of image data to the camera 2 and the image recording device 3 by the operation of the monitor, and receives image data from the camera 2 and the image recording device 3 as a response thereto. It has the function of receiving and displaying the received image data. The image monitoring device 4 has a function of receiving status information from the camera 2 and the image recording device 3, recording the received status information, and displaying it.

  The monitor monitors the monitored area by referring to the image data displayed and output, and also checks whether each camera 2 and each image recording device 3 are operating normally by referring to the status information displayed and output. Confirm. When the monitor determines that an abnormal situation has occurred in a certain monitoring area from the displayed image data, or an abnormality has occurred in the camera 2 or the image recording device 3 in the certain monitoring area from the displayed status information. If it is determined, the necessary measures such as recording the image data of the monitoring area, confirmation processing for the manager of the monitoring area, and instructions for handling the guards of the monitoring area are taken.

(Image monitoring device)
Next, the configuration of the image monitoring device 4 will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the image monitoring apparatus 4. As shown in FIG. 2, the image monitoring device 4 includes a communication unit 7 for communicating with the image recording device 3, a display unit 8 for displaying image data and status information, and a monitor who performs various input operations. For example, an operation unit 9 for recording image data, an image recording unit 10 for recording image data, a storage unit 11 for storing status information of the camera 2 and the image recording device 3, and various controls of the image monitoring device 4 The control part 12 which performs is provided. The control unit 12 includes a communication control unit 13, a display control unit 14, a recording processing unit 15, a tour information generation unit 16, an early tour information generation unit 17, and an inquiry control unit 18.

  The communication unit 7 is an interface (communication I / F) for connecting to the Internet network. The image monitoring device 4 is communicably connected to the camera 2 and the image recording device 3 installed in each monitoring area via the communication unit 7. In this case, the image monitoring apparatus 4 is connected to the one or more cameras 2 and the image recording apparatus 3 through the communication unit 7 so as to be communicable with each other.

  The display unit 8 is a device for monitoring image data and status information received from the camera 2 and the image recording device 3, and includes a display (LCD or the like), a speaker, or the like. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a screen (display screen) displayed on the display unit 8. As shown in FIG. 3, in the example of the display screen, a list display frame 19 of the cameras 2 (for example, the cameras C1 to 3) in a plurality of monitoring areas (for example, the monitoring areas 1 to 3) and an image ( An image display frame 20 for displaying images 1 to 16) and a status display frame 21 for displaying status information of the image recording device 3 and the camera 2 are provided. When a monitor or the like performs an operation for specifying the monitoring area or the camera 2 in the list display frame 19, the specified monitoring area or the image data of the camera 2 (image data being received) is displayed on the image display frame 20. . In the status display frame 21, status information (status information indicating abnormality or the like) received from the image recording device 3 is displayed.

  The operation unit 9 includes a keyboard, a pointing device, and the like. The operation unit 9 is operated by a monitor when inputting an image reception request or an image reception stop request to the camera 2 or the image recording device 3. For example, when an operation for designating the image recording device 3 (designating all the cameras 2 in the monitoring area) or designating the camera 2 is performed, a request to receive current image data from the designated image recording device 3 or camera 2 is issued. Entered. In addition, when an operation for specifying the photographing time is performed together with the specification of the image recording device 3 or the camera 2, a reception request for past image data recorded in the image recording device 3 is input. Such an input operation can be realized by a GUI (graphical user interface) or the like.

  The image recording unit 10 is, for example, a storage medium (such as a DVD-R or HDD) that is detachable from the image monitoring device 4. In the image recording unit 10, image data received from the camera 2 and the image recording device 3 is recorded together with time information (information about the time when the image was taken) by the recording processing unit 15 performing write control. .

  The storage unit 11 includes a ROM / RAM, an HDD, and the like. The storage unit 11 stores preset setting information, correspondence information indicating the association between the camera 2 and the image recording device 3 that records image data of the camera 2 (see FIG. 4), the camera 2 and the image recording device. 3 stores a state management table (see FIG. 5) in which state information received from 3 is collected. The storage unit 11 also includes cyclic information indicating the transmission order of the status request signal for requesting transmission of status information (information indicating the status of the image output device) to a plurality of image output devices (see FIG. 6). The early tour information (see FIG. 6) indicating another image output device associated with the image output device that is receiving image data (live display) is stored. Further, the storage unit 11 stores information such as a maximum traveling time, an inquiry time interval, and a reference inquiry time interval used for inquiry control described later, various programs, and the like. The storage unit 11 may be the same storage medium as the image recording unit 10.

  The setting information includes the identification information and IP address of the camera 2 and the image recording device 3 that can be connected by communication from the image monitoring device 4, or the camera number of the camera 2 connected to the image recording device 3 and each camera 2. Information such as the installation position. In this case, setting information of a plurality of cameras 2 and image recording devices 3 is stored in advance in the storage unit 11 for each monitoring area.

  The correspondence information is information indicating a correspondence relationship between the camera 2 and the image recording apparatus 3 that records image data of the camera 2. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of correspondence information. In the example of FIG. 4, the image data of “cameras C1 to C3” is recorded in “image recording device R1”, the image data of “cameras C4 to C6” is recorded in “image recording device R2”, and “cameras C7 to C7” are recorded. The image data of “C9” is recorded in the “image recording device R3”, and the image data of “cameras C298 to C300” is recorded in the “image recording device R100”. Here, “C1, C2,...” Is an identification number of the camera 2, and “R1, R2,...” Is an identification number of the image recording apparatus 3. The correspondence information may be information indicating a correspondence relationship between the camera 2 and another camera 2 installed in the same LAN (local area network) 6 as the camera 2. For example, “camera C1” is associated with “cameras C2, C3”, “camera C2” is associated with “cameras C1, C3”, and “camera C3” is associated with “cameras C1, C2”. Also good.

  The status management table is a table in which status information received for each image recording apparatus 3 is collected, and is created by writing control by the inquiry control unit 18 described later. In addition, the status management table includes information on the camera 2 that is performing live display. Further, the state management table includes information on the time when the state information is received (state reception time). FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the state management table. In the example of FIG. 5, live display is performed by “cameras C4 to C6, C298 to C300”. The state of “cameras C4, C6, C298 to C300” is “normal”, and the state of “camera C5” is “capacity reduction”. In this case, the images of “cameras C4 to C6, C298 to C300” are displayed on “screens 1 to 6” of the image display frame 20 of the display unit 8 (see FIG. 3). In the example of FIG. 5, “screen number” on which an image is displayed (live display) is shown in “live display” of the state management table.

  The cyclic information is information indicating the transmission order of the status request signal for requesting transmission of status information to a plurality of image output apparatuses. FIG. 6 shows an example of the traveling information. In the example of FIG. 6, three sessions are allocated as state inquiry sessions (cyclic sessions) (the number of cyclic sessions is three sessions). Here, a case where the number of cyclic sessions is 3 will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the number of cyclic sessions may be 2 sessions or less, or 4 sessions or more.

  In FIG. 6, first, a status request signal is sequentially transmitted to “image recording device R1, cameras C1, C2”, and then a status request signal is sequentially transmitted to “camera C3, image recording devices R2, R3”. The In this case, since the “cameras C4 to C6” have already received the status information, the status request signal is not transmitted, that is, control (skip control) is performed to skip “cameras C4 to C6”. Note that the “status acquired” flag of the tour information is turned ON when the status information of a certain device is acquired. At this time, information of “state” and “state reception time” is recorded in the state management table. In addition, the “status acquired” flags of the tour information are all turned OFF at the timing when the tour information is generated (or regenerated).

  The early tour information is information indicating another image output device associated with the image output device that is receiving image data (during live display). In the example of FIG. 6, “cameras C4 to C6, C298 to C300” are being displayed live, and “image recording apparatuses R2 and R100” associated with the “cameras C4 to C6 and C298 to C300” are in early patrol. It is listed as information.

  The tour information may be “regenerated” by rearranging in order from the camera 2 and the image recording device 3 having the oldest status reception time based on the status management table. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of regeneration of cyclic information. In the example of FIG. 7, the transmission order of the status request signal is rearranged in order of the oldest status reception time. Although the “transmission order” is not shown in the cyclic information of FIG. 7, in this case as well, the status request signal is transmitted in order from the top of the list as in FIG. That is, the status request signals are transmitted in the order of “image recording device R1, cameras C1 to C3, image recording device R3, cameras C7 to C9.

  The control unit 12 includes a microcomputer including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like and peripheral circuits thereof. Further, the control unit 12 is a functional module realized by a computer program executed on the microcomputer, as a communication control unit 13, a display control unit 14, a recording processing unit 15, a traveling information generation unit 16, An early tour information generation unit 17 and an inquiry control unit 18 are provided.

  The communication control unit 13 has a function of controlling communication with the camera 2 and the image recording device 3. The communication control unit 13 includes a first session unit 22 that performs communication control for receiving image data and state information together, and a second session unit 23 that performs communication control for receiving state information as a response to the state request signal. Yes. In this case, communication with the camera 2 and the image recording device 3 by the first session unit 22 (communication with the camera 2 and the image recording device 3 during image reception), and the camera 2 and the image recording device 3 by the second session unit 23. (Communication with the camera 2 and the image recording device 3 that are not receiving images) can be established at the same time. Of course, the first session unit 22 may be able to establish communication with a plurality of cameras 2 and image recording devices 3 simultaneously, and the second session unit 23 may communicate with a plurality of cameras 2 and image recording devices 3. May be established simultaneously.

  When the first session unit 22 receives image data from the camera 2 or the image recording device 3, the first session unit 22 establishes communication with the camera 2 or the image recording device 3 using a protocol such as HTTP, and receives the image data. When the process ends, communication with the camera 2 and the image recording apparatus 3 is ended. In addition, when the second session unit 23 receives the transmission request for the status request signal from the inquiry control unit 18, the second session unit 23 communicates with the camera 2 and the image recording device 3 using a protocol such as HTTP to the camera 2 and the image recording device 3. Establish communication between. When the second session unit 23 receives the state information from the camera 2 or the image recording device 3, the second session unit 23 ends the communication with the camera 2 or the image recording device 3.

  When an image data reception request is input from the operation unit 9, the communication control unit 13 transmits an image request signal to the corresponding camera 2 or image recording device 3 under the management of the first session unit 22. The communication between the camera 2 and the image recording device 3 is established, and the image data and the state information transmitted from the camera 2 and the image recording device 3 are received in response thereto. In addition, when an image reception stop request is input from the operation unit 9, the communication control unit 13 transmits a communication end request signal to the corresponding camera 2 or image recording device 3, and the camera 2 or image recording is performed. Communication with the device 3 is terminated.

  In addition, when the image monitoring device 4 is activated, the communication control unit 13 reads information on the camera 2 and the image recording device 3 that were receiving image data when the image monitoring device 4 ended (for example, last time). . Then, under the management of the first session unit 22, an image request signal is transmitted to the corresponding camera 2 or image recording device 3, and image data and state transmitted from the camera 2 or image recording device 3 as a response thereto Receive information.

  Further, when the communication control unit 13 accepts a transmission request for the status request signal from the inquiry control unit 18, the communication control unit 13 sends a status request signal to the corresponding camera 2 or image recording device 3 under the management of the second session unit 23. The state information transmitted from the camera 2 or the image recording device 3 is received as a response thereto.

  The display control unit 14 performs control to display and output image data and state information on the display unit 8. For example, when receiving image data from the camera 2 or the image recording device 3, the display control unit 14 sequentially performs expansion processing on the received image data and outputs the display data to the display unit 8. In this case, a plurality of images may be displayed simultaneously by dividing the display screen into a plurality of parts (see FIG. 3). When the display control unit 14 receives an input of a search request or a display request for an image recorded in the image recording unit 10 from the operation unit 9, the display control unit 14 extracts the corresponding image data from the image recording unit 10 and performs an expansion process. Display on the display unit 8. In addition, if the status information of the camera 2 and the image recording device 3 recorded in the status management table indicates an abnormality, the display control unit 14 displays and outputs this on the display unit 8.

  When an image recording request is input from the operation unit 9, the recording processing unit 15 corresponds to the image data received from the camera 2 or the image recording device 3 to the identification information and time information of the camera 2 or the image recording device 3. Thus, processing for recording in the image recording unit 10 is performed. When recording image data received from the camera 2 or the image recording device 3, the display control unit 14 may be configured not to display and output the image data on the display unit 8.

  The traveling information generation unit 16 has a function of generating (or regenerating) the traveling information based on the state management table. At this time, the traveling information generation unit 16 refers to the state reception time in the state management table and rearranges the state reception time in the oldest order to generate the traveling information. It should be noted that the traveling information generation unit 16 performs the traveling information based on a predetermined order (for example, the order of identifiers in the state management table) at a stage where the state reception time is not yet recorded, such as at the first activation. Is generated. Further, the traveling information generation unit 16 performs control to turn off the “status acquisition completed” flag of the traveling information when generating (or regenerating) the traveling information.

  The early tour information generation unit 17 extracts an image output device (camera 2 or image recording device 3) during live display from the tour information, and based on the correspondence information, the image output device (camera 2 or image recording device 3). ) To generate early tour information indicating other image output devices (camera 2 and image recording device 3) associated with (). For example, the early tour information generation unit 17 extracts “cameras C4 to C6, C298 to C300” being displayed live from the state management table illustrated in FIG. 6, and based on the correspondence information illustrated in FIG. Early tour information indicating “image recording devices R2, R200” associated with “C6, C298 to C300” is generated.

  When the tour information is generated by the tour information generator 16, the inquiry control unit 18 refers to the tour information, and displays a plurality of image output devices (cameras 2 and image recordings) by the number of visit sessions from the top of the list. Inquiry control for sequentially transmitting status request signals to the apparatus 3) is performed. For example, the inquiry control unit 18 transmits a status request signal to the three cameras 2 and the image recording devices 3 (for example, “image recording device R1, camera C1, C2”) from the top of the tour information list, and the status When status information is received from the camera 2 or the image recording device 3 as a response to the request signal, write control is performed to store the received status information in the status management table of the storage unit 11. Further, when the inquiry control unit 18 receives the state information together with the image data from the camera 2 or the image recording device 3 as a response to the image request signal to the camera 2 or the image recording device 3, the inquiry control unit 18 stores the received state information in the storage unit 11. Write control to be stored in the state management table and control to turn on the “state acquired” flag of the tour information. At this time, if the state information indicates an abnormal state, the state information (abnormal state) is output to the display unit 8 by the display control unit 14.

  Then, when a predetermined time interval elapses as will be described later, the inquiry control unit 18 sends a status request signal to the next three cameras 2 and image recording devices 3 (for example, “camera C3, image recording devices R2, R3”). Send. In this case, since the “cameras C4 to C6” during live display have already received the status information, the inquiry control unit 18 performs control (skip control) to skip “cameras C4 to C6”. That is, the state request signal is not transmitted to “cameras C4 to C6”. In this manner, the same processing as described above is repeated until the inquiry (transmission of the status request signal) to all the cameras 2 and image recording devices 3 included in the tour information is completed. When the tour information is regenerated, the inquiry control unit 18 makes an inquiry (transmission of a state request signal) in order from the camera 2 and the image recording device 3 with the oldest state reception time based on the regenerated tour information. Do.

The inquiry control unit 18 transmits a state request signal at an inquiry time interval calculated based on the maximum circulation time and the total number of image output devices (camera 2 and image recording device 3). The maximum tour time is the time (for example, 24 hours) from the start of inquiry control until the inquiry to all the cameras 2 and image recording devices 3 included in the tour information is completed. Can be set. The inquiry time interval is calculated by the following equation, for example.
Query time interval = Maximum tour time / (Total number of image output devices / Number of tour sessions)

  Further, when the inquiry time interval calculated as described above is equal to or longer than a predetermined reference inquiry time interval (for example, 60 seconds), the inquiry control unit 18 transmits a status request signal at the reference inquiry time interval. I do. This reference inquiry time interval can also be set in advance by an administrator or the like. These maximum tour time, inquiry time interval, and reference inquiry time interval are stored in the storage unit 11 (see FIG. 2).

  The operation of the image monitoring apparatus 4 configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

  Here, with reference to FIG. 8, the flow of the whole operation | movement from starting of the image monitoring apparatus 4 to completion | finish is demonstrated first. As shown in FIG. 8, when the image monitoring apparatus 4 is activated, first, a traveling information generation process is executed (S1). When an image reception request is input from the operation unit 9 (S2), the image data and state information of the corresponding camera 2 are received and recorded (S3), and early tour information is generated (S4). Thereafter, when the inquiry time interval elapses (S5), status information reception processing is performed (S6), and when inquiry to all the cameras 2 and the image recording apparatus 3 is completed (S7), cyclic information generation processing is performed. (S1). When an end operation is performed at the operation unit 9, the image monitoring apparatus 4 performs an end (for example, shutdown) operation.

  Next, the cyclic information generation process will be described in detail with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 9, when the cyclic information generation process is started, first, identifiers of the state management table are sorted in ascending order using the state reception time as a key to generate cyclic information, and the generated cyclic information is It memorize | stores in the memory | storage part 11 (S11). When the status reception time is not yet recorded, such as at the first activation, the cyclic information is generated based on a predetermined order (for example, the order of identifiers in the status management table). Next, an inquiry time interval is calculated, and the calculated inquiry time interval is stored in the storage unit 11 (S12). When the calculated inquiry time interval is longer than the reference inquiry time interval (S13), the inquiry time interval stored in the storage unit 11 is updated to the value of the reference inquiry time interval (S14), and cyclic information generation processing is performed. Ends.

  Next, the status information reception process will be described in detail with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 10, when the state information reception process is started, first, the object (inquiry object) to be inquired about the state is cleared to zero (S61), and the image output device (inquiry candidate) from the circulation information ( Only one identifier of the camera 2 or the image recording device 3) is read (S62). If the image output device read with reference to the tour information is an image output device that has not yet acquired state information (S63), the image output device is added to the inquiry target (S64). Such processing is repeated until the number of inquiries is the same as the number of traveling sessions (S65).

  When the number of inquiries is the same as the number of patrol sessions (S65), the image output device is read from the early patrol information for the number of early patrol sessions (for example, 3 sessions) and added to the inquiries (S66). ). Then, a status request signal is transmitted to the image output device to be inquired (S67), and when status information is received from the image output device as a response (S68), the "status acquired" flag of the tour information is turned ON. The received status information is recorded in the status management table (S69), and the status information reception process is completed.

  Finally, the regular timing process performed by the image monitoring apparatus 4 will be described with reference to FIG. The control unit 12 of the image monitoring device 4 has a function of “periodically” performing “time adjustment” that matches the time of the camera 2 and the image recording device 3 with the time of the image monitoring device 4, that is, “periodic time adjustment”. I have. Further, the control unit 12 determines whether or not to perform “time adjustment” in order to avoid repeating time adjustment at short intervals while satisfying the time interval of once a day at the longest (time adjustment). Determination) is performed.

  The timing determination is performed at the timing of inquiring the state of the camera 2 or the image recording device 3 (the timing of patrol). In this timing determination, first, the status inquiry for all devices (camera 2 and image recording device 3) goes through the time interval from the status query in the current tour to the status query in the next tour. It is assumed that this is the time interval required for all the devices (circulation interval for all devices). Then, when the status inquiry in the next tour is performed after “24 hours” after the previous time adjustment, it is determined that “time adjustment” is made during the current tour. On the other hand, when it is within “24 hours” from the time when the previous timing is performed, it is determined that “no timing” is determined in the current tour.

  Note that a time interval (hereinafter referred to as “longest regular time interval”) such as “24 hours” as a reference for time adjustment can be set as an arbitrary value in advance by an administrator or the like. For example, if the administrator or the like wants to meet the timing interval of once every 12 hours, the longest regular timing interval may be set to 12 hours.

  This timing determination will be specifically described with reference to the example of FIG. In the example of FIG. 11, login to the image monitoring device 4 is performed at time t0, and a tour (first tour) to all devices (camera 2 and image recording device 3) is started. In FIG. 11, for example, for a certain device (camera 2 or image recording device 3), the “first tour” is performed at time t1. In “first patrol”, timing is performed (time determination is not performed).

  At time t2, a tour (second tour) to all the devices (camera 2 and image recording device 3) is started, and a “second visit” is performed at time t3 for a certain device. In the timing determination at this time t3, since the time (time t5) scheduled for the next tour is within “24 hours” from the previous time (time t1), “no timing” is indicated. Determined.

  Next, a tour (third tour) to all devices (camera 2 and image recording device 3) is started at time t4, and a “third visit” is performed on a device at time t5. In the timing determination at time t5, since the next scheduled time (time t7) is “24 hours” after the previous timing (time t1), it is determined as “time adjustment”. The

More specifically, in this case, first, for a certain device, a time interval from the state inquiry time (t5) in the current round (third round) to the state inquiry time (t7) in the next round (fourth round) ( T4 + T5) is calculated on the assumption that it is equal to the total device cycle interval (T2 = T3 + T4). Here, the total device circulation interval T2 is calculated by the following equation.
Total device tour interval T2 = inquiry time interval × (total number of image output devices / number of tour sessions)

  Then, with respect to a certain device, the total (T1 + T2) of the elapsed time T1 from the time (t1) timed last time and the total device circulation interval T2 is compared with the longest regular time interval (24 hours). In this case, since the sum (T1 + T2) of the elapsed time T1 from the time when the previous time adjustment and the total device circulation interval T2 are longer than the longest regular time adjustment interval (24 hours), it is determined to be “time adjustment”.

  At time t6, a tour (fourth tour) to all devices (camera 2 and image recording device 3) is started, and a “fourth visit” is performed at time t7 for a certain device. In the timing determination at this time t7, since the time (time t9) scheduled for the next tour is within “24 hours” from the previous time (time t5), “no timing” is indicated. Determined.

  Then, at time t8, a tour (fifth tour) to all devices (camera 2 and image recording device 3) is started, and a “fifth visit” is performed at time t9 for a certain device. In the timing determination at time t9, the time when the next tour is scheduled to be performed (time t11) is “24 hours” after the previous timing (time t5), similarly to the time t5. It is determined that “time is adjusted”.

  According to the image monitoring apparatus 4 of this embodiment as described above, the state inquiry is omitted (skipped) for the image output apparatus (camera 2 or image recording apparatus 3) that has already acquired the state by live display or the like. As a result, it is possible to prevent duplication inquiry and efficiently acquire the status information of the image output device (camera 2 or image recording device 3).

  In other words, in the present embodiment, inquiry control for sequentially transmitting status request signals to a plurality of image output devices (such as the camera 2 and the image recording device 3) is performed based on the cyclic information generated by the image monitoring device 4. Is called. The image monitoring device 4 receives status data from the image output device (camera 2 or image recording device 3) when receiving image data from the image output device (camera 2 or image recording device 3) or as a response to the status request signal. Is transmitted, the status information can be received from the image output device (camera 2 or image recording device 3). The state information is information indicating the state of the image output device (camera 2 or image recording device 3) (for example, normal, recording abnormality, communication abnormality, remaining capacity reduction, etc.). In the image monitoring apparatus 4 of the present embodiment, skip control for skipping without transmitting a state request signal to an image output apparatus (camera 2 or image recording apparatus 3) that has received state information after initiating inquiry control. Is done. As a result, it is possible to prevent a “duplication inquiry” in which a status request signal is repeatedly transmitted to an image output device (camera 2 or image recording device 3) that has already received status information, and a large number of image outputs. It is possible to efficiently inquire about the state of the apparatus (camera 2 or image recording apparatus 3).

  In the present embodiment, it is possible to make an inquiry with the highest priority on the image output device (camera 2 or image recording device 3) with the oldest time (status reception time) when the status information is received. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of image output devices (camera 2 and image recording device 3) whose status is not inquired for a long time. In particular, in an image monitoring device 4 that does not always monitor (for example, a monitoring terminal that turns off the power supply), the state of the image output device (camera 2 or image recording device 3) at the end of the list of traveling information is such that However, according to the present embodiment, such a camera 2 or an image recording device 3 (camera 2 that is not inquired for a state for a long period of time). And the image recording apparatus 3) can be efficiently reduced. Therefore, the image monitoring apparatus 4 of the present embodiment is particularly effective for an image monitoring system that does not always monitor.

  Further, in the present embodiment, by setting a maximum tour time (for example, 24 hours), the state inquiry to all the image output devices (camera 2 and image recording device 3) is completed within the maximum tour time. The inquiry time interval can be adjusted. Assuming that the inquiry time interval is a fixed time (for example, 60 seconds), as the number of image output devices (cameras 2 and image recording devices 3) increases (for example, 30000 units), all image output devices (cameras 2). And the time until the inquiry to the image recording device 3) is completed (maximum circulation time), and all the image output devices (camera 2 and image recording) are within the time desired by the administrator (for example, 24 hours). There may also be a situation where the status of the device 3) cannot be inquired. On the other hand, according to the image monitoring device 4 of the present embodiment, even if the number of image output devices (camera 2 and image recording device 3) increases, all image output devices (cameras) within the maximum tour time. 2 and the image recording device 3) can be adjusted to complete the inquiry of the status. The maximum tour time can be set in advance by, for example, an administrator.

  In the present embodiment, when the number of image output devices (camera 2 and image recording device 3) for inquiring the state is small, the inquiry is performed at a predetermined inquiry time interval (reference inquiry time interval). As a result, it is possible to complete the inquiry of the state to all the image output devices (camera 2 and image recording device 3) within a short time. If the number of image output devices (camera 2 or image recording device 3) that inquires about the state is small (for example, 30), the inquiry time interval is adjusted to a long time, so that the image monitoring device 4 is activated. If the time is short, there is a possibility that an image output device (camera 2 or image recording device 3) that is not circulated during activation of the image monitoring device 4 is likely to occur. On the other hand, according to the image monitoring device 4 of the present embodiment, when the number of image output devices (camera 2 and image recording device 3) is small, an inquiry is made at an appropriate time interval (reference inquiry time interval). Thus, even when the activation time of the image monitoring device 4 is short, it is possible to complete the inquiry of the state to all the image output devices (camera 2 and image recording device 3) while the image monitoring device 4 is activated. Become. The reference inquiry time interval can be set in advance by, for example, an administrator.

  Further, in the present embodiment, by performing the timing determination, even if the number of devices such as the camera 2 and the image recording device 3 increases or decreases, the timing interval of once a day is satisfied at the longest. It is possible to avoid repeating the timing at short intervals.

  Thus, by avoiding repeating time adjustment at short intervals and being able to time at appropriate preset intervals, the inconvenience due to time fluctuations due to time adjustment can be reasonably eliminated. Specifically, when time adjustment is repeated at a short interval with respect to the device, the time continuity in the recorded image is interrupted (the recording time in the recorded image is before and after) increases. However, there are problems such as a decrease in reliability and unnaturalness on the user's browsing. These adverse effects can be reduced.

  The embodiments of the present invention have been described above by way of example, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and can be changed or modified according to the purpose within the scope of the claims. is there.

  As described above, the image monitoring apparatus according to the present invention has an effect of preventing duplication inquiry and efficiently acquiring the status information of the image output apparatus. It is useful for an image monitoring system or the like that is monitored by a monitoring center.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image monitoring system 2 Camera 3 Image recording device 4 Image monitoring device 5 Network network 6 Local area network (LAN)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 7 Communication part 8 Display part 9 Operation part 10 Image recording part 11 Storage part 12 Control part 13 Communication control part 14 Display control part 15 Recording processing part 16 Cyclic information generation part 17 Early cyclic information generation part 18 Inquiry control part 19 List display frame 20 image display frame 21 status display frame 22 first session part 23 second session part

Claims (5)

A communication unit capable of communicating with a plurality of image output devices;
A cyclic information generating unit that generates cyclic information indicating a transmission order of a status request signal for requesting transmission of status information indicating the status of the image output device to the plurality of image output devices;
A storage unit for storing the tour information generated by the tour information generation unit;
An inquiry control unit that performs inquiry control for sequentially transmitting the state request signal to the image output device based on the tour information stored in the storage unit;
Communication that performs control to receive status information from the image output device when receiving image data from the image output device or when status information is transmitted from the image output device as a response to the status request signal A control unit;
With
The said inquiry control part performs the skip control which skips transmission of the said status request signal with respect to the image output apparatus which received the said status information after starting the said inquiry control, The image monitoring apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. The storage unit stores a state reception time that is a time when the state information is received,
The tour information generation unit generates the tour information rearranged in order from the image output device with the oldest status reception time,
The image monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the inquiry control unit transmits the state request signal in order from an image output device having an old state reception time based on the circulation information. The storage unit further stores a maximum tour time indicating a time from the start of the query control to the end of query control to all the image output devices included in the tour information,
The image monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the inquiry control unit transmits the state request signal at an inquiry time interval calculated based on the maximum circulation time and the total number of the image output devices. . The storage unit further stores a predetermined reference inquiry time interval,
The image monitoring apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the inquiry control unit transmits the state request signal at the reference inquiry time interval when the inquiry time interval is equal to or greater than the reference inquiry time interval. A program executed by an image monitoring device capable of communicating with a plurality of image output devices,
The program is stored in a computer.
Processing for generating cyclic information indicating the transmission order of a status request signal for requesting transmission of status information indicating the status of the image output device to the plurality of image output devices;
Processing for storing the tour information generated by the tour information generation unit in a storage unit;
A process of performing inquiry control for sequentially transmitting the state request signal to the image output device based on the tour information stored in the storage unit;
Processing for receiving status information from the image output device when receiving image data from the image output device or when status information is transmitted from the image output device as a response to the status request signal When,
Is to execute
The program performs skip control for skipping transmission of the state request signal to an image output apparatus that has received the state information after starting the inquiry control.

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