Monitor system

Abstract

To provide a monitor system capable of reducing an amount of data to be accumulated.SOLUTION: The monitor system comprises: a camera arranged within a cargo chamber; an adjustment unit for adjusting a visual field of the camera; and a control unit for controlling the adjustment unit so that a dead angle range that is not included in the visual field within the cargo chamber becomes larger than a cargo loaded within the cargo chamber. For example, an acquisition unit for acquiring a size of the cargo is further provided, and the control unit controls the adjustment unit so that the dead angle range becomes larger than the cargo based on the acquired size of the cargo.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to surveillance systems. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a monitoring system is known that photographs the interior of a luggage compartment using a camera installed in a vehicle and evaluates the stability and shifting of cargo from the captured image.

[0003] Also, although it is not a monitoring system for evaluating the shifting or stability of cargo, a monitoring system has been disclosed that includes an imaging means that is attached to one side of the driver's seat at the front of the vehicle and is capable of capturing images of the area in front of the vehicle that is a blind spot from the driver's seat and of capturing images of the oncoming lane when turning right, and a display means that is attached inside the vehicle cabin and displays image information captured by the imaging means, and the imaging means has a wide adjustable viewing angle when capturing images of the blind spot (for example, Patent Document 1).

[0004] Similarly, although it is not a monitoring system for evaluating the shifting or stability of cargo, a camera adjustment method has been disclosed in which the elevation angle, azimuth angle, and rotation angle around the optical axis of each camera are adjusted using as indicators the length of the portion captured by that camera on a straight line indicating the shooting direction, the length of the portion captured by that camera on a straight line along the end of the vehicle, and the area of ​​the blind spot in the shooting direction (for example, Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-104115 [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. 01 / 028250 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, not all cargo is always sufficiently stable. In a monitoring system that evaluates the stability and shifting of cargo, unstable cargo that moves frequently increases the mental burden on the driver and accumulates useless data that is not worthy of evaluation by the monitoring system, so there is no benefit to the vehicle equipped with the monitoring system. Therefore, it is preferable to exclude unstable cargo from the monitoring target and make it a non-monitoring target.

[0007] The surveillance system described in Patent Document 1 and the camera adjustment method described in Patent Document 2 adjust the camera's viewing angle, etc. based on blind spots, but do not reduce the amount of data accumulated in the surveillance system.

[0008] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a monitoring system that can reduce the amount of data that is accumulated. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, the monitoring system in the present disclosure comprises: A camera disposed in the luggage compartment; an adjustment unit for adjusting the field of view of the camera; a control unit that controls the adjustment unit so that the blind spot range that is not within the field of view in the luggage compartment is larger than the size of cargo loaded in the luggage compartment; Equipped with. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present disclosure, the amount of accumulated data can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating functions of a monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of the application range of the monitoring system. [Figure 3A]FIG. 3A is a diagram showing the field of view of the camera before adjustment as viewed from above the ceiling of the luggage compartment. [Figure 3B] FIG. 3B is a diagram showing the field of view of the camera after adjustment, viewed from above the ceiling of the luggage compartment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the monitoring system according to this embodiment. [Figure 5A] FIG. 5A is a diagram showing the field of view of a camera before adjustment in a monitoring system according to a first modification of the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5B] FIG. 5B is a diagram showing the field of view of the camera 1 after adjustment in the monitoring system according to the first modification of the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5C] FIG. 5C is a diagram showing another example of the field of view of camera 1 after adjustment in the monitoring system according to the first modification of the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6A] FIG. 10 is a diagram of a monitoring system according to a second modification of the embodiment of the present disclosure viewed from above the ceiling of the luggage compartment. [Figure 6B] FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 6A. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating the functions of a monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The monitoring system 100 according to this embodiment is a system in which a camera 1 is placed in a luggage compartment and monitors for the shifting of cargo loaded in the luggage compartment based on image data captured by the camera 1. However, unstable cargo may be present among the cargo. Due to the unstable movement of the cargo, the monitoring system 100 may erroneously detect a shifting of the cargo. Furthermore, useless data on unstable cargo that moves frequently may be accumulated. Therefore, it is preferable not to monitor unstable cargo.

[0013] The monitoring system 100 of this embodiment creates a blind spot area for a non-monitored object, such as unstable cargo, that is not within the field of view of the camera 1, making it possible to keep the non-monitored object within the blind spot area. Generally, shelves that also serve as cargo support shelves are sometimes arranged along the perimeter walls of the trunk compartment, and so it is sometimes desirable to set a predetermined area along the perimeter walls of the trunk compartment as the blind spot area. Below, we will explain a case where a predetermined area along the perimeter walls of the trunk compartment is set as the blind spot area, but the blind spot area in the present disclosure is not limited to a predetermined area along the perimeter walls of the trunk compartment.

[0014] Next, the scope of application of the monitoring system 100 in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of the scope of application of the monitoring system 100. In the following description, the monitoring system is applied when it is necessary to activate the functions of the monitoring system 100 and it is possible to activate the functions. Note that cases where it is unnecessary or impossible to activate the functions of the monitoring system 100 are referred to as "not applicable to the monitoring system."

[0015] First, in step S100, the driver determines whether or not there is a non-monitoring target in the luggage compartment. If there is a non-monitoring target (step S100: YES), the process proceeds to step S110. If there is no non-monitoring target (step S100: NO), the monitoring system 100 is not applicable.

[0016] In step S110, if a blind spot exists in the luggage compartment (S110: YES), the process proceeds to step S120. If a blind spot does not exist (S110: NO), the process proceeds to step S130.

[0017] In step S120, if the blind spot range is larger than the size of the cargo (step S120: YES), the monitoring system 100 is not applicable. If the blind spot range is not larger than the size of the cargo (step S120: NO), the process proceeds to step S130.

[0018] In step S130, if the blind spot of camera 1 can be adjusted and a blind spot can be created (step S130: YES), the process proceeds to step S131. If the blind spot of camera 1 cannot be adjusted or a blind spot cannot be created (step S130: NO), the monitoring system 100 is not applicable.

[0019] In step S131, the field of view is adjusted by widening or narrowing the viewing angle of the camera 1 and / or changing the shooting direction of the camera 1, as will be described later.

[0020] Next, in step S140, the blind spot range of the field of view adjustment is compared with the size of the cargo. If the blind spot range is larger than the size of the cargo (step S140: YES), the field of view adjustment is completed. If the blind spot range is not larger than the size of the cargo (step S140: NO), the monitoring system 100 is not applicable.

[0021] Next, the configuration of a monitoring system 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The monitoring system 100 includes a camera 1, a wireless tag 2, a reader 3, and a control device 10. The wireless tag 2 is also called an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag.

[0022] Camera 1 is installed in the luggage compartment of the vehicle. The viewing angle of camera 1 is configured to be wide and narrow. The shooting direction (optical axis direction) of camera 1 is also configured to be changeable. This makes it possible to adjust the field of view of camera 1. Note that image data captured by camera 1 is stored in storage unit 24, which will be described later. Information indicating the viewing angle and shooting direction of camera 1 is also stored in storage unit 24.

[0023] The wireless tag 2 is attached to the cargo. The wireless tag 2 stores tag information. The wireless tag 2 has an antenna that enables sending and receiving tag information to and from the reader 3. Cargo information related to the cargo is associated with a tag ID. The tag information includes a tag ID (Identification) and information indicating the size of the cargo. For example, when the driver specifies the cargo information or the tag ID, the reader 3 transmits the tag ID to the wireless tag. When the wireless tag 2 receives the tag ID, it transmits the tag information (including information indicating the size of the cargo) to the reader 3 based on the correspondence between the tag ID and the cargo. This enables the reader 3 to send information indicating the size of the cargo to the control device 10.

[0024] The control device 10 includes a control unit 20 and a storage unit 24 .

[0025] The memory unit 24 is a storage device such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores the BIOS (Basic Input Output System) of the computer that realizes the control device 10, a RAM (Random Access Memory) that serves as the working area of ​​the control device 10, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive) that stores the OS (Operating System), application programs, various information referenced when the application programs are executed, and various maps.

[0026] The storage unit 24 stores the tag information received by the reader 3. The storage unit 24 also stores a table TL that indicates the correspondence between the viewing angle and shooting direction of the camera 1 and the blind spot range.

[0027] The control unit 20 is a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) of the control device 10, and functions as an acquisition unit 21, a determination unit 22, and an adjustment unit 23 by executing programs stored in the storage unit 24.

[0028] 1 shows an example in which the control device 10 is configured as a single device. However, the control device 10 may be realized by, for example, multiple processors, memories, and other computational resources. In this case, each unit constituting the control unit 20 is realized by at least one of multiple different processors executing a program.

[0029] (Acquisition part 21) The acquisition unit 21 acquires tag information from the reader 3. The control unit 20 stores the tag information (including information indicating the size of the cargo) acquired by the acquisition unit 21 in the storage unit 24. Note that, for example, if it is possible to input the results of measuring the size of the cargo into the monitoring system 100 and compare the measurement results (size of the cargo) with the blind spot range, the acquisition unit 21 is not necessary.

[0030] (Judgment section 22) The determination unit 22 reads out the viewing angle and shooting direction of the camera 1 and the table TL from the storage unit. The determination unit 22 identifies the blind spot range by referring to the table TL based on the viewing angle and shooting direction of the camera 1. The determination unit 22 also reads out information indicating the size of the cargo from the storage unit 24. The determination unit 22 determines whether the blind spot range is larger than the size of the cargo. The determination result is output to the adjustment unit 23.

[0031] (Adjustment section 23) Based on the determination result, adjustment unit 23 widens or narrows the viewing angle of camera 1 and / or changes the shooting direction of camera 1. This adjusts the field of view of camera 1. In other words, the field of view of camera 1 is adjusted by widening or narrowing the viewing angle of camera 1 and / or changing the shooting direction of camera 1.

[0032] Next, adjustment of the field of view of camera 1 will be described with reference to Figures 3A and 3B. Figure 3A is a diagram showing the field of view of camera 1 before adjustment, viewed from the ceiling of the luggage compartment. Figure 3B is a diagram showing the field of view of camera 1 after adjustment, viewed from the ceiling of the luggage compartment. It is assumed that there are no blind spots in the luggage compartment shown in Figure 3A. Furthermore, the example of adjustment of the field of view of camera 1 shown in Figures 3A and 3B is performed by changing the shooting direction, and not by widening or narrowing the viewing angle.

[0033] The adjustment unit 23 changes the shooting direction of the camera 1 counterclockwise from the direction shown in Fig. 3A to the direction shown in Fig. 3B. As a result, a blind spot R1 is generated in the luggage compartment 4 as shown in Fig. 3B. If the blind spot R1 is larger than the size of the cargo (not shown), the cargo will be placed in the blind spot R1, and the cargo will not be monitored.

[0034] Next, an example of the operation of the monitoring system 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the monitoring system 100 according to this embodiment. Here, an unstable load will be described as an example of a non-monitoring target. This flow is started when the driver designates the unstable load. It is also assumed that the viewing angle and shooting direction of the camera 1 at the time of start are stored in the memory unit 24. It is also assumed that the loading operation of loading luggage into the trunk has been completed. It is also assumed that this loading operation includes an adjustment operation to move the unstable load into the blind spot. The monitoring system 100 has the effect of enabling quick and easy confirmation of whether the unstable load is in the blind spot after the adjustment operation.

[0035] First, in step S200, the reader 3 transmits the tag ID of the wireless tag 2 attached to the unstable cargo. When the wireless tag 2 receives the tag ID, it transmits tag information (information indicating the size of the cargo).

[0036] Next, in step S210, the reader 3 receives tag information (information indicating the size of the cargo).

[0037] Next, in step S220, the acquisition unit 21 acquires information indicating the size of the cargo.

[0038] Next, in step S230, the determination unit 22 identifies the blind spot area by referring to the table TL based on the viewing angle and shooting direction of the camera 1, and determines whether the blind spot area is larger than the size of the cargo. If the blind spot area is larger than the size of the cargo (step S230: YES), this flow ends. If the blind spot area is not larger than the size of the cargo (step S230: NO), the process proceeds to step S240.

[0039] In step S240, control unit 20 controls adjustment unit 23. As a result, adjustment unit 23 narrows the viewing angle of camera 1 and / or changes the shooting direction of camera 1. Thereafter, the process returns to before step S230.

[0040] The monitoring system 100 in the above embodiment comprises a camera 1 placed in the luggage compartment, an adjustment unit 23 that adjusts the field of view of the camera 1, and a control unit 20 that controls the adjustment unit 23 so that the blind spot range in the luggage compartment that is not within the field of view is larger than the size of the cargo loaded in the luggage compartment.

[0041] With the above configuration, image data relating to blind spots is removed from the image data captured by the camera 1, so the amount of data stored in the storage unit 24 can be reduced.

[0042] Furthermore, the monitoring system 100 in the above embodiment further includes an acquisition unit 21 that acquires the size of the cargo, and the control unit 20 controls the adjustment unit 23 based on the acquired size of the cargo so that the blind spot range is larger than the size of the cargo. This makes it possible to reliably create a blind spot range of a size corresponding to the size of the cargo acquired by the acquisition unit 21.

[0043] Furthermore, the monitoring system 100 in the above embodiment further includes a reader 3 that reads information including the size of the cargo stored in a wireless tag attached to the cargo, and the acquisition unit 21 acquires the read size of the cargo. This makes it possible to reliably acquire the size of the cargo.

[0044] (Variation 1) Next, a modification of the present embodiment will be described. In the following description of the modification, differences from the above embodiment will be mainly described, and descriptions of the same components will be omitted.

[0045] A monitoring system 100 according to a first modification of the present embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5A and Fig. 5B. Fig. 5A is a diagram showing the field of view of a camera 1 before adjustment in the monitoring system according to the first modification of the present embodiment. Fig. 5B is a diagram showing the field of view of a camera 1 after adjustment in the monitoring system according to the first modification of the present embodiment.

[0046] In the above embodiment, the adjustment unit 23 adjusts the field of view of one camera 1 to create a blind spot range R1 in the luggage compartment 4, but in Modification 1, the adjustment unit 23 adjusts the field of view of each of the two cameras 1 to create a blind spot range R1 in the luggage compartment 4. When the monitoring system 100 adjusts the field of view of each of the two cameras 1, the viewing angle and shooting direction of each of the two cameras 1 are stored in the memory unit 24.

[0047] In Modification 1, the camera for adjusting the field of view may be selected from two cameras 1, or both of the two cameras 1 may be selected. By selecting both of the two cameras 1, it is possible to link the blind spot ranges R1 created by adjusting the fields of view of the two cameras 1 (see FIG. 5C). This makes it possible to create a larger blind spot range R1 in the luggage compartment 4 than when one camera 1 is selected.

[0048] (Variation 2) Next, a monitoring system 100 according to a second modification of the present embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 6A and 6B. Figure 6A is a bird's-eye view of the monitoring system 100 according to the second modification of the present embodiment from the ceiling side of the luggage compartment. Figure 6B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Figure 6A. In the above embodiment, adjustment unit 23 widens or narrows the viewing angle of camera 1 and / or changes the shooting direction so that blind spot range R1 is larger than the size of the non-monitored target. In contrast, in Modification 2, adjustment unit 23 widens or narrows the viewing angle of camera 1 and / or changes the shooting direction, and also moves the position of camera 1 so that blind spot range R1 is larger than the size of the non-monitored target.

[0049] In the second modification, a slide mechanism 200 for moving the position of the camera 1 is disposed on the ceiling of the luggage compartment 4. The slide mechanism 200 includes a rail 201 extending along the ceiling in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, a slider 202 guided in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle by the rail 201, and a motor (not shown) that serves as a power source for moving the slider 202. The camera 1 is attached to the slider 202. The motor is controlled by the control device 10.

[0050] In the monitoring system 100 of the second modification, the position of the camera 1 is moved. This makes it possible to create a blind spot R1 along the inner peripheral wall of the luggage compartment 4, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. It becomes possible to place non-monitored objects in the blind spot R1. Depending on the size and shape of the created blind spot R1, it is possible to include unstable cargo as well as shelves installed in the luggage compartment, from the perspective of reducing the amount of accumulated data, as non-monitored objects.

[0051] In the above embodiment, the blind spot area R1 is created on the assumption that there is one non-monitored object (cargo of concern), but the blind spot area R1 may also be created on the assumption that there are multiple non-monitored objects (cargo of concern). When multiple non-monitored objects are located in one location within the luggage compartment 4, the blind spot area R1 can be created in that one location. When multiple non-monitored objects are located in different locations within the luggage compartment 4, the blind spot area R1 can be created in each location.

[0052] Furthermore, the above-described embodiments are merely examples of specific embodiments for carrying out the present disclosure, and the technical scope of the present disclosure should not be interpreted as being limited by these embodiments. In other words, the present disclosure can be carried out in various forms without departing from its gist or main features. [Industrial Applicability]

[0053] The present disclosure is suitably used in vehicles equipped with a monitoring system that is required to reduce the amount of data stored. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 1 camera 2. Wireless tags 3. Leader 4. Luggage compartment 10 Control device 20 Control Unit 21 Acquisition Department 22 Judgment section 23 Adjustment part 24 Memory section 100 Surveillance System 200 Slide mechanism 201 Rail 202 Slider

Claims

1. A camera disposed in the luggage compartment; an adjustment unit for adjusting the field of view of the camera; a control unit that controls the adjustment unit so that the blind spot range that is not within the field of view in the luggage compartment is larger than the size of cargo loaded in the luggage compartment; Equipped with Surveillance system.

2. An acquisition unit for acquiring the size of the cargo is further provided, The control unit controls the adjustment unit based on the acquired size of the cargo so that the blind spot range is larger than the size of the cargo. The monitoring system of claim 1 .

3. a reader for reading information including the size of the cargo stored in a wireless tag attached to the cargo; The acquisition unit acquires the size of the cargo that has been read. The monitoring system of claim 2 .

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