JPH11242791A - Collapse predicting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To exactly and instantaneously judge change of an object without directly performing mounting operation to the object whose collapse is concerned. SOLUTION: The change of image data in back and forth from a digital camera device 1 is monitored and the collapse of the object A is predicted by a monitoring and control means 25. Since electric signals are successively outputted from the digital camera device 1, prediction of the collapse of the object A is promptly judged if the change of the image data is monitored by the monitoring and control means 25. In addition, since the change of the object A is directly and visually grasped, the prediction of the collapse is exactly judged in comparison with the conventional device to observe change of temperature of the object A.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a collapse prediction device for predicting a collapse of an object such as a bedrock or a snow surface in advance.

[0002]

In general, this type of fall prediction device is extremely useful for detecting disasters such as landslides and avalanches in advance, and is conventionally applied to rocks and snow surfaces where there is concern about collapse. Install an inclinometer on the object and measure the amount of fluctuation directly, or install a wire sensor on the object and detect if the wire cuts or expands or contracts due to the movement of the object Those that emit a warning sound were known.

[0003] However, such measuring means such as an inclinometer and a wire sensor must be directly installed on the object, which involves a danger in the operation. In addition, in order to collect data from such measuring means, a wireless or wired communication means, a driving battery, and the like must also be provided in the measuring means, which poses a problem that the installation work becomes more troublesome. Was.

In order to cope with such a problem, the surface temperature of the object is photographed at predetermined time intervals by a camera having sensitivity in the wavelength region of infrared rays, and a change in the temperature of the object is captured by comparing the photographed results. Apparatus for estimating the presence or absence of exfoliation of building exterior wall tiles (exfoliated tiles receive heat from the building itself, but are insulated by the air in the exfoliated parts, making them more susceptible to outside temperature) Is also known. However, when such a device is applied to a collapse prediction device, the effect of direct sunlight is generally greater than the change in outside air temperature. It is difficult to determine whether this is due to the influence of direct sunlight or the effect of peeling. Therefore, it is unsuitable for a bedrock having many irregularities where shadows tend to appear due to direct sunlight, a bedrock where trees tend to cast shadows, and the like.

[0005] In addition, the mass of the bedrock is orders of magnitude greater than that of building tiles, and its heat capacity is also orders of magnitude larger. In other words, even if the surface temperature changes due to a change in the outside air temperature, the temperature inside the bedrock hardly changes even if a crack is formed at the back.

Further, no matter how short the photographing time of the object is, it is impossible to immediately judge the change of the object, so that the collapse of the object can be predicted accurately and promptly. Did not.

[0007] In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a collapse method capable of accurately and immediately judging a change in an object without directly installing the object on which the collapse is likely. It is an object to provide a prediction device.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, a fall prediction apparatus according to the present invention captures an optical image of an object from a remote position, converts the optical image into an electric signal, and continuously outputs the electric signal. Means, image processing means for processing an electric signal output from the imaging means as image data, and monitoring control means for monitoring changes in the image data output from the image processing means.

According to the above configuration, the imaging means does not need to be directly installed on the object, and can be easily installed at a position distant from the object. In addition, since the electric signal corresponding to the optical image of the object is continuously output from the imaging means, the electric signal is subjected to image processing by the image processing means, and the change of the image data is monitored by the monitoring control means. Then, it is possible to quickly judge the collapse prediction of the object. In addition, since the change of the object is directly visually captured, the prediction of the collapse can be more accurately determined as compared with the conventional method of observing the temperature change of the object. Therefore, it is possible to accurately and immediately judge a change in the target object without directly performing the installation work on the target object that is likely to collapse.

[0010]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 showing the overall configuration of the device
In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a digital camera device as an image pickup means which is installed and fixed at a position distant from an object A such as a bedrock or a snow surface, and has a telephoto lens 2 mounted on the front surface thereof. The digital camera device 1 converts an optical image of the object A into a telephoto lens 2.
It is fetched from the side, converted into an electric signal (analog signal) by an image pickup device such as a built-in CCD device and continuously output, and this electric signal is further converted into a digital signal required for the digital camera device 1. . The digital camera device 1 is provided on a tripod 3 whose height is adjustable so that the digital camera device 1 can be installed at an arbitrary place. Reference numeral 4 denotes a power cord with a plug for supplying a predetermined power supply voltage to the digital camera device 1.

Reference numeral 5 denotes a personal computer (hereinafter simply referred to as a personal computer) electrically connected to the digital camera device 1 by a control code 6. As is well known, the personal computer 5 includes a main body 7 having a microprocessor such as a CPU and an input / output device such as a modem,
The display unit 8 includes an RT display unit 8 and an operation unit 9 including a plurality of key switches. The personal computer 5 has a function as image processing means 10 for performing arithmetic processing on digitized electric signals (bitmap data) output from the digital camera device 1 as image data. The image data in the map file format is sent to the communication line 12 via the router 11. The personal computer 5 and the router 11 are provided with power cords 13 and 14 with plugs for supplying power, similarly to the digital camera device 1. Therefore, each of these devices 1, 5, 11
Is preferably installed in a room around the object A having an outlet (not shown).

Reference numeral 21 denotes a personal computer provided at a position distant from the object A. Like the personal computer 5, the personal computer 21 includes a main body 22 having a microprocessor and input / output devices, a display unit 23 including a CRT, and an operation unit 24 including a plurality of key switches.
In order to receive the image data sent from the personal computer 5 from the personal computer 12, it is connected to the communication line 12 via the router 26. The personal computer 21 has a function as monitoring control means 25 for extracting the bitmap file format image data output from the personal computer 5 and monitoring the movement of the object A from changes in the image data before and after the time. ing. In addition, the result of monitoring the object A is output from the printer 27 as a print output unit at any time in response to a command input from the operation unit 24. In addition, an alarm 28 is connected to the personal computer 21, and when the object A is predicted to collapse based on the monitoring result of the personal computer 21, the alarm 28 notifies the danger.

When the image data showing some change is obtained by comparing the image data before and after the image data, the monitor control means 25 can manually input the data from the operation unit, for example, the personal computer of the measuring device 15. 5 is provided with remote management means for instructing sending of image data again. With this, when the image data obtained this time is different from the previous image data, it is determined whether the error is due to some error in the apparatus or whether the object A is actually changed. The image data sent again from the personal computer 5 of the measuring device 15 makes it possible to make a judgment without error.

When the transmitted image data is analyzed by the remote management means, if the rock, which is the object A, shows a change larger than a normal change, a predetermined time, for example, one day a day, The setting of the measuring device 15 can be changed from the personal computer 21 so that the transfer interval of the image data every time is shortened once every hour. In this way, when a large change occurs in the object A, it is possible to perform a detailed analysis by shortening the monitoring time of the image data. In short, the remote management means remotely controls all functions of the measuring device 15 from the personal computer 21 side, and may use not only the monitoring control device 25 but also a router 26 or a modem.

The personal computer 21 also has a function as central management means 29 for centrally managing the image data in the bitmap file format from each measuring device 15. In this case, it is preferable to connect another measuring device 15 ′ to the common communication line 12 corresponding to different objects A ′. In this embodiment, two measuring devices 15 and 15 ′ are shown, but three or more measuring devices may be connected to the communication line 12. In this way, it is possible to centrally manage the collapse prediction for the plurality of objects A and A 'with one personal computer 21.

The personal computer 21 has the measuring devices 15, 1
5 'is provided with an operation monitoring means 30 for monitoring the operation state of the personal computer 5 through the communication line 12 and an image processing means 10 similar to the personal computer 5. When the output is output, the operation monitoring means 30 detects this, and immediately the arithmetic processing of the electric signal by the image processing means 10 is performed on the personal computer 21 side. As described above, the plurality of control processing devices, that is, the personal computers 5 and 21 include the image processing unit 10 and the monitoring control unit 25,
If any PC 5 goes into an abnormal state, another PC
If the configuration is such that the function of the personal computer 5 in which the abnormality has occurred is taken over, it is possible to eliminate the possibility that the entire apparatus becomes inoperable due to the abnormality of the specific personal computer 5. In addition, 31, 32, 33
Is a power cord with a plug for power supply connected to the personal computer 21, the router 26 and the printer 27, respectively. Also, a personal computer 21, a router 26, a printer 27 and an alarm 28
Are installed in a center 35 at a position apart from the measuring devices 15 and 15 '. The reason we used router 26 here
Even when there are a plurality of measurement devices 15, 15 ', the data is transmitted to the personal computer 21 completely at the same time, and a specific Internet protocol (TCP / IP) is used here.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When installing the measuring device 15 in step S1, first, the digital camera device 1 is installed at a position distant from the object A toward the object A in which collapse is likely. In this case, unlike the conventional inclinometer or wire sensor, the digital camera device 1 does not need to be directly installed on the object A, and can be easily constructed. Thereafter, various adjustments such as focus, zoom, and exposure of the digital camera device 1 are performed as necessary so that the optical image of the object A is optimally captured.

Next, the personal computer 5 is started up, and the electric signal from the digital camera device 1 is continuously taken in. The personal computer 5 performs an arithmetic process on the electric signal taken in from the digital camera device 1 by the image processing program (image processing means 10) owned by the personal computer 5, and sends out the image data to the communication line 12 (step S2). In this case, if the specific Internet protocol described above is used, communication is started from each of the measuring devices 15, 15 'at a designated time (for example, every day at noon) based on an image data capture command from the personal computer 21 of the center 35. It becomes possible to do.

On the other hand, the personal computer 21 of the center 35 takes in the latest image data sent from the measuring devices 15 and 15 ′, performs pattern recognition on the image data by the monitoring control means 25, and Measuring device 15, 1
Centrally manage image data for each 5 '. Further, the monitoring control means 25 compares, for each of the measuring devices 15, 15 ', the immediately preceding image data previously captured and stored with the latest image data subsequently captured (step S15). S3). At this time, if a motion is recognized in the subsequent image data based on the previous image data, the monitoring control unit 25 determines that the collapse of the object A or the object A ′ is predicted, and Perform a danger notification by using
4). Conversely, if no motion is recognized in the subsequent image data, the process returns to step S2 to fetch the next image data. If any change is recognized in the captured image data, the image data may be transferred to the personal computer 21 again by manual input from the operation unit 24 using the remote management unit of the monitoring control unit 25. Good. In this way, it is determined whether or not the object A is actually fluctuating.
We can judge without error. Such fluctuations in image data are accumulated for each of the measuring devices 15 and 15 ', and can be output from the printer 27 as needed.

As described above, the collapse prediction device according to the present embodiment includes the digital camera device 1 serving as an imaging unit that captures an optical image of the object A from a remote position, converts it into an electric signal, and continuously outputs the electric signal. The digital camera device 1 includes an image processing unit 10 that processes an electric signal output from the digital camera device 1 as image data, and a monitoring control unit 25 that monitors changes in image data output from the image processing unit 10.
In this case, the digital camera device 1 does not need to be directly installed on the object A, and can be easily installed at a position distant from the object A. In addition, the digital camera device 1
Output an electric signal corresponding to the optical image of the object A continuously,
If the image processing is performed in step 10 and the change in the image data is monitored by the monitoring control means 25, it is possible to quickly judge whether the object A has collapsed. In addition, since the change in the object A is directly and visually captured, it is possible to more accurately judge the collapse prediction as compared with the conventional method of observing the temperature change of the object A. Therefore,
Even if the installation work is not performed directly on the object A where the collapse is a concern, it is possible to judge the change of the object A accurately and immediately.

In addition, as an effect in the embodiment, in this embodiment, a plurality of measuring devices 15 and 15 'equipped with the digital camera device 1 and the image processing means 10, a monitoring control means 25 and each measuring device 15, 15'. Is connected via a communication line 12 to a center 35 provided with a centralized control means 29 for centrally controlling image data from the image data from the measuring devices 15 and 15 'while being centrally controlled by the centralized control means 29. , A plurality of objects A,
The prediction of the collapse of A 'can be monitored by the monitoring control means 25 on the center 35 side.

Although not shown here, a plurality of personal computers 21 may be installed in a common center 35, and the personal computers 21 may be connected by a LAN (local area network). By installing a plurality of personal computers 21 for centrally managing the entire apparatus using a LAN,
For example, even if the normally operating personal computer 21 stops due to a failure, it is possible to switch to the spare personal computer 21 ', and the reliability of the entire apparatus is greatly improved. The spare personal computer 21 'can usually be effectively used as another function (for example, a word processor function).

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but can be modified within the scope of the invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, one digital camera device 1 is installed on the object A to perform the collapse prediction, but the two objects are used to convert the object A into a three-dimensional image. The monitoring may be performed on a regular basis. Also, the measuring device 15
When the personal computer 21 is one-to-one, a general modem can be used in place of the router 26.

[0024]

The collapse predicting apparatus according to the present invention has an image pickup means for taking an optical image of an object from a distant position, converting the optical image into an electric signal and continuously outputting the electric signal, and an electric signal output from the image pickup means. As image data, and monitoring control means for monitoring changes in image data output from the image processing means. Without performing the above, it is possible to provide a fall prediction device capable of accurately and immediately determining a change in the object.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an apparatus showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Digital camera device (imaging means) 10 Image processing means 25 Monitoring control means A, A 'Object

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An image pickup means for taking an optical image of an object from a remote position, converting the optical image into an electric signal, and continuously outputting the electric signal, and an image processing for processing the electric signal output from the image pickup means as image data. And a monitoring control means for monitoring a change in image data output from the image processing means.