Insolation warning device, insolation warning system, and insolation warning method

Abstract

To warn that an article is to be exposed to sunlight according to characteristics of the article.SOLUTION: A solar light calculation section 1 calculates a radiation direction of solar light with respect to a monitoring area. An insolation area identification section 2 identifies an insolation area by the solar light in the monitoring area based on the calculated radiation direction of the solar light. An article detection section 3 detects an article in the monitoring area based on an image obtained by photographing the monitoring area. An article analysis section 4 analyzes characteristics of the detected article. A radiation state determination section 5 determines whether or not the detected article is included in the insolation area. An avoidance determination section 6 determines whether or not the detected article has to avoid the insolation based on the analysis result of the characteristics of the detected article if the detected article is included in the insolation area. A warning section 7 issues a warning when the detected article has to avoid the insolation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a solar radiation warning device, a solar radiation warning system, and a solar radiation warning method. [Background technology]

[0002] When an item is exposed to sunlight, it can change or deteriorate, so appropriate shading is required as necessary. There are various methods for shading, such as predicting the amount of sunlight and manually shading the item, or using automated shading devices such as electric curtains.

[0003] As such a shading method, for example, a method of blocking sunlight entering the vehicle interior has been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a window shading device that automatically adjusts the incidence of sunlight on vehicle windows whose relative positional relationship with the sun changes from moment to moment. This window shading device is configured to adjust a shading means that adjusts the amount of light entering the vehicle interior through the vehicle window glass. The shading means is controlled based on the position of the sun calculated based on date and time information, vehicle position information, vehicle tilt information, and reference data, and the illuminance of the sun. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2005-349929 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In general, not only people but also various items are housed inside structures that allow sunlight to pass through, such as buildings and vehicles. These items may include items that should be kept at a low temperature, such as fresh foods and frozen foods, and items that should be kept out of direct sunlight, such as medicines. Therefore, it is necessary to take appropriate measures against sunlight depending on the characteristics of the items.

[0006] However, in the general method such as that in Patent Document 1, the shading means is simply controlled based on the positional relationship between the vehicle and the sun, and therefore this method does not allow measures against solar radiation to be taken according to the characteristics of the items stored in the structure.

[0007] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a warning that an item is exposed to sunlight depending on the characteristics of the item. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The solar radiation warning device of the present disclosure includes a solar ray calculation unit that calculates the irradiating direction of sunlight onto a monitored area, a solar radiation area identification unit that identifies a solar radiation area in the monitored area due to the sunlight based on the calculated irradiating direction of the sunlight, an item detection unit that detects items within the monitored area based on an image of the monitored area, an item analysis unit that analyzes characteristics of the detected items, a solar radiation state determination unit that determines whether the detected item is included in the solar radiation area, an avoidance determination unit that determines whether the detected item should avoid solar radiation based on the analysis results of the characteristics of the detected item if the detected item is included in the solar radiation area, and a warning unit that issues a warning if the detected item should avoid solar radiation.

[0009] The solar radiation warning system according to the present disclosure includes an imaging device that outputs an image of a monitored area, a solar ray calculation unit that calculates the irradiating direction of sunlight on the monitored area, a solar radiation area identification unit that identifies a solar radiation area in the monitored area due to the sunlight based on the calculated irradiating direction of the sunlight, an item detection unit that detects items in the monitored area based on the image captured by the imaging device, an item analysis unit that analyzes characteristics of the detected items, a solar radiation state determination unit that determines whether the detected item is included in the solar radiation area, an avoidance determination unit that determines whether the detected item should avoid solar radiation based on the analysis results of the characteristics of the detected item when the detected item is included in the solar radiation area, and a warning unit that issues a warning if the detected item should avoid solar radiation.

[0010] The solar radiation warning method disclosed herein calculates the direction of sunlight irradiation relative to a monitored area, identifies a solar radiation area in the monitored area caused by the sunlight based on the calculated direction of sunlight irradiation, detects objects in the monitored area based on an image of the monitored area, analyzes characteristics of the detected objects, and determines whether the detected objects are included in the solar radiation area, and if the detected object is included in the solar radiation area, determines whether the detected object should avoid solar radiation based on the analysis of the characteristics of the detected object, and issues a warning if the detected object should avoid solar radiation. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present disclosure, depending on the characteristics of the item, it is possible to provide a warning that the item is exposed to sunlight. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a solar radiation warning system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration for realizing a solar radiation warning device. [Diagram 3]FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the solar radiation warning device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart of a solar radiation warning operation of the solar radiation warning device according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of opening information. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a solar radiation area. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of item identification information. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of avoidance determination information. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a solar radiation warning system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a solar radiation warning device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 11] 13 is a flowchart of a shading control operation of the solar radiation warning device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a solar radiation warning device according to a third embodiment. [Figure 13] 13 is a flowchart of a warning issuing operation of the solar radiation warning device according to the third embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of avoidance determination information. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same elements are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted as necessary.

[0014] First embodiment In this embodiment, a solar radiation warning system 110 is described which issues a warning according to the characteristics of an object placed in a monitored area when the object is exposed to sunlight. Fig. 1 shows a schematic configuration of the solar radiation warning system 110 according to the first embodiment. The solar radiation warning system 110 has an imaging device such as a camera 101 capable of capturing an image within a monitored area 900, and a solar radiation warning device 100.

[0015] The camera 101 and the solar radiation warning device 100 are communicatively connected by any communication means such as wired, wireless, or a combination of wired and wireless. In FIG. 1, an example is shown in which the camera 101 and the solar radiation warning device 100 are communicatively connected via a cable 102.

[0016] The monitored area 900 is an area where management is required as to whether an object placed therein is exposed to sunlight. Hereinafter, management as to whether an object is exposed to sunlight is referred to as sunlight management of the object. The monitored area 900 may be any space where an object requiring sunlight management may be placed therein, such as a residence, a building, a warehouse, a store, or a vehicle cabin.

[0017] In FIG. 1, a room in a building is assumed as an example of the monitored area 900, and a window 901 is provided as an opening through which sunlight L enters from the outside. Examples of objects are indicated by symbols G1 to G7 and G71 to G74. In FIG. 1, tableware G2, a vase G3, a candy box G4, and fruit G5 are placed on the top of a table G1. A stand G6 is placed on the floor of the monitored area 900, and a tote bag G7 containing multiple objects is placed on the stand G6. The tote bag G7 contains objects purchased at a store, such as a carton of milk G71, medicine G72, and candies G73 and G74 in this example.

[0018] The camera 101 captures an image IMG within the monitoring area 900. The images captured by the camera 101 include various types of image or video information, such as moving images, still images, and frame-by-frame moving images made up of a plurality of still images captured continuously at a predetermined time interval. The camera 101 outputs the image IMG to the solar radiation warning device 100 via a cable 102.

[0019] The solar radiation warning device 100 analyzes the characteristics of objects within the monitored area 900 based on an image IMG of the monitored area 900 captured by the camera 101, and issues a warning according to the analysis result.

[0020] FIG. 2 shows an example of a hardware configuration of a solar radiation warning device. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration for realizing a solar radiation warning device. The solar radiation warning device can be realized by a computer 1000 such as a dedicated computer or a personal computer (PC). However, the computer does not need to be physically single, and may be multiple when performing distributed processing. As shown in FIG. 2, the computer 1000 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 1001, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 1002, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 1003, which are connected to each other via a bus 1004. Note that an OS software for operating the computer will not be described, but it is assumed that the computer that constructs this network analysis system also has such software.

[0021] An input / output interface 1005 is also connected to the bus 1004. To the input / output interface 1005, for example, an input unit 1006 including a keyboard, a mouse, a sensor, etc., a display including a CRT, an LCD, etc., an output unit 1007 including a headphone, a speaker, etc., a storage unit 1008 including a hard disk, etc., and a communication unit 1009 including a modem, a terminal adapter, etc. are connected.

[0022] The CPU 1001 executes various processes according to various programs stored in the ROM 1002 or various programs loaded from the storage unit 1008 to the RAM 1003, for example, in this embodiment, the processes of each part of the solar radiation warning device described later. A GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) may be provided to execute various processes according to various programs stored in the ROM 1002 or various programs loaded from the storage unit 1008 to the RAM 1003, similarly to the CPU 1001, for example, the processes of each part of the solar radiation warning system in this embodiment. The GPU is suitable for performing routine processes in parallel, and can improve the processing speed compared to the CPU 1001 by applying it to processing in a neural network, for example. The RAM 1003 also stores data necessary for the CPU 1001 and the GPU to execute various processes as appropriate.

[0023] The communication unit 1009 performs communication processing, for example, via the Internet (not shown), transmits data provided by the CPU 1001, and outputs data received from a communication partner to the CPU 1001, RAM 1003, and storage unit 1008. The storage unit 1008 exchanges information with the CPU 1001 and stores and erases information. The communication unit 1009 also performs communication processing of analog or digital signals with other devices.

[0024] The input / output interface 1005 is also connected to a drive 1010 as necessary, and, for example, a magnetic disk 1011, an optical disk 1012, a flexible disk 1013, or a semiconductor memory 1014 is appropriately attached, and computer programs read from them are installed in the memory unit 1008 as necessary.

[0025] Next, the solar radiation warning device 100 will be described. Fig. 3 shows a schematic functional configuration of the solar radiation warning device 100 according to the first embodiment. The solar radiation warning device 100 includes a solar ray calculation unit 1, a solar radiation area identification unit 2, an item detection unit 3, an item analysis unit 4, an irradiation state determination unit 5, an avoidance determination unit 6, and a warning unit 7.

[0026] Each part of the solar radiation warning device 100 will be described together with the flow of the solar radiation warning operation of the solar radiation warning device 100. Fig. 4 shows a flowchart of the solar radiation warning operation of the solar radiation warning device 100. The solar radiation warning operation of the solar radiation warning device 100 includes steps ST1 to ST7 which will be described below.

[0027] Step ST1 The solar ray calculation unit 1 calculates the azimuth angle and solar altitude of the sun with respect to the monitoring area 900 in a target period ΔT, which is a period from the current time to a time a predetermined time in the future, based on the date and time and the position information of the monitoring area 900. At this time, since the positional relationship between the monitoring area 900 and the sun changes during the target period ΔT, the solar ray calculation unit 1 calculates the transition of the azimuth angle and solar altitude of the sun in the target period ΔT. The solar ray calculation unit 1 calculates the irradiation direction of the solar ray with respect to the monitoring area 900 in the target period ΔT based on the calculated azimuth angle and solar altitude of the sun. As astronomical information used to calculate the azimuth angle and solar altitude of the sun, data and calculation methods provided by various organizations such as the National Astronomical Observatory can be used as appropriate. If it is predicted that there will be no solar radiation above a predetermined level based on information on the weather and sunrise / sunset times obtained from various organizations, the solar ray calculation unit 1 may not perform the calculation process and may control the processing of the solar radiation management device 100 to end.

[0028] Step ST2 The solar radiation area identifying unit 2 identifies a solar radiation area A into which the solar radiation shines within the monitoring area 900, based on the irradiation direction of the solar radiation L during the target period ΔT and the opening information 2A indicating the openings of the monitoring area 900. Here, it is assumed that the opening information 2A is held in advance by the solar radiation area identifying unit 2.

[0029] The opening information 2A is associated with each opening, information indicating the position, direction, and size of various openings through which sunlight can pass in the monitoring area 900, such as a hole drilled in a wall, or a window or door fitted with transparent glass. The position of the opening may be given as the center position of the opening, for example. The direction of the opening may be given as the normal direction to the main surface of the opening. The size of the opening may be given as dimensions according to the shape of the opening, such as the vertical and horizontal dimensions if the opening is rectangular, or the diameter if the opening is circular. FIG. 5 shows an example of the opening information 2A. The opening information 2A may be configured as table information in which the number, position, direction, and size assigned to each opening are associated with each other. The opening information 2A may be held in advance by the solar radiation area identification unit 2. The opening information 2A may include information indicating the use status (unused or in use) of a shading device (manual or automatic) such as a curtain, blind, shutter, or storm shutter provided for each opening. The information indicating the usage status of the shading device may be acquired from, for example, an image IMG of the monitored area 900 captured by the camera 101 or information on the usage status of the shading device inputted to the solar radiation warning device 100 by the user.

[0030] The sunlight area will be described in detail. FIG. 6 shows an example of a sunlight area. In FIG. 6, three windows W1 to W3, which are openings, are provided on one wall surface of the monitoring area 900. The sunlight L passes through the windows W1 to W3, generating sunlight areas A1 to A3 on the floor surface. In this way, the sunlight area can be identified based on the direction of the sunlight L and the position, shape and orientation of the openings. The sunlight area may also be identified based on information on the usage status of the shading device included in the opening information 2A. For example, for an opening where a shading device is in use, sunlight does not pass through the opening and no sunlight area is generated, so it is sufficient to identify the sunlight area for an opening where a shading device is not in use.

[0031] Step ST3 The article detection unit 3 detects articles placed within the monitoring area 900 based on the image IMG of the monitoring area 900 captured by the camera 101. At this time, the article detection unit 3 may use various image processing techniques to detect individual articles included in the image IMG. The article detection unit 3 also detects the position and size of the detected article within the monitoring area 900 based on the image IMG.

[0032] Step ST4 The item analysis unit 4 analyzes the characteristics of the detected items based on the features of each item using an arbitrary image processing method. Hereinafter, each item whose characteristics are analyzed will be referred to as a target item OBJ.

[0033] For example, the item analysis unit 4 may identify the type of item by comparing the external characteristics of the item with item identification information 4A indicating the correspondence between the item and the type of item. Specifically, the item analysis unit 4 compares the characteristics extracted from the detected item with the item characteristics included in the item identification information 4A, and determines which items have the same or similar characteristics, thereby identifying the type of the detected item. Then, the item analysis unit 4 notifies the avoidance determination unit 6 of the analysis result indicating the identification of the item. Here, it is assumed that the item identification information 4A is held in advance by the item analysis unit 4.

[0034] An example of the item identification information 4A is shown in Fig. 7. As shown in Fig. 7, the item identification information 4A may be provided as table information indicating the correspondence between the type of item and features such as shape, dimensions, and exterior color. The item analysis unit 4 may identify the type of item by comparing the features such as shape, dimensions, and exterior color of the detected item with the item identification information 4A.

[0035] At this time, the product analysis unit 4 may determine the type of product based on information appearing on the exterior of the product. For example, the product analysis unit 4 may determine the type of product based on the color or pattern of the surface of the product. The product analysis unit 4 may determine the characteristics of the product based on character information such as character information printed or attached to the surface of the product, product name, product quality indication, and product storage method indication, or information capable of identifying the product, such as a barcode.

[0036] In addition, it is assumed that there are items that cannot be directly imaged by the camera 101, such as the milk carton G71, medicine G72, and sweets G73 and G74 stored in the tote bag G7 in FIG. 1. In this case, if the tote bag G7 is semi-transparent or mesh-like and the milk carton G71, medicine G72, sweets G73 and G74 can be seen to some extent through the tote bag G7, the milk carton G71, medicine G72, sweets G73 and G74 may be identified or their types may be estimated based on the information that is seen. In other words, if there is a second item hidden in the first item and it is possible to image the second item to an extent that it can be identified through the first item, the item analysis unit 4 may identify the second item or estimate its type based on the imaged information. In addition, if the tote bag G7 is opaque, an image that passes through the tote bag G7 may be captured using a near-infrared camera or the like, and the item may be identified or its type may be estimated based on the captured image.

[0037] Furthermore, for example, the item analysis unit 4 may analyze the characteristics of the detected item, for example, identifying the type of item, based on, for example, machine learning. In this case, an image of the item to be identified may be input to a model consisting of, for example, a neural network, and supervised learning may be performed using the type of item as training data to construct a trained model. Then, the item analysis unit 4 may input an image of the detected item or the features of the detected item to the trained model, and identify the type of the detected item based on the output of the trained model obtained as a result.

[0038] Furthermore, the article analysis unit 4 may analyze characteristics other than the type of article. For example, the camera 101 may be an imaging device capable of capturing an image reflecting the surface temperature of an object, such as a thermal image measuring device. In this case, the article analysis unit 4 notifies the avoidance determination unit 6 of the analysis result of the surface temperature of the detected article.

[0039] For example, if the surface temperature of a detected item is significantly lower than the ambient temperature in the monitoring area 900, the item may be food or medicine that requires low-temperature storage such as refrigeration or freezing. Therefore, when the item analysis unit 4 detects an item whose surface temperature is significantly lower than the ambient temperature in the monitoring area 900, the item may be considered to have characteristics that make it undesirable for the item to be exposed to sunlight.

[0040] Step ST5 The irradiation state determination unit 5 determines whether the sunlight ray L shining into the monitoring area 900 hits the target object OBJ during the target period ΔT. Specifically, the irradiation state determination unit 5 determines whether the position of the target object OBJ is included in the sunlight area A. For example, in the example of FIG. 6, the object G8 is included in the sunlight area A1 caused by the sunlight ray L transmitted through the window W1, so the irradiation state determination unit 5 determines that the sunlight ray L hits the object G8. On the other hand, the object G9 is not included in any of the sunlight areas A1 to A3, so the irradiation state determination unit 5 determines that the sunlight ray L does not hit the object G9. If the position of the target object OBJ is not included in the sunlight area, the sunlight management device 100 ends the process.

[0041] Step ST6 When the position of the target object OBJ is included in the solar radiation area, the avoidance determination unit 6 determines whether the target object OBJ should avoid irradiation by the sunlight L, i.e., solar radiation, based on the analysis result of the characteristics of the target object OBJ by the item analysis unit 4. Specifically, the avoidance determination unit 6 determines whether the target object OBJ should avoid solar radiation by referring to avoidance determination information 6A that indicates the conditions of an object that should avoid solar radiation. Here, it is assumed that the avoidance determination information 6A is held in advance by the avoidance determination unit 6.

[0042] FIG. 8 shows an example of the avoidance determination information 6A. In this example, the avoidance determination information 6A may be given as table information showing the correspondence between the type of item, the surface temperature, and whether or not it is necessary to avoid sunlight. The avoidance determination unit 6 may determine whether or not the target item OBJ should avoid sunlight by checking the type and surface temperature of the target item OBJ included in the analysis result of the item analysis unit 4 against the avoidance determination information 6A. For example, the type 1 of item is determined to be "avoided" because it is an item such as fresh food or frozen food that should be kept at a low temperature, or an item such as medicine that should be avoided from direct sunlight. For example, the type 2 of item is determined to be "avoided" because it is a snack food that has a lower required level of temperature and light blocking than the type 1. For example, an item with a surface temperature of 10°C is determined to be "avoided" because the type of item is unknown but the surface temperature of 10°C suggests that it is an item such as frozen food that should be kept at a low temperature, and therefore is determined to be "avoided".

[0043] If the target object OBJ is not an object for which solar radiation should be avoided, the solar radiation control device 100 ends the processing.

[0044] Step ST7 If the target object OBJ is an object that should be avoided from being exposed to sunlight, the warning unit 7 issues a warning before the target object OBJ is exposed to sunlight, in order to prompt a manager of the monitored area 900 or the like to take action.

[0045] The warning unit 7 may transmit a warning, for example, to a terminal operated by the administrator or a terminal in the vicinity of the administrator via various communication means. The warning unit 7 may also transmit a warning to a mobile terminal carried by the administrator via, for example, wireless communication means.

[0046] When audio emitting devices such as speakers (not shown) are provided within the monitored area 900 or in the solar radiation warning device 100, the warning unit 7 may issue an audio warning through these devices.

[0047] In addition, if a display device such as a monitor is installed within the monitored area 900, or if the solar radiation warning device 100 is provided with a display device (not shown), the warning unit 7 may cause the display device to display the contents of the warning.

[0048] As a result, if the target object OBJ is an object that should be avoided from being exposed to sunlight, the manager of the monitored area 900 can be made aware in advance by the warning that the target object OBJ will be exposed to sunlight in the near future. This allows the manager to take appropriate measures to block out the sunlight, such as moving the object to a shady location or hanging curtains or blinds. As a result, the target object OBJ can be suitably prevented from being exposed to sunlight.

[0049] Embodiment 2 In the first embodiment, a warning is issued based on a determination of whether or not the target object OBJ should be protected from sunlight. However, the sunlight warning system may not only issue a warning, but also control a shading device for blocking sunlight from reaching the target object OBJ. This will be described in detail below.

[0050] 9 shows a schematic configuration of a solar radiation warning system 210 according to the second embodiment. In this embodiment, a curtain 902 that can be opened and closed by an electric motor is attached to a window 901 in a monitored area 900 as an example of a shading device. The curtain 902 is opened and closed in response to a control signal CON output by the solar radiation warning system 210.

[0051] It should be noted that the curtain 902 is merely one example of a shading device, and various other shading devices may be used, such as electric blinds, shading plates, and windows or films provided with a liquid crystal layer capable of adjusting the amount of light transmitted. In addition, two or more shading devices may be provided in the monitored area 900.

[0052] The solar radiation warning system 210 has a configuration in which the solar radiation warning device 100 of the solar radiation warning system 110 is replaced with a solar radiation warning device 200. The solar radiation warning device 200 is communicatively connected to a curtain 902 by any communication means, for example, a cable 103 in Fig. 9. The solar radiation warning device 200 controls the curtain 902 appropriately based on a determination of whether or not the target object OBJ should avoid solar radiation.

[0053] 10 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a solar radiation warning device 200 according to the second embodiment. The solar radiation warning device 200 has a configuration in which a shading determination unit 8 and a shading control unit 9 are further provided in addition to the solar radiation warning device 100.

[0054] When the target object OBJ needs to be protected from sunlight, the shading determination unit 8 determines whether a shading device that blocks sunlight from reaching the target object OBJ can be used, and notifies the shading control unit 9 of the determination result.

[0055] The light blocking control unit 9 outputs a control signal to an available light blocking device according to the determination result. In the example of Fig. 9, the light blocking control unit 9 outputs a control signal CON to the curtain 902 to control the opening and closing of the curtain 902.

[0056] Other configurations of the solar radiation warning device 200 are similar to those of the solar radiation warning device 100, so duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0057] Next, there will be described a solar radiation warning operation of the solar radiation warning device 200. A flowchart of the shading control operation of the solar radiation warning device 200 is shown in FIG.

[0058] Steps ST1 to ST7 Steps ST1 to ST7 in FIG. 11 are similar to steps ST1 to ST7 in FIG. 4, respectively, and therefore overlapping descriptions will be omitted.

[0059] Step ST8 When the target object OBJ should be protected from sunlight, the shading determination unit 8 determines whether there is a shading device capable of blocking the sunlight beam L striking the target object OBJ. For example, in Fig. 9, when the sunlight beam L that has passed through a window 901 strikes the target object on the table G1, a curtain 902 attached to the window 901 exists as a shading device. In this case, the shading determination unit 8 determines that the window 901 has a curtain 902 capable of blocking the passing sunlight beam L. When there is no shading device capable of blocking the sunlight beam L striking the target object OBJ, the sunlight warning device 200 ends the process.

[0060] Step ST9 If there is a shading device capable of blocking the sunlight L hitting the target object OBJ, the shading control unit 9 selects the shading device as the shading device to be controlled and transmits a control signal CON to the curtain 902. This causes the curtain 902 to close in response to the control signal CON. As a result, it is possible to prevent the sunlight L transmitted through the window 901 from exposing the target object on the table G1 to sunlight.

[0061] In this embodiment, the warning unit 7 may issue a warning only to the light blocking determination unit 8. Even in this case, steps ST8 and ST9 are executed by the light blocking determination unit 8 and the light blocking control unit 9, and the light blocking device can be appropriately controlled.

[0062] As described above, according to the solar radiation warning device 200, when the target object OBJ is an object that should be protected from solar radiation, the shading device can be controlled in advance to reliably block solar radiation from the target object OBJ. This makes it possible to prevent adverse effects of sunlight on the target object OBJ, such as deterioration due to light or temperature rise.

[0063] Third embodiment In the first embodiment, a warning is issued based on whether or not the target object is exposed to sunlight L. However, it is assumed that the effects of sunlight on the object vary depending on the characteristics of the object. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the warning is issued based on the time T of sunlight exposure within a predetermined target period ΔT.S A configuration for issuing a warning based on whether or not the object OBJ is adversely affected will be described.

[0064] 12 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a solar radiation warning device 300 according to the third embodiment. The solar radiation warning device 300 has a configuration in which the irradiation state determination unit 5 and the avoidance determination unit 6 of the solar radiation warning device 100 according to the first embodiment are replaced with an irradiation state determination unit 10 and an avoidance determination unit 11, respectively.

[0065] The irradiation state determination unit 10 determines the duration of solar radiation T within a predetermined target period ΔT. S It is configured to determine whether or not a given object OBJ has an adverse effect on the given object OBJ.

[0066] The avoidance determination unit 11 determines the solar radiation time T within a predetermined target period ΔT. S It is configured to determine whether or not a given object OBJ has an adverse effect on the given object OBJ.

[0067] Other configurations of the solar radiation warning device 300 are similar to those of the solar radiation warning device 100, so duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0068] Next, there will be described a solar radiation warning operation of the solar radiation warning device 300. Fig. 13 shows a flowchart of the warning issuing operation of the solar radiation warning device 300. In Fig. 13, compared to Fig. 4, step ST6 is replaced with steps ST10 and ST11.

[0069] Steps ST1 to ST5 Steps ST1 to ST5 in FIG. 13 are similar to steps ST1 to ST5 in FIG. 4, respectively, and therefore overlapping descriptions will be omitted.

[0070] Step ST10 When the target object OBJ is exposed to sunlight during the target period ΔT, the irradiation state determination unit 10 further determines the time during which the target object OBJ is exposed to sunlight during the target period ΔT, that is, the sunlight exposure time T S Calculate the solar radiation time T S The avoidance determination unit 11 is notified of this.

[0071] Step ST11 When the position of the target object OBJ is included in the solar radiation area, the avoidance determination unit 11 determines whether the target object OBJ is within the solar radiation area based on the analysis result of the characteristics of the target object OBJ by the object analysis unit 4 and the solar radiation time T S Based on this, it is determined whether or not the target object OBJ should be protected from solar radiation.

[0072] Specifically, the avoidance determination unit 11 refers to avoidance determination information 11A indicating the conditions of an object that should be avoided from solar radiation, and determines whether or not the target object OBJ should be avoided from solar radiation. Here, the avoidance determination information 11A includes at least the characteristics of the object and the allowable upper limit solar radiation time. FIG. 14 shows an example of the avoidance determination information 11A. In this example, the avoidance determination information 11A includes the upper limit solar radiation time T MAX is given as prescribed table information. For example, type 1 of goods is medicine, cosmetics, and foodstuffs that are highly responsive to light and require high safety, and goods that are labeled "keep at room temperature away from direct sunlight", so the upper limit of the sunlight exposure time is set to "5 minutes". For example, type 2 of goods is medicine, cosmetics, and foodstuffs that have lower temperature and light-shielding requirements than type 1, and medicine, cosmetics, and foodstuffs that have the same temperature and light-shielding requirements as type 1 but are stored in a refrigerated or light-shielding container, package, or wrapping, so the upper limit of the sunlight exposure time is set to "60 minutes". For example, type 3 of goods is an item that does not have a specific storage condition label or specification regarding temperature and light-shielding, so the upper limit of the sunlight exposure time is set to "-" (not set). For example, for an item with a surface temperature of 10°C, although the type of the item is unknown, it is presumed that it is desirable to keep the temperature low, such as frozen food, because the surface temperature is 10°C, so the upper limit of the sunlight exposure time is set to "0 minutes".

[0073] The avoidance determination unit 11 calculates the solar radiation time T S and the upper limit solar radiation time T according to the type and surface temperature of the target object OBJ included in the analysis result of the object analysis unit 4. MAX Then, the avoidance determination unit 11 compares the solar radiation time T S is the upper limit of solar radiation time T MAXIf the distance is longer than 100 mm, it is determined that the target object OBJ should be protected from solar radiation.

[0074] Here, the upper limit of solar radiation time T MAX can be appropriately determined depending on the article. For example, when the article is an article that exhibits high reactivity to light and requires high safety, the upper limit of solar radiation time T MAX The upper limit of the solar radiation time T may be a relatively short time of about several hours. Examples of such an item include medicines, cosmetics, and foodstuffs, as well as items labeled "Store at room temperature away from direct sunlight." In addition, when a light-shielding bag that contains an item is the target item OBJ and has a label indicating the contents on its surface, the upper limit of the solar radiation time T MAX may be a short time.

[0075] For example, for items that are considered to have high light resistance, such as furniture, flooring, and wall materials that are placed indoors, the upper limit of solar radiation time T MAX In addition, if it is known that these items will deteriorate when exposed to sunlight for a long period of time, the target period ΔT and the upper limit of sunlight exposure time T MAX By setting a long period or time, such as days or months, it is possible to issue an appropriate warning.

[0076] In addition, the illuminance of sunlight varies depending on the season, so the upper limit of solar radiation time T MAX may be appropriately changed.

[0077] In the above description, a warning is issued based on the duration of insolation of the target object OBJ, but a warning may be issued based on the accumulated amount of insolation instead of the duration of insolation. In this case, for example, the insolation area identification unit 2 may calculate the illuminance of sunlight from the date and time, solar altitude, etc., and multiply the calculated illuminance by the duration of insolation to calculate the accumulated amount of insolation.

[0078] If the target object OBJ is not an object for which solar radiation should be avoided, the solar radiation control device 300 ends the processing.

[0079] Step ST7 Step ST7 in FIG. 13 is similar to step ST7 in FIG. 4, so a duplicated description will be omitted.

[0080] The warning unit 7 may issue a warning immediately after the avoidance determination is made by the avoidance determination unit 11. In addition, if the warning unit 7 knows the start time of deterioration of the target object OBJ due to solar radiation, the warning unit 7 may also notify the start time of deterioration when issuing a warning. At this time, the warning unit 7 may, for example, notify the start time of deterioration of the target object OBJ due to solar radiation. MAX or the upper limit solar radiation time T MAX Alternatively, the value obtained by multiplying this by a predetermined coefficient smaller than 1 may be used as the time until deterioration of the target object OBJ begins.

[0081] As described above, the solar radiation warning device 300 can warn the administrator that the target object OBJ will be exposed to solar radiation for an unacceptable period of time. This allows the administrator to provide the necessary shading as needed depending on the light resistance of the target object OBJ.

[0082] In addition, the solar radiation warning device 300 can suppress issuance of a warning for light-resistant objects, so that a warning can be selectively issued only for objects that need protection from solar radiation. This reduces the number of warnings issued, reducing the burden on personnel who respond to warnings, and allowing them to focus on responding to warnings that are most important.

[0083] Other embodiments The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the monitoring area 900 is not limited to a stationary object such as a building, but may be a space provided in a movable object such as a vehicle, ship, or aircraft. Even in this case, the direction of the sun's rays can be calculated as appropriate by a general calculation method based on the position information, moving state such as the direction, and astronomical information of the movable object. Therefore, the solar radiation warning device in the above-mentioned embodiment can be operated in a movable object as well as in a stationary object.

[0084] In the above-mentioned third embodiment, a configuration for issuing a warning depending on the duration of sunlight has been described. However, in this configuration, similarly to the second embodiment, a shading determination unit 8 and a shading control unit 9 may be provided to control the shading device to perform shading.

[0085] In the above embodiment, the solar radiation area identifying unit 2 is described as having the opening information 2A stored therein in advance, but this is merely an example. For example, the opening information 2A may be stored in a storage device (not shown) inside or outside the solar radiation warning device 100, and the solar radiation area identifying unit 2 may read it as necessary.

[0086] For example, in the above embodiment, the article analysis unit 4 is described as having the article identification information 4A stored therein in advance, but this is merely an example. For example, the article identification information 4A may be stored in a storage device (not shown) inside or outside the solar radiation warning device 100, and may be read by the article analysis unit 4 as necessary.

[0087] For example, in the above embodiment, the avoidance determination unit 6 has been described as having the avoidance determination information 6A held therein in advance, but this is merely an example. For example, the avoidance determination information 6A may be stored in a storage device (not shown) inside or outside the solar radiation warning device 100, and the avoidance determination unit 6 may read it as necessary.

[0088] For example, in the above embodiment, the avoidance determination unit 11 has been described as having the avoidance determination information 11A stored therein in advance, but this is merely an example. For example, the avoidance determination information 11A may be stored in a storage device (not shown) inside or outside the solar radiation warning device 300, and the avoidance determination unit 11 may read it as necessary.

[0089] The processes executed by the solar radiation warning device according to the above-described embodiment may be realized by using a semiconductor processing device including an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Moreover, these processes may be realized by making a computer system including at least one processor (e.g., a microprocessor, a CPU, a GPU, an MPU, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor)) execute a program. Specifically, one or more programs including a set of instructions for making a computer system execute algorithms related to these transmission signal processing or reception signal processing may be created, and the program may be supplied to a computer.

[0090] These programs can be stored and provided to a computer using various types of non-transitory computer readable media. Non-transitory computer readable media include various types of tangible storage media. Examples of non-transitory computer readable media include magnetic recording media (e.g., flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical recording media (e.g., magneto-optical disks), CD-ROM (Read Only Memory), CD-R, CD-R / W, and semiconductor memory (e.g., mask ROM, PROM (Programmable ROM), EPROM (Erasable PROM), flash ROM, RAM (random access memory)). The programs may also be provided to a computer by various types of transitory computer readable media. Examples of transitory computer readable media include electric signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. The transitory computer readable media can provide the programs to a computer via a wired communication path such as an electric wire and an optical fiber, or via a wireless communication path. [Explanation of symbols]

[0091] 1. Solar radiation calculation unit 2. Solar radiation area identification section 2A opening information 3. Item detection section 4 Article Analysis Department 4A Item Identification Information 5. Irradiation status determination unit 6, 11 Avoidance judgment part 6A, 11A Evasion judgment information 7 Warning section 8 Light shielding determination section 9. Shading control section 10 Irradiation state determination unit 100, 200, 300 Solar radiation warning device 101 Camera 102 Cable 110 Solar Radiation Warning System 210 Solar Radiation Warning System 900 monitoring area 901 Window 902 Curtains 1000 Computers 1004 Bus 1005 Input / Output Interface 1006 Input section 1007 Output section 1008 Storage section 1009 Communications Department 1010 Drive 1011 Magnetic disk 1012 Optical disc 1013 Flexible Disk 1014 Semiconductor memory A, A1~A3 solar radiation area CON Control Signal G1 Table G2 Tableware G3 vase G4 Candy Box G5 Fruits G6 units G7 Tote Bag G8, G9 goods G71 Milk carton G72 Pharmaceuticals G73, G74 Confectionery OBJ Target item L sun rays W1~W3 Windows

Claims

1. a sunbeam calculation unit for calculating a direction of sunbeam irradiation with respect to a monitoring area; a solar radiation area specifying unit that specifies a solar radiation area in the monitoring area due to the solar radiation based on the calculated irradiation direction of the solar radiation; an object detection unit that detects an object within the monitoring area based on an image of the monitoring area; an item analysis unit that analyzes the detected characteristics of the item; a solar radiation state determination unit that determines whether the detected object is included in the solar radiation area; an avoidance determination unit that, when the detected object is included in the solar radiation area, determines whether or not the detected object should avoid solar radiation based on an analysis result of a characteristic of the detected object; and a warning unit that issues a warning when the detected article should be avoided from sunlight. Solar radiation warning device.

2. a light blocking determination unit that determines whether or not a light blocking device is present that blocks sunlight from reaching the detected object when the detected object should be protected from sunlight; and a shading control device that, when there is a shading device that blocks the sunlight from reaching the detected article, controls the shading device so as to block the sunlight from reaching the detected article. A solar radiation warning device according to claim 1.

3. The solar radiation state determination unit calculates a time period during which the detected object is exposed to sunlight, the avoidance determination unit determines whether or not the detected article should avoid sunlight based on the calculated sunlight duration. A solar radiation warning device according to claim 1.

4. an imaging device that outputs an image of a monitored area; a sunlight calculation unit for calculating a direction of sunlight irradiating the monitoring area; a solar radiation area specifying unit that specifies a solar radiation area in the monitoring area due to the solar radiation based on the calculated irradiation direction of the solar radiation; an object detection unit that detects an object within the surveillance area based on the image captured by the imaging device; an item analysis unit that analyzes the detected characteristics of the item; a solar radiation state determination unit that determines whether the detected object is included in the solar radiation area; an avoidance determination unit that, when the detected object is included in the solar radiation area, determines whether or not the detected object should avoid solar radiation based on an analysis result of a characteristic of the detected object; and a warning unit that issues a warning when the detected article should be avoided from sunlight. Solar radiation warning system.

5. Calculate the direction of sunlight to the monitoring area; Identifying a solar radiation area in the monitoring area due to the solar radiation based on the calculated irradiation direction of the solar radiation; Detecting an object within the monitoring area based on an image of the monitoring area; Analyzing the detected characteristics of the article; determining whether the detected object is included in the solar radiation area; When the detected object is included in the solar radiation area, determining whether or not the detected object should be avoided from solar radiation based on an analysis result of the characteristics of the detected object; issuing a warning when the detected article should be avoided from solar radiation; Solar radiation warning methods.

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