Server, program, monitoring assistance system, and monitoring assistance method

Abstract

To provide a server or the like capable of ensuring safety of patrol monitors.SOLUTION: A server is a server that communicates with a sensor terminal carried by a monitor and includes a storage unit that stores the monitor's patrol route, a zone information acquisition unit that acquires information on an alert zone, an update unit that updates the patrol route so as not to include the alert zone when the information on the alert zone is acquired while the monitor patrols the patrol route, and a notifying unit that notifies the monitor of the updated patrol route.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a server, a program, a monitoring support system, and a monitoring support method. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, wide-area surveillance systems have been introduced that install surveillance cameras in large areas such as residential areas, forests, and river areas to monitor them. Although surveillance cameras act as a psychological deterrent against crime, they are no match for human visual surveillance when it comes to proactively detecting suspicious people and objects to prevent crimes from occurring. Therefore, there is a demand for such systems to proactively detect abnormalities in the area being monitored.

[0003] Meanwhile, glasses-type sensor terminals that are worn on the head, called head-mounted displays, smart glasses, etc., are known. Some of these glasses-type devices have a function of detecting the line of sight of the user. These glasses-type devices detect the line of sight of workers in facilities such as plants to monitor and support their work (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2023-5660 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] It is believed that by having a monitor carrying a sensor terminal such as a glasses-type device patrol the target area, it is possible to proactively detect abnormalities in the monitored area even in wide-area monitoring. However, in such cases, it is necessary to ensure the safety of the monitor from abnormalities in the monitored area.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a server, a program, a surveillance support system, and a surveillance support method that make it possible to ensure the safety of patrol surveillance personnel. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A server according to an embodiment of the present invention is a server that communicates with a sensor terminal carried by a monitor, and has a memory unit that stores the monitor's patrol route, an area information acquisition unit that acquires information about the alert area, an update unit that updates the patrol route so that it does not include the alert area when information about the alert area is acquired while the monitor is patrolling the patrol route, and a notification unit that notifies the monitor of the updated patrol route.

[0008] In addition, it is preferable that the server further has a generation unit that generates information about the restricted area based on images captured by the sensor terminal, and the area information acquisition unit acquires the generated information about the restricted area.

[0009] In addition, it is preferable that the generation unit estimates the distance between the monitor and the alert area based on the gaze direction of the monitor detected by the sensor terminal, and generates information about the alert area based on the estimated distance.

[0010] A program according to an embodiment of the present invention is a computer program that communicates with a sensor terminal carried by a monitor and has a memory unit that stores the monitor's patrol route, and causes the computer to acquire location information of the sensor terminal, acquire information about the alert area, determine whether the monitor is patrolling the patrol route based on the location information of the sensor terminal, and if information about the alert area is acquired while the monitor is patrolling the patrol route, update the patrol route so that it does not include the alert area, and notify the monitor of the updated patrol route.

[0011] A monitoring support system according to an embodiment of the present invention is a monitoring support system having a sensor terminal carried by a monitor and a server, wherein the sensor terminal has a location information generation unit that generates location information of the sensor terminal and a transmission unit that transmits the location information to the server, and the server has a memory unit that stores the monitor's patrol route, a terminal information acquisition unit that acquires location information of the sensor terminal, an area information acquisition unit that acquires information about the alert area, a determination unit that determines whether the monitor is patrolling the patrol route based on the location information of the sensor terminal, an update unit that updates the patrol route so as not to include the alert area when information of the alert area is acquired while the monitor is patrolling the patrol route, and a notification unit that notifies the monitor of the updated patrol route.

[0012] A monitoring support method according to an embodiment of the present invention is a monitoring support method executed by a monitoring support system having a sensor terminal carried by a monitor and a server, and includes the steps of: the sensor terminal generating location information of the sensor terminal and transmitting the location information to the server; the server storing the monitor's patrol route, acquiring location information of the sensor terminal, acquiring information on the alert area, determining whether the monitor is patrolling the patrol route based on the location information of the sensor terminal, and, if information of the alert area is acquired while the monitor is patrolling the patrol route, updating the patrol route so as not to include the alert area, and notifying the monitor of the updated patrol route. Effect of the Invention

[0013] The server, the program, the surveillance support system, and the surveillance support method according to the present invention make it possible to ensure the safety of patrol surveillance personnel. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a monitoring support system 1. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of the glasses-type device 2. [Diagram 3] 2 is an exemplary functional block diagram of the glasses-type device 2. FIG. [Figure 4]FIG. 2 is an exemplary functional block diagram of the server 3. [Diagram 5] 13 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of a warning area table T1. FIG. [Figure 6] 13 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of a tour route table T2. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a monitoring support process. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a flow diagram showing an example of the flow of an update process. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a route display screen G1. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a route display screen G2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, but covers the inventions described in the claims and their equivalents.

[0016] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a monitoring support system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The monitoring support system 1 includes a glasses-type device 2, a server 3, a user terminal 4, and a monitoring terminal 5. The glasses-type device 2, the server 3, the user terminal 4, and the monitoring terminal 5 communicate with each other via a network N, which is the Internet or an intranet. The glasses-type device 2 is an example of a sensor terminal.

[0017] The surveillance support system 1 supports patrol surveillance of a surveillance target area by a patrol supervisor P who wears a glasses-type device 2 and patrols a predetermined patrol route. The surveillance support system 1 ensures the safety of the patrol supervisor P by updating the patrol route while the patrol supervisor P is patrolling the patrol route so as not to include a warning area where danger is expected.

[0018] The glasses-type device 2 is worn on the head of the patrol observer P. The glasses-type device 2 detects the position of the glasses-type device 2 and the line of sight of the patrol observer P. The glasses-type device 2 transmits information indicating the position of the glasses-type device 2 and the line of sight of the patrol observer P to the server 3.

[0019] The server 3 is an information processing device. The server 3 may be a PC (Personal Computer), a tablet terminal, a smartphone, a mobile phone, a game machine, or the like. The server 3 stores map information. The server 3 identifies the position in the map information of an object that the patrol observer P is gazing at, based on information indicating the position of the glasses-type device 2 and the line of sight direction of the patrol observer P. The server 3 also identifies an area requiring monitoring from among the areas to be monitored, and sets a patrol route to include the area requiring monitoring or its vicinity.

[0020] The user terminal 4 is an information processing terminal such as a PC, tablet terminal, smartphone, mobile phone, game console, etc., carried by the patrol monitor P. The user terminal 4 receives information on the patrol route from the server 3 and displays it.

[0021] The monitoring terminal 5 is an information processing terminal such as a PC, a tablet terminal, a smartphone, a mobile phone, a game machine, etc. The monitoring terminal 5 accepts input of information on the restricted area. The monitoring terminal 5 transmits the input information on the restricted area to the server 3.

[0022] Fig. 2 is a schematic front view of the glasses-type device 2, and Fig. 3 is an exemplary functional block diagram of the glasses-type device 2. The glasses-type device 2 has a frame 211, a lens 212, a position sensor 22, an orientation sensor 23, a gaze direction sensor 24, an imaging unit 25, a storage unit 26, a communication unit 27, a processing unit 28, and the like.

[0023] The frame 211 holds each component of the glasses-type device 2 and enables the glasses-type device 2 to be worn on the head. The lens 212 is made of translucent resin or glass.

[0024] The position sensor 22 is configured to detect the position of the glasses-type device 2. For example, the position sensor 22 includes a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver that detects the position of the glasses-type device 2. The position sensor 22 generates information indicating the detected position of the glasses-type device 2 and supplies the information to the processing unit 28.

[0025] The orientation sensor 23 is configured to detect a rough line of sight of the patrol observer P. For example, the orientation sensor 23 includes a geomagnetic sensor that detects the direction of the glasses-type device 2. The position sensor 22 generates information indicating the detected direction of the glasses-type device 2 as information indicating a rough line of sight of the patrol observer P, and supplies the information to the processing unit 28.

[0026] The gaze direction sensor 24 is configured to detect the precise gaze direction of the patrol observer P. For example, the gaze direction sensor 24 includes an eye tracking sensor that detects the gaze direction of each of the eyes and an electromagnetic signal sensor that detects the motion state of the ciliary muscles of each of the eyes.

[0027] The eye tracking sensor includes a near-infrared LED (Light Emitting Diode) light source, a camera, and a processing circuit. The LED light source irradiates near-infrared light onto the eyeballs of the patrol observer P wearing the glasses-type device 2. The camera captures the eyeballs of the patrol observer P, which reflect the near-infrared light, to generate an image. The processing circuit calculates the line of sight of the patrol observer P by applying a predetermined algorithm to the image of the eyeball captured by the camera. For example, the processing circuit calculates which of a plurality of preset angle ranges the line of sight of the patrol observer P is included in. For example, five angle ranges are set as the plurality of angle ranges in the horizontal direction: left direction, left front direction, front direction, right front direction, and right direction, and five angle ranges are set in the vertical direction: upward direction, diagonally upward direction, front direction, diagonally downward direction, and downward direction. In this case, the processing circuit calculates which of the five angle ranges in the horizontal direction and which of the five angle ranges in the vertical direction the line of sight of both eyes is included in. The processing circuit generates information indicating the calculated angle range as information indicating the line of sight of both eyes, and supplies the information to the processing unit 28.

[0028] The electromagnetic signal sensor includes an antenna, an amplifier, and a processing circuit. The antenna is, for example, a single loop antenna, and detects an electromagnetic signal in a predetermined frequency band generated by the movement of the ciliary muscle. The amplifier amplifies the signal detected by the antenna to a predetermined amplitude. The processing circuit determines the motion state of the ciliary muscle by applying a predetermined algorithm to the signal amplified by the amplifier. For example, the processing circuit determines whether the ciliary muscle is in one of five states: a strong tension state, a weak tension state, a normal state, a weak relaxation state, and a strong relaxation state. The processing circuit generates information indicating the result of the determination as information indicating the motion state of the ciliary muscle, and supplies the information to the processing unit 28.

[0029] Generally, when a person looks at a nearby object, the eyes move inward (convergence movement) with respect to each other. When a person looks at a distant object, the eyes move outward (divergence movement) with respect to each other. Therefore, the distance to the object is estimated based on the gaze direction of both eyes.

[0030] In addition, when a person looks at a nearby object, the ciliary muscle surrounding the crystalline lens of the eye tenses and contracts. This causes the crystalline lens to be pushed by the ciliary muscle and thicken, shortening the focal length of the crystalline lens and bringing the object into focus. On the other hand, when a person looks at a distant object, the ciliary muscle relaxes and stretches. This causes the crystalline lens to be pulled by the ciliary muscle and become thinner, lengthening the focal length of the crystalline lens and bringing the object into focus. Therefore, the distance to the object can be estimated based on the movement of the ciliary muscle.

[0031] The imaging unit 25 includes an imaging optical system, an imaging element, a processing circuit, and the like. The imaging optical system includes, for example, an optical lens, and forms an image of a light beam from a subject on the imaging surface of the imaging element. The imaging element is, for example, an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor), and outputs an image signal corresponding to the subject image formed on the imaging surface. The processing circuit generates a captured image in a predetermined format based on the image signal generated by the imaging element, and supplies the captured image to the processing unit 28.

[0032] The storage unit 26 is configured to store programs and data, and includes, for example, a semiconductor memory. The storage unit 26 stores, as programs, operating system programs, driver programs, application programs, and the like used in processing by the processing unit 28. The programs are installed in the storage unit 26 from a computer-readable, non-transitory, portable storage medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory) or a DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disc Read Only Memory).

[0033] The communication unit 27 is configured to enable the glasses-type device 2 to communicate with other devices, and includes a communication interface circuit. The communication interface circuit included in the communication unit 27 is a communication interface circuit for a mobile communication system, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), or the like. The communication unit 27 receives data from other devices and supplies the data to the processing unit 28, and transmits data supplied from the processing unit 28 to other devices.

[0034] The processing unit 28 is configured to comprehensively control the operation of the glasses-type device 2, and includes one or more processors and their peripheral circuits. The processing unit 28 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The processing unit 28 may include a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or the like. The processing unit 28 controls the operation of each component so that various processes of the glasses-type device 2 are executed in an appropriate order based on the programs stored in the storage unit 26.

[0035] 4 is an exemplary functional block diagram of the server 3. The server 3 includes a storage unit 31, a communication unit 32, a processing unit 33, and the like.

[0036] The storage unit 31 is configured to store programs and data, and includes, for example, a semiconductor memory. The storage unit 31 stores, as programs, an operating system program, a driver program, an application program, and the like used in processing by the processing unit 33. The programs are installed in the storage unit 31 from a computer-readable, non-transitory, portable storage medium such as a CD-ROM or a DVD-ROM.

[0037] The communication unit 32 is configured to enable the server 3 to communicate with other devices, and includes a communication interface circuit. The communication interface circuit included in the communication unit 32 is a communication interface circuit for a mobile communication system, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), or the like. The communication unit 32 receives data from other devices and supplies the data to the processing unit 33, and transmits data supplied from the processing unit 33 to other devices.

[0038] The processing unit 33 is configured to comprehensively control the operation of the glasses-type device 2, and includes one or more processors and their peripheral circuits. The processing unit 33 includes, for example, a CPU. The processing unit 33 may include a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), a DSP, an LSI, an ASIC, an FPGA, or the like. The processing unit 33 controls the operation of each component so that various processes of the server 3 are executed in an appropriate order based on the programs stored in the storage unit 31.

[0039] The processing unit 33 includes, as functional blocks, a control unit 331, a device information acquisition unit 332, a generation unit 333, an area information acquisition unit 334, a determination unit 335, an update unit 336, and a notification unit 337. These functional blocks are functional modules realized based on a program executed by the processing unit 33. Each of these units may be implemented in the server 3 as a dedicated processing circuit.

[0040] 5 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the alert area table T1 stored in the storage unit 31. The alert area table T1 stores information about alert areas. Alert areas are areas that should be excluded from the patrol route to ensure the safety of the patrol monitor P. The alert area table T1 stores information IDs, times, area identification information, reasons for designation, information sources, etc., in association with one another.

[0041] The information ID identifies a plurality of pieces of information related to the alert area. The time indicates the time when the information related to the alert area was registered in the alert area table T1. The area identification information identifies an area that is an alert area among a plurality of areas divided into the area to be monitored. The plurality of areas are, for example, meshes such as 10m mesh and 50m mesh defined by the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan. In this case, the area identification information is a mesh code. This is not limited to such an example, and the plurality of areas may be geographical areas having any shape and size. The designation reason indicates the reason why the area is designated as an alert area. In the example shown in FIG. 5, fire and vermin are shown as the designation reasons. The information source indicates the information source of the information on the alert area. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the designation of the alert area is based on a report and a photographed image. The case based on a report refers to a case where information on the alert area is input to the monitoring terminal 5. The case based on a photographed image refers to a case where the alert area is designated based on an image photographed by the glasses-type device 2 worn by the patrol monitor P.

[0042] Among the data in the restricted area table T1, data that originates from reports is registered by inputting information about the restricted area into the monitoring terminal 5. For example, when an operator obtains information about an area where a fire, crime, or the like has occurred and poses a risk to the patrol supervisor P, the operator inputs information identifying the area and the reason for designation into the monitoring terminal 5. The monitoring terminal 5 transmits the input information to the server 3. The server 3 associates the received information with an information ID and time, and stores it in the restricted area table T1.

[0043] Among the data in the warning area table T1, data that uses photographed images as an information source is registered in an update process described later.

[0044] 6 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the tour route table T2 stored in the storage unit 31. The tour route table T2 stores device IDs and tour routes in association with each other.

[0045] The device ID identifies the glasses-type device 2. The patrol route is the route taken by the patrol monitor P wearing the glasses-type device 2 when patrolling and monitoring. The patrol route is composed of multiple passing points and line segments connecting adjacent passing points, and is specified by the position coordinates of the multiple passing points, which are ordered. For example, a passing point is a point that corresponds to a node in road network information that represents roads by nodes and links. The position coordinates are coordinates in any coordinate system, such as latitude and longitude or a plane rectangular coordinate system.

[0046] The data in the tour route table T2 is set in advance and updated in an update process which will be described later.

[0047] 7 is a flow diagram showing an example of the flow of a monitoring support process executed by the server 3. The monitoring support process is realized by the processing unit 33 working in cooperation with other components of the server 3 based on a program stored in the storage unit 31.

[0048] First, the control unit 331 determines whether or not patrol monitoring by the patrol monitor P has started based on the position information of the glasses-type device 2 (step S11). For example, the control unit 331 transmits a position information request to the glasses-type device 2 via the communication unit 32. The control unit 331 receives position information from the glasses-type device 2. The control unit 331 determines that patrol monitoring has started when the position of the glasses-type device 2 indicated by the position information approaches the patrol route.

[0049] If the start signal is not received (step S11-No), the monitoring support process returns to step S11. That is, the control unit 331 waits until the start signal is received.

[0050] When the start signal is received (step S11-Yes), the control unit 331 executes an update process (step S12). The update process is a process of acquiring device information from the glasses-type device 2 while the patrol monitor P is patrolling the patrol route, and updating the patrol route based on the device information. The update process will be described in detail later.

[0051] Next, the control unit 331 determines whether or not the patrol monitoring by the patrol monitor P has ended based on the position information of the glasses-type device 2 (step S13). For example, the control unit 331 transmits a position information request to the glasses-type device 2 via the communication unit 32. The control unit 331 receives the position information from the glasses-type device 2. The control unit 331 determines that the patrol monitoring has ended when the position of the glasses-type device 2 indicated by the position information has moved away from the patrol route.

[0052] If the end signal is not received (step S13-No), the monitoring support process returns to step S12.

[0053] If the end signal is received (step S13-Yes), the monitoring support process ends.

[0054] 8 is a flow diagram showing an example of the flow of the update process. The update process is executed in step S12 of the monitoring support process.

[0055] First, the device information acquisition unit 332 acquires device information from the glasses-type device 2 (step S21). The device information includes position information of the glasses-type device 2, information indicating the line of sight of the patrol observer P, and a captured image of the area in front of the patrol observer P.

[0056] For example, the device information acquisition unit 332 transmits a device information request to the glasses-type device 2 via the communication unit 32. In response to the transmission of the device information request, the acquisition unit 281 of the glasses-type device 2 acquires position information of the glasses-type device 2 from the position sensor 22, the line of sight direction of the patrol monitor P from the orientation sensor 23 and the line of sight direction sensor 24, and a captured image of the area in front of the patrol monitor P from the imaging unit 25. The transmission unit 282 transmits device information including the position information of the glasses-type device 2, information indicating the line of sight direction of the patrol monitor P, and the captured image of the area in front of the patrol monitor P to the server 3 via the communication unit 27. The device information acquisition unit 332 of the server 3 acquires the device information by receiving it.

[0057] Next, the generating unit 333 generates information on the restricted area based on the device information (step S22). For example, the generating unit 333 determines whether or not a generating condition for generating information on the restricted area is satisfied based on the captured image included in the device information. The generating condition is, for example, that the captured image contains a restricted object that may cause danger to the patrol observer P. For example, the restricted object is a specified vermin such as a wild boar or a bear. The restricted object may also be a building where a fire is occurring.

[0058] In this case, the generation unit 333 uses image recognition techniques such as pattern matching and a trained model to determine whether or not the captured image contains a warning target. The trained model may be an image classification model such as VGG that classifies an input image, or an object detection model such as SSD (Single Shot Detector) that detects an object region from an input image. The generation unit 333 determines that the generation condition is satisfied when the captured image contains a warning target.

[0059] If the generation condition is satisfied, the generation unit 333 identifies the alert area. For example, the generation unit 333 estimates the distance from the patrol observer P to the alert area, and identifies the alert area based on the position information of the glasses-type device 2, the line of sight direction of the patrol observer, and the estimated distance.

[0060] For example, the storage unit 31 stores in advance a table that associates a combination of the gaze direction in the horizontal direction of both eyes and the motion state of the ciliary muscle with an estimated distance to the security zone. For example, the information indicating the gaze direction in the horizontal direction of both eyes is information indicating which of five angle ranges the gaze direction is included in, and the information indicating the motion state of the ciliary muscle is information indicating which of five motion states the ciliary muscle is in. In this case, the number of these combinations is 25. An estimated distance to the security zone is associated in advance with each of these 25 combinations. The generation unit 333 estimates the distance to the security zone by acquiring an estimated distance associated with a combination of the gaze direction in the horizontal direction of both eyes and the motion state of the ciliary muscle indicated in the acquired device information.

[0061] The generation unit 333 specifies the position of the target object based on the position of the glasses-type device 2 and the line of sight of the patrol observer P indicated by the device information to be processed, and the distance to the target object estimated for the device information to be processed. For example, the generation unit 333 specifies, as the position of the target object, a position that is separated from the position of the glasses-type device 2 by the estimated distance in the line of sight of the patrol observer P. For example, the line of sight of the patrol observer P is a rough line of sight direction detected by the orientation sensor 23 of the glasses-type device 2. The generation unit 333 specifies, as the alert area, an area including the position of the target object.

[0062] Note that the distance estimated in the above process is the distance from the patrol supervisor P to the object that the patrol supervisor P is gazing at, and does not necessarily match the distance from the patrol supervisor P to the alert target. However, if the alert target that corresponds to the generation condition is included in the field of view of the patrol supervisor P, it is highly likely that the patrol supervisor P will gaze at the alert area in which the alert target is located. Therefore, the distance to the object can be treated as the distance to the alert area.

[0063] The generation unit 333 generates information indicating that the identified area is a warning area, and stores the information in the warning area table T1.

[0064] Next, the area information acquisition unit 334 acquires information on the alert area from the alert area table T1 (step S23). For example, the area information acquisition unit 334 acquires information on all alert areas, including the information on the alert area generated in step S22, from the alert area table T1.

[0065] Next, the determination unit 335 determines whether or not the patrol route of the patrol monitor P passes through the security zone (step S24). For example, the patrol route is composed of a plurality of passing points and line segments connecting adjacent passing points. In this case, the determination unit 335 determines whether or not each passing point and at least a portion of each line segment are included in the security zone indicated in the acquired information. If at least one passing point or line segment is included in the security zone, the determination unit 335 determines that the patrol route passes through the security zone.

[0066] If the patrol route does not pass through the restricted area (step S24-No), the update process ends.

[0067] If the tour route passes through the alert area (step S24-Yes), the update unit 336 updates the tour route so that the tour route does not include the alert area (step S25). For example, the update unit 336 extracts a pass point that is not included in the alert area from among a plurality of pass points included in the tour route. The update unit 336 also acquires road network information of roads that are not included in the alert area from among the road network information previously stored in the storage unit 31. The road network information is, for example, data that conforms to the national digital road map database standard defined by the Japan Digital Road Map Association. In this case, the update unit 336 acquires, from among the nodes and links included in the road network information, nodes that are not included in the alert area and links that are connected to the nodes that are not included in the alert area. The update unit 336 refers to the acquired road network information and updates the tour route by newly calculating a tour route that passes through all the extracted pass points. For example, the update unit 336 calculates the tour route by sequentially calculating the paths between the pass points using Dijkstra's algorithm or the like. The update unit 336 stores the updated tour route in the tour route table T2.

[0068] Next, the notification unit 337 notifies the patrol monitor P of the updated patrol route (step S26). For example, the notification unit 337 generates display data for a route display screen showing the updated patrol route. The notification unit 337 notifies the updated patrol route by transmitting the display data to the user terminal 4 via the communication unit 32 and causing the route display screen to be displayed on the user terminal 4. This ends the update process.

[0069] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a route display screen G1 displayed on the user terminal 4. The route display screen G1 includes a map image G11, a tour route G12 before the update, a tour route G13 after the update, an object G14, a security area G15, and a current position G16 of the glasses-type device 2. In the example shown in Fig. 9, the tour route G12 before the update passed through the security area G14, and therefore has been updated to a tour route G13 that does not pass through the security area G14.

[0070] For example, the notification unit 337 acquires a map image G11 of a predetermined range centered on the current position of the glasses-type device 2 included in the device information from the storage unit 31. The notification unit 337 draws the pre-update tour route G12 and the updated tour route G13 on the map image G11. The notification unit 337 also draws the object G14, the warning area G15, and the current position G16 of the glasses-type device 2, the positions of which were identified in step S22, on the map. In this manner, the notification unit 337 generates display data for the route display screen G1.

[0071] As described above, the server 3 has an area information acquisition unit 334 that acquires information about restricted areas, an update unit 336 that updates the patrol route so as not to include the restricted area when information about the restricted area is acquired while the monitor is patrolling the patrol route, and a notification unit 337 that notifies the updated patrol route. This enables the server 3 to ensure the safety of the patrol monitor.

[0072] The server 3 further includes a generation unit 333 that generates information about the restricted area based on an image captured by the glasses-type device 2, and an area information acquisition unit 334 acquires the generated information about the restricted area. This enables the server 3 to ensure the safety of the patrol monitor P from alert targets included in the field of view of the patrol monitor P.

[0073] Furthermore, the generation unit 333 estimates the distance between the patrol monitor P and the security area based on the line of sight of the patrol monitor P detected by the glasses-type device 2, and generates information about the security area based on the estimated distance. This enables the server 3 to appropriately estimate the position of the security target included in the field of view of the patrol monitor P, and ensure the safety of the patrol monitor P.

[0074] The monitoring support system 1 may be modified as follows.

[0075] In the above-described embodiment, in step S22 of the update process, the generation unit 333 generates the information on the alert area based on the device information acquired in the immediately preceding step S21. The present invention is not limited to this example, and the generation unit 333 may generate the information on the alert area based on device information acquired in the past. For example, the generation unit 333 estimates the current position of an object based on the position of an object identified in the past. The generation unit 333 identifies an area including the current position of the object as the alert area, and generates the information on the alert area.

[0076] For example, the generation unit 333 acquires a first position of the object identified in the most recently executed update process and a second position of the object identified in the update process executed before that. The generation unit 333 calculates the direction and distance of the first position from the second position. The generation unit 333 estimates a position located in the calculated direction and distance from the first position as the current position of the object. The generation unit 333 specifies an area including the current position of the object as a warning area.

[0077] Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a route display screen G2 displayed on the user terminal 4 in this modified example. The route display screen G2 includes a map image G21, a pre-update tour route G22, an updated tour route G23, objects G24a, G24b, and G24c, a warning area G25, and a current position G26 of the glasses-type device 2. The objects G24a and G24b indicate positions of objects identified in the past, and the object G24c indicates an estimated current position of the object. In the example shown in Fig. 10, the position of the object G24b seen from the position of the object G24a (shown by an arrow V1) is equal to the position of the object G24c seen from the position of the object G24b (shown by an arrow V2).

[0078] In this way, the generation unit 333 may estimate the current position of an object based on the positions of objects identified in the past. This allows the surveillance support system 1 to ensure the safety of the patrol surveillance person P even when information on the alert area is not stored.

[0079] In the above-described embodiment, in steps S11 and S13 of the monitoring support process, the control unit 331 determines whether or not patrol monitoring has started or ended based on the position information of the glasses-type device 2. However, the present invention is not limited to this example, and the control unit 331 may determine whether or not patrol monitoring has started or ended based on a signal transmitted from the user terminal 4.

[0080] For example, in step S11, the control unit 331 determines that patrol monitoring has started when a start signal indicating that patrol monitoring has started is received from the user terminal 4. Also, in step S13, the control unit 331 determines that patrol monitoring has ended when an end signal indicating that patrol monitoring has ended is received from the user terminal 4. The start signal and end signal are transmitted from the user terminal 4 in response to an operation by the patrol monitor P.

[0081] In the above-described embodiment, step S22 of the update process may be omitted. That is, the area information acquisition unit 334 may acquire only the information of the alert area based on the information transmitted from the monitoring terminal 5, rather than the information of the alert area based on the captured image. In this case, the glasses-type device 2 may not have the functions of the gaze direction sensor 24 and the imaging unit 25. Also, instead of the glasses-type device 2, a sensor terminal of any shape may be used.

[0082] The functions of the user terminal 4 in the above-described embodiment may be realized by the glasses-type device 2. For example, the glasses-type device 2 has a lens 212 which is a light guide plate, a diffraction element, and a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or LCOS (Liquid Crystal On Silicon), and displays a route display screen so that the route display screen can be visually recognized by the patrol monitor P.

[0083] The above-described embodiment and various modified examples may be appropriately combined and implemented within the scope of the present invention. The above-described various processes may be appropriately executed in different orders within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0084] 2. Glasses-type device 22 Position Sensor 23 Orientation Sensor 24 Gaze direction sensor 25 Imaging unit 281 Acquisition Department 282 Transmitter 3 Server 332 Device information acquisition unit 333 Generation part 334 Area Information Acquisition Department 335 Judgment section 336 Update Department 337 Notification Department

Claims

1. A server that communicates with a sensor terminal carried by an observer, A storage unit that stores the patrol route of the monitor; An area information acquisition unit that acquires information on a restricted area; an update unit that updates the patrol route so as not to include the alert area when information on the alert area is acquired while the monitor is patrolling the patrol route; a notification unit that notifies the supervisor of the updated tour route; A server having:

2. A generating unit that generates information about a security zone based on an image captured by the sensor terminal, The area information acquisition unit acquires information on the generated alert area. The server of claim 1 .

3. the generation unit estimates a distance between the monitor and the warning area based on a line-of-sight direction of the monitor detected by the sensor terminal, and generates information about the warning area based on the estimated distance. The server according to claim 2.

4. A computer program having a storage unit that communicates with a sensor terminal carried by a monitor and stores a patrol route of the monitor, Acquire location information of the sensor terminal; Obtain information on alert areas, determining whether the monitor is patrolling a patrol route based on the position information of the sensor terminal; When information on the alert area is acquired while the monitor is patrolling the patrol route, the patrol route is updated so as not to include the alert area; notifying the supervisor of the updated tour route; A program for causing the computer to execute the above steps.

5. A monitoring support system having a sensor terminal carried by a monitor and a server, The sensor terminal includes: a position information generating unit that generates position information of the sensor terminal; a transmitting unit that transmits the location information to the server, The server, A storage unit that stores the patrol route of the monitor; a terminal information acquisition unit that acquires location information of the sensor terminal; An area information acquisition unit that acquires information on a restricted area; a determination unit that determines whether the monitor is patrolling a patrol route based on the position information of the sensor terminal; an update unit that updates the patrol route so as not to include the alert area when information on the alert area is acquired while the monitor is patrolling the patrol route; a notification unit that notifies the supervisor of the updated tour route. Surveillance support system.

6. A monitoring support method executed by a monitoring support system having a sensor terminal carried by a monitor and a server, comprising: The sensor terminal, Generate location information of the sensor terminal; Transmitting the location information to the server; The server, storing the patrol route of the monitor; Acquire location information of the sensor terminal; Obtain information on alert areas, determining whether the monitor is patrolling a patrol route based on the position information of the sensor terminal; When information on the alert area is acquired while the monitor is patrolling the patrol route, the patrol route is updated so as not to include the alert area; notifying the supervisor of the updated tour route; A monitoring support method comprising:

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