JP2022023992A - Monitoring camera, monitoring system, method for controlling monitoring camera, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a monitoring camera which enables a security guard to promptly deal with an incident that has occurred.

SOLUTION: The monitoring camera is provided with a communication unit, a detection unit, and a delivery unit. The communication unit connects wirelessly with a terminal. The detection unit detects an incident by analyzing video data from the camera. The delivery unit delivers, to the terminal, information related to the detected incident.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

COPYRIGHT: (C)2022,JPO&INPIT

Description

(Description of related applications)
The present invention is based on the priority claim of US Provisional Application No. 62/437768 (filed December 22, 2016), and the entire contents of this application shall be incorporated herein by reference. ..
The present invention relates to a surveillance camera, a surveillance system, a control method and a program of the surveillance camera.

In recent years, the number of security systems equipped with surveillance cameras is increasing. In such a security system, the video data acquired by the surveillance camera is usually transmitted to the surveillance center. Therefore, it is not possible to visually recognize the image actually taken by the surveillance camera in the vicinity of the surveillance camera. In addition, at the surveillance center, operators of security companies and the like visually use images from surveillance cameras. Furthermore, the images from the surveillance cameras are used for finding suspicious persons and suspicious objects by image analysis using a computer.

Patent Document 1 discloses a problem caused by machine security, that is, a case where the dispatch of security guards is useless due to many false alarms in suspicious detection by a sensor in machine security. In the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, when a sensor detects a suspicious event at a security location, an image taken by a camera at the same location is once sent to the client, and security is provided when the client determines that it is an incident. The members are rushing.

Patent Document 2 discloses a technique aimed at realizing higher security as well as monitoring by a home security system arranged in each home. In Patent Document 2, when it is found that an abnormality has occurred in a house in the home security system, the vehicle (and the home security system of another house) running around the house is instructed to take and send an image. ing.

Patent Document 3 describes a problem related to a video distribution system in which images from a plurality of surveillance cameras are once aggregated on a server and then distributed, that is, a server load increases due to an increase in the number of cameras and distribution destinations, which is a distant cause of server down. It discloses what to do if it becomes. In Patent Document 3, an index server is installed to provide information for accessing a camera, and when a user accesses the index server and selects a target camera, the camera is set to the camera based on the connection information to the corresponding camera. Direct connection and video distribution.

Patent Document 4 discloses a monitoring system. In Patent Document 4, the image information obtained by photographing the monitored area is output, and the position of a person in the monitored area is detected based on the image information. Further, in the document, the position of the observer in the monitored area is detected, and the person in the monitored area is designated as the observer or the monitored person based on the position of the person and the position of the observer obtained by the above detection. Determine. Then, the line of sight of the monitored person is acquired from the image information, and when the monitored person is in the line of sight of the monitored person based on the position and line of sight information of the monitored person and the position of the observer, the monitored person Is judged to be a suspicious person.

Patent Document 5 discloses a technique relating to a patrol security support system in which a guard heading to the site where an abnormality has occurred identifies a suspicious person in the patrol security business. In Patent Document 5, a person included in a video is detected from video data shot by a shooting means arranged in a predetermined security area, and the detected person is monitored. Further, in the document, among the persons to be monitored, a person who satisfies the predetermined detection conditions is detected as a suspicious person, and the relative position information between the detected suspicious person and the patrol guard is calculated. Further, in the document, predetermined information is transmitted to the mobile terminal held by the patrol guard based on the calculated relative position information.

Japanese Patent No. 4183890 Japanese Patent No. 5306660 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-166024 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-21324 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-018094

As described above, in many surveillance systems, images from surveillance cameras are transmitted to the surveillance center, and incident detection (detection of suspicious persons, suspicious objects, etc.) is performed at the surveillance center. When an incident is detected at the monitoring center, security guards located near the surveillance camera that transmits the video data that is the basis of the incident detection are instructed to take action. That is, the video data of the surveillance camera in which a suspicious person or the like is captured is once transmitted to the surveillance center, and the surveillance center gives an instruction to the guards. As a result, even if there is a guard near the surveillance camera, the guard cannot take any action without instructions from the surveillance center.

It is also conceivable to distribute the video data collected in the monitoring center to each security guard, but such measures increase the delay in acquiring the video data.

As described above, the existing surveillance system has a problem that the guards cannot immediately deal with the incident that occurs in the vicinity of the surveillance camera.

In this respect, the same applies to the techniques disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 5.

In Patent Document 1, a security guard rushes when the client determines that the case is a case, but in such a response, it takes a long time from the detection of the suspicious event to the response by the security guard. That is, in Patent Document 1, the position of the video distribution destination is not taken into consideration, and it is difficult for the guard to immediately deal with (directly deal with) even if the information is provided.

In Patent Document 2, although the system instructs to shoot an image, the provision of information to the instruction destination (vehicle or the like receiving the instruction) is not considered. That is, in Patent Document 2, the measures taken by the guards are not taken into consideration. Further, in the technique of Patent Document 2, it is necessary to manage the position information of the vehicle that is a candidate for the instruction destination.

In Patent Document 3, it is necessary to specify the camera on the side that confirms the image. With such a method, it is not possible to expect a prompt response by the guards.

In Patent Document 4, a suspicious person is detected by a monitoring device based on an image obtained from a camera, and information is transmitted to a security guard via a receiver. However, in such a measure, it takes a long time from the time when the camera takes a picture of the suspicious person to the time when the guard is notified.

Similar to Patent Document 4, Patent Document 5 also detects a suspicious person from video data from a camera arranged in the security area and notifies the terminal possessed by the guard of the information of the suspicious person. However, in such a measure, it takes time from the time when the camera takes a picture of the suspicious person to the time when the guard is notified.

The present invention provides a surveillance camera, a surveillance system, a surveillance camera control method and a program that enable security guards to immediately respond to an incident that has occurred.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the terminal wirelessly connects to the terminal, the communication unit, the detection unit that detects the incident by analyzing the video data from the camera, and the information about the detected incident. A surveillance camera is provided, which comprises a distribution unit and a distribution unit.

According to the second viewpoint of the present invention, a plurality of surveillance cameras that detect an incident by analyzing video data from the camera and distribute information on the detected incident to a wirelessly connected terminal. Receiving the connection destination switching notification including an instruction server that sends a connection destination switching notification designating a surveillance camera to be a new wireless connection destination to the surveillance camera in response to the detected incident. The surveillance camera is provided with a surveillance system that instructs a terminal wirelessly connected to the own device to switch the wireless connection to the designated wireless connection destination.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the incident is detected by wirelessly connecting to the terminal and analyzing the video data from the camera, and the information regarding the detected incident is distributed to the terminal. A method of controlling a surveillance camera is provided.

According to the fourth viewpoint of the present invention, a process of wirelessly connecting to a terminal, a process of detecting an incident by analyzing video data from a camera, and a process of distributing information about the detected incident to the terminal. A program is provided that causes the computer installed in the surveillance camera to execute.
Note that this program can be recorded on a computer-readable storage medium. The storage medium may be a non-transient such as a semiconductor memory, a hard disk, a magnetic recording medium, or an optical recording medium. The present invention can also be embodied as a computer program product.

According to each viewpoint of the present invention, there are provided surveillance cameras, surveillance systems, surveillance camera control methods and programs that contribute to the immediate response of security guards to incidents that have occurred.

It is a figure for demonstrating the outline of one Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the structure of the monitoring system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the hardware composition of the surveillance camera which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the hardware composition of the terminal which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the processing configuration of the surveillance camera which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of a terminal information management database. It is a figure which shows an example of the incident handling instruction database. It is a figure which shows an example of the processing structure of the terminal which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows an example of the operation of the surveillance system when a surveillance camera and a terminal are wirelessly connected. It is a sequence diagram which shows an example of the operation of the monitoring system when an incident occurs. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen by a terminal. It is a figure which shows an example of the terminal information management database which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the terminal information management database which was sorted in the order of the strength of the radio strength shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen by a terminal. It is a figure which shows an example of the structure of the monitoring system which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the hardware composition of the surveillance camera which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the processing configuration of the surveillance camera which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the hardware configuration of the authentication server which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the processing configuration of the authentication server which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows an example of the operation of the surveillance system when a surveillance camera and a terminal are wirelessly connected. It is a figure which shows an example of another configuration of the monitoring system which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the structure of the monitoring system which concerns on 4th Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the processing configuration of the surveillance camera which concerns on 4th Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the processing structure of the terminal which concerns on 4th Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the processing configuration of the instruction server which concerns on 4th Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of an incident handling database. It is a figure which shows an example of the surveillance camera management database. It is a sequence diagram which shows an example of the operation of the monitoring system which concerns on 4th Embodiment. It is a block diagram which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a flowchart (a) relating to the connection between a camera and a terminal, and a flowchart (b) at the time of finding a suspicious event. It is a figure which shows the user interface which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a block diagram which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a flowchart (a) relating to the connection between a camera and a terminal, and a flowchart (b) at the time of finding a suspicious event. It is a block diagram which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the connection between the camera and the terminal and the discovery of a suspicious event. It is a sequence diagram which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a block diagram which illustrates the structure of an information processing apparatus.

First, an outline of one embodiment will be described. It should be noted that the drawing reference reference numerals added to this outline are added to each element for convenience as an example for assisting understanding, and the description of this outline is not intended to limit anything. Further, the connection line between the blocks in each figure includes both bidirectional and unidirectional. The one-way arrow schematically shows the flow of the main signal (data), and does not exclude bidirectionality.

The surveillance camera 100 according to one embodiment includes a communication unit 101, a detection unit 102, and a distribution unit 103 (see FIG. 1). The communication unit 101 wirelessly connects to the terminal. The detection unit 102 detects an incident by analyzing the video data from the camera. The distribution unit 103 distributes information about the detected incident to the terminal.

The surveillance camera 100 arranged in the security area has a wireless communication function with a terminal. The terminal possessed by the guard is connected to the surveillance camera 100 in advance, and when the surveillance camera 100 detects an incident (for example, a suspicious person or a suspicious object is detected), the terminal is notified of the content of the incident, an image, or the like. .. As a result, when a suspicious person or the like is found in the video data of the surveillance camera 100, the security guard located in the vicinity of the surveillance camera 100 that has detected the suspicious person or the like can be immediately notified of the discovery of the suspicious person or the like. .. That is, it is possible to immediately give an accurate instruction to the guard from the surveillance camera 100.

Specific embodiments will be described in more detail below with reference to the drawings. In each embodiment, the same components are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[First Embodiment]
The first embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the monitoring system according to the first embodiment. Referring to FIG. 2, the surveillance system includes a plurality of surveillance cameras 10-1 to 10-4 and terminals 20-1 to 20-4.

In the following description, if there is no particular reason for distinguishing the surveillance cameras 10-1 to 10-4, it is simply referred to as "surveillance camera 10". Further, although FIG. 2 shows four surveillance cameras 10, it is not intended to limit the number of cameras. The plurality of surveillance cameras 10 are comprehensively arranged in the surveillance area. That is, the required number of cameras are installed according to the area to be monitored.

Similar to the surveillance cameras 10-1 to 10-4, the terminals 20-1 to 20-4 are simply referred to as "terminal 20" unless there is a particular reason for distinguishing them. Although FIG. 2 shows four terminals 20, it is of course not intended to limit the number of terminals 20.

The surveillance camera 10 has a function of acquiring video data in the surveillance area, a function of wirelessly connecting to the terminal 20, a function of analyzing the acquired video data to detect the occurrence of an incident, and a function of notifying the terminal 20 of the detected incident. And.

The terminal 20 is a terminal possessed by a security guard (for example, a smartphone, a mobile phone, a tablet, etc.), and has a function of wirelessly connecting to the surveillance camera 10 and information notified from the surveillance camera 10 (information related to the occurrence of an incident). It has a function to display.

Next, the operation outline of the monitoring system according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

When the guard possessing the terminal 20 approaches the surveillance camera 10, wireless communication starts between the surveillance camera 10 and the terminal 20. At that time, the surveillance camera 10 authenticates the user of the security guard who possesses the terminal 20, and maintains a connection state with the terminal 20 possessed by the security guard whose validity has been confirmed. For example, referring to FIG. 2, the surveillance camera 10-2 is connected to the terminals 20-1 and 20-2, and the surveillance camera 10-4 is connected to the terminal 20-4.

The surveillance camera 10 analyzes the video data acquired by its own device and detects the occurrence of an incident. For example, in the example of FIG. 2, the surveillance camera 10-2 detects the suspicious person 61 by analyzing the video data.

When an incident is detected, the surveillance camera 10 distributes information about the detected incident (hereinafter referred to as incident detailed information) to the terminal 20 in the connected state. In the example of FIG. 2, the surveillance camera 10-2 distributes the detected information including the image data of the suspicious person 61 to the terminals 20-1 and 20-2 as the incident detailed information.

The terminal 20 that has acquired the incident detailed information displays the information on a liquid crystal panel or the like and presents the information to the guards. Security guards who come in contact with the detailed incident information will take appropriate action in accordance with the information. For example, in the example of FIG. 2, the guard possessing the terminals 20-1 and 20-2 monitors the suspicious person 61.

Hereinafter, each device for realizing the function of the above security system will be described.

[Hardware configuration]
First, the hardware configuration of various devices constituting the monitoring system according to the first embodiment will be described.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the surveillance camera 10 according to the first embodiment. The surveillance camera 10 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a memory 12, a camera module 13, a radio signal transmission / reception circuit 14, and the like, which are connected to each other by an internal bus.

However, the configuration shown in FIG. 3 is not intended to limit the hardware configuration of the surveillance camera 10. Surveillance camera 10 may include hardware (not shown). Further, the number of CPUs and the like included in the surveillance camera 10 is not limited to the example of FIG. 3, and for example, a plurality of CPUs may be included in the surveillance camera 10.

The memory 12 is a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and an auxiliary storage device (hard disk or the like).

The camera module 13 is a module including an image pickup sensor such as a lens and a CCD (Charge Coupled Device). The wireless signal transmission / reception circuit 14 is a circuit connected to the antenna 15 for transmitting / receiving a wireless signal.

The function of the surveillance camera 10 is realized by a processing module described later. The processing module is realized, for example, by the CPU 11 executing a program stored in the memory 12. In addition, the program can be downloaded via a network or updated using a storage medium in which the program is stored. Further, the processing module may be realized by a semiconductor chip. That is, the function performed by the processing module may be realized by executing the software on some hardware.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the terminal 20 according to the first embodiment. Referring to FIG. 4, the terminal 20 includes an input / output interface 16 for inputting / outputting information in addition to the CPU and the like described above.

The input / output interface 16 is a device such as a display device or an input device. The display device is, for example, a liquid crystal display or the like. The input device is, for example, a device that accepts user operations such as a keyboard and a mouse, and a device that inputs information from an external storage device such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory. The user (security guard) inputs necessary information into the terminal 20 by using a keyboard, a mouse, or the like.

[Processing module]
Subsequently, the processing modules of various devices constituting the monitoring system according to the first embodiment will be described.

[Surveillance camera]
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a processing configuration of the surveillance camera 10 according to the first embodiment. Referring to FIG. 5, the surveillance camera 10 includes a wireless communication control unit 201, a user authentication unit 202, a connection terminal management unit 203, a video data acquisition unit 204, an incident detection unit 205, an information distribution unit 206, and the like. It is configured to include various databases (DB; Database).

The wireless communication control unit 201 realizes wireless communication with the terminal 20. The wireless communication control unit 201 communicates with the terminal 20 by a communication method compliant with, for example, IEEE (The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.) 802.11a / b / g / n. However, the purpose is not to limit the communication method between the surveillance camera 10 and the terminal 20. For example, in the case of a retail store or the like where the security area is narrow, the surveillance camera 10 and the terminal 20 may be wirelessly connected by a short-range wireless communication method such as Bluetooth (registered trademark).

The wireless communication control unit 201 passes the data acquired through the antenna 15 to another module, or transmits the data acquired from the other module to the terminal 20 via the antenna 15.

The wireless communication control unit 201 transmits a beacon frame or the like necessary for the terminal 20 to wirelessly connect to its own device. More specifically, the wireless communication control unit 201 broadcasts a beacon frame including an ESID (Extended Service Set Identifier) of its own device.

When the wireless communication control unit 201 receives the probe request frame from the terminal 20, the wireless communication control unit 201 compares the ESID of the surveillance camera 10 included in the received probe request frame with the ESID of the own device, and the probe request frame is directed to the own device. Determine if it is a thing. When the wireless communication control unit 201 determines that the probe request frame is directed to its own device, the wireless communication control unit 201 constructs a probe response frame and transmits the probe request frame to the terminal 20 that has transmitted the probe request frame.

Further, the wireless communication control unit 201 processes a connection request from a terminal 20 whose validity has been confirmed (a terminal 20 possessed by a security guard who has succeeded in user authentication). When the wireless communication control unit 201 establishes a wireless connection with the terminal 20, the wireless communication control unit 201 notifies the connection terminal management unit 203 to that effect.

The user authentication unit 202 starts user authentication of a security guard who is the owner of the terminal 20 when the terminal 20 is within a range in which the terminal 20 can be wirelessly connected to the own device (surveillance camera 10). Specifically, the user authentication unit 202 performs user authentication based on the authentication information included in the authentication request transmitted from the terminal 20 and the information included in the authentication information management database 211. For example, the user authentication unit 202 authenticates the security guard who possesses the terminal 20 depending on whether or not the set of the ID (Identifier) and the password included in the authentication request is registered in the authentication information management database 211.

Information necessary for user authentication of security guards is stored in advance in the authentication information management database 211 and each terminal 20. Further, the user authentication by the user authentication unit 202 is not limited to the above password authentication, and any other authentication method (for example, public key authentication) can be used.

The user authentication unit 202 notifies the terminal 20 of the authentication result via the wireless communication control unit 201.

The connection terminal management unit 203 manages the terminal 20 wirelessly connected to the own device (surveillance camera). Specifically, the connection terminal management unit 203 manages the connection status of the terminal 20 connected to the own device after the validity is confirmed. For example, when the wireless connection is established between the own device and the terminal 20, the connection terminal management unit 203 adds a new entry to the terminal information management database 212, and the identifier of the terminal 20 (for example, MAC (Media Access)). Control) address) and connection status are stored (see FIG. 6).

Further, the connection terminal management unit 203 periodically transmits a connection confirmation request to the terminal 20 in the connected state. The terminal 20 transmits a connection confirmation response to the surveillance camera 10 in response to the reception of the request. When the connection terminal management unit 203 obtains the response, the connection terminal management unit 203 does not perform any special processing assuming that the wireless connection with the terminal 20 can be maintained.

When the connection terminal management unit 203 cannot receive the response for a predetermined period, the connection terminal management unit 203 updates the terminal information management database 212 assuming that the connection between the own device and the terminal 20 in the connected state is disconnected. For example, the connection terminal management unit 203 sets the status field of the corresponding entry to "disconnected". Alternatively, the connection terminal management unit 203 may delete the corresponding entry in the terminal information management database 212. As described above, when the wireless connection is established between the terminal 20 and the own device, the connection terminal management unit 203 transmits a connection confirmation request to the wirelessly connected terminal 20. The connection terminal management unit 203 determines that the connection with the wirelessly connected terminal 20 has been disconnected when the response to the connection confirmation request cannot be received from the wirelessly connected terminal 20 for a predetermined period.

When the video data acquisition unit 204 acquires video data from the camera module 13, the video data acquisition unit 204 stores the acquired video data in a storage medium such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). At that time, the video data acquisition unit 204 compresses the acquired video data as necessary and stores it in the storage medium.

The incident detection unit 205 detects an incident by analyzing the video data from the camera. Specifically, the incident detection unit 205 analyzes the video data captured by the video data acquisition unit 204 and detects the incident. Information necessary for detecting an incident is stored in the incident information management database 213.

For example, the incident detection unit 205 analyzes the video data and detects a suspicious person existing in the monitoring area. When detecting a suspicious person, for example, a face image of a criminal is registered in the incident information management database 213.

When detecting a suspicious person using a criminal database (incident information management database 213 in which a criminal's face image is registered), the incident detection unit 205 first obtains a face image of a person appearing in the video data. Try to extract. Various techniques can be used when extracting a face image from video data. For example, as disclosed in Reference 1 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-170979), an input image (image data including a face image) and a template image of a face image are compared, and the difference between the two is a threshold value. A face image may be extracted depending on whether or not it is as follows.

When the face image is successfully extracted, the incident detection unit 205 calculates a plurality of feature amounts (so-called feature amount vectors) that characterize the face image. Regarding the calculation of the feature amount vector from the face image, for example, the technique disclosed in Reference 2 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-097000) can be used. Specifically, feature points (for example, center points and end points of eyes, nose, mouth, etc.) are extracted from the face image, the positional relationship of the extracted feature points, and the shading value and characteristics (periodicity, near the feature points). Directionality, color distribution, etc.) are calculated as features.

The incident detection unit 205 calculates the feature amount vector by arranging the feature amounts side by side (creating a set of feature amounts). After that, the incident detection unit 205 acquires the criminal's face image from the incident information management database 213, and calculates the feature amount vector by the same method as the face image extracted from the video data. Next, the incident detection unit 205 performs collation processing regarding the feature amount vector of the face image calculated from the video data and the feature amount vector calculated from the face image registered in the incident information management database 213. Specifically, the incident detection unit 205 calculates the degree of similarity with the feature amount vector calculated from the above video data for each of the feature amount vectors acquired from the face image of the incident information management database 213.

For example, the incident detection unit 205 calculates the chi-square distance, the Euclidean distance, and the like between the two feature vector. The calculated chi-square distance and Euclidean distance are indicators of the degree of similarity between two feature quantity vectors (two facial images characterized by the feature quantity vectors). The index showing the similarity between the two feature vector is not limited to the above-mentioned Euclidean distance and chi-square distance.

The incident detection unit 205 performs threshold processing on the calculated similarity, and determines whether or not the person appearing in the video data acquired by the camera module 13 is registered in the incident information management database 213. When a person similar to a person appearing in the video data acquired from the camera module 13 is registered in the incident information management database 213, the incident detection unit 205 sets the person as a "suspicious person".

The detection of an incident by the incident detection unit 205 is not limited to "suspicious person detection". For example, when a baggage (object) that has been left unattended for a predetermined period is discovered by analyzing the accumulated video data, the incident detection unit 205 may detect an incident related to "suspicious object discovery". good.

Alternatively, the incident detection unit 205 may detect smoke or flame by analyzing the video data, and may detect the incident of "fire occurrence". Information necessary for detection such as "suspicious object discovery" and "fire occurrence" (for example, data used for pattern matching) is registered in advance in the incident information management database 213.

It is desirable that the contents of the incident information management database 213 be updated regularly by the administrator of the monitoring system or the like. Alternatively, if the surveillance camera 10 is connected to the network, the contents of the database may be updated via the network.

The incident detection unit 205 notifies the information distribution unit 206 of information regarding the detected incident. For example, when a suspicious person is detected, the incident detection unit 205 sets "suspicious person detection" as the detected incident, and notifies the information distribution unit 206 of the detected suspicious person's face image and the like.

The information distribution unit 206 distributes information about the detected incident to the terminal 20. Specifically, the information distribution unit 206 distributes the detailed incident information regarding the incident detected by the incident detection unit 205 to the terminal 20 (the terminal 20 connected to the own device). At that time, the information distribution unit 206 distributes at least the information acquired from the incident detection unit 205 to the terminal 20. That is, the information distribution unit 206 distributes the type of the detected incident and the image related to the detected incident to the terminal 20.

Alternatively, the information distribution unit 206 may include the information stored in the incident handling instruction database 214 in the incident detailed information. The incident handling instruction database 214 stores the contents instructing the guards for each type of incident (see FIG. 7). For example, referring to FIG. 7, in the case of an incident related to the discovery of a suspicious person, it is described that the guards are instructed to "monitor", so that the information distribution unit 206 relates to the detection of the suspicious person. Detailed incident information including an incident detection, a face image of a suspicious person, and an instruction to monitor the suspicious person is delivered to the terminal 20.

[Terminal]
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the processing configuration of the terminal 20 according to the first embodiment. Referring to FIG. 8, the terminal 20 includes a wireless communication control unit 301, a connection camera management unit 302, and a reception information display unit 303.

The wireless communication control unit 301 is a module paired with the wireless communication control unit 201 of the surveillance camera 10. The wireless communication control unit 301 receives the beacon frame from the surveillance camera 10. When the wireless communication control unit 301 receives the beacon frame from the surveillance camera 10, if the surveillance camera 10 connected to the own device does not exist, the wireless communication control unit 301 responds to the received beacon frame (transmits the probe request frame). ..

After that, when the wireless communication control unit 301 receives the probe response frame from the surveillance camera 10, it makes an authentication request (Authentication) to the surveillance camera 10. As described above, the information (authentication information) necessary for user authentication of the guard by the surveillance camera 10 is stored in advance in the storage medium or the like of the terminal 20.

When the authentication by the surveillance camera 10 is successful, the wireless communication control unit 301 transmits a connection request to the surveillance camera 10. Upon receiving the connection response from the surveillance camera 10, a wireless connection between the surveillance camera 10 and the terminal 20 is established. When the wireless connection between the surveillance camera 10 and the terminal 20 is established, the wireless communication control unit 301 notifies the connection camera management unit 302 to that effect.

The connection camera management unit 302 is a module paired with the connection terminal management unit 203 of the surveillance camera 10. The surveillance camera 10 connected to the terminal 20 periodically transmits a connection confirmation request. The connection camera management unit 302 responds to the connection confirmation request by transmitting the connection confirmation response to the surveillance camera 10.

If the connection confirmation request cannot be received from the surveillance camera 10 for a predetermined period of time, the connection camera management unit 302 determines that the connection with the surveillance camera 10 has been disconnected. In that case, the connected camera management unit 302 sets the connection state between the own device and the surveillance camera 10 to "non-connected". The connection state (connected, unconnected) generated by the connected camera management unit 302 is referred to by the wireless communication control unit 301.

The reception information display unit 303 displays the information received from the surveillance camera 10 (for example, incident detailed information) on the liquid crystal monitor or the like. When the terminal 20 is equipped with a speaker or a vibration function, the reception information display unit 303 notifies the reception of the information by voice or vibration at the timing when the information is acquired from the surveillance camera 10. You may notify the guards of the reception of.

[System operation]
Next, the operation of the monitoring system according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10.

FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the monitoring system when the monitoring camera 10 and the terminal 20 are wirelessly connected.

In step S01, each surveillance camera 10 transmits (broadcasts) a beacon frame in which its own ESID is set.

When the terminal 20 moves the broadcasted beacon frame to a receivable range, the terminal 20 receives the beacon frame (step S02).

If the terminal 20 is not connected to another surveillance camera 10, the terminal 20 transmits a probe request frame including the ESID of the surveillance camera 10 scheduled to be connected (step S03).

In response to the probe request frame, the surveillance camera 10 transmits a probe response frame (step S04).

Upon receiving the probe response frame, the terminal 20 transmits an authentication request including its own authentication information (for example, a password or the like) to the surveillance camera 10 (step S05).

In step S06, the surveillance camera 10 executes user authentication.

If the security guard who possesses the terminal 20 can confirm the validity of the surveillance camera 10 (step S07, Yes branch), the surveillance camera 10 permits the connection of the terminal 20 (step S08).

If the surveillance camera 10 cannot confirm the validity of the guard who possesses the terminal 20 (step S07, No branch), the surveillance camera 10 rejects the connection of the terminal 20 (step S09).

The surveillance camera 10 transmits the authentication result to the terminal 20 (step S10).

The terminal 20 whose legitimacy of the guard is confirmed makes a connection request to the surveillance camera 10 (step S11).

The surveillance camera 10 responds to the connection request (step S12).

By the process up to step S12, the wireless connection between the surveillance camera 10 and the terminal 20 is established, and the surveillance camera 10 and the terminal 20 manage the connection state (steps S13 and S14).

FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the monitoring system when an incident occurs.

In step S21, the surveillance camera 10 detects the occurrence of an incident by analyzing the video data.

After that, the surveillance camera 10 distributes the incident detailed information to the terminal 20 connected to the own device (step S22). For example, the surveillance camera 10 distributes incident detailed information including the type of the detected incident, the image related to the detected incident, and the response instruction to the incident.

The terminal 20 receives the incident detailed information and displays it on the liquid crystal panel or the like (step S23). For example, the terminal 20 displays as shown in FIG. 11 and urges the guards to deal with the incident.

As described above, in the surveillance system according to the first embodiment, the surveillance camera 10 having a wireless communication function detects an incident from the video data of its own device and distributes information on the generated incident to the terminal 20. That is, when the surveillance camera 10 detects the occurrence of an incident, it directly notifies the occurrence of the incident to the terminal 20 possessed by the guard, without going through another server device or the like. As a result, when an incident that requires immediacy occurs in the vicinity of the surveillance camera 10, the guard can immediately deal with the incident that has occurred. Further, in the surveillance system according to the first embodiment, since information is provided to the terminal 20 under the surveillance camera 10, it is not necessary to manage the position of the terminal 10 by the surveillance camera 10 or another server. .. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the cost required for position management and the processing load in the monitoring system.

[Second Embodiment]
Subsequently, the second embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

In the second embodiment, the case where the wireless communication state of the terminal 20 in the connected state is used for the distribution of the incident detailed information will be described. Since the system configuration and the configuration of each device in the second embodiment can be the same as those in the first embodiment, the description corresponding to FIGS. 2 and 5 will be omitted.

The wireless communication control unit 201 of the surveillance camera 10 according to the second embodiment calculates a parameter indicating a wireless communication state with the terminal 20. That is, the wireless communication control unit 201 calculates a parameter indicating a wireless communication state between the own device and each of the plurality of wirelessly connected terminals. For example, the wireless communication control unit 201 calculates the wireless strength (radio wave strength), S / N (Signal To Noise) ratio, and the like of communication with the terminal 20, and delivers the calculated parameters to the connection terminal management unit 203.

The connection terminal management unit 203 reflects the wireless communication status of each terminal 20 in the terminal information management database 212. For example, when the radio strength is calculated as the above parameter, the terminal information management database 212 as shown in FIG. 12 can be obtained.

The information distribution unit 206 uses a parameter (for example, wireless strength) indicating the wireless communication state of the terminal 20 when distributing the incident detailed information to the terminal 20 connected to the own device.

For example, the information distribution unit 206 distributes incident detailed information to a terminal 20 having a fixed number of high-order parameters (for example, radio strength) among a plurality of terminals 20. When the radio strengths shown in FIG. 12 are rearranged in order of strength, they are as shown in FIG. In FIG. 13, when the incident detailed information is distributed only to the terminal 20 having the highest wireless strength, the information distribution unit 206 distributes the incident detailed information to the terminal 20 having ID_1, ID_3, and ID_2. .. In this way, the information distribution unit 206 may select the terminal 20 in which the wireless communication state with the own device is in a good state and transmit the incident detailed information.

The information distribution unit 206 may use the wireless communication state of the terminal 20 to determine the distribution order of the incident detailed information. For example, in the example of FIG. 13, the information distribution unit 206 transmits the incident detailed information to the terminal 20 having the ID_1, and then transmits the incident detailed information in the order of the terminal 20 having the ID_3, the terminal 20 having the ID_2, and so on. .. As described above, the information distribution unit 206 may distribute the detailed incident information by giving priority to the terminal 20 having a good wireless communication state with its own device.

The information distribution unit 206 may change the content of the incident detailed information according to the wireless connection state of the terminal 20. For example, the information distribution unit 206 distributes a high-resolution image (for example, a face image of a suspicious person) to a terminal 20 having a radio intensity of a predetermined level or higher, and the terminal has a radio strength lower than the predetermined level. Deliver low resolution images to 20.

The information distribution unit 206 transmits an image identifying an incident (for example, an image as shown in FIG. 11) to the terminal 20 whose radio intensity is lower than a predetermined level, and the terminal whose radio intensity is equal to or higher than a predetermined level. In addition to the image for identifying the incident, the image acquired by the own device (surveillance camera 10) may be delivered in real time to 20 (for example, the Live image shown in FIG. 14). In this way, the information distribution unit 206 may change the content of the detected incident detailed information according to the wireless communication state between the own device and the terminal 20, or the real-time video data may be used as the incident detailed information. It may be included in the terminal 20 and delivered to the terminal 20.

As described above, in the second embodiment, the wireless communication state between the own device and the terminal 20 is used for the distribution of the incident detailed information. As a result, information can be provided with priority given to the terminal 20 having a good radio wave condition, and detailed information can be distributed to the terminal 20 having a good radio wave condition. That is, according to the second embodiment, flexible information provision can be realized according to the radio wave condition.

[Third Embodiment]
Subsequently, the third embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

In the third embodiment, the case where each surveillance camera 10a is connected to a network and connected to a server via the network will be described.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the monitoring system according to the third embodiment. Referring to FIG. 15, the surveillance system includes a plurality of surveillance cameras 10a, a plurality of terminals 20, and an authentication server 30.

The surveillance camera 10a is connected to the authentication server 30 via a network (not shown), and is configured to be able to exchange information with the server. The authentication server 30 is a server that authenticates the security guard who possesses the terminal 20 when the surveillance camera 10a and the terminal 20 are wirelessly connected to each other.

Since there is no difference in the configuration and operation of the terminal 20 from the contents described in the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the surveillance camera 10a according to the third embodiment. In the surveillance camera 10a, a NIC (Network Interface Card) 17 serving as a communication interface is added to the configuration shown in FIG. In the following description, the configuration in which the surveillance camera 10a is connected to the server by a wired connection will be described, but the connection with the server is not limited to the wired connection, and communication with the server may be performed by a wireless connection. Of course.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a processing configuration of the surveillance camera 10a according to the third embodiment. The difference between the surveillance camera 10 shown in FIG. 5 and the surveillance camera 10a shown in FIG. 17 is that the user authentication unit 202 and the authentication information management database 211 are deleted, and the communication control unit 207 is added.

The communication control unit 207 controls the NIC 17 and controls the communication with the authentication server 30.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the authentication server 30 according to the third embodiment. The authentication server 30 can be realized by a so-called computer, and each configuration shown in FIG. 18 can be the same as the content already described, so the description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a processing configuration of the authentication server 30 according to the third embodiment. Referring to FIG. 19, the authentication server 30 includes a communication control unit 401, a user authentication unit 402, and an authentication information management database 411.

The communication control unit 401 controls communication with the surveillance camera 10a.

Since the operations of the user authentication unit 402 and the authentication information management database 411 can be the same as those of the user authentication unit 202 and the authentication information management database 211 described in the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

[System operation]
Next, the operation of the monitoring system according to the third embodiment will be described.

FIG. 20 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the monitoring system when the monitoring camera 10 and the terminal 20 are wirelessly connected. With reference to FIG. 20, the differences from the monitoring system described with reference to FIG. 9 in the first embodiment will be mainly described. Further, the same processing of FIGS. 9 and 20 are designated by the same reference numerals.

When the surveillance camera 10a acquires the authentication request from the terminal 20, the surveillance camera 10a transfers the authentication request (authentication information) to the authentication server 30 (step S05a). Specifically, when the wireless communication control unit 201 of the surveillance camera 10a acquires an authentication request from the terminal 20, the request is transmitted to the authentication server 30 via the communication control unit 207.

The authentication server 30 executes user authentication of a security guard possessing the terminal 20 using the information stored in the authentication information management database 411, and transmits the authentication result to the monitoring camera 10a (steps S06a and S10a).

The surveillance camera 10a transfers the acquired authentication result to the terminal 20 (step S10b).

As described above, in the third embodiment, among the functions included in the surveillance camera 10, the realization of the function related to user authentication is outsourced to the authentication server 30.

It should be noted that the realization of other functions among the functions included in the surveillance camera 10 may be outsourced to the server. For example, in a situation where a high-speed communication network is prepared, as shown in FIG. 21, a video analysis server 40 may be installed and the video analysis server 40 may realize a function related to incident detection. .. In this case, the video analysis server 40 analyzes the video data provided by each surveillance camera 10a. When an incident is detected as a result of the analysis, the video analysis server 40 provides detailed incident information to the surveillance camera 10a that provided the video data that is the basis of the incident detection, and transfers the information to the terminal 20. Instruct to deliver.

As described above, in the third embodiment, the realization of some functions included in the surveillance camera 10 is outsourced to the server device. For example, user authentication is a function that is frequently performed during normal times when no incident has occurred. Therefore, even if the function is outsourced to an external server, the influence of the incident detection on the information provision to the terminal 20 is small. Further, by centrally managing the information related to user authentication on the authentication server 30, it becomes easy to manage the addition and deletion of security guards in charge of the security area.

[Fourth Embodiment]
Subsequently, the fourth embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

In the fourth embodiment, when an incident is detected, a terminal connected to a surveillance camera other than the surveillance camera that detected the incident is instructed to switch the connection to the surveillance camera that detected the incident. The case will be described.

FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the monitoring system according to the fourth embodiment. Referring to FIG. 22, an instruction server 50 is added to the monitoring system.

Here, the communicable range of the surveillance camera 10b may overlap with the communicable range of another surveillance camera 10b. For example, referring to FIG. 22, the communicable range of the surveillance camera 10b-2 and the surveillance camera 10b-4 overlap, and the overlapped communicable range is described in dark gray. The terminal 20a (terminal 20a-3 in the example of FIG. 22) existing in such an area where the communication ranges overlap will maintain a connection state with any one of the surveillance cameras capable of communicating.

For example, the terminal 20a-3 shown in FIG. 22 can be connected to either the surveillance camera 10b-2 or the surveillance camera 10b-4, but the terminal 20a-3 simply connects the beacon frame from the surveillance camera 10b-4. It is connected to the surveillance camera 10b-4 because it was received early. When the surveillance camera 10b-2 detects an incident in such a situation, the incident detailed information is delivered to the terminal 20a-1, but not to the terminal 20a-3.

In the above case, the instruction server 50 instructs the terminal 20a-3 to switch the wireless connection destination from the surveillance camera 10b-4 to the surveillance camera 10b-2, and the terminal 20a-3 also has detailed incident information. To be able to receive.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of the processing configuration of the surveillance camera 10b according to the fourth embodiment. Referring to FIG. 23, a communication control unit 207 that controls wired communication is added to the configuration of the surveillance camera 10 shown in FIG.

The operation of the connection terminal management unit 203a and the information distribution unit 206a of the surveillance camera 10b is different from the contents described in the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the operations of the connection terminal management unit 203a and the information distribution unit 206a will be mainly described.

The connection terminal management unit 203a may receive a connection destination switching notification from the instruction server 50. The connection destination switching notification is a notification for switching the connection destination of the terminal 20a connected to the own device (surveillance camera 10b) to another surveillance camera 10b. Specifically, the connection destination switching notification includes an identifier (for example, ESSID) of the monitoring camera 10b of the connection switching destination.

Upon receiving the connection destination switching notification, the connection terminal management unit 203a requests the terminal 20a connected to its own device (surveillance camera 10b) to switch the connection destination including the identifier of the surveillance camera 10b to be a new connection destination. Send. For example, in the example of FIG. 22, it is described that the surveillance camera 10b-4 receives the connection destination switching notification from the instruction server 50, and the connection destination of the terminal 20a is the surveillance camera 10b-2. .. In this case, the connection terminal management unit 203a instructs the terminal 20a-3 and the terminal 20a-4 to connect to the surveillance camera 10b-2 (transmits a connection destination switching request).

The information distribution unit 206a adds the incident detailed information to the terminal 20a in the connected state of the own device, and distributes the information to the instruction server 50. When the information distribution unit 206a transmits the incident detailed information to the instruction server 50, the information distribution unit 206a includes the identifier of the own device (for example, ESSID) in the information.

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing an example of a processing configuration of the terminal 20a according to the fourth embodiment. The operation of the wireless communication control unit 301a is different between the terminal 20 described in the first embodiment and the terminal 20a according to the fourth embodiment.

When the wireless communication control unit 301a receives the above-mentioned connection destination switching request from the connection destination surveillance camera 10b, the wireless communication control unit 301a switches the connection destination to the surveillance camera 10b designated by the request. Specifically, when the wireless communication control unit 301a can receive the beacon frame including the ESID matching the ESID of the designated surveillance camera 10b, the wireless communication control unit 301a determines that it can be wirelessly connected to the designated surveillance camera 10b. Switch the wireless connection destination.

FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of a processing configuration of the instruction server 50 according to the fourth embodiment. Since the hardware of the instruction server 50 can be the same as the configuration shown in FIG. 18, the description thereof will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 25, the instruction server 50 includes a communication control unit 501, a connection destination switching instruction unit 502, an incident handling database 511, and a surveillance camera management database 512.

The communication control unit 501 controls communication with the surveillance camera 10b. Further, when the communication control unit 501 receives the incident detailed information from the surveillance camera 10b, the communication control unit 501 delivers the information to the connection destination switching instruction unit 502.

The connection destination switching instruction unit 502 determines whether or not to increase the distribution destinations of the incident detailed information according to the incident that has occurred. That is, the connection destination switching instruction unit 502 determines whether or not it is necessary to increase the number of security guards dealing with the incident by increasing the number of distribution destinations of the incident detailed information.

When the connection destination switching instruction unit 502 acquires the incident detailed information from the surveillance camera 10b, the connection destination switching instruction unit 502 refers to the incident handling database 511. In the incident response database 511, information on whether or not it is necessary to increase the number of security guards is registered for each incident that occurs (see FIG. 26). For example, referring to FIG. 26, if the incident that occurred is "discovery of suspicious person", it is determined that the number of security guards needs to be increased, and if the incident that occurred is "discovery of suspicious object", it is not necessary to increase the number of security guards. Is judged.

Further, when the connection destination switching instruction unit 502 decides to increase the number of distribution destinations (when it is necessary to increase the number of guards), the connection destination switching instruction unit 502 generates a connection destination switching notification and transmits the notification to the surveillance camera 10b. Specifically, the connection destination switching instruction unit 502 refers to the surveillance camera management database 512, generates a connection destination switching notification, and transmits the notification.

FIG. 27 is a diagram showing an example of the surveillance camera management database 512. Referring to FIG. 27, the identifier and the position (coordinates) of each surveillance camera 10b are managed by the database. Each item of the surveillance camera management database 512 is registered in advance before the operation of the system.

The connection destination switching instruction unit 502 refers to the surveillance camera management database 512 and identifies the surveillance camera 10b close to the surveillance camera 10b that is the source of the incident detailed information by using the identifier of the surveillance camera 10b included in the incident detailed information. do.

The connection destination switching instruction unit 502 generates a connection destination switching notification addressed to the specified surveillance camera 10b. The connection destination switching notification includes an identifier of the surveillance camera 10b to be switched. For example, in the example of FIG. 22, when the surveillance camera 10b-2 transmits the incident detailed information to the instruction server 50 and the instruction server 50 determines from the incident detailed information that it is necessary to increase the number of security guards, the incident transmission source The connection destination switching notification is transmitted to the surveillance camera 10b-4 close to the surveillance camera 10b-2.

Upon receiving the connection destination switching notification, the surveillance camera 10b-4 transmits a connection destination switching request to the terminals 20a-3 and the terminal 20a-4 with the wireless connection destination as the surveillance camera 10b-2. The terminal 20a-3 and the terminal 20a-4 determine whether or not the wireless connection can be switched, and if switching is possible (if the wireless signal from the surveillance camera 10b-2 can be received), the designated surveillance camera 10b Switch the connection destination to -2. In the example of FIG. 22, since the terminal 20a-3 can be connected to the surveillance camera 10b-2, the terminal 20a-3 switches the connection to the surveillance camera 10b-2. On the other hand, since the terminal 20a-4 cannot connect to the surveillance camera 10b-2 (cannot receive the beacon frame), the terminal 20a-4 maintains the connection with the surveillance camera 10b-4. The surveillance camera 10b-2 also transmits (delivers) detailed incident information to the terminals 20a-3.

Subsequently, the operation of the monitoring system according to the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 28.

FIG. 28 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the monitoring system according to the fourth embodiment. Here, as shown in FIG. 22, the terminal 20a-1 is connected to the surveillance camera 10b-2, and the terminals 20a-3 and the terminal 20a-4 are connected to the surveillance camera 10b-4, respectively, and the incident occurs in the surveillance camera 10b-2. Will be described when the above is detected.

The terminal 20a-1, the terminal 20a-3, and the terminal 20a-4 are connected to the surveillance cameras 10b-2 and 10b-4, respectively (steps S31 to S33).

In normal times when no incident occurs, wireless connection and disconnection of wireless connection are repeated between the terminal 20a and the surveillance camera 10b.

After that, an incident occurs. The incident that has occurred is detected by the surveillance camera 10b-2 (step S34).

The surveillance camera 10b-2 distributes the incident detailed information to the subordinate terminals 20a-1 (step S35).

The terminal 20a-1 that has received the information displays the detailed incident information on the liquid crystal panel or the like (step S36).

The surveillance camera 10b-2 also transmits detailed incident information to the instruction server 50 (step S37).

The instruction server 50 determines whether or not it is necessary to switch the connection destination of the terminal 20a (whether or not it is necessary to increase the number of security guards) based on the received detailed incident information and the information stored in the incident handling database 511 (whether or not it is necessary to increase the number of security guards). Step S38).

If it is necessary to switch the connection destination of the terminal, the instruction server 50 transmits a connection destination switching notification to the surveillance camera 10b-4 close to the surveillance camera 10b-2 that has detected the incident (step S39).

The surveillance camera 10b-4 transmits a connection destination switching request to the terminals 20a-3 and the terminals 20a-4 connected to the own device (step S40).

The terminal 20a-4 receives the connection destination switching request and determines whether or not the wireless connection switching is possible (step S41). As a result of the determination, since the terminal 20a-4 cannot receive the beacon frame from the surveillance camera 10b-2, the terminal 20a-4 maintains the connection with the surveillance camera 10b-4 (step S42).

The terminal 20a-3 determines whether it is possible to switch the wireless connection to the surveillance camera 10b-2 designated by the connection destination switching request (step S43). Since the terminal 20a-3 can receive the beacon frame from the surveillance camera 10b-2, it is determined that the terminal 20a-3 can be connected to the surveillance camera 10b-2.

The terminal 20a-3 is connected to the surveillance camera 10b-2 (step S44).

The surveillance camera 10b-2 also transmits the incident detailed information to the terminals 20a-3 (step S45).

The terminal 20a-3 displays the received incident detailed information (step S46).

As described above, in the fourth embodiment, the connection destination switching notification for designating the surveillance camera 10b as the new wireless connection destination is close to the transmission source of the incident detailed information according to the detected incident. It is transmitted to the surveillance camera 10b. Upon receiving the connection destination switching notification, the surveillance camera 10b instructs the terminal 20a connected to the own device to switch the wireless connection to the surveillance camera 10b which is the designated wireless connection destination. As a result, in the event of a serious incident, the number of security guards to deal with the incident can be increased.

The configuration and the like of the monitoring system described in the above embodiment are examples, and are not intended to limit the system configuration. For example, the surveillance camera described in the above embodiment may be realized by connecting the wireless access point, the surveillance camera, and the computer with a USB cable or the like, and executing the processing related to user authentication and incident detection by the computer.

In the above embodiment, the case where one incident occurs is described, but when a plurality of incidents occur at the same time, the type of incident to be prioritized may be determined in advance.

In the above embodiment, the surveillance camera 10 fixedly installed on the ceiling or the like of the security area has been described, but the function of the surveillance camera 10 may be realized by a drone or the like equipped with the camera.

In the second embodiment described above, it has been described that the content of the incident detailed information is changed based on the wireless communication state between the terminal 20 and the surveillance camera 10, but the content of the incident detailed information is changed according to the incident that has occurred. May be. For example, if the incident that occurred is a "fire", it is sufficient to notify the guards of the fact of the incident (no image or instruction required).

In the fourth embodiment, the instruction server 50 determines the necessity of increasing the number of guards, but the person in charge deployed at the monitoring center or the like may determine the necessity. In this case, the person in charge confirms the video data provided from each surveillance camera 10b and the detailed incident information transmitted when the incident occurs, and determines whether or not it is necessary to increase the number of guards. The person in charge who determines that it is necessary to increase the number of guards operates the keyboard or the like to input the fact to the instruction server 50. The instruction server 50 determines a surveillance camera or the like as a new wireless connection destination, and transmits a connection destination switching notification to a necessary surveillance camera.

Further, in the fourth embodiment, the necessity of increasing the number of security guards is determined simply based on the type of incident that has occurred, but the number of security guards to be increased according to the incident that has occurred may be determined in detail. good. Alternatively, the number of security guards that need to be dealt with for each incident is predetermined, and when the number of terminals 20a connected to the surveillance camera 10b that has detected the incident is less than the predetermined number, the number of security guards is increased. May be decided. That is, the instruction server 50 may predetermine the number of security guards that need to be dealt with for each incident, and may increase the number of security guards when the predetermined number of security guards cannot be secured. In this case, each surveillance camera 10b also notifies the number of terminals 20a connected to its own device when sending detailed incident information to the instruction server 50. Alternatively, when the number of terminals 20a connected to the own device (the number of terminals 20a delivering detailed incident information) is less than the predetermined number in each surveillance camera 10b, the surveillance camera 10b may be used. Detailed incident information may be sent to the instruction server 50 (may be requested to increase the number of guards).

In the plurality of flowcharts used in the above description, a plurality of steps (processes) are described in order, but the execution order of the steps executed in each embodiment is not limited to the order of description. In each embodiment, the order of the illustrated processes can be changed within a range that does not hinder the contents, for example, the processes are executed in parallel. Moreover, the matters described in the above-described embodiment can be combined within a range that does not conflict with each other.

Some or all of the above embodiments may also be described, but not limited to:
[Appendix 1]
It is as the surveillance camera which concerns on the 1st viewpoint mentioned above.
[Appendix 2]
The surveillance camera of Appendix 1, further comprising an authentication unit, which initiates authentication of the owner of the terminal when the terminal is within a range that can be wirelessly connected to the own device.
[Appendix 3]
The surveillance camera according to Appendix 1 or 2, wherein the distribution unit changes the content of information regarding the detected incident according to the wireless communication state between the own device and the terminal.
[Appendix 4]
The communication unit wirelessly connects to a plurality of terminals and calculates a parameter indicating a wireless communication state with each of the plurality of terminals.
The surveillance camera according to any one of Supplementary note 1 to 3, wherein the distribution unit distributes information regarding the detected incident to a certain number of terminals whose calculated parameters are higher than the plurality of terminals.
[Appendix 5]
The communication unit wirelessly connects to a plurality of terminals and calculates a parameter indicating a wireless communication state with each of the plurality of terminals.
The surveillance camera according to any one of Supplementary note 1 to 3, wherein the distribution unit distributes information regarding the detected incident in descending order of the calculated parameters among the plurality of terminals.
[Appendix 6]
The surveillance camera according to any one of Supplementary note 1 to 5, wherein the distribution unit distributes at least the type of the detected incident and the image related to the detected incident to the terminal.
[Appendix 7]
The surveillance camera according to any one of Supplementary note 1 to 6, wherein the distribution unit includes real-time video data obtained from the camera in the information regarding the detected incident and distributes the data to the terminal.
[Appendix 8]
It also has a terminal management unit that manages wirelessly connected terminals.
The terminal management unit
When a wireless connection is established with the terminal, a connection confirmation request is sent to the wirelessly connected terminal, and when the response to the connection confirmation request cannot be received from the wirelessly connected terminal for a predetermined period, the wireless connection is established. The surveillance camera according to any one of Supplementary note 1 to 7, further comprising a connection terminal management unit that determines that the connection with the terminal has been disconnected.
[Appendix 9]
It is as the monitoring system which concerns on the 2nd viewpoint mentioned above.
[Appendix 10]
The surveillance system according to Appendix 9, further including an authentication server, which authenticates the owner of the terminal when the surveillance camera and the terminal are wirelessly connected.
[Appendix 11]
This is the control method of the surveillance camera according to the third viewpoint described above.
[Appendix 12]
This is the program related to the fourth viewpoint described above.
It should be noted that the form of the appendix 11 and the form of the appendix 12 can be expanded into the form of the appendix 2 to the form of the appendix 8 in the same manner as the form of the appendix 1.

In the disclosure of the present application, the following forms are also possible.

Solution In a video sharing system consisting of a security guard terminal and a surveillance camera,
The surveillance camera has a video shooting function, a video distribution function, a wireless communication function, a user authentication function, and a suspicious event detection function.
The security guard terminal has a wireless communication function and a video display function.
When the security guard terminal approaches a distance that allows wireless communication with the surveillance camera, it is automatically authenticated and communication becomes possible.
When the surveillance camera discovers a suspicious event, the discovered suspicious event and video are delivered to the connected security guard terminal.
The security guard terminal displays the content and video of the suspicious event.
Effect When a surveillance camera discovers a suspicious event, it is possible to notify the security guards who can respond without delay and provide high-quality information, enabling prompt and effective response.

By sharing the suspicious event detection unit and the user authentication information management unit with a plurality of surveillance cameras, analysis and management of user information are streamlined (FIG. 32).

By notifying the instruction server of suspicious event detection by the surveillance camera and prompting the connection switching to the detected surveillance camera, the number of security guards responding is increased (Fig. 34).

FIG. 37 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the information processing apparatus. The security guard terminal, the surveillance camera, the video analysis server, and the instruction server according to the embodiment may include the information processing device shown in the above figure. The information processing device has a central processing unit (CPU) and a memory. The information processing device realizes some or all of the functions of the security guard terminal, the surveillance camera, the video analysis server, and the instruction server by executing the program stored in the memory by the CPU. May be good.

Form 1
In a video distribution system equipped with a security guard terminal and a surveillance camera with a wireless communication function,
A video distribution system characterized in that when the surveillance camera detects a suspicious event, a video related to the detection of the suspicious event is transmitted to a security guard terminal existing in an area where direct wireless communication is possible.
Form 2
The surveillance camera authenticates and establishes a connection when the security guard terminal enters the area where wireless communication is possible, and at the same time.
The video distribution system according to Form 1, wherein when a suspicious event is detected, a video related to the detection of the suspicious event is transmitted to a connected security guard terminal.
Form 3
The video distribution according to Form 1 or 2, wherein the surveillance camera distributes information at the time of detecting a suspicious event only to a certain number of terminals having a high wireless strength of communication with the security guard terminal. system.
Form 4
The video distribution system according to any one of embodiments 1 to 3, wherein the surveillance camera distributes information at the time of detecting a suspicious event in order of increasing wireless strength of communication with the security guard terminal.
Form 5
The video distribution system according to any one of embodiments 1 to 4, wherein the surveillance camera controls the information distribution content according to the radio strength of communication with the security guard terminal.
Form 6
The surveillance camera uses the information held by the user authentication information management server shared by the plurality of surveillance cameras for authentication of the security guard terminal, and at the same time.
The video distribution system according to any one of embodiments 1 to 5, wherein the captured video is transmitted to a video analysis server shared by a plurality of surveillance cameras to detect a suspicious event.
Form 7
The video distribution system according to any one of embodiments 1 to 6, wherein the surveillance camera transmits the content of the suspicious event, the evidence video, and the information of the guard who transmitted the information to the instruction server when the suspicious event is detected. ..
Form 8
The instruction server displays the information received at the time of detecting the suspicious event, and when the connection change is received from the outside, the surveillance camera existing in the vicinity of the surveillance camera that detected the suspicious event is the surveillance camera that detected the suspicious event. Instruct to change the connection to
The surveillance camera that received the connection change instructed the guard terminal under its control to change the connection to the surveillance camera that detected the suspicious event.
The security guard terminal instructed to change the connection connects to the surveillance camera that detected the suspicious event when wireless communication is possible.
The video distribution system according to Form 7, wherein the surveillance camera that detects a suspicious event transmits the content of the suspicious event and evidence video to a newly connected security guard terminal.

Each disclosure of the above-mentioned patent documents cited shall be incorporated into this document by citation. Within the framework of the entire disclosure (including the scope of claims) of the present invention, it is possible to change or adjust the embodiments or examples based on the basic technical idea thereof. Further, various combinations or selections of various disclosure elements (including each element of each claim, each element of each embodiment or embodiment, each element of each drawing, etc.) within the framework of all disclosure of the present invention. Is possible. That is, it goes without saying that the present invention includes all disclosure including claims, various modifications and modifications that can be made by those skilled in the art in accordance with the technical idea. In particular, with respect to the numerical range described in this document, any numerical value or small range included in the range should be construed as being specifically described even if not otherwise described.

10, 10a, 10b, 10-1 to 10-4, 10a-1 to 10a-4, 10b-1 to 10b-4, 100 Surveillance camera 11 CPU (Central Processing Unit)
12 Memory 13 Camera module 14 Wireless signal transmission / reception circuit 15 Antenna 16 Input / output interface 17 NIC (Network Interface Card)
20, 20a, 20-1 to 20-4, 20a-1 to 20a-4 Terminal 30 Authentication server 40 Video analysis server 50 Instruction server 61 Suspicious person 101 Communication unit 102 Detection unit 103 Distribution unit 201, 301, 301a Wireless communication control Unit 202, 402 User authentication unit 203, 203a Connection terminal management unit 204 Video data acquisition unit 205 Incident detection unit 206, 206a Information distribution unit 207, 401, 501 Communication control unit 211, 411 Authentication information management database 212 Terminal information management database 213 Incident information management database 214 Incident handling instruction database 302 Connection camera management unit 303 Received information display unit 502 Connection destination switching instruction unit 511 Incident handling database 512 Surveillance camera management database

Claims (8)

With the communication unit that wirelessly connects to the terminal,
A detector that detects incidents by analyzing video data from the camera,
When the incident is detected, a distribution unit that distributes information about the detected incident to the terminal, and a distribution unit.
A surveillance camera equipped with. The communication unit is wirelessly connected to the terminal and is connected to the terminal.
The surveillance camera according to claim 1, wherein the distribution unit distributes information regarding the detected incident based on the state of the wireless connection. The surveillance camera according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the distribution unit changes the content of information regarding the detected incident according to the wireless communication state between the own device and the terminal. The communication unit wirelessly connects to a plurality of terminals and calculates a parameter indicating a wireless communication state with each of the plurality of terminals.
The monitoring according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the distribution unit distributes information regarding the detected incident to a certain number of terminals whose calculated parameters are higher than the plurality of terminals. camera. The communication unit wirelessly connects to a plurality of terminals and calculates a parameter indicating a wireless communication state with each of the plurality of terminals.
The surveillance camera according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the distribution unit distributes information regarding the detected incident in descending order of the calculated parameters among the plurality of terminals. Multiple surveillance cameras that detect incidents by analyzing video data from cameras and deliver information about the detected incidents to wirelessly connected terminals only when the incidents are detected.
An instruction server that sends a connection destination switching notification that specifies a surveillance camera to be a new wireless connection destination to the surveillance camera in response to the detected incident.
Including
Upon receiving the connection destination switching notification, the surveillance camera instructs the terminal wirelessly connected to the own device to switch the wireless connection to the designated wireless connection destination.
Monitoring system. Wirelessly connect to the terminal
Incidents are detected by analyzing video data from the camera,
When the incident is detected, information about the detected incident is delivered to the terminal.
How to control surveillance cameras, including that. The process of wirelessly connecting to the terminal and
Processing to detect incidents by analyzing video data from the camera,
When the incident is detected, the process of delivering the information about the detected incident to the terminal and the process of delivering the information to the terminal.
A program that causes the computer installed in the surveillance camera to execute.

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