WO2010023734A1

WO2010023734A1 - Elevator monitoring device

Info

Publication number: WO2010023734A1
Application number: PCT/JP2008/065265
Authority: WO
Inventors: 黒田　慎一
Original assignee: 三菱電機株式会社
Priority date: 2008-08-27
Filing date: 2008-08-27
Publication date: 2010-03-04
Also published as: CN102066225B; JPWO2010023734A1; EP2316772A4; KR101256725B1; CN102066225A; EP2316772A1; EP2316772B1; JP5328794B2; KR20110016919A

Abstract

An elevator monitoring device (1000) is equipped with an encoding device (100). A digital image signal (4), which is an image of the interior of an elevator, etc. that is an image captured by a camera (140) and digitized by an A/D converter (101), is input from a frame buffer (102) to an encoder (103) of the encoding device (100). At the same time, elevator information (3), which is a digital signal that shows the operating status of the elevator, is input from an elevator control device (130) to the encoder (103). The encoder (103) encodes the digital image signal (4) as a bit stream according to an image encoding scheme, such as MPEG4, and encodes the elevator information (3) as a bit stream according to a specified elevator information encoding scheme. The encoder (103) generates encoded bit stream data that contains the digital image signal (4) bit stream and the elevator information (3) bit stream, and in which the digital image signal bit stream and the elevator information bit stream are correlated, and outputs same to a decoding device (110).

Description

Elevator monitoring device

The present invention relates to an elevator monitoring apparatus that displays an image of a camera that captures an interior of an elevator car and elevator information that indicates the operation status of the elevator in association with each other.

Conventional technology

(1) In Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-234676), the display controller unit combines an image of a camera installed in a car and an image of elevator information obtained from an elevator control panel. To do. Further, since the monitor is configured to display an image obtained by synthesizing the camera image and the elevator information, there is a problem that an area in which the elevator information is displayed is hidden in the in-car image. In addition, there is a problem that as the elevator information to be displayed increases, the area of the in-car image hidden in the elevator information increases, making it difficult to see.
(2) Also, in Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-351546), the means for storing the elevator state (the elevator state recording means 103) and the means for recording the image data (the image recording means 105) are separated from each other. It has become. For this reason, a clock device is required to associate the image data with the operation state of the elevator at the time when the image data is captured. Moreover, when displaying, it is necessary to display the driving | running state and image data of an elevator by using the date information output from a timepiece device as a key.
JP 2002-234676 A JP 2000-351546 A

An object of the present invention is to provide an elevator monitoring apparatus having a simple configuration that displays an image in a car and elevator information on a display device without overlaying the elevator information on the image in the car. Another object of the present invention is to provide an elevator monitoring device that does not require a means for associating image data with elevator information.

The elevator monitoring apparatus of the present invention is
A digital image signal indicating a real-time image inside the elevator car and elevator information which is a digital signal indicating a real-time operation state of the elevator are input, and the digital image signal is encoded as a bit string according to a predetermined image encoding rule. And encoding the elevator information as a bit string according to a predetermined elevator information encoding rule, including the bit string of the digital image signal and the bit string of the elevator information, and the bit string of the digital image signal and the elevator An encoding unit that generates encoded bit string data associated with the bit string of information is provided.

The encoding unit includes:
The encoded bit string data in which the bit string of the digital image signal and the bit string of the elevator information are associated with each other includes a region including the bit string of the digital image signal and a region including the bit string of the elevator information. The encoded bit string data is generated in which the area including the bit string of the digital image signal and the area including the bit string of the elevator information are continuous.

The elevator monitoring device further includes:
A storage unit for storing the encoded bit string data generated by the encoding unit;
The encoded bit string data stored in the storage unit is read, the bit string of the image digital signal included in the encoded bit string data is decoded according to an image decoding rule corresponding to the image encoding rule, and the code A decoding unit for decoding the bit string of the elevator information included in the encoded bit string data according to an elevator information decoding rule corresponding to the elevator information encoding rule;
A display unit that displays the image indicated by the bit string of the digital image signal decoded by the decoding unit and the operation status indicated by the bit string of the elevator information decoded by the decoding unit without overlaying; It is characterized by that.

The encoding unit includes:
As the predetermined image encoding rule, one of the image encoding rules of JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) and MPEG4 (Moving Picture Experts Group 4) is followed.

The encoding unit includes:
It has an encoding table in which the predetermined elevator information encoding rule is described, and the elevator information is encoded using the encoding table.

The elevator information is:
Including information indicating the position of the car, information indicating a moving direction of the car, information indicating a failure of the elevator, and information indicating opening / closing of the door of the car, To do.

According to the present invention, there is provided an elevator monitoring device that does not require dedicated means for displaying the image in the car and the elevator information without overlaying the elevator information on the image in the car and associating the image data with the elevator information. Can be provided.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 shows a configuration of an elevator monitoring apparatus 1000 according to the first embodiment. The elevator monitoring apparatus 1000 includes an encoding apparatus 100, a decoding apparatus 110, and a monitor 120 (display unit). The encoding device 100 inputs the elevator information 3 output from the elevator control device 130 and the analog image signal 2 output from the camera 140 installed in the elevator car, and includes “elevator information 3” described later. An image encoded bit string 5 "is generated. The decoding apparatus 110 decodes the “image encoded bit string 5 including the elevator information 3” generated by the encoding apparatus 100. The monitor 120 displays the decoded image decoded by the decoding device 110 and the content of the elevator information (elevator operation status). The camera 140 installed inside the car may be a digital camera that outputs a digital image signal. In that case, the A / D converter 101 may be omitted.

(Installation location)
The elevator control device 130 and the encoding device 100 are installed in an elevator machine room or a hoistway. The decoding device 110 and the monitor 120 are installed in a building management room. However, these installation locations are examples and are not limited.

(Device configuration)
As shown in FIG.
(1) The encoding apparatus 100 includes an A / D converter 101, a frame buffer 102, and an encoder 103. In addition, the encoder 103 includes an encoding table 1031. The A / D converter 101 converts the analog image signal 2 output from the camera 140 into a digital image signal 4. The frame buffer 102 is a frame buffer capable of buffering at least one frame of the screen. The encoder 103 performs the encoding process of the digital image signal 4 in the frame buffer 102 and the encoding process of the elevator information 3 to generate and output “image encoded bit string 5 including the elevator information 3”.
(2) The decoding device 110 includes a decoder 111 and a storage unit 112. In addition, the decoder 111 includes a decoding table 1111. The storage unit 112 accumulates the “image encoded bit string 5 including the elevator information 3” output from the encoding device 100. The decoder 111 decodes the “image encoded bit string 5 including the elevator information 3” accumulated in the storage unit 112 using the decoding table 1111.

In FIG. 1, the encoding device 100 and the decoding device 110 are separate devices. However, the encoding device 100 and the decoding device 110 may be realized as one device.

(Hardware configuration)
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the encoding device 100 and the decoding device 110 according to the first embodiment. The encoding device 100 and the decoding device 110 are both computers having hardware resources as shown in FIG. The following description of FIG. 2 will be made on the assumption that the encoding device 100 is used. The encoding device 100 may not have the display unit 813 and the operation key 814 when installed in the elevator machine room or the hoistway together with the elevator control device 130, but in the following description, the display unit 813, A case where the operation key 814 is provided will be described.

2, the encoding apparatus 100 includes a CPU 810 (Central Processing Unit) that executes a program. The CPU 810 is connected to a ROM (Read Only Memory) 811, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 812, a display unit 813, an operation key 814, a communication board 816, and a magnetic disk device 820 via a bus 825, and these hardware devices are connected. Control. A storage device such as a flash memory may be used instead of the magnetic disk device 820.

The RAM 812 is an example of a volatile memory. Storage media such as the ROM 811 and the magnetic disk device 820 are examples of nonvolatile memories. These are examples of a storage device or a storage unit, a storage unit, and a buffer. The communication board 816, the operation keys 814, and the like are examples of an input unit and an input device. The communication board 816, the display unit 813, and the like are examples of an output unit and an output device.

The magnetic disk device 820 stores an operating system 821 (OS), a program group 823, and a file group 824. The programs in the program group 823 are executed by the CPU 810 and the operating system 821.

The program group 823 stores programs that execute functions described as an encoder (encoding unit) and a decoder (decoding unit) in the description of the embodiments described below. The program is read and executed by the CPU 810. That is, the program causes the computer to function as an encoder (or decoder) described below.

In the file group 824, in the description of the embodiment described below, information described as “table”, “determination result”, “calculation result”, “extraction result”, “generation of” Information described as “result” and “processing result of”, data, signal values, variable values, parameters, and the like are stored as items of “˜file” and “˜database”. The “˜file” and “˜database” are stored in a recording medium such as a disk or a memory. Information, data, signal values, variable values, and parameters stored in a storage medium such as a disk or memory are read out to the main memory or cache memory by the CPU 810 via a read / write circuit, and extracted, searched, referenced, compared, and calculated. • Used for CPU operations such as calculation, processing, output, and display. Information, data, signal values, variable values, and parameters are temporarily stored in the main memory, cache memory, and buffer memory during the CPU operation of extraction, search, reference, comparison, calculation, calculation, processing, output, and display. Is done.

(Description of operation)
Next, the operation will be described with reference to FIG.

(Operation of Encoding Device 100)
The camera 140 installed in the elevator car outputs the taken analog image signal 2 in the elevator car to the A / D converter 101 of the encoding device 100 (S01). Further, the elevator control device 130 outputs “elevator information 3” to the encoder 103 of the encoding device 100 (S02). Here, the “elevator information 3” is a digital signal indicating a real-time driving situation of the elevator.
(1) Information indicating the car position,
(2) Information indicating the moving direction of the car,
(3) Information indicating an elevator failure,
(4) Information indicating opening and closing of the car door,
And the like. The information (signals) included in the “elevator information 3” can be freely set. However, in the following explanation, “(1) Information indicating the position of the car” to “(4) Indicates opening / closing of the car door. It is assumed that four pieces of “information” are included.

(Processing in encoding apparatus 100)
A real-time analog image signal 2 (real-time image) in the real-time cage is input to the A / D converter 101 (S01) and converted into a digital image signal 4. The converted digital image signal 4 is input to the frame buffer 102 and temporarily stored (S03). The encoder 103 executes the encoding process of the digital image signal 4 stored in the frame buffer 102 and the encoding process of the elevator information 3, and “image encoded bit string 5 including the elevator information 3” (encoding) An example of bit string data) is generated and output to the decoding device 110 (S04).

(When the encoder 103 conforms to JPEG)
The encoder 103 (encoding unit) is an encoder compliant with, for example, JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group). In the case of conforming to JPEG, the encoder 103 first performs “encoding processing according to JPEG” to perform “image encoding bit string 5” (elevator information 3 of the elevator information 3) from the digital image signal 4 stored in the frame buffer 102. Before the bit string is inserted).

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an image encoded bit string 5 that the encoder 103 creates in accordance with JPEG. As shown in FIG. 3, the image encoded bit string 5 generated in accordance with JPEG starts with a start marker 601, continues with a segment 602, image data 603, and ends with an end marker 604. Here, the image data 603 is a bit string obtained by digitally compressing the digital image signal 4 indicating the image in the car photographed by the camera 140. For example, one frame of an image in the car is inserted (recorded) in the area of the image data 603.

Also, the comment segment area 6020 is included in the segment 602. The comment segment area 6020 is an area that can be uniquely used by the user. The comment segment area 6020 is composed of a COM marker 6021, a segment length 6022 of the comment segment area (number of bytes of code added to the comment segment IV + 2), and a comment segment 6023.

(Encoding table 1031)
Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the encoder 103 includes an encoding table 1031 (an example of predetermined elevator information encoding) for encoding the elevator information 3. The encoder 103 performs an encoding process of the elevator information 3 using the encoding table 1031. That is, the encoder 103 uses the encoding table 1031 to
(1) Car position information,
(2) Movement direction,
(3) Elevator failure information,
(4) The door opening / closing information is encoded, and these encoded bit strings are inserted in this order into the comment segment 6023 of the generated image encoded bit string 5, and “image encoded bit string 5 including elevator information 3” is inserted. Generate. In this case, the elevator information 3 inserted as a bit string corresponds to the bit string of the image inserted in the area of the image data 603. That is, the elevator information 3 inserted into the comment segment 6023 is the elevator information 3 at the time when the image of the image data 603 is taken (at the same time as the shooting or the latest time). As shown in FIG. 3, since the segment 602 (the area including the bit string of the elevator information) and the image data 603 (the area including the bit string of the digital image signal) are continuous, the image in the car is converted into a bit string, The elevator information at the time of taking the image can be associated.
The “association” between the image in the car and the elevator information at the time of capturing the image can be defined by JPEG or MPEG4 syntax. In the first embodiment, as an example of the association, as described above, the continuous segment 602 (an area including a bit string of elevator information) and the image data 603 (an area including a bit string of a digital image signal) are associated. Continuation is an example, and other associations are possible based on JPEG or MPEG4 syntax.

(Example of inserting into a comment segment in JPEG)
Specific examples are shown below. Assume that the following encoded bit string is input as the elevator information 3.
(1) Car position information: Bottom floor of building (2) Car movement direction: UP
(3) Elevator failure information: Failure factor 1 and failure factor 3
(4) Car door opening / closing information: Door closed

In the above case, when an encoded bit string is obtained using the encoding table 1031 shown in FIG.
(1) Car position information: “0000 0000” (00 in hexadecimal),
(2) Movement direction: “0000 0000” (00 in hexadecimal),
(3) Elevator failure information: “0000 0101” (05 in hexadecimal),
(4) Door opening / closing information: “1111 1111” (FF in hexadecimal notation).
Therefore, (1) to (4) can be expressed as “0000 05FF” in hexadecimal notation.

Since the encoded bit string of the COM marker 6021 is “FFFE” (specified in JPEG), the elevator information 3 added to the comment segment area 6020 in this case is the comment segment area 6020 of FIG.

The encoder 103 transmits “the image encoded bit string 5 including the elevator information 3” to the decoding device 110 in the administrator room of the building via a LAN (Loor Area Network) or the like.

(Processing by the decoding device 110)
The decoding apparatus 110 receives the “image encoded bit string 5 including the elevator information 3” from the encoding apparatus 100 and stores it in the storage unit 112 (S05). The decoder 111 reads and decodes the “image encoded bit string 5 including the elevator information 3” stored in the storage unit 112 (S06). In this case, the decoder 111 outputs the decoded image 7 and the elevator information 8 (information after decoding of the elevator information 3) to the monitor 120 as a result of the decoding process. When the encoder 12 conforms to JPEG, the decoder 111 decodes a bit string of an image according to a standard conforming to JPEG (an example of “an image decoding rule corresponding to a predetermined image encoding rule”).

(Decryption of elevator information 3)
In this case, the decoder 111 generates the decoded image 7 by executing a decoding process in accordance with, for example, JPEG regulations. Further, the decoder 111 has a decoding table 1111 (an example of “elevator information decoding rule corresponding to a predetermined elevator information encoding rule”) that is the same as the encoding table 1031 shown in FIG. By referring to the decoding table 1111, the decoder 111 executes the decoding process of the encoded bit string of the elevator information 3 included in the comment segment 6023 among the “image encoded bit string 5 including the elevator information 3”, and the elevator 111 Information 8 (decoded elevator information) is output to the monitor 120. That is, in the case of the decoding process of the encoded bit string of the elevator information 3, the decoder 111
(1) Car position information,
(2) Movement direction,
(3) Elevator failure information,
(4) Decoding is performed using the decoding table 1111 of FIG. 4 in the order of door opening / closing information.

(Monitor operation)
The decoded image 7 and the elevator information 8 are output from the decoding device 110 to the monitor 120. FIG. 5 shows an example of a screen displayed on the monitor 120. As shown in FIG. 5, the decoded image 7 and the elevator information 8 are separately displayed on the screen of the monitor 120 without being overlaid. In FIG. 5, the display 201 indicates the floor, and the graphic 202 is
(1) Car position information: 1st floor (2) Movement direction: UP
(3) Three of the door closed states are shown.
The display 203 indicates that “failure factor 1” and “failure factor 3” have occurred as failure information. An image 204 shows the in-car image inside the current car. With such a display, the in-car image is not hidden by the display of the elevator information (elevator operation status), and is easy to see. Further, the decoder 111 only performs the decoding process of “the image encoded bit string 5 including the elevator information 3”, and does not require dedicated means for associating the image data with the elevator information. Elevator information 8 linked to the image 7 can be easily obtained. In this way, the decoded image 7 and the elevator information 8 linked to the decoded image 7 can be easily displayed with a simple configuration.

(When the encoder 103 conforms to MPEG4)
The encoder 103 may be compliant with, for example, MPEG4 (Moving Picture Experts Group4). FIG. 7 shows “image encoded bit string 5” created when the encoder 103 executes an encoding process in accordance with the MPEG4 standard (an example of a predetermined image encoding rule). “Image encoding bit string 5” in FIG. 7 shows (n−1) th image data 401 and (n) th image data 402. The (n-1) -th image data 401 is an image captured first. For example, the (n) th image data 402 includes header information 801 (an example of an area including a bit string of elevator information) and image data 802 (an example of an area including a bit string of a digital image signal). The header information 801 and the image data 802 are continuous areas. In the area of the image data 802, for example, one frame of the image in the car is inserted (recorded). Alternatively, a plurality of frames may be recorded in the area of the image data 802. The number of frames inserted into the area of the image data 802 depends on the implementation. As in the case of JPEG, the encoder 103 has an encoding table 1031 (an example of an elevator information encoding rule) shown in FIG. Then, the encoder 103 performs an encoding process on the inputted elevator information 3 by using the encoding table 1031. The encoder 103 stores the user data 8022 in the user data area 8020 existing in the already generated image encoded bit string 5 (FIG. 7).
(1) Car position information,
(2) Movement direction,
(3) Elevator failure information,
(4) Insert each encoded bit string in the order of door opening / closing information to create “image encoded bit string 5 including elevator information 3”. In this case, the encoded bit string of the elevator information 3 inserted in the area of user data 8022 corresponds to the bit string of the image inserted in the area of image data 802. That is, the elevator information 3 inserted into the user data 8022 is the elevator information 3 at the time when the image of the image data 802 is taken (at the same time as the shooting or the latest time). Similarly, the elevator information 3 inserted in the header information 701 is the elevator information 3 at the time when the image of the image data 702 is taken (at the same time as the shooting or the latest time).

FIG. 8 shows a specific example of “image encoded bit string 5 including elevator information 3” in the user data area 8020. The user data area 8020 is an area that is included in the header information 801 and can be used independently by the user. The user data area 8020 is configured to add user data 8022 following the user data start code 8021. As elevator information 3,
(1) Car position information: the lowest floor of the building,
(2) Movement direction: UP,
(3) Elevator failure information: failure factor 1 and failure factor 3,
(4) Door opening / closing information: Door closing is input,
Assume that In this case, since the encoded bit string of the user data start code is “000001B2” (defined in MPEG4), the user data area 8020 in this case is a signal as shown in FIG.

(Association between image information and elevator information)
FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the generation of “image coded bit string 5 including elevator information 3” by the encoder 103 in the sense of reconfirmation. The camera 140 continuously outputs to the A / D converter 101 an analog image signal 2 that is a current video signal (real-time image) taken in the car. The A / D converter 101 sequentially converts the analog image signal 2 output continuously into a digital image signal 4 and outputs the digital image signal 4 to the encoder 103. On the other hand, the elevator control device 130 continuously outputs the current elevator information 3 that is a digital signal to the encoder 103. The elevator information 3 is information (information indicating real-time driving status) indicating the current driving status of the elevator. FIG. 9 shows that information in the direction of the arrow is input to the encoder 103 first. As shown in FIG. 9, the analog image signal 2 is converted into a digital image signal 4 and input to the encoder 103. The encoder 103 converts the continuously input digital image signal 4 into an image encoded bit string 5 and inserts information obtained by converting the elevator information 3 into a bit string in a predetermined area of the image encoded bit string 5. . (N-1) 401 and (n) 402 in FIG. 9 indicate the image data 401 and the digital image signal 4 encoded as the image data 402 and the elevator information 3 in FIG. That is, in (n−1) 401, the digital image signal 4 and the elevator information 3 at substantially the same time are converted into a bit string. The (n) 402 as the next in-car image is the same as (n-1) 401. That is, as for the elevator information 3 and the analog image signal 2, current real-time information is continuously input to the encoding device 100. The conversion from the analog image signal 2 to the digital image signal 4 is instantaneous. Therefore, the encoder 103 converts the digital image signal 4 and the elevator information 3 into a bit string at the timing shown in FIG. 9, so that an image in the car is captured without requiring a special device ( Time) and the elevator information (that is, the operation status of the elevator) at that time can be associated with each other.

(Decoder in MPEG4)
In this case, the decoder 111 of the decoding device 110 conforms to MPEG4. In other words, the decoder 111 decodes the image encoded bit string in accordance with MPEG4 compliant rules (an example of “image decoding rule corresponding to a predetermined image encoding rule”). Similarly to the case of JPEG, the decoder 111 decodes the encoded bit string of the elevator information 3 using the decoding table 1111 (an example of “elevator information decoding rule corresponding to a predetermined elevator information encoding rule”). . As described above, the decoder 111 performs the decoding process of the image defined in MPEG4, and in addition to the output of the decoded image 7, the decoder 111 uses the encoding table 1031 to generate the “image encoded bit string 5 including the elevator information 3”. The encoded bit string of the elevator information 3 included in the user data 8022 is decoded, and the elevator information 8 is output to the monitor 120. The operation of the monitor 120 is the same as in the case of JPEG.

(Reproduction of past images)
A case where a past image is reproduced by the decoding device 110 will be described with reference to FIG. In the case of FIG. 10, the use of MPEG4 is assumed. 10, compared to FIG. 1, the encoding device 100 includes a clock unit 104 and the decoding device 110 includes a data extraction unit 113.

(Encoding device 100)
The clock unit 104 has a clock function for measuring the current date and time. The clock unit 104 outputs date / time information, which is a digital signal indicating the current date / time, to the encoder 103. For example, the clock unit 104 outputs, for example, “2007.11.17, 14:32:56” as the date / time information (showing 14:32:56 on November 17, 2007). When the date and time information is input from the clock unit 104, the encoder 103 inserts the date and time information when generating the above-described “image encoded bit string 5 including the elevator information 3”. For example, in the case of MPEG4, the encoder 103 inserts date information into header information such as header information 701 and header information 801 shown in FIG. Thus, the image data inserted into the image data 702 corresponds to the date information inserted into the header information 701, and the image data recorded in the image data 802 corresponds to the date information recorded in the header information 801. The encoder 103 outputs the “image encoded bit string 5 including the elevator information 3” (hereinafter also referred to as a bit string with date / time information) into which the date / time information is inserted to the decoding device 110.

(Decoding device 110)
In the decoding device 110, the storage unit 112 accumulates the bit string with date / time information output from the encoder 103. In this case, when the date and time is input to the data extraction unit 113, the data extraction unit 113 extracts and decodes a bit string with date and time information corresponding to the input date and time from the storage unit 112 using the input date and time as a key. Output to the instrument 111. When the decoder 111 receives the bit string with date / time information, as in the case of FIG. 1, the decoder 111 decodes the “image encoded bit string 5 including the elevator information 3” into which the date / time information is inserted and displays it on the monitor 120.

FIG. 11 shows a case where the decoded bit string with information is displayed on the monitor 120. As shown in FIG. 11, the date and time 205 when the image 204 was captured is displayed on the screen of the monitor 120 as “2007.11.17, 14:32”. As a result, the in-car image at the past time and the elevator information at the time when the in-car image was taken can be easily retrieved and displayed on the monitor 120.

As described above, in the elevator monitoring apparatus 1000, the encoder 103 generates the “image encoded bit string 5 including the elevator information 3”, so that the elevator information and the in-car image are displayed on the monitor 120 without overlaying. be able to.

In the elevator monitoring apparatus 1000, the encoder 103 associates the bit sequence of the digital image signal and the bit sequence of the elevator information to generate the “image encoded bit sequence 5 including the elevator information 3,” so that the image data and the elevator information are generated. No means for associating is required.

In the elevator monitoring apparatus 1000, the decoder 111 decodes “the image encoded bit string 5 including the elevator information 3” and displays it on the monitor 120, so that the elevator information and the in-car image can be displayed without overlaying.

In the elevator monitoring apparatus 1000, the encoder 103 and the decoder 111 follow either rule of JPEG or MPEG4, so that the apparatus can be realized with a simple configuration by using the existing rule.

In the elevator monitoring apparatus 1000, the encoder 103 encodes the elevator information using the encoding table 1031. Therefore, elevator information can be flexibly set by the encoding table 1031.

In the elevator monitoring apparatus 1000, the elevator information 3 is at least one of information indicating the position of the car, information indicating the moving direction of the car, information indicating an elevator failure, and information indicating opening and closing of the car door. Contains information. Therefore, these pieces of information important for elevator monitoring can be displayed on the monitor 120 without being overlaid with the in-car image.

As described above, in the elevator monitoring apparatus in which the camera 140 is installed in the elevator car and the image of the camera 140 is displayed while displaying the operation state of the elevator,
When the image captured by the camera 140 is digitized and then the digital image data is encoded using an image compression technique, information (elevator information) obtained from the elevator control panel is also encoded. An encoding device 100 that outputs an encoded bit string including elevator information and image data;
A decoding device for simultaneously decoding image data and elevator information from the encoded bit string;
The elevator monitoring apparatus provided with the indicator which displays the decoding image and elevator information which are a decoding result was demonstrated.

With the above configuration,
(1) By inserting an encoded bit string of elevator information into an area defined by the image compression technique and not affecting the image quality of the decoded image, the image data and the image data at the time when the image data was captured Corresponding to elevator information. This eliminates the need to overlay elevator information on the decoded image displayed on the display. Therefore, the building manager can check the overall condition of the car.
(2) By decoding one encoded bit string, image data and elevator information at the time when the image data is captured can be obtained simultaneously. This eliminates the need for dedicated means for associating the image data with the elevator information. Therefore, it is possible to easily display the image data and the elevator information at the time when the image data was captured with a simple configuration.

1 is a configuration diagram of an elevator monitoring apparatus 1000 according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 2 shows an exemplary hardware configuration of encoding apparatus 100 or decoding apparatus 110 according to Embodiment 1. An image encoded bit string 5 created in conformity with JPEG in the first embodiment. The encoding table 1031 in Embodiment 1. FIG. An example of a screen displayed on the monitor 120 in the first embodiment. A specific example of the comment segment area 6020 in the first embodiment. An image encoded bit string 5 created in conformity with MPEG4 in the first embodiment. A specific example of a user data area 8020 in the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining encoding of an image signal and elevator information in the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is another configuration diagram of the elevator monitoring apparatus 1000 according to the first embodiment. 6 is an example of a screen on which the monitor 120 according to Embodiment 1 displays the shooting date and time of a display image.

Explanation of symbols

2 analog image signal, 3 elevator information, 4 digital image signal, 5 image encoded bit string, 7 decoded image, 8 elevator information, 100 encoding device, 101 A / D converter, 102 frame buffer, 103 encoder, 104 clock Unit, 110 decoding device, 111 decoder, 112 storage unit, 113 data extraction unit, 120 monitor, 130 elevator control device, 140 camera, 1000 elevator monitoring device, 1031 encoding table, 1111, decoding table, 301 COM marker, 302 segment Length, 303 encoded elevator information, 401 (n-1) th image data, 402 (n) th image data, 501 user data start code, 502 encoded elevator information.

Claims

A digital image signal indicating a real-time image inside the elevator car and elevator information which is a digital signal indicating a real-time operation state of the elevator are input, and the digital image signal is encoded as a bit string according to a predetermined image encoding rule. And encoding the elevator information as a bit string according to a predetermined elevator information encoding rule, including the bit string of the digital image signal and the bit string of the elevator information, and the bit string of the digital image signal and the elevator An elevator monitoring apparatus comprising: an encoding unit that generates encoded bit string data associated with the bit string of information.
The encoding unit includes:
The encoded bit string data in which the bit string of the digital image signal and the bit string of the elevator information are associated with each other includes a region including the bit string of the digital image signal and a region including the bit string of the elevator information. 2. The elevator monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the encoded bit string data is generated such that an area including the bit string of the digital image signal and an area including the bit string of the elevator information are continuous.
The elevator monitoring device further includes:
A storage unit for storing the encoded bit string data generated by the encoding unit;
The encoded bit string data stored in the storage unit is read, the bit string of the image digital signal included in the encoded bit string data is decoded according to an image decoding rule corresponding to the image encoding rule, and the code A decoding unit for decoding the bit string of the elevator information included in the encoded bit string data according to an elevator information decoding rule corresponding to the elevator information encoding rule;
A display unit that displays the image indicated by the bit string of the digital image signal decoded by the decoding unit and the operation status indicated by the bit string of the elevator information decoded by the decoding unit without overlaying; The elevator monitoring apparatus according to any one of claims 1 and 2.
The encoding unit includes:
The elevator monitoring apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined image encoding rule conforms to any one of the image encoding rules of JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) and MPEG4 (Moving Picture Experts Group 4).
The encoding unit includes:
The elevator monitoring apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising: an encoding table in which the predetermined elevator information encoding rule is described, and encoding the elevator information using the encoding table.
The elevator information is:
Including information indicating the position of the car, information indicating a moving direction of the car, information indicating a failure of the elevator, and information indicating opening / closing of the door of the car, The elevator monitoring apparatus according to any one of claims 4 and 5.