JP7294654B2 - wearable camera system - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to wearable camera systems .

Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that allows a user to change the settings of a security terminal device and perform threat control while confirming the status of each security terminal device at a monitored site through a multifunctional mobile terminal device such as a smartphone. disclosed. Specifically, security terminal devices such as passive sensors, shutter sensors, infrared sensors, entrance/exit control devices, intimidating fog sprayers, intimidating lights, web cameras with microphones, and intimidating speakers are connected to routers at monitored bases, and Internet network and connected to the multifunctional mobile terminal device via the mobile phone network. This multifunctional portable terminal device monitors detection signals from passive sensors, shutter sensors, and infrared sensors. Activate the web camera with microphone and intimidating speaker.

JP 2014-026308 A

By the way, in recent years, in order to efficiently support the work of police officers or security guards, it has been promoted to equip police officers with wearable cameras during regular patrols or in emergency situations (for example, when rushing to the scene of a crime). . In order to make the explanation easier to understand, the work of a police officer will be exemplified below, but it may be applied to the work of a user such as a security guard instead of a police officer. A wearable camera has a built-in battery as a power supply, and always takes an image of a subject during use (for example, during patrol or in an emergency). For this reason, it is necessary to take technical considerations so that the power consumption of the battery does not become unnecessarily large so as not to cause a situation where the battery runs out in the middle of the process and the image cannot be captured. Patent Document 1 does not disclose the above technical considerations.

On the other hand, images captured by wearable cameras (hereinafter referred to as “captured images”) make it possible to quickly grasp the situation around the position of a police officer. It is a valuable source of information for analysts. It is desired that such captured images be delivered from the wearable camera to the police station as soon as possible. Therefore, it is considered that there is room for improvement in the related art in terms of effectively distributing images captured by the wearable camera while taking care not to consume more battery power than necessary.

The present disclosure has been devised in view of the above-described conventional circumstances, suppresses an increase in the power consumption of the built-in battery, and adapts the image data captured by the wearable camera to the police station according to the occurrence of an event related to police work. The purpose is to provide a wearable camera system that delivers

Further, the present disclosure is a wearable camera system in which a wearable camera worn by a police officer and a police station server managed by a police station are communicably connected, wherein the wearable camera is an external storage device or a police station server. It is possible to execute wide-area wireless communication using a wide-area communication network with a police station server managed by, perform short-range wireless communication with a mobile terminal possessed by the policeman, and perform short-range wireless communication with the policeman. Metadata of a characteristic object appearing in imaged video data of a subject is extracted, use of the wide area wireless communication is permitted at a predetermined timing, and the imaged video data of the subject and the corresponding metadata are stored in an external storage device. and the police station server acquires the imaged video data and the metadata from the external storage device, and based on the metadata, transmits the instruction to use the wide-area wireless communication via the portable terminal. to a wearable camera, and the wearable camera permits the use of the wide-area wireless communication in response to the wide-area wireless communication use instruction sent from the police station server via the mobile terminal, Provided is a wearable camera system that transmits imaged video data to the police station server through the wide area wireless communication.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to suppress an increase in the power consumption of a built-in battery, and adaptively distribute image data captured by a wearable camera to a police station according to the occurrence of an event related to police work.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing a system configuration example of a wearable camera system according to Embodiment 1; Block diagram showing an example hardware configuration of a wearable camera Block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of each of the in-vehicle PC and the client PC Block diagram showing an example of common trigger box hardware configuration Block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the headquarters server FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing in chronological order a first operation example regarding distribution of captured video data of the wearable camera system according to Embodiment 1; FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram chronologically showing a second operation example related to delivery of captured video data of the wearable camera system according to the first embodiment; FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram chronologically showing a third operation example related to delivery of imaged video data of the wearable camera system according to the first embodiment; A diagram showing an example of a playback display screen on a client PC FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing in chronological order a fourth operation example related to distribution of captured video data of the wearable camera system according to the first embodiment;

Hereinafter, embodiments specifically disclosing a wearable camera, a wearable camera system, and a video distribution method according to the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. However, more detailed description than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed descriptions of well-known matters and redundant descriptions of substantially the same configurations may be omitted. This is to avoid unnecessary verbosity in the following description and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art. It should be noted that the accompanying drawings and the following description are provided for a thorough understanding of the present disclosure by those skilled in the art and are not intended to limit the claimed subject matter.

FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing a system configuration example of a wearable camera system 1 according to Embodiment 1. As shown in FIG. The wearable camera system 1 has a configuration in which various devices used in the field and various devices arranged in a police station are communicably connected via a network NW1. Also, the wearable camera system 1 may be configured to further include an online storage OST1. The network NW1 is a wireless communication network, such as the Internet network, an intranet network, or a wide area wireless communication network such as a mobile phone network. However, the network NW1 may be a wired communication network.

As shown in FIG. 1, the various devices used at the scene include a wearable camera 10 worn by a police officer (an example of a user) who arrives at the scene, and a smartphone 40 (mobile phone) carried by the police officer for communication with the police station. an example of a terminal), and an in-vehicle camera system 50 mounted in a police vehicle VC1 such as a patrol car that has arrived at the scene.

The wearable camera 10 is worn on a policeman's uniform and captures the situation in front of the policeman (for example, the situation at the scene) as a subject. The wearable camera 10 is sometimes called a BWC (Body Worn Camera). The scene is, for example, the location where an incident occurred, or the location where a suspect exists or is barricaded. The wearable camera 10 pre-records (that is, buffers captured video data for a certain period of time (eg, 3 minutes)) and records (that is, records) the captured video data in the storage unit 15 (see FIG. 2). Further, the wearable camera 10, although details will be described later, is capable of executing wide-area wireless communication (for example, LTE (Long Term Evolution) communication), and transmits imaged video data by LTE communication at necessary timing to headquarters via network NW1. Send to server.

Also, wearable camera 10 can perform short-range wireless communication with smartphone 40 . Here, the short-range wireless communication is, for example, BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy) communication or wireless LAN communication such as Wifi (registered trademark). BLE communication and wireless LAN communication are suitable for wireless communication between the wearable camera 10 and the smartphone 40 located within a short distance because the wearable camera 10 consumes less power than the LTE communication. In addition, the subject of the wearable camera 10 may include not only a person but also surrounding vehicles, scenes of an incident, and crowds (so-called onlookers) gathering near the scene.

The smartphone 40 has a telephone function and a wireless communication function (for example, communication with a headquarters server using wide-area wireless communication such as LTE), and is used, for example, for emergency contact from or to the police station. Also, the smartphone 40 can perform short-range wireless communication (see above) with the wearable camera 10 . The smartphone 40 displays and reproduces captured image data sent from the wearable camera 10 or the vehicle-mounted camera 51, and edits such as adding attribute information to the captured image data according to the operation of the police officer. The attribute information may be, for example, an incident type that directly or indirectly suggests the content of the captured video. Note that the smartphone 40 may have a tethering function, and using this tethering function, capture video data sent from each of the wearable camera 10 and the vehicle-mounted camera 51 is transmitted via wide-area wireless communication (for example, LTE communication) to the headquarters server.

The in-vehicle camera system 50 is also called an ICV (In Car Video) system, and has one or more in-vehicle cameras 51 , an in-vehicle PC 52 and an in-vehicle recorder 53 . The in-vehicle camera system 50 uses an in-vehicle camera 51 to capture an image of the scene where the police vehicle VC1 has arrived, and records (i.e., records) the captured image data in an in-vehicle recorder 53 . The in-vehicle camera 51, the in-vehicle PC 52, and the in-vehicle recorder 53 are connected by wire so that they can communicate with each other, but may be connected wirelessly. In-vehicle camera system 50 (e.g., in-vehicle recorder 53) and wearable camera 10 may be communicably connected by wire (e.g., USB cable compatible with USB (Universal Serial Bus)). In-vehicle camera system 50 may further include a common trigger box 54 mounted on police vehicle VC1.

The in-vehicle camera 51 includes, for example, a front camera attached so as to be able to image the front of the police vehicle VC1, a side camera attached so as to be able to image the side direction of the police vehicle VC1, and a camera attached so as to be able to image the rear of the police vehicle VC1. a rear camera. The vehicle-mounted camera 51 sends the captured image data to the vehicle-mounted recorder 53 . This imaged video data is recorded in the vehicle-mounted recorder 53 .

In-vehicle PC52 controls each operation of in-vehicle camera 51 and in-vehicle recorder 53 according to a policeman's operation. In addition, the in-vehicle PC 52 may read out from the in-vehicle recorder 53 and display and reproduce captured image data captured by each of the one or more wearable cameras 10 and the in-vehicle camera 51 by the policeman's operation. As a result, a police officer using the in-vehicle PC 52 can, for example, easily view images of the scene captured by one or more wearable cameras 10 and the in-vehicle camera 51 during the same time period, and confirm the situation of the scene in a wide area. You can improve your own work efficiency.

The in-vehicle recorder 53 has a recording device such as a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive), and records image data captured by one or more wearable cameras 10 and the in-vehicle camera 51 in the recording device. do. The in-vehicle PC 52 reads the captured image data captured by the wearable camera 10 from the in-vehicle recorder 53 by the policeman's operation, and plays back the image captured by the wearable camera 10 independently in a predetermined application installed in the in-vehicle PC 52. , attribute information of the captured image may be added in the application. Similarly, the in-vehicle PC 52 reads the captured image data captured by the in-vehicle camera 51 from the in-vehicle recorder 53 by the policeman's operation, and the image captured by the in-vehicle camera 51 is read independently by a predetermined application installed in the in-vehicle PC 52. The captured image may be reproduced, or the attribute information of the captured image may be added in the application.

The common trigger box 54 supplies power to various devices mounted in the police vehicle VC1 including the vehicle camera system 50 . The common trigger box 54 includes various devices mounted on the police vehicle VC1 (e.g., a revolving warning light (not shown), an acceleration sensor (not shown), a siren (not shown), an in-vehicle camera system 50 (e.g., an in-vehicle recorder 53) ) by wire (for example, GPIO (physical cable) or LAN cable) or wirelessly to control the operation of these devices. Also, the common trigger box 54 performs short-range wireless communication (for example, BLE communication or wireless LAN communication) with the wearable camera 10 . Also, the common trigger box 54 performs wireless communication (for example, wide-area wireless communication such as LTE communication) via the network NW1 with a headquarters server (see below) located in the police station.

When the common trigger box 54 acquires an operation start signal from, for example, a revolving warning light or a siren, the common trigger box 54 sends a recording start or recording stop control signal to at least one of the wearable camera 10 and the in-vehicle camera system 50 connected to the common trigger box 54. can be sent. As a result, at least one of the wearable camera 10 and the in-vehicle camera system 30 operates according to the control signal from the common trigger box 54, for example, when the rotating warning light starts rotating or when the siren sounds. You can start and stop recording.

Various devices installed in the police station include a communication device RT1, a headquarters server (an example of a police station server), a data center console CC1, and a client PC 90, as shown in FIG. The communication device RT1, headquarters server, data center console CC1, and client PC 90 are connected by wire or wirelessly so as to be able to communicate with each other.

The communication device RT1 has a gateway function of the intra-police station network, and performs communication (for example, wide area wireless communication) with the network NW1. For example, the communication device RT1 performs wide-area wireless communication with the wearable camera 10, the smart phone 40, or the common trigger box 54 via the network NW1.

The headquarters server includes a dispatch server 60 , a meta-info server 80 and a content server 70 . In addition to these servers, the headquarters server may further include other servers (not shown) located within the police station.

The dispatch server 60 dispatches police officers to the site (for example, the place where an incident occurred), schedules police patrols, instructs the deployment of police officers, creates a deployment plan, and supports the deployment work. The dispatch server 60 registers and stores in advance the identification information of the police officer, the identification information of the police vehicle VC1, and the map data within the area under its jurisdiction. Execute processing for deployment. For example, the dispatch server 60 acquires the position information of the wearable cameras 10 worn by each of one or more police officers on patrol or the like, and plots the police deployment screen ( not shown). Data center console CC 1 or individual client PC 90 can display the police deployment screen generated by dispatch server 60 (see above).

The meta-info server 80 acquires metadata of characteristic objects (see below) appearing in imaged video data analyzed by different wearable cameras 10 worn by each of a plurality of police officers. The meta-info server 80 may acquire the metadata of the characteristic object and the corresponding captured image data as a set. The meta-info server 80 analyzes this metadata and executes processing for identifying suspects in incidents and the like. For example, when suspect information including information on the suspect's appearance in an incident or the like or information on the vehicle the suspect got into to get away is known in advance, the meta-info server 80 receives metadata from the wearable camera 10 . Match the data with the suspect information and identify the suspect based on the metadata that matches the suspect information. After identifying the suspect, the meta-info server 80 generates and transmits to each wearable camera 10 an LTE permission notification for instructing the wearable camera 10 to transmit captured video data using LTE communication.

The content server 70 associates captured image data captured by different wearable cameras 10 worn by each of a plurality of police officers with identification information of the wearable cameras 10 and accumulates them. Note that the captured image data is provided with the date and time of generation of the captured image data (in other words, the date and time when the image was captured) as attribute information. Note that the content server 70 may be configured as a server integrated with the meta-info server 80 .

The data center console CC1 (an example of a display device) is configured using, for example, a large screen display or multiple displays. The data center console CC1 is a display device provided in a command headquarters (for example, a department that performs deployment work such as dispatching police officers) located in a police station. A police deployment screen (not shown) is displayed.

A client PC 90 (an example of a display device) is a terminal computer connected to the data center console CC1, and is used by an analyst (police officer) who analyzes the situation around the scene in the police station. The client PC 90 performs, for example, confirmation of site conditions, monitoring of imaged video data, reception of reports, transmission of commands, and the like.

The online storage OST1 as an example of an external storage device is a storage (recording device) connected to the network NW1. Records metadata for a target object (see below). Also, the online storage OST1 may record the metadata of the characteristic object and the corresponding captured image data as a set.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration example of the wearable camera 10. As shown in FIG. Wearable camera 10 includes imaging unit 11 , GPIO 12 (General Purpose Input/Output), RAM 13 (Random Access Memory), ROM 14 (Read Only Memory), and storage unit 15 . The wearable camera 10 includes an EEPROM 16 (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), an RTC 17 (Real Time Clock), and a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 18 . Wearable camera 10 includes MCU 19 (Micro Controller Unit), BLE communication unit 21A, WLAN communication unit 21B, LTE communication unit 21C, USB interface 22, contact terminal 23, power supply unit 24, and battery 25. include. Note that the interface is abbreviated as "I/F" in the accompanying drawings.

The wearable camera 10 includes a recording switch SW1, a snapshot switch SW2, a communication mode switch SW3, an attribute information addition switch SW4, and a wireless registration switch SW5.

The wearable camera 10 includes three LEDs 26a, 26b, 26c (Light Emission Diodes), a vibrator 27, an audio output unit 28, a microphone 29A (see the microphone 117 in FIG. 2), a speaker 29B, and an earphone terminal 29C. including. The LEDs 26a, 26b, 26c, the vibrator 27, and the audio output section 28 function as an example of a notification section that notifies the user.

The imaging unit 11 has an imaging lens and a solid-state imaging device based on a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) type image sensor or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) type image sensor. The imaging unit 11 outputs the data of the captured image of the subject obtained by imaging to the MCU 19 .

The detection terminal 23T of the contact terminal 23 is a terminal that causes a voltage change when the wearable camera 10 is placed on a charging stand (not shown) or removed from the charging stand (not shown). A detection terminal 23T of the contact terminal 23 is connected to an AD converter CV. A signal indicating a voltage change of the detection terminal 23T is converted into a digital signal by the AD converter CV, and the digital signal is input to the MCU 19 via the I2C20.

GPIO 12 is a parallel interface. The GPIO 12 includes a recording switch SW1, a snapshot switch SW2, a communication mode switch SW3, an attribute information addition switch SW4, a wireless registration switch SW5, LEDs 26a, 26b, 26c, a vibrator 27, an audio output section 28, a microphone 29A, a speaker 29B and earphones. Each of terminals 29C is connected. The GPIO 12 inputs and outputs signals between these various electronic components and the MCU 19 .

Microphone 29A (see microphone 117 in FIG. 2) picks up sounds around wearable camera 10 and outputs audio data of the picked-up sounds to MCU 19 via GPIO 12 . Note that the microphone 29A may be a built-in microphone housed in the housing of the wearable camera 10 or a wireless microphone wirelessly connected to the wearable camera 10 . In the case of wireless microphones, police officers can attach them to any location to improve sound pickup.

The audio output unit 28 outputs audio signals regarding the operation of the wearable camera 10 under the instruction of the MCU 19 . The audio output unit 28 reads out audio data having a predetermined message audio stored in advance in the ROM 14 or the like, and outputs an audio signal based on this audio data from the speaker 29B. The earphone terminal 29C outputs the audio signal output from the audio output section 28 to the earphone connected to the earphone terminal 29C. The speaker 29B receives the audio signal output from the audio output unit 28 and outputs audio.

Also, the AD converter CV is connected to the MCU 19 via a communication interface such as I2C20 (Inter-Integrated Circuit). A similar effect can be obtained by connecting the detection terminal 23T of the contact terminal 23 to the GPIO 12 without the AD converter CV.

The RAM 13 is a work memory used in the operation of the MCU 19, for example. The ROM 14 pre-stores, for example, programs and data for controlling execution of operations (processes) of the MCU 19 .

The storage unit 15 is configured by a storage medium such as a memory card, for example, and stores images captured by the imaging unit 11 based on, for example, an instruction to start recording based on an operation by a police officer or an instruction to start recording from the in-vehicle camera system 50. data recording (i.e. recording). The storage unit 15 always pre-buffers and holds data of an image captured by the imaging unit 11 for a predetermined time (for example, 30 seconds), and stores image data for a predetermined time (for example, 30 seconds) before the current time. Continually accumulate data. When receiving an instruction to start recording, the storage unit 15 starts recording the data of the captured image, and continues recording the data of the captured image until receiving an instruction to stop recording. In addition, when the storage unit 15 is composed of a memory card, it is attached to the housing of the wearable camera 10 so as to be freely inserted and removed.

The EEPROM 16 stores, for example, identification information for identifying the wearable camera 10 (for example, a serial number as a camera ID) and various setting information. The RTC 17 counts the current time information and outputs it to the MCU 19 .

The GNSS receiving unit 18 receives satellite signals including respective signal transmission times and position coordinates transmitted from a plurality of (for example, four) navigation satellites and outputs them to the MCU 19 . The MCU 19 uses a plurality of satellite signals to calculate the current position coordinates of the wearable camera 10 and the reception time of the satellite signals. Note that this calculation may be performed by the GNSS receiver 18 instead of the MCU 19 . This reception time information may also be used to correct the system time of wearable camera 10 (that is, the output of RTC 17). The system time is used, for example, to record the imaging time of a captured image (including still images and moving images).

The MCU 19 has a function as a control unit of the wearable camera 10, for example, control processing for overall control of the operation of each unit of the wearable camera 10, data input/output processing with each unit of the wearable camera 10, Performs data arithmetic (calculation) processing and data storage processing. MCU 19 operates according to various programs and data stored in ROM 14 . During operation, the MCU 19 uses the RAM 13 to obtain current time information from the RTC 17, and obtains current position information from the GNSS receiver 18 or calculates current position information using output from the GNSS receiver 18. do.

In the wearable camera 10, power consumption during execution of LTE communication using a wide area network (for example, network NW1) is greater than power consumption during execution of BLE communication or wireless LAN communication such as Wifi (registered trademark). Become. On the other hand, since the wearable camera 10 is always worn by police officers during patrols, the power consumption of the battery 25 (see FIG. 2) increases if the LTE communication time is too long. In the worst case, the battery 25 runs out while the wearable camera 10 is being worn, and the wearable camera 10 becomes unable to take an image of the subject. In order to avoid such a situation, in the wearable camera 10, the MCU 19, which is an example of a control unit, normally sets each of BLE communication and wireless LAN communication to be executable, but prohibits the use of LTE communication. is set to Then, the MCU 19 sets so as to permit the use of LTE communication only at a predetermined timing or for a predetermined period. Details of the predetermined timing and the predetermined period will be described in the first operation example (see FIG. 6), the second operation example (see FIG. 7), the third operation example (see FIG. 8), and the fourth operation example (see FIG. 10), respectively.

The BLE communication unit 21A, which is an example of a short-range communication unit, wirelessly communicates with a smartphone, a common trigger box 54, or the like using BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy) communication, which is a communication standard for short-range wireless communication. communicate. BLE is the designation for version 4.0 of Bluetooth®. BLE enables communication with low power consumption, but its communication speed is as low as about 100 kbps.

A WLAN communication unit 21B as an example of a short-range communication unit is connected to a smartphone as a wireless LAN access point using a tethering function, a wireless LAN access point provided in a police station, or the like via a wireless LAN (that is, WLAN). , performs wireless communication with the connection destination. Compared to BLE, a wireless LAN is capable of high-speed communication with a communication speed of several tens to several hundred Mbps, but consumes more power because it is always connected to a wireless LAN access point.

The wearable camera 10 may have near field communication such as NFC (Near Field Communication) in addition to BLE communication or WLAN communication.

21 C of LTE communication parts as an example of a wide area communication part perform wide area wireless communication (for example, LTE communication) using wide area communication networks (for example, network NW1), such as a mobile network. In the wearable camera 10, the LTE communication unit 21C can perform LTE communication only when the MCU 19 sets permission for use.

The USB interface 22 is a serial bus and enables connection with, for example, a vehicle-mounted PC 52 or a client PC 90 in a police station.

The contact terminal 23 is a terminal for electrically connecting to the charging stand 55 , and is connected to the MCU 19 via the USB interface 22 as well as to the power supply section 24 . The power supply unit 24 charges the battery 25 in response to detection of connection between the contact terminal 23 and the charging base 55 . The contact terminal 23 can communicate video data read from the storage unit 15 by the MCU 19 to an external device (for example, the common trigger box 54 ) connected via the charging stand 55 according to the connection with the charging stand 55 . be.

The contact terminal 23 is provided with, for example, a “charging terminal V+” (not shown), a “detection terminal 23T”, “data terminals D− and D+” (not shown), and a “ground terminal” (not shown). The detection terminal 23T is a terminal for detecting voltage and voltage change. The data terminals D− and D+ are terminals for transferring image data captured by the wearable camera 10 to the in-vehicle PC 52 via, for example, a USB connector terminal. A detection terminal 23T of the contact terminal 23 is connected to a communication interface such as I2C 20 via an AD converter CV, and the detected voltage value of the contact terminal 23 is input to the MCU19.

By connecting the contact terminal 23 and the connector of the charging stand 55, data communication is possible between the wearable camera 10 and an external device (for example, the common trigger box 54).

The power supply unit 24 is supplied from an external power supply (for example, a common trigger box 54, a cigar charger (not shown) in the police vehicle VC1, accessories in the police vehicle VC1) connected to the charging stand 55 via the contact terminal 23, for example. The battery 25 is charged by supplying the charging current to the battery 25 .

The battery 25 is composed of, for example, a rechargeable secondary battery, and supplies power to each part of the wearable camera 10 .

The recording switch SW1 is a push button switch for inputting an operation instruction for starting/stopping recording (imaging of a moving image) by, for example, a policeman's pressing operation. Also, the MCU 19 may start recording (capturing a moving image) when the recording switch SW1 is pressed for a short time, and end recording when the recording switch SW1 is pressed for a long time. Also, the MCU 19 may start recording (capturing a moving image) when the recording switch SW1 is pressed an odd number of times, and end recording when the recording switch SW1 is pressed an even number of times.

The snapshot switch SW2 is a push-button switch for inputting an operation instruction for capturing a still image, for example, by a policeman's pressing operation. For example, every time the snapshot switch SW2 is pressed, the MCU 19 captures a still image at the time of pressing.

The communication mode switch SW3 is a slide switch for inputting an operation instruction for setting a communication mode between the wearable camera 10 and an external device, for example. Communication modes include, for example, access point mode, station mode, and OFF mode.

The access point mode is a mode in which the wearable camera 10 operates as a wireless LAN access point, wirelessly connects to, for example, a smartphone owned by a police officer, and performs communication between the wearable camera 10 and the smartphone. In the access point mode, by connecting to the wearable camera 10, the smartphone can display current live images, play back recorded images, and display still images captured by the wearable camera 10.

The station mode is a mode in which communication is performed using the external device as an access point when connecting to the external device using a wireless LAN. For example, a smartphone may be set as an external device by using the tethering function of the smartphone. In the station mode, the wearable camera 10 can perform various settings, transfer (upload) of recorded images held by the wearable camera 10 , and the like to the in-vehicle camera system 50 .

The OFF mode is a mode in which the communication operation of the wireless LAN is turned off and the wireless LAN is not used.

Also, the communication mode switch SW3 (an example of an input unit) may receive an input operation indicating the occurrence of an emergency event (for example, a long press operation of the communication mode switch SW3) by a policeman's operation. An emergency event is a highly urgent event (occurrence) that occurs in the work of a police officer. It is applicable that Note that the input operation indicating the occurrence of an emergency event is not limited to the long press operation of the communication mode switch SW3, and other switches (for example, the recording switch SW1, the snapshot switch SW2, the attribute information addition switch SW4, and the wireless registration switch SW5). may be an operation of

The attribute information adding switch SW4 is a push button switch operated to add attribute information to the video data. The attribute information indicates the content of the image captured by the wearable camera 10 (for example, type of incident, murder, robbery, disaster, etc.).

The wireless registration switch SW5 registers and sets an external device (e.g., smartphone, common trigger box 54) with which the wearable camera 10 performs wireless communication (e.g., wireless communication using BLE or wireless LAN) as a communication partner (hereinafter referred to as " This is a push button switch that is operated during communication setting processing. Hereinafter, for example, in wireless communication using BLE, the process of registering and setting a communication partner device may be referred to as “pairing”.

The LED 26 a is a display unit that indicates, for example, the power-on state (on/off state) of the wearable camera 10 and the state of the battery 25 .

The LED 26b is a display unit that indicates, for example, the imaging operation state (recording state) of the wearable camera 10 .

The LED 26c is, for example, a display unit that indicates the state of the communication mode of the wearable camera 10. FIG. Also, the three LEDs 26a to 26c blink according to instructions from the MCU 19 when the wearable camera 10 receives notification data from the vehicle-mounted camera system 50 (for example, the vehicle-mounted PC 52). At this time, the MCU 19 varies the blinking patterns of the LEDs 26a to 26c according to the information about the sound source contained in the notification data.

The MCU 19 detects the inputs of the recording switch SW1, the snapshot switch SW2, the communication mode switch SW3, the attribute information addition switch SW4, and the wireless registration switch SW5, and processes the switch inputs that have been operated.

When the MCU 19 detects an operation input of the recording switch SW1, the MCU 19 controls the start or stop of the image pickup operation in the image pickup section 11, and saves the image obtained from the image pickup section 11 in the storage section 15 as a moving image.

When the MCU 19 detects the operation input of the snapshot switch SW2, the MCU 19 saves the image captured by the imaging unit 11 when the snapshot switch SW2 was operated in the storage unit 15 as a still image.

The MCU 19 detects the state of the communication mode switch SW3, and operates the communication section 21 in the communication mode according to the setting of the communication mode switch SW3.

When the attribute information adding switch SW4 is pressed, the MCU 19 adds the attribute information corresponding to the data of the image captured by the imaging unit 11 to the image in association with the image.

When the wireless registration switch SW5 is pressed, the MCU 19 performs predetermined processing to be performed in the communication setting processing (for example, pairing) with the peripheral external device (for example, the common trigger box 54) that can be the communication partner of the wearable camera 10. to run. Here, exemplifying pairing, the predetermined processing includes generation of registration request information as a communication partner of wireless communication, output to the BLE communication unit 21A, and generation of connection information for specifying the communication partner that is the connection destination. and output to the BLE communication unit 21A, and storage in the storage unit 15 of the connection information transmitted from the communication partner. However, it goes without saying that the default processing related to wireless LAN communication settings is the same as the default processing when pairing is exemplified above.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration example of each of the in-vehicle PC 52 and the client PC 90. As shown in FIG. The in-vehicle PC 52 and the client PC 90 are configured using, for example, PCs (Personal Computers), and have the same hardware configuration. Each of the in-vehicle PC 52 and the client PC 90 includes a CPU 201, an I/O (Input/Output) control unit 202, a communication unit 203, a memory 204, an input unit 205, a display unit 206, a speaker 207, and an HDD 208. It is a configuration including The in-vehicle PC 52 can communicate with each of the wearable camera 10 and the in-vehicle recorder 53, and via a common trigger box 54, a headquarters server (eg dispatch server 60, meta-info server 80, content server 70) in the police station. can communicate with each other. On the other hand, the client PC 90 can communicate with the data center console CC1, the dispatch server 60, the meta-info server 80, and the content server .

The CPU 201 performs, for example, control processing for overall control of the operation of each unit of the in-vehicle PC 52 and the client PC 90, input/output processing of data to/from other units via the I/O control unit 202, and data processing. calculation (calculation) processing and data storage processing.

For example, the CPU 201 operates the on-board camera system 50 or the police station system (not shown) displayed on the display unit 206 by the officer's input operation on the login screen for the on-board camera system 50 or the police station system (not shown). ) is authenticated. The police officer's input operation is, for example, an operation of inputting an officer ID and a password. Various types of information about police officers to whom login is permitted are pre-stored, for example, in the memory 204. 50 or a system (not shown) in the police station. This login may be a login to the in-vehicle camera system 50 via the in-vehicle PC 52 or a police station system (not shown) via the client PC 90, or a login to a default application installed in the in-vehicle PC 52 or the client PC 90. You can also log in.

The I/O control unit 202 controls input/output of data between the CPU 201 and each unit of the in-vehicle PC 52 or the client PC 90 (for example, the communication unit 203, the input unit 205, the display unit 206, and the speaker 207). It relays data and data to the CPU 201 . Note that the I/O control unit 202 may be configured integrally with the CPU 201 .

The communication unit 203 performs wired or wireless communication with, for example, the in-vehicle camera 51 or the in-vehicle recorder 53 or the wearable camera 10 that can be worn by a police officer. Also, the communication unit 203 performs wired or wireless communication with any one of the data center console CC1, the dispatch server 60, the meta-info server 80, and the content server 70, for example. Further, the communication unit 203 may have a communication circuit (for example, a communication circuit mounted on a USIM (Universal Subscriber Identity Module) card) capable of performing wide area wireless communication (for example, LTE communication) using a wide area network. , in this case, LTE communication may be performed with the headquarters server in the police station via the network NW1. In other words, each of the in-vehicle PC 52 and the client PC 90 can execute LTE communication using the wide area network. Also, the communication unit 203 performs wired or wireless communication with the common trigger box 54 .

The memory 204 is configured using, for example, RAM, ROM, nonvolatile or volatile semiconductor memory, functions as a work memory during operation of the CPU 201, and stores predetermined programs and data for operating the CPU 201. . The memory 204 stores, for example, log-in information relating to police officers who are permitted to log-in to the on-board camera system 50 or a police station system (not shown).

The input unit 205 is a UI (User Interface) for receiving an input operation by the policeman and notifying the CPU 201 via the I/O control unit 202, and is a pointing device such as a mouse and a keyboard. The input unit 205 may be arranged corresponding to the screen of the display unit 206, for example, and may be configured using a touch panel or a touch pad that can be operated by a policeman's finger or a stylus pen. The input unit 205 inputs login information for logging in to the in-vehicle camera system 50, for example.

The display unit 206 is configured using, for example, an LCD or an organic EL, and displays various information. In addition, the display unit 206 displays the data of the image portion included in the images captured by the wearable camera 10 and the vehicle-mounted camera 51 on the same screen under the instruction of the CPU 201, for example, according to the input operation of the police officer. display (see FIG. 9).

The speaker 207 outputs, under the instruction of the CPU 201, the data of the audio part included in the images captured by the wearable camera 10 and the vehicle-mounted camera 51, for example, according to the policeman's input operation. Display unit 206 and speaker 207 may be configured separately from in-vehicle PC 52 and client PC 90, respectively.

The HDD 208 stores, for example, various data and software (software programs). Specifically, the HDD 208 stores, for example, software for controlling and setting the vehicle-mounted camera 51 and the vehicle-mounted recorder 53 and software for controlling and setting the wearable camera 10 . Further, the HDD 208 may store, for example, imaged video data captured by the wearable camera 10 and imaged video data captured by the in-vehicle camera 51 .

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration example of the common trigger box 54. As shown in FIG. Common trigger box 54 shown in FIG. It is a configuration including The common trigger box 54 is arranged, for example, in the trunk room of the police vehicle VC1.

The processor 301 is configured using, for example, a CPU, MPU, DSP, or FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and functions as a control unit for the common trigger box 54 . The processor 301 performs, for example, control processing for overall control of the operation of each unit of the common trigger box 54, data input/output processing with each unit of the common trigger box 54, data operation (calculation) processing, and data processing. Apply amnestics. Processor 301 operates according to various programs and data stored in flash memory 3022 .

Memory 302 includes work memory 3021 and flash memory 3022 . A work memory 3021 is configured using, for example, a RAM, and is used when the processor 301 operates. The flash memory 3022 holds in advance programs and data for controlling the execution of the operation (processing) of the processor 301, various data generated by the operation (processing) of the processor 301, or external devices (for example, the wearable camera 10 , and stores various data transmitted from the in-vehicle camera system 50).

The communication unit 303 includes a wired communication circuit unit (not shown) for performing wired communication (eg, LAN communication) and a wireless communication circuit unit (not shown) for performing wireless communication (eg, BLE communication, wireless LAN communication, LTE communication). abbreviated). The communication unit 303 connects the common trigger box 54 with wired external devices (for example, the in-vehicle camera system 50, a rotation warning light (not shown), an acceleration sensor (not shown), and a siren (not shown)). Send and receive data using Incidentally, the common trigger box 54 may be connected to the in-vehicle PC 52 by wire or wirelessly. In this case, the communication unit 303 performs wired data transmission/reception with the in-vehicle PC 52 . Further, the communication unit 303 performs data transmission/reception wirelessly (eg, BLE communication or wireless LAN communication) between the common trigger box 54 and an external device (eg, the wearable camera 10) wirelessly connected. Communication unit 303 also transmits imaged video data captured by at least one of wearable camera 10 and vehicle-mounted camera 51 to the headquarters server of the police station via network NW1 and communication device RT1. LTE communication is performed in this transmission.

The LAN connector 304 is connected to the common trigger box 54 via a LAN cable (not shown, for example, a cross cable or a straight cable) connected to an external device (e.g., vehicle-mounted camera system 50, rotation warning light (not shown), acceleration sensor (not shown)). (not shown), siren (not shown)). An acceleration sensor (not shown) may be provided inside the common trigger box 54 . A LAN interface unit 305 is a communication interface between the LAN connector 304 and the processor 301 and performs data input/output between the LAN connector 304 and the processor 301 . Note that the LAN interface unit 305 may have a GPIO to which the output of a signal terminal of a LAN cable (for example, a cross cable) is input.

The USB connector 306 is connected to the common trigger box 54 via a USB cable (not shown) for external devices (e.g., vehicle-mounted camera system 50, rotating warning light (not shown), acceleration sensor (not shown), siren (not shown)). )) is the default connector used for USB communication. A USB interface unit 307 is a communication interface between the USB connector 306 and the processor 301 and performs data input/output between the USB connector 306 and the processor 301 .

The LED 308 is configured using, for example, a plurality of LEDs. The LED 308 notifies whether or not the common trigger box 54 is powered on according to a control signal from the processor 301 by lighting or extinguishing. The LED 308 notifies whether or not BLE communication is being performed by lighting or extinguishing in accordance with a control signal from the processor 301 . The LED 308 lights or extinguishes in response to a control signal from the processor 301 to indicate whether wireless LAN communication is being performed. The LED 308 notifies whether or not LTE communication is being performed by lighting or extinguishing in accordance with a control signal from the processor 301 .

The switch 309 is operated when registering and setting an external device with which the common trigger box 54 wirelessly communicates (for example, BLE communication, wireless LAN communication, or LTE communication) as a communication partner (that is, during communication setting processing). It is a push button switch that is A signal indicating that the switch 309 has been pressed is input to the processor 301 .

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration example of a headquarters server. The headquarters server is composed of, for example, the dispatch server 60, the meta-info server 80, and the content server 70, as described with reference to FIG. The dispatch server 60, meta-info server 80, and content server 70 are all configured using high-performance server-type computers and have the same hardware configuration. Each of dispatch server 60, meta-info server 80, and content server 70 includes a CPU 401, an I/O control unit 402, a communication unit 403, a memory 404, an input unit 405, and an HDD 406. The headquarters server can communicate with the communication device RT1, and can also communicate with each of the data center console CC1 and the client PC90.

The CPU 401 performs, for example, control processing for overall control of the operations of the respective units of the dispatch server 60, the meta-info server 80, and the content server 70, and the I/O control unit 402 for data communication with other units. It performs input/output processing, data operation (calculation) processing, and data storage processing.

The I/O control unit 402 controls input/output of data between the CPU 401 and each unit of the dispatch server 60, the meta-info server 80, and the content server 70 (for example, the communication unit 403 and the input unit 405). It relays data from and to the CPU 401 . Note that the I/O control unit 402 may be configured integrally with the CPU 401 .

The communication unit 403 performs wired or wireless communication with each of the communication device RT1, the data center console CC1, and the client PC 90, for example. The communication unit 403 receives captured video data (including metadata described later) sent from the wearable camera 10 or the common trigger box 54 via the communication device RT1 and outputs the data to the CPU 401 .

The memory 404 is configured using, for example, RAM, ROM, nonvolatile or volatile semiconductor memory, functions as a work memory during operation of the CPU 401, and stores predetermined programs and data for operating the CPU 401. . The memory 404, for example in the dispatch server 60, stores the dispatch of police officers to the scene (for example, the place where an incident occurred), the scheduling data of the police patrols, the deployment planning data of the police officers, and the like. Also, the memory 404 stores metadata corresponding to captured video data transmitted from the wearable camera 10 or the common trigger box 54 in the meta-info server 80, for example. Also, the memory 404 stores captured image data transmitted from the wearable camera 10 or the common trigger box 54 in the content server 70, for example. The captured video data transmitted from the common trigger box 54 may be captured video data captured by the wearable camera 10, captured video data captured by the in-vehicle camera 51, or captured video captured by both. It can be data.

The input unit 405 is a UI (User Interface) for accepting an input operation of a police officer using the client PC 90, for example, and notifying the CPU 401 via the I/O control unit 402. be. The input unit 405 inputs, for example, login information for logging into a police station system (not shown).

The HDD 408 stores, for example, various data and software (software programs). Specifically, HDD 408 stores software for controlling and setting each of dispatch server 60, meta-info server 80, and content server 70, for example. Also, the HDD 408 may store data of captured images captured by the wearable camera 10 or the vehicle-mounted camera 51, for example.

Next, first to fourth operation examples of the wearable camera system 1 according to Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 10. FIG.

(First operation example)
FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing in chronological order a first operation example regarding distribution of captured video data of the wearable camera system 1 according to the first embodiment. In the first operation example, the wearable camera 10 permits the use of LTE communication when an input operation indicating the occurrence of an emergency event is received, and then distributes captured video data to the headquarters server in the police station via LTE communication. do. Although only one wearable camera 10 is shown in FIG. 6 to simplify the explanation, a plurality of wearable cameras may be provided. 6, 7, 8 and 10, the headquarters server receives various data transmitted from the wearable camera 10 via LTE communication via the communication device RT1.

In FIG. 6, the wearable camera 10 performs pre-recording (that is, buffering captured video data for a certain period of time (for example, 3 minutes)) as a normal operation, and LTE is used to suppress an increase in power consumption. It is set to disallow the use of communication. In other words, in the wearable camera 10, LTE communication is in a standby state (that is, standby state) or OFF state (that is, unusable state).

Here, the wearable camera 10 turns ON the emergency button (for example, the length of the communication mode switch SW3) according to the operation of the police officer who receives the notification of the occurrence of the incident via the smart phone 40 or the police radio (not shown) mounted on the police vehicle VC1. push operation) is detected (St1). Wearable camera 10 stops the above-described pre-recording in response to the detection in step St1, and starts recording (recording) captured image data of a subject captured by imaging unit 11 in storage unit 15 (St2). . The wearable camera 10 is set to turn on LTE communication (that is, permit use of LTE communication) in parallel with step St2 (St3). This allows the wearable camera 10 to temporarily perform LTE communication with the headquarters server in the police station.

After step St3, the wearable camera 10 generates a distribution start trigger notification of the imaged video data via LTE communication (that is, a notification for notifying that distribution of the imaged video data is to be started via LTE communication), and generates the distribution start trigger notification. is transmitted to the headquarters server (for example, one of the dispatch server 60, the meta-info server 80, and the content server 70; the same shall apply hereinafter in the description of FIG. 6) via LTE communication (St4).

The headquarters server generates a delivery start trigger response indicating that the delivery start trigger notification has been received, and transmits the delivery start trigger response to the wearable camera 10 via LTE communication (St5). Subsequently, the headquarters server transmits the server information of the distribution destination of the imaged video data of the wearable camera 10 (for example, information about the destination of the content server 70) to the wearable camera 10 by LTE communication (St6).

The wearable camera 10 generates a notification to the destination server (for example, the content server 70) sent from the headquarters server to the effect that distribution of the imaged video data via LTE communication will start, and transmits the notification to the headquarters server via LTE communication. (St7). As a result, the wearable camera 10 temporarily permits the use of LTE communication based on the policeman's operation to suppress an increase in power consumption when, for example, the policeman is on patrol and the wearable camera 10 is in a highly urgent situation. However, it is possible to adaptively transmit captured video data (including video and audio) of a tense and important scene to the headquarters server in the police station (St8). The headquarters server receives the imaged video data transmitted from the wearable camera 10 by LTE communication and records it in the content server 70 or the like (St9). Although not shown in FIG. 6, the wearable camera 10 may switch the setting so that the use of LTE communication is not permitted, as in normal times, when the transmission of captured video data by LTE communication is completed. As a result, the wearable camera 10 can effectively suppress an increase in power consumption due to LTE communication by shortening the use-permitted period of LTE communication until it is not necessary to perform LTE communication. .

As described above, in the first operation example of the wearable camera system 1 according to Embodiment 1, the wearable camera 10 captures an image of the subject in front of the police officer, and when an input operation indicating the occurrence of an emergency event is received, the input operation is performed. , permit the use of wide area wireless communication (for example, LTE communication) using a wide area communication network with the headquarters server managed by the police station. The wearable camera 10 is set to permit the use of LTE communication, and then transmits the captured image data of the subject to the headquarters server in the police station by wide-area wireless communication.

That is, the wearable camera 10 does not always perform LTE communication, but temporarily permits the use of LTE communication by a policeman's operation when an urgent event (for example, an incident) occurs. As a result, the wearable camera 10 can suppress an increase in the power consumption of the battery 25 built into the wearable camera 10, and at the same time, the important image captured by the wearable camera 10 in response to the occurrence of an event (for example, an incident) related to police work. Captured video data of a scene can be adaptively and timely delivered to a police station.

Also, the wide area wireless communication is LTE communication. As a result, the wearable camera 10 can execute 4G communication (in other words, LTE communication), which has a higher transmission rate than 3G (third generation mobile communication system), for example. can be transmitted.

Also, the wearable camera 10 disallows the use of wide-area wireless communication after transmitting the captured video data. As a result, the wearable camera 10 can effectively suppress an increase in power consumption due to LTE communication by shortening the use-permitted period of LTE communication until it is not necessary to perform LTE communication. .

(Second operation example)
FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram showing in chronological order a second operation example regarding delivery of captured video data of the wearable camera system according to the first embodiment. In the second operation example, the wearable camera 10 relays the smartphone 40 and communicates with the headquarters server in the police station before permitting the use of LTE communication. The use of LTE communication is permitted, and then the imaged video data is distributed to the headquarters server via LTE communication. Note that although only one wearable camera 10 is shown in FIG. 7 for the sake of simplicity of explanation, there may be a plurality of wearable cameras.

In FIG. 7, the headquarters server (for example, the dispatch server 60; the same shall apply hereinafter in the explanation of FIG. 7), for example, a police officer in the police station (for example, an on-site analyst) who saw the police deployment screen displayed on the data center console CC1. By operating the client PC 90, an LTE communication ON notification is generated for permitting the use of the LTE communication of the wearable camera 10 of the policeman (for example, a policeman on patrol) located around the site. The headquarters server transmits an LTE communication ON notification (an example of an instruction to use wide area wireless communication) to the smartphone 40 via LTE communication (St11). The smartphone 40 transfers the LTE communication ON notification sent from the headquarters server to the wearable camera 10 by BLE communication (St12).

When the wearable camera 10 receives and acquires the LTE communication ON notification transferred from the smartphone 40, the wearable camera 10 sets to turn on the LTE communication (that is, permit the use of the LTE communication) based on this LTE communication ON notification. (St13). As a result, the wearable camera 10 can temporarily perform LTE communication directly with the headquarters server in the police station without using the smartphone 40 . Note that the wearable camera 10 can perform short-range wireless communication (for example, BLE communication or wireless LAN communication) with the smartphone 40 even if the use of LTE communication is permitted.

The wearable camera 10 generates an LTE communication ON response indicating that the use of LTE communication is permitted by the setting in step St13, and sends the LTE communication ON response to the smart phone 40 by BLE communication (St14). The smart phone 40 transfers the LTE communication ON response sent from the wearable camera 10 to the headquarters server via LTE communication (St15).

After receiving the LTE communication ON response, the headquarters server directly sends a BWC data distribution request (that is, a request for distribution of captured video data to the wearable camera 10) to the wearable camera 10 corresponding to the LTE communication ON response via LTE communication. to the wearable camera 10 (St16). When the wearable camera 10 receives the BWC data delivery request sent from the headquarters server, the wearable camera 10 sends a BWC data delivery response to the effect of delivering captured video data including video and audio to the headquarters server via LTE communication (St17). After step St17, the wearable camera 10 distributes the BWC data (that is, captured video data including the video captured by the wearable camera 10 and the sound collected) to the headquarters server via LTE communication (St18). The headquarters server receives the imaged video data transmitted from the wearable camera 10 by LTE communication and records it in the content server 70 or the like (St19). Although not shown in FIG. 7, the wearable camera 10 may switch the setting to disallow the use of LTE communication, as in normal times, when the transmission of captured video data by LTE communication is completed. As a result, the wearable camera 10 can effectively suppress an increase in power consumption due to LTE communication by shortening the use-permitted period of LTE communication until it is not necessary to perform LTE communication. .

As described above, in the second operation example of the wearable camera system 1 according to Embodiment 1, the wearable camera 10 captures an image of the subject in front of the policeman, and performs short-range wireless communication with the smartphone 40 carried by the policeman. and permits the use of wide area wireless communication (for example, LTE communication) with the head office server using a wide area communication network in response to an LTE communication ON notification sent from the head office server via the smartphone 40 . The wearable camera 10 is set to permit the use of LTE communication, and then transmits captured video data of the subject to the headquarters server via LTE communication.

In other words, the wearable camera 10 does not always perform LTE communication, but receives a command from the headquarters server in the police station (for example, a command sent to the police when a highly urgent event such as an incident occurs). To temporarily permit the use of LTE communication without inputting a policeman's operation in an emergency. Also, until the use of LTE communication is permitted, the smartphone 40 relays communication between the wearable camera 10 and the headquarters server, and communication between the smartphone 40 and the wearable camera 10 is performed by BLE communication with low power consumption. . As a result, the wearable camera 10 can suppress an increase in the power consumption of the battery 25 built into the wearable camera 10, while the wearable camera 10 can capture an image in an emergency such as dispatching to the scene of an incident, for example. Captured video data of important scenes can be adaptively and timely delivered to the police station.

Also, the short-range wireless communication is BLE communication. As a result, before the wearable camera 10 permits the use of LTE communication, BLE communication with low power consumption is performed with the smartphone 40, so an increase in the power consumption of the wearable camera 10 can be effectively suppressed. .

Also, the wearable camera 10 disallows the use of wide-area wireless communication after transmitting the captured video data. As a result, the wearable camera 10 can effectively suppress an increase in power consumption due to LTE communication by shortening the use-permitted period of LTE communication until it is not necessary to perform LTE communication. .

(Third operation example)
FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram showing in chronological order a third operation example regarding distribution of captured video data of the wearable camera system 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a playback display screen on the client PC 90. As shown in FIG. In the third operation example, each of the plurality of wearable cameras 10 permits the use of LTE communication based on the instruction to use LTE communication from the headquarters server, and then transmits the captured video data through LTE communication, as in the second operation example. distributed to the headquarters server. Further, the client PC 90 connected to the head office server reproduces and displays captured video data sent from each of the plurality of wearable cameras 10 via LTE communication. It should be noted that the reproduction display screen of FIG. 9 is not limited to being reproduced and displayed on the client PC 90, and may be reproduced and displayed on another computer device (for example, the in-vehicle PC 52).

In FIG. 8, the headquarters server (for example, the dispatch server 60; the same shall apply hereinafter in the description of FIG. 8), for example, a police officer in the police station (for example, an on-site analyst) who has seen the police deployment screen displayed on the data center console CC1. By operating the client PC 90, an LTE communication ON notification is generated for permitting use of LTE communication by each of the wearable cameras 10 of a plurality of police officers (for example, police officers on patrol) located around the site. The headquarters server transmits an LTE communication ON notification (an example of an instruction to use wide area wireless communication) to the in-vehicle PC 52 via LTE communication (St21). The in-vehicle PC 52 transfers the LTE communication ON notification sent from the headquarters server to the common trigger box 54 by, for example, wired communication (St22).

The common trigger box 54 transmits the LTE communication ON notification transferred from the in-vehicle PC 52 to each of the plurality of police wearable cameras 10 by BLE communication or wireless LAN communication (St23-1 to St23-n). In the description of FIG. 8, the number of wearable cameras 10 is n (an integer equal to or greater than 2). When each wearable camera 10 receives and acquires the LTE communication ON notification transferred from the common trigger box 54, it turns on LTE communication (that is, permits the use of LTE communication) based on this LTE communication ON notification. (St24-1 to St24-n). Thereby, each wearable camera 10 can temporarily perform LTE communication directly with the headquarters server in the police station without going through the common trigger box 54 and the in-vehicle PC 52 . Note that each wearable camera 10 can perform short-range wireless communication (for example, BLE communication or wireless LAN communication) with the common trigger box 54 even if the use of LTE communication is permitted.

Each wearable camera 10 generates an LTE communication ON response to the effect that the use of LTE communication is permitted by the settings in steps St24-1 to St24-n, and sends the LTE communication ON response to the in-vehicle PC 52 by BLE communication (St25 -1 to St25-n). Each wearable camera 10 may send the LTE communication ON response to the in-vehicle PC 52 via the common trigger box 54 . The in-vehicle PC 52 transfers the LTE communication ON response sent from each wearable camera 10 to the headquarters server via LTE communication (St26-1 to St26-n).

After receiving the LTE communication ON response from each wearable camera 10, the headquarters server issues a BWC data distribution request (that is, distribution of captured video data to the wearable camera 10) to the wearable camera 10 corresponding to the LTE communication ON response. request) is directly transmitted to each wearable camera 10 by LTE communication (St27-1 to St27-n). When each wearable camera 10 receives the BWC data delivery request sent from the headquarters server, each wearable camera 10 sends a BWC data delivery response to the effect that captured video data including video and audio will be delivered to the headquarters server via LTE communication (St28-1). ~St28-n). Each wearable camera 10 transmits BWC data (that is, captured video data including video captured by the wearable camera 10 and audio collected) after corresponding processing in steps St28-1 to St28-n. It is distributed to the headquarters server by LTE communication (St29-1 to St29-n). The headquarters server may receive the imaged video data transmitted from each wearable camera 10 by LTE communication, record it in the content server 70, etc., and further reproduce and display it on the data center console CC1 or the client PC 90 (St30 ). Although not shown in FIG. 8, each wearable camera 10 may switch the setting to disallow the use of LTE communication as in normal times when the transmission of captured video data is completed by LTE communication. . As a result, each wearable camera 10 effectively reduces the increase in power consumption due to LTE communication by shortening the use permission period of LTE communication until it is not necessary to perform LTE communication. can be suppressed.

For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the client PC 90 stores imaged video data MV1, MV2, MV3, MV4, MV5, MV6, MV7, MV8, and MV9 captured by respective wearable cameras 10 (for example, nine wearable cameras 10). are displayed on the same screen and played back. As a result, the police officer operating the data center console CC1 or the client PC 90 can comprehensively view and confirm the situation around the police officer wearing the wearable camera 10, so that the situation can be easily confirmed at each site. Efficiency can be improved precisely. For example, according to the imaged video data MV2 and MV4, a part of the wrist of each policeman holding a pistol is shown, and the tense situation at the scene can be seen in detail. In addition, according to the imaged video data MV3, it is possible to easily determine how a policeman is interviewing a person who violated parking at another point. Also, according to the imaged video data MV6, it is possible to easily determine how the suspect is barricading himself in the house and the policeman is breaking into the house at another point. Also, according to the imaged video data MV7, it is possible to easily determine how two people are arguing at another point.

When the client PC 90 displays the respective imaged video data MV1 to MV9 on the display unit 206, the detailed information DTL1, DTL2, DTL3, DTL3, DTL4, DTL5, DTL6, DTL7, DTL8 and DTL9 may be additionally displayed. As a result, the police officer, who is the viewer, can accurately grasp the shooting date and time and position information of the scene related to the content of the captured video.

Also, the client PC 90 may display the management tree LGT1 when displaying the imaged video data MV1 to MV9. The management tree LGT1 has icons ic1, ic2, ic3, ic4, . . . , ic7, ic8, . The imaged image data may be displayed in an enlarged manner, may be hidden, or the display frame of the corresponding imaged image data may be displayed in a manner such as blinking so that attention can be paid. As a result, police officers who are viewers can conspicuously view the imaged video data that they particularly want to view, thereby promoting efficiency in their work.

As described above, in the third operation example of the wearable camera system 1 according to Embodiment 1, each of the plurality of wearable cameras 10 captures an image of the subject in front of the corresponding police officer, and captures the image of the subject in front of the corresponding police officer. Near-field wireless communication (eg, BLE communication or wireless LAN communication) is performed with devices (eg, vehicle-mounted PC 52, common trigger box 54). The headquarters server can execute wide-area wireless communication (for example, LTE communication) using a wide-area communication network with the relay device, and instructs each wearable camera 10 to use LTE communication (for example, LTE communication ON notification). Send to relay device. Each wearable camera 10 receives a wide area wireless communication use instruction via a relay device by short-range wireless communication, and permits the use of wide area wireless communication in accordance with the wide area wireless communication use instruction. Each wearable camera 10 transmits captured image data of a subject to the headquarters server by LTE communication.

In other words, the wearable camera 10 does not always perform LTE communication, but receives a command from the headquarters server in the police station (for example, a command sent to the police when a highly urgent event such as an incident occurs). To temporarily permit the use of LTE communication without inputting a policeman's operation in an emergency. In-vehicle PC 52 and common trigger box 54 each relay between wearable camera 10 and headquarters server until use of LTE communication is permitted, and communication between in-vehicle PC 52 and common trigger box 54 and wearable camera 10 is performed. Communication between them is performed by BLE communication or wireless LAN communication with low power consumption. As a result, the wearable camera 10 can suppress an increase in the power consumption of the battery 25 built into the wearable camera 10, while the wearable camera 10 can capture an image in an emergency such as dispatching to the scene of an incident, for example. Captured video data of important scenes can be adaptively and timely delivered to the police station.

Also, the short-range wireless communication is BLE communication or wireless LAN communication. As a result, before each wearable camera 10 is permitted to use LTE communication, BLE communication or wireless LAN communication with low power consumption is performed between the in-vehicle PC 52 and the common trigger box 54. An increase in power consumption can be effectively suppressed.

Further, each wearable camera 10 disallows the use of wide-area wireless communication after transmitting the captured video data. As a result, each wearable camera 10 effectively reduces the increase in power consumption due to LTE communication by shortening the use permission period of LTE communication until it is not necessary to perform LTE communication. can be suppressed.

Also, the headquarters server reproduces different imaged video data transmitted from the wearable cameras 10 corresponding to each of the plurality of police officers and displays them on a display device (eg, data center console CC1 or client PC 90). As a result, the police officer operating the data center console CC1 or the client PC 90 can comprehensively view and confirm the situation around the police officer wearing the wearable camera 10, so that the situation can be easily confirmed at each site. Efficiency can be improved precisely.

(Fourth operation example)
FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing in chronological order a fourth operation example regarding distribution of captured video data of the wearable camera system 1 according to the first embodiment. In the fourth operation example, the wearable camera 10 analyzes captured image data to extract metadata of a characteristic object (for example, a person or a vehicle), permits the use of LTE communication only for a predetermined period, and captures metadata and images. It is sent to the online storage OST1 as a set with video data. In addition, the wearable camera 10 permits the use of LTE communication based on the instruction to use LTE communication from the headquarters server that received the metadata and the captured video data, and then distributes the captured video data to the headquarters server via LTE communication. do.

In FIG. 10 , the wearable camera 10 (for example, the MCU 19 as an example of an analysis unit) analyzes captured video data of a subject to extract metadata of characteristic objects appearing in the captured video data. Here, the characteristic object is a person involved in a crime such as an incident (in other words, a suspect), the suspect's face, the appearance characteristics of the suspect's appearance, and the escape vehicle used by the suspect to escape. shape and/or license plate. As a method of extracting metadata, for example, it can be realized by using a learned model such as an AI (Artificial Intelligence) engine that has already been generated through processing such as machine learning in the wearable camera 10 . The wearable camera 10 accumulates (records) the extraction result of the characteristic object metadata in the storage unit 15 (St31).

The wearable camera 10 temporarily disables the use of LTE communication during a predetermined period (for example, a period until receiving a storage completion response sent from the online storage OST1) from the timing after the processing of step St31 (an example of the predetermined timing). Permit (St32). The wearable camera 10 sets the captured video data and the metadata and transmits the set to the online storage OST1 by LTE communication (St33). The online storage OST 1 associates and accumulates the captured video data and metadata sent from the wearable camera 10, generates an accumulation completion response (for example, Ack) indicating completion of accumulation, and transmits it to the wearable camera 10 ( St34). When the wearable camera 10 receives the storage completion response sent from the online storage OST1, the wearable camera 10 is set to disallow the use of LTE communication. Note that the wearable camera 10 may repeatedly permit the temporary use of LTE communication during a predetermined period (see above) from the timing after the processing of step St31 (an example of the predetermined timing).

The online storage OST1 makes a set of the captured image data and the metadata and sends it to the headquarters server in the police station by LTE communication (St35). The headquarters server (for example, the meta-info server 80) analyzes the metadata based on the captured image data and the metadata transmitted from the online storage OST1, and identifies a person involved in a crime such as an incident (in other words, a suspect). (St36).

The headquarters server (for example, the dispatch server 60; the same shall apply hereinafter in the description of FIG. 10 below) operates the client PC 90 of a police officer (for example, an on-site analyst) in the police station to operate the client PC 90 at the point where the suspect was found (for example, the suspect LTE communication ON notification for permitting the use of LTE communication of the wearable camera 10 of the policeman (for example, a policeman on patrol) located around the wearable camera 10 where the imaged video data of the person is captured is generated. The headquarters server transmits an LTE communication ON notification (an example of an instruction to use wide area wireless communication) to the smartphone 40 via LTE communication (St37). The smartphone 40 transfers the LTE communication ON notification sent from the headquarters server to the wearable camera 10 by BLE communication (St38).

When the wearable camera 10 receives and acquires the LTE communication ON notification transferred from the smartphone 40, the wearable camera 10 sets to turn on the LTE communication (that is, permit the use of the LTE communication) based on this LTE communication ON notification. . As a result, the wearable camera 10 can temporarily perform LTE communication directly with the headquarters server in the police station without using the smartphone 40 . Note that the wearable camera 10 can perform short-range wireless communication (for example, BLE communication or wireless LAN communication) with the smartphone 40 even if the use of LTE communication is permitted.

The wearable camera 10 generates an LTE communication ON response to the effect that use of LTE communication is permitted, and transmits the LTE communication ON response to the smart phone 40 via BLE communication (St39). The smart phone 40 transfers the LTE communication ON response sent from the wearable camera 10 to the headquarters server via LTE communication (St40).

After receiving the LTE communication ON response, the headquarters server directly sends a BWC data distribution request (that is, a request for distribution of captured video data to the wearable camera 10) to the wearable camera 10 corresponding to the LTE communication ON response via LTE communication. to the wearable camera 10 (St41). When the wearable camera 10 receives the BWC data distribution request sent from the head office server, the wearable camera 10 sends a BWC data distribution response to the effect that captured video data including video and audio is to be distributed to the head office server via LTE communication (St42). After step St42, the wearable camera 10 distributes the BWC data (that is, captured video data including video captured by the wearable camera 10 and audio collected) to the headquarters server via LTE communication (St43). The headquarters server receives the imaged video data transmitted from the wearable camera 10 by LTE communication and records it in the content server 70 or the like. Note that the headquarters server may packetize voice data such as instructions from police officers such as analysts in the police station (for example, "Go to point xxx") and directly transmit them to the wearable camera 10 via LTE communication. (St44). As a result, the police officer wearing the wearable camera 10 can use the wearable camera 10 like a police radio (for example, a transceiver), and work efficiency can be improved. Although not shown in FIG. 10, the wearable camera 10 may switch the setting to disallow the use of LTE communication as in normal times when the transmission of captured video data by LTE communication is completed. As a result, the wearable camera 10 can effectively suppress an increase in power consumption due to LTE communication by shortening the use-permitted period of LTE communication until it is not necessary to perform LTE communication. .

As described above, in the fourth operation example of the wearable camera system 1 according to Embodiment 1, the wearable camera 10 can perform wide area wireless communication with the online storage OST 1 or the headquarters server using the wide area communication network. . The wearable camera 10 performs short-range wireless communication with a smart phone 40 carried by a policeman, and extracts metadata of characteristic objects appearing in captured video data of a subject in front of the policeman. The wearable camera 10 temporarily permits the use of wide-area wireless communication (for example, LTE communication) at a predetermined timing, and transmits captured image data of a subject and corresponding metadata as a set to the online storage OST1. The headquarters server acquires the captured video data and metadata from the online storage OST1, and transmits an instruction to use LTE communication to the wearable camera 10 via the smartphone 40 based on the metadata. The wearable camera 10 permits the use of wide-area wireless communication in response to a wide-area wireless communication usage instruction sent from the headquarters server via the smartphone 40, and transmits captured image data of the subject to the headquarters server via LTE communication. .

In other words, the wearable camera 10 does not always perform LTE communication, but rather receives commands from the headquarters server in the police station (for example, when a suspect is identified by analyzing metadata, the wearable camera 10 sends it to police officers located around the suspect). Temporarily permits the use of LTE communication without inputting the operation of the police in an emergency such as when there is a command to be issued. Also, until the use of LTE communication is permitted, the smartphone 40 relays communication between the wearable camera 10 and the headquarters server, and communication between the smartphone 40 and the wearable camera 10 is performed by BLE communication with low power consumption. . As a result, the wearable camera 10 can suppress an increase in the power consumption of the battery 25 built into the wearable camera 10, and at the same time, for example, the police can be placed at a position suitable for securing the suspect after the suspect in the incident has been identified. In an emergency such as a dispatch (dispatch), imaged video data of an important scene imaged by the wearable camera 10 can be adaptively and timely delivered to the police station.

Also, the characteristic object includes at least one of the suspect's face related to the incident, appearance features of the suspect's appearance, the shape of the getaway vehicle in which the suspect rides, and the license plate of the getaway vehicle. As a result, the headquarters server can easily and specifically and early identify suspects involved in crimes such as incidents, and effectively promotes the dispatch of police officers located around the suspects as well as video distribution from the wearable camera 10. be able to.

Also, the wearable camera 10 periodically permits the use of wide-area wireless communication from a predetermined timing during a predetermined period. As a result, the wearable camera 10 can suppress an increase in the usable period of LTE communication and quickly send metadata that can be a clue to identify the suspect to the headquarters server.

Also, the wearable camera 10 disallows the use of wide-area wireless communication after transmitting the captured video data. As a result, the wearable camera 10 can effectively suppress an increase in power consumption due to LTE communication by shortening the use-permitted period of LTE communication until it is not necessary to perform LTE communication. .

Various embodiments have been described above with reference to the drawings, but it goes without saying that the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. It is obvious that a person skilled in the art can conceive of various modifications, modifications, substitutions, additions, deletions, and equivalents within the scope of the claims. Naturally, it is understood that it belongs to the technical scope of the present disclosure. In addition, the constituent elements of the various embodiments described above may be combined arbitrarily without departing from the gist of the invention.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present disclosure is useful as a wearable camera system that suppresses an increase in the power consumption of a built-in battery and stably delivers video data captured by the wearable camera to a police station in response to an event related to police work.

1 wearable camera system 10 wearable camera 50 in-vehicle camera system 51 in-vehicle camera 52 in-vehicle PC
53 In-vehicle recorder 54 Common trigger box 60 Dispatch server 70 Content server 80 Meta info server 90 Client PC
CC1 Data Center Console NW1 Network OST1 Online Storage VC1 Police Vehicle

Claims (5)

A wearable camera system in which a wearable camera worn by a police officer and a police station server managed by a police station are communicably connected,
The wearable camera is
wide area wireless communication can be executed using a wide area communication network with an external storage device or a police station server managed by the police station;
perform short-range wireless communication with a mobile terminal possessed by the police officer;
extracting metadata of a characteristic object appearing in the imaged video data of the subject in front of the policeman;
at a predetermined timing, permitting the use of the wide-area wireless communication, transmitting the imaged video data of the subject and the corresponding metadata to an external storage device;
The police station server
acquiring the imaged video data and the metadata from the external storage device, and based on the metadata, transmitting an instruction to use the wide-area wireless communication to the wearable camera via the mobile terminal;
The wearable camera is
The use of the wide area wireless communication is permitted in accordance with the instruction to use the wide area wireless communication sent from the police station server via the mobile terminal, and the imaged video data of the subject is transmitted to the police station via the wide area wireless communication. send to the signature server,
wearable camera system. The wide area wireless communication is LTE (Long Term Evolution) communication,
The wearable camera system according to claim 1. The wearable camera disallows use of the wide-area wireless communication after transmission of the captured video data.
The wearable camera system according to claim 1 or 2 . The short-range wireless communication is BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy) communication,
The wearable camera system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . The wearable camera is
when receiving from the external storage device an accumulation completion response of the captured video data of the subject and the corresponding metadata, disallowing the wide-area wireless communication with the external storage device;
setting non-permission of the wide-area wireless communication to permitted upon receiving an instruction to use the wide-area wireless communication from the police station server;
The wearable camera system according to any one of claims 1-4.

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