Fire monitoring system

Abstract

To obtain a fire monitoring system that can easily reduce areas where fire monitoring is not performed, even when temporary structures are installed or the arrangement of structures is changed in a large space. [Solution] The fire monitoring system 100 includes an aerial mobile body 1 that flies over the space to be monitored, where the detectors 2 are installed. The aerial mobile body 1 is equipped with a camera 15 that takes images of the space and a flame detection unit 16 that detects flames in the space. When a temporary structure S is placed in the space such that an unmonitored area uR is created where flames cannot be detected by the detectors 2, the fire monitoring system 100 monitors the fire in the space using the detectors 2 and the aerial mobile body 1 that flies to monitor the fire in the unmonitored area uR.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a fire monitoring system equipped with an airborne vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in an apparatus used in a large space, there is known an apparatus in which an airborne vehicle such as a drone is equipped with a sensor for detecting smoke, heat, carbon monoxide, etc. and a camera (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] The apparatus described in Patent Document 1 is an apparatus for testing each sensor installed in a large space, and is configured to further include a test generation source that generates a predetermined detection target detected by the sensor during a fire, such as smoke, heat, or carbon monoxide. The apparatus of Patent Document 1 moves to a sensor installed in the large space to be monitored, identifies the sensor type based on an image captured by a camera, and generates a predetermined detection target corresponding to the sensor type by the test generation source to test the sensor. The sensor mounted on the mobile body is used to detect and monitor the detection target generated by the test generation source during the test.

[0004] By the way, in large-scale facilities such as gymnasiums and event venues, for example, in addition to indoor competitions or artist live performances, they may also be used as exhibition halls or evacuation shelters during disasters. When the event venue is used as an exhibition hall, event furniture (for example, booths) is installed in the facility, and when the gymnasium is used as an evacuation shelter, cardboard houses are installed in the facility. In such large-scale facilities, the ceiling is high, and it takes time for smoke to reach near the ceiling. Therefore, generally, smoke sensors are not used, and fire monitoring is performed by flame sensors.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

[0006] However, when tall structures such as event fixtures or cardboard houses are temporarily installed in large facilities, existing detectors may be unable to monitor fires in areas obscured by these temporary structures. Furthermore, if the arrangement of structures changes depending on the event being held, the location of these unmonitored areas within the facility will also change.

[0007] The present invention was made against the background described above, and provides a fire monitoring system that can easily reduce the area where fire monitoring is not performed, even when temporary structures are installed in a large space or when the arrangement of structures is changed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The fire monitoring system according to the present invention is an aerial mobile body that flies over a space that is to be monitored and on which sensors are installed, and is equipped with a camera that takes images of the space and a flame detection unit that detects flames in the space. When a temporary structure is placed in the space such that there are unmonitored areas where flames cannot be monitored by the sensors, the sensors and the aerial mobile body that flies to monitor fires in the unmonitored areas monitor the fire in the space.

[0009] Furthermore, the fire monitoring system according to the present invention flies over a space that is to be monitored and where detectors are installed, and includes an aerial mobile body equipped with a camera that takes images of the space and a flame detection unit that detects flames in the space, and a control unit that detects unmonitored areas where flames cannot be monitored by the detectors because the view is obstructed by the presence of temporary structures, based on a diagram of the venue showing the flame monitoring area by the detectors and the state in which there are no temporary structures in the space, and images of the space taken by the camera, and the aerial mobile body flies to monitor the fires in the unmonitored areas detected by the control unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, even when structures are temporarily installed or the arrangement of structures is changed in a large space, it is possible to easily reduce the area where fire monitoring is not performed. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This diagram illustrates an example configuration of a fire monitoring system according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing the communication between elements and the function of the aerial mobile body in the fire monitoring system according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 3] This figure illustrates an example of the unmonitored area detection process performed by the fire monitoring system according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 4] This figure illustrates an example of a monitoring path followed by an aerial moving object during fire monitoring in the fire monitoring system according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 5] This diagram illustrates the operation of the fire monitoring system according to Embodiment 1 when an aerial moving object detects a fire. [Figure 6] This figure illustrates an example of a method for measuring the height of a structure using an aerial moving object in a fire monitoring system according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 7] This figure illustrates another example of a method by which an aerial moving body measures the height of a structure in the fire monitoring system according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 8] This figure illustrates an example of an image acquisition path followed by an aerial moving object when collecting images for determining the monitoring path in the fire monitoring system according to Embodiment 2. [Figure 9] This figure shows an image of the fire monitoring system according to Embodiment 2, specifically the stage where an aerial moving object detects an unmonitored area. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiments and can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, the present invention includes all possible combinations of the configurations shown in the following embodiments. In addition, the apparatus shown in the drawings is an example of the apparatus of the present invention and the apparatus of the present invention is not limited by the apparatus shown in the drawings. Furthermore, in each figure, parts denoted by the same reference numerals are the same or equivalent, and this is common throughout the entire specification.

[0013] Embodiment 1. (System Configuration) Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating an example configuration of a fire monitoring system 100 according to Embodiment 1. The large-scale facility 200, which is the target of the fire monitoring system 100, is equipped with fire detectors 2. The fire monitoring system 100 includes an aerial mobile unit 1. In this embodiment, the aerial mobile unit 1 reduces the area where fire monitoring is not performed by patrolling unmonitored areas within the large space of the large-scale facility 200 that is the target of monitoring, where existing detectors 2 cannot monitor fires because they are in the shadow of structures S.

[0014] In this embodiment, the large-scale facility 200 to be monitored is defined and described as an event venue such as an exhibition hall. However, the large-scale facility 200 is not limited to an event venue; it may be any facility in which the installed structures S, their arrangement or number, etc., can be changed, such as a gymnasium. The above-described functions of the aerial mobile body 1 are particularly effective when tall structures S are installed in a large-scale facility 200 with high ceilings.

[0015] Furthermore, the fire monitoring system 100 of this embodiment monitors fires in a large space using a flame detection unit 16 of an aerial mobile unit 1 and detectors 2 installed in the large-scale facility 200. In the large-scale facility 200 shown in Figure 1, a total of six detectors 2 are installed: three detectors 2a, 2b, and 2c on the upper part of the front wall W1, and three detectors 2d, 2e, and 2f on the upper part of the rear wall W2.

[0016] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing communication between elements in the fire monitoring system 100 according to Embodiment 1 and functions of the airborne vehicle 1. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the fire monitoring system 100 includes existing sensors 2a to 2f and an airborne vehicle 1 equipped with a flame detection unit 16 and the like. The fire monitoring system 100 also includes a fire notification system 5 including a fire bell, and the existing sensors 2a to 2f, the airborne vehicle 1, and the fire notification system 5 are communicatively connected via a network 4 such as the Internet or a dedicated communication line.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, each sensor 2 (sensors 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e, 2f) detects a fire in a predetermined monitoring area R. In the present embodiment, the sensor 2 is a sensor equipped with a flame sensor and detects a flame. When the sensor 2 detects a flame, it outputs a fire detection signal to the fire notification system 5. The airborne vehicle 1 is a device that moves in the air by remote control or autonomous operation, for example, a drone. The airborne vehicle 1 includes a flame detection unit 16 that detects a flame, and when the flame is detected, it outputs a fire detection signal to the fire notification system 5. The flame detection unit 16 is, for example, the same flame sensor used for the sensor 2. The fire notification system 5 notifies the administrator or visitor of the large-scale facility 200 to be monitored of the occurrence of a fire. When a fire is detected in any of the flame detection unit 16 of the airborne vehicle 1 and the existing sensors 2a to 2f, that is, when a fire detection signal is received, the fire notification system 5 sounds the fire bell.

[0018] Note that the fire monitoring system 100 may be configured to transmit a fire detection signal directly to the disaster prevention equipment or via the fire notification system 5 when a flame is detected by either the flame detection unit 16 of the airborne vehicle 1 or the existing sensors 2a to 2f. Here, the disaster prevention equipment is, for example, a drain tanker, a water cannon, an emergency phone, or a fire-fighting drone, but is not limited thereto. The disaster prevention equipment operates in cooperation with the fire monitoring system 100.

[0019] Figure 3 illustrates an example of the unmonitored area detection process performed by the fire monitoring system 100 according to Embodiment 1. Figure 4 illustrates an example of the monitoring path Ps followed by the aerial mobile body 1 during fire monitoring in the fire monitoring system 100 according to Embodiment 1. The shaded areas in Figures 3 and 4 represent unmonitored areas uR. The fire monitoring system 100 detects the unmonitored areas uR shown by the shaded areas in Figure 3, determines the monitoring path Ps shown in Figure 4, and performs monitoring along this monitoring path Ps with the aerial mobile body 1. The aerial mobile body 1 will be described in detail below based on Figures 1 to 4.

[0020] (Configuration of Aerial Mobile Unit 1) In this embodiment, the aerial mobile body 1 is a drone such as an autonomous multicopter, which patrols the vicinity of the target to be monitored by autonomous operation without touching the ground or walls, and performs fire monitoring operations from a predetermined point, monitoring for fires using a flame detection unit 16 mounted on the mobile body 1a. The aerial mobile body 1 includes a control unit 10, a storage unit 11, a communication unit 12, a position sensor 13, a drive unit 14, a camera 15, and a flame detection unit 16.

[0021] The control unit 10 is a processing unit that controls each part of the aerial mobile body 1, and is composed of a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that executes programs stored in memory. The control unit 10 includes the following functional units: an operation control unit 101, a monitoring control unit 102, an imaging control unit 103, an unmonitored area detection unit 104, a monitoring route determination unit 105, and a coordination control unit 106. Each functional unit of the control unit 10 is realized by reading and executing a dedicated application program that has been pre-installed from the storage unit 11.

[0022] The memory unit 11 stores data and programs used by the control unit 10 for control, as well as the route 111, the venue diagram 112 of the large-scale facility 200 to be monitored, and the captured data 113 taken by the camera 15. The memory unit 11 is a non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as RAM, ROM, flash memory, EPROM, or EEPROM, or an external storage medium such as a memory card, or a combination thereof.

[0023] The operation route 111 is data that defines the path the aerial mobile body 1 travels and one or more operating points included in this path. The operation route 111 is the path from the starting point to the destination, and the starting point and destination may be the same location. In this embodiment, the operation route 111 stores the monitoring path Ps that the aerial mobile body 1 follows when monitoring a fire, and the image acquisition path that the aerial mobile body 1 follows when collecting images for determining the monitoring path.

[0024] The images used for determining the monitoring route are used to detect unmonitored areas uR within the large space of the large-scale facility 200 that are being monitored, which cannot be monitored by the existing sensors 2 because they are obscured by structures S. Therefore, images for determining the monitoring route are taken by cameras 15 from multiple points in the sky above the large space so that a plan view Im1 can be obtained that shows the arrangement of multiple structures S1, S2, S3, and S4 installed in the large space. In other words, the image acquisition route includes points where cameras 15 take images for determining the monitoring route as operational points. Here, structures S1, S2, S3, and S4 are referred to as "structure S" when they are not distinguished.

[0025] The operating points of the image acquisition path can be set at a predetermined height for each of the multiple shooting areas formed by dividing the floor surface 201 of the large facility 200 into multiple sections in the horizontal direction (arrow X direction) and the depth direction (arrow Y direction). The height of the operating point is, for example, the height Hs at which the sensor 2 is installed. Generally, flame detectors are installed so that the distance from each part of the space up to a height of 1.2 [m] from the floor surface of each area partitioned by walls to the monitoring sensor is within the nominal monitoring distance and within the field of view. Also, if there is an obstacle that is more than 1.2 [m] above the floor surface 201, an unmonitored area will be created, and it will be necessary to install another sensor in that area. The height of the image acquisition path and the operating point will be determined taking these points into consideration.

[0026] The large unmonitored area uR detected from the collected monitoring path determination images is used to determine the monitoring path Ps. The operating points along the monitoring path Ps are the points where the flame detection unit 16 performs fire monitoring operations. In this case, the operating points are located above the unmonitored area uR. The height of the operating points is, for example, the height Hs at which the detector 2 is installed.

[0027] The venue diagram 112 shown in Figure 3 is a diagram of a large open space where the flame monitoring area R, controlled by the existing detectors 2, is located, and where there are no temporary structures S. The venue diagram 112 for the large-scale facility 200 to be monitored can be created based on the facility's design drawings and equipment drawings, and is stored in the storage unit 11 in advance.

[0028] The communication unit 12 is a communication interface circuit for the aerial mobile unit 1 to communicate with the fire alarm system 5 via the network 4. In a configuration in which the fire monitoring system 100 is further linked with disaster prevention equipment (not shown), the aerial mobile unit 1 communicates with the disaster prevention equipment via the network 4 using the communication unit 12. The communication unit 12 is, for example, a mobile communication circuit such as a telephone communication network, or a wireless communication circuit.

[0029] The position sensor 13 acquires position information (e.g., latitude and longitude) of the aerial mobile body 1 at predetermined intervals. The position sensor 13 is, for example, a GPS receiver or a wireless communication device. The position information acquired by the position sensor 13 is input to the operation control unit 101 and used for operation control. In addition, in order to notify external equipment of the location of a fire, if a fire is detected during fire monitoring operation, the position information may be input to the cooperation control unit 106 and output together with a fire detection signal.

[0030] The drive unit 14 is a device that flies the aerial mobile body 1 based on control signals from the operation control unit 101. The drive unit 14 includes multiple motors that rotate the propellers of the aerial mobile body 1, and autonomous movement of the aerial mobile body 1 is achieved by controlling the rotation, stopping, and rotation speed of the motors based on the control signals.

[0031] Camera 15 is a device for capturing still images or videos. Camera 15 includes an image sensor such as a CCD image sensor or a CMOS image sensor. The captured data 113 captured by Camera 15 is stored in the storage unit 11 and input to the unmonitored area detection unit 104. It may also have a function for adjusting shooting conditions such as shooting direction, shooting range, or resolution. The captured image (i.e., captured data 113) captured by Camera 15 is stored in the storage unit 11.

[0032] The flame detection unit 16 is a sensor that detects flames by detecting the radiation emitted from the flames. The flame detection unit 16 is, for example, an infrared sensor or an ultraviolet sensor. The detection result of the flame detection unit 16 is input to the control unit 106. In this embodiment, the range in which the flame detection unit 16 can detect flames is defined as being approximately the same as the monitoring area R of the existing detector 2 when the flame detection unit 16 is located at the same height Hs as the existing detector 2.

[0033] The range in which the flame detection unit 16 can detect flames is not particularly limited. Furthermore, the height of the operating points in the monitoring path Ps is predetermined according to the accuracy of the flame detection unit 16 used. In this case, for example, the height at which fire monitoring operations are performed at an operating point may be lower than the height at which horizontal movement between operating points is performed.

[0034] The operation control unit 101 selects an operation path 111 in response to a program or an external command, and controls the movement of the aerial mobile body 1 according to the selected operation path 111. The operation of the aerial mobile body 1 is controlled to ascend, descend, move forward, move backward, and turn. The operation control unit 101 controls the movement of the aerial mobile body 1 according to the monitoring path Ps determined by the monitoring path determination unit 105 (described later), or according to a predetermined image acquisition path.

[0035] When the aerial mobile body 1 is moving along the monitoring path Ps, the monitoring control unit 102 detects, based on position information from the position sensor 13, that the body has reached an operating point along the monitoring path Ps, and then controls the flame detection unit 16 to perform fire monitoring. Fire monitoring is performed within the range from the operating point where the flame detection unit 16 can detect flames.

[0036] The shooting control unit 103 transmits control signals to the camera 15 to control the timing and target of the camera 15's shooting. When the aerial moving object 1 is moving along the image acquisition path, the shooting control unit 103 detects that it has reached a point in the image acquisition path based on the position information from the position sensor 13, and controls the camera 15 to take an image (the above-mentioned image for determining the monitoring path).

[0037] Furthermore, the shooting control unit 103 may be configured to cause the camera 15 to take a picture when the aerial moving body 1 is moving along the monitoring path Ps and the coordinating control unit 106, which receives the detection result from the flame detection unit 16, notifies it that a fire has been detected.

[0038] The unmonitored area detection unit 104 detects the unmonitored area uR based on a venue diagram 112, which is stored in the storage unit 11 in advance, showing a state where there are no temporary structures S in the large space, and images captured by the camera 15 along the image acquisition path. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 3, the unmonitored area detection unit 104 first generates a plan view Im1 of the large space from a plurality of monitoring path determination images collected along the image acquisition path, and extracts structures S (structures S1, S2, S3, and S4) in the large space by applying known image processing techniques to the plan view Im1. Then, the unmonitored area detection unit 104 superimposes each extracted structure S with the venue diagram 112, and detects the unmonitored area uR in the superimposed image Im2 based on the positions of each sensor 2 and the positions of the monitoring area R and the structures S.

[0039] In this embodiment, the unmonitored area uR is a part or all of the monitoring area R of the sensor 2, which is temporarily obscured by the shadow of the structure S and cannot be monitored by the sensor 2.

[0040] In the example shown in Figure 3, the monitoring areas Ra for sensor 2a, Rb for sensor 2b, and Rc for sensor 2c are located in front of the center of the large space in the depth direction (arrow Y direction), from left to right. Furthermore, the monitoring areas Rd for sensor 2d, Re for sensor 2e, and Rf for sensor 2f are located behind the center of the large space in the depth direction (arrow Y direction), from right to left. Structure S1 is positioned approximately in the center of the front left monitoring area Ra, and structure S2 is positioned to the right of structure S1, with a gap between them, straddling monitoring areas Ra and Rb. As a result, a roughly U-shaped unmonitored area uRa is formed in monitoring area Ra, and an unmonitored area uRb is formed in the back left of monitoring area Rb. Furthermore, structure S3 is positioned mostly in the rear right monitoring area Rd, with its left end extending into monitoring area Re, while structure S4 is positioned towards the front and left side of the rear left monitoring area Rd. As a result, a horizontally elongated unmonitored area uRd is formed in front of monitoring area Rd, an unmonitored area uRe is formed to the right front of monitoring area Re, and an unmonitored area uRf extending in the depth direction (arrow Y direction) is formed to the right of monitoring area Rf.

[0041] In the example shown in Figure 3, the unmonitored area uR is detected assuming that each structure S has a predetermined height. In this case, the height of each structure S is stored in the memory unit 11 beforehand. For example, this method is useful when monitoring an evacuation center where cardboard houses of the same structure are installed as structures S, or an exhibition hall where multiple booths with different structures but the same purpose are arranged while meeting height restrictions.

[0042] The measured height of structure S may also be used in the unmonitored area detection process. The method for measuring the height of structure S will be described later (see Figures 6 and 7).

[0043] As shown in Figure 3, when it is assumed that the structure S has a predetermined fixed height in the unmonitored area detection process, the process can be simplified and accelerated compared to when the measured height is used. In addition, since it is not necessary to measure the height of each structure S by the aerial mobile body 1, the operating time of the aerial mobile body 1 can be shortened. As a result, the time required to determine the monitoring route Ps can be reduced.

[0044] The monitoring route determination unit 105 determines the monitoring route Ps based on the unmonitored area uR detected by the unmonitored area detection unit 104. Specifically, as shown in Figure 4, the monitoring route determination unit 105 sets a number of operating points in a large space above the unmonitored area uR such that the flame detection unit 16 of the aerial mobile body 1 can detect flames in the unmonitored area uR. The number of operating points set for the unmonitored area uR varies depending on the shape and size of the unmonitored area uR, as well as the range in which the flame detection unit 16 can detect flames. The monitoring route determination unit 107 sets the minimum number of operating points necessary to monitor the fire in the entire unmonitored area uR. The monitoring route determination unit 105 also determines the order of each operating point so that the travel distance of the aerial mobile body 1 from the starting point to the destination of the monitoring route Ps is minimized.

[0045] In Figure 4, for the unmonitored area uRa, three operational points are set: point A1 on the left side of structure S1, point A2 at the back, and point A3 on the right side. For the other unmonitored areas uRb, uRd, uRe, and uRf, one operational point (points B, D, E, and F) is set for each. The order in which these operational points are traversed by the aerial mobile unit 1 during fire monitoring is set to point A1, point A2, point A3, point B, point D, point E, and point F.

[0046] Incidentally, in typical large-scale facilities 200, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, some facilities have multiple detectors 2a to 2f arranged so that they can monitor almost the entire large space to be monitored. In such facilities, even if a temporary structure S is placed in the large space to be monitored, if the structure S does not create an unmonitored area uR, fire monitoring by the aerial mobile body 1 is unnecessary. Therefore, when a temporary structure S is placed in the large space in such a way that an unmonitored area uR is created where flames cannot be monitored by the existing detectors 2, the fire monitoring system 100 performs fire monitoring of the large space using the existing detectors 2 and the aerial mobile body 1 which flies to monitor the fire in the unmonitored area uR. On the other hand, if the temporary structure S is placed but no unmonitored area uR is created, the fire monitoring system 100 does not determine the flight of the aerial mobile body 1 or the monitoring path Ps, and performs fire monitoring of the large space using only the existing detectors 2 as in the conventional method.

[0047] In the example shown in Figure 4, the operating points of the monitoring route Ps are set only for the unmonitored area uR within the monitoring area R of the existing detector 2, which is obscured by the structure S and cannot be monitored. However, operating points may also be added for areas other than the unmonitored area uR. In a configuration where operating points are set for areas other than the unmonitored area uR, fire monitoring of the large space will be performed by the existing detector 2 and the aerial mobile unit 1 even if the unmonitored area uR does not occur due to the temporary presence of the structure S.

[0048] For example, based on the venue diagram 112, the unmonitored area detection unit 104 and the monitoring path determination unit 105 may set operating points above areas that fall outside the monitoring area R of the existing sensors 2. This further reduces the unmonitored areas within the large space being monitored.

[0049] Furthermore, for example, the unmonitored area detection unit 104 and the monitoring route determination unit 105 may also set operating points on the structure S within the monitoring area R of the existing detector 2. This allows for fire monitoring of areas within the structure S that cannot be monitored by the existing detector 2 due to being obscured by the walls of the structure S, even if the structure S does not have a ceiling, by operating points set up on the structure S.

[0050] Furthermore, the operating points of the monitoring route Ps may also be set above the area that can be monitored, and it is sufficient that more points are set above the unmonitored area uR within the large space than above other areas.

[0051] When the flame detection unit 16 detects a flame, the linkage control unit 106 transmits a fire detection signal to the fire alarm system 5 via the communication unit 12 and instructs the fire alarm system 5 to perform an alarm. In a configuration in which the fire monitoring system 100 is linked with fire extinguishing equipment (not shown), the linkage control unit 106 transmits a fire detection signal to the fire extinguishing equipment (not shown) and instructs it to perform fire extinguishing. If the communication unit 12 is configured to transmit the fire detection signal to an external source via wireless communication, fire alarm and fire extinguishing can be started particularly quickly.

[0052] Furthermore, the fire monitoring system 100 may further include a server device (not shown) that is connected to the aerial mobile body 1 in communication, and some of the functional parts of the control unit 10 may be implemented in the server device, and some of the data of the storage unit 11 may be stored in the storage device of the server device. For example, the unmonitored area detection unit 104 and the monitoring route determination unit 105 may be implemented in the server device, and images captured by the camera 15 may be transmitted from the aerial mobile body 1 to the server device and stored in the storage device of the server device, and the venue diagram 112 may be stored in this storage device in advance. In other words, the image processing and calculation processing for determining the monitoring route Ps performed by the unmonitored area detection unit 104 and the monitoring route determination unit 105 may be performed in the server device.

[0053] Referring to Figure 4, an example of the operation of the aerial mobile unit 1 along the monitoring path Ps and the fire monitoring operation will be specifically explained. When the aerial mobile unit 1 reaches point A1, which is the first operating point on the monitoring path Ps, it performs a fire monitoring operation. Specifically, the aerial mobile unit 1 uses the flame detection unit 16 to monitor for the presence or absence of flames within a predetermined range from that operating point. After the fire monitoring operation at point A1 is completed, the aerial mobile unit 1 sequentially reaches points A2, A3, B, D, E, and F along the monitoring path Ps, performs a fire monitoring operation at each operating point, and returns to point A1. The aerial mobile unit 1 repeats the above fire monitoring along the monitoring path Ps for a start and end timing, number of times, or duration determined by a program or commands input from an external source.

[0054] The aerial mobile body 1 moves in a straight line between operating points, but if there is an obstacle such as the wall of a structure S on the straight line path, the operation control unit 101 detects the obstacle using an image from the camera 15 or a sensor (not shown), and bypasses the obstacle to reach the target operating point.

[0055] Figure 5 illustrates the operation of the aerial mobile unit 1 when it detects a fire in the fire monitoring system 100 according to Embodiment 1. Referring to Figures 4 and 5, an example of the operation of the aerial mobile unit 1, the existing detectors 2a to 2f, and the fire alarm system 5 will be explained.

[0056] The aerial mobile unit 1 performs operational control along the monitoring route Ps (step ST101). During operational control, as described above, the flame detection unit 16 also performs fire monitoring at each operating point (step ST102) to monitor fires in the unmonitored area uR. If the flame detection unit 16 detects a flame during the fire monitoring operation in step ST102 (step ST103), the aerial mobile unit 1 transmits a fire detection signal to the fire alarm system 5 (step ST104). If no flame is detected during the fire monitoring operation in step ST102, the aerial mobile unit 1 returns to step ST101 and continues operational control.

[0057] Upon receiving a fire detection signal, the fire alarm system 5 notifies that a fire has occurred (step ST105). By sounding a bell, the fire alarm system 5 can inform the administrator or visitors of the large-scale facility 200 being monitored of the fire and encourage them to take action to extinguish it.

[0058] For example, if a fire occurs in the gap between structures S1 and S2 within the monitoring area Ra of detector 2a, in a conventional configuration where fire monitoring is performed only by existing detectors 2a to 2f, the fire will spread before flames are detected by detector 2a. Therefore, in the conventional configuration, fire detection may be delayed, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 5. On the other hand, in the present invention, where existing detectors 2a to 2f and the aerial mobile unit 1 work together to monitor fires in a large space, the aerial mobile unit 1 can monitor fires in the unmonitored area uR. Therefore, even if a temporary structure S is installed, the occurrence of a fire can be detected earlier than in the conventional method. Furthermore, even at night when no one is present in the large space, it is advisable to have the system automatically patrol continuously or periodically to detect fires as quickly as possible.

[0059] In large-scale facilities 200, ceilings are generally high, and for ease of maintenance, the detector 2 may be installed on the upper part of the wall W. However, when the detector 2 is installed on the wall W, the possibility of its field of view being obstructed by tall structures S is higher compared to when the detector 2 is installed on the ceiling. Therefore, the above function of the aerial mobile body 1 capable of detecting fire is particularly useful when the detector 2 is installed on the wall W.

[0060] Figure 6 illustrates an example of how the aerial mobile body 1 measures the height H of a structure S in the fire monitoring system 100 according to Embodiment 1. Figure 7 illustrates another example of how the aerial mobile body 1 measures the height of a structure S in the fire monitoring system 100 according to Embodiment 1. As described above, the measured height of the structure S may be used in the unmonitored area detection process. The methods for measuring the height of each structure S will be described below with reference to Figures 6 and 7.

[0061] In the example shown in Figure 6, the aerial mobile unit 1 measures the height H from the side of the structure S. The aerial mobile unit 1 moves to the side of the structure S and, as indicated by the white arrow in Figure 6, takes a picture of the side of the structure S with the camera 15. The control unit 10 then determines the height H from the captured image (side view of the structure S) using a known method.

[0062] The method for measuring the height H from the side of the structure S is not limited to the method described above. For example, the aerial mobile body 1 may calculate the height H of the structure S by combining vertical movement along the side of the structure S (in the direction of arrow Z) with a camera 15 or a sensor that measures the presence or absence of an object or the distance to an object.

[0063] In the example shown in Figure 7, the aerial moving body 1 measures the height H from above the structure S. A sensor 18 is provided at the bottom of the aerial moving body 1 to measure the distance to the target object. The aerial moving body 1 measures the vertical distance L (arrow Z direction) from a predetermined height to the upper end of the structure S below, and calculates the height H of the structure S. In Figure 7, at the time of measurement, the sensor 18 is at the same height Hs as the detector 2, and the height H of the structure S is calculated by subtracting the distance L between the sensor 18 and the upper end of the structure S from the height Hs of the sensor 18. In Figure 7, the distance L3 between the sensor 18 and the upper end of the structure S3 is shorter than the distance L4 between the sensor 18 and the upper end of the structure S4, and it can be seen that the height H3 of the structure S3 is higher than the height H4 of the structure S4.

[0064] As the sensor 18, for example, an ultrasonic distance sensor, a distance measuring sensor, or a laser distance sensor can be used. Note that the distance measuring sensor 18 mentioned here is a function that is not necessary for normal fire monitoring, so it can be installed only when height measurement is required, and fire monitoring may be performed with the system lighter by not installing these sensors under normal circumstances.

[0065] The size of the unmonitored area uR (see Figure 3) also changes depending on the height H of the structure S that obstructs the field of view of sensor 2. Therefore, for example, as shown in Figure 7, if the height H3 of structure S3 is higher than the height H4 of structure S4, then, assuming that all other conditions are the same for structures S3 and S4 except for their heights H3 and H4, the shadow formed in front of structure S3 as seen from sensor 2d will be longer in the depth direction (arrow Y direction) than the shadow formed in front of structure S4 as seen from sensor 2f. Thus, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, it is expected that the unmonitored area uR can be detected more accurately by using the measured height H of structure S in the unmonitored area detection process.

[0066] When the measured height H of a structure S is used in the unmonitoring area detection process, the unmonitoring area detection unit 104 (see Figure 2) may consider only structures where the height H of the structure S is above a certain value. For example, the height of a table is lower than the height of a booth, and in the height direction (arrow Z direction), the table is further from the sensor 2 than the booth. Therefore, the unmonitoring area uR formed by the table is likely to be smaller than the unmonitoring area uR formed by the booth. Thus, by setting a threshold for the height H of the structure S and detecting the unmonitoring area uR, it is possible to omit the detection of unmonitoring areas that are of low importance to fire monitoring, and a balance can be struck between reducing the unmonitoring area uR and speeding up the processing. In this case, the increase in the number of operating points is suppressed, and the time required per cycle of the monitoring path Ps can be shortened.

[0067] Furthermore, in the examples shown in Figures 6 and 7, it is preferable that the aerial mobile body 1 captures images for determining the monitoring route using the camera 15 and extracts structures S from the monitoring route determination images using the unmonitored area detection unit 104 (see Figure 2) at each operating point along the image acquisition path. In this way, by extracting structures S from the monitoring route determination images at each operating point along the image acquisition path, the measurement of the height H of structures S can be incorporated as one of the operations performed at the operating point. Therefore, the aerial mobile body 1 can collect multiple monitoring route determination images, extract structures S, and measure their height H while circling a large space along the image acquisition path, and the aerial mobile body 1 can be operated efficiently even when measuring the height H of structures S.

[0068] As described above, the fire monitoring system 100 according to Embodiment 1 flies over the space to be monitored where the detector 2 is installed, and includes an aerial mobile body 1 equipped with a camera 15 for taking images of the space and a flame detection unit 16 for detecting flames in the space. The fire monitoring system 100 also includes a control unit 10 that detects an unmonitored area uR where the flames cannot be monitored by the detector 2 because the view is obstructed by the presence of a temporary structure S, based on a diagram 112 showing the area R where the flames monitored by the detector 2 are located and there are no temporary structures S in the space, and an image of the space taken by the camera 15. The aerial mobile body 1 then flies to monitor the fire in the unmonitored area uR detected by the control unit 10.

[0069] As a result, the unmonitored area uR is monitored by the aerial mobile unit 1, making it easy to reduce the area where fire monitoring is not performed, even when a structure S is temporarily installed or the arrangement of structure S is changed in a large space.

[0070] Furthermore, the control unit 10 determines a monitoring path Ps, which is the operating path 111 on which the aerial mobile body 1 travels and on which operating points are defined for the flame detection unit 16 to perform fire monitoring operations, based on the detected unmonitored area uR. The operating points of the monitoring path Ps are set more frequently above the unmonitored area uR than above other areas.

[0071] This allows the aerial mobile unit 1 to focus on monitoring unmonitored areas uR that cannot be monitored by the sensors 2 within the monitored space (a large space within the large-scale facility 200).

[0072] Furthermore, the control unit 10 detects an unmonitored area uR based on a planar image, which is a captured image of the space taken by the camera 15, the temporary height H of the structure S, and a pre-stored venue diagram 112.

[0073] This allows for more accurate detection of unmonitored areas uR, and enables more reliable fire monitoring of unmonitored areas uR by the aerial mobile device 1.

[0074] Furthermore, the control unit 10 stores a predetermined height H as the height of the temporary structure S.

[0075] This simplifies the calculation process when detecting unmonitored areas (uR).

[0076] Furthermore, the aerial mobile unit 1 uses the camera 15 to photograph the temporary structure S from the side, and the control unit 10 determines the height of the temporary structure S from the side image of the temporary structure S taken by the camera 15.

[0077] In this case, it is possible to determine the height H of the structure S from the side image, and there is no need to install additional sensors or other equipment for measuring the height H.

[0078] Furthermore, the aerial mobile body 1 has a sensor 18 that measures the vertical distance L (in the direction of arrow Z) from the aerial mobile body 1 to the temporary structure S, and the control unit 10 determines the height H of the temporary structure S based on the distance L measured by the sensor 18. In this case, the height H of the structure S can be determined by a simple calculation.

[0079] Embodiment 2. Figure 8 illustrates an example of an image acquisition path followed by the aerial mobile body 1 when collecting images for determining the monitoring path in the fire monitoring system 100 according to Embodiment 2. The white arrows in Figure 8 indicate the orientation of the camera 15 at the time of shooting. Figure 9 shows image Im2 at the stage when the aerial mobile body 1 detects an unmonitored area uR in the fire monitoring system 100 according to Embodiment 2. The shaded area in Figure 9 represents the unmonitored area uR. In Embodiment 2, the image acquisition path followed by the aerial mobile body 1 when collecting images for determining the monitoring path, and the unmonitored area detection process, differ from those in Embodiment 1. In this embodiment, the differences from Embodiment 1 will be explained in detail, and components similar to those in Embodiment 1 will be given the same reference numerals and their explanations will be omitted.

[0080] In Embodiment 1, the operating points of the image acquisition path, i.e., the points where the camera 15 captures images for determining the monitoring path, were set at predetermined heights in each of the multiple shooting areas formed by dividing the floor surface 201 of the large-scale facility 200 into a grid pattern. In Embodiment 2, the operating points of the image acquisition path are set near each sensor 2.

[0081] The aerial moving object 1 moves along the image acquisition path in the following order: point Ca near sensor 2a, point Cb near sensor 2b, point Cc near sensor 2c, point Cd near sensor 2d, point Ce near sensor 2e, and point Cf near sensor 2f.

[0082] At the operating point near sensor 2, the aerial mobile unit 1 takes images so that the field of view of camera 15 matches the field of view of sensor 2. Specifically, camera 15 is oriented in the same direction as sensor 2, and the monitoring area R of sensor 2 is the target of the images. Then, the aerial mobile unit 1 detects the unmonitored area uR within the monitoring area R based on the venue diagram 112 and the image of the monitoring area R captured by camera 15 (image for determining the monitoring path).

[0083] In detail, as part of the unmonitored area detection process, the aerial mobile unit 1 first applies known image processing techniques to the captured monitoring path determination image to extract the structure S in the monitoring area R, and then superimposes the extracted structure S onto the corresponding monitoring area R in the venue diagram 112. Specifically, the structure S1 in the monitoring area Ra is extracted by applying known image processing techniques to the monitoring path determination image captured at point Ca near sensor 2a, and the extracted structure S1 is superimposed onto the corresponding monitoring area Ra in the venue diagram 112. Figure 9 shows the superimposed image Im2 after the above processing has been completed for monitoring area Ra. Next, the portion of the image Im2 occupied by the structure S in monitoring area R is determined to be the unmonitored area uR.

[0084] The same process is performed at each of the other operating points (points Cb, Cc, Cd, Ce, Cf). The structures S extracted from the monitoring route determination images taken at each operating point are superimposed on the corresponding positions in the common venue diagram 112, so that the positions of each structure S, i.e., each unmonitored area uR, in the entire space can also be recognized from the superimposed image Im2.

[0085] As described above, in the fire monitoring system 100 according to Embodiment 2, the aerial mobile body 1 captures an image of the monitoring area R in space using the camera 15, so as to match the field of view of the camera 15 with the field of view of the detector 2. The control unit 10 then detects the portion of the image of the monitoring area R that is temporarily obscured by the structure S in the image of the monitoring area R as an unmonitored area uR, based on the venue diagram 112 and the image of the monitoring area R captured by the camera 15.

[0086] Thus, in Embodiment 2, by bringing the viewpoint of the camera 15 and the object being filmed closer to the viewpoint of the sensor 2 and the monitoring area R, the process of detecting unmonitored areas is simplified compared to Embodiment 1.

[0087] In embodiments 1 and 2, the aerial mobile body 1 may be equipped with, for example, an infrared camera and a light-emitting element such as an LED for nighttime patrols. The aerial mobile body 1 may also be equipped with a speaker that outputs voice or sound, and in addition to coordinating with the fire alarm system 5 described above, the aerial mobile body 1 itself may also be configured to announce the fire when a fire is detected. The voice or sound to be output when a fire is detected is stored in the storage unit 11 in advance.

[0088] Alternatively, the fire alarm system 5 may be connected to detectors 2a to 2f installed in the large-scale facility 200. In this case, the fire detection signal from the aerial mobile unit 1 may be transmitted to the existing detectors 2a to 2f, and the fire detection signal may be transferred from the detectors 2a to 2f to the fire alarm system 5.

[0089] Furthermore, the range over which the flame detection unit 16 of the aerial mobile unit 1 monitors for fire may be narrower than the monitoring area R of the detector 2. In this case, the number of points where fire monitoring operations are performed can be increased, or the height of the operating points can be increased, so that the entire unmonitored area uR can be monitored. For example, in Figure 4, the aerial mobile unit 1 performs monitoring operations at one location D in order to monitor for fire in the unmonitored area uRd within the monitoring area of ​​the detector 2d. However, since the unmonitored area uRd has a horizontal shape, the unmonitored area uRd may be divided into two horizontally (in the direction of arrow X), and monitoring operations may be performed at two points, one to the right and one to the left of the illustrated point D. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0090] 1 Aerial Mobile Unit, 1a Mobile Unit Body, 2 Detectors, 2a Detectors, 2b Detectors, 2c Detectors, 2d Detectors, 2e Detectors, 2f Detectors, 4 Network, 5 Fire Alarm System, 10 Control Unit, 11 Memory Unit, 12 Communication Unit, 13 Position Sensor, 14 Drive Unit, 15 Camera, 16 Flame Detection Unit, 18 Sensor, 100 Fire Monitoring System, 101 Operation Control Unit, 102 Monitoring Control Unit, 103 Shooting Control Unit, 104 Unmonitored Area Detection Unit, 105 Monitoring Route Determination Unit, 106 Coordination Control Unit, 107 Monitoring Route Determination Unit, 111 Operation Route, 112 Venue Map, 113 Shooting Data, 200 Large-Scale Facility, 201 Floor Surface, A1 Point, A2 Point, A3 Point, B Point, C Operation Point, Ca Point, Cb Point, Cc Location, Cd location, Ce location, Cf location, L distance, L3 distance, L4 distance, D location, E location, F location, H height, H3 height, H4 height, Hs height, Im1 plan view, Im2 image, Ps monitoring route, Ps1 monitoring route, R monitoring area, Ra monitoring area, Rb monitoring area, Rc monitoring area, Rd monitoring area, Re monitoring area, Rf monitoring area, S structure, S1 structure, S2 structure, S3 structure, S4 structure, W wall, W1 wall, W2 wall, X arrow, Y arrow, Z arrow, uR unmonitored area, uRa unmonitored area, uRb unmonitored area, uRd unmonitored area, uRe unmonitored area, uRf unmonitored area.

Claims

1. An aerial mobile body that flies over a space that is a target of monitoring and on which sensors are installed, and which is equipped with a camera that takes images of the space and a flame detection unit that detects flames in the space, When a temporary structure is placed in the space such that there is an unmonitored area where flames cannot be monitored from the aforementioned detector, The aforementioned detector and the aerial mobile body that flies to monitor the fire in the unmonitored area are used to monitor the fire in the space. Fire monitoring system.

2. The control unit detects the unmonitored area of ​​the sensor caused by the temporary structure based on a venue diagram showing the space without the temporary structure and an image of the space taken by the camera when the temporary structure is in place. The fire monitoring system according to claim 1.

3. An aerial mobile body that flies over a space that is a target of monitoring and on which sensors are installed, and is equipped with a camera that takes images of the space and a flame detection unit that detects flames in the space, The system includes a venue diagram showing the flame monitoring area by the aforementioned detector and the absence of temporary structures in the space, and a control unit that detects unmonitored areas where the flame cannot be monitored by the detector due to the obstruction of the field of view by the temporary structures, based on the image of the space captured by the camera, The aerial vehicle flies to monitor the fire in the unmonitored area detected by the control unit. Fire monitoring system.

4. The control unit determines, based on the detected unmonitored area, a monitoring path which is the route along which the aerial moving body travels and which defines the operating points where the flame detection unit performs fire monitoring operations. The operating points of the aforementioned monitoring path are set to be more numerous above the unmonitored area than above other areas. The fire monitoring system according to claim 3.

5. The control unit detects the unmonitored area based on a planar image, which is an image of the space captured by the camera, the temporary height of the structure, and the venue map that has been stored in advance. The fire monitoring system according to claim 3 or 4.

6. The control unit stores a predetermined height as the height of the temporary structure. The fire monitoring system according to claim 5.

7. The aerial moving body photographs the temporary structure from the side using the camera, The control unit determines the height of the temporary structure from the side image of the temporary structure captured by the camera. The fire monitoring system according to claim 5.

8. The aerial moving body has a sensor that measures the vertical distance from the aerial moving body to the temporary structure. The control unit determines the height of the temporary structure based on the distance measured by the sensor. The fire monitoring system according to claim 5.

9. The aerial moving body captures an image of the monitoring area in the space using the camera, such that the field of view of the camera and the field of view of the sensor coincide. The control unit detects, based on the venue diagram and the image of the monitoring area captured by the camera, the portion of the image of the monitoring area that is hidden by the temporary structure as the unmonitored area. The fire monitoring system according to claim 3 or 4.

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