Surveillance system and method

Abstract

To provide monitoring means capable of securing visibility on an image to be monitored, while suppressing the time and effort for advance preparation.SOLUTION: A monitoring system includes a monitoring camera which acquires a monitoring video, a monitoring apparatus which manages the monitoring video, and a display terminal which displays the monitoring video. The monitoring apparatus includes: a storage unit storing a scene database that defines a reference image and a camera parameter for emphasizing monitoring area candidates in the reference image; a video transfer unit which transfers the monitoring video to the display terminal; a monitoring request receiving unit which receives a first monitoring request that designates a first monitoring area in a first monitoring video; and a video management unit which specifies a first camera parameter associated with a first monitoring area candidate, and transmits an imaging instruction to the monitoring camera, the imaging instruction to set the monitoring camera based on the first camera parameter and acquire a second monitoring video that emphasizes the first monitoring area.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a monitoring system and a monitoring method. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Imaging devices that capture images of objects and acquire video data are known. Examples of such imaging devices include surveillance cameras installed on train platforms and security cameras that can capture images of suspicious objects or people.

[0003] In general, such imaging devices are installed in a specified location and used to capture images of the target for surveillance to obtain video data. However, when capturing images, it is important to ensure that the target can be easily seen on the images in order to prevent events or objects that should be checked from being overlooked. As an example, on station platforms, in order to ensure the safety of passengers getting on and off trains, it is desirable to ensure that areas including side lights, areas including braille blocks, dark areas below the platform, etc. are visible in the surveillance camera footage viewed by the driver or conductor.

[0004] One of the means for improving the visibility of a monitoring target in a surveillance camera image is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1 (JP 2014-146979 A). Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which "in a surveillance camera system having a surveillance camera which captures images within a surveillance area, and an image processing device which processes images captured by the surveillance camera, the image processing device is characterized by comprising: position detection means which detects the position of a desired object from an image signal transmitted from the surveillance camera; extraction means which extracts lightness information or luminance information within an area including the object based on position information of the object detected by the position detection means; control information calculation means which calculates control information for controlling the lens aperture, exposure time, or AGC gain of the surveillance camera based on the lightness information or luminance information extracted by the extraction means so that the object has a predetermined lightness or luminance; and transmission means which transmits the control information calculated by the control information calculation means to the surveillance camera." [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-146979 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Patent Document 1 describes a surveillance camera system that performs object detection on surveillance video and automatically tracks a target object by adjusting the pan, tilt, and zoom settings of the surveillance camera based on the detection results.

[0007] However, in the surveillance camera system described in Patent Document 1, detection of surveillance targets is performed based on pre-registered feature amounts. Therefore, it is necessary to extract and register feature amounts in advance for each detected surveillance target, which requires man-hours for advance preparation and poses the problem that detection is limited to surveillance targets whose feature amounts have been pre-registered.

[0008] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a monitoring means capable of ensuring visibility of a monitored object on an image while reducing the amount of man-hours required for advance preparation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, one representative surveillance system of the present disclosure is a surveillance system including a surveillance camera that acquires surveillance video, a surveillance device that manages the surveillance video acquired by the surveillance camera, and a display terminal that displays the surveillance video, wherein the surveillance device includes a storage unit, a video transfer unit, a surveillance request receiving unit, and a video management unit, wherein the storage unit stores a reference image acquired by the surveillance camera and, for each surveillance area candidate in the reference image, camera parameters for highlighting the surveillance area candidate in a scene database, the video transfer unit transfers a first surveillance video acquired from the surveillance camera to the display terminal, and the surveillance request receiving unit displays the first surveillance video via the display terminal. The video management unit accepts a first monitoring request input for a video and specifies a first monitoring area, and when the video management unit determines that the first monitoring area specified by the first monitoring request corresponds to a first monitoring area candidate among the monitoring area candidates stored in the scene database, the video management unit identifies first camera parameters in the scene database that correspond to the first monitoring area candidate, sets the surveillance camera based on the identified first camera parameters, and sends a shooting instruction to the surveillance camera to obtain a second surveillance video that highlights the first surveillance area, and the video transfer unit transfers the second surveillance video obtained from the surveillance camera to the display terminal. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a monitoring means capable of ensuring visibility of an image of a monitored object while reducing the effort required for advance preparation. Other objects, configurations and effects will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment of the invention. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates a computer system for implementing an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a scene database according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of a monitoring method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a first monitoring video, a first monitoring request, and a second monitoring video according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment. In addition, in the description of the drawings, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0013] In a monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a first monitoring video captured by a monitoring camera installed on a station platform or the like is displayed on a display terminal used by a user such as a conductor or a driver, and a first monitoring request specifying a first monitoring area in the first monitoring video (for example, a shooting area including a specific object such as a vehicle side light or a braille block) is accepted. Then, the monitoring request is compared with a scene database storing preregistered monitoring area candidates, and if it is determined that the first monitoring area specified by the first monitoring request corresponds to the first monitoring area candidate in the scene database, a first camera parameter corresponding to the first monitoring area candidate is specified, and a shooting instruction is sent to the monitoring camera to set the monitoring camera based on the specified first camera parameter and to capture a second monitoring video that highlights the first monitoring area. Then, the second monitoring video captured by the monitoring camera is sent to the display terminal. This allows specific subjects, such as vehicle side lights or braille blocks, to be photographed using camera parameters for displaying them at the desired brightness, hue, or saturation, thereby improving visibility and reducing the risk of overlooking events or objects that should be checked.

[0014] In addition, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the identification of the monitoring target is performed based on user input, and is not limited to the monitoring targets registered in advance, and the visibility of various monitoring targets can be improved more flexibly. Furthermore, the comparison between the first target area specified by the user and the monitoring area candidates stored in the scene database is performed based on the coordinates on the image of the monitoring area candidates, and therefore the effort required for advance preparation can be reduced compared to the prior art.

[0015] First, referring to Fig. 1, a computer system 100 for implementing the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described. The mechanisms and devices of the various embodiments disclosed herein may be applied to any suitable computing system. The main components of the computer system 100 include one or more processors 102, memory 104, terminal interface 112, storage interface 113, I / O (input / output) device interface 114, and network interface 115. These components may be interconnected via a memory bus 106, an I / O bus 108, a bus interface unit 109, and an I / O bus interface unit 110.

[0016] Computer system 100 may include one or more general purpose programmable central processing units (CPUs) 102A and 102B, collectively referred to as processors 102. In some embodiments, computer system 100 may include multiple processors, and in other embodiments, computer system 100 may be a single CPU system. Each processor 102 executes instructions stored in memory 104 and may include an on-board cache.

[0017] In one embodiment, memory 104 may include random access semiconductor memory, storage devices, or storage media (either volatile or non-volatile) for storing data and programs. Memory 104 may store all or a portion of the programs, modules, and data structures that implement the functions described herein. For example, memory 104 may store a monitoring application 150. In one embodiment, monitoring application 150 may include instructions or descriptions that execute on processor 102 the functions described below.

[0018] In some embodiments, surveillance application 150 may be implemented in hardware via semiconductor devices, chips, logic gates, circuits, circuit cards, and / or other physical hardware devices instead of or in addition to a processor-based system. In some embodiments, surveillance application 150 may include data other than instructions or descriptions. In some embodiments, cameras, sensors, or other data input devices (not shown) may be provided to communicate directly with bus interface unit 109, processor 102, or other hardware of computer system 100.

[0019] Computer system 100 may include a bus interface unit 109 that provides communication between processor 102, memory 104, display system 124, and I / O bus interface unit 110. I / O bus interface unit 110 may couple to an I / O bus 108 for transferring data to and from various I / O units. I / O bus interface unit 110 may communicate via I / O bus 108 with multiple I / O interface units 112, 113, 114, and 115, also known as I / O processors (IOPs) or I / O adapters (IOAs).

[0020] Display system 124 may include a display controller, a display memory, or both. The display controller may provide video, audio, or both data to display device 126. Computer system 100 may also include one or more sensors or other devices configured to collect data and provide the data to processor 102.

[0021] For example, computer system 100 may include biometric sensors to collect heart rate data, stress level data, etc., environmental sensors to collect humidity data, temperature data, pressure data, etc., and motion sensors to collect acceleration data, movement data, etc. Other types of sensors may also be used. Display system 124 may be connected to a display device 126, such as a standalone display screen, a television, a tablet, or a handheld device.

[0022] The I / O interface unit provides the ability to communicate with various storage or I / O devices. For example, the terminal interface unit 112 may be attached to user I / O devices 116, such as user output devices, such as a video display, a television with speakers, and user input devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, a keypad, a touchpad, a trackball, buttons, a light pen, or other pointing device. A user may use a user interface to enter input data or instructions to the user I / O devices 116 and the computer system 100, and receive output data from the computer system 100, by manipulating the user input devices. The user interface may be displayed on a display, played through speakers, or printed via a printer, for example, via the user I / O devices 116.

[0023] Storage interface 113 may be attached to one or more disk drives or direct access storage device 117 (usually a magnetic disk drive storage device, but may also be an array of disk drives or other storage devices configured to appear as a single disk drive). In one embodiment, storage device 117 may be implemented as any secondary storage device. Contents of memory 104 may be stored in storage device 117 and retrieved from storage device 117 as needed. I / O device interface 114 may provide an interface to other I / O devices such as printers, fax machines, etc. Network interface 115 may provide a communications path to allow computer system 100 and other devices to communicate with each other. This communications path may be, for example, network 130.

[0024] In some embodiments, computer system 100 may be a device that receives requests from other computer systems (clients) without a direct user interface, such as a multi-user mainframe computer system, a single-user system, or a server computer. In other embodiments, computer system 100 may be a desktop computer, a portable computer, a laptop, a tablet computer, a pocket computer, a telephone, a smartphone, or any other suitable electronic device.

[0025] Next, a configuration of a monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG.

[0026] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a monitoring system 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 2, the monitoring system 200 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is composed of a monitoring device 210, a monitoring camera 220, a communication network 225, and a display terminal 230. The monitoring device 210, the monitoring camera 220, and the display terminal 230 are communicatively connected to each other via the communication network 225. The communication network 225 here may include, for example, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a satellite network, a cable network, a WiFi network, or any combination thereof. The surveillance system 200 shown in FIG. 2 may be used for any purpose, such as safety confirmation, crime prevention, and the like.

[0027] The surveillance camera 220 is an imaging device that captures images of a specific environment or a target to be monitored in the environment, and acquires surveillance video. The number and type of the surveillance cameras 220 are not particularly limited, and can be determined appropriately according to the environment to be monitored. As an example, the surveillance camera 220 may be an imaging device that is installed on a station platform and acquires surveillance video showing the state of the station platform. The surveillance camera 220 may have functions for adjusting, for example, pan, focus, tilt, zoom, lens aperture, CCD (Charge Coupled Device) exposure time, AGC (Automatic Gain Control), and the like.

[0028] The display terminal 230 is a device for displaying the surveillance video captured by the surveillance camera 220 to a user such as a manager (e.g., a conductor or a train driver) via the monitoring device 210 and accepting input from the user. In one embodiment, the user of the display terminal 230 may input a surveillance request for specifying a surveillance area including a surveillance target to the surveillance video using an operating means such as a mouse or a touch screen. The display terminal 230 then transmits the surveillance video input by the user to the monitoring device 210. The display terminal 230 may be any computing device equipped with a display and an operating means, such as a desktop computer, a notebook computer, a tablet terminal, a smartphone, or the like.

[0029] The monitoring device 210 is a device for executing a monitoring method for improving the visibility on an image of a monitoring area (e.g., a first monitoring area) specified by a monitoring request input by a user. The monitoring device 210 may be, for example, a server device in a so-called client-server model. The monitoring device 210 may also be implemented as, for example, a computer system 100 shown in FIG. 1. In this case, the functions of each functional unit of the monitoring device 210 are realized by a monitoring application 150 shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the monitoring device 210 includes a storage unit 212 , a video transfer unit 214 , a monitoring request receiving unit 216 , a video management unit 218 , and an image processing unit 219 .

[0030] The memory unit 212 is a storage unit that stores a reference image acquired by the surveillance camera 220 and a scene database 213 that specifies camera parameters for highlighting each surveillance area candidate, which is a candidate for a surveillance target in the reference image. The configuration of the scene database 213 will be described later, and therefore will not be described here.

[0031] The video transfer unit 214 is a functional unit that acquires surveillance video (eg, the first surveillance video and the second surveillance video) captured by the surveillance camera 220 and transfers the acquired surveillance video to the display terminal 230.

[0032] The monitoring request receiving unit 216 is a functional unit that receives a monitoring request that is input for a monitoring video (for example, a first monitoring video) via the display terminal 230 and that specifies a monitoring area in the monitoring video.

[0033] The video management unit 218 is a functional unit that executes a process of acquiring a second surveillance video with improved visibility of a surveillance area specified by a surveillance request received by the surveillance request receiving unit 216.

[0034] More specifically, the video management unit 218 compares the first monitoring request accepted by the monitoring request acceptance unit 216 with the scene database 213, and when it determines that the first monitoring area specified by the first monitoring request corresponds to the first monitoring area candidate stored in the scene database 213, it identifies the first camera parameters associated with the first monitoring area candidate in the scene database 213. Then, the video management unit 218 sets the monitoring camera 220 based on the identified first camera parameters, and transmits a shooting instruction to the monitoring camera 220 to acquire a second monitoring video in which the first monitoring area specified by the user is highlighted.

[0035] On the other hand, if it is determined that the first monitoring area specified by the first monitoring request does not correspond to any of the monitoring area candidates stored in the scene database 213, the video management unit 218 calculates second camera parameters for highlighting the first monitoring area, and stores the calculated second camera parameters in the scene database 213 as a new monitoring area candidate, in association with the coordinates on the image of the first monitoring area specified by the first monitoring request.

[0036] The image processing unit 219 is a functional unit that generates a processed first surveillance video by performing image processing on the first surveillance video to highlight the first surveillance area specified by the first surveillance request accepted by the surveillance request accepting unit 216, for example, when the brightness in the first surveillance video of the first surveillance area in the first surveillance request satisfies a predetermined brightness standard.

[0037] The details of the processing performed by the various functional units of the monitoring device 210 will be described later, and therefore will not be described here.

[0038] Next, a configuration of a scene database according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG.

[0039] 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the scene database 213 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As described above, the scene database 213 is a database that stores a reference image acquired by the surveillance camera 220 and, for each surveillance area candidate that is a candidate for a surveillance target in the reference image, camera parameters for highlighting the surveillance area candidate.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 3, the scene database 213 includes information on a camera number 310 , a reference image 320 , a candidate monitored area 330 , a coordinate range 340 , and camera parameters 350 .

[0041] The camera number 310 is an identifier that uniquely identifies a specific surveillance camera among the surveillance cameras used in the surveillance system 200. For example, the camera number 310 may include "camera 1" or "camera 2" as an identifier that uniquely identifies a specific surveillance camera.

[0042] The reference image 320 is captured within the normal shooting range and angle of view of a specific surveillance camera, and is an image to be compared with a surveillance request in a surveillance method described below. The reference image 320 is captured in advance and stored in the scene database 213. When there are multiple surveillance cameras, a reference image is captured for each surveillance camera and stored in the scene database 213. Furthermore, although not shown in Figure 3, if a surveillance camera is set to capture images at multiple angles of view, a reference image may be captured for each angle of view setting at which the surveillance camera captures images and stored in the scene database 213.

[0043] The monitoring area candidate 330 is an area that may be designated as a monitoring area by a user. The monitoring area candidate 330 is defined in advance for the reference image 320 by an administrator of the monitoring system 200 or the like. More specifically, the administrator of the monitoring system 200 defines, for each reference image 320 stored in the scene database 213, an area that is of high interest (i.e., an area where improvement in visibility may be desired) as the monitoring area candidate 330.

[0044] At this time, the administrator of the monitoring system 200 may define any number of monitoring area candidates 330 for one reference image 320. Here, as a means for defining the monitoring area candidates 330, the administrator of the monitoring system 200 may use an operating means such as a mouse or a touch screen to draw the outline of an area to be the monitoring area candidate. As an example, as shown in FIG. 3, for each reference image 320 in the scene database 213, monitoring area candidates 330 with names such as "car side light," "braille block," and "under platform" may be defined.

[0045] The coordinate range 340 is information indicating a range of coordinates on an image that defines each monitoring area candidate 330. The coordinate range 340 is automatically detected, for example, when an administrator of the monitoring system 200 uses an operating means such as a mouse or a touch screen to draw the outline of an area that is to be a monitoring area candidate, and is stored in the scene database 213 in association with the monitoring area candidate 330. As shown in FIG. 3, the coordinate range 340 may be expressed by, for example, two coordinates, the upper left and lower right, of a rectangle including the candidate monitoring area.

[0046] The camera parameters 350 are information indicating camera parameters for capturing an image that highlights each of the monitoring area candidates 330. The camera parameters 350 may include, for example, the lens aperture, exposure time, or AGC gain of the monitoring camera 220. Moreover, "highlighting" a monitoring area means that when the image is displayed on a screen such as a display, the monitoring area in the image is displayed with a brightness, hue, or saturation that makes the monitoring area more conspicuous than other areas. Moreover, the target value of brightness, hue, saturation, or the like in this case can be determined, for example, by a predetermined brightness, hue, or saturation value that is preset so that each of the monitoring area candidates 330 is easily visible.

[0047] By using the information stored in the scene database 213 described above, it is possible to improve the visibility on the image of the monitoring area specified by the monitoring request input by the user.

[0048] Next, referring to FIG. 4, a flowchart showing the flow of a monitoring method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0049] Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of a monitoring method 400 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The monitoring method 400 shown in Fig. 4 is a process for acquiring a video with improved visibility on an image of a monitoring area designated by a monitoring request input by a user, and providing the video to the user, and is performed by each device and functional unit of the above-mentioned monitoring system 200. The monitoring method 400 starts at step S401 and ends at step S499.

[0050] First, in step S410, the video transfer unit 214 of the monitoring device 210 acquires a first monitoring video from the monitoring camera 220. As described above, this first monitoring video is a video showing the surrounding environment of the monitoring camera. As an example, the first monitoring video may be a video showing the platform of a train station.

[0051] Next, in step S420, video transfer section 214 transfers to display terminal 230 the first surveillance video acquired in step S410.

[0052] Next, in step S430, the monitoring request receiving unit 216 of the monitoring device 210 receives a first monitoring request from the display terminal 230. This first monitoring request is information that is input by a user (e.g., a conductor or a driver) to the first monitoring video via the display terminal 230 and that specifies a first monitoring area in the first monitoring video.

[0053] Here, the user may specify the first monitoring area by drawing a line surrounding the outline of the first monitoring area in the first monitoring video using, for example, a touch screen of a tablet terminal serving as the display terminal 230 or a mouse of a personal computer, or may specify the center position of the first monitoring area in the first monitoring video by tapping or clicking. In this way, information indicating the coordinates on the image of the first monitoring area specified by the user is associated with the first monitoring video. After the user finishes inputting, the first monitoring video associated with the information indicating the coordinates on the image of the first monitoring area is transmitted to the monitoring device 210 as a first monitoring request, and is accepted by the monitoring request acceptance unit 216. This first monitoring area may be, for example, an area for which a conductor or a driver desires improved visibility (e.g., improved brightness, hue, or visibility).As an example, if the first monitoring video shows a station platform, the first monitoring request may specify an area including the side lights, braille blocks, or under the platform as the first monitoring area.

[0054] Next, in step S440, the video management unit 218 of the monitoring device 210 determines whether the first monitoring area specified by the first monitoring request received in step S430 corresponds to any of the monitoring area candidates stored in the scene database 213 described above.

[0055] More specifically, the video management unit 218 compares the first monitoring request received in step S430 with the scene database 213 in the memory unit 212, and determines whether the coordinates on the image of the first monitoring area specified by the first monitoring request are included in the coordinate range of the candidate monitoring area stored in the scene database 213 (coordinate range 340 shown in Figure 3). If it is determined that the first monitoring area specified by the first monitoring request corresponds to any of the monitoring area candidates stored in the scene database 213, the process proceeds to step S445. On the other hand, if it is determined that the first monitoring area specified by the first monitoring request does not correspond to any of the monitoring area candidates stored in the scene database 213, the process proceeds to step S470.

[0056] Meanwhile, when the first monitoring area has a certain degree of brightness (i.e., satisfies the first brightness standard), the visibility can be sufficiently improved by simply processing the first monitoring video with image processing. This makes it unnecessary to change the camera parameters of the monitoring camera 220, so that a video with improved visibility can be obtained without interrupting normal shooting by the monitoring camera 220. Hereinafter, the first monitoring video that has been subjected to image processing for improving visibility is referred to as the "processed first monitoring video." On the other hand, if the brightness of the first monitoring area is low (i.e., does not satisfy the first brightness standard), even if the first monitoring video is processed by image processing, the visibility may be insufficient. Therefore, in order to obtain a video with improved visibility, it is necessary to change the camera parameters of the monitoring camera 220 and re-shoot the video. Hereinafter, the video acquired by changing the camera parameters of the monitoring camera 220 to improve visibility and then re-shooting the video is referred to as the "second monitoring video."

[0057] Therefore, in step S445, a process is performed to determine whether to change the camera parameters of surveillance camera 220 and obtain an image (second surveillance image) with improved visibility of the first surveillance area by re-shooting with surveillance camera 220, or to process the first surveillance image by image processing and generate an image with improved visibility of the first surveillance area by image processing unit 219. This determination is made based on the brightness on the image of the first surveillance area specified by the first surveillance request.

[0058] More specifically, in step S445, the video management unit 218 determines whether the first monitoring area specified by the first monitoring request received in step S430 satisfies the first brightness criterion. The first brightness criterion is a threshold value that specifies a predetermined brightness, and may be set by the administrator of the monitoring system 200, or may be set based on a predetermined visibility criterion or the like. Here, the image processing unit 219 may determine whether the first monitoring area satisfies the first brightness criterion by, for example, calculating the average brightness value of each pixel in the first monitoring area and comparing the calculated average brightness value with the first brightness criterion. If it is determined that the first monitoring area satisfies the first brightness criterion, the process proceeds to step S450. On the other hand, if it is determined that the first monitoring area does not satisfy the first brightness criterion, the process proceeds to step S460.

[0059] In step S450, video management unit 218 transmits a processing request to process the first surveillance video to image processing unit 219. This processing request is information requesting the execution of image processing to highlight the first surveillance area specified by the first surveillance request (i.e., to change the brightness, hue, and saturation of the first surveillance area to target values). In this case, since it is not necessary to change the camera parameters of surveillance camera 220 and then reshoot, a request to change the camera parameters of surveillance camera 220 is not transmitted (i.e., is suppressed).

[0060] Next, in step S455, the image processor 219 of the monitoring device 210 that has received the processing request transmitted in step S450 executes image processing on the first monitoring video to highlight the first monitoring area designated by the first monitoring request, thereby generating a processed first monitoring video. This processed first monitoring video is a video that has been processed so that the brightness, hue, or saturation of the first monitoring area meets a preset target brightness, hue, or saturation. Existing image processing means may be used as the processing for improving the brightness, hue, or saturation of the first monitoring area, and is not particularly limited here. Thereafter, the image processing unit 219 transmits the processed first surveillance video to the display terminal 230.

[0061] In step S460, the video management unit 218 identifies, in the scene database 213, first camera parameters associated with the monitoring area candidate determined in step S440 to correspond to the first monitoring area (hereinafter referred to as the "first monitoring area candidate"). After that, the video management unit 218 sets the monitoring camera 220 based on the identified first camera parameters, and transmits a shooting instruction to the monitoring camera 220 to acquire a second monitoring video that highlights the first monitoring area. As described above, the first camera parameters are information indicating camera parameters for capturing an image that highlights the first monitoring area, and the second monitoring image is an image that highlights the first monitoring area.

[0062] In step S465, the video transfer unit 214 acquires from the surveillance camera 220 the second surveillance video that was acquired based on the shooting instruction transmitted to the surveillance camera 220 in step S460, and transmits the second surveillance video to the display terminal 230.

[0063] In step S470, the video management unit 218 calculates second camera parameters for highlighting the first monitoring area specified by the first monitoring request received in step S430. More specifically, the video management unit 218 calculates an appropriate lens aperture, exposure time, and / or AGC gain for capturing an image that highlights the first monitoring area.

[0064] Next, in step S475, the video management unit 218 associates the second camera parameters calculated in step S470 with information on the coordinates on the image of the first monitoring area specified by the first monitoring request accepted in step S430, and stores them as a new monitoring area candidate in the scene database 213. After that, the process returns to step S440. This makes it possible to register a new monitoring area candidate corresponding to the first monitoring area specified by the first monitoring request when the monitoring area candidate corresponding to the first monitoring area does not exist in the scene database 213.

[0065] According to the monitoring method 400 described above, it is possible to obtain and provide to the user an image with improved visibility of the monitoring area specified by the monitoring request input by the user, thereby reducing the amount of work required for advance preparation and reducing the risk of overlooking events or objects that should be checked.

[0066] Furthermore, according to the monitoring method 400 of the present disclosure, it is possible to determine based on the brightness of the first surveillance video whether to change the camera parameters of the surveillance camera 220 and obtain an image (second surveillance video) with improved visibility of the first surveillance area by re-shooting it with the surveillance camera 220, or to process the first surveillance video by image processing and generate an image with improved visibility of the first surveillance area by the image processing unit 219, thereby making it possible to efficiently obtain an image with improved visibility. For example, if the first monitoring area has a certain degree of brightness (i.e., meets the first brightness standard), the visibility can be sufficiently improved by simply processing the first monitoring video with image processing. This makes it unnecessary to change the camera parameters of the monitoring camera 220, so that a video with improved visibility can be obtained without interrupting normal shooting by the monitoring camera 220.

[0067] Furthermore, according to the monitoring method 400 of the present disclosure, when a monitoring area candidate corresponding to a first monitoring area specified by a first monitoring request does not exist in the scene database 213, a new monitoring area candidate corresponding to the first monitoring area can be registered, thereby automating the registration of new monitoring area candidates, reducing the effort required for advance preparation, and enabling flexible monitoring that can accommodate various monitoring areas.

[0068] Next, with reference to FIG. 5, an example of a first monitoring video, a first monitoring request, and a second monitoring video according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.

[0069] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a first monitoring video 510, a first monitoring request 520, and a second monitoring video 530 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0070] As described above, in the surveillance system 200 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the surveillance camera 220 installed in the monitored environment is used to acquire the first surveillance video 510. This first surveillance video 510 is a video showing the surrounding environment of the surveillance camera 220, and may be, for example, a video showing the appearance of a train station platform as shown in FIG.

[0071] Next, the first surveillance video 510 acquired by the surveillance camera 220 is transmitted to the display terminal 230 used by the user, and a first surveillance request 520 specifying a first surveillance area 525 in the first surveillance video 510 is accepted. Here, the user may specify the first surveillance area 525 by drawing a line surrounding the outline of the first surveillance area 525 in the first surveillance video 510 using a touch screen of a tablet terminal serving as the display terminal 230 or a mouse of a personal computer. This first surveillance request 520 includes information indicating the first surveillance video 510 and the coordinates on the image of the first surveillance area 525 specified in the first surveillance video 510. As shown in FIG. 5, when first monitoring video 510 is a video showing the state of a station platform, first monitoring area 525 may be, for example, braille blocks on the platform.

[0072] Thereafter, by the processing of steps S440 to S465 in the above-described monitoring method 400, a second monitoring video 530 in which the visibility of the first monitoring area 525 is improved is acquired and transmitted to the display terminal 230. In this second monitoring video 530, a first monitoring area 535 corresponding to the first monitoring area 525 in the first monitoring video 510 is highlighted. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the first monitoring area 535 in the second monitoring video 530 is displayed with higher brightness (i.e., brighter) than the first monitoring area 525 in the first monitoring video 510. This makes it possible to suppress overlooking an object in the first monitoring area 535, and ensure safety.

[0073] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 200 Surveillance System 210 Monitoring equipment 212 Storage section 213 Scene Database 214 Video transmission unit 216 Monitoring request reception unit 218 Video Management Department 219 Image Processing Unit 220 Surveillance Camera 225 Communication Network 230 Display terminal

Claims

1. A surveillance system including a surveillance camera that acquires surveillance video, a surveillance device that manages the surveillance video acquired by the surveillance camera, and a display terminal that displays the surveillance video, The monitoring device includes: A storage unit; A video transfer unit; A monitoring request receiving unit; A video management unit, The storage unit is storing a reference image acquired by the surveillance camera and, for each surveillance area candidate in the reference image, camera parameters for highlighting the surveillance area candidate in a scene database; The video transfer unit includes: Transferring a first surveillance image acquired from the surveillance camera to the display terminal; The monitoring request receiving unit receiving a first monitoring request, which is input via the display terminal to the first monitoring video and which specifies a first monitoring area; The video management unit when it is determined that the first monitoring area specified by the first monitoring request corresponds to a first monitoring area candidate among the monitoring area candidates stored in the scene database, a first camera parameter corresponding to the first monitoring area candidate is identified in the scene database, the monitoring camera is set based on the identified first camera parameter, and a shooting instruction is transmitted to the monitoring camera for acquiring a second monitoring video in which the first monitoring area is highlighted; The video transfer unit includes: transferring the second surveillance video acquired from the surveillance camera to the display terminal; A monitoring system comprising:

2. In the scene database, A range of coordinates of the monitoring area candidate on the reference image is stored for each of the monitoring area candidates; The video management unit searching the scene database for the first monitoring request, and determining that the first monitoring area corresponds to the first monitoring area candidate when the first monitoring area specified by the first monitoring request coincides with a range of coordinates on an image of the first monitoring area candidate stored in the scene database; 2. The monitoring system according to claim 1 .

3. The monitoring device includes: Further comprising an image processing unit, The video management unit When it is determined that the brightness in the first monitoring video satisfies a first brightness criterion of the first monitoring area in the first monitoring request, Suppressing the transmission of the shooting instruction for acquiring the second surveillance image, and transmitting a processing request for processing the first surveillance image to the image processing unit; The image processing unit includes: When the processing request is received, generating a processed first surveillance video by applying an image processing method for highlighting the first surveillance area in the first surveillance video; The video transfer unit includes: transmitting the processed first surveillance video to the display terminal; 2. The monitoring system according to claim 1 .

4. The video management unit When it is determined that the first monitoring area specified by the first monitoring request does not correspond to any of the monitoring area candidates stored in the scene database, Calculating second camera parameters for highlighting the first monitored area; coordinates on an image of the first monitoring area specified by the first monitoring request and the calculated second camera parameters are associated with each other and stored in the scene database as a new monitoring area candidate; 2. The monitoring system according to claim 1 .

5. The camera parameters for highlighting the first monitoring area include: A lens aperture, an exposure time, or an AGC gain for capturing an image displaying the first monitoring area with a target brightness, hue, or saturation; 2. The monitoring system according to claim 1 .

6. A monitoring method in a monitoring system including a monitoring camera that acquires monitoring video, a monitoring device that manages the monitoring video acquired by the monitoring camera, and a display terminal that displays the monitoring video, comprising: constructing a scene database that specifies a reference image acquired by the surveillance camera and, for each surveillance area candidate in the reference image, camera parameters for highlighting the surveillance area candidate; acquiring a first surveillance image from the surveillance camera; transferring the acquired first surveillance video to the display terminal; receiving a first monitoring request inputted for the first monitoring image via the display terminal and designating a first monitoring area; determining whether the first monitoring area specified by the first monitoring request corresponds to a first monitoring area candidate among the monitoring area candidates stored in the scene database; when it is determined that the first monitoring area specified by the first monitoring request corresponds to a first monitoring area candidate among the monitoring area candidates stored in the scene database, identifying a first camera parameter associated with the first monitoring area candidate in the scene database; setting the surveillance camera based on the identified first camera parameters and sending a capture instruction to the surveillance camera to capture a second surveillance image that highlights the first surveillance area; acquiring the second surveillance video from the surveillance camera; transferring the acquired second surveillance video to the display terminal; calculating second camera parameters for highlighting the first monitoring area when it is determined that the first monitoring area specified by the first monitoring request does not correspond to any of the monitoring area candidates stored in the scene database; a step of storing in the scene database, in association with the coordinates on the image of the first monitoring area specified by the first monitoring request and the calculated second camera parameters, as a new monitoring area candidate; A monitoring method including:

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