JP2021179746A - Monitoring and control device, monitoring and control method, monitoring system, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To accommodate a request to confirm and certify that each step has been actually executed, in order to recognize an operational status of a printing factory.SOLUTION: In the present invention, job information including a working space, a schedule, and execution confirmation of each of one or more steps which a job includes is acquired from a workflow system, and with respect to steps for which the execution is not confirmed, a sequence of patrol imaging with a camera is determined on the basis of working spaces and schedules of these steps and imaging with camera is performed in accordance with the sequence.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

The present invention relates to a monitoring control device, a monitoring control method, a monitoring system, and a program, and relates to, for example, information collection relating to an operating status of a printing factory or the like using a network camera.

Currently, improvement activities are being carried out to improve productivity by collecting and analyzing the operating status of factory construction, for example, the operating status of equipment in a printing factory and the work implementation status of workers. In addition to those that can be collected by notifying the workflow system of the operating status of equipment such as printers at the printing factory via the network, automatic collection of operating status of old equipment and offline post-processing machines such as bookbinding machines and cutting machines, for example. There are some devices that cannot be used. In addition, manual work such as pre-treatment, post-treatment, inspection, and packing work process cannot be automatically collected.

Therefore, for devices and work that are currently operating via these networks and whose work implementation status cannot be obtained, a method is used in which the worker inputs the status of work execution from the tablet or client PC before and after the work of each device. .. However, this method imposes a burden on the operator and may cause forgetting to input.

In addition, in order to collect the operating status of the printing factory, operation monitoring with a network camera is being considered. In this method, a camera connected to the network captures the control panel display of printers and post-processing machines, the lighting status of pilot lamps, and the status of workers around the equipment, and detects changes in the operating status as event information. collect. The event information collected and the operation and implementation status of the equipment and processes collected by the workflow system are visualized on the dashboard. By doing this, on-site managers are working to improve productivity by grasping the gap between the schedule and the actual results, grasping the problem and solving it, for example, by allocating people to the part where there are not enough people. .. Under such circumstances, there is a demand to confirm and guarantee whether each offline post-processing machine and manual process has actually been carried out in order to grasp the operating status of the printing factory. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for automatically determining a patrol route that is effective when a plurality of patrol routes are set and taking a picture.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-92456

However, the existing technology as described in Patent Document 1 is based on a preset patrol route, and it is important to simply patrol and monitor the preset route with a camera. You may miss the timing. For example, in a printing factory, many small lots are printed, so the patrol route to be monitored differs for each job and changes in a short time. On the other hand, in order to effectively carry out monitoring, it is required to minimize the patrol for confirming the implementation of the process to be monitored.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional example, and an object of the present invention is to efficiently perform patrol monitoring by a camera.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following configurations. That is, according to one aspect of the present invention, it is a monitoring control device that monitors the progress of a job having one or more steps.
An acquisition means for acquiring the job information from a job information management means for holding job information including a work place, a schedule, and an execution confirmation for each process of a job, and an acquisition means.
With respect to the process for which the implementation has not been confirmed, a determination means for determining the order of patrol photography by the camera based on the work place and the schedule of the process, and
Provided is a monitoring control device comprising a photographing means for photographing by the camera according to the order.

According to the present invention, patrol monitoring by a camera can be efficiently performed.

It is a figure which shows the whole structure of the progress management system of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the hardware configuration of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the software structure of this embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining the preset patrol shooting method of this embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining the preset patrol route creation method of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the process implementation situation screen generation method of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the process implementation status screen of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the 2nd Embodiment of this embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although a plurality of features are described in the embodiment, not all of the plurality of features are essential for the invention, and the plurality of features may be arbitrarily combined. Further, in the attached drawings, the same or similar configurations are given the same reference numbers, and duplicate explanations are omitted.

<System configuration>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the progress management system of the present embodiment. The progress management system is configured such that the workflow system 101, the camera management system 102, the network camera 103, the printer 104, and the database (DB) 106 can communicate with each other via the network 100. Here, it is assumed that there are a plurality of printers 104 and they are connected to a network. Further, it is assumed that there are a plurality of post-processing machines 105 that perform post-processing (cutting, bookbinding, etc.) after printing, and each of them is not connected to the network. However, the number of printers 104 and post-processing machines 105 does not have to be plural. Further, the printer 104 may include a printer that is not connected to the network, and the post-processing machine 105 may include a printer that is connected to the network. The network is, for example, a so-called communication network realized by a LAN such as the Internet, a WAN, a telephone line, or the like, and may be capable of transmitting and receiving data. The progress management system can also be said to be a monitoring system that monitors the equipment to be monitored.

The workflow system 101 is a system that manages processes such as printing by the printer 104, post-processing by the post-processing machine 105, inspection, and packing, and is a job including print data, print settings, and process information for order production. Manage information. Further, the workflow system 101 receives an instruction of the device operating state and the execution of the process from the printer 104, the post-processing machine 105 connected to the network, the tablet or the client PC (not shown), and manages the instruction.

The workflow system 101 may be realized by a program executed by the information processing apparatus. The workflow system 101 generates print jobs and post-processing jobs to be sent to devices connected via a network based on information such as original document data, formats (print settings), and post-processing settings, and generates print jobs and post-processing jobs for each device. Send. Furthermore, an instruction sheet for instructing the processing procedure is generated and presented to the operator as printed matter or data. According to the instruction sheet, the operator performs, for example, preparation for printing and post-processing by each device, that is, pre-processing work, and causes the target process to be executed. The pretreatment work includes, for example, moving the output of the device in the previous stage according to an instruction and placing it in a predetermined place in the device in the next stage. In this embodiment, a series of processes for finishing one document into a printed matter product is called a job, and a processing unit included in the job is called a process. However, when a certain process is carried out by a printer or a post-processing machine, the work instruction information generated by the workflow system for the process and the process based on the work instruction information may be referred to as a "job". For example, a printing job or a processing job by a post-processing machine.

The camera management system 102 manages a plurality of network cameras 103, and gives a shooting instruction to the network camera 103 and receives the shot video. Further, the camera management system 102 detects whether or not each process is performed from the received video, and transmits it as event information to the database (DB) 106. The camera management system 102 may be realized by a program executed by the information processing apparatus. The camera management system 102 controls the monitoring function by the monitoring control system, and can also be called a monitoring control device, and implements the monitoring control method by the processing executed by the monitoring control device.

The network camera 103 may be a camera that can be zoomed by being attached to a pan head whose shooting direction can be controlled by panning and tilting according to an instruction from the camera management system. Further, the network camera 103 starts shooting in response to an instruction from the camera management system, transmits a shot image, and ends shooting.

The printer 104 receives print data and print settings from the workflow system 101 and prints. At the same time, the device status (during printing process, error, standby status, etc.) and the progress status of the job are transmitted to the workflow system 101. The post-processing machine 105 receives the equipment settings of the post-processing machine from the workflow system 101 and performs post-processing. At the same time, the device status (execution, normal termination, error termination, standby status, etc.) may be transmitted to the workflow system 101 together with information that can identify the job and the process.

The database (DB) 106 receives event information from the camera management system 102 and holds it. Further, the database (DB) 106 generates a screen that can confirm the process implementation status of the printing factory from the job information and the event information of the workflow system 102 in response to a request from a tablet or a client PC (not shown).

<Hardware configuration>
FIG. 2A is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the workflow system 101, the camera management system 102, and the database (DB) 106 of FIG.
Reference numeral 201 denotes a user interface, which inputs and outputs information by a display, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, and the like. Reference numeral 203 denotes a network interface, which is connected to a network 100 such as a LAN to communicate with other computers and network devices. 204 is a ROM in which embedded programs and data are recorded. Reference numeral 205 is a RAM in a temporary memory area. 206 is a secondary storage device typified by an HDD. 202 is a CPU, and executes a program read from ROM 204, RAM 205, a secondary storage device 206, and the like. Each part is connected via a bus 207.

FIG. 2B is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the network camera 103 of FIG. Reference numeral 211 is a user interface, which can be connected and operated from another computer by a remote shell or the like. Reference numeral 213 is a network interface, which is connected to a network such as a LAN to communicate with other computers and network devices. 214 is a ROM in which embedded programs and data are recorded. Reference numeral 215 is a RAM of a temporary memory area. Reference numeral 216 is a secondary storage device typified by an HDD. The 212 is a CPU, and executes a program read from the ROM 214, the RAM 215, the secondary storage device 216, and the like. Reference numeral 217 is an image pickup unit including a CCD or the like, and the image obtained by imaging the image pickup target is stored in the secondary storage device 216. Each part is connected via a bus 218.

FIG. 2C is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the printer 104 of FIG. Reference numeral 221 is a user interface, which inputs / outputs information through a display, a keyboard, a touch panel, and the like. Reference numeral 223 is a network interface, which is connected to a network 100 such as a LAN to communicate with other computers and network devices. 224 is a ROM in which embedded programs and data are recorded. Reference numeral 225 is a RAM of the temporary memory area. 226 is a secondary storage device such as that represented by an HDD. The 222 is a CPU, and executes a program read from the ROM 224, the RAM 225, the secondary storage device 226, and the like. Reference numeral 227 is a printing engine, which prints data on paper (sheet). Each part is connected via a bus 228. The post-processing machine 105 may have a configuration in which the print engine 227 is replaced with a device for post-processing in the configuration of FIG. 2 (c).

<Software configuration>
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing software configurations of the workflow system 101, the camera management system 102, the network camera 103, the printer 104, and the DB 106 shown in FIG. These operations will be described below. These operations are realized by the CPU executing the program stored in the memory of each device.

● Workflow system The workflow system 101 has a job management unit 301, a communication unit 302, and a print job transmission unit 303. The job management unit 301 of the workflow system 101 manages information about a process for producing a custom-made product as job information. "Job information" in Table 1 shows an example of job information managed by the job management unit 301. Although three examples of jobs are shown here for explanation, the job information is often information about many jobs to be processed on that day, for example.

Job information is a data table that manages the process, schedule, and production status of custom-made products managed by the workflow system 101, and includes job ID, process ID, work place ID, status, scheduled start date and time, scheduled end date and time, and execution confirmation. Consists of. Since the work non-r-system 101 holds and manages job information, it may be called a job information management unit paying attention to this point.

The job ID is an ID that identifies a custom-made product managed by the workflow system 101, and is composed of a plurality of process IDs described later. The process ID includes printing on the printer 104, bookbinding on the post-processing machine 105, processing such as cutting, preprocessing in the work table (also called simply a table), preprocessing in the work space (also simply called space), inspection and packing, etc. An ID that uniquely identifies the processes that make up the job. The work table and work space are not shown. There is an order in the steps, and in the present embodiment, the order can be determined by comparing the magnitude of the process ID. According to the job information shown in Table 1, there are jobs for producing three custom-made products. For the job "job_001", the steps "p_001", "p_002", "p_005", "p_006", and "p_007" are executed in this order. For the job "job_002", the steps "p_001", "p_003", "p_004", and "p_006" are executed in this order. For the job "job_003", the steps "p_001", "p_002", "p_003", and "p_005" are executed in this order.

The work place ID is an ID that uniquely identifies the work place of the printer 104, the post-processing machine 105, the preprocessing, the table for inspection and packing, and the space used in each process. Examples of process and work place information are shown in the process and work place information in Table 2. In Table 2, the process and the work place where the process is performed are linked. Although seven steps are given as an example, there may be other steps or work places.

In the job information in Table 1, the status indicates the execution status of the work process. In the present embodiment, as the status, "waiting for processing" in the state before the start of the work process, operation by work such as printer 104, post-processing machine 105 and inspection, packing, etc., "in progress" in the working state, and the work process are completed. There is a "normal end" of the state. However, it may have other statuses.

The scheduled start date and time and the scheduled end date and time are the schedules of each process. The schedule may be created by a scheduler (not shown) attached to the workflow system, or the person in charge may decide the job to be performed on that day and manually create the schedule in consideration of the situation of personnel and the like.

The implementation confirmation is information on whether or not the implementation of the work associated with the process ID can be confirmed and detected. Further, the job management unit 301 receives a request including a work place ID, an operation status of the device, and a process ID from the printer 104, the post-processing machine 105, a tablet (not shown), or a client PC through the communication unit 302. The job management unit 301 updates the status and execution confirmation of the job information of the printer 104 and the post-processing machine 105, respectively, based on the received request, for example. For example, when the printing process is started by the printer 104, the printer 104 detects a change in its own device state. Then, according to the detected state change, a notification request of the device operation status including the work place ID "Device_B", the job ID "job_001", the process ID "p_002", and the device operation status "in progress" is transmitted to the job management unit 301. do. Notification requests are also called notification requests or simply notifications. At this time, the job management unit 301 searches the job information for a record in which the job ID and the process ID match. Then, when the status of the record is "waiting for processing", it is assumed that the work process is in the operating state, and the status of the record is changed to "executing". At the same time, the job management unit 301 sets "Done" in the execution confirmation column on the assumption that the implementation of the corresponding process has been confirmed.

Further, when the printer 104 completes the printing process, the job management unit receives a notification request of the device operating status including its own work place ID "Device_B", job ID "job_001", process ID "p_002", and device operating status "print end". Send to 301. In response to this, the job management unit 301 searches the job information for records in which the job ID and the process ID match. If the status of the corresponding record is "Running", it is assumed that the work process has been completed, and the status of the record is changed to "Normal end".

The post-processing machine 105, which is not connected to the network, receives a device operation status notification request from the camera management system 102, which will be described later. The post-processing machine 105 connected to the network sends a notification request of the device operation status to the job management unit 301 via the network in the same manner as the printer 104. For the printer 104 that is not connected to the network, a notification request for the device operating status is sent from the camera management system 102, which will be described later, to the job management unit 301, as in the case of the post-processing machine 105 that is not connected to the network.

Further, the job management unit 301 receives a job information acquisition request from the camera management system 102 and the database (DB) 106, and transmits the job information to the camera management system 102 and the database (DB) 106 as a response. The print job transmission unit 303 issues a print instruction by transmitting print data together with a job ID and a process ID as a print job to the printer 104 through the communication unit 302.

● Camera management system The camera management system 102 includes a job information acquisition unit 311, a camera operation instruction unit 312, a video reception unit 313, a communication unit 314, a video analysis unit 315, and an event transmission unit 316. The camera management system 102 further includes a shooting destination information management unit 317, a patrol information management unit 318, a patrol control unit 319, a priority management unit 320, and a preset patrol route creation unit 321.

The job information acquisition unit 311 acquires the latest job information from the workflow system 101 through the communication unit 314. The camera operation instruction unit 312 gives a shooting instruction to the network camera 103 through the communication unit 314, and the video receiving unit 313 receives the shooting video from the network camera 103. The received video analysis unit 315 performs video analysis such as detection of a person in the video and detection of lighting of the device control lamp, and determines the implementation status of the process. The event transmission unit 316 transmits the process implementation status, the work place ID and the time described later as event information to the database (DB) 106 through the communication unit 314. An example of the shooting destination information managed by the shooting destination information management unit 317 is shown in the shooting destination information in Table 3.

The shooting destination information is a data table that manages the network camera 103 managed by the camera management system 102 and the shooting location, and is composed of a camera ID, a work location ID, a preset position, and an analysis process.

The camera ID is an ID that uniquely identifies the network camera 103 managed by the camera management system 102. The preset position holds the values of Pan, Tilt, and Zoom as the shooting parameter information of the network camera. The work place ID uniquely identifies the above-mentioned camera ID, the printer 104 that is photographed at the preset position, the post-processing machine 105, the table on which the inspection and packing work is performed, and the image-taking destination where the process work such as the space is performed. It is an ID. The analysis process is information indicating the analysis process performed when the image analysis unit 315 performs the image analysis. For example, in the case of "person detection", the analysis process determines that the process is performed by detecting a person in the video. Further, in the case of "lamp lighting detection", it is determined that the process is performed because a lamp such as an equipment cover open / close state lamp is lit. Alternatively, in the case of "mark detection" or "bar code detection", it is determined whether or not the process is carried out by detecting a specific mark or bar code of the printed matter in the video. As described above, the analysis processing column specifies the analysis processing to be performed in order to specify the implementation status of the process.

When the camera management system 102 shoots a specific device with a specific camera, the camera management system 102 acquires a shooting direction from a record in which the camera ID and the work place ID of the shooting destination information match. The camera management system 102 can acquire images of a desired device by performing Pan, Tilt, Zoom operations and shooting instructions in the acquired shooting direction to the network camera 103 of the camera ID. Table 4 shows an example of the patrol information managed by the patrol information management unit 318.

The patrol information is composed of a network camera 103 managed by the camera management system 102, a shooting location, and a list of event detection processes. The camera ID is an ID that uniquely identifies the network camera 103 managed by the camera management system 102.

The patrol route is a work place ID which is the shooting destination of 103 of the network camera and an order list of the shooting time. That is, the network camera 103 takes pictures of the designated objects for a designated time in the order in which they appear on the patrol route. From now on, the elements included in the list of patrol routes will be referred to as patrol destinations. In the case of the patrol information in Table 4, the camera ID "Cam_A" may be used for patrol shooting at the five shooting locations "Space_A", "Device_B", "Space_E", "Table_F", and "Space_G" in this order. It is shown. Further, by acquiring the analysis process in the shooting destination information in Table 3, it is possible to acquire the information of the analysis process performed for confirming the execution of the process corresponding to the camera ID and the work place ID.

In Tables 2 to 4, the first patrol destination is the device "Space_A", which is photographed for 60 seconds according to the preset position, and it is determined that the preprocessing A step has been performed by detecting a person from the image. Shooting and analysis methods are set.

Similarly, the next patrol destination is the device "Device_B", which is photographed for 60 seconds, and by detecting that the lamp in the image is lit, it is determined that the printing B process is being performed. And the analysis method is set.

The next patrol destination is set to a shooting and analysis method in which the device "Space_E" is photographed for 60 seconds, and when a person is detected from the image, it is determined that the process of the post-process E is carried out. The next patrol destination is a shooting and analysis method in which the device "Table_F" is photographed for 60 seconds, and when a specific mark is detected in the printed matter in the image, it is determined that the inspection process is performed. The final patrol destination is a shooting and analysis method in which the device "Space_G" is photographed for 60 seconds, and when a specific barcode is detected in the printed matter in the image, it is determined that the packing process is carried out. In this way, the preset patrol shooting by Cam_A is performed by shooting the set patrol destinations in the set order and analyzing the video.

The patrol control unit 319 acquires the above-mentioned patrol route from the patrol information management unit 318, and gives a shooting instruction to the network camera 103 through the camera operation instruction unit 312 based on the acquired information. The patrol control unit 319 calls the preset patrol route creation unit 321 described later at the start of the patrol, and updates the patrol route of the patrol information management unit 318 according to the latest job information.

The preset patrol route creation unit 321 acquires job information from the workflow system 101 through the job information acquisition unit 311 and acquires a list of device IDs that the target camera can shoot through the shooting destination information management unit 317. The preset patrol route creation unit 321 further acquires process priority information from the priority management unit 320, and creates a preset patrol route using the acquired information.

The preset patrol route creation unit 321 updates the patrol route of the patrol information management unit 318 with the preset patrol route created above. Table 5 shows an example of process priority information managed by the priority management unit 320.

Process priority information is composed of process ID, process and priority. The priority is a numerical value representing the priority associated with the process ID, and the larger the numerical value, the higher the priority of shooting. In this embodiment, since the operation information of the online device can be acquired from the workflow system, the shooting priority of the process by the online device is lower than the work process that cannot be acquired from the workflow system such as the pre-process, the post-process, inspection and packing. It has become. The priority value may be different from the value defined in this embodiment, or may be set by the system administrator using a priority setting screen or API (not shown).

● Network camera The network camera 103 has a shooting unit 331, a video transmission unit 332, and a communication unit 333.

When the shooting unit 331 receives a shooting instruction including the shooting direction from the camera management system 102 through the communication unit 333, the shooting unit 331 shoots according to the instructed direction and the zoom magnification. The video to be shot may be a moving image, but the frame interval may be longer than that of a normal moving image. The video transmission unit 332 transmits the video shot by the shooting unit 331 to the camera management system 102 through the communication unit 333.

● Printer The printer 104 has a print job receiving unit 341, a printing unit 342, a communication unit 343, and a status transmitting unit 344. The print job receiving unit 341 receives the print job transmitted from the workflow system 101 through the communication unit 343, and the print unit 342 performs print output. Further, when the status of its own device changes (during printing, error, standby state, etc.), the status transmission unit 344 transmits the status to the workflow system 101 together with the job ID and process ID received in the print job. ..

In the present embodiment, the printer 104 or the post-processing machine 105 is supposed to transmit the status of the device, but the workflow system may periodically make an inquiry to the device and update the status.

● Database The database (DB) 106 has a communication unit 351, an event information management unit 352, and a process implementation status generation unit 353. The event information management unit 352 receives an event transmitted from the camera management system 102 through the communication unit 351 and manages it as event information described later. Table 6 shows an example of event information managed by the event information management unit 352.

The event information is composed of the detection date and time when the process execution is detected, the execution confirmation, and the job ID and the process ID in which each process is executed. According to the event information in Table 6, for example, in the record on the first row, it has been confirmed that the process ID "p_001" is executed by the job with the job ID "job_001" at the detection date and time "2019-11-21T08: 31:00Z". It indicates that it is "Done".

The operation status generation unit 343 displays the processing work of each process, the device operation status, and the implementation confirmation status from the job information and event information of the workflow system 102 in response to the acquisition request of the operation status screen from the tablet or client PC (not shown). Generate a screen that has been created.

<Preset patrol shooting process>
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a patrol shooting method in the camera management system 102 showing the present embodiment. Each step is realized by executing the control program stored in the CPU 202. In the following description, the procedure of FIG. 4 is executed by the CPU 202. Note that FIG. 4 is a processing procedure focusing on one camera, and when patrol by a plurality of cameras, the procedure of FIG. 4 may be executed in parallel for each of the plurality of cameras. For example, the patrol information in Table 4 includes patrol settings for two cameras, Cam_A and Cam_B. Therefore, the camera management system 102 may execute the process of FIG. 4 in parallel for each of these two cameras.

In S401, the patrol control unit 319 updates the patrol route associated with the patrol camera ID of the patrol information management unit 318 through the preset patrol route creation unit 321. The details of the method of creating the preset patrol route will be described later with reference to FIG. Next, in S402, the patrol control unit 319 acquires the patrol route of the camera ID that patrols through the patrol information management unit 318.

Next, in S403, the patrol control unit 319 reads out the list of patrol routes in order from the beginning, and determines whether or not the work place ID can be acquired. If the work place ID cannot be acquired, that is, if all the patrols have been completed, the process proceeds to S401 and the next patrol shooting process is performed. When the work place ID can be acquired in S403, the process of S404 described later is executed.

For example, when the patrol route acquired in S402 is [Sapce_A, 60sec] [Device_B, 60sec], in S403, the first Space_A is first acquired from the array of patrol routes. The patrol control unit 319 performs the processes of S404 to S407 and performs the photographing process of Space_A. Next, returning to S403, the next Device_B is acquired from the array of the patrol route. The patrol control unit 319 performs the processes of S404 to S407 and performs the photographing process of Device_B. Next, since S403 could not acquire the next device ID from the array of the patrol route, it proceeds to S401 and the next patrol shooting process is executed.

In S404, the camera operation instruction unit 312 acquires the preset position of the record in which the work place ID of the shooting destination and the camera ID match from the shooting destination information through the shooting destination information management unit 317. Further, the camera operation instruction unit 312 transmits a shooting instruction including a preset position and a shooting time to the network camera 103 through the communication unit 314. Upon receiving the shooting instruction, the shooting unit 331 of the network camera 103 shoots a video during the shooting time included in the shooting instruction, and the video transmission unit 332 transmits the shot video to the camera management system 102.

For example, when the patrol destination acquired from the patrol route is [Space_A, 60 sec], the camera ID is "Cam_A", the device ID of the shooting destination is "Space_A", and the shooting time is "60 sec". At this time, if the shooting destination information is in a state as shown in the shooting destination information in Table 3, the shooting directions are Pan “120”, Tilt “75”, and Zoom “3.2”. The camera operation instruction unit 311 transmits a shooting destination movement to Pan "120", Tilt "75", and Zoom "3.2" and a video shooting instruction for 60 seconds to the network camera "Cam_A", and waits for video acquisition.

The shooting unit 331 of the network camera 103 that has received the shooting instruction performs the camera operation in the operation direction instructed by the camera operation instruction unit 312 and shoots the image only for the shooting time. When the shooting is completed, the video transmission unit 332 transmits the shot video to the camera management system 102. The video data that has been shot may be transmitted to the camera management system 102 in parallel with the shooting.

In S405, the video receiving unit 313 of the camera management system 102 receives the captured video transmitted by the video transmitting unit 332 from the network camera 103.

Next, in S406, the video analysis unit 315 acquires the work place ID of the preset patrol route from the patrol information management unit 318. The video analysis unit 315 acquires an analysis process associated with the work place ID acquired from the shooting destination information management unit 317, and analyzes the shot video according to the analysis processing. For example, in the case of "person detection", it is analyzed whether or not a person is reflected in the captured image, and in the case of "lamp lighting detection", whether or not the control lamp is lit is analyzed, and whether or not the process process is executed is analyzed. .. When the process process is detected, the detection date and time is transmitted to the database (DB) 106 as event information in S407 described later.

In S407, the event transmission unit 316 transmits the work place ID of the shooting destination, the detection date and time of the process detected by the video analysis of S406, and the implementation confirmation as event information to the database (DB) 106 through the communication unit 314. Next, the process of S403 is executed again. As described above, the camera management system 102 performs a patrol shooting by the network camera 103.

<Preset patrol route creation process>
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of preset patrol route creation processing (S401) in the camera management system 102 showing the present embodiment. Each step is realized by executing the control program stored in the CPU 202. In the following description, the CPU 202 executes.

In S501, the preset patrol route creation unit 321 sends a job information acquisition request to the workflow system 101 through the job information acquisition unit 311 and acquires all the job information held by the workflow system 101 (see, for example, Table 1). The purpose of acquisition is to monitor the status of each device. Therefore, all the job information may be acquired unconditionally, but for example, in a certain device, the job information of the job running on the device and the job waiting to be processed may be acquired as the target. However, even if the job is in the completed state, post-processing may be performed, so even if the job is completed, if the job immediately after that is waiting for processing, the upper information of the job is also targeted for acquisition. good.

In S502, the preset patrol route creation unit 321 creates a patrol destination candidate list at the current time from the job information. For example, an example is shown in which the current time is 10:00 and a candidate list is created from the job information represented by the job information in Table 1. Extract the processes that are being carried out around 10:00. For example, if the time before and after extraction is from 9:45 15 minutes before to 10:30 30 minutes after, p_002, p_005 of job_001, p_003 of job_002 and p_001, p_002 of job_003 are extracted. Table 7 is an example of a patrol destination candidate list.

In S503, the preset patrol route creation unit 321 acquires the process priority information shown in Table 5 through the priority management unit 320.

In S504, the preset patrol route creation unit 321 sorts the patrol destination candidate list created in S502 using the process priority information acquired in S503.

Table 8 is a patrol destination priority table in which priorities are linked to the patrol destination candidate list. That is, the indicated priority is given to the illustrated monitoring target. Table 9 is a sorted patrol destination priority table showing the results of sorting in descending order of priority. For processes with the same priority, the process with a smaller job ID has a higher priority.

S505 to S510 sequentially pay attention to the patrol destination candidates included in the sorted patrol destination candidate list, and repeat for the focused patrol destination candidates. First, in S505, attention is paid to new candidates in order from the top of the sorted patrol destination candidate list.

In S506, if the "execution confirmation" in the job information of the process associated with the job ID and the process ID is Done, the process proceeds to S510 and the next list element is processed. For example, in Table 1, the "implementation confirmation" of the job ID "job_001" and the process ID "p_002" is Done. Therefore, in this case, it branches to S510. On the other hand, if the "confirmation of implementation" is not Done, the process proceeds to S507. For example, the "implementation confirmation" of the job ID "job_001" and the process ID "p_005" is not Done. Therefore, in this case, the process proceeds to S507.

In S507, if the number of elements in the current patrol destination list is equal to or less than the upper limit threshold value, the process proceeds to S508 and the patrol destination of interest is added to the patrol destination list. Here, the patrol destination list is a list of patrol destinations selected from the patrol destination candidate list, and although not shown, it is information that is the source of the preset patrol route shown in FIG. The number of patrol destinations included in the patrol list is called the number of elements. The threshold value for the number of elements in the patrol destination list is determined in consideration of the patrol time of the camera (time required for one round patrol), such as 5. The reason why the number of elements in the patrol destination list is set to the threshold value or less is to preferentially shoot important shooting locations.

In S507, if the number of elements in the patrol destination list is larger than the threshold value, the process proceeds to S509. In S509, it is determined whether the scheduled end time of the process of the patrol destination of interest is within the set time. The set time is determined in consideration of the camera patrol time, for example, 30 minutes. If the scheduled end time of the process of the attention patrol destination is within the set time, it is added to the patrol destination list in S508. The purpose of this process is to capture all the processes that are not high priority but the scheduled end time is approaching. If the scheduled end time of the process is outside the set time, the process proceeds to S510, and the process proceeds to the next list element.

In S510, it is determined whether or not all the elements of the patrol destination candidate list have been focused, and if the attention has been paid, the process proceeds to S511, and if unprocessed elements remain, the process is repeated from S505.

In S511, the process-work location information in Table 2 is used to acquire the work location ID associated with each patrol destination process, which is an element of the patrol destination list. Furthermore, a preset patrol route is created by adding shooting time information to each patrol destination. Table 8 is an example showing a preset patrol route.

In S512, the preset patrol route creation unit 321 updates the patrol route of the camera ID of the target of the patrol information of the patrol information management unit 318 with the patrol route created in S511. That is, the procedure of FIG. 4 is executed based on the preset patrol route of Table 10. The patrol information in Table 4 and the preset patrol route in Table 10 are tables created by the procedure of FIG. 5, although the specific examples and names of the contents are different. That is, the preset patrol route may be referred to as patrol information, or the patrol information may be referred to as preset patrol route. The preset patrol route in Table 10 is set for each camera.

According to the present embodiment, the patrol control unit 319 of the camera management system 102 acquires the latest job information from the workflow system 101 at the start of patrol, and dynamically switches the preset patrol route according to the acquired job information information. By dynamically switching the preset patrol route, it is possible to shoot efficiently even when there are many shooting targets. Further, by analyzing the video to confirm the implementation of the process to be monitored and registering it in the job information in Table 1, the process confirmed to be executed can be excluded from the monitoring target, and more efficient patrol shooting becomes possible.

<Process implementation status screen generation>
FIG. 6 is a flowchart in which the database (DB) 106 in the present embodiment generates a process implementation status screen of a printing factory.
In S601, the process implementation status generation unit 353 of the database (DB) 106 receives a process implementation status screen generation request from a tablet or client PC (not shown) through the communication unit 351.

In S602, the process implementation status generation unit 353 acquires job information from the workflow system 101. The job information includes the device ID, the scheduled start date and time, and the scheduled end date and time, so that the schedule of each process can be known.

Next, in S603, the process implementation status generation unit 343 acquires event information through the event information management unit 342. The event information includes the detection date and time, the execution confirmation, the job ID, and the process ID, and it can be known whether each process is actually detected.

In S604, the process confirmation status generation unit 353 generates the process confirmation status screen 700, which will be described later, and in S605, the process confirmation status generation unit 353 transmits the operation status screen as a response to the tablet or the client PC.
As a result, the database (DB) 106 generates a process confirmation status screen.

● Process Confirmation Status Screen FIG. 7 is an example of the process confirmation status screen 700 generated in S604 by the process confirmation status generation unit 353 in the present embodiment. 701 is a job ID display part. Reference numeral 702 is a timeline showing the schedule of the preprocessing A process, which is generated from the job information acquired from S602. Similarly, 703 is print B, 704 is print C, 705 is post-processing D, 706 is post-process E, 707 is inspection F, and 708 is a timeline showing the schedule of packing G. Each process is represented by a frame separated by a start date and time and an end date and time in the line of the job ID of the job including the process.

Reference numeral 709 is a check mark indicating that the process has been detected, and is generated from the event information acquired in S603, particularly based on the implementation confirmation. A check mark is added to the processes that have been confirmed to be implemented so that they can be distinguished from the processes that have not been confirmed to be implemented.
From this process confirmation status screen, it becomes possible to grasp whether or not each process has actually been carried out. The information of FIG. 7 may be transmitted to, for example, a workflow system 101 or a camera management system 102 and displayed in a user interface unit of those systems.

<Exception handling>
An example of proceeding according to the schedule is shown as an embodiment. On the other hand, even if the process has already been photographed, if an error occurs after that and the process is restored, there is a request to photograph the process again. By resetting the "implementation confirmation" of the process when the error is restored, the process after the error is restored becomes a shooting candidate again.

The printer 104 notifies the workflow system 101 of its own device status. The device status to be notified includes an error. When the job management unit of the workflow system 101 receives the error notification, if the execution confirmation of the corresponding job ID and process ID is Done, it resets it to the unconfirmed state. In the example of the table, it is "-".

In the event of an error such as an error in the offline processing machine 105, preprocessing, interruption in inspection or packing, the video analysis unit 315 analyzes the captured video received from the network camera 103 by the video reception unit 313 for error detection. To detect the occurrence of an error. The event transmission unit 316 notifies the workflow system 101 of the occurrence of an error through the communication unit 314. Alternatively, the operator may notify the error from a tablet or client PC (not shown).

As in the case of the printer 104, when the job management unit of the workflow system 101 receives the error notification, it resets if the execution confirmation of the corresponding job ID and process ID is Done.

In addition, sudden jobs may occur and may not proceed as scheduled. In that case, it is necessary to specify which job the subject was shot. The video analysis unit 315 matches the captured video received by the image receiving unit 313 from the network camera 103 with the job data registered in advance in the video analysis unit 315, and the job being photographed corresponds to which job. Determine if it is. As a result, if there is no corresponding job, the job related to the subject being photographed is treated as a sudden job. For example, the job schedule is known when a sudden job does not occur, and the route to go around the shooting target is also determined. Then, for example, a typical image is registered for each place or process to be photographed. When a video of a certain target is shot by a surveillance camera, it may be compared with the video registered for the target, and if they match, it may be determined that the job is being executed according to the original schedule. If they do not match, it may be determined that a sudden (interrupt) job has occurred. Even if it is an interrupt job, if it is incorporated in the job schedule and job information is generated according to the schedule, it can be processed as a normal scheduled job.

<Specification of job>
As in the steps job_1, p_001 and job_002, p_001 in FIG. 7, the work time may overlap in the same process. In that case, it is necessary to determine which job is being shot. In S406, when the video analysis unit 315 analyzes the shot video, it is possible to identify the job being executed by data matching the content of the printed matter contained in the video with the content content of the job registered in advance. can.

<Support for online machines>
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The description of the same configuration as that of the first embodiment will be omitted as appropriate. In the first embodiment, an example is shown in which an online machine is also targeted in addition to work such as offline equipment, pretreatment, inspection, and packing that are not connected to the network as a patrol destination of the network camera. This is because network cameras are used as an alternative to visual checks.

On the other hand, for online machines connected to the network, the execution of the process can be confirmed on the network, so the priority of the network camera as a patrol destination is low, and it can be excluded from the target in advance. Alternatively, it can be excluded from the target by setting the corresponding process priority to 0. By narrowing down the target, there is an advantage that more other patrol destinations can be photographed.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a preset patrol route creation processing method for the online device showing the present embodiment. Each step is realized by executing the control program stored in the CPU 202. The following description is executed by the CPU 202.

S501 and S502 are the same processes as the flowchart shown in FIG. Repeat S801 to S804 in the list of all patrol destinations. First, pay attention to the next candidate included in the sorted patrol destination candidate list in S801. The first candidate to focus on may be the first candidate.

In S802, it is determined whether the corresponding process ID can be notified of information online. Table 11 shows examples of processes, work locations, and online information associated with them. For each process and where it takes place, it indicates whether they can be notified online.

In S802, it is determined whether the corresponding process ID can be notified online based on the process, work place, and online information (also simply referred to as online information) in Table 11. If possible "Yes", delete it from the candidate list with S803. If "No" is not possible, the process is skipped and the process proceeds to S804. In S804, it is determined whether the candidate of interest is at the end of the list, if not, the process returns to S801, and if so, the process proceeds to S503.

S503 to S512 are the same processes as the flowchart shown in FIG. The above is the explanation of the preset patrol route creation processing method that excludes online devices. As a result, it is possible to exclude devices that can notify the status online from the route of patrol shooting by the network camera. For this reason, efficient process implementation can be realized by patrol only the offline equipment that is not connected to the network, pretreatment, inspection, packing, and other work.

[Other Examples]
The present invention supplies a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiment to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and one or more processors in the computer of the system or device reads and executes the program. It can also be realized by the processing to be performed. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

The invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, a claim is attached to publicize the scope of the invention.

101 Workflow system, 102 Camera management system, 103 Network camera, 104 Printer, 105 Post-processing machine, 301 Job management department, 316 Shooting destination information management department, 317 Shooting destination information management department, 318 Patrol information management department, 319 Patrol control department , 320 Priority Management Department, 321 Preset Tour Route Creation Department

Claims (9)

A monitoring control device that monitors the progress of a job that has one or more processes.
An acquisition means for acquiring the job information from a job information management means for holding job information including a work place, a schedule, and an execution confirmation for each process of a job, and an acquisition means.
With respect to the process for which the implementation has not been confirmed, a determination means for determining the order of patrol photography by the camera based on the work place and the schedule of the process, and
A monitoring control device comprising a photographing means for photographing by the camera according to the order. The monitoring control device according to claim 1.
It also has a user interface that displays the progress of each process of the job.
A monitoring control device, wherein the process whose execution has been confirmed is displayed on the user interface so as to be distinguishable from the process whose execution has not been confirmed. The monitoring control device according to claim 1 or 2.
Further, it has a means for analyzing an image taken by the camera to determine whether or not the process to be photographed is being performed, and notifying the job information management means of the result.
The job information management means is a monitoring control device, characterized in that the job information is updated according to the notified result. The monitoring control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
Priority is given to each process in the process.
There is an upper limit to the number of objects to be photographed on a patrol.
The determination means is a monitoring control device, characterized in that the order of the cyclic imaging is determined by giving priority to the high-priority process. The monitoring control device according to claim 4.
The monitoring control device is characterized in that, regardless of the priority, the determination means determines the order of the cyclic imaging by giving priority to a process whose scheduled end time is within a predetermined time based on the schedule. The monitoring control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
The monitoring control device is characterized in that the determination means excludes the process performed by the device and the device can notify the job information management means of the status of the device from the target of the patrol photography by the camera. .. The monitoring control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.
Job information management means that holds job information including the work location, schedule, and execution confirmation for each process of the job,
A surveillance system comprising one or more cameras. A program for operating a computer as the monitoring control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6. A monitoring control method for monitoring the progress of a job having one or more processes.
The job information is acquired from the job information management means that holds the job information including the work place, schedule, and execution confirmation for each process of the job.
For the process for which the implementation has not been confirmed, the order of the patrol photography by the camera is determined based on the work place and the schedule of the process.
A monitoring control method comprising taking pictures with the camera in the order described above.

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