JP7414108B2 - Surveillance camera, surveillance system, surveillance camera control method and program - Google Patents

Description

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

In recent years, security systems equipped with surveillance cameras have been increasing. In such a security system, video data acquired by a surveillance camera is usually transmitted to a surveillance center. Therefore, it is not possible to visually recognize the images actually captured by the surveillance camera in the vicinity of the surveillance camera. Furthermore, at the monitoring center, operators of security companies and the like visually utilize images from monitoring cameras. Furthermore, images from surveillance cameras are used to discover suspicious persons and objects through image analysis using computers.

Patent Document 1 discloses a problem with mechanical security, that is, how to deal with the case where suspicious detection using sensors often causes false alarms, making dispatching security personnel useless. In the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, when a sensor detects a suspicious event at a security location, an image taken by a camera located at the same location is sent to the client, and if the client determines that there is an incident, security Staff are rushing to the scene.

Patent Document 2 discloses a technology aimed not only at monitoring with a home security system installed in each home but also at realizing higher security. In Patent Document 2, when a home security system detects that an abnormality has occurred in a house, it instructs vehicles (and home security systems of other houses) driving around the house to take and send images. ing.

Patent Document 3 discloses a problem with a video distribution system in which images from multiple surveillance cameras are once aggregated on a server and then distributed, that is, an increase in the number of cameras and distribution destinations increases the server load, which is a remote cause of server downtime. Discloses what to do if this happens. In Patent Document 3, an index server is installed and information for accessing the camera is provided. When the user accesses the index server and selects the desired camera, the camera is accessed based on the connection information for the corresponding camera. A direct connection is made and the video is distributed.

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

Patent Document 5 discloses a technology related to a patrol security support system in which a security guard heading to a site where an abnormality has occurred identifies a suspicious person in patrol security work. In Patent Document 5, a person included in the video is detected from video data photographed by a photographing means placed in a predetermined security area, and the detected person is monitored. Further, in this document, a person who satisfies predetermined detection conditions among people to be monitored is detected as a suspicious person, and relative position information between the detected suspicious person and a patrolling security guard is calculated. Furthermore, in this document, predetermined information is transmitted to a mobile terminal held by a patrolling guard based on the calculated relative position information.

Patent No. 4183890 Patent No. 5306660 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-166024 JP2007-213224A Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-018094

As described above, in many surveillance systems, images from surveillance cameras are transmitted to a surveillance center, and incident detection (detection of suspicious persons, suspicious objects, etc.) is performed at the surveillance center. When an incident is detected at the monitoring center, countermeasures are instructed to a security guard located near the surveillance camera that transmits the video data that served as the basis for detecting the incident. In other words, video data from a surveillance camera showing a suspicious person or the like is once transmitted to a surveillance center, and the surveillance center issues instructions to security guards. As a result, even if a security guard is present near the surveillance camera, the security guard cannot take any action without instructions from the monitoring center.

It is also conceivable to distribute the video data aggregated at the monitoring center to each security guard, but such a measure would increase the delay in acquiring the video data.

As described above, existing surveillance systems have a problem in that security guards cannot immediately respond to incidents that occur near surveillance cameras.

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

In Patent Document 1, security guards rush to the scene when the client determines that there is an incident, but such countermeasures require a long time from the detection of a suspicious event until the security guard takes action. In other words, in Patent Document 1, the location of the video distribution destination is not taken into consideration, and even if information is provided, it is difficult for the security guard to take immediate action (direct action).

In Patent Document 2, the system instructs to shoot a video, but does not consider providing information to the instruction destination (vehicle receiving the instruction, etc.). That is, Patent Document 2 does not take into consideration the measures taken by the security guard. Furthermore, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2 requires management of location information of vehicles that are candidate destinations.

In Patent Document 3, it is necessary for the side checking the video to specify the camera. With this type of system, it is impossible to expect security guards to respond quickly.

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

Similarly to Patent Document 4, in Patent Document 5, a suspicious person is detected using video data from a camera placed in a security area, and information on the suspicious person is notified to a terminal owned by a security guard. However, such measures require time from when the camera photographs the suspicious person until the security guard is notified.

The present invention provides a surveillance camera, a surveillance system, a surveillance camera control method, and a program that enable security guards to immediately respond to incidents that occur.

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

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a plurality of surveillance cameras detect incidents by analyzing video data from the cameras, and distribute information regarding the detected incidents to wirelessly connected terminals; an instruction server that transmits a connection destination switching notification specifying a surveillance camera as a new wireless connection destination to the surveillance camera in response to the detected incident, and receives the connection destination switching notification. A surveillance system is provided in which the surveillance camera instructs a terminal wirelessly connected to the surveillance camera to switch the wireless connection to the specified wireless connection destination.

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

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

According to each aspect of the present invention, there are provided a surveillance camera, a surveillance system, a surveillance camera control method, and a program that contribute to enabling security guards to immediately respond to incidents that occur.

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of one embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a monitoring system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the surveillance camera according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of a terminal according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing configuration of a surveillance camera according to a first embodiment. It is a diagram showing an example of a terminal information management database. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an incident handling instruction database. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing configuration of a terminal according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the surveillance system when a surveillance camera and a terminal are wirelessly connected. FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the monitoring system when an incident occurs. It is a figure showing an example of a display screen by a terminal. It is a figure showing an example of a terminal information management database concerning a 2nd embodiment. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a terminal information management database sorted in order of wireless strength shown in FIG. 12. FIG. It is a figure showing an example of a display screen by a terminal. It is a figure showing an example of composition of a monitoring system concerning a 3rd embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a surveillance camera according to a third embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing configuration of a surveillance camera according to a third embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of an authentication server according to a third embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing configuration of an authentication server according to a third embodiment. FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the surveillance system when a surveillance camera and a terminal are wirelessly connected. It is a figure showing an example of another composition of a monitoring system concerning a 3rd embodiment. It is a figure showing an example of composition of a monitoring system concerning a 4th embodiment. It is a figure showing an example of processing composition of a surveillance camera concerning a 4th embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing configuration of a terminal according to a fourth embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing configuration of an instruction server according to a fourth embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an incident handling database. It is a diagram showing an example of a surveillance camera management database. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the monitoring system according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram according to an embodiment. They are a flowchart (a) related to connection between a camera and a terminal, and a flowchart (b) when a suspicious event is discovered. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a user interface according to one embodiment. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram according to an embodiment. They are a flowchart (a) related to connection between a camera and a terminal, and a flowchart (b) when a suspicious event is discovered. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram according to an embodiment. It is a flowchart of connecting a camera and a terminal and discovering a suspicious event. FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram according to one embodiment. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of an information processing device.

First, an overview of one embodiment will be described. Note that the drawing reference numerals added to this summary are added to each element for convenience as an example to aid understanding, and the description of this summary is not intended to be limiting in any way. Furthermore, connection lines between blocks in each figure include both bidirectional and unidirectional connections. The unidirectional arrows schematically indicate the main signal (data) flow, and do not exclude bidirectionality.

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

The surveillance camera 100 placed in the security area has a wireless communication function with a terminal. A terminal owned by a security guard is connected to the surveillance camera 100 in advance, and when the surveillance camera 100 detects an incident (for example, detects a suspicious person or object), it notifies the terminal of the details of the incident, images, etc. . As a result, when a suspicious person, etc. is discovered from the video data of the surveillance camera 100, the security guard located near the surveillance camera 100 that detected the suspicious person, etc. can be immediately notified of the discovery of the suspicious person, etc. . That is, it becomes possible to immediately give accurate instructions to the security guard from the surveillance camera 100.

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

[First embodiment]
The first embodiment will be described in more detail using the drawings.

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

In the following description, if there is no particular reason to distinguish the surveillance cameras 10-1 to 10-4, they will simply be referred to as "surveillance cameras 10." Further, although four surveillance cameras 10 are shown in FIG. 2, this is not intended to limit the number of cameras. The plurality of surveillance cameras 10 are comprehensively arranged in the surveillance area. In other words, the necessary number of cameras are installed depending on the area to be monitored.

Similar to the surveillance cameras 10-1 to 10-4, the terminals 20-1 to 20-4 are simply referred to as "terminal 20" unless there is a particular reason to distinguish them. Although four terminals 20 are illustrated in FIG. 2, it is needless to say that this is not intended to limit the number of terminals 20.

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

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

Next, an outline of the operation of the monitoring system according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 2.

When a security guard carrying a terminal 20 approaches the surveillance camera 10, wireless communication begins between the surveillance camera 10 and the terminal 20. At this time, the surveillance camera 10 performs user authentication of the security guard in possession of the terminal 20, and maintains a connection state with the terminal 20 possessed by the security guard whose authenticity has been confirmed. For example, referring to FIG. 2, surveillance camera 10-2 is connected to terminals 20-1 and 20-2, and surveillance camera 10-4 is connected to terminal 20-4.

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

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

The terminal 20 that has acquired the incident detailed information displays the information on a liquid crystal panel or the like and presents it to the security guard. A security guard who comes into contact with detailed incident information takes appropriate action according to the information. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 2, security guards who are in possession of terminals 20-1 and 20-2 monitor suspicious person 61.

Each device for realizing the functions of the security system described above will be explained below.

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

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the surveillance camera 10 according to the first embodiment. The surveillance camera 10 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a memory 12, a camera module 13, a wireless signal transmitting/receiving circuit 14, etc., which are interconnected by an internal bus.

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

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

The camera module 13 is a module that includes an image sensor such as a lens and a CCD (Charge Coupled Device). The wireless signal transmitting and receiving circuit 14 is a circuit that is connected to the antenna 15 and transmits and receives wireless signals.

The functions of the surveillance camera 10 are realized by a processing module described below. The processing module is realized, for example, by the CPU 11 executing a program stored in the memory 12. Further, the program can be updated via a network or by using a storage medium storing the program. Furthermore, the processing module may be realized by a semiconductor chip. That is, the functions performed by the processing module need only be realized by executing software on some kind of hardware.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

When receiving a probe request frame from the terminal 20, the wireless communication control unit 201 compares the ESSID of the surveillance camera 10 included in the received probe request frame with the ESSID of the own device, and determines whether the probe request frame is directed toward the own device. Determine whether it is a thing or not. If the wireless communication control unit 201 determines that the probe request frame is directed to its own device, it constructs a probe response frame and transmits it to the terminal 20 that transmitted the probe request frame.

Furthermore, the wireless communication control unit 201 processes a connection request from a terminal 20 whose validity has been confirmed (a terminal 20 owned by a security guard who has successfully authenticated the user). When a wireless connection is established with the terminal 20, the wireless communication control unit 201 notifies the connected terminal management unit 203 of this fact.

The user authentication unit 202 starts user authentication of the security guard who is the owner of the terminal 20 when the terminal 20 is within a wirelessly connectable range with the own device (surveillance camera 10). Specifically, the user authentication unit 202 performs user authentication based on the authentication information included in the authentication request transmitted from the terminal 20 and the information included in the authentication information management database 211. For example, the user authentication unit 202 authenticates the security guard in possession of the terminal 20 depending on whether the combination of ID (Identifier) and password included in the authentication request is registered in the authentication information management database 211.

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

User authentication section 202 notifies terminal 20 of the authentication result via wireless communication control section 201.

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

Furthermore, the connected terminal management unit 203 periodically transmits a connection confirmation request to the terminal 20 in the connected state. The terminal 20 transmits a connection confirmation response to the surveillance camera 10 in response to receiving the request. When the connected terminal management unit 203 obtains the response, it assumes that the wireless connection with the terminal 20 has been maintained and does not perform any special processing.

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

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

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

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

When detecting a suspicious person using a criminal database (incident information management database 213 in which facial images of criminals are registered), the incident detection unit 205 first detects the facial image of the person in the video data. try to extract. Note that various techniques can be used when extracting a face image from video data. For example, as disclosed in Reference 1 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-170979), an input image (image data including a face image) and a template image of the face image are compared, and the difference between the two is set to a threshold value. Face images may be extracted depending on whether or not

When the face image is successfully extracted, the incident detection unit 205 calculates a plurality of feature quantities (so-called feature quantity vectors) characterizing the face image. Regarding feature vector calculation from a face image, for example, the technique disclosed in Reference Document 2 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-097000) can be used. Specifically, feature points (for example, center points and end points of eyes, nose, mouth, etc.) are extracted from a face image, and the positional relationship of the extracted feature points, the density values and characteristics (periodicity, directionality, color distribution, etc.) are calculated as feature quantities.

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

For example, the incident detection unit 205 calculates the chi-square distance, Euclidean distance, etc. between two feature vectors. The calculated chi-square distance and Euclidean distance serve as an index indicating the degree of similarity between two feature vectors (two face images characterized by the feature vectors). Note that the index indicating the similarity between two feature vectors is not limited to the above-mentioned Euclidean distance or chi-square distance.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Alternatively, the information distribution unit 206 may include information stored in the incident handling instruction database 214 in the incident detailed information. The incident handling instruction database 214 stores instructions to be given to security guards for each type of incident (see FIG. 7). For example, referring to FIG. 7, in the case of an incident related to the discovery of a suspicious person, it is stated that the security guard is instructed to "monitor", so the information distribution unit 206 Detailed incident information including a notification that an incident has been detected, a facial image of the suspicious person, and an instruction to monitor the suspicious person is delivered to the terminal 20.

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

The wireless communication control unit 301 is a module paired with the wireless communication control unit 201 of the surveillance camera 10. The wireless communication control unit 301 receives a beacon frame from the surveillance camera 10. When the wireless communication control unit 301 receives a beacon frame from the surveillance camera 10, if there is no surveillance camera 10 connected to the own device, the wireless communication control unit 301 responds to the received beacon frame (sends a probe request frame). .

Thereafter, upon receiving the probe response frame from the surveillance camera 10, the wireless communication control unit 301 issues an authentication request to the surveillance camera 10. Note that, as described above, the information (authentication information) necessary for user authentication of the security guard by the surveillance camera 10 is stored in advance in the storage medium of the terminal 20 or the like.

When authentication by the surveillance camera 10 is successful, the wireless communication control unit 301 transmits a connection request to the surveillance camera 10. When a connection response is received from the surveillance camera 10, a wireless connection between the surveillance camera 10 and the terminal 20 is established. When the wireless connection between the surveillance camera 10 and the terminal 20 is established, the wireless communication control unit 301 notifies the connected camera management unit 302 of this fact.

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

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

The received information display unit 303 displays information (for example, incident detailed information) received from the surveillance camera 10 on a liquid crystal monitor or the like. Note that if the terminal 20 is equipped with a speaker or a vibration function, the reception information display unit 303 uses sound or vibration to notify the reception of the information at the timing when the information is acquired from the surveillance camera 10. The security guard may be notified of the reception.

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

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

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

When the terminal 20 moves to a range where the broadcasted beacon frame can be received, the terminal 20 receives the beacon frame (step S02).

If the terminal 20 is not connected to another surveillance camera 10, the terminal 20 transmits a probe request frame including the ESSID of the surveillance camera 10 to which connection is planned (step S03).

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

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

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

If the surveillance camera 10 confirms the legitimacy of the security guard possessing the terminal 20 (step S07, Yes branch), the surveillance camera 10 permits connection of the terminal 20 (step S08).

If the surveillance camera 10 cannot confirm the legitimacy of the security guard who owns the terminal 20 (step S07, No branch), it rejects the connection of the terminal 20 (step S09).

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

The terminal 20, whose legitimacy as a security guard has been confirmed, issues a connection request to the surveillance camera 10 (step S11).

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

Through the processes up to step S12 described above, a wireless connection between the surveillance camera 10 and the terminal 20 is established, and the surveillance camera 10 and the terminal 20 manage the connection state (steps S13 and S14).

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

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

Thereafter, the surveillance camera 10 distributes incident detailed information to the terminal 20 connected to the surveillance camera 10 (step S22). For example, the surveillance camera 10 distributes incident detailed information including the type of detected incident, an image related to the detected incident, and instructions for responding to the incident.

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

As described above, in the surveillance system according to the first embodiment, the surveillance camera 10 equipped with a wireless communication function detects an incident from the video data of its own device, and distributes information regarding the incident that has occurred to the terminal 20. That is, when the surveillance camera 10 detects the occurrence of an incident, it directly notifies the security guard of the occurrence of the incident to the terminal 20, without going through another server device or the like. As a result, if an incident that requires immediacy occurs near the surveillance camera 10, the security guard can immediately respond to the incident. Further, in the surveillance system according to the first embodiment, since information is provided to the terminal 20 under the surveillance camera 10, there is no need to manage the location of the terminal 10 by the surveillance camera 10 or other servers. . Therefore, the cost required for location management and the processing load on the monitoring system can be reduced.

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

In the second embodiment, a case will be described in which the wireless communication state of the connected terminal 20 is used to distribute incident detailed information. Note that the system configuration and the configuration of each device in the second embodiment can be the same as those in the first embodiment, so explanations corresponding to FIGS. 2, 5, etc. will be omitted.

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

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

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

For example, the information distribution unit 206 distributes the incident detailed information to a certain number of terminals 20 with the highest calculated parameters (for example, wireless strength) among the plurality of terminals 20. When the radio strengths shown in FIG. 12 are rearranged in descending order of strength, the results are as shown in FIG. 13. In FIG. 13, when distributing the incident detailed information only to the terminals 20 with the top three wireless strengths, the information distributing unit 206 distributes the incident detailed information to the terminals 20 having ID_1, ID_3, and ID_2. . In this way, the information distribution unit 206 may select a terminal 20 with good wireless communication with the terminal 20 and transmit detailed incident information to the terminal 20 .

The information distribution unit 206 may use the wireless communication state of the terminal 20 to determine the order of distribution of detailed incident information. For example, in the example of FIG. 13, the information distribution unit 206 transmits the incident detailed information to the terminal 20 having ID_1, and then transmits the incident detailed information to the terminal 20 having ID_3, the terminal 20 having ID_2, and so on in this order. . In this way, the information distribution unit 206 may distribute incident detailed information with priority given to terminals 20 that have good wireless communication status with the terminal itself.

The information distribution unit 206 may change the content of the incident detailed information according to the wireless connection state of the terminal 20. For example, the information distribution unit 206 distributes a high-resolution image (for example, a facial image of a suspicious person) to terminals 20 whose wireless strength is above a predetermined level, and to terminals whose wireless strength is lower than the predetermined level. A low-resolution image is distributed to 20.

The information distribution unit 206 transmits an image that identifies an incident (for example, an image as shown in FIG. 11) to terminals 20 whose wireless strength is lower than a predetermined level, and transmits an image that identifies an incident (for example, an image as shown in FIG. 11) to terminals 20 whose wireless strength is higher than a predetermined level. 20, in addition to the image identifying the incident, a video acquired by the own device (surveillance camera 10) may be distributed in real time (for example, a live image shown in FIG. 14). In this way, the information distribution unit 206 may change the content of the detected incident detailed information depending on the wireless communication state between the own device and the terminal 20, or may change the content of the detected incident detailed information or transfer real-time video data to the incident detailed information. It may be included in the file and distributed to the terminal 20.

As described above, in the second embodiment, the wireless communication state between the own device and the terminal 20 is used to distribute incident detailed information. As a result, information can be provided preferentially to terminals 20 with good radio wave conditions, and detailed information can be distributed to terminals 20 with good radio wave conditions. That is, according to the second embodiment, flexible information provision can be realized depending on the radio wave conditions.

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

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

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

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

Regarding the configuration and operation of the terminal 20, there is no difference from the content described in the first embodiment, so a description thereof will be omitted.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Upon acquiring the authentication request from the terminal 20, the surveillance camera 10a transfers the authentication request (authentication information) to the authentication server 30 (step S05a). Specifically, upon acquiring an authentication request from the terminal 20, the wireless communication control unit 201 of the surveillance camera 10a transmits the request to the authentication server 30 via the communication control unit 207.

The authentication server 30 uses the information stored in the authentication information management database 411 to perform user authentication of the security guard who owns the terminal 20, and transmits the authentication result to the surveillance camera 10a (steps S06a, S10a).

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

In this way, in the third embodiment, among the functions provided in the surveillance camera 10, the implementation of the function related to user authentication is entrusted to the authentication server 30.

Note that implementation of other functions of the surveillance camera 10 may be entrusted to a server. For example, in a situation where a high-speed communication network is in place, a video analysis server 40 may be installed as shown in FIG. 21, and the video analysis server 40 may implement a function related to incident detection. . In this case, the video analysis server 40 analyzes video data provided from each surveillance camera 10a. If an incident is detected as a result of the analysis, the video analysis server 40 provides detailed incident information to the surveillance camera 10a that provided the video data that was the basis for detecting the incident, and transmits the information to the terminal 20. Instruct to distribute.

As described above, in the third embodiment, the implementation of some of the functions provided in the surveillance camera 10 is entrusted to the server device. For example, user authentication is a function that is frequently performed during normal times when no incidents occur. Therefore, even if the function is outsourced to an external server, there is little impact on the provision of information from incident detection to the terminal 20. Further, by centrally managing information related to user authentication in the authentication server 30, management related to addition and deletion of security guards in charge of security areas is facilitated.

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

In the fourth embodiment, when an incident is detected, terminals connected to a surveillance camera other than the surveillance camera that detected the incident are instructed to switch the connection to the surveillance camera that detected the incident. Let me explain the case.

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

Here, the communicable range of the surveillance camera 10b may overlap with the communicable range of other surveillance cameras 10b. For example, referring to FIG. 22, the communicable ranges of the surveillance camera 10b-2 and the surveillance camera 10b-4 overlap, and the overlapping communicable ranges are indicated in dark gray. A terminal 20a (terminal 20a-3 in the example of FIG. 22) existing in an area where such communication ranges overlap maintains a connection state with any one of the communicable surveillance cameras.

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

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

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

The surveillance camera 10b differs from that described in the first embodiment mainly in the operations of the connected terminal management section 203a and the information distribution section 206a. Hereinafter, the operations of the connected terminal management section 203a and the information distribution section 206a will be mainly explained.

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

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

The information distribution unit 206a not only adds the incident detailed information to the terminal 20a to which it is connected, but also distributes the information to the instruction server 50. Note that when the information distribution unit 206a transmits the detailed incident information to the instruction server 50, the information distribution unit 206a includes the identifier of the own device (for example, ESSID) in the information.

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

When the wireless communication control unit 301a receives the above connection destination switching request from the connection destination surveillance camera 10b, it switches the connection destination to the surveillance camera 10b specified by the request. Specifically, when it is possible to receive a beacon frame including an ESSID that matches the ESSID of the designated surveillance camera 10b, the wireless communication control unit 301a determines that wireless connection is possible with the designated surveillance camera 10b, Switch the wireless connection destination.

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

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

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

The connection destination switching instruction unit 502 determines whether or not to increase the number of distribution destinations of detailed incident information, depending on the incident that has occurred. In other words, the connection destination switching instruction unit 502 determines whether or not it is necessary to increase the number of security guards to deal with the incident by increasing the number of distribution destinations of the detailed incident information.

When the connection destination switching instruction unit 502 acquires the incident detailed information from the surveillance camera 10b, it refers to the incident handling database 511. The incident handling database 511 has registered information regarding whether or not it is necessary to increase the number of security guards for each incident that occurs (see FIG. 26). For example, referring to Figure 26, if the incident that occurred is "a suspicious person was found," it is determined that an increase in the number of security guards is necessary, and if the incident that occurred is "a suspicious object was found," there is no need to increase the number of security guards. It is judged that.

Furthermore, when it is determined to increase the number of distribution destinations (when an increase in the number of security guards is required), the connection destination switching instruction unit 502 generates a connection destination switching notification and transmits the notification to the surveillance camera 10b. Specifically, the connection destination switching instruction unit 502 refers to the surveillance camera management database 512, generates and transmits a connection destination switching notification.

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

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

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

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

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

FIG. 28 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the monitoring system according to the fourth embodiment. Here, as shown in FIG. 22, the terminal 20a-1 connects to the surveillance camera 10b-2, the terminal 20a-3 and the terminal 20a-4 connect to the surveillance camera 10b-4, and the surveillance camera 10b-2 detects an incident. The following describes the case where .

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

During normal times when no incidents occur, wireless connection and disconnection are repeated between the terminal 20a and the surveillance camera 10b.

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

The surveillance camera 10b-2 delivers incident detailed information to the terminal 20a-1 under its control (step S35).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As described above, in the fourth embodiment, in response to a detected incident, a connection destination switching notification that specifies the surveillance camera 10b as a new wireless connection destination is sent to a location close to the source of incident detailed information. It is transmitted to the surveillance camera 10b. The surveillance camera 10b that has received the connection destination switching notification instructs the terminal 20a that is connected to itself to switch the wireless connection to the surveillance camera 10b that is the designated wireless connection destination. As a result, when a serious incident occurs, the number of security guards who deal with the incident can be increased.

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

In the embodiment described above, the case where one incident occurs is described, but when multiple incidents occur simultaneously, it is sufficient to determine the types of incidents to be prioritized in advance.

Although the above embodiment has been described assuming that the surveillance camera 10 is fixedly installed on the ceiling of a security area, the functions of the surveillance camera 10 may be realized by a drone or the like equipped with a camera.

In the second embodiment described above, it has been explained that the content of the incident detailed information is changed based on the wireless communication state between the terminal 20 and the surveillance camera 10, but the content of the incident detailed information is changed depending on the incident that has occurred. It's okay. For example, if the incident that has occurred is a "fire outbreak," it is sufficient to notify the security guard only of the fact that the incident has occurred (images and instructions are not required).

In the fourth embodiment, the instruction server 50 determines the necessity of increasing the number of security guards, but a person in charge deployed at a monitoring center or the like may determine the necessity. In this case, the person in charge checks the video data provided from each surveillance camera 10b and the incident detailed information sent when an incident occurs, and determines whether or not it is necessary to increase the number of security guards. A person in charge who determines that an increase in the number of security guards is necessary inputs that fact into the instruction server 50 by operating a keyboard or the like. The instruction server 50 determines a surveillance camera or the like to be a new wireless connection destination, and sends a connection destination switching notification to the necessary surveillance camera.

Furthermore, in the fourth embodiment, the necessity of increasing the number of security guards is decided based solely on the type of incident that occurs, but the number of security guards to be increased may be determined in detail depending on the incident that occurs. good. Alternatively, the number of security guards required to respond to each incident may be determined in advance, and if the number of terminals 20a connected to the surveillance camera 10b that detected the incident is less than the predetermined number, the number of security guards may be increased. may be determined. That is, the instruction server 50 may predetermine the number of security guards required to deal with each incident, and increase the number of security guards if the predetermined number of security guards cannot be secured. In this case, each surveillance camera 10b also notifies the number of terminals 20a connected to itself when sending detailed incident information to the instruction server 50. Alternatively, if the number of terminals 20a connected to each surveillance camera 10b (the number of terminals 20a distributing incident detailed information) is less than a predetermined number, the surveillance camera 10b Incident detailed information may be transmitted to the instruction server 50 (or an increase in the number of security guards may be requested).

Although a plurality of steps (processes) are described in order in the plurality of flowcharts used in the above description, the order in which the steps are executed in each embodiment is not limited to the order in which they are described. In each embodiment, the order of the illustrated steps can be changed within a range that does not affect the content, such as executing each process in parallel, for example. Moreover, the matters described in the above embodiments can be combined within the range of not contradicting each other.

Part or all of the above embodiments may be described as in the following additional notes, but are not limited to the following.
[Additional note 1]
This is the same as the surveillance camera according to the first viewpoint described above.
[Additional note 2]
The surveillance camera according to Supplementary note 1, further comprising an authentication unit that starts authenticating the owner of the terminal when the terminal is within a wirelessly connectable range with the own device.
[Additional note 3]
The surveillance camera according to Supplementary Note 1 or 2, wherein the distribution unit changes the content of the information regarding the detected incident according to a wireless communication state between the own device and the terminal.
[Additional note 4]
The communication unit wirelessly connects with a plurality of terminals, and calculates a parameter indicating a wireless communication state with each of the plurality of terminals,
The surveillance camera according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 3, wherein the distribution unit distributes information regarding the detected incident to a certain number of terminals having the highest calculated parameters among the plurality of terminals.
[Additional note 5]
The communication unit wirelessly connects with a plurality of terminals, and calculates a parameter indicating a wireless communication state with each of the plurality of terminals,
The surveillance camera according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 3, wherein the distribution unit distributes information regarding the detected incident among the plurality of terminals in descending order of the calculated parameter.
[Additional note 6]
The surveillance camera according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 5, wherein the distribution unit distributes at least the type of the detected incident and an image related to the detected incident to the terminal.
[Additional note 7]
7. The surveillance camera according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 6, wherein the distribution unit includes real-time video data obtained from the camera in information regarding the detected incident and distributes the information to the terminal.
[Additional note 8]
It also includes a terminal management section that manages wirelessly connected terminals.
The terminal management department includes:
When a wireless connection is established with the terminal, a connection confirmation request is sent to the wirelessly connected terminal, and if a response to the connection confirmation request is not received from the wirelessly connected terminal for a predetermined period, the wireless connection is confirmed. The surveillance camera according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 7, further comprising a connected terminal management unit that determines that the connection with the terminal is severed.
[Additional note 9]
This is the same as the monitoring system according to the second viewpoint described above.
[Additional note 10]
The monitoring system according to supplementary note 9, further including an authentication server that performs authentication regarding the owner of the terminal when the monitoring camera and the terminal are wirelessly connected.
[Additional note 11]
This is the same as the method for controlling the surveillance camera according to the third viewpoint described above.
[Additional note 12]
This is the same as the program according to the fourth viewpoint described above.
Note that the form of Supplementary Note 11 and the form of Supplementary Note 12 can be developed into the forms of Supplementary Note 2 to Supplementary Note 8, similarly to the form of Supplementary Note 1.

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

Solution: In a video sharing system consisting of security guard terminals and surveillance cameras,
The surveillance camera has a video shooting function, a video distribution function, a wireless communication function, a user authentication function, and a suspicious event detection function.
The security guard terminal has a wireless communication function and a video display function.
When the security guard's terminal approaches the surveillance camera within a wireless communication range, it will be automatically authenticated and communication will be possible.
When a surveillance camera detects a suspicious event, it sends the detected suspicious event and video to the connected security guard terminal,
The security guard's terminal displays the details and video of the suspicious event.
If a surveillance camera detects a suspicious event, it will be possible to notify security guards who can respond without delay and provide high-quality information, making it possible to respond quickly and effectively.

Sharing the suspicious event detection unit and user authentication information management unit among multiple surveillance cameras makes analysis and user information management more efficient (Figure 32).

The number of responding security personnel is increased by notifying the instruction server of suspicious events detected by surveillance cameras and prompting them to switch connections to the detected surveillance cameras (Figure 34).

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

Form 1
In a video distribution system equipped with a security guard terminal and a surveillance camera with a wireless communication function,
A video distribution system characterized in that when the surveillance camera detects a suspicious event, it transmits a video related to the detection of the suspicious event to a security guard terminal located in an area where direct wireless communication is possible.
Form 2
The surveillance camera authenticates and establishes a connection when the security guard terminal enters an area where wireless communication is possible;
The video distribution system according to Embodiment 1, characterized in that when a suspicious event is detected, a video related to the detection of the suspicious event is transmitted to a security guard terminal in a connected state.
Form 3
The video distribution according to mode 1 or 2, wherein the surveillance camera distributes information when a suspicious event is detected only to a certain number of terminals having a high wireless communication strength with the security guard terminal. system.
Form 4
4. The video distribution system according to any one of modes 1 to 3, wherein the surveillance camera distributes information when suspicious events are detected in descending order of wireless strength of communication with the security guard terminal.
Form 5
5. The video distribution system according to any one of modes 1 to 4, wherein the surveillance camera controls the content of information distribution according to the wireless strength of communication with the security guard terminal.
Form 6
The surveillance camera uses information held by a user authentication information management server shared by a plurality of surveillance cameras to authenticate the security guard terminal, and
6. The video distribution system according to any one of modes 1 to 5, characterized in that suspicious events are detected by transmitting shot video to a video analysis server shared by a plurality of surveillance cameras.
Form 7
The video distribution system according to any one of modes 1 to 6, wherein the surveillance camera transmits the content of the suspicious event, video evidence, and information on the security guard who sent the information to the instruction server when a suspicious event is detected. .
Form 8
The instruction server displays the information received at the time of detecting a suspicious event, and if a connection change is accepted from outside, the instruction server displays the information from the surveillance camera that detected the suspicious event on a surveillance camera that is located near the surveillance camera that detected the suspicious event. Instruct to change the connection to
The surveillance camera that receives the connection change instructs the subordinate security guard's terminal to change the connection to the surveillance camera that detected the suspicious event,
The security guard terminal that is instructed to change the connection will connect to the surveillance camera that detected the suspicious event if wireless communication is possible.
7. The video distribution system according to Mode 7, wherein the surveillance camera that detects the suspicious event transmits the details of the suspicious event and video evidence to a newly connected security guard terminal.

The disclosures of the above cited patent documents, etc. are incorporated into this document by reference. Within the scope of the entire disclosure of the present invention (including the claims), changes and adjustments to the embodiments and examples are possible based on the basic technical idea thereof. In addition, various combinations or selections of various disclosed elements (including each element of each claim, each element of each embodiment or example, each element of each drawing, etc.) are possible within the framework of the entire disclosure of the present invention. is possible. That is, it goes without saying that the present invention includes the entire disclosure including the claims and various modifications and modifications that a person skilled in the art would be able to make in accordance with the technical idea. In particular, numerical ranges stated herein should be construed as specifically stating any numerical value or subrange within the range, even if not otherwise stated.

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

Claims (8)

a communication unit that transmits information regarding an SSID (Service Set Identifier) and wirelessly connects to a terminal in response to a response to the information regarding the SSID;
a detection unit that detects incidents by analyzing video data from the camera;
a distribution unit that distributes information regarding the detected incident to the terminal;
means for notifying the terminal of connection destination switching;
Means for receiving requests from the instruction server
Equipped with
The means for notifying the terminal of connection destination switching is a surveillance camera that notifies the terminal of the connection destination switching notification in response to a request from the instruction server . The surveillance camera according to claim 1, wherein the information regarding the incident includes an instruction regarding the incident. The surveillance camera according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the connection destination switching notification includes an identifier of a camera to which the connection is to be switched. The surveillance camera according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the incident includes finding a suspicious person. The surveillance camera according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the content of the information regarding the incident is changed depending on the strength of wireless communication with the terminal. The surveillance camera according to claim 5 , wherein when the wireless strength is high, more detailed information is transmitted to the terminal than when the wireless strength is low. A surveillance system including a terminal and a surveillance camera,
The surveillance camera is
a communication unit that transmits information regarding an SSID and wirelessly connects to the terminal in response to a response to the information regarding the SSID;
a detection unit that detects incidents by analyzing video data from the camera;
a distribution unit that distributes information regarding the detected incident to the terminal ;
means for notifying the terminal of connection destination switching;
comprising means for receiving a request from the instruction server;
The means for notifying the terminal of connection destination switching is a monitoring system that notifies the terminal of the connection destination switching notification in response to a request from the instruction server . In a surveillance system including terminals and surveillance cameras,
The surveillance camera includes a communication unit, a detection unit, a distribution unit , a means for receiving a request from an instruction server, and a means for notifying the terminal of connection destination switching ,
The communication unit transmits information regarding the SSID, and wirelessly connects to the terminal in response to the response to the information regarding the SSID,
The detection unit detects an incident by analyzing video data from the camera,
The distribution unit distributes information regarding the detected incident to the terminal,
The means for receiving a request from the instruction server receives a request from the instruction server,
In the method for controlling a monitoring system , the means for notifying the terminal of connection destination switching notifies the terminal of the connection destination switching notification in response to a request from the instruction server .

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