JP7564147B2 - VIDEO DISPLAY SYSTEM, VIDEO DISPLAY METHOD, AND PROGRAM - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to an image display system, an image display method, and a program. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to an image display system, an image display method, and a program that display images from multiple cameras.

Patent Document 1 discloses a monitoring system for monitoring images from multiple network cameras. In this monitoring system, multiple network cameras are divided into groups, images from the multiple network cameras are displayed on a display screen for each group, and the groups displayed on the display screen are switched periodically.

JP 2005-129999 A

The above surveillance system simply displays images from multiple network cameras on a screen in groups, so there is a risk that images of monitored events may be overlooked.

The objective of the present disclosure is to provide a video display system, video display method, and program that reduce the possibility of missing an image when a monitored event occurs.

A video display system according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a first acquisition unit, a second acquisition unit, a selection unit, and a display control unit. The first acquisition unit acquires image data from each of a plurality of cameras. The second acquisition unit acquires notification information notifying the occurrence of an event of a monitoring target from a detection system that detects the occurrence of the event of a monitoring target in the shooting range of each of the plurality of cameras. The selection unit selects one or more cameras to be displayed as target cameras from the plurality of cameras based on the one or more notification information acquired by the second acquisition unit. The display control unit displays images of the plurality of cameras on a first display unit based on image data of the plurality of cameras acquired by the first acquisition unit, and displays an image of the target camera on a second display unit based on image data of the target camera selected by the selection unit. The display control unit is capable of displaying images of two or more cameras selected as the target cameras by the selection unit on the second display unit. The display control unit displays images of one or more associated cameras related to the target camera among the plurality of cameras on the second display unit. The monitored event is a fire, and the one or more associated cameras are one or more cameras installed at one or more locations where the fire detected by the detection system is expected to spread.

The video display method according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a first acquisition process, a second acquisition process, a selection process, and a display control process. In the first acquisition process, image data is acquired from each of a plurality of cameras. In the second acquisition process, notification information for notifying the occurrence of an event of a monitoring target is acquired from a detection system that detects the occurrence of the event of a monitoring target in the shooting range of each of the plurality of cameras. In the selection process, one or more cameras to be displayed are selected as target cameras from the plurality of cameras based on the one or more notification information acquired in the second acquisition process. In the display control process, images of the plurality of cameras acquired in the first acquisition process are displayed on a first display unit, and an image of the target camera selected in the selection process is displayed on a second display unit. In the display control process, images of two or more cameras selected as the target cameras in the selection process can be displayed on the second display unit. In the display control process, images of one or more associated cameras related to the target camera among the plurality of cameras are displayed on the second display unit. The monitored event is a fire, and the one or more associated cameras are one or more cameras installed at one or more locations where the fire detected by the detection system is expected to spread.

A program according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a program for causing a computer system to execute the image display method.

This disclosure can reduce the possibility of missing images when a monitored event occurs.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an image display system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a display screen displayed on the first display unit of the video display system. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a display screen displayed on the second display unit of the video display system. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a display screen displayed on the second display unit of the video display system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a display screen displayed on the second display unit of the video display system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a display screen displayed on the second display unit of the video display system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the image display system.

(Embodiment)
(1) Overview Each drawing described in the following embodiments is a schematic drawing, and the ratio of sizes and thicknesses of each component in each drawing does not necessarily reflect the actual dimensional ratio.

The video display system 1 of this embodiment includes a first acquisition unit 11, a second acquisition unit 12, a selection unit 13, and a display control unit 14.

The first acquisition unit 11 acquires image data from each of the multiple cameras 40.

The second acquisition unit 12 acquires notification information notifying the occurrence of a monitored event from the detection system 50. The detection system 50 detects the occurrence of a monitored event within the shooting range of each of the multiple cameras 40.

The selection unit 13 selects one or more cameras 40 to be displayed as target cameras from the multiple cameras 40 based on one or more pieces of notification information acquired by the second acquisition unit 12.

The display control unit 14 causes the first display unit 31 to display images from the multiple cameras 40 based on the image data from the multiple cameras 40 acquired by the first acquisition unit 11.

The display control unit 14 causes the second display unit 32 to display an image of the target camera based on image data of the target camera selected by the selection unit 13. The display control unit 14 can display images of two or more cameras 40 selected as target cameras by the selection unit 13 on the second display unit 32.

In the video display system 1 of this embodiment, the display control unit 14 displays images from multiple cameras 40 on the first display unit 31, so that the user can view the images from multiple cameras 40 displayed on the first display unit 31.

The display control unit 14 also displays the image of the target camera on the second display unit 32, and can display images of two or more cameras 40 selected as target cameras on the second display unit 32. Therefore, by visually checking the images of one or more target cameras displayed on the second display unit 32, the monitor can confirm the situation at the location where the monitored event occurred, and it is possible to reduce overlooking images when the monitored event occurred. In addition, since the monitor can check the image when the monitored event occurred by checking the image on the second display unit 32, there is also the advantage that the burden on the monitor can be reduced because there is no need for the monitor to visually check the images of all cameras 40 displayed on the first display unit 31.

(2) Details The video display system according to this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS.

(2.1) Configuration FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an image display system 1 according to this embodiment.

The video display system 1 is used, for example, to display images from multiple cameras 40 installed at multiple locations in a facility on the screen of a monitor device (first display unit 31 and second display unit 32) in a monitoring room installed in the facility. A monitor stationed in the monitoring room visually checks whether any abnormalities have occurred within the facility by viewing the camera images displayed on the screen of the monitor device.

Here, the facility is, for example, an office building, commercial facility, accommodation facility, factory, logistics warehouse, public facility, educational facility, or other building. Within the facility, one or more cameras 40 are installed in each of a number of locations to be monitored (for example, entrances/exits, corridors, rooms, equipment rooms, warehouses, parking lots, etc.). In other words, within the facility, there are a number of locations to be monitored, and one or more cameras 40 are installed in each of the multiple locations.

A monitoring room installed within the facility is provided with a first display unit 31 and a second display unit 32. The first display unit 31 and the second display unit 32 are display devices such as liquid crystal displays, and a monitor visually checks the images of the camera 40 displayed on the first display unit 31 and the second display unit 32 to confirm whether or not a monitored event is occurring within the shooting range of the camera 40.

In this embodiment, multiple cameras 40 are installed in the facility. The multiple cameras 40 include first to fifth cameras 40A to 40E installed in different locations within the facility.

The first to fifth cameras 40A to 40E are installed in multiple locations within the facility that require monitoring, and may include, for example, the entrance and exit of the facility, rooms (rooms used for stores or living spaces, etc.), corridors, stairs, elevator halls, toilets, equipment rooms, warehouses, parking lots, etc. The first camera 40A is, for example, placed in a position within the facility where it can capture the location where the sensor of the sensor system 51 that detects the event to be monitored is installed. The second camera 40B is, for example, placed in a position where it can capture the area around the entrance and exit (entrance and exit of a room or facility) where the entry and exit of people is managed by the entrance and exit management system 52. The third camera 40C is, for example, placed in a position where it can capture the area around the fence installed at the boundary of the facility, or the space such as a lobby within the facility. The fourth camera 40D is, for example, placed in a position where it can capture the area around the location where sensors for disaster prevention and crime prevention purposes such as fire detectors and window opening and closing detection sensors are installed within the facility. The fifth camera 40E is, for example, placed near the gate of the parking lot where it can capture vehicles passing through the gate of the parking lot. Note that the number of each of the first to fifth cameras 40A to 40E may be one, but in this embodiment, an example is described in which there is more than one of each. The number of the first to fifth cameras 40A to 40E can be changed as appropriate depending on the number of locations that need to be monitored.

The facility is also provided with a detection system 50 for detecting the occurrence of a monitored event in the shooting range of each of the multiple cameras 40. When the detection system 50 detects the occurrence of a monitored event, it outputs notification information to the processing device 10, including information such as the type of monitored event that occurred and the location where the monitored event occurred. The detection system 50 includes multiple subsystems that each detect the monitored event. In this embodiment, the detection system 50 includes a sensor system 51, an entrance/exit management system 52, an image analysis system 53, a management system 54, and a vehicle number recognition system 55 as subsystems. It is not essential that the sensor system 51, the entrance/exit management system 52, the image analysis system 53, the management system 54, and the vehicle number recognition system 55 are all installed in the facility, and they can be omitted as appropriate. The detection system 50 may also include one or more systems that detect other events as subsystems.

The sensor system 51 is a system that detects monitored events in the shooting range of each of the multiple first cameras 40A. The sensor system 51 includes sensors arranged in the shooting range of each of the multiple first cameras 40A, and detects monitored events based on the detection results of the sensors.

Here, the "event to be monitored" detected by the sensor system 51 includes, for example, at least one of an event related to the indoor environment and an event of a person being present or absent in the facility. If the event to be monitored is an event related to the indoor environment, the sensor system 51 detects the event to be monitored based on the detection result of an environmental sensor that detects at least one of temperature, humidity, illuminance, air pressure, _CO2 concentration, and noise. If the event to be monitored is an event related to the presence or absence of a person, the sensor system 51 detects an event of a person switching from a presence state to an absence state, or an event of a person switching from an absence state to a presence state, based on the detection result of a human presence sensor that detects the presence or absence of a person.

The environmental sensor and the human presence sensor are IoT (Internet of Things) sensors capable of communicating with the processing device 10 via a communication network such as the Internet, and the sensor system 51 collects detection results from the environmental sensor and the human presence sensor via the communication network. Note that the environmental sensor and the human presence sensor may be sensors that do not have a communication function. If the environmental sensor and the human presence sensor do not have a communication function, a communication adapter capable of communicating with the processing device 10 via the communication network may be connected to the environmental sensor and the human presence sensor. The sensor system 51 collects detection results from the environmental sensor and the human presence sensor via the communication adapter and the communication network.

The entrance/exit management system 52 detects whether an event of a person entering or exiting a facility or room has occurred, for example at the entrance/exit of the facility or room. In other words, the event that the entrance/exit management system 52 monitors is the entry or exit of a person. The entrance/exit management system 52 reads identification information from an ID card presented by a person when entering or exiting, and if authentication is successful, unlocks the entrance and allows entry or exit. The entrance/exit management system 52 may also obtain biometric information such as a fingerprint or iris from a person attempting to enter or exit, and perform authentication, and unlock the entrance and allow entry or exit if authentication is successful.

The image analysis system 53 detects whether or not a target event has occurred within the range of the third cameras 40C by performing image analysis on the image data captured by the third cameras 40C. The target event may include, for example, a person climbing over a fence installed at the boundary of a facility, a person entering an area where general public is prohibited from entering, an accident such as a person falling, or abnormal human behavior (for example, damage to property, removal of items, or leaving behind suspicious objects). Note that image data from cameras 40 other than the third camera 40C may be input to the image analysis system 53. The image analysis system 53 may detect whether or not a monitored event has occurred within the range of the camera 40 based on image data from the cameras 40 other than the third camera 40C.

The management system 54 detects whether or not a disaster prevention/crime prevention related event has occurred at multiple locations including the shooting range of the multiple fourth cameras 40C based on the detection results of disaster prevention/crime prevention related sensors installed at multiple locations including the shooting range of the multiple fourth cameras 40C. Here, disaster prevention/crime prevention related events include at least one of a fire, a gas leak, an intrusion into the facility from the outside, and an emergency call button being activated. In addition, disaster prevention/crime prevention related sensors include at least one of a fire detector, a gas leak detector, an emergency call button that detects a button being pressed and activates an alarm, an opening/closing detection sensor that detects the opening/closing of doors, windows, etc., and a glass breakage sensor that detects the breakage of a glass window.

The vehicle number recognition system 55 reads the vehicle number of the vehicle (car or motorcycle) photographed by the fifth camera 40E by performing image analysis on the image data input from the fifth camera 40E. The vehicle number recognition system 55 checks the read vehicle number against the vehicle number of the vehicle to be searched for that has been set in advance, thereby detecting whether the vehicle to be searched for has entered or left the facility's parking lot.

Here, in at least some of the multiple cameras 40, the occurrence of a monitored event in the shooting range of the camera 40 is detected by multiple detection systems 50. For example, in the shooting range of some first cameras 40A, the occurrence of a monitored event is detected by a sensor system 51 and an image analysis system 53 that detects the presence or absence of an event by image processing the image data of the camera 40. In addition, in the shooting range of the second camera 40B, the monitored event (entry or exit of a person) is detected by an entrance/exit management system 52 and an image analysis system 53 that analyzes the image data of the second camera 40B. In addition, in the shooting range of the fourth camera 40D, the monitored event is detected by a management system 54 and an image analysis system 53 that analyzes the image data of the fourth camera 40D.

The video display system 1 includes a processing device 10 and an image storage unit 20.

The processing device 10 has, for example, a computer system having a processor and a memory. The processor executes a program stored in the memory, causing the computer system to function as the processing device 10. The program executed by the processor is pre-recorded in the memory of the computer system here, but may also be provided by being recorded on a non-transitory recording medium such as a memory card, or may be provided via a telecommunications line such as the Internet.

The processing device 10 has the functions of, for example, a first acquisition unit 11, a second acquisition unit 12, a selection unit 13, a display control unit 14, and an operation input unit 15. Note that the first acquisition unit 11, the second acquisition unit 12, the selection unit 13, the display control unit 14, and the operation input unit 15 merely indicate functions realized by the processing device 10, and do not necessarily indicate physical configurations.

The first acquisition unit 11 acquires image data from multiple cameras 40 installed in the facility. The image data from the multiple cameras 40 acquired by the first acquisition unit 11 is stored in the image storage unit 20. Note that the image storage unit 20 only needs to store the image data from the multiple cameras 40 for a specified storage period. The storage period for image data is, for example, a period of several days to several months, and can be changed as appropriate by the user of the video display system 1.

The second acquisition unit 12 acquires notification information notifying the occurrence of a monitored event from the detection system 50. Specifically, the second acquisition unit 12 acquires notification information notifying the occurrence of a monitored event from multiple subsystems included in the detection system 50 (sensor system 51, entrance/exit management system 52, image analysis system 53, management system 54, and vehicle license plate number recognition system 55). The notification information includes at least information indicating the type of monitored event, information on the location where the monitored event occurred, etc.

The selection unit 13 selects one or more cameras 40 to be displayed on the second display unit 32 as target cameras from the multiple cameras 40 based on one or more pieces of notification information acquired by the second acquisition unit 12 from the detection system 50. Information on the installation locations of the multiple cameras 40 is registered in advance in the processing device 10, and the selection unit 13 selects the target cameras based on information on the location where the monitored event occurred, which is included in the notification information, and information on the installation locations of the multiple cameras 40, etc. For example, when the second acquisition unit 12 acquires notification information indicating that the monitored event has occurred, the selection unit 13 identifies the location where the monitored event occurred from the notification information, and selects one or more cameras 40 that capture the location where the monitored event occurred as target cameras.

The operation input unit 15 accepts operation information input by the monitor using an input device such as a keyboard, a mouse, or a touch panel integrated with the display screen.

The display control unit 14 controls the display of the first display unit 31 and the second display unit 32 installed in, for example, a monitoring room of the facility. The first display unit 31 and the second display unit 32 are, for example, display devices such as liquid crystal displays. The first display unit 31 and the second display unit 32 may each be configured to display an image on one screen, or may each be configured to display images on multiple screens.

The display control unit 14 causes the first display unit 31 to display the image data of the multiple cameras 40 acquired by the first acquisition unit 11. FIG. 2 shows a state in which images of cameras 40 numbered 1 to 9 are displayed on nine child screens obtained by dividing the screen P1 of the first display unit 31 into nine 3×3 divisions. In FIG. 2, images displayed on the nine child screens obtained by dividing the screen P1 into nine are omitted, but images of the cameras 40 are actually displayed on each child screen. In FIG. 2, the numbers in parentheses written on each small screen indicate the identification numbers of the cameras 40 being displayed on each small screen. Note that, if the number of cameras 40 is more than nine, the cameras 40 displayed on the screen P1 may be switched in a predetermined order every time a predetermined display time (for example, 10 seconds) has elapsed. In addition, the number of divisions of the screen P1 is not limited to nine, and may be 4 divisions of 2×2 or 16 divisions of 4×4, and may be changed as appropriate.

The display control unit 14 also causes the second display unit 32 to display the image of the target camera selected by the selection unit 13. When the selection unit 13 selects two or more cameras 40 as the target cameras, the display control unit 14 causes the second display unit 32 to display the images of the two or more cameras 40 selected as the target cameras.

The display control unit 14 also displays the images of the target camera from the first time point to the second time point on the second display unit 32. The first time point is a time point that is a first time before the time point of the event occurrence, and the second time point is a time point that is a second time after the time point of the event occurrence. The time point of the event occurrence is a time point at which the monitored event is detected in the shooting range of the target camera. The first time is, for example, 10 seconds. That is, the second display unit 32 displays the images of the target camera from the first time point that is a first time (for example, 10 seconds) before the time point of the event occurrence, so that the monitor can easily visually recognize the images when the monitored event occurs. The second time is, for example, about several minutes. That is, the second display unit 32 displays the images of the target camera from the second time point that is a second time after the time point of the event occurrence, so that the monitor can easily visually recognize the situation after the monitored event occurs. The display control unit 14 stops displaying the images of the target camera when the second time has passed since the time point of the event occurrence, so that it becomes possible to display a new image of the target camera on the second display unit 32. If the monitor uses an input device to perform an operation to stop the display of the desired target camera, the display control unit 14 may stop the display of the image from the target camera before the second time point arrives, based on the operation information received by the operation input unit 15.

Figures 3 to 6 show an example of the screen P2 displayed on the second display unit 32. The screen P2 is divided into nine parts, for example, 3 x 3, and images from the target cameras are displayed on each of the nine sub-screens into which the screen P2 is divided. In other words, in this embodiment, images from up to nine target cameras can be displayed on the screen P2 of the second display unit 32. The screen P2 of the second display unit 32 is divided into nine sub-screens, and the images from the multiple target cameras are displayed in the order in which the monitored events occurred, for example, from the top left to the bottom right.

The image storage unit 20 may include an external storage device such as a hard disk drive. The image storage unit 20 stores image data acquired by the first acquisition unit 11 from the multiple cameras 40. The image storage unit 20 holds image data from the multiple cameras 40 for a predetermined storage period (e.g., several days to several months), and overwrites the image data with new image data when the storage period expires. Note that it is not essential that the image storage unit 20 is provided in association with the processing device 10, and image data from the multiple cameras 40 may be stored in an image server on the cloud.

(2.2) Description of Operation The operation of the video display system 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 7 etc. Note that the flowchart shown in Fig. 7 is merely an example of the video display method according to this embodiment, and the order of processing may be changed as appropriate, and processing may be added or omitted as appropriate.

The first acquisition unit 11 of the video display system 1 sequentially performs a first acquisition process to acquire image data from multiple cameras 40 installed in the facility (step ST1). The first acquisition unit 11 stores the image data acquired from the multiple cameras 40 in the image storage unit 20.

The second acquisition unit 12 performs a second acquisition process to acquire notification information from multiple subsystems included in the detection system 50 (step ST2).

If no notification information is input from the detection system 50 to the second acquisition unit 12, i.e., if the monitored event has not occurred (step ST3: No), the display control unit 14 performs a display process to display the images from the multiple cameras 40 acquired by the first acquisition unit 11 on the first display unit 31 (step ST6).

On the other hand, when notification information is input from the detection system 50 to the second acquisition unit 12, that is, when an event to be monitored occurs (step ST3: Yes), the selection unit 13 performs a selection process to select a target camera from the multiple cameras 40 based on the notification information acquired by the second acquisition unit 12 (step ST4). The selection unit 13 selects a camera 40 that captures the location of the event as a target camera based on information on the location of the event to be monitored contained in the notification information. Then, the display control unit 14 performs a display process to display images of the multiple cameras 40 acquired by the first acquisition unit 11 on the first display unit 31 and to display images of one or more cameras 40 selected by the selection unit 13 as the target camera on the second display unit 32 (step ST5). Here, when two or more cameras 40 are selected as target cameras by the selection unit 13, the display control unit 14 displays images of the two or more cameras 40 selected as the target cameras side by side on the second display unit 32.

The video display system 1 repeatedly executes the processes from steps ST1 to ST5 at a predetermined cycle. As a result, images from the multiple cameras 40 are displayed in real time on the first display unit 31. Also, images from one or multiple target cameras at the time when a monitored event occurs (from the first time point to the second time point) are displayed on the second display unit 32.

Here, the operation of the display control unit 14 to display images from the two cameras 40 selected as target cameras on the second display unit 32 will be described with reference to Figures 3 to 6.

At a certain point in time, when the entrance/exit management system 52 detects the entry of a person and outputs notification information to the processing device 10, the selection unit 13 selects the second camera 40B, which photographs the entrance/exit through which the entrance/exit management system 52 manages entry and exit, as the target camera based on the notification information input from the entrance/exit management system 52. The display control unit 14 displays the image G40B of the second camera 40B on the screen P2 of the second display unit 32 from a first time point before the event occurrence time when the monitored event (here, the entry of a person) occurs to a second time point after the event occurrence time. Figure 3 shows a state in which the image G40B of the second camera 40B at the first time point is displayed on the screen P2 of the second display unit 32, and the image G40B of the second camera 40B is displayed on the upper left child screen of the screen P2. 4 shows a state in which the image G40B of the second camera 40B at the time of the event is displayed on the screen P2 of the second display unit 32, and FIG. 5 shows a state in which the image G40B of the second camera 40B at the second time is displayed on the screen P2 of the second display unit 32. In this way, the image G40B of the second camera 40B is displayed from a first time point that is one hour before the event occurrence time point when the monitored event (entry of a person) occurred, to a second time point that is two hours after the event occurrence time point, making it easier for the monitor to check the state of a person entering through the entrance/exit. This reduces the possibility that the monitor will overlook the image G40B of the second camera 40B when a person enters.

In addition, if a new monitored event occurs while the image G40B of the second camera 40B is displayed on the second display unit 32, the display control unit 14 displays the image of the camera 40 capturing the location of the new monitored event side by side on the screen P2 of the second display unit 32. For example, when the image analysis system 53 detects the presence or absence of a person passing by analyzing the image of the third camera 40C capturing an aisle, when the image analysis system 53 detects the passing of a person and outputs notification information to the processing device 10, the selection unit 13 selects the third camera 40C capturing the passage as the target camera based on the notification information input from the image analysis system 53. At this time, the display control unit 14 displays the image G40C of the third camera 40C on the screen P2 of the second display unit 32 from a first time point before the event occurrence time point at which the monitored event (here, the passing of a person) occurred to a second time point after the event occurrence time point. 5 shows a state in which an image G40C of the third camera 40C at a first time point is displayed on the screen P2 of the second display unit 32. In FIG. 5, the image G40B of the second camera 40B, which has been previously displayed, is displayed in the upper left of the screen P2 of the second display unit 32, and the image G40C of the third camera 40C is displayed to the right of the image G40B.

Also, FIG. 6 shows a state in which the image G40C of the third camera 40C at the time of occurrence of an event in which a person passes by is displayed on the screen P2 of the second display unit 32. In the example screen of FIG. 6, the display of the image G40B of the second camera 40B, which was previously displayed, has ended, so only the image G40C of the third camera 40C is displayed on the screen P2 of the second display unit 32. The image G40C of the third camera 40C is displayed in the same position on the screen P2 of the second display unit 32, but it may be displayed in the upper left corner of the screen P2. Thereafter, when the second time point arrives, which is later than the time point in which the monitored event (here, the passing of a person) occurred, the display control unit 14 stops displaying the image G40C of the third camera 40C.

In this embodiment, the occurrence of multiple types of events is detected by multiple subsystems included in the detection system 50, and images from multiple target cameras resulting from the occurrence of multiple types of events are displayed together on the screen P2 of the second display unit 32. Therefore, a monitor monitoring the screen P2 of the second display unit 32 can check the images from the target cameras when multiple types of events are detected by the multiple subsystems on the screen P2 of the second display unit 32, allowing for efficient monitoring work and reducing the burden on the monitor.

(3) Modifications The above embodiment is merely one of various embodiments of the present disclosure. The above embodiment can be modified in various ways depending on the design and the like as long as the object of the present disclosure can be achieved. In addition, the same function as the image display system 1 may be embodied in an image display method, a computer program, or a non-transitory recording medium on which a program is recorded. The image display method according to one aspect includes a first acquisition process, a second acquisition process, a selection process, and a display control process. In the first acquisition process, image data is acquired from each of the multiple cameras 40. In the second acquisition process, notification information notifying the occurrence of the monitored event is acquired from a detection system 50 that detects the occurrence of the monitored event in the shooting range of each of the multiple cameras 40. In the selection process, one or more cameras 40 to be displayed are selected as target cameras from the multiple cameras 40 based on one or more notification information acquired in the second acquisition process. In the display control process, images of the multiple cameras 40 are displayed on the first display unit 31 based on the images of the multiple cameras 40 acquired in the first acquisition process, and images of the target camera selected in the selection process are displayed on the second display unit 32 based on the image data of the target camera. In the display control process, images from two or more cameras 40 selected as target cameras in the selection process can be displayed on the second display unit 32. In addition, a (computer) program according to one aspect is a program for causing a computer system to execute the above-mentioned video display method.

Below, we will list some variations of the above embodiment. The variations described below can be applied in appropriate combinations.

The subject of execution of the image display system 1 or the image display method in the present disclosure includes a computer system. The computer system is mainly composed of a processor and a memory as hardware. The processor executes a program recorded in the memory of the computer system, thereby realizing the function of the subject of execution of the image display system 1 or the image display method in the present disclosure. The program may be pre-recorded in the memory of the computer system, may be provided through an electric communication line, or may be provided by being recorded in a non-transitory recording medium such as a memory card, an optical disk, or a hard disk drive that can be read by the computer system. The processor of the computer system is composed of one or more electronic circuits including a semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) or a large scale integrated circuit (LSI). The integrated circuits such as IC or LSI referred to here are called different names depending on the degree of integration, and include integrated circuits called system LSI, VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration), or ULSI (Ultra Large Scale Integration). Furthermore, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) that is programmed after the manufacture of the LSI, or a logic device that allows reconfiguration of the connection relationship within the LSI or reconfiguration of the circuit partition within the LSI, can also be used as a processor. The multiple electronic circuits may be integrated into one chip, or may be distributed across multiple chips. The multiple chips may be integrated into one device, or may be distributed across multiple devices. The computer system referred to here includes a microcontroller having one or more processors and one or more memories. Therefore, the microcontroller is also composed of one or more electronic circuits including a semiconductor integrated circuit or a large-scale integrated circuit.

In addition, it is not essential for the video display system 1 that multiple functions are concentrated in one housing, and the components of the video display system 1 may be distributed across multiple housings. Furthermore, at least some of the functions of the video display system 1 may be realized by the cloud (cloud computing) or the like.

Conversely, in the above embodiment, at least some of the functions of the image display system 1 that are distributed across multiple devices may be consolidated in one housing. Also, some of the functions of the image display system 1 and the detection system 50 may be consolidated in one housing.

In the above embodiment, the detection system 50 may include two or more subsystems that each detect the occurrence of a monitored event within the shooting range of a display candidate camera that is one of the multiple cameras 40. In this case, the selection unit 13 may select whether or not to set the display candidate camera as a target camera based on the detection results of the two or more subsystems.

For example, when the entrance/exit management system 52 detects the entry of a person and outputs a notification signal to the processing device 10, the image analysis system 53 analyzes the image of the second camera 40B that photographs the entrance/exit where the entrance/exit management system 52 manages the entry and exit of people, and if it determines that multiple people have entered (so-called tailgating), the selection unit 13 may select the second camera 40B as the target camera and display the image of the second camera 40B on the second display unit 32. On the other hand, if the image analysis system 53 analyzes the image of the second camera 40B that photographs the entrance/exit and determines that only one person has entered, the selection unit 13 does not determine that this is an abnormal event and does not display the image of the second camera 40B on the second display unit 32 because only people who are permitted to enter have entered. As a result, if the event is not abnormal, the image is not displayed on the second display unit 32, thereby reducing the burden on the monitor monitoring the second display unit 32.

In addition, when the management system 54 detects the intrusion of a person into a storage location where important items are stored using an intrusion sensor and outputs notification information notifying the intrusion of a person to the processing device 10, the image analysis system 53 performs image analysis on an image from a camera (e.g., the fourth camera 40D) that photographs the storage location and detects the presence of a person, the selection unit 13 may select the fourth camera 40D as the target camera and display the image from the fourth camera 40D on the second display unit 32. On the other hand, if the image analysis system 53 analyzes the image from the fourth camera 40D that photographs the storage location and detects no person, the selection unit 13 does not determine that this is an abnormal event and does not display the image from the fourth camera 40D on the second display unit 32. This reduces the burden on the monitor monitoring the second display unit 32.

In addition, when notification information notifying a person's intrusion is output to the processing device 10, the selection unit 13 selects the fourth camera 40D as the target camera and displays the image of the fourth camera 40D on the screen of the second display unit 32. The display mode may be changed based on the result of the image analysis system 53 analyzing the image of the fourth camera 40D. For example, if the image analysis system 53 can detect a person by analyzing the image of the fourth camera 40D when the intrusion sensor detects the intrusion of a person, it is determined that the probability of an abnormal event is high, and the image of the fourth camera 40D is displayed on the screen P2 of the second display unit 32, and a first-stage alert display is performed. On the other hand, if the image analysis system 53 cannot detect a person by analyzing the image of the fourth camera 40D when the intrusion sensor detects the intrusion of a person, it is determined that the probability of an abnormal event is low, and the image of the fourth camera 40D is displayed on the screen P2 of the second display unit 32, and a second-stage alert display, which has a lower abnormality level than the first stage, is performed. The higher the abnormality level, the more conspicuous the image from the target camera is displayed on the screen P2 of the second display unit 32 by the display control unit 14. Therefore, when there is a high probability that an abnormal event is occurring, the image from the target camera is displayed on the screen P2 of the second display unit 32 in a more conspicuous manner, reducing the possibility that the monitor will overlook the event.

When the second acquisition unit 12 receives notification information from two or more subsystems regarding an event that occurred at the shooting location of a certain camera 40, the selection unit 13 may determine whether or not to set this camera 40 as a target camera using the following determination method. When two or more pieces of notification information received from two or more subsystems each contain a determination value indicating the occurrence probability of the event, the selection unit 13 calculates a total value by multiplying the determination values contained in the two or more pieces of notification information by a weighting coefficient set for each subsystem and calculating the sum of the results. Then, the selection unit 13 compares the total value with a threshold value, and if the total value is higher than the threshold value, it determines that the camera 40 is the target camera. Note that the determination value contained in the notification information is 0 or 1 in the case of notification information based on the detection result of a sensor such as a human presence sensor, but is the occurrence probability of the event (for example, a percentage) in the case of notification information input from an image analysis system 53 or the like.

The selection unit 13 may also input the notification information acquired by the second acquisition unit 12 into a trained model generated by machine learning to determine whether or not the display candidate camera is to be a target camera. The processing device 10 may also include a learning unit that generates a trained model that determines whether or not the display candidate camera is to be a target camera when the notification information is input. For example, if the monitor performs an operation to enlarge and display the image of the target camera displayed on the second display unit 32, the learning unit re-learns the trained model, assuming that the process of selecting the camera as a target camera is correct. Also, if the monitor performs an operation to stop the display without checking the image of the target camera, the learning unit re-learns the trained model, assuming that the process of selecting the camera as a target camera is incorrect. In this way, the learning unit re-learns the trained model based on the operation performed by the monitor on the image of the target camera displayed on the second display unit 32, thereby improving the trained model.

The display control unit 14 may display images of two or more cameras selected by the selection unit 13 as target cameras in an order according to a priority based on at least one of the installation locations of the two or more cameras, the type of event to be monitored notified by the notification information, and the duration of the event to be monitored. For example, a first priority is set for each of the installation locations where the multiple cameras 40 are installed, according to the importance of the location. Specifically, a first priority is set for each of the multiple installation locations so that a higher first priority is set for a location that is more important in terms of the safety of the facility. There are also multiple types of events to be monitored, and a second priority is set for each of the events to be monitored according to the type. For example, a second priority is set for each of the multiple events so that a higher second priority is set for an event that is more dangerous in terms of disaster prevention or crime prevention. In addition, a third priority is set for the images of the two or more cameras so that a higher priority is set when the duration of the event to be monitored is equal to or longer than a predetermined reference time, compared to when the duration is shorter than a predetermined reference time. The display control unit 14 displays images from two or more cameras 40 on the second display unit 32 in an order of priority based on the first to third priorities, with images with higher first to third priorities being displayed closer to the top. This has the advantage that a security officer monitoring the screen of the second display unit 32 can easily distinguish the more important images from among the images from two or more cameras 40 displayed on the second display unit 32.

The display control unit 14 may also display the image of the target camera on the second display unit 32 in a display mode corresponding to the type of event to be monitored that is notified by the notification information. For example, the screen P2 of the second display unit 32 is divided into nine parts, and the image of the target camera is displayed on a child screen obtained by dividing the screen P2 into nine parts. The display control unit 14 changes the display color of the child screen according to the type of event to be monitored. This allows the monitor to understand the type of event to be monitored from the color of the frame surrounding the image of the target camera. Note that the display mode according to the type of event to be monitored is not limited to the color of the frame surrounding the image of the target camera being a color corresponding to the type of event to be monitored, and may change the shape of the frame surrounding the image of the target camera or cause the frame to blink according to the type of event to be monitored. Furthermore, when the display control unit 14 displays the image of the target camera on the screen of the second display unit 32, it may output an alarm sound corresponding to the type of event to be monitored from a speaker or the like arranged around the second display unit 32. The display control unit 14 may also display the image of the target camera on the second display unit 32 in a display mode according to the above-mentioned priority order. For example, the display control unit 14 may change the color, brightness, shape and thickness of the frame line surrounding the image according to the priority order of the target camera, and the target camera with a higher priority order may be displayed in a display mode that is more noticeable.

The display control unit 14 may also display images of one or more related cameras related to the target camera among the multiple cameras 40 on the second display unit 32. The one or more related cameras are one or more cameras 40 related to the camera 40 selected as the target camera. The one or more related cameras are, for example, one or more cameras 40 installed in a location where a monitored event that occurs at the installation location of the camera 40 selected as the target camera is expected to spread. If the monitored event is a fire, the related cameras are one or more cameras installed in one or more locations where the fire is expected to spread. If the monitored event is the detection of a suspicious person, the related cameras are one or more cameras installed in a location where the suspicious person is expected to move. By visually checking the images of the target camera and the related cameras displayed on the second display unit 32, the monitor can grasp the situation in which the monitored event is occurring in more detail.

In the image display system 1 of the above embodiment, the screen P1 of the first display unit 31 is composed of the screen of one display device, but may be composed of the screens of multiple display devices. Also, the screen P2 of the second display unit 32 is composed of the screen of one display device, but may be composed of the screens of multiple display devices.

In the video display system 1 of the above embodiment, the facility to be monitored is one building, but the facility to be monitored is not limited to one building and may include multiple buildings. In other words, the video display system 1 may display images from multiple cameras 40 installed in multiple buildings.

(summary)
As described above, the video display system (1) of the first aspect includes a first acquisition unit (11), a second acquisition unit (12), a selection unit (13), and a display control unit (14). The first acquisition unit (11) acquires image data from each of the multiple cameras (40). The second acquisition unit (12) acquires notification information notifying the occurrence of a monitored event from a detection system (50) that detects the occurrence of a monitored event in the shooting range of each of the multiple cameras (40). The selection unit (13) selects one or more cameras (40) to be displayed as target cameras from the multiple cameras (40) based on the one or more pieces of notification information acquired by the second acquisition unit (12). The display control unit (14) causes the first display unit (31) to display images from the multiple cameras (40) based on image data from the multiple cameras (40) acquired by the first acquisition unit (11), and causes the second display unit (32) to display images from the target camera based on image data from the target camera selected by the selection unit (13). The display control unit (14) is capable of displaying images from two or more cameras (40) selected as target cameras by the selection unit (13) on the second display unit (32).

According to this aspect, images from two or more cameras (40) selected as target cameras by the selection unit (13) can be displayed on the second display unit (32), thereby reducing the possibility of missing images when a monitored event occurs.

In the video display system (1) of the second aspect, in the first aspect, the detection system (50) includes two or more subsystems (51-55) that each detect the occurrence of a monitored event in the shooting range of a display candidate camera, which is one of the multiple cameras (40). The selection unit (13) selects whether or not to set the display candidate camera as a target camera based on the detection results of the two or more subsystems (51-55).

According to this aspect, the selection unit (13) can reliably select, as a target camera, a display candidate camera in which a monitored event has occurred at a shooting location, based on the detection results of two or more subsystems (51 to 55).

In the third aspect of the video display system (1), in the first or second aspect, the display control unit (14) causes the second display unit (32) to display images of the target camera from a first time point to a second time point. The first time point is a time point that is a first time before the event occurrence time point when the occurrence of the monitored event is detected in the shooting range of the target camera, and the second time point is a time point that is a second time after the event occurrence time point.

According to this embodiment, the monitor monitoring the screen of the second display unit (32) can visually check images before and after the occurrence of the event.

In the fourth aspect of the video display system (1), in any of the first to third aspects, the display control unit (14) displays images from two or more cameras (40) selected by the selection unit (13) as target cameras in an order according to the priority set for each of the images from the two or more cameras (40). The priority is based on at least one of the installation locations of each of the two or more cameras (40), the type of monitored event notified by the notification information, and the duration of the monitored event.

This aspect reduces the possibility of overlooking images from a target camera with a high priority.

In the fifth aspect of the video display system (1), in any of the first to fourth aspects, the display control unit (14) displays the image from the target camera on the second display unit (32) in a display mode that corresponds to the type of monitored event notified by the notification information.

According to this aspect, images from the target camera can be displayed in an easy-to-view display format according to type.

In the sixth aspect of the video display system (1), in any of the first to fifth aspects, the display control unit (14) displays images from one or more related cameras related to the target camera among the multiple cameras (40) on the second display unit (32).

According to this aspect, the occurrence status of the monitored event can be grasped in more detail based on the images from one or more related cameras displayed on the second display unit (32).

The seventh aspect of the video display method includes a first acquisition process, a second acquisition process, a selection process, and a display control process. In the first acquisition process, image data is acquired from each of the multiple cameras (40). In the second acquisition process, notification information notifying the occurrence of a monitored event is acquired from a detection system (50) that detects the occurrence of a monitored event in the shooting range of each of the multiple cameras (40). In the selection process, one or more cameras (40) to be displayed are selected as target cameras from the multiple cameras (40) based on the one or more notification information acquired in the second acquisition process. In the display control process, images from the multiple cameras (40) acquired in the first acquisition process are displayed on the first display unit (31), and an image of the target camera selected in the selection process is displayed on the second display unit (32). In the display control process, images from two or more cameras (40) selected as target cameras in the selection process can be displayed on the second display unit (32).

According to this aspect, images from two or more cameras (40) selected as target cameras in the selection process can be displayed on the second display unit (32), thereby reducing the possibility of missing images when a monitored event occurs.

The program of the eighth aspect is a program for causing a computer system to execute the image display method of the seventh aspect.

This aspect reduces the possibility of missing images when a monitored event occurs.

Not limited to the above aspects, various configurations (including modified examples) of the image display system (1) according to the embodiment can be embodied as an image display method of the image display system (1), a (computer) program, or a non-transitory recording medium on which a program is recorded, etc.

The configurations according to the second to sixth aspects are not essential to the video display system (1) and may be omitted as appropriate.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Video display system 11 First acquisition unit 12 Second acquisition unit 13 Selection unit 14 Display control unit 31 First display unit 32 Second display unit 40 Camera 50 Detection system 51 Sensor system (subsystem)
52 Entrance/Exit Control System (Subsystem)
53 Image analysis system (subsystem)
54 Management system (subsystem)
55 Vehicle number verification system (subsystem)

Claims (7)

A first acquisition unit that acquires image data from each of the plurality of cameras;
a second acquisition unit that acquires notification information notifying the occurrence of an event of a monitoring target from a detection system that detects the occurrence of the event of the monitoring target in a shooting range of each of the plurality of cameras;
a selection unit that selects one or more cameras to be displayed as target cameras from the plurality of cameras based on the one or more pieces of notification information acquired by the second acquisition unit;
A display control unit,
The display control unit is
displaying images from the plurality of cameras on a first display unit based on the image data from the plurality of cameras acquired by the first acquisition unit;
an image of the target camera is displayed on a second display unit based on image data of the target camera selected by the selection unit;
the display control unit is capable of displaying images of two or more cameras selected as the target cameras by the selection unit on the second display unit,
The display control unit displays images of one or more associated cameras, which are associated with the target camera, among the plurality of cameras, on the second display unit;
the monitored event is a fire;
The one or more associated cameras are one or more cameras installed in one or more locations where the fire detected by the detection system is expected to spread,
Video display system. the detection system includes two or more subsystems each detecting an occurrence of an event of the monitoring target within a shooting range of a display candidate camera that is one of the plurality of cameras;
the selection unit selects whether or not to set the display candidate camera as the target camera based on detection results of the two or more subsystems.
2. The video display system according to claim 1. the display control unit causes the second display unit to display images of the target camera from a first time point to a second time point;
The first time point is a time point that is a first time before an event occurrence time point at which the occurrence of the monitored event is detected in the shooting range of the target camera,
The second time point is a second time point after the event occurrence time point.
3. The image display system according to claim 1 or 2. the display control unit displays the images of the two or more cameras selected by the selection unit as the target cameras in an order according to priorities set for the images of the two or more cameras,
The priority order is based on at least one of the installation locations of the two or more cameras, the type of the monitored event notified by the notification information, and the duration of the monitored event.
4. The image display system according to claim 1. The display control unit displays the image of the target camera on the second display unit in a display mode corresponding to the type of the event of the monitoring target notified by the notification information.
5. The image display system according to claim 1. a first acquisition process for acquiring image data from each of a plurality of cameras;
a second acquisition process for acquiring notification information notifying the occurrence of an event to be monitored from a detection system that detects the occurrence of the event to be monitored in a shooting range of each of the plurality of cameras;
a selection process of selecting, as a target camera, one or more cameras to be displayed from the plurality of cameras based on the one or more pieces of notification information acquired in the second acquisition process;
A display control process is also included.
In the display control process,
displaying the images captured by the plurality of cameras on a first display unit;
an image of the target camera selected in the selection process is displayed on a second display unit;
In the display control process, images of two or more cameras selected as the target cameras in the selection process can be displayed on the second display unit,
In the display control process, an image of one or more associated cameras related to the target camera among the plurality of cameras is displayed on the second display unit;
the monitored event is a fire;
The one or more associated cameras are one or more cameras installed in one or more locations where the fire detected by the detection system is expected to spread,
Image display method. In the computer system,
A method for executing the image display method according to claim 6.
Program.

Images