JP2018113535A - Monitoring system and control method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent, in a lens interchangeable monitoring camera, a case in which power supply is short during operation from occurring.SOLUTION: A lens interchangeable monitoring camera 100 has a configuration including: a power source determination unit for determining a supply amount of a connected power source; a lens information acquisition unit for acquiring information on a lens from the lens; a power calculation unit for calculating the sum of power to be supplied to respective functions of the camera; a power consumption determination unit for determining whether or not operation is possible in view of power, from a value obtained by the power calculation unit; and means for warning a user to change settings to those satisfying an operation purpose and enabling power supply when it is determined that sufficient operation is impossible.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a monitoring system and a control method therefor, and more particularly to a method for warning a user when power consumption exceeds a power supply amount in a lens-interchangeable monitoring camera.

  In recent years, surveillance systems using surveillance cameras have become widespread. Surveillance cameras are used in a wide range of fields such as large-scale public institutions and mass retailers, and there are various methods of operation. Some surveillance cameras have various functional characteristics in order to match the operation mode. For example, there are monitoring cameras that can freely change the shooting direction such as pan / tilt, and monitoring cameras that cannot change the shooting direction but can perform high-power zoom shooting. Among such surveillance cameras, there is an interchangeable lens-type surveillance camera that can exchange a lens suitable for the user's environment.

  In the interchangeable lens type surveillance camera, there is a mount part for attaching a lens to the surveillance camera body, and a lens that matches the mount part is attached for use. In this case, the shape of the mount part is not limited to the lens dedicated to the surveillance camera, but a mount part common to a lens used for a single-lens reflex camera or the like may be used. In such a case, since a lens for a single-lens reflex camera used by a consumer user can be attached to the surveillance camera, the range of lens selection by the user is widened, and photography suitable for various scenes becomes possible.

  Such a lens has different functions depending on the type of lens, such as a focus mode, blur correction, and electric zoom, and has a different structure. Therefore, the amount of power used to drive the lens depends on the type of lens. For this reason, it is desirable to design the function of the interchangeable lens camera in consideration of the amount of power required to drive the interchangeable lens. For example, in a single-lens reflex camera, the frequency of battery replacement can be reduced by connecting an additional battery when using a lens that consumes a lot of power. However, unlike ordinary cameras, surveillance cameras have multiple power supply methods, such as DC power and Power of Ethernet powered switching hubs.

  In this case, since the amount of power supplied to the camera itself varies depending on the power supply method, there may be cases where the power necessary for driving the lens cannot be supplied depending on the combination of the power supply method and the lens used. In addition, in models equipped with fans and heaters to operate in various environments, power consumption differs depending on whether the fan or heater is driven or not, and depending on the combination with the operation mode Similarly, there will be cases where power is insufficient. In such a case where the power is insufficient, it is assumed that the functionality is deteriorated due to the slow driving speed of the lens and the rotation speed of the fan.

  Against this background, there is a need for a method for notifying whether the functionality can be maintained with respect to the power consumed in the interchangeable lens monitoring camera. For example, when used for monitoring purposes, if the power supply becomes insufficient during operation, it is assumed that the video that is recorded and distributed will be affected, and is not suitable for monitoring purposes. Therefore, there is a need for a method of calculating power consumption from information set in the camera and determining whether there is a case where power is insufficient in the currently used power supply method.

JP 2011-248164 A

  In the prior art disclosed in the above-mentioned patent document, when the amount of power required for driving the lens is larger than the amount of power supplied to the lens in the interchangeable lens, priority is assigned to each function according to the operation mode of the camera. However, it is not suitable for a surveillance camera that records video for a long time because it reduces the functionality when the power supply to the function is less than usual. In the present invention, the above-described problem can be prevented in advance by warning the user when the setting that may result in insufficient power supply is made.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to warn the user that there is a case where power supply is insufficient due to the power supply system to the camera and the type of interchangeable lens in the interchangeable lens monitoring camera, and the power supply is insufficient during operation. This is to prevent the case.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an imaging device in which a photographic lens is replaceably mounted, supply amount determination means for determining a supply amount of power supplied to the imaging device, and the photographic lens. Lens information acquisition means for acquiring lens information, first calculation means for calculating power consumption according to the lens information, and operation determination for determining whether the operation is possible based on a comparison between the supply amount and the power consumption And display means for displaying a warning when it is determined that the device is not operable as a result of the determination.

  According to the present invention, camera operations different from the user's intention can be avoided in advance.

The figure which shows the structural example of the monitoring system which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. Flowchart of processing according to the first embodiment of the present invention The figure which shows the example of the warning means of the information terminal which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention The figure which shows the example of the warning means in the setting screen which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention The figure which shows the example of the warning means by the function adjustment which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(First embodiment)
The monitoring system according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. The monitoring system in this embodiment is mainly composed of a monitoring camera 100 and an information terminal 110. The monitoring camera 100 includes an interchangeable lens unit 101, a lens mount unit 102, a lens information acquisition unit 103, a power source determination unit 104, and power consumption calculation. Unit 105 and power consumption determination unit 106 are included. The interchangeable lens unit 101 represents a lens connected to the interchangeable lens monitoring camera.

  This lens is attached to the lens mount unit 102. The lens mount unit 102 is a mechanism for holding a lens attached to the monitoring camera 100 in advance. This mount unit has a power supply means for supplying power to the interchangeable lens unit 101, and has a built-in terminal capable of electrical connection for communication. The interchangeable type in which this terminal and the lens holding mechanism of the mount match. A lens can be attached. The power supply means in the interchangeable lens unit will be described later. The lens information acquisition unit 103 acquires lens information by communicating with the interchangeable lens unit 101.

  Lens information will be described later. The power source determination unit 104 determines a means for supplying power supplied to the monitoring camera 100. The power consumption calculation unit 105 calculates the maximum amount of power consumed during operation based on the function set in the camera. The function set in the camera refers to a function that requires electric power to operate. For example, a fan or a heater mounted to operate in various temperature environments corresponds to this. It is determined whether or not sufficient power can be supplied by comparing the suppliable power of the power source determined by the power source determination unit 104 and the power consumption calculated by the power consumption calculation unit 105. The information terminal 110 has a function of displaying information from the power consumption determination unit. Specific functions of these functions will be described later.

  The processing procedure in the monitoring system of the present invention is shown in the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 2 is a flowchart of processing according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows a processing procedure executed by controlling each processing block of the monitoring camera 100, and is realized by developing a program stored in a ROM of a system control unit (not shown) in the RAM and executing it by the CPU. The

  First, in step S <b> 100, the power supply determination unit 104 determines a means for supplying power to the monitoring camera 100. The power determination unit can calculate the amount of power supplied to the monitoring camera 100. In this embodiment, the method is described as an example of the power source determination method, but the method is not limited as long as the amount of power supplied to the monitoring camera 100 can be calculated.

  In step S101, the lens mount unit 102 determines whether or not the interchangeable lens is connected by confirming whether or not communication is possible through the built-in terminal. If the lens is not connected, it waits until it is connected and continues the determination process.

  In step S <b> 102, the lens information acquisition unit 103 supplies power from the lens mount unit 102 to the interchangeable lens unit 101 to obtain lens information. The lens information is information on the amount of electric power necessary for driving the lens. The lens information is included in the interchangeable lens unit 101, and can be acquired by the lens information acquisition unit sending an acquisition request command via the lens mount unit 102. When the interchangeable lens unit 101 receives the acquisition request command, lens information is transmitted as a response to the interchangeable lens unit 101 and is passed to the lens information acquisition unit 103 via the lens mount unit 102.

  In this embodiment, the lens information acquisition method is given as an example. However, the form is not limited as long as the lens information can be obtained. For example, the lens information acquisition unit may have a means for calculating the required power amount from the lens model name and the like, and the power amount may be calculated by acquiring the lens model name from the interchangeable lens unit 101. The lens information is acquired as described above.

  Here, the power supply means of the lens mount unit 102 will be described. The lens mount unit 102 has a first power system that supplies power used to drive the lens and a second power system that supplies power used to communicate with the lens. The first power system and the second power system are independent from each other, and the functions of the supplied system can be satisfied by supplying power to only one of them. In this embodiment, the lens information acquisition unit 103 acquires lens information by supplying power only to the second power system of the lens mount unit 102.

  In step S103, the power consumption calculation unit 105 calculates the power consumption of the camera. Here, the power consumption refers to the total power consumption required for camera functions and lens driving. In step S104, the power consumption determination unit 106 determines whether the camera is operable by determining whether the power consumption of the camera exceeds the supply power. If the power consumption is less than the supplied power, the process is terminated because the operation is possible. When the power consumption of the camera exceeds the supply power, the process proceeds to step S105.

  In step S105, the monitoring camera 100 warns the user that the camera cannot be driven sufficiently. The warning is given by the information terminal 110. As the warning means, for example, there is a method 300 for displaying a warning message superimposed on the video of the camera as shown in FIG. In this example, the text “The setting that power supply is insufficient” has been output. However, the text described here may indicate that the user cannot supply power. Any form is acceptable.

  As for the warning means, the camera setting screen has a warning means 400 as shown in FIG. In this embodiment, items that become insufficient when they are selected are grayed out so that the user cannot select them. In addition, a display that prompts the user to change the setting may be added. For example, when the power supply to the function can be changed step by step as shown in FIG. 5, the warning means 500 may be provided to display that the operation is possible by adjusting the step. A means having a function of automatically presenting the contents of change is also effective.

  In addition, the power consumption determination unit 106 associates and stores the power type information and the lens information, and uses the stored information without performing the processing shown in FIG. 2 for lenses that have been connected. The warning means 400 can be taken. By the means as described above, the user is warned that power cannot be supplied.

  Here, it describes regarding the timing which implements a present Example. This is performed when the interchangeable lens is attached while the surveillance camera is energized, when the surveillance camera is energized, or when the setting of the surveillance camera is changed. Each timing will be described.

  In the interchangeable lens surveillance camera, the lens is replaced while the surveillance camera is energized, so when the lens is attached while the surveillance camera is energized, when this lens is replaced with another lens It is possible to prevent a case where power is insufficient. Further, when the monitoring camera is energized, it is possible to prevent a case where power is insufficient when the camera is activated with the interchangeable lens attached. In addition, when the power supply means is switched, the same can be dealt with.

  In addition, it is performed when the setting of the monitoring camera is changed. Some surveillance cameras have a preset function that can set and save the angle of view according to the surveillance application. In addition, some models having a mechanism capable of freely changing the shooting direction such as pan / tilt are provided with a preset tour function for setting a plurality of presets to be rotated according to time. For models with these functions, there may be cases where power is insufficient depending on the preset settings.

  For example, when the focus lens drive and pan / tilt drive are controlled simultaneously, it is assumed that the power is insufficient and the drive speed becomes slower than the normal drive speed, and the function cannot be satisfied satisfactorily. Therefore, when the setting of the camera is changed, the operation not intended by the user can be prevented by implementing this embodiment.

  The above is a description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention, and is adapted as appropriate according to the target circuit form. What to do.

  The present invention supplies a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or apparatus read and execute the program This process can be realized. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Surveillance camera 101 Interchangeable lens part 102 Lens mount part 103 Lens information acquisition part 104 Power supply discrimination | determination part 105 Power consumption calculation part 106 Power consumption discrimination | determination part 110 Information terminal

Claims (9)

An imaging device in which a taking lens is interchangeably mounted;
A supply amount determining means for determining a supply amount of power supplied to the imaging device;
Lens information acquisition means for acquiring lens information from the photographing lens;
First calculating means for calculating power consumption according to the lens information;
An operation determining means for determining whether the operation is possible based on a comparison between the supply amount and the power consumption;
As a result of the determination, a display means for displaying a warning when it is determined that the device is not operable;
A monitoring system comprising:   The monitoring system according to claim 1, further comprising: a second calculation unit that calculates power consumption by the function of the imaging apparatus.   The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the operation determination unit performs the determination when the photographing lens is attached.   The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the operation determination unit performs the determination when the imaging apparatus is activated.   The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the operation determination unit performs the determination at a timing set by a user. The display means is capable of displaying for setting the operation of the imaging device by a user operation,
The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the operation determination unit performs the determination when the operation is set.   The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the display unit limits the display based on the determination result.   The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the display unit restricts the display so that an inoperable setting cannot be performed. A method for controlling a monitoring system having an imaging device to which a taking lens is interchangeably mounted,
A supply amount determination step of determining a supply amount of power supplied to the imaging device;
A lens information acquisition step of acquiring lens information from the photographing lens;
A first calculation step of calculating power consumption according to the lens information;
An operation determination step of determining whether the operation is possible based on a comparison between the supply amount and the power consumption;
As a result of the determination, a display step for displaying a warning when it is determined that operation is not possible,
A control method for a monitoring system, comprising: