JP2013121125A - Network camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a network camera capable of adaptively controlling the quality of recorded videos in accordance with the amount of free space in a built-in recording medium in order to disperse the video missing portions, thus avoiding the occurrence of extensive video missing periods.SOLUTION: A network camera includes: an imaging part 11 for capturing videos; a first coding part 13 for generating coded data by coding the videos captured by the imaging part 11; a second coding part 14 for reorganizing the coded data coded by the first coding part 13; an event detection part 18 for detecting troubles of a network 2 or a recording device 3 and recording the coded data generated by the first coding part 13 in a built-in recording medium 19; a quality control part 15 for checking the free space of the built-in recording medium 19 and, if the amount of the free space of the built-in recording medium 19 is smaller than a predetermined threshold value, causing the second coding part 14 to reedit the videos so as to lower the quality of the videos of the coded data recorded in the built-in recording medium.

Description

  The present invention relates to a network camera that records video by adaptively controlling the quality of video to be recorded according to the free space of a built-in storage medium when a recording device failure or network communication failure occurs. Is.

  As a conventional network camera, a network camera system that connects a camera, a server, and a recording device via a network has been put into practical use for the purpose of enhancing the monitoring performance and convenience of the camera. There are known techniques for storing data in a recording device provided inside or outside, and techniques such as backup processing when a failure occurs in a network.

  Here, the network camera system is configured by a network camera, a recording device, a display device for reproducing recorded video, and a network as a transmission medium of these, and the video taken by the network camera is The user transmits and records to the recording device via the network, and the user displays the video recorded on the recording device on the display device for confirmation.

  In a network camera system, when a failure occurs in a recording device or a network that is a transmission medium between the network camera and the recording device, it becomes impossible to transmit or record video captured by the network camera to the recording device. Even in such a case, there is a need for a network camera that can avoid losing an image of a failure without being recorded.

  For example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-228867, when a video captured by a network camera cannot be transmitted to a recording device due to the occurrence of a network failure, the video is recorded on a built-in recording medium built in the network camera to recover from the failure. Later, the video recorded on the internal recording medium of the network camera is transmitted to the recording device via the network.

  Also, for example, in Patent Document 2, priorities are set in advance for each network camera, and when a failure occurs, the built-in recording media of a plurality of network cameras capable of network communication are combined into a virtual large memory. By recording video captured by a network camera set to a high value in a virtual large memory, a finite built-in recording medium is efficiently used.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-26866 JP 2010-093665 A

  However, in a conventional network camera such as Patent Document 1, video is recorded on a built-in recording medium, but no consideration is given to the case where the failure occurrence period exceeds the allowable amount of the built-in recording medium. However, it is necessary to stop the recorded video or to delete the old video one after another and record a new video. As a result, the period during which video cannot be recorded is concentrated and the video is lost for a long time. It is inevitable that a period will be generated. In addition, in the conventional network camera system as disclosed in Patent Document 2, the video of the network camera having a low priority is lost, and it is unavoidable that a period in which the video is lost for a long period of time occurs when the failure is prolonged. .

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem. Even if a failure occurs in the recording apparatus or the network over a long period of time, the recorded video is adaptively adapted to the free space of the built-in recording medium. The purpose is to provide a network camera that can avoid the occurrence of a period of video loss over a long period of time by controlling the quality so that the locations where the video is lost are not concentrated as in the conventional method but dispersed. And

  In order to achieve the above object, a network camera according to the present invention is connected to a recording device via a network, and in a network camera having a built-in recording medium unit, an image capturing unit that captures an image and the image capturing unit capture an image. A first encoding unit for encoding encoded video to generate encoded data, a second encoding unit for re-editing encoded data encoded by the first encoding unit, the network or Detecting a failure of the recording device, confirming the free space of the internal recording medium unit, an event detection unit for recording the encoded data generated by the first encoding unit on the internal recording medium unit, When the free space is smaller than a predetermined threshold, the second encoding unit is re-edited so as to reduce the quality of the video of the encoded data recorded in the built-in recording medium unit. Characterized in that it comprises a quality control unit.

  According to the network camera of the present invention, the quality of the recorded video is adaptively controlled according to the free space of the built-in recording medium unit, so that the locations where the video is lost are not concentrated and distributed as in the conventional method. It is possible to avoid occurrence of a period in which video is lost over a long period of time.

1 is a configuration diagram of a network camera system in which a network camera according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is connected to a network. FIG. The block diagram of the network camera which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention is shown. 2 shows a flowchart of the overall operation of the network camera according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 3 shows a sequence diagram of a failure detection method of the event detection unit of the network camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 3 shows a flowchart of processing during normal operation of the network camera according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. 5 shows a flowchart of processing during fault operation of the network camera according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of adjustment of the quality of video stored in a built-in recording medium unit by the quality control unit of the network camera according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The block diagram of the network camera which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention is shown. 9 shows a flowchart of processing during fault operation of a network camera according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. 7 shows a flowchart of processing for fault operation of a network camera according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. An explanatory view about priority set to a record picture which a network camera concerning Embodiment 3 of this invention recorded is shown.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 shows a configuration diagram of a network camera system in which a network camera 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is connected to a network 2. This network camera system includes a network camera 1 having a built-in recording medium section. 1 to 1-3, the recording device 3, and the display device 4 are connected via the network 2. Here, specific examples of the built-in recording medium unit included in the network camera 1 include an SD card, an SSD (Solid State Drive), a hard disk, a flash memory, and the like. Any non-volatile built-in recording medium that retains the contents may be used.

  Images taken by the network cameras 1-1 to 1-3 are transmitted to the recording device 3 through the network 2 and recorded. The user of the network camera system records the images on the recording device 3 by the display device 4. A video at an arbitrary time can be referred to via the network 2.

  Although FIG. 1 shows a network camera system having three network cameras 1 and one recording device 3 and one display device 4, not only the network camera 1 but also the recording device 3 and display are shown. A plurality of devices 4 may be installed.

  FIG. 2 shows a configuration diagram of the network camera 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The network camera 1 shown in FIG. 2 performs various video processes by an imaging unit 11 that captures video, a video processing unit 12 that performs various video processes such as brightness control on the video captured by the imaging unit 11, and a video processing unit 12. An encoding unit (first encoding unit) 13 that encodes the transmitted video to generate encoded data, and an encoding unit (second encoding) that re-edits the encoded data generated by the encoding unit 13 14), the data transmission / reception unit 17 for transmitting the video encoded by the encoding units 13 and 14 to the recording device 3 connected via the network 2, and a failure when a failure occurs in the network 2 or the recording device 3. When the event detection unit 18 that detects occurrence and the event detection unit 18 detect that a failure has occurred in the recording device 3 or the network 2, the encoding units 13 and 14 are used instead of the recording device 3. The internal recording medium unit 19 for storing the encoded video and the free space of the internal recording medium unit 19 are confirmed. If the free space is smaller than a predetermined threshold, the code recorded in the internal recording medium unit 19 Quality control unit 15 that causes the encoding unit 14 to re-edit to reduce the quality of the video of the encoded data, and the encoding units 13 and 14, the quality control unit 15, the data transmission / reception unit 17, the event detection unit 18, and a built-in recording medium And a bus 16 for connecting the unit 19 and the like.

  Next, the operation will be described. FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of the overall operation of the network camera 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. First, it is determined whether the event detection unit 18 of the network camera 1 detects the occurrence of a failure in the network 2 or the recording device 3 (step ST11), and the event detection unit 18 detects the occurrence of a failure in the network 2 or the recording device 3. If not (NO in step ST11), the network camera 1 performs normal operation (step ST12), while the event detection unit 18 detects the occurrence of a failure in the network 2 or the recording device 3 ( In the case of YES in step ST11, the network camera 1 performs failure operation (step ST13). Then, it returns to step ST11 and repeats a process.

  FIG. 4 shows a sequence diagram of a failure detection method of the event detection unit 18 of the network camera 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The event detection unit 18 periodically transmits activity monitoring (1.1) to the recording device 3 via the data transmission / reception unit 17. The recording device 3 returns a response (1.2) to the activity monitor (1.1). This operation is repeated during normal operation. Here, when a failure occurs in the network 2 or the recording device 3, a response to the activity monitoring (3.1) transmitted by the network camera 1 is not returned, and therefore a response (3.2) cannot be obtained within a specified time. The event detection unit 18 detects “occurrence of failure” in the network 2 or the recording device 3.

  Even after the event detection unit 18 detects a failure in the network 2 or the recording device 3, the event detection unit 18 continues to transmit activity monitoring (4.1) at a constant period in order to confirm whether the failure continues. When the failure is recovered, a response (5.2) is returned to the activity monitor (5.1). Therefore, the event detection unit 18 detects the response (5.2), so that the event detection unit 18 “Failure recovery” in the recording device 3 is detected.

  A specific protocol for activity monitoring and response may be SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol), ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol) echo request / reply, or any other protocol.

  Further, FIG. 4 illustrates a configuration in which the event detection unit 18 transmits activity monitoring and the recording device 3 returns a response. However, the recording device 3 transmits activity monitoring and the event detection unit 18 returns a response. It is good also as a structure. At this time, the event detection unit 18 of the network camera 1 detects the occurrence of failure when the activity monitoring is not received even after a predetermined time, and detects the failure recovery when the activity monitoring is received again.

  FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of processing during normal operation shown in step ST12 of FIG. 3 of the network camera 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In normal operation, first, the imaging unit 11 captures an image (step ST21), and the image processing unit 12 performs various image processing such as luminance control on the image captured by the imaging unit 11 (step ST22). Next, the encoding unit 13 generates encoded data by encoding the video processed by the video processing unit 12 (step ST23), and the data transmitting / receiving unit 17 is encoded by the encoding unit 13. The encoded data is transmitted to the recording device 3 via the network 2 (step ST24).

  Here, when the encoding unit 13 encodes the video in step ST23, shooting time information is added to the video. As a result, the recording device 3 can arrange the stored videos in time series, and this causes a failure when the user later reproduces the video recorded in the recording device 3 using the display device 4. Without worrying about whether or not it was done, it is possible to reproduce the video shot at that time simply by specifying the time.

  Next, the quality control unit 15 determines whether or not an untransmitted video remains in the internal recording medium unit 19 (step ST25). If an untransmitted video remains in the internal recording medium unit 19 (YES in step ST25) ), The data transmitting / receiving unit 17 transmits the untransmitted video remaining in the built-in recording medium unit 19 to the recording device 3 (step ST26), and the process is terminated. If no untransmitted video remains in the built-in recording medium unit 19 (NO in step ST25), the process ends.

  In step ST26, the encoded data shot at that time and encoded by the encoding unit 13 and the encoded data stored in the built-in recording medium unit 19 are simultaneously transmitted to the recording device 3. The priority of the transmission processing of the video stored in the built-in recording medium unit 19 is lowered so that the transmission of the captured video does not fail due to insufficient bandwidth of the network 2.

  FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of processing at the time of fault operation in step ST13 of FIG. 3 of the network camera 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In failure operation, first, the imaging unit 11 captures a video (step ST31), and the video processing unit 12 performs various video processing such as luminance control on the video captured by the imaging unit 11 (step ST32), and an encoding unit. 13 encodes the video processed by the video processor 12 to generate encoded data (step ST33), and the event detector 18 records the encoded data encoded by the encoder 13 in a built-in manner. It stores in the medium part 19 (step ST34).

  Next, the quality control unit 15 determines whether the size of the free space of the built-in recording medium unit 19 is smaller than a predetermined threshold (step ST35), and the size of the free space of the built-in recording medium unit 19 is larger than the predetermined threshold. Is determined (NO in step ST35), the process is terminated. On the other hand, when it is determined that the amount of free space in the internal recording medium unit 19 is smaller than the predetermined threshold (in the case of YES in step ST35), the quality control unit 15 sets the encoding process of the encoding unit 14. The parameter value is changed so as to lower the quality of the encoded data (the size of the video data is reduced) (step ST36), and the encoding unit 14 re-edits the encoded data recorded in the internal recording medium unit 19 Is performed (step ST37). Thereafter, the process returns to step ST35, and it is determined again whether the size of the free space of the internal recording medium unit 19 is larger than a predetermined threshold, and until the size of the free space of the internal recording medium unit 19 becomes larger than the predetermined threshold. Repeat the process.

  Here, the setting parameter values of the encoding process of the encoding unit 14 changed by the quality control unit 15 are specifically image quality and the number of frames per second.

  FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of adjustment of the quality of video stored in the built-in recording medium unit 19 by the quality control unit 15 of the network camera 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. For example, in the network camera system, when a failure occurs in the network 2 or the recording device 3 and the free space of the built-in recording medium unit 19 is larger than a predetermined threshold value, as shown in FIG. Generates encoded data of the same quality as during normal operation, and the event detection unit 18 records it in the built-in recording medium unit 19.

  Thereafter, when the free space of the internal recording medium unit 19 falls below a predetermined threshold, the quality control unit 15 changes the setting parameter value of the image quality of the encoding process of the encoding unit 14 as shown in FIG. Then, the image quality of the video recorded so far on the built-in recording medium unit 19 is reduced, and the free space of the built-in recording medium unit 19 is secured, and the video recording is continued.

  Thereafter, when the free space of the built-in recording medium unit 19 again falls below a predetermined threshold, the quality control unit 15 sets the number of frames per second for the encoding process of the encoding unit 14 as shown in FIG. The parameter value is changed, the number of frames per second recorded on the built-in recording medium unit 19 is reduced, the free space is secured, and the video recording is continued.

  Thereafter, when the free space of the built-in recording medium unit 19 again falls below a predetermined threshold value, the quality control unit 15 sets the number of frames per second for the encoding process of the encoding unit 14 as shown in FIG. The parameter value is changed, and the number of frames per second recorded on the built-in recording medium unit 19 is further reduced as compared with the case of FIG. 7C. repeat.

  Note that, when the encoding unit 13 encodes the video in step ST33 shown in FIG. 6, shooting time information is added to the video. As a result, the recording device 3 can arrange the stored videos in time series, and this causes a failure when the user later reproduces the video recorded in the recording device 3 using the display device 4. Without worrying about whether or not it was done, it is possible to reproduce the video shot at that time simply by specifying the time.

  In addition, although the network camera 1 according to Embodiment 1 describes a configuration including two encoding units, there is one encoding unit capable of performing two types of encoding processes on video. However, the processing of the encoding units 13 and 14 described above may be performed by one encoding unit.

  As described above, the image is captured by the image capturing unit 11 that captures an image, the first encoding unit 13 that encodes the image captured by the image capturing unit 11 to generate encoded data, and the first encoding unit 13. The second encoding unit 14 for re-editing the encoded data and the failure of the network 2 or the recording device 3 are detected, and the encoded data generated by the first encoding unit 13 is stored in the built-in recording medium unit 19. The free space of the event detection unit 18 and the internal recording medium unit 19 to be recorded is confirmed, and when the free space is smaller than a predetermined threshold, the quality of the video of the encoded data recorded in the internal recording medium unit 19 The quality control unit 15 that causes the second encoding unit 14 to re-edit so as to reduce the image quality is reduced, so that the quality of the recorded video is adaptively controlled according to the free space of the built-in recording medium unit 19. , Video is lost Where there is not concentrated as the conventional method, dispersed, period image for a long time is lost and it is possible to avoid the occurrence.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram of the network camera 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The difference from the configuration diagram of the network camera 1 shown in FIG. 14 is only connected directly.

  The network camera 1 shown in FIG. 8 performs various video processing by an imaging unit 11 that captures video, a video processing unit 12 that performs various video processing such as luminance control on the video captured by the imaging unit 11, and a video processing unit 12. The encoded image 13 is encoded with the same quality as during normal operation to generate encoded data, and the image subjected to various types of image processing by the image processing unit 12 is encoded with lower quality than during normal operation. An encoding unit 14 that generates encoded data, a data transmission / reception unit 17 that transmits the video encoded by the encoding units 13 and 14 to the recording device 3 connected via the network 2, the network 2 and the recording device 3 When the event detection unit 18 that detects the occurrence of a failure when the failure occurs, and the event detection unit 18 detects that a failure has occurred in the recording device 3 or the network 2, The internal recording medium unit 19 for storing the video encoded by the encoding units 13 and 14 instead of the recording device 3 is checked, and the free capacity of the internal recording medium unit 19 is confirmed, and the free capacity is smaller than a predetermined threshold value. A quality control unit 15 that deletes encoded data of the same quality as that during normal operation recorded in the built-in recording medium unit 19, encoding units 13 and 14, quality control unit 15, data transmission / reception unit 17, and event detection unit 18 and a bus 16 for connecting the built-in recording medium section 19 and the like.

  The network camera 1 according to the second embodiment performs the processing shown in FIG. 5 similar to the network camera 1 according to the first embodiment in normal operation, but the processing is different from that in the first embodiment in failure operation. . FIG. 9 shows a flowchart of processing at the time of fault operation in step ST13 of FIG. 3 of the network camera 1 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

  First, the imaging unit 11 captures a video (step ST41), the video processing unit 12 performs various video processing such as luminance control on the video captured by the imaging unit 11 (step ST42), and the encoding unit 13 performs video processing. As shown in FIG. 7A, the video that has undergone various types of video processing by the unit 12 is encoded with the same quality as during normal operation to generate encoded data (step ST43). As shown in FIG. 7B, the video that has been subjected to various types of video processing by the processing unit 12 is encoded with lower quality than that during normal operation to generate encoded data (step ST44), and the event detection unit 18 Are encoded data with the same quality as that during normal operation encoded by the encoding unit 13 and encoded data with lower quality than during normal operation encoded by the encoding unit 14. To save the recording medium unit 19 (step ST45).

  Next, the quality control unit 15 determines whether the size of the free space in the built-in recording medium unit 19 is less than a predetermined threshold (step ST46), and the size of the free space in the built-in recording medium unit 19 is greater than the predetermined threshold. If it is determined that the value is larger (NO in step ST46), the process ends. On the other hand, when it is determined that the amount of free space in the internal recording medium unit 19 is smaller than the predetermined threshold (in the case of YES in step ST46), the quality control unit 15 is recorded in the internal recording medium unit 19. The encoded data having the same quality as that in the normal operation encoded by the encoding unit 13 is deleted (step ST47). Thereafter, the process returns to step ST46, and it is determined again whether the size of the free space in the built-in recording medium unit 19 is larger than a predetermined threshold value, and the process is repeated.

  In the network camera 1 according to the second embodiment, as an example in which the encoding unit 14 encodes with a quality lower than that during normal operation, as shown in FIG. However, as shown in FIGS. 7C and 7D, the number of frames per second of the video may be reduced.

  In addition, when the encoding units 13 and 14 encode the video in step ST43 and step ST44, shooting time information is added to the video. As a result, the recording device 3 can arrange the stored videos in time series, and this causes a failure when the user later reproduces the video recorded in the recording device 3 using the display device 4. Without worrying about whether or not it was done, it is possible to reproduce the video shot at that time simply by specifying the time.

  In addition, in the network camera 1 according to the second embodiment, a configuration including two encoding units is described, but one encoding unit capable of performing two types of encoding processes on a video is described. However, the processing of the encoding units 13 and 14 described above may be performed by one encoding unit.

  As described above, in the network camera 1 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention, the image capturing unit 11 that captures an image and the image captured by the image capturing unit 11 have the same quality as that during normal operation and lower quality than during normal operation. The encoding unit that generates the encoded data by encoding with the two types of quality, and the encoded data generated in the encoding unit by detecting the failure of the network 2 or the recording device 3 are stored in the built-in recording medium unit 19. The free space of the event detection unit 18 to be stored and the internal recording medium unit 19 is confirmed, and when the free space is smaller than a predetermined threshold, the same quality encoding as that during normal operation recorded in the internal recording medium unit 19 is performed. And a quality control unit 15 for deleting data, so that the quality of the recorded video is adaptively controlled according to the free space of the built-in recording medium unit 19 without the need to re-edit the encoded data, Not concentrated so places the conventional method in which the image is lost, dispersed, period image for a long time is lost and it is possible to avoid the occurrence.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
The configuration of the network camera 1 according to Embodiment 3 is the same as that of the network camera 1 according to Embodiment 1 shown in FIG. 2, but differs in the following points. The event detection unit 18 detects a certain event in the shooting environment and sets a high priority for the video in the time zone at the time when the event occurred. Further, the quality control unit 15 performs the same processing as in the first embodiment, confirms the free space of the built-in recording medium unit 19, and records in the built-in recording medium unit 19 when the free space is smaller than a predetermined threshold. In the encoded data, the encoding unit 14 is re-edited so as to reduce the quality of the video in the time zone set with a low priority.

  The configuration of the network camera 1 according to the third embodiment is the same as that of the network camera 1 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. The network camera 1 according to the third embodiment includes an imaging unit 11 that captures video, a video processing unit 12 that performs various video processes such as brightness control on the video captured by the imaging unit 11, and various video processes performed by the video processing unit 12. The encoding unit (first encoding unit) 13 that encodes the video that has been subjected to encoding to generate encoded data, and the encoding unit (second encoding unit) that re-edits the encoded data generated by the encoding unit 13 Encoding unit 14, data transmission / reception unit 17 that transmits the video encoded by the encoding units 13, 14 to the recording device 3 connected via the network 2, when a failure occurs in the network 2 or the recording device 3 When the occurrence of a failure is detected, the encoded data generated by the encoding unit 13 is recorded in the built-in recording medium unit 19, and an event is generated by detecting some event in the shooting environment. The event detection unit 18 and the event detection unit 18 that set the priority of the video in the time zone at a high time and set the priority of the video in the other time zone low has failed in the recording device 3 or the network 2 If this is detected, the internal recording medium unit 19 for storing the video encoded by the encoding units 13 and 14 instead of the recording device 3 is confirmed, and the free space of the internal recording medium unit 19 is confirmed, and the free space is determined to be predetermined. Quality control that causes the encoding unit 14 to re-edit to reduce the quality of the video in the time zone set with a low priority among the encoded data recorded in the internal recording medium unit 19 when the threshold value is smaller than Unit 15, encoding units 13 and 14, quality control unit 15, data transmission / reception unit 17, event detection unit 18, built-in recording medium unit 19, and the like.

  Next, the operation will be described. The network camera 1 according to the third embodiment performs the processing shown in FIG. 5 similar to the network camera 1 according to the first embodiment in normal operation, but the processing is different from that in the first embodiment in failure operation. .

  FIG. 10 shows a flowchart of the fault operation processing of the network camera 1 according to the third embodiment. In the fault operation of the network camera 1, first, the imaging unit 11 captures a video (step ST51), and the video processing unit 12 performs various video processing such as brightness control on the video captured by the imaging unit 11 (step ST52). ), The encoding unit 13 encodes the video processed by the video processing unit 12 (step ST53), and the built-in recording medium unit 19 stores the video encoded by the encoding unit 13 (step ST54). ).

  Next, it is determined whether the event detection unit 18 has detected any event in the shooting environment (step ST55). If the event detection unit 18 has detected any event in the shooting environment (YES in step ST55), The event detection unit 18 sets the priority of the video during that time zone to be high (step ST56). On the other hand, when the event detection unit 18 has not detected any event in the shooting environment (in the case of NO in step ST55), the event detection unit 18 sets the video priority in that time zone to a low level (step ST57). .

  FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for the priority set for the recorded video recorded by the network camera 1 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 11A, the event detection unit 18 sets a high priority for the video in the time zone at the time when the event occurred.

  After that, as shown in FIG. 10, the quality control unit 15 determines whether the free space of the built-in recording medium unit 19 is less than a predetermined threshold (step ST58), and if it is below the threshold (in the case of YES in step ST58) ), The quality control unit 15 determines whether the priority for each unit time of the recorded video is set low (step ST59). If the priority is set low (YES in step ST59), the quality is determined. The control unit 15 changes the setting parameter value of the encoding unit 14 (step ST60), and the encoding unit 14 re-edits the video to reduce the quality of the unit time video (step ST61).

  The video in the time zone set with high priority is not subject to quality control by the quality control unit 15, or the content of the quality control is different from the video in the time zone with low priority. That is, the re-editing setting parameter value is different from that of the video set with a low priority. As a result, even if it is determined that the size of the free space of the internal recording medium unit 19 is smaller than the predetermined threshold at the time of failure operation and the video stored in the internal recording medium unit 19 is re-edited, FIG. As shown in (), only the video in the time zone with low priority is re-edited with the image quality and the number of frames per second set low, and the quality of the video in the time zone with high priority is maintained.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 10, the processing of step ST59 to step ST61 is performed for every unit time of the video stored in the built-in recording medium unit 19, and then the process returns to step ST58 and again the built-in recording medium unit. It is determined whether the size of the 19 free space is larger than a predetermined threshold value, and the process is repeated until the free space size of the built-in recording medium unit 19 becomes equal to or larger than the threshold value.

  Here, the setting parameter values of the encoding process of the encoding unit 14 changed by the quality control unit 15 are specifically image quality and the number of frames per second.

  Furthermore, after that, when it is determined that the free space of the built-in recording medium unit 19 is smaller than the predetermined threshold again at the time of failure operation, the number of frames per second is set to be further reduced only for the video with a low priority. Re-edit and maintain the quality of high priority video. Thereafter, this process is repeated.

  Here, the event detected by the event detection unit 18 and set to a high priority specifically includes changes in video and audio, input from various sensors such as human sensors, and external power supply of the network camera 1. Loss (when a built-in backup power supply is provided) is conceivable. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the occurrence of an event may be detected by the network camera 1 alone or connected to the network camera 1. It may be notified from the devices.

  As described above, the network camera 1 according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention includes the imaging unit 11 that captures video and the first encoding unit that encodes the video captured by the imaging unit 11 and generates encoded data. 13, a second encoding unit 14 that re-edits the encoded data encoded by the first encoding unit 13, a failure of the network 2 or the recording device 3, and a first encoding unit 13 is recorded in the built-in recording medium unit 19, and when an event in the shooting environment is detected, the priority of the video shot in that time zone is set high, and the video in other time zones is set. The free space of the event detection unit 18 and the built-in recording medium unit 19 that sets the priority of the recording medium unit 19 is confirmed. If the free space is smaller than a predetermined threshold value, the encoded data recorded in the built-in recording medium unit 19 is checked. Since the second encoding unit 14 is re-edited so as to reduce the quality of the video in the time zone set with a low priority among the data, generally, Since the quality of the video during the event occurred in the shooting environment that is considered to be an important scene can be maintained, high-quality video is recorded for the video during the high-importance time when referencing after failure recovery Can be played.

  In the present invention, within the scope of the invention, free combinations of the respective embodiments, modifications of arbitrary components of the respective embodiments, or omission of arbitrary components of the respective embodiments are possible. .

  1 network camera, 2 network, 3 recording device, 4 display device, 11 imaging unit, 12 video processing unit, 13 encoding unit, 14 encoding unit, 15 quality control unit, 16 bus, 17 data transmission / reception unit, 18 event detection Part, 19 Built-in recording medium part.

Claims (7)

In a network camera connected to a recording device via a network and having a built-in recording medium unit,
An imaging unit for imaging video;
A first encoding unit that encodes the video imaged by the imaging unit to generate encoded data;
A second encoding unit that re-edits the encoded data encoded by the first encoding unit;
An event detection unit that detects a failure of the network or the recording device and records the encoded data generated by the first encoding unit in the built-in recording medium unit;
The free space of the built-in recording medium unit is checked, and when the free space is smaller than a predetermined threshold, the second quality of the encoded data recorded in the built-in recording medium unit is lowered. A network camera comprising: a quality control unit that causes the encoding unit to re-edit.   The network camera according to claim 1, wherein the setting parameter value of the encoding process of the second encoding unit that is re-edited by the quality control unit is a setting value of image quality or the number of frames per second. In a network camera connected to a recording device via a network and having a built-in recording medium unit,
An imaging unit for imaging video;
An encoding unit that generates encoded data by encoding the video imaged by the imaging unit with two types of quality, the same quality during normal operation and lower quality than during normal operation;
An event detection unit that detects a failure of the network or the recording device and stores the encoded data generated by the encoding unit in the built-in recording medium unit;
A quality control unit that checks the free space of the internal recording medium unit and deletes the encoded data having the same quality as that during normal operation recorded in the internal recording medium unit when the free space is smaller than a predetermined threshold; A network camera comprising:   The network camera according to claim 3, wherein the setting parameter value of the encoding process of the encoding unit re-edited by the quality control unit is a setting value of image quality or the number of frames per second.   4. The network camera according to claim 1, wherein the first encoding unit or the encoding unit adds shooting time information to the encoded video.   The video stored in the built-in recording medium unit is transmitted to the recording device when there is a video stored in the built-in recording medium unit when the event detection unit has not detected a failure. The network camera according to claim 1 or 3. In a network camera connected to a recording device via a network and having a built-in recording medium unit,
An imaging unit for imaging video;
A first encoding unit that encodes the video imaged by the imaging unit to generate encoded data;
A second encoding unit that re-edits the encoded data encoded by the first encoding unit;
When a failure of the network or the recording device is detected, the encoded data generated by the first encoding unit is recorded in the built-in recording medium unit, and an event in the shooting environment is detected. An event detection unit that sets the priority of the video shot at a high level and sets the video priority at other times low,
When the free space of the built-in recording medium unit is confirmed, and the free space is smaller than a predetermined threshold, the video in the time zone set with a low priority among the encoded data recorded in the built-in recording medium unit A network camera comprising: a quality control unit that causes the second encoding unit to re-edit so as to reduce the quality of the network.

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