JP5276353B2 - Monitoring system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform effective monitoring in a monitor system for monitoring images picked up by cameras by monitors. <P>SOLUTION: The monitor system includes: a plurality of cameras 1 for picking up images: and terminal apparatuses 2 of a plurality of monitors for accessing the images picked up by the cameras. A detection means 22 detects information concerned with the number of accesses about a camera or an image picked up by the camera from the terminal apparatuses, presentation means 2, 22 present information concerned with the camera or the image to the monitors through the terminal apparatuses in a mode corresponding to the number of accesses from the terminal apparatuses based on the detected information, a receiving means receives an instruction of processing corresponding to monitor's operation through the terminal apparatus, and execution means 22, 23 execute processing concerned with the received instruction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a video (image) monitoring system, and more particularly to an open type monitoring system that enables effective monitoring.

With the progress of digitalization of cameras, a monitoring system is generally used in which video is transmitted via a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) and a specific monitor monitors the video aggregated in a monitoring center.
However, there is no monitoring system in which an unspecified number of users monitor camera video via the Internet and in some cases report. In addition, the video of the WEB camera released on the Internet is mainly for video browsing, and there are no examples used for monitoring or for reporting purposes.

As for image recording, there is a system that centrally stores and distributes video data at the center, but dynamically manages storage / distribution servers arranged in a distributed manner, and records multiple images according to importance. There is no system to share with other storage / distribution servers.
In addition, there are systems that display links to WEB pages in the order determined by the number of accesses and bids by major search engines, etc., but WEB cameras and recorded images with a large number of accesses are important in searching for WEB camera images. There is no monitoring system that can be used as a high monitoring point or recorded image as an aid to monitoring work or search work.

JP 2003-317168 A JP 2003-188800 A JP 2002-77882 A JP-A-11-331815 JP 2002-101407 A

  Conventionally, in a large-scale monitoring system that uses a network as a transmission path and has a very large number of cameras, the monitoring time for the camera image per unit decreases as the number of cameras increases. There was a concern that monitoring work would be neglected. As the number of cameras increases, if an accident or incident occurs on a surveillance camera, which camera is important, which camera's video is monitored, and which camera's recorded image is referred to It took time to judge whether it was okay.

In addition, since the video of each camera is independent of each other without distinction as to which video is important, even if a video to be referred to is found, an image of an important video (eg, The only thing to look for was to monitor the images provided to the police).
In addition, the conventional centralized monitoring system has a problem that the load on the network increases because it is necessary to install a large-capacity image recording apparatus in the equipment of the monitoring center.

  The present invention has been made in view of such conventional circumstances. For example, an object of the present invention is to provide a monitoring system capable of performing effective monitoring in monitoring of an open-type video (image). And

In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, a monitoring system for monitoring an image (video) taken by a camera by a supervisor has the following configuration.
That is, a plurality of cameras that capture images and a plurality of terminal devices of a plurality of supervisors that can access the images captured by the cameras are provided.
And a detection means detects the information regarding the number of accesses from the said terminal device about the image imaged with the said camera or the said camera. Based on the information detected by the detecting means, the presenting means monitors the information related to the camera or an image captured by the camera by the terminal device in a manner corresponding to the number of accesses from the terminal device. Present to the person. An accepting unit accepts an instruction of processing according to an operation by the monitor by the terminal device. The executing means executes processing related to the instruction received by the receiving means.

  Accordingly, since information related to the camera or image is presented to the monitor in a manner corresponding to the number of accesses from the terminal device, the monitor can easily grasp the access status. The user can instruct various types of processing as a reference by looking at the contents presented. For example, it is possible to perform effective monitoring in monitoring an open type video (image).

Here, various cameras may be used, and for example, a WEB camera can be used.
Various terminal devices may be used. For example, a personal computer (PC) may be used.
Moreover, various persons may be used as the supervisor (person), and for example, an unspecified number of persons can be used. Alternatively, when there are secret matters, it is possible to limit only a limited number of people to the supervisor.
In addition, as the number of the plurality of cameras and the number of the plurality of terminal devices (the number of the monitoring devices if each monitoring device is one), various numbers may be used respectively. For example, a large number is preferable.
In addition, for example, the plurality of cameras are installed in different places to be monitored. Note that two or more cameras may be installed on one monitoring target at different angles.

Moreover, as an image captured by the camera, for example, a real-time image (live image) may be used, or a past image (recorded image) recorded (stored) in a memory or the like may be used. Good.
In addition, among the many images, those that are highly important (for example, those that have a large number of accesses), those that are marked, those that show a face image, etc. are extracted. A configuration may be used in which the steps are provided and an image corresponding to each step is recorded in the memory.

In addition, various modes may be used for accessing an image. For example, a mode in which access is made when an image is viewed can be used.
As an example, the management server can provide an image to the terminal device via the network, and the management server can detect the status (for example, the number) of access to each image from the terminal device. Various networks may be used, for example, the Internet.

Various types of information regarding the number of accesses from the terminal device may be used. For example, information on the number of accesses itself or information on a ratio to the total number of accesses may be used. it can.
Various pieces of information relating to the camera or the image (captured by the camera) may be used. For example, as information about the camera, information such as a predetermined icon arranged at the camera installation position on the map, the name and identification number of the camera, the monitoring target, and the installation position can be used. As information about the image, information such as the image itself, the name and identification number of the image, the monitoring target, the imaging time, the installation position of the camera, and the like can be used.

In addition, various methods may be used as a method of presenting in a manner corresponding to the number of accesses from the terminal device. For example, a method of displaying a graph or numerical value indicating the number of accesses on a map, A method of displaying the number of accesses in time series, with the axis as the time and the vertical axis as the number of accesses, and a method of displaying a list in order from the largest number of accesses or from the least number of accesses. Alternatively, a method of extracting and displaying only those that satisfy a predetermined condition (for example, a condition such as a predetermined threshold value or more) can be used.
Moreover, as a presentation, the structure displayed visually on the screen which a terminal device has can be used, for example.

Various operations by the supervisor may be used. For example, an operation accepted by a keyboard or a mouse included in the terminal device may be used.
Various processes may be used according to the operation by the supervisor, such as an image browsing process, an image search process, a camera or an image input process, Camera / image designation (selection) processing, image verification processing, image marking processing, notification processing to the management side when an abnormality is found in the image, image storage processing, etc. Alternatively, an image deletion process can be used.

In addition, for the camera or image with a large number of accesses from the terminal device, the camera or image with a small number of accesses from the terminal device, or the camera or image with the number of accesses from the terminal device is zero, the supervisor's attention It is also possible to provide a means for presenting information that evokes the information to the monitor by the terminal device. It should be noted that whether the number of accesses is large or small can be determined by, for example, a magnitude relationship with a predetermined threshold.
Here, for each means provided in the monitoring system, for example, a configuration in which one means is provided in one apparatus may be used, and one means is provided in a distributed manner in a plurality of different apparatuses. A configuration may be used.

  As described above, according to the monitoring system of the present invention, for example, it is possible to perform effective monitoring in monitoring an open type video (image).

Embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of an open type monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention as a system system diagram showing the entire system.
The open type monitoring system of this example includes a plurality of WEB cameras 1, a monitoring terminal 2 of a plurality of monitoring contractors, an Internet service provider (ISP) 3, a service provider (its system) 4, a police agency or A fire department (its system) 5 and the Internet 6 are provided.

The ISP 11 includes a router 11 that connects the ISP 3 and the Internet 6, a primary recording storage / distribution server 12, a secondary recording storage / distribution server 13, and a tertiary recording storage / distribution server 14. The router 11 is connected to the WEB camera 1 and the monitoring terminal 2 via the Internet or the like.
The service provider 4 includes a router 21 for connecting the service provider 4 and the Internet 6, a management server 22, and an image search / collation server 23.
The National Police Agency or Fire Department 5 includes a router 31 for connecting the National Police Agency or Fire Department 5 and the Internet 6 and a server 32 of the National Police Agency or Fire Department 5.

The WEB camera 1 is a monitoring camera that captures a monitoring image, and has latitude and longitude information according to the installation position, and this information is managed by the management server 22 as a camera ID.
The monitoring contractor concludes a monitoring contract for the service with the ISP, and exchanges information on the service using the monitoring terminal 2 composed of a personal computer (terminal PC), for example.

The ISP 3 serves as an intermediary between the monitoring contractor and the service provider 4.
The router 11 is a network switch for connecting to the Internet 6.
The primary recording storage / distribution server 12 is an image recording apparatus having a recording capacity for storing all WEB camera images collected by a provider at one frame per second and 24 hours continuous recording for one week.
The secondary recording storage / distribution server 13 selects and records only images (important images) with a large number of accesses to the primary recording images, or only the recording images of the corresponding cameras at the time of an incident, accident or disaster. Device.
The tertiary recording storage / distribution server 14 has a function of automatically extracting only the face image from the secondary recording image, and the face image and the monitoring contractor mark the important part in the secondary recording image. This is an image recording apparatus that records only a still image such as a place where the operation is performed.

The service provider 4 is a company that manages and organizes the service.
The router 21 is a network switch for connecting to the Internet 6.
The management server 22 publishes a WEB page for providing the service information to the monitoring contractor (the monitoring terminal 2), and has a database for managing camera position information, map information, incidents, accidents, disaster information, and the like. doing.
The image search / collation server 23 collates with tertiary recorded images such as faces extracted from important images based on images of incidents, accidents, disasters, etc. provided by the National Police Agency or the Fire and Disaster Management Agency 5. It has a function to search for the presence or absence of images to be performed.

The router 31 of the National Police Agency or the Fire Department 5 is a network switch for connecting to the Internet 6.
The server 32 of the National Police Agency or the Fire Department 5 manages information on incidents, accidents, and disasters together with IDs, and notifies the management server 22 of this information when an incident, accident, or disaster occurs.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a hierarchical image related to image recording. In FIG. 2, the same parts as those shown in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals.
Specifically, the WEB camera 1, the ISP 3, the primary recording storage / distribution server 12, the secondary recording storage / distribution server 13, the tertiary recording storage / distribution server 14, and the service provider 4 , An image search / collation server 23, and another ISP 41, a storage / distribution server 51 for primary recording of the other ISP 41, a storage / distribution server 52 for secondary recording of the other ISP 41, The storage / distribution server 53 for tertiary recording of the other ISP 41 is shown.
In addition, the important image data transmission a1, the important image data transmission and the marked still image data transmission a2, the face image and the marked still image data transmission a3, and the important images are transmitted. The image data transmission a4 with a particularly large number of accesses is shown.

  In this example, the recorded image from the camera is once stored in the primary recording storage / distribution server 12 that performs continuous recording, and the primary recording storage / distribution server 12 starts from the recorded image (primary recording image) from the monitoring contractor. Only the recorded images at the location where there are many reproduction requests (the number of accesses is large) are extracted and transferred to the secondary recording storage / distribution server 13 as important images.

The secondary recording storage / distribution server 13 transfers a still image obtained by extracting only the image portion marked by the monitoring contractor to the tertiary recording storage / distribution server 14 and also provides an important image with many reproduction requests. Also, the recorded images before and after the incident, accident and disaster occurrence time are extracted from the primary recorded images and recorded. Further, among the important images, an image that is particularly requested to be reproduced is transferred to the secondary recording storage / distribution server 52 of another provider (ISP 41).
The images (secondary recorded images) recorded in the secondary recording storage / distribution server 13 are deleted in order from the ones with low importance (for example, images that are not accessed for a certain period of time or images whose access count is extremely reduced). Assumed to be performed.

The tertiary recording storage / distribution server 14 records the marked image portion, and automatically extracts only the face image from the important image and records the face image. The extracted face image and marking image, which are stored images (tertiary recorded images), are transferred to the image search / collation server 23 of the service provider 4 and provided from the National Police Agency or the Fire Department 5 at the server 23. If there is a video corresponding to the criminal or the disaster scene, it is checked against the image and comment information added to the image (for example, information such as the camera position and time, comments written by the monitoring contractor) or the National Police Agency or Notify Fire Department 5
In this example, the recording is performed in a hierarchical manner in this way, so that important images are collected in the service provider 4.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the WEB screen of this service for the monitoring contractor (the monitoring terminal 2).
In the WEB screen 61 of this service in this example, a camera video display area 71, a map display area 72, a live video or recorded video access count display area 73, camera information, comment display / input, and search operation In addition, an area 74 for reporting operations and a display area 75 for incidents, accidents, and disaster information are provided.

FIG. 4 shows an example of an image of the map display area 72.
In the map display area 72 of this example, there are a map 81 (a map is shown), a bar graph 82 showing the current number of accesses to each WEB camera 1, and a camera icon arranged on the map. There are one 91 representing the WEB camera 1 with a small number of accesses, 92 representing a WEB camera 1 arranged on the map with a slightly larger number of accesses, and a camera icon arranged on the map. Then, a display 93 representing the WEB camera 1 having a very large number of accesses is displayed.

  Here, the degree of the number of accesses to the camera (in this example, small, slightly large, or very large) is, for example, a threshold that is a boundary between the number of accesses to the camera and a predetermined threshold (for example, a small number is a little large number). It is determined by a magnitude relationship with a threshold value that is a boundary between a very large amount and a very large amount.

In this example, the camera icons 91 to 93 also have a camera selection function by the monitoring contractor.
The monitoring contractor can visually grasp the number of accesses, and at the same time, can search for a camera with a small number of accesses and browse the video.
A camera with a large number of accesses has a disadvantage that the update speed of an image frame becomes slow when a large number of monitoring contractors are connected because the distribution capability of the camera is limited. Therefore, a camera with a small number of accesses using this screen 61 It is very effective for the monitoring contractor and the network load to perform monitoring by preferentially selecting.

FIG. 5 shows an example of an image of the live video access count display area 73.
In the access number display area 73 of this example, there is a screen 101 for selecting live video and recorded video.
When the live video tab is selected and the WEB camera 1 is selected, a screen 102 displaying the number of accesses from the past to the present of the selected camera as a bar graph is displayed. The horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the number of accesses.
When the live video tab is selected and the WEB camera 1 is not selected (when no camera is selected), a screen 103 displaying a list of information about each WEB camera 1 in the order of the number of accesses of the camera is displayed. Is done. A camera selection button 104 is arranged at the left end in the screen.

The monitoring contractor can designate a range in which the past video is desired to be reproduced and displayed on the display screen 102 of the number of accesses from the past to the present of the selected camera. I do.
Further, the monitoring contractor can press the camera selection button 104 from the screen 103 displayed in the order of the number of accesses, whereby the system transits to the screen of the selected camera. In addition, in the camera list display screen 103 in the descending order of the number of accesses, together with the number of accesses, the monitoring target, events such as incidents, accidents and disasters, presence / absence of important images, etc. are displayed together. Is done. These pieces of information are provided from the management server 22.

FIG. 6 shows an example of an image of the recorded video access count display area 73.
In the access number display area 73 of this example, there is a screen 111 (the same as the screen 101 shown in FIG. 5) for selecting live video and recorded video.
When the recorded video tab is selected and the WEB camera 1 is selected, a screen 112 is displayed that represents the number of accesses of reproduction requests from the past to the present with respect to the recorded video of the selected camera as a bar graph. The horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the number of accesses.
When the recorded video tab is selected and the WEB camera 1 is not selected (when no camera is selected), a screen 113 displaying a list of information on each WEB camera 1 in the order of the number of playback accesses of the recorded video is displayed. Is done. A playback selection button 114 is arranged at the left end in the screen.
For example, on the screen 112, there is a comment input screen 115 for registering a predetermined image as an important image.

  On the playback request access count display screen 112 from the past to the present, the monitoring contractor can perform operations such as manually playing, fast-forwarding, rewinding, etc., operating the VTR, and at the same time specifying the time, The system can perform time search reproduction. Also, in this screen 112, the monitoring contractor can cause the system to perform reproduction by designating the reproduction range with a cursor.

Also, on this screen 112, the monitoring contractor can designate a range and register a recorded image in the designated range as an important image. When the designated range of the image is registered, a comment input screen 115 is displayed. In this example, the monitoring contractor needs to write a comment about what the image is. On the screen 112, a playback point line is displayed in the graph during playback display, indicating which point is currently being played back.
However, on the comment input screen 115 of this example, the latitude, longitude, address, and monitoring target items are automatically described by the system. When this image is associated with an incident, accident, or disaster, the monitoring contractor needs to describe the information and ID of the incident, accident, or disaster. As for important images, the management server 22 can automatically register an important image having a particularly large number of reproduction request accesses as an important image. For example, the number of accesses is particularly large. For example, when the number of accesses exceeding a predetermined threshold (for example, 90% or more of the maximum value) is confirmed from the total number of accesses, the image is determined to be an important image. .

  In addition, in the camera list display screen 113 in the descending order of the number of accesses, a monitoring target, an event such as an incident, an accident or a disaster, a recorded image time, and the like are displayed together with the number of accesses. These pieces of information are provided from the management server 22.

FIG. 7 shows an example of an image of the area 74 for camera information, comment display / input, search operation, and notification operation during image search.
In this area 74, there is a selection screen 121 for image search and image collation.
When image search is selected, a screen 122 for inputting a comment and searching for an image is displayed.
As a result of the search, a camera list display screen 123 is displayed.

On the comment input image search screen 122, when the WEB camera 1 is not selected (when no camera is selected), latitude, longitude, address, monitoring target, and all other inputs are possible, and the search button is pressed. By doing so, it is possible to search for a camera to be searched. When the WEB camera 1 is selected (when a camera is selected), information on the current camera is displayed in addition to latitude, longitude, address, monitoring target, and (if applicable). When the search button is pressed, the camera list display screen 123 is displayed as a search result, and the monitoring contractor can display the corresponding camera video by the system by pressing the camera selection button 124.
In the camera list display screen 123, latitude, longitude, address, monitoring target, and the like are displayed.

FIG. 8 shows an example of an image of the area 74 for camera information, comment display / input, search operation, and notification operation at the time of image collation.
In this area 74, there is an image search / image collation selection screen 131 (the same as the screen 121 shown in FIG. 7).
Here, the image marked in the important image and the face image automatically extracted from the important image by the storage / distribution server 14 for tertiary recording are periodically transferred to the image search / verification server 23, The search / verification server 23 automatically collates the received images for the received images (for example, face images of wanted crimes, images of incidents, accidents, and disasters sent from the National Police Agency or the Fire and Disaster Management Agency). However, in this example, the monitoring contractor can also manually compare with the image to be verified that the image search / verification server 23 has.

  When image collation is selected, an image collation setting screen 132 is displayed. On the image collation setting screen 132, the monitoring contractor searches for an image to be collated, and as a specific example, a search is performed from the marking image or the face extraction image recorded in the storage / distribution server 14 for tertiary recording. By inputting the conditions as characters, the corresponding image can be searched.

In this case, when the search button 135 in the image collation setting screen 132 is pressed, a search condition input screen 133 is displayed. On the search condition input screen 133, latitude, longitude, address, monitoring target, and the like can be input as search conditions.
When the search button 136 in the search condition input screen 133 is pressed, a collation image selection screen 134 is displayed. On the collation image selection screen 134, a list of search results is displayed, and the monitoring contractor can select an image to be collated from among them.
Here, on the collation image selection screen 134, a selection button 137, time, monitoring target, incident or accident information, comments, and images are displayed.

  When the monitoring contractor presses the selection button 137 on the verification image selection screen 134 and the image selected by the monitoring contractor is pasted on the image verification setting screen 132, and the monitoring contractor presses the verification button 138, the system searches and verifies the image. The main image is transferred to the server 23 and collation is started. The collation result is displayed in the image collation setting screen 132. If the image is considered to be an important image for an incident, accident, or disaster, such as when it matches the face image of the criminal, the monitoring contractor can make a report by pressing the report button 139.

FIG. 9 shows an example of an image of the display area 75 for incident, accident, and disaster information.
In this area 75, information sent from the National Police Agency or the Fire and Disaster Management Agency regarding incidents, accidents, disasters, etc. is displayed together with IDs. Specifically, the time, ID, event, address, nearby camera, and comment are displayed.
The monitoring contractor can monitor the selected camera image by pressing the near camera selection button 140 for an event to be monitored.

FIG. 10 shows an example of a marking method and an image extraction image.
First, an image 141 which is a live video or a reproduced image is shown. A specific object (a person in this example) 142 shown in the image 141 is marked by an operation by a monitoring contractor. Then, a marking information input screen 143 is displayed for the marked object 142.
On the marking information input screen 143, information such as latitude, longitude, address, monitoring target, and comment can be input.

  For example, if any abnormality (for example, an accident occurrence site or a suspicious person) is found during the reproduction of the primary recorded image, the monitoring contractor performs the reproduction still and covers the corresponding area in the screen 141 with the mouse. Mark by specifying. When marking is performed, a marking information input screen 143 is displayed, and information about what the image is can be set. When the monitoring contractor presses the save button 144 after setting this information, the marked portion is cut out, and this image is transferred from the secondary recording storage / distribution server 13 to the tertiary recording storage / distribution server 14. At the same time, information set by the monitoring contractor is also stored in the storage / distribution server 14 for tertiary recording. This image is transferred to the image search / collation server 23 in response to a request from the management server 22, and the image retrieval / collation server 23 collates with images such as incidents, accidents, and disasters.

FIG. 11 shows a configuration example of an open type monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention as a system diagram in which a monitoring service contractor is added. In FIG. 11, the same parts as those shown in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals.
The open type monitoring system of this example includes a plurality of WEB cameras 1, a plurality of monitoring terminals 2, an ISP 3, a service provider 4, the National Police Agency or the Fire Department as components similar to those shown in FIG. 1. 5 and the Internet 6, and in this example, a monitoring service contractor (its system) 151.
The monitoring service contractor 151 includes a router 161 for connecting the monitoring service contractor 151 and the Internet 6 and a monitoring terminal 162 of the monitoring service contractor 151.

For example, it is considered that there is a monitored contractor who does not want to publish the WEB camera video to the entire service. Specifically, public offices, local governments, airports, railroads, and the like generally monitor equipment with high publicity and do not easily publish surveillance camera images.
When providing this service for such monitoring, it is necessary to construct a system that allows only a specific monitoring contractor to view the video. Therefore, in this example, by entrusting a monitoring business contract to a specific monitoring business contractor 151 by using an Internet VPN (Virtual Private Network) service, this service can be applied to high security monitoring of important facilities and the like.

FIG. 12 shows an example of a business management system of the open type monitoring system of this example.
The service provider 201 provides an image useful for resolution of the incident to the National Police Agency / Fire and Disaster Management Agency 202 and reports the reward, and receives a reward for that. The service provider 201 acts as an intermediary between the monitoring contractor 205, the Internet provider 204, and the National Police Agency / Fire Department 202, and provides a web page to the majority of the monitoring contractors 205.

  Since it is assumed that the WEB page receives a large number of accesses, advertising revenue can be obtained by posting a banner advertisement of a company. The monitoring contract is entrusted to the provider 204, and the contract fee is entrusted to each provider 204. The provider 204 concludes a monitoring contract with a general user and the monitoring service contractor 207. The monitored contractor 206 receives a monitoring camera by signing a subscription contract to the system from the provider 204 with whom the contract is originally made. The monitored contractor 206 can receive a preferential treatment from the non-life insurer 208 because the possibility of possessing evidence images at the time of damage or the like increases by joining the system. The service provider 201 can purchase a camera or the like from the manufacturer 203 based on the obtained advertising revenue and provide the provider 204 for the development of the service. As the number of cameras, the number of monitoring contractors 205, and the number of monitored contractors 206 increase, the quality of this service improves and the profits obtained by each increase.

As described above, when the monitoring system of this example monitors an image captured by the WEB camera 1 via the Internet 6, an unspecified number of monitoring contractors (monitoring terminals 2) monitor and report when an abnormality occurs. It is an open type monitoring system that performs
In the open type monitoring system of this example, a large number of unidentified supervisors who have signed a monitoring contract monitor the video of the WEB camera 1 disclosed on the Internet 6 and notify the user as necessary, so that the number of cameras can be reduced. A large number of large-scale monitoring can be enabled. As a result, it is possible to efficiently monitor the images of the majority of WEB cameras 1 without monitoring omission.

In monitoring using a camera, the number of accesses from a monitor (monitoring contractor) is counted, and information on live images and recorded images is displayed in a graph or list according to the number of accesses. It is possible to easily search for an image to be viewed.
For example, by displaying a list of WEB cameras 1 and recorded images in descending order of the number of accesses, it is possible to easily select and provide important monitoring points and important monitoring images. In addition, it is possible to efficiently monitor by notifying the monitoring contractor of important monitoring points and important monitoring video according to the number of accesses, and also confirming that the number of accesses is zero as unmonitored cameras, By providing only this, it is possible to prevent a monitoring failure from occurring. Furthermore, by providing a recorded video with a comment, it is possible to grasp what the recorded image is before viewing the video.

  In this way, by constantly monitoring the number of accesses to the WEB camera 1, a camera with a large number of accesses is positioned as an important monitoring point, a reproduced image with a large number of accesses is positioned as an important image, and an image desired to be viewed by a monitoring contractor Can be easily performed. On the other hand, it is possible to preferentially provide the camera image to the monitoring contractor by determining that the camera having a small number of accesses is an unmonitored camera.

  In addition, since videos of the WEB camera 1 are recorded in stages, videos such as recorded images, important images, and face images are always provided to the monitoring contractor, and images to be viewed are searched using character information and image information. be able to. In this way, by adopting a hierarchical recording system for the majority of images of the WEB camera 1 disclosed on the Internet 6, images can be efficiently displayed by a large number of unspecified observers who have signed a monitoring contract. It becomes possible to monitor.

  In addition, by linking with the server 32 of the National Police Agency or the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, it becomes possible to search for a corresponding monitoring camera or recorded image instantly from information on incidents, accidents, and disasters. For example, by incorporating information from the National Police Agency and the Fire Department into this system and linking with live images and recorded images of the WEB camera 1, information effective for solving accidents, incidents and disasters that have occurred (for example, It is possible to provide a criminal face image, a location where the image was taken, an image at the time of a disaster, etc.).

Further, the storage / distribution servers 12 to 14 are distributed in a hierarchical manner, whereby load distribution to the network can be performed. For example, by automatically distributing and recording images having a large number of accesses among important images, it is possible to avoid the risk of the important images disappearing due to a failure or the like and to distribute the load to the network.
This service is considered to improve the quality of services as the number of cameras, monitoring contractors, and monitored contractors increase.

Hereinafter, (Configuration Example 1) to (Configuration Example 18) are shown as configuration examples of the open type monitoring system of this example. Each configuration example may be arbitrarily combined within a practically effective range.
(Configuration Example 1) An open type monitoring system in which an unspecified number of monitoring contractors (monitoring terminals 2) monitor and report when an abnormality occurs in a monitoring system that monitors images of the WEB camera 1 via the Internet 6.
When the Internet user makes a monitoring contract with the service provider 4 of the present system, it is possible to monitor and report a large number of images of the WEB camera 1 disclosed to the Internet 6 with a large number of people.

(Configuration Example 2) A monitoring system in which a camera with a large number of accesses is an important monitoring point in the above-described monitoring system.
For example, it is possible to notify the monitoring contractor of important monitoring points by visually displaying the WEB camera 1 in descending order of the number of accesses.

(Configuration example 3) In the above monitoring system, a monitoring system in which recording images with a large number of playback accesses are set as important images by installing storage / distribution servers 12 to 14 that record camera images and provide playback images.
By installing the storage / distribution servers 12-14 for recording camera images and providing playback images, the management server 22 constantly monitors the number of accesses to the storage / distribution servers 12-14, and the number of accesses to the playback images Many recorded images can be used as important images.

(Configuration Example 4) In the above-described monitoring system, the WEB camera 1 arranged in descending order of the number of accesses, and information on recorded images are provided to the monitoring contractor, so that important monitoring points and important images can be easily viewed and searched. A monitoring system that can be used.
For example, by providing a monitoring contractor with a WEB camera 1 and a list display screen of recorded images arranged in descending order of the number of accesses, it is possible to easily browse and search important monitoring points and important images. For example, the current access number can be used for the WEB camera 1 (live video), and the cumulative access number from the past to the present can be used for the recorded image.

(Configuration Example 5) In the monitoring system described above, the management server 22 of this system allows the monitoring contractor to acquire information managed by ID such as incidents and accidents provided by the National Police Agency and the Fire Department. On the other hand, a monitoring system for providing a WEB page that can be easily connected to an image of the WEB camera 1 in the vicinity of the occurrence location.
For example, by taking ID-managed information such as incidents, accidents, and disasters provided by the National Police Agency or the Fire and Disaster Management Agency into this system, the management server 22 of this system allows the monitoring contractor to WEB in the vicinity of the occurrence location. A list screen of recorded images of the camera 1 and the estimated times of incidents, accidents and disasters is provided. The monitoring contractor can easily select or search the corresponding image. A server 32 installed in the National Police Agency or the Fire and Disaster Management Agency is connected to this system, has a database in which information on incidents, accidents, disasters, etc. is ID-managed, and provides this information to the management server 22 of this system Can do.

  (Configuration Example 6) In the monitoring system described above, the management server 22 owns a database in which position information is linked to each WEB camera 1, and a WEB screen (for example, its icon) arranged on a map (for example, , A map screen) can be provided to the monitoring contractor, and a camera with a large number of accesses is displayed in a specific color on the map (for example, displayed in red), or the number of accesses is displayed as a bar graph camera. A monitoring system that can visually notify important monitoring points to monitoring contractors by displaying them in association with their positions.

(Configuration Example 7) In the above-described monitoring system, the WEB camera 1 is set by the management server 22 by setting information on longitude and latitude, which are the installation positions, at the time of installation and notifying the management server 22 of this information. A monitoring system that automatically creates a camera placement map without installing a camera.
For example, the WEB camera 1 sets information on the longitude and latitude of the installation position at the time of installation in the camera, and the camera notifies this information to the management server 22 at the first activation, thereby performing special settings on the management server 22 side. A camera placement map is automatically created just by installing a camera. In addition, this position information is database-managed by the management server 22 as a camera ID.

(Configuration Example 8) In the above-described monitoring system, the monitoring system can perform sequential display in the order in which the number of accesses to the WEB camera 1 is large.
For example, the sequential display for performing the automatic switching display of the WEB camera 1 can be performed in the order in which the number of accesses to the WEB camera 1 is large. Here, the sequential display is a display in a mode in which the WEB camera 1 having a large number of accesses is sequentially accessed and a WEB image is displayed on the monitoring contractor's terminal (monitoring terminal 2).

(Configuration Example 9) In the monitoring system described above, the storage / distribution servers are arranged in stages in the provider 3 and the service provider 4 according to their roles, so that the primary recording of the WEB camera video on each storage / distribution server ( For example, each WEB camera image is recorded 24 hours a day and saved for one week, etc.), secondary recording (for example, recording only important images), tertiary recording (for example, recording only face images, marking images by monitoring contractors, etc.) A monitoring system capable of providing a recorded image and a search image in response to a request from a monitoring contractor.
The service provider 4 can use, for example, the image search / collation server 23 as a storage / distribution server.
Here, the primary recording is, for example, a recording in which images from each WEB camera 1 aggregated in the provider 3 by the storage / distribution server 12 installed in the provider 3 are stored for one week by 24 hours continuous recording for one frame per second. It is. The secondary recording is, for example, recording in which only an image having a large number of accesses to the primary recording image (important image) or only a recording image of the corresponding camera at the time of an incident, accident or disaster is extracted and recorded. Tertiary recording is, for example, recording still images such as those in which only facial images are automatically extracted from the secondary recording images, or where the monitoring contractor has marked important locations in the secondary recording images. It is a record to do.

(Configuration Example 10) In the above-described monitoring system, an arbitrary monitoring contractor can set what a recorded image is by inputting a comment to the provided recorded image, and another monitoring contractor can later set A monitoring system that allows users to grasp what a video is before viewing it when viewing recorded video.
For example, any monitoring contractor can set what the recorded image is by inputting a comment to the recorded image provided in response to the reproduction request, and this comment information is recorded in the data frame header of the recorded image. And stored again in the storage / distribution server. Then, when another monitoring contractor browses the recorded video later, the user can grasp what the video is before viewing the video.

(Configuration Example 11) In the above-described monitoring system, an arbitrary monitoring contractor can capture an important video from a provided recorded image as a still image, and an important part of the still image (for example, a criminal's face) ), And a surveillance system capable of recording a video in which only the marking portion is extracted, searching for a face image, and searching for a similar image.
For example, any monitoring contractor can capture a video that appears to be important from a recorded image provided upon request as a still image, and can mark important parts of the still image, thereby marking A video obtained by extracting only a part is recorded as a tertiary recording image by the storage / distribution server 14 installed in the provider 3. The master storage / distribution server (for example, the image search / collation server 23) installed in the service provider 4 collects the main image, the video (still image) from each WEB camera 1 owned in advance, and the nomination. It is possible to perform a face image search or a similar image search such as collation with a face image of an arrangement crime or an image provided by the National Police Agency or the Fire Department.

(Configuration Example 12) In the above-described monitoring system, a monitoring contract is obtained by transferring and recording a recorded video having a particularly large number of accesses from all important images to all the storage / distribution servers installed in another provider 41. A monitoring system that can reduce the load on the network when a user views the recorded video and can simultaneously provide video to a large number of monitoring contractors.
For example, a recorded video having a particularly large number of accesses is transferred from all important images (secondary recorded images) to all storage / distribution servers installed in another provider 41, and the storage / distribution server records the main image. Thus, when the monitoring contractor views the recorded video, the network load can be reduced without accessing a single storage / distribution server, and video can be simultaneously provided to a large number of monitoring contractors.

(Configuration Example 13) In the above-described monitoring system, the information of the WEB camera 1 and the information of the recorded image (for example, comment information set by the monitoring contractor) are classified by category (for example, monitoring points, monitoring objects, etc.). The monitoring system is database-managed by the management server 22 and allows the monitoring contractor to easily perform image retrieval by inputting character information of an image to be viewed.
For example, information on the WEB camera 1 registered at the time of installation and information on secondary recording images (for example, information on comments set by the monitoring contractor) are database-managed by the management server 22 for each category. An image search can be easily performed by inputting character information of the desired image. The information of the secondary recording image is stored in the recording image by the storage / distribution server, and this information is also notified to the management server 22, and the management server 22 informs the information of the WEB camera 1, the incident, the accident information, etc. Managed with.

(Configuration Example 14) In the monitoring system described above, when a monitoring contractor browses a live image or a recorded image of the WEB camera 1 and finds an image that captures a wanted criminal, an image that captures an accident occurrence site, or the like. A monitoring system that can report from the WEB screen.
For example, when a monitoring contractor browses a live image or a recorded image of the WEB camera 1 and finds an image that captures a wanted criminal or an image that captures an accident occurrence site, the monitoring contractor displays a still image from the WEB screen. Report to this service provider 4. The content of the report is reported together with the corresponding ID when, for example, the incident, accident, disaster, or the like occurring at present is connected. The service provider 4 notifies the National Police Agency and the Fire and Disaster Management Agency when it is determined that the reported information is valid for incidents, accidents, and disasters.

(Configuration Example 15) In the monitoring system described above, the storage / distribution server 13 that performs secondary recording is determined not to receive access from the monitoring contractor for a certain period of time, or the importance has decreased due to a decrease in the number of accesses. In this case, a monitoring system that performs erasing in order from the recorded images with the lowest importance.
Thereby, the recording capacity can be effectively used.

(Configuration Example 16) A monitoring system having a monitoring mode in which only the unmonitored cameras are sequentially monitored by determining that the camera with the number of accesses of zero is an unmonitored camera.
For example, there is a mode in which only the unmonitored camera is sequentially monitored by determining that a camera whose access number is zero or a camera whose access number is extremely small from the past as an unmonitored camera.

  (Configuration Example 17) In the monitoring system described above, a reward is paid by providing and reporting an image (for example, an important image) to the National Police Agency or the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. The service provider 4 acts as an intermediary between the monitoring contractor, the provider 3, the National Police Agency and the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, and can provide advertising revenue by providing the WEB page to the majority of the monitoring contractors. As the number of cameras, the number of monitoring contractors, and the number of monitored contractors increase, it is considered possible to realize a business that improves the quality of this service and increases the profits it can obtain.

  (Configuration Example 18) In the above-described monitoring system, a monitoring contractor who does not want to publish WEB camera video to the entire service can be entrusted to a specific monitoring contractor 151 by using the Internet VPN service. Therefore, it is considered possible to realize a business capable of operating highly secure monitoring of important facilities with this service.

  In the open type monitoring system of this example, a plurality of cameras are configured by a plurality of WEB cameras 1, a plurality of monitoring contractors correspond to a plurality of monitoring personnel, and a plurality of monitoring terminals 2 perform a plurality of monitoring contractors. A terminal device is configured. Further, for example, a detection means is configured by a function of detecting information on the number of accesses from the monitoring terminal 2 to each WEB camera 1 or each image by the management server 22 (or another device) of the service provider 4. For example, the presentation means is configured by the function of displaying (presenting) information on the WEB camera 1 and images on the screen of the monitoring terminal 2 in a manner corresponding to the number of accesses by information transmitted from the management server 22 to the monitoring terminal 2. The reception means is configured by the function of receiving the operation from the monitoring contractor by the monitoring terminal 2, and various processes instructed by the operation by the monitoring contractor are executed by the management server 22, the image search / collation server 23, or the like. Execution means is configured by the function.

Here, the configuration of the system and apparatus according to the present invention is not necessarily limited to the configuration described above, and various configurations may be used. The present invention can also be provided as, for example, a method or method for executing the processing according to the present invention, a program for realizing such a method or method, or a recording medium for recording the program. It is also possible to provide various systems and devices.
The application field of the present invention is not necessarily limited to the above-described fields, and the present invention can be applied to various fields.
In addition, as various processes performed in the system and apparatus according to the present invention, for example, the processor executes a control program stored in a ROM (Read Only Memory) in hardware resources including a processor and a memory. A controlled configuration may be used, and for example, each functional unit for executing the processing may be configured as an independent hardware circuit.
The present invention can also be understood as a computer-readable recording medium such as a floppy (registered trademark) disk or a CD (Compact Disc) -ROM storing the control program, and the program (itself). The processing according to the present invention can be performed by inputting the program from the recording medium to the computer and causing the processor to execute the program.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of the open type monitoring system which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the hierarchical image regarding the recording of an image. It is a figure which shows an example of the WEB screen of this service with respect to a monitoring contractor. It is a figure which shows an example of the image of a map display area. It is a figure which shows an example of the image of the access number display area of a live image | video. It is a figure which shows an example of the image of the access number display area of a recorded video. It is a figure which shows an example of the image of the area for camera information, comment display / input, search operation, and notification operation at the time of image search. It is a figure which shows an example of the image of the area for camera information, comment display / input, search operation, and notification operation at the time of image collation. It is a figure which shows an example of the image of the display area of an incident, accident, and disaster information. It is a figure which shows an example of the marking method and the image of image extraction. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the open type monitoring system which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the business management system of an open type monitoring system.

Explanation of symbols

1 .... WEB camera, 2, 162 ... Monitoring terminal, 3, 41 ... ISP, 4. Service provider, 5. National Police Agency or Fire Department, 6. Internet, 21, 21, 31, 161 ... · Router, 51, · · · Primary recording storage and distribution server, 13, 52 · · Secondary recording storage and distribution server, 14, 53 · · Tertiary recording storage and distribution server, 22 · · Management server, 23 ..Image search / collation server 32.Server 151.Monitoring contractor,
61 ·· WEB screen, 71 ·· Camera image display area, 72 ·· Map display area, 73 ·· Access number display area, 74 ·· Area used for various purposes, 75 ·· Accident, accident and disaster information display area 81 .... Map, 82 ... Current number of accesses, 91-93 ... Camera icon,
101, 111, 121, 131 .. selection screen, 102, 112 .. access count display screen, 103, 113 .. list display screen, 104, 124 .. camera selection button, 114 .. playback selection button, 115. Comment input screen, 122 .. Comment input, image search screen, 123 .. Camera list display screen, 132 .. Image collation setting screen, 133 .. Search condition input screen, 134 .. Collation image selection screen, 135, 136・ Search button 137 ・ ・ Select button 138 ・ ・ Verification button 139 ・ ・ Report button 140 ・ ・ Near camera selection button
141 .. Video (image) 142. Marked object 143 Marking information input screen 144 Save button
201 .. Service provider, 202 .. National Police Agency or Fire Department, 203 .. Manufacturer of WEB camera or other system, 204 .. Internet provider, 205 .. Surveillance contractor (general user), 206. Surveillance contractors (eg local governments, shopping streets, etc.), 207 ... Monitoring contractors, 208 ... Non-life insurance companies,

Claims (2)

In a monitoring system in which an image taken by a camera is monitored by a supervisor,
A plurality of cameras for capturing images;
A plurality of supervisory terminal devices capable of accessing images taken by the camera;
Detecting means for detecting information on the number of accesses from the terminal device for the camera or an image captured by the camera;
Based on the information detected by the detection means, information relating to the image captured by the camera or the camera in a manner in which the number of accesses from the terminal device can be identified on a map representing the arrangement of the camera. Presenting means for presenting to the monitor by the terminal device;
Accepting means for accepting an instruction of processing according to the operation by the monitor by the terminal device;
Executing means for executing processing related to the instruction received by the receiving means;
A monitoring system characterized by comprising: In a monitoring method by a monitoring system in which an image taken by a camera is monitored by a supervisor,
The monitoring system includes a plurality of cameras that capture images, a terminal device of a plurality of supervisors that can access images captured by the cameras, a detection unit, a presentation unit, a reception unit, and an execution unit. Means, and
The detection means detects information relating to the number of accesses from the terminal device for the camera or an image captured by the camera,
The presenting means is imaged by the camera or the camera in such a manner that the number of accesses from the terminal device can be identified on a map representing the arrangement of the camera based on the information detected by the detecting means. Presenting information regarding the image to the monitor by the terminal device,
The accepting means accepts a processing instruction according to an operation by the monitor by the terminal device,
The execution means executes processing related to the instruction received by the reception means;
A monitoring method characterized by that.

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