JP2013115660A - Monitoring system and imaging device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce a process load on an imaging device in executing mask processing of a privacy-protected zone and reduce the cost of the imaging device.SOLUTION: An imaging device 10 causes a signal generation unit 13 to overlap a signal a4 representing pan tilt angle information and a signal a5 representing f-value information onto a video signal a1 and outputs an overlap signal a2 to a recording device 20. The recording device 20 receives a signal a6 including information (a8) of a mask setting position and an operation signal (a12) from a controller 30, separates a video signal a7, an f-value and a pan tilt angle from the received overlap signal a2, generates a mask image by using the f-value and the pan tilt angle, and overwrites it on the video signal a7, thereby generating a signal a11 representing a mask processed image.

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for masking a privacy protection range shown in a part of a camera image for privacy protection.

  In general, a monitoring system includes an imaging device (camera) mounted on a pan head, has pan, tilt, and zoom functions, and displays imaging information acquired by operating a shooting direction and an angle of view on a display device. It has a configuration. For example, when an imaging apparatus is installed in a public place such as an apartment, a road, or a shopping street, it is necessary to mask a range where it is not preferable to take a picture for privacy protection, such as a private house or a photography-prohibited subject.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for calculating a mask display position for masking a privacy protection range and performing mask processing in an imaging apparatus.

JP 2004-15362 A

  However, the technique described in Patent Document 1 has a problem that the imaging apparatus has a function of executing mask processing, and thus the processing load of the imaging apparatus becomes heavy and the cost of the imaging apparatus increases.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for reducing the processing load of the imaging apparatus and reducing the cost when performing the masking process of the privacy protection range.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a monitoring system according to the present invention includes an imaging device that outputs a superimposed signal on which an f value and a pan / tilt angle that are used for mask processing of a captured video signal are superimposed; A recording device that separates the f value and the pan / tilt angle, generates a mask image using the f value and the pan / tilt angle, and generates a mask processed image by overwriting the mask image on the video signal.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the processing load of the imaging apparatus and reduce the cost when executing the masking process of the privacy protection range.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of the monitoring system in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the function example of a recording device. It is a figure which shows the relationship between f value and a zoom lens position. It is a figure which shows the specific example of a mask process, (a) represents the process of the mask process which produces | generates a mask-processed video signal, (b) represents the process of the mask process in pan, tilt, and zoom. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the monitoring system provided with a some imaging device as a modification. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the monitoring system in case an imaging device is a network camera as another modification.

  Next, a mode for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as “the present embodiment”) will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate.

The configuration of the monitoring system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, the monitoring system 1 includes an imaging device 10 and a recording device 20. In addition, the solid line arrow shown in FIG. 1 does not represent wiring, but represents a signal transmission path and direction.

(Imaging device)
The imaging device 10 has a zoom function, is mounted on the camera platform 40, and is remotely controlled for panning, tilting, and zooming by the controller 30. Further, the imaging device 10 converts the imaging light into an electrical signal to generate a video signal a1, and superimposes the video signal a1 by superimposing a signal a5 indicating f-value information and a signal a4 indicating pan-tilt angle information on the video signal a1. It has a function of outputting as a2. The f value is a value obtained by dividing the focal length by the aperture diameter.

  The recording device 20 receives the superimposed signal a2 from the imaging device 10, disassembles the superimposed signal a2, and acquires the video signal a1, the f value, and the pan / tilt angle, and the mask setting position from the controller 30 via the receiving unit 22. And a function of performing mask processing on the video signal a7 based on the f value and the pan / tilt angle, and a function of recording a masked video signal a11 obtained by performing mask processing on the video signal a7. In addition, the recording device 20 controls the storage unit 23 based on the operation signal a12 instructing operations such as recording, stop, and reproduction acquired from the operation signal a6 of the controller 30 in the receiving unit 22.

First, a function example of the imaging apparatus 10 will be described below with reference to FIG. The imaging device 10 includes a lens 11, an imaging element 12, a signal generation unit 13, a reception unit 14, a lens driving motor 15, and a control unit 16.
The lens 11 is a lens unit that takes in external light, and can be zoom controlled by a lens driving motor 15.
The imaging element 12 receives imaging light of the subject that has passed through the lens 11, performs photoelectric conversion to convert it into an electrical signal, and outputs the electrical signal to the signal generation unit 13.

The signal generation unit 13 is configured by a dedicated circuit such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration) and has a signal processing unit 13a and a superimposed signal synthesis unit 13b as functions.
The signal processing unit 13a digitally converts the electrical signal output from the image sensor 12, performs image processing such as exposure control and white balance, and outputs a video signal a1.
The superimposition signal synthesizer 13b acquires a signal a5 indicating f-value information and a signal a4 indicating pan-tilt angle information, and superimposes them on the video signal a1 to generate a superimposition signal a2.

  If the input of the recording apparatus 20 is for receiving an analog signal, the superimposed signal a2 is generated by superimposing f value information and pan / tilt angle information in the vertical blanking period. If the input of the recording device 20 is for receiving a digital signal, the superimposed signal a2 is superimposed on the synchronization signal, or the video signal a1 is data-compressed to provide a blanking period, and the blanking period It is generated by inserting f value information and pan / tilt angle information.

The receiving unit 14 has a function of receiving a pan / tilt angle and a zoom instruction from the controller 30 via the camera platform 40. The receiving unit 14 outputs the received zoom instruction as the signal a3 to the lens driving motor control unit 16a, and outputs the received pan / tilt angle instruction as the signal a4 to the superimposed signal combining unit 13b.
The lens driving motor 15 drives the zoom function of the lens 11 based on an instruction from the control unit 16.

The control unit 16 has a lens driving motor control unit 16a and an f value calculation unit 16b as functions.
The lens driving motor control unit 16a performs a calculation for driving the lens 11 based on the signal a3 indicating the zoom instruction received from the receiving unit 14, and the lens driving motor 15 is operated based on the calculation result. Control. Further, the lens drive motor control unit 16a updates the zoom lens position information based on the calculation result, and outputs the updated zoom lens position information to the f value calculation unit 16b.

  The f value calculation unit 16b refers to the information representing the relationship between the zoom lens position and the f value as shown in FIG. 3, and f corresponding to the zoom lens position set by the lens drive motor control unit 16a. Calculate the value. Then, the f value calculation unit 16b outputs the calculated f value as the signal a5 to the superimposed signal synthesis unit 13b.

  The control unit 16 is realized by a microcomputer, and has a function of performing processing in the lens driving control unit 16a and the f value calculation unit 16b and setting for operating the function of the signal generation unit 13. .

(controller)
The controller 30 has a function of outputting a signal for panning, tilting, and zooming the imaging device 10 via the pan head 40. Further, the controller 30 has a function of setting the position of a mask used for mask processing based on an operation by an operator of the monitoring system 1, and an operation signal (non-recording) such as recording start, stop, reproduction of the recording device 20. A signal a6 including information on the mask setting position and an operation signal is output. The controller 30 has a function of relaying the superimposed signal a2 output from the imaging device 10 and outputting the signal a2 to the recording device 20. The mask setting position information is set by the operator of the monitoring system 1 using the controller 30, and the setting value is acquired by the controller 30.

  In the present embodiment, the controller 30 relays the superimposed signal a2 to the recording device 20. This is because a connection cable (not shown) is connected between the imaging device 10 and the controller 30 via the camera platform 40. This is because they are wired in between. Therefore, when a connection cable (not shown) is wired between the imaging device 10 and the recording device 20, the superimposed signal a2 output from the imaging device 10 may be directly output to the recording device 20. I do not care.

(Head)
The pan / tilt head 40 has a function of receiving the pan / tilt angle and zoom instructions from the controller 30 and outputting them to the receiving unit 14. The pan / tilt head 40 has a function of controlling the pan / tilt operation based on the pan / tilt angle instruction received from the controller 30.

(Recording device)
Next, a function example of the recording apparatus 20 will be described below with reference to FIG. The recording apparatus 20 includes a mask generation unit 21, a reception unit 22, and a recording unit 23.

The mask generation unit 21 includes a video signal separation unit 21a, a mask processing unit 21b, and a mask calculation unit 21c as functions.
The video signal separation unit 21a has a function of receiving the superimposed signal a2 from the imaging device 10 via the controller 30 and separating the superimposed signal a2 into the video signal a7 and the signal a9 including f value information and pan / tilt angle information. The video signal separation unit 21a outputs the video signal a7 to the mask processing unit 21b, and outputs a signal a9 including f value information and pan / tilt angle information to the mask calculation unit 21c.

  The mask processing unit 21b has a function of acquiring a signal a10 indicating mask display position information from the mask calculation unit 21c and generating a mask image based on the mask display position information. The mask display position information represents, for example, the position of a vertex representing the shape of the mask in the coordinate system of the image displayed on the display device 50. Then, the mask processing unit 21b executes a process of overwriting the mask image on the video signal a7 to generate a masked video signal a11, and outputs the masked video signal a11 to the recording unit 23.

  The mask calculation unit 21c has a function of extracting f value information and pan / tilt angle information from the received signal a9, receiving a signal a8 indicating information on the mask setting position from the reception unit 22, and calculating a mask display position. . Further, the mask calculation unit 21c has a function of outputting a signal a10 indicating mask display position information to the mask processing unit 21b.

The receiving unit 22 acquires the signal a6 including the mask setting position information and the operation signal from the controller 30, outputs the signal a8 indicating the mask setting position information to the mask calculation unit 21c, and outputs the operation signal a12 to the recording unit 23. Has a function to output.
The recording unit 23 has a function of recording and reproducing the masked video signal a11. The recording unit 23 has a function of outputting the masked video signal a11 to the display device 50.

  The display device 50 is a display or the like, and is used by the operator of the monitoring system 1 to confirm the masked video signal a11.

FIG. 2 shows an example of functions of the recording apparatus 20 in more detail. In addition, about the same function as FIG. 1, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description is abbreviate | omitted.
The mask processing unit 21b includes a mask synthesis unit 21ba and a mask signal creation unit 21bb.
The mask signal creation unit 21bb acquires the mask display position from the signal a10 indicating the mask display position information, and generates a mask image based on the mask display position. Then, the mask signal creation unit 21bb outputs the generated mask image to the mask synthesis unit 21ba.
The mask composition unit 21ba acquires the video signal a7 and the mask image, and performs mask processing by overwriting the mask signal on the video signal a7. The video signal subjected to the masking process is output to the recording unit 23 as a masked video signal a11.

The mask calculation unit 21c includes a pan / tilt angle information storage unit 21ca, an f value information storage unit 21cb, a mask setting position information storage unit 21cc, and a mask display position calculation unit 21cd.
The pan / tilt angle information storage unit 21ca stores pan / tilt angle information in the signal a9.
The f value information storage unit 21cb stores f value information in the signal a9.
The mask setting position information storage unit 21cc stores information on the mask setting position of the signal a8.

  The mask display position calculating unit 21cd is stored in the pan / tilt angle information stored in the pan / tilt angle information storage unit 21ca, the f value information stored in the f value information storage unit 21cb, and the mask setting position information storage unit 21cc. Information on the mask setting position is acquired, and the mask display position is calculated. Then, the mask display position calculation unit 21cd outputs the calculation result to the mask processing unit 21b as a signal a10.

  For example, when the lens driving motor 15 is driven or the pan head 40 is operated, the pan / tilt angle information stored in the pan / tilt angle information storage unit 21ca and the f value information stored in the f value information storage unit 21cb. Is updated, a new mask display position is calculated based on the updated pan / tilt angle information and f-value information from the mask setting position information stored in the mask setting position information storage unit 21cc. Is output to the mask processing unit 21b.

(Mask processing)
Here, a specific example of the mask processing in the mask processing unit 21b will be described with reference to FIG. 4 (see FIG. 1 as appropriate).
FIG. 4A shows an image 100, a mask image 101, and a mask processed image 102 in order from the left side. The image 100 shows the house and its surroundings. In order to prevent the interior of the house from being captured for privacy protection, for example, a window range 100a (indicated by a broken line) is set by the controller 30. A signal designating the window range 100a is included in the signal a6 as a signal a8 indicating information on the mask setting position, and is output to the receiving unit 22. And the receiving part 22 extracts the signal a8 which shows the information of a mask setting position from the signal a6, and outputs it to the mask calculating part 21c.

  The mask calculator 21c calculates the mask display position. The mask processing unit 21b acquires the signal a10 indicating the mask display position information from the mask calculation unit 21c, generates a mask image 101 based on the mask display position, and executes a process of overwriting the mask image 101 on the image 100. Thus, the masked image 102 is generated. When the operator of the monitoring system 1 operates the controller 30 to set the position of the mask used for mask processing, the position is set while displaying an image on a monitor (not shown) and viewing the display on the monitor. Will do.

  FIG. 4B shows a mask process during panning, tilting and zooming. Note that an image 110, a mask image 111, and a mask-processed image 112 following the image 100 in FIG. In the image 110, the position of the house has moved to the right side and enlarged compared to the image 100 of FIG. Therefore, the mask image 111 is moved to the right side and enlarged as compared with the mask image 101 (dotted line display) at the time of FIG. The mask image 111 is generated by the mask display position calculation unit 21cd with reference to the f value information and the pan / tilt angle information. Then, the mask processing unit 21b acquires a signal a10 indicating mask display position information from the mask calculation unit 21c, generates a mask image 111 based on the acquired mask display position, and overwrites the mask image 111 on the image 110. The mask process completed image 112 is generated by executing the mask process.

(Modification 1)
Next, as a modification, a monitoring system 1a in the case where the mask processing of a plurality of imaging devices 10 is executed by one recording device 20a will be described with reference to FIG. 5 (see FIG. 1 as appropriate). However, the same functions as those in FIG. In FIG. 5, the solid line segments connecting the blocks represent wiring.

  The monitoring system 1a illustrated in FIG. 5 includes the three imaging devices 10, but the number is not limited to three. The controller 30 a includes at least as many input ports (not shown) as the number of the imaging devices 10 for connecting to the imaging device 10 via the camera platform 40. Then, the controller 30a relays the superimposed signal a2 that is the output of the imaging device 10, and outputs it from the output port (not shown) connected to the input port to the recording device 20a (indicated by a broken line).

  The recording device 20a includes a recording signal synthesis unit 60 (60a, 60b, 60c) including a video signal separation unit 21a that receives the superimposed signal a2 and a mask processing unit 21b for each output port. This is because the processing in the recording signal synthesizing unit 60 is fixed, and therefore it is more efficient to provide each imaging device 10 independently. The mask calculation unit 21c has many variations in processing types and a small processing load. Therefore, the mask calculation unit 21c is commonly used for the recording signal synthesis units 60a, 60b, and 60c, and is executed in parallel processing or sequential processing. .

(Modification 2)
Next, as another modified example, a monitoring system in which a plurality of imaging devices 10a each have identification information (IP address or MAC (Media Access Control) address) as a network camera and are connected to the network 70. A configuration example of 1b will be described with reference to FIG. However, the same functions as those in FIG. In FIG. 6, the solid line segments connecting the blocks represent wiring.

  For example, the imaging device 10a transmits and receives various pieces of information to and from the controller 30b via packets via an IP (Internet Protocol) network 70. Since the packet includes the identification information of the imaging device 10a, the controller 30b reads the identification information by the allocating unit 31, and outputs the packet information having the same identification information to the same output port (not shown). . In the recording device 20a, a recording signal combining unit 60 for processing the information is determined for each output port. Therefore, the recording signal synthesis unit 60 can process the superimposed signal a2 of the imaging device 10a having the same identification information. Then, the recording apparatus 20a performs a mask process.

  The mask calculation unit 21c is used in common for the recording signal synthesis units 60a, 60b, and 60c, and is executed by parallel processing or sequential processing.

  As described above, the monitoring systems 1, 1 a, and 1 b in the present embodiment and the modified examples generate the superimposed signal a <b> 2 in which the f value information and the pan / tilt angle information are superimposed on the video signal, and output to the recording device 20. And a recording device 20 that extracts f-value information and pan-tilt angle information from the received superimposed signal a2 and executes mask processing based on the f-value and pan-tilt angle. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the processing load of the imaging device 10 and reduce the cost. Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, when a plurality of imaging devices 10 and imaging devices 10 a are used, the total cost can be further reduced.

1, 1a, 1b Monitoring system 10, 10a Imaging device 11 Lens 12 Imaging element 13 Signal generation unit 13a Signal processing unit 13b Superimposed signal synthesis unit 14 Reception unit 15 Lens driving motor 16 Control unit 16a Lens driving motor control unit 16b f Value calculation unit 20, 20a Recording device 21 Mask generation unit 21a Video signal separation unit 21b Mask processing unit 21ba Mask synthesis unit 21bb Mask signal creation unit 21c Mask calculation unit 21ca Pan tilt angle information storage unit 21cb f value information storage unit 21cc Mask setting position Information storage unit 21cd Mask display position calculation unit 22 Reception unit 23 Recording unit 30, 30a, 30b Controller 31 Distribution unit 40 Pan head 50 Display device 60, 60a, 60b, 60c Recording signal synthesis unit a1 Video signal a2 Superimposition signal

Claims (9)

A monitoring system that includes an imaging device that is mounted on a camera platform and capable of pan / tilt operation and zoom function operation and outputs a captured video signal, and a recording device that performs mask processing on the video signal,
The imaging device
An f value calculation unit that calculates an f value based on an operation of the zoom function;
A receiving unit for obtaining a pan / tilt angle based on the pan / tilt operation;
A signal generation unit that outputs a superimposed signal generated by superimposing the f value and the pan / tilt angle on the video signal to the recording device;
The recording device comprises:
A video signal separator that separates the video signal, the f value, and the pan / tilt angle from the superimposed signal;
A mask image is generated based on the information of the mask setting position set in the video signal, the f value and the pan / tilt angle, and the mask image is overwritten on the video signal to generate a masked video signal. And a mask processing unit. The signal generator is
2. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein when generating the superimposed signal, when the video signal is an analog signal, the f value information and the pan / tilt angle information are superimposed in a vertical blanking period. The signal generator is
2. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein when the superimposed signal is generated, if the video signal is a digital signal, the superimposed signal is superimposed on a synchronization signal used when digitally transmitting the superimposed signal. The signal generator is
When the superimposed signal is generated, if the video signal is a digital signal, data compression is performed on the digital signal to provide a blanking period, and the f value information and the pan / tilt angle information are inserted into the blankin period. The monitoring system according to claim 1. A monitoring system comprising a plurality of imaging devices that are mounted on a camera platform and capable of pan / tilt operation and zoom function operation and output captured video signals, and a recording device that performs mask processing on the video signals. ,
The imaging device
An f value calculation unit that calculates an f value based on an operation of the zoom function;
A receiving unit for obtaining a pan / tilt angle based on the pan / tilt operation;
A signal generation unit that outputs a superimposed signal generated by superimposing the f value and the pan / tilt angle on the video signal to the recording device;
The recording device comprises:
For each imaging device, set to the video signal separation unit that separates the video signal, the f value, and the pan / tilt angle from the superimposed signal, which are used for processing the superimposed signal output from the imaging device. A mask processing unit that generates a mask image based on the information of the mask setting position to be performed, the f value and the pan / tilt angle, overwrites the mask image on the video signal, and generates a masked video signal A monitoring system comprising a set. The imaging apparatus that outputs the video signal to a recording apparatus that performs mask processing on a video signal that is mounted on a camera platform and capable of pan / tilt operation and zoom function operation.
An f value calculation unit that calculates an f value based on an operation of the zoom function;
A receiving unit for obtaining a pan / tilt angle based on the pan / tilt operation;
An image pickup apparatus comprising: a signal generation unit that outputs a superimposed signal generated by superimposing the f value and the pan / tilt angle on the video signal to the recording apparatus. The signal generator is
The imaging apparatus according to claim 6, wherein when generating the superimposed signal, the f value information and the pan / tilt angle information are superimposed in a vertical blanking period when the video signal is an analog signal. The signal generator is
The imaging apparatus according to claim 6, wherein when generating the superimposed signal, if the video signal is a digital signal, the superimposed signal is superimposed on a synchronization signal used when digitally transmitting the superimposed signal. The signal generator is
When generating the superimposed signal, if the video signal is a digital signal, the digital signal is subjected to data compression to provide a blanking period, and the f value information and the pan / tilt angle information are inserted. The imaging device according to claim 6.

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