Video recording device and program

Abstract

To save, when the occurrence of an alarm is detected, past and current videos for confirming the condition using a simple method.SOLUTION: A communication unit 10 of a video recording device 2 receives a video R from a video distribution device 1 by RTSP, which has little delay, and an alarm detection unit 11 detects the occurrence of an alarm based on the color of an indicator light included in the video R. When the occurrence of the alarm is detected, the communication unit 10 receives a video H from the video distribution device 1 by HLS, which has a large delay, and a recording processing unit 13 starts recording the video H when the occurrence of the alarm is detected and ends the recording after a predetermined time has elapsed, thereby generating a moving image file of the video H from the start to the end of recording and saving it on a recording medium 14. The videos R and H are the same surveillance video obtained by combining a monitor video M1 and the like by the video distribution device 1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a video recording device and a program for recording, when an alarm is detected, video from a time before the alarm is generated and video from the present time. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, for example, at a broadcasting station's transmitting station, it is important to continuously transmit broadcast waves as part of its operations, and when an alarm occurs in the transmitting station's equipment, it is necessary to be able to determine whether the alarm will affect the broadcast waves.

[0003] In transmission equipment (transmitters, antennas, etc.), the reliability of the transmission equipment can be ensured by realizing the exchange of abnormality information related to the alarm through hardware contacts. For this reason, the exchange of abnormality information through contacts is the mainstream method.

[0004] On the other hand, if anomaly information is transferred through hardware at contact points and then the equipment is expanded to use new equipment, costs will be incurred for equipment maintenance and repairs to distribute the anomaly information.

[0005] Therefore, in the master room of the broadcasting station that monitors the transmitting station, images of the air, the radio wave emission status of the transmitting station, images of earthquake information, images from the surveillance cameras inside the transmitting station, images of the clock, etc. are displayed on an integrated monitor (monitoring monitor), and by checking the monitoring monitor, the supervisor can always be aware of the status of the transmitting equipment.

[0006] In addition to visually monitoring the video displayed on such a monitoring monitor, image processing of the video displayed on the monitoring monitor and automatic detection of alarm occurrences reduces the burden on the monitor and enables quick understanding of the overall situation when an alarm occurs and appropriate measures to be taken, thereby improving the reliability of the transmission equipment. Also, by recording the video before and after the alarm occurrence, the situation at the time of the alarm can be analyzed afterwards and used for improvements.

[0007] As an example of such image processing, a method has been proposed for detecting the presence or absence of a cut-in from an image of a video signal, although it is not for detecting the occurrence of an alarm (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1).

[0008] This method acquires a monitor image that displays an indicator such as a cut-in, calculates the average value of the color components in a specified area, and performs threshold processing on the average value of the R component to determine whether or not a cut-in has occurred.

[0009] Furthermore, although it does not detect the occurrence of an alarm, a method has also been proposed for analyzing video in real time using the phase difference between two different communication protocols (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0010] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2023-513806 [Non-patent literature]

[0011] [Non-Patent Document 1] Hibiki Kobayashi, "Development of a Cut-in Detection App Using OpenCV," Broadcasting Technology, Vol. 77, March 2024 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0012] However, the method described in Non-Patent Document 1 can detect when the screen display turns on and off and notify the monitor of the change in the screen display, but it cannot capture images before and after the change. In order for the monitor to correctly check the broadcast status or review the situation afterward, it is necessary to understand not only the status notification at the time of the alarm occurrence, but also the status before that.

[0013] Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a video recording device and program that can, when an alarm is detected, obtain past and current video in a simple manner to check the status. [Means for solving the problem]

[0014] In order to solve the above problem, the video recording device of claim 1 receives video transmitted from a video transmitting device and, when it detects the occurrence of an alarm, records the status of equipment related to the alarm. The video transmitting device transmits surveillance video including an indicator light displaying the status of the equipment related to the alarm and the name of the alarm in text. The video recording device is characterized by comprising: a communication unit that receives the surveillance video transmitted from the video transmitting device using a first communication protocol as video R, and, when the occurrence of the alarm is detected, receives the surveillance video transmitted from the video transmitting device using a second communication protocol that has a longer delay than the first communication protocol as video H; an alarm detection unit that detects the occurrence of the alarm based on the indicator light included in the video R received by the communication unit; and a recording processing unit that, when the occurrence of the alarm is detected by the alarm detection unit, starts recording the video H received by the communication unit and ends the recording after a predetermined time has elapsed, thereby saving the video H from the start to the end of the recording as a video file on a recording medium.

[0015] A video recording device according to claim 2 receives video transmitted from a video transmitting device and, upon detecting the occurrence of an alarm, records the status of equipment related to the alarm. The video transmitting device transmits a first monitoring video including an indicator light displaying the name of the alarm in text, and a plurality of devices transmit second monitoring video including the status of the equipment related to the alarm. The video recording device further includes a communication unit that receives, as video R, the first monitoring video transmitted from the video transmitting device using a first communication protocol, and, upon detecting the occurrence of the alarm, receives, as video H, the second monitoring video transmitted from one of the plurality of devices using a second communication protocol having a longer delay than the first communication protocol. an alarm detection unit that detects the occurrence of the alarm based on the indicator light included in the video R received by the communication unit; and a recording processing unit that starts recording the video H received by the communication unit when the alarm detection unit detects the occurrence of the alarm, and ends the recording after a predetermined time has elapsed, thereby saving the video H from the start to the end of the recording as a video file on a recording medium, wherein the communication unit identifies one device among the plurality of devices that transmits the second monitoring video including the status of equipment related to the alarm, based on the alarm detected by the alarm detection unit, and receives the second monitoring video transmitted from the identified one device as the video H.

[0016] Furthermore, the video recording device of claim 3 is characterized in that in the video recording device of claim 1 or 2, the alarm detection unit converts the RGB values ​​of each pixel in the indicator light area into HSV values, calculates the most frequent value of the HSV values ​​of each pixel in the indicator light area, and detects the occurrence of the alarm based on the most frequent value.

[0017] Furthermore, the video recording device of claim 4 is characterized in that, in the video recording device of claim 1 or 2, the first indicator light is an indicator light on which the name of the alarm is displayed in text, and the second indicator light is an indicator light on which the name of the state of a specified event related to the alarm is displayed in text, the video R received from the video transmitting device includes the first indicator light and the second indicator light, and the alarm detection unit detects the occurrence of the alarm based on the first indicator light and the second indicator light included in the video R received by the communication unit.

[0018] Furthermore, the video recording device of claim 5 is characterized in that, in the video recording device of claim 1 or 2, it further comprises an email sending unit that, when the alarm detection unit detects the occurrence of the alarm, attaches a frame of the video R at that timing to an email as an image file, or attaches the video file to the email and sends the email to a predetermined address.

[0019] Furthermore, a program according to claim 6 is characterized in that it causes a computer to function as the video recording device according to claim 1 or 2. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] As described above, according to the present invention, when an alarm is detected, past and current images for checking the state can be acquired by a simple method. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of an entire system including a video recording device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a video recording device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing performed by the video recording device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4]10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of processing performed by a video recording device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing by an alarm detection unit. [Figure 6] (1) A diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of images R and H (monitoring images). (2) A diagram illustrating an example of a monitor image M2. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of an entire system including a video recording device according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a video recording device according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing performed by a video recording device according to another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is characterized by acquiring past video by utilizing delays in video distribution via two different communication protocols. More specifically, the present invention detects the occurrence of an alarm based on video received via a first communication protocol, and saves video received via a second communication protocol, which has a longer delay than the first communication protocol, as a video file on a recording medium.

[0023] Because the delay in video delivery using the second communication protocol is greater than that using the first communication protocol, the video received using the second communication protocol will include video that has been skipped back (back in time) to before the alarm occurred.

[0024] This allows the system to automatically record video from a few seconds before an alarm occurs, like a skip-back recorder. In other words, when an alarm is detected, past and current video can be obtained in a simple manner to confirm the condition.

[0025] [Overall system] First, the overall system will be described. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of an overall system including a video recording device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] This system is a system for monitoring the status of transmitting stations, etc., and in the example of Figure 1, the signals from the monitoring monitor in the master room (monitor images M1, M2, M3, M4) are distributed using a video distribution device 1, creating a system that allows the same information to be viewed remotely.

[0027] This system is composed of a video distribution device (video transmission device) 1, a video recording device 2, and a video display device 3. The video distribution device 1 and the video recording device 2 are connected by a network 4 such as a wired LAN or a wireless LAN, and the video distribution device 1 and the video display device 3 are also connected by the network 4.

[0028] The video distribution device 1 receives HDMI (registered trademark) signals of four monitor images M1, M2, M3, and M4, which are signals from a surveillance monitor, and generates a surveillance image (see Figure 6(1) described below) by synthesizing the monitor images M1, M2, M3, and M4 into one image.

[0029] Video distribution device 1 distributes surveillance video as video R to video recording device 2 and video display device 3 via network 4 using a communication protocol called RTSP (Real Time Streaming Protocol). Video distribution device 1 also distributes surveillance video as video H to video recording device 2 via network 4 using a communication protocol called HLS (HTTP Live Streaming). The contents of video R and video H are the same, but the timing of the frames of video R and video H received by video recording device 2 is different.

[0030] 6(1) is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of videos R and H (monitoring videos). Videos R and H are obtained by video distribution device 1 synthesizing monitor videos M1, M2, M3, and M4 into one video. For example, monitor video M1 is placed at the top left of videos R and H, monitor video M2 is placed at the top right, monitor video M3 is placed at the bottom left, and monitor video M4 is placed at the bottom right.

[0031] Each of the monitor images M1, M2, M3, and M4 is, for example, an on-air video of a program currently on air, a video of the radio wave emission status of a transmitting station, a video of earthquake information, a video of a surveillance camera in a transmitting station, a video of a clock, etc. These monitor images M1, M2, M3, and M4 are displayed on a surveillance monitor.

[0032] For example, the monitor image M2 (see Fig. 6(2) described later) includes multiple indicator lights (indicated by arrows in Fig. 6(2) described later) with the name of the alarm written in letters, and the occurrence of an alarm is detected by determining through image processing whether the indicator lights are lit in a set color. This monitor image M2 is an image of the indicator lights, etc. captured by a camera.

[0033] Furthermore, for example, monitor images M1, M3, and M4 are images of the monitored equipment captured by a camera, and are images showing the state of the equipment related to the alarm. By viewing monitor images M1, M3, and M4 taken before and after the alarm occurs, information on the state of the equipment related to the alarm can be obtained.

[0034] Returning to Fig. 1, the video recording device 2 receives the video R distributed by RTSP from the video distribution device 1 via the network 4, and detects the occurrence of an alarm based on the monitor video M2 included in the video R. For example, if the video recording device 2 determines that an indicator light included in the monitor video M2 is on, it determines that the alarm indicated by the indicator light has occurred.

[0035] When the video recording device 2 detects the occurrence of an alarm, it receives the video H distributed by HLS from the video distribution device 1 via the network 4 and starts recording the video H. Then, the video recording device 2 ends the recording of the video H after a predetermined time has elapsed, thereby saving the video H from the start to the end of recording as a video file. Then, when the video recording device 2 has finished saving the video file, it returns to receiving the video R. Details of the video recording device 2 will be described later. In addition to detecting the occurrence of an alarm and saving the video file, the video recording device 2 also detects the recovery from the alarm and saves the video file.

[0036] Here, according to experiments conducted by the inventors, under a certain environment, the delay in distributing video R using RTSP was just under 1 second, while the delay in distributing video H using HLS was just under 10 seconds. Therefore, it can be determined that the delay in distributing video H using HLS is greater than that of RTSP. The delay in video distributed using a communication protocol depends on the processing capabilities, processing methods, etc. of the video distribution device 1 and the video recording device 2, and the performance and algorithms of the CPU or GPU used for encoding, decoding, etc.

[0037] As shown on the right side of Figure 1, when an alarm is detected in video R and video H is received at that time, video H will contain video from before the alarm occurred. For example, if an alarm is detected at frame f1 in video R, the video H received at that time will contain video from before frame f1. In other words, the saved video file of video H will contain video from before the alarm occurred. This makes it possible to automatically record video H from approximately 10 seconds before the alarm occurred, like a skip-back recorder.

[0038] The processing of the video recording device 2 can be realized by a computer program using, for example, Python (registered trademark), which is an open source programming language, and OpenCV (registered trademark), which is an open source library capable of image analysis and processing.

[0039] The video display device 3 receives the video R distributed by RTSP from the video distribution device 1 via the network 4 and displays the video R on the screen. This allows the same monitor videos M1, M2, M3, and M4 to be viewed remotely.

[0040] [Video Recording Device 2] Next, a detailed description will be given of the video recording device 2 shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the video recording device 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention. This video recording device 2 includes a communication unit 10, an alarm detection unit 11, a display unit 12, a recording processing unit 13, and a recording medium 14.

[0041] The communication unit 10 receives video R (see FIG. 6(1)) distributed by RTSP from the video distribution device 1, and outputs video R to the alarm detection unit 11 and the display unit 12. When the communication unit 10 receives detection information from the alarm detection unit 11, it determines that an alarm has been detected, receives video H (see FIG. 6(1)) distributed by HLS from the video distribution device 1, and outputs video H to the recording processing unit 13.

[0042] The alarm detection unit 11 inputs the video R from the communication unit 10, and for each area of ​​a pre-set indicator light included in the frame of the video R, determines the color of the indicator light by image processing, and based on the result of the color determination, determines whether the indicator light is lit or not.

[0043] If the alarm detection unit 11 determines that the indicator light is on, it detects the occurrence of an alarm. Then, the alarm detection unit 11 generates detection information indicating the occurrence of an alarm related to the indicator light (information for identifying the alarm (such as the name, type, location, and time of occurrence of the alarm)) and outputs this to the communication unit 10.

[0044] As a result, the communication unit 10 determines that an alarm has occurred, receives the video H from the video distribution device 1, and outputs it to the recording processing unit 13.

[0045] On the other hand, if the alarm detection unit 11 determines that the indicator light is off, it determines that no alarm has occurred. The alarm detection unit 11 performs this processing for each frame of the input video R, or for each frame at a predetermined interval.

[0046] The display unit 12 receives the video R from the communication unit 10 and displays the video R on the screen. This allows the observer (operator) operating the video recording device 2 to view the monitor images M1, M2, M3, and M4 that make up the video R, and monitor the state of the equipment.

[0047] When an alarm is detected, the recording processing unit 13 inputs the video H from the communication unit 10, starts recording the video H, and ends the recording after a predetermined time has elapsed, thereby generating a video file of the video H from the start to the end of recording and saving it on the recording medium 14.

[0048] The recording medium 14 stores the video H from the time when the alarm is detected until a predetermined time has elapsed as a video file.

[0049] In addition to the process of detecting the occurrence of an alarm, the video recording device 2 also performs a process of detecting recovery from the alarm.

[0050] (Processing example) Next, a description will be given of an example of processing performed by the video recording device 2. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed by the video recording device 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0051] The communication unit 10 receives the video R distributed by RTSP from the video distribution device 1 (step S301), and outputs the video R to the alarm detection unit 11 and the display unit 12.

[0052] The alarm detection unit 11 receives the video R from the communication unit 10, determines the color of each detection area, which is an area of ​​a preset indicator light included in the frame of the video R, and detects the occurrence (or recovery) of an alarm based on the result of the color determination (step S302). Details of the alarm detection unit 11 will be described later.

[0053] 6(2) is a diagram showing an example of a monitor image M2. This monitor image M2 is a part of the image R, as shown in FIG. 6(1), and is arranged in the upper right corner of the image R.

[0054] The monitor image M2 includes time information and multiple indicator lights that indicate the status of the equipment within the transmitting station. For example, the status of the equipment at "P1" (broadcast media) within "Transmitting Station A" is determined by the color of the indicator lights that indicate "under maintenance," "on air," "signal input," "signal transmission," and "abnormal."

[0055] In this monitor image M2, an indicator light (an indicator light to be judged as an alarm, see the arrow) with the name of the alarm written on it is placed as part of a number of indicator lights that indicate the status of the equipment in the transmitting station.

[0056] For example, in response to an "abnormality" in "P1" (broadcast media) of "Transmitter A," an indicator light e2 is placed with the word "abnormal" written on it, and in response to a "power outage" in "Common" of "Transmitter A," an indicator light e3 is placed with the word "power outage" written on it.

[0057] Furthermore, in this monitor image M2, as part of a plurality of indicator lights that indicate the status of the equipment in the transmitting station, indicator lights are arranged that display the name of the state of a predetermined event related to a specific alarm in letters. For example, an indicator light e2 is arranged that displays the name of the alarm in letters "abnormal", and an indicator light e1 is arranged that displays the name of the state of a predetermined event related to the alarm in letters "radio signal received". Details will be described later.

[0058] For each of the multiple indicator lights that are the target of alarm determination, detection area information, which is the coordinate information of that indicator light, is set in advance. Also, for each of the multiple indicator lights that are the target of alarm determination, color information (a set color expressed as an HSV value or the like) when an alarm is detected (for example, when the light is on) and color information when alarm recovery is detected (for example, when the light is off) are set in advance.

[0059] The alarm detection unit 11 is assumed to hold preset detection area information, color information at the time of alarm occurrence, color information at the time of alarm recovery, etc. for each of the plurality of indicator lights that are the target of alarm determination.

[0060] 3, in step S302, if the alarm detection unit 11 detects the occurrence (or recovery) of an alarm for at least one detection area (step S302: Y), the alarm detection unit 11 generates detection information and outputs it to the communication unit 10. When the communication unit 10 receives the detection information from the alarm detection unit 11, it receives the video H distributed by HLS from the video distribution device 1 (step S303) and outputs it to the recording processing unit 13.

[0061] Then, the recording processing unit 13 inputs the video H from the communication unit 10, starts recording the video H, and ends the recording after a predetermined time has elapsed, thereby generating a video file of the video H from the start to the end of recording and saving this on the recording medium 14 (step S304).

[0062] 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of processing in the video recording device 2, showing that the moving image file of video H generated by the recording processing unit 13 includes past video. Assume that in step S301, video R is received using RTSP, which has a small delay, and in step S302, an alarm is detected in frame f1 of video R. Then, in step S303, video H is received using HLS, which has a large delay, and in step S304, a moving image file covering the period from the start to the end of recording of video H is generated and saved.

[0063] Here, because the delay of HLS, which transmits and receives video H, is greater than that of RTSP, which transmits and receives video R, the timing at which frame f1 of video H is received is delayed compared to the timing at which frame f1 of video R is received, resulting in a delay time difference. For this reason, by starting recording of video H from the timing at which an alarm is detected, the video file of video H that is generated will contain the video portion corresponding to the delay time difference as past video before the alarm occurred (video from the frame at which recording started to frame f1 at the timing at which the alarm was detected). This makes it possible to automatically record video H from several seconds before the alarm occurred, like a skip-back recorder.

[0064] Returning to FIG. 3, if the alarm detection unit 11 has not detected the occurrence (or recovery) of an alarm in all detection areas in step S302 (step S302: N), the process proceeds to step S305.

[0065] After moving on from step S302(N), or in conjunction with the processing of step S304, the display unit 12 inputs the video R from the communication unit 10 and displays the video R on the screen (step S305).

[0066] The video recording device 2 repeats the processes of steps S301 to S305 unless the process of the video recording device 2 is completed (step S306: N), and ends the process of the video recording device 2 in a predetermined case (step S306: Y).

[0067] (Alarm detection unit 11) Next, a detailed description will be given of the process of step S302 (processing by the alarm detection unit 11) shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the process by the alarm detection unit 11.

[0068] As described above, the alarm detection unit 11 holds, for each of the multiple indicator lights that are the target of alarm determination, preset detection area information (coordinate information of the indicator light in question in the area of ​​the image R), color information at the time of alarm occurrence, color information at the time of alarm recovery, etc. For example, the alarm detection unit 11 holds a CSV file in which this information is stored.

[0069] The alarm detection unit 11 receives the video R from the communication unit 10 (step S501), and performs the processes of steps S502 and S503 described below for each of the plurality of indicator lights that are the target of alarm determination (for each of the plurality of detection areas).

[0070] The alarm detection unit 11 determines the color of the detection area of ​​the indicator light, and determines whether the color of the detection area is the same as the set color (step S502).

[0071] Specifically, the alarm detection unit 11 converts the RGB values ​​of the image R into HSV values ​​for each of the multiple pixels that make up the detection area, finds the most frequent HSV value of each pixel in the detection area, and determines this as the color of the detection area.

[0072] The RGB values ​​of the image R are converted to HSV values ​​because HSV values ​​have a higher affinity with human color recognition than RGB values. In other words, HSV values ​​make it easier to understand color designation and allow the color of the detection area to be determined with a certain degree of variance. For example, in the case of image R captured by a camera, there are few pixels with RGB values ​​that show a clear color, so it is necessary to determine the color of the detection area by setting a threshold value for each RGB value. In contrast, with HSV values, color is specified by the H value and brightness is specified by the V value, making the process of determining the color of the detection area simpler than when using RGB values.

[0073] Furthermore, the reason why the color of the detection area is determined using the mode value of each pixel in the detection area is that, as shown in Figure 6(2), the indicator light in the detection area includes text and is composed of two colors: the color of the text and a color other than the text, and the influence of the color of the text can be eliminated. Furthermore, in Non-Patent Document 1, the color is determined using the average value of each pixel in the detection area, but the embodiment of the present invention does not use the average value. This is because if the average value were used, the color of the text would be reflected in the color of the detection area, reducing the accuracy of the color determination.

[0074] Then, the alarm detection unit 11 compares the color of the detection area with the preset color indicated by the color information when an alarm occurs (or when the alarm is recovered), and determines whether the color of the detection area is the same as the preset color by using a threshold value.

[0075] For example, if the S (saturation) value of the HSV value for the color of the detection area is within a predetermined range (a predetermined range of low values), the alarm detection unit 11 determines that the color of the detection area is achromatic, and if the S value is not within the predetermined range, it determines that the color is chromatic.

[0076] If the alarm detection unit 11 determines that the color of the detection area is chromatic, it compares the H (hue) value of the HSV value with a preset color range and determines that the color of the detection area is green, red, etc.

[0077] On the other hand, when the alarm detection unit 11 determines that the color of the detection area is achromatic, if the V (brightness) value of the HSV value is within a predetermined range (a predetermined range of low values), it determines that the color of the detection area is black.

[0078] In addition, when the color of the detection area is achromatic, the alarm detection unit 11 determines that the color of the detection area is white when the V value is within a predetermined range (a predetermined range of high values), and determines that the color of the detection area is gray when the V value is within a predetermined range (between a low value and a high value).

[0079] If the alarm detection unit 11 determines in step S502 that the color of the detection area is the same as the set color (step S502: Y), it determines whether the color of the detection area in the current frame is different from the color of the detection area in the previous frame (step S503).

[0080] If the alarm detection unit 11 determines in step S503 that the color of the detection area in the current frame is different from the color of the detection area in the previous frame (step S503: Y), it determines that the color of the indicator light in the detection area has changed and proceeds to step S504.

[0081] The alarm detection unit 11 proceeds from step S503 (Y) (if the color of the detection area is the same as the set color and the color of the detection area in the current frame is different from the color of the detection area in the previous frame) and detects the occurrence (or recovery) of an alarm (step S504). Then, the alarm detection unit 11 generates detection information related to the occurrence (or recovery) of an alarm, outputs this to the communication unit 10 (step S505), and ends the process. This starts recording of the video H. Then, the process shown in FIG. 5 is repeated.

[0082] On the other hand, if the alarm detection unit 11 determines in step S502 that the color of the detection area is not the same as the set color (step S502: N), the process ends. Then, the process shown in FIG. 5 is repeated.

[0083] Furthermore, if the alarm detection unit 11 determines in step S503 that the color of the detection area in the current frame is not different (the same) as the color of the same detection area in the previous frame (step S503: N), it determines that the color of the indicator light of the detection area has not changed, and ends the process. Then, the process shown in Fig. 5 is repeated.

[0084] As described above, according to the video recording device 2 of the embodiment of the present invention, the communication unit 10 receives the video R from the video distribution device 1 via RTSP, which has low latency, and the alarm detection unit 11 detects the occurrence or recovery of an alarm based on the color of the indicator light included in the video R.

[0085] When an alarm occurrence or recovery is detected, the communication unit 10 receives the video H from the video distribution device 1 by HLS with a large delay, and the recording processing unit 13 starts recording the video H when an alarm occurrence or recovery is detected and ends the recording after a predetermined time has elapsed, thereby generating a video file of the video H from the start to the end of recording and saving it on the recording medium 14.

[0086] The videos R and H are the same monitoring video obtained by the video distribution device 1 by combining the monitor video M1 and the like.

[0087] As a result, the delay in delivering video H using HLS is greater than the delay in delivering video R using RTSP, so when an alarm occurrence or recovery is detected using video R, the video H received at that time will contain past video footage from before the alarm occurrence or recovery.

[0088] In other words, videos R and H of the same content are delivered using two communication protocols, RTSP and HLS, and when an alarm occurrence or recovery is detected using video R, video H at that time can be automatically recorded from a few seconds before, like a skip-back recorder. In this case, by constantly storing video from the past for a certain period in memory, there is no need to generate a video file containing past video, and therefore no memory is required to store past video. Compared to constantly storing video R for a certain period in memory, in an embodiment of the present invention, when video R is delivered in full HD at 30 fps, for example, memory with a storage capacity of approximately 178 MB / s is not required.

[0089] Therefore, since the same videos R and H can be received using two communication protocols, RTSP and HLS, when an alarm occurrence or recovery is detected using video R, past video H and current video H can be obtained using a simple method to confirm the status.

[0090] In addition, the recording medium 14 stores a video file containing past video H when an alarm is generated or recovered, so by activating, for example, a web server function in the video recording device 2, the contents of the video file can be checked remotely.

[0091] Furthermore, by using the video file stored in the recording medium 14, it is possible to perform a post-mortem analysis to determine whether the generated or recovered alarm affected broadcasting. If the video in the video file contains time information, the generated or recovered alarm can be analyzed with high accuracy by correlating it with other video containing time information, device logs, and other information. The same applies to the video recording device 2' described below.

[0092] Overall System: Other Embodiments Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of an entire system including a video recording device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0093] This system, like Fig. 1, is a system for monitoring the status of transmitting stations, etc. In the example of Fig. 7, the signals (monitor images M5, M6, M7, M8) from the monitoring monitor in the master room are distributed using video distribution device 1-1, creating a system that allows the same information to be viewed remotely. Furthermore, when this system detects the occurrence of an alarm, it receives video showing the status of the equipment related to that alarm from the device corresponding to that alarm, and automatically records video from a few seconds before the alarm occurred, like a skip-back recorder.

[0094] This system is composed of video distribution devices (video transmission devices) 1-1 and 1-2, a video recording device 2', a video display device 3, and devices 5-1 and 5-2. The video distribution devices 1-1 and 1-2 and the video recording device 2' are connected by a network 4 such as a LAN, and the video distribution device 1-1 and the video display device 3 are also connected by the network 4. The devices 5-1 and 5-2 and the video recording device 2' are also connected by the network 4.

[0095] In the video recording device 2', the video R distributed from the video distribution device 1-1 is used to detect the occurrence of an alarm, and the videos M9, M10, and M11 transmitted from the devices 5-1 and 5-2 and the video distribution device 1-2 are used to save as a video file including past footage before the alarm occurred.

[0096] The video distribution device 1-1 receives HDMI (registered trademark) signals of four monitor videos M5, M6, M7, and M8, which are signals from a surveillance monitor, and generates a surveillance video by synthesizing the monitor videos M5, M6, M7, and M8 into one video. The video distribution device 1-1 then distributes the surveillance video as video R to the video recording device 2' and the video display device 3 via the network 4 using RTSP.

[0097] Monitor images M5, M6, M7, and M8 are similar to monitor images M1, M2, M3, and M4 shown in Figure 1 and are displayed on a surveillance monitor. For example, monitor image M6 includes multiple indicator lights, like monitor image M2 shown in Figures 1 and 6(2), and an alarm is detected by determining the color of the indicator lights. This monitor image M6 is an image of indicator lights and the like captured by a camera.

[0098] Furthermore, for example, monitor images M5, M7, and M8 are images of the monitored equipment captured by a camera, and are images showing the status of the equipment related to the alarm. By viewing the monitor images M5, M7, and M8 taken before and after the alarm occurred, information on the status of the equipment related to the alarm can be obtained.

[0099] Furthermore, the video distribution device 1-1 may input only the monitor video M6 including the multiple indicator lights that are the target of alarm judgment, and distribute the monitor video M6 as video R to the video recording device 2' and the video display device 3 via the network 4 using RTSP without performing the aforementioned synthesis processing.

[0100] The device 5-1 is, for example, a camera (IP camera), and receives an image M9 captured by the camera, and transmits the image M9 to the video recording device 2' via the network 4 using a predetermined communication protocol.

[0101] Device 5-2 is, for example, a camera similar to device 5-1, and receives video M10 captured by the camera and transmits the video M10 to video recorder 2' via network 4 using a predetermined communication protocol.

[0102] The video distribution device 1-2 receives the video M11 and transmits the video M11 to the video recording device 2' via the network 4 using HLS.

[0103] For example, videos M9, M10, and M11, like monitor videos M5, M7, and M8, are images of monitored equipment captured by a camera, and show the status of the equipment related to the alarm. By viewing videos M9, M10, and M11 taken before and after the alarm occurred, information on the status of the equipment related to the alarm can be obtained.

[0104] The video recording device 2' receives the video R distributed by RTSP from the video distribution device 1-1 via the network 4, and detects the occurrence of an alarm based on the monitor image M6 included in the video R.

[0105] When an alarm is detected, the video recording device 2' identifies the destination device or apparatus from among the devices 5-1 and 5-2 and the video distribution device 1-2 as the source of the video showing the status of the equipment related to the alarm.The video recording device 2' then receives the video distributed by a predetermined communication protocol or HLS from the identified destination device or apparatus via the network 4, and starts recording the video.

[0106] The video recording device 2' stops recording video after a predetermined time has elapsed, and saves the video from the start to the end of recording as a video file. Then, when the video recording device 2' has finished saving the video file, it returns to receiving the video R. Details of the video recording device 2' will be described later. In addition to detecting the occurrence of an alarm and saving the video file, the video recording device 2' also detects the recovery from the alarm and saves the video file.

[0107] Here, the delay of videos M9, M10, and M11 distributed by a communication protocol between video recording device 2' and devices 5-1, 5-2 or video distribution device 1-2 is assumed to be greater than the delay of video R distributed by RTSP between video recording device 2' and video distribution device 1-1. In this case, video recording device 2' can store a video file including video from before the alarm occurred.

[0108] Video display device 3 receives video R distributed by RTSP from video distribution device 1-1 via network 4 and displays video R on the screen. This allows the same monitor videos M5, M6, M7, and M8 to be viewed remotely.

[0109] [Video Recording Device 2'] Next, the video recording device 2' shown in Fig. 7 will be described in detail. Fig. 8 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a video recording device 2' according to another embodiment of the present invention. This video recording device 2' includes a communication unit 15, an alarm detection unit 11, a display unit 12, a recording processing unit 13, and a recording medium 14.

[0110] Communication unit 15 receives video R distributed by RTSP from video distribution device 1-1 and outputs video R to alarm detection unit 11 and display unit 12. When communication unit 15 receives detection information from alarm detection unit 11, it determines that an alarm has been detected. Then, based on the detection information, communication unit 15 identifies the acquisition destination, which is the source of the video showing the status of the equipment related to the alarm indicated by the detection information, from among devices 5-1 and 5-2 and video distribution device 1-2.

[0111] The communication unit 15 receives one of the videos M9, M10, and M11 delivered from the identified destination device 5-1, device 5-2, and video delivery device 1-2 using the corresponding communication protocol (HLS in the case of video delivery device 1-2), and outputs it to the recording processing unit 13.

[0112] The alarm detection unit 11 performs the same processing as the alarm detection unit 11 shown in Fig. 2. When the alarm detection unit 11 detects the occurrence of an alarm, it generates detection information including information for identifying the alarm (such as the name, type, location, and time of occurrence of the alarm) and outputs this to the communication unit 15.

[0113] As a result, the communication unit 15 determines that an alarm has occurred, identifies the source of acquisition from among device 5-1, device 5-2, and video distribution device 1-2 corresponding to the alarm, receives one of videos M9, M10, and M11 from the source of acquisition, and outputs it to the recording processing unit 13.

[0114] 2, the display unit 12 receives the video R from the communication unit 15 and displays the video R on the screen. This allows the monitor operating the video recording device 2' to view the monitor videos M5, M6, M7, and M8 that make up the video R, and monitor the state of the equipment.

[0115] 2, when an alarm is detected, the recording processing unit 13 receives input of one of the images M9, M10, and M11 from the communication unit 15. The recording processing unit 13 then starts recording the input image and ends the recording after a predetermined time has elapsed, thereby generating a video file covering the period from the start to the end of recording of the input image and saving this on the recording medium 14.

[0116] In the recording medium 14, similar to the recording medium 14 shown in FIG. 2, the video from the time when the occurrence of the alarm is detected until a predetermined time has elapsed is saved as a video file.

[0117] In addition to the process of detecting the occurrence of the alarm, the video recording device 2' also performs a process of detecting recovery from the alarm.

[0118] (Processing example) Next, an example of processing performed by the video recording device 2' will be described. Figure 9 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed by the video recording device 2' according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0119] The communication unit 15 receives the video R distributed by RTSP from the video distribution device 1-1 (step S901), and outputs the video R to the alarm detection unit 11 and the display unit 12.

[0120] The alarm detection unit 11 inputs the video R from the communication unit 10, determines the color for each detection area, which is the area of ​​a pre-set indicator light included in the frame of the video R, and detects the occurrence (or recovery) of an alarm based on the result of the color determination (step S902).

[0121] In step S902, if the alarm detection unit 11 detects the occurrence (or recovery) of an alarm for at least one detection area (step S902: Y), it generates detection information for identifying the alarm that has occurred (or recovered) and outputs it to the communication unit 15.

[0122] When the communication unit 15 receives the detection information from the alarm detection unit 11, it identifies the source of the video from among the devices 5-1, 5-2 and the video distribution device 1-2, which is the source of the video showing the status of the equipment related to the alarm that has occurred (or been recovered from) based on the detection information (step S903).

[0123] For example, the communication unit 15 stores a plurality of sets of data corresponding to alarms, each set of data including an alarm indicated by the detection information and an acquisition destination that is a transmission source for acquiring video showing the status of the equipment related to the alarm. The communication unit 15 identifies the set of data corresponding to the alarm indicated by the detection information input from the alarm detection unit 11, and identifies the acquisition destination corresponding to the alarm from the set of data.

[0124] 6(2) and 7, for example, it is assumed that an alarm when the indicator light e2 indicating "abnormal" lights up for "P1" of "Transmitting Station A" and the device 5-1 that is the acquisition destination for acquiring video showing the status of the equipment related to the alarm are stored as a set of data. Then, based on the detection information input from the alarm detection unit 11 that indicates the alarm when the indicator light e2 lights up, the communication unit 15 identifies the device 5-1 from the set of data as the acquisition destination corresponding to the alarm.

[0125] If the communication unit 15 determines in step S903 that the acquisition source is the device 5-1, it receives the video M9 delivered from the device 5-1 using a predetermined communication protocol (step S904) and outputs it to the recording processing unit 13.

[0126] Then, the recording processing unit 13 inputs the video M9 from the communication unit 15, starts recording the video M9, and ends the recording after a predetermined time has elapsed, thereby generating a video file of the video M9 from the start to the end of recording and saving this on the recording medium 14 (step S905).

[0127] Furthermore, if the communication unit 15 determines in step S903 that the acquisition source is device 5-2, it receives video M10 delivered from device 5-2 using a predetermined communication protocol (step S906) and outputs it to the recording processing unit 13.

[0128] Then, the recording processing unit 13 receives the video M10 from the communication unit 15, generates a moving image file of the video M10 from the start to the end of recording, and stores this on the recording medium 14 (step S907).

[0129] Furthermore, if the communication unit 15 determines in step S903 that the acquisition destination is the video distribution device 1-2, it receives the video M11 distributed by HLS from the video distribution device 1-2 (step S908) and outputs it to the recording processing unit 13.

[0130] Then, the recording processing unit 13 receives the video M11 from the communication unit 15, generates a moving image file of the video M11 from the start to the end of recording, and stores this in the recording medium 14 (step S909).

[0131] In this way, the acquisition destination of the video to be saved as a video file can be changed depending on the alarm that has occurred (or been recovered from).

[0132] Here, if the delay of videos M9, M10, and M11 distributed by a communication protocol between video recording device 2' and devices 5-1, 5-2 or video distribution device 1-2 is greater than the delay of video R distributed by RTSP between video distribution device 1-1, a video file including video from before the alarm occurrence (or alarm recovery) can be saved. In other words, videos M9, M10, and M11 at the time of alarm occurrence (or alarm recovery) can be automatically recorded from several seconds before, like a skip-back recorder.

[0133] If the alarm detection unit 11 has not detected the occurrence (or recovery) of an alarm in all detection areas in step S902 (step S902: N), the process proceeds to step S910.

[0134] Moving on from step S902(N), or in conjunction with the processing of steps S905, S907, and S909, the display unit 12 inputs the video R from the communication unit 15 and displays the video R on the screen (step S910).

[0135] The video recording device 2' repeats the processes of steps S901 to S909 unless the process of the video recording device 2' is completed (step S911: N), and ends the process of the video recording device 2' in a predetermined case (step S911: Y).

[0136] As described above, according to another embodiment of the video recording device 2' of the present invention, the communication unit 15 receives video R from the video distribution device 1-1 via RTSP, which has low latency, and the alarm detection unit 11 detects the occurrence or recovery of an alarm based on the color of the indicator light included in the video R.

[0137] When an alarm occurrence or recovery is detected, communication unit 15 identifies an acquisition source (one of device 5-1, device 5-2, and video distribution device 1-2) for acquiring video showing the status of the equipment related to the alarm, and receives one of videos M9, M10, and M11, which are video showing the status of the equipment related to the alarm, from the identified acquisition source using a predetermined communication protocol with long latency (HLS in the case of video distribution device 1-2). Then, recording processing unit 13 starts recording the received video when an alarm occurrence or recovery is detected, and ends the recording after a predetermined time has elapsed, thereby generating a video file of the video from the start to the end of recording and saving it on recording medium 14.

[0138] As a result, the delay in delivering video using a specified communication protocol between the acquisition destination and the video source is greater than the delay in delivering video R using RTSP, so when an alarm occurrence or recovery is detected using video R, the video received at that time will include past video before the alarm occurrence or recovery.

[0139] In other words, when an alarm occurrence or recovery is detected using Video R, video for storage at that time can be automatically recorded from a few seconds before, like a skip-back recorder. In this case, there is no need to constantly store video from a certain period of the past in memory and generate video files containing past video, so there is no need for memory to store past video.

[0140] Therefore, similar to the video recording device 2 shown in Figure 2, when an alarm occurrence or recovery is detected, past and current video can be obtained using a simple method to confirm the status.

[0141] While the present invention has been described above with reference to an embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be modified in various ways without departing from the technical concept thereof. Below, the processing when an alarm is detected will be described, but the same is also applicable to the processing when an alarm recovery is detected.

[0142] For example, the recording processing unit 13 provided in the video recording device 2, 2' starts recording when an alarm is detected, and ends recording when a predetermined time has elapsed, thereby saving a video file containing past video footage before the alarm occurred on the recording medium 14. Alternatively, the recording processing unit 13 may generate a video file containing past video footage before the manual operation in accordance with the keyboard operation of the observer on the video recording device 2, 2', and save this on the recording medium 14. The recording processing unit 13 starts recording in accordance with the keyboard operation of the observer, and ends recording when a predetermined time has elapsed, thereby creating a video file containing past video footage.

[0143] Furthermore, the recording processing unit 13 may store one frame of video in the recording medium 14 as an image in PNG format, JPEG format, or the like, in accordance with the observer's keyboard operation on the video recording device 2, 2'.

[0144] Furthermore, for example, the display unit 12 provided in the video recording device 2, 2' is configured to display the video R on the screen, but together with the video R, an area frame indicating that the area is subject to judgment may be superimposed on the location of the indicator light where the occurrence of an alarm is judged.

[0145] Also, for example, the alarm detection unit 11 provided in the video recording device 2, 2′ is configured to detect the occurrence of an alarm by determining the color of a preset indicator light that is a target for alarm determination and is included in the video R. In contrast to this, the alarm detection unit 11 may be configured to detect the occurrence of an alarm by determining the color of an indicator light that is a preset target for alarm determination and is included in the video R, as well as an indicator light that is related to the preset alarm and is included in the video R (an indicator light that displays in text the name of the state of a predetermined event related to the alarm).

[0146] In this case, as described above, the alarm detection unit 11 holds preset detection area information, color information at the time of alarm occurrence, color information at the time of alarm recovery, etc. for the indicator light that is the target of alarm determination (see the arrow in Figure 6(2)). Furthermore, the alarm detection unit 11 holds preset area information, color information as a condition for determining whether an alarm has occurred, color information as a condition for determining whether the alarm has recovered, etc. for the indicator light that is the target of alarm determination and that is related to the alarm.

[0147] For example, referring to FIG. 6(2), the indicator light e2 is the alarm determination target, and the indicator light e1 is related to the indicator light e2 (alarm determination target), and this information is set in advance.

[0148] The alarm detection unit 11 detects that an alarm has occurred for the indicator light e2 when the color of the indicator light e2 is the set color indicated by the color information at the time of alarm occurrence and the color of the indicator light e1 is the set color indicated by the color information for determining whether an alarm has occurred (and further when the colors of the current frame (the colors of the indicator light e2 and the indicator light e1) are different from those of the previous frame in step S503 of FIG. 5). On the other hand, when the color of the indicator light e2 is the set color indicated by the color information at the time of alarm occurrence but the color of the indicator light e1 is not the set color indicated by the color information for determining whether an alarm has occurred, the alarm detection unit 11 determines that an alarm has not occurred for the indicator light e2 (determines "N" in step S502 of FIG. 5).

[0149] For example, the broadcast channel "P1" is shut down every night due to a broadcast hiatus. When this broadcast channel is shut down, the indicator light e2 bearing the word "abnormal" lights up in the color set by the color information for when an alarm occurs, but since this is an intended operation, there is no need to detect it as an alarm. Therefore, when determining whether an alarm has occurred for the indicator light e2, the alarm detection unit 11 also performs a color determination for the indicator light e1 bearing the word "radio signal received."

[0150] In other words, the alarm detection unit 11 determines whether an alarm has occurred for the indicator light e2 based on the color of the indicator light e2 and the color of the indicator light e1, and does not determine whether an alarm has occurred for the indicator light e2 if the indicator light e1 is off (determines that no alarm has occurred even if the indicator light e2 is on). This "radio wave reception" indicates the state of a predetermined event related to the "abnormal" alarm for the indicator light e2.

[0151] In the overall system shown in Fig. 1, video distribution device 1 may be installed within a transmitting station, and video recording device 2 may be installed in a remote location, such as a master room in a performance studio. Similarly, in the overall system shown in Fig. 7, video distribution devices 1-1 and 1-2 and devices 5-1 and 5-2 may be installed within a transmitting station, and video recording device 2' may be installed in a remote location. A network line such as an IP-VPN may be used as network 4.

[0152] The video recording devices 2 and 2′ may further include an email sending unit. When an alarm occurrence or recovery is detected, the email sending unit sends an email containing information for identifying the alarm (such as the alarm name, type, location, and time of occurrence) to a predetermined address. When an alarm occurrence or recovery is detected, the email sending unit may save one frame of the video H, M9, M10, or M11 (video H in the case of the video recording device 2, or one of videos M9, M10, or M11 in the case of the video recording device 2′) at the time of detection as an image file in PNG format, JPEG format, or the like on the recording medium 14, attach the image file to an email, and send it to a predetermined address. The email sending unit may also read a video file from the recording medium 14, attach the video file to an email, and send it to a predetermined address.

[0153] Furthermore, the video recording devices 2, 2' may output an alarm sound when detecting an alarm occurrence, or may generate audio data indicating the content of the alarm based on the detection information and output the data as audio. However, depending on the transmitting station, there may be cases where the noise from air conditioning or the like is loud, the building has multiple floors, or the building is spacious, and the alarm sound and audio may not be enough for the monitor at the transmitting station to recognize the occurrence of an alarm. In such cases, the monitor may be able to check the alarm on a terminal device such as a mobile terminal, and the terminal device may read out the content of the alarm using voice synthesis.

[0154] Furthermore, in the overall system shown in FIG. 1 and the overall system shown in FIG. 7, RTSP and HLS are used as communication protocols, but other communication protocols may also be used.

[0155] Furthermore, the overall system shown in Figure 1 and the overall system shown in Figure 7 have been described as examples of systems that monitor the broadcasting status of transmitting stations, etc., but the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to any system that monitors the status of equipment.

[0156] 1, video distribution device 1 and video recording device 2 are connected via network 4, and in the overall system shown in Fig. 7, video distribution devices 1-1 and 1-2 and devices 5-1 and 5-2 are connected to video recording device 2' via network 4. Alternatively, video distribution device 1 and video recording device 2 may be connected via USB, and video distribution devices 1-1 and 1-2 and devices 5-1 and 5-2 may be connected to video recording device 2' via USB.

[0157] 7 are, for example, IP cameras that transmit videos M9 and M10 to the video recording device 2' using a predetermined communication protocol. Alternatively, the devices 5-1 and 5-2 may be USB cameras or capture devices connected via USB. In this case, the devices 5-1 and 5-2 transmit the videos M9 and M10 to the video recording device 2' via USB.

[0158] The alarm detection unit 11 provided in the video recording devices 2, 2' converts the RGB values ​​of the video R into HSV values ​​and compares the color of the indicator light that is the detection area with a preset color indicated by color information at the time of alarm occurrence based on the HSV values, thereby detecting the occurrence of an alarm. Alternatively, the alarm detection unit 11 may detect the occurrence of an alarm based on the RGB values ​​of the video R. The alarm detection unit 11 may also store a preset base type (HSV value base or RGB value base) for each indicator light that is the detection area, and when detecting the occurrence of an alarm, compare the color using HSV values ​​or RGB values ​​according to the preset base type for each indicator light that is the detection area.

[0159] In addition, the overall system shown in Fig. 1 uses two communication protocols, RTSP and HLS, while the overall system shown in Fig. 7 uses four communication protocols, including RTSP and HLS. However, it is also possible to use only one communication protocol (for example, RTSP).

[0160] In this case, the video distribution device 1 distributes the video R to the video recording device 2 via RTSP. The communication unit 10 of the video recording device 2 receives the video R from the video distribution device 1 and always stores the past video R from the current time until a predetermined time ago (for example, 3 seconds ago). When the alarm detection unit 11 detects the occurrence of an alarm and inputs the detection information from the alarm detection unit 11, the communication unit 10 outputs to the recording processing unit 13 the past video R it stores (past video R from the time the alarm was detected (the current time) until a predetermined time ago, referred to as video R1) and the video R from the current time until a predetermined time (for example, 7 seconds) has elapsed (referred to as video R2).

[0161] The recording processing unit 13 receives the videos R1 and R2 from the communication unit 10, generates the videos R1 and R2 as a video file, and stores this in the recording medium 14. As a result, the recording medium 14 stores a video file consisting of the video R1 taken before the alarm occurrence and the video R2 taken after the alarm occurrence, based on the time when the alarm occurrence was detected.

[0162] A normal computer can be used as the hardware configuration of the video recording device 2 according to the embodiment of the present invention and the video recording device 2' according to another embodiment of the present invention. The video recording devices 2 and 2' are configured by a computer equipped with a CPU, a volatile recording medium such as RAM, a non-volatile recording medium such as ROM, HDD, SSD, an interface, etc.

[0163] The functions of the communication unit 10, alarm detection unit 11, display unit 12, and recording processing unit 13 provided in the video recording device 2 are each realized by causing a CPU to execute a program in which these functions are written.

[0164] The functions of the communication unit 15, alarm detection unit 11, display unit 12, and recording processing unit 13 provided in the video recording device 2' are also realized by causing the CPU to execute a program in which these functions are written.

[0165] These programs are stored on the recording medium and are read and executed by the CPU. These programs can also be stored on recording media such as magnetic disks (hard disks, etc.), optical disks (CD-ROMs, DVDs, etc.), and semiconductor memories and distributed, or can be transmitted and received via a network. [Explanation of symbols]

[0166] 1,1-1,1-2 Video distribution device 2,2' video recording device 3. Video display devices 4 Network 5-1,5-2 Equipment 10,15 Communications Department 11 Alarm detection unit 12 Display section 13 Recording processing section 14 Recording media M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M6, M7, M8 Monitor image P1, P2, P3, P4, P5 Broadcast Media R,H,M9,M10,M11 Video f1 frame e1,e2,e3 indicator light

Claims

1. A video recording device that receives video transmitted from a video transmitting device and, upon detecting an alarm occurrence, records a state of equipment related to the alarm, The video transmitting device transmits a monitoring video including an indicator light that displays the status of the equipment related to the alarm and the name of the alarm in text, a communication unit that receives, as an image R, the monitoring image transmitted from the image transmission device using a first communication protocol, and receives, when the occurrence of the alarm is detected, as an image H the monitoring image transmitted from the image transmission device using a second communication protocol that has a longer delay than the first communication protocol; an alarm detection unit that detects the occurrence of the alarm based on the indicator light included in the image R received by the communication unit; a recording processing unit that starts recording the video H received by the communication unit when the alarm detection unit detects the occurrence of the alarm, and ends the recording after a predetermined time has elapsed, thereby storing the video H from the start to the end of the recording on a recording medium as a video file; A video recording device comprising:

2. A video recording device that receives video transmitted from a video transmitting device and, upon detecting an alarm occurrence, records a state of equipment related to the alarm, The video transmission device transmits a first monitoring video including an indicator light on which the name of the alarm is displayed in text, and each of a plurality of devices transmits a second monitoring video including the status of equipment related to the alarm, a communication unit that receives, as an image R, the first monitoring image transmitted from the image transmitting device using a first communication protocol, and receives, when the occurrence of the alarm is detected, as an image H, the second monitoring image transmitted from one of the plurality of devices using a second communication protocol that has a longer delay than the first communication protocol; an alarm detection unit that detects the occurrence of the alarm based on the indicator light included in the image R received by the communication unit; a recording processing unit that starts recording the video H received by the communication unit when the alarm detection unit detects the occurrence of the alarm, and ends the recording after a predetermined time has elapsed, thereby storing the video H from the start to the end of the recording on a recording medium as a moving image file, The communication unit A video recording device characterized in that, based on the alarm detected by the alarm detection unit, one of the multiple devices is identified to transmit the second surveillance video including the status of the equipment related to the alarm, and the second surveillance video transmitted from the identified one device is received as the video H.

3. 3. The video recording device according to claim 1, The alarm detection unit A video recording device characterized by converting the RGB values ​​of each pixel in the indicator light area into HSV values, determining the most frequent value of the HSV values ​​of each pixel in the indicator light area, and detecting the occurrence of the alarm based on the most frequent value.

4. 3. The video recording device according to claim 1, an indicator light on which the name of the alarm is displayed in characters is defined as a first indicator light, an indicator light on which the name of a predetermined event state related to the alarm is displayed in characters is defined as a second indicator light, and the video R received from the video transmission device includes the first indicator light and the second indicator light, The alarm detection unit A video recording device characterized in that the occurrence of the alarm is detected based on the first indicator light and the second indicator light included in the video R received by the communication unit.

5. 3. The video recording device according to claim 1, The video recording device further comprises an email sending unit that, when the alarm detection unit detects the occurrence of the alarm, attaches a frame of the video R at that timing to an email as an image file, or attaches the video file to the email and sends the email to a predetermined address.

6. A program for causing a computer to function as the video recording device according to claim 1 or 2.

Images