ITV camera control system

Abstract

To provide an ITV camera control system that appropriately controls a monitoring camera to perform monitoring in an environment where an analog monitoring camera that outputs an analog video image signal and a digital monitoring camera that outputs a digital video image signal are mixed.SOLUTION: An ITV camera control system 1 switches a video image photographed by analog revolution type cameras 10a and 11a and digital revolution cameras 12a to 15a in an environment where the analog monitoring cameras 10a and 11a and the digital monitoring cameras 12a to 15a are mixed, and displays the video image on a monitor 50. An ITV camera control chamber 200 includes: first converters 20a and 20b that convert an analog video image signal output from each analog revolution type camera into a digital video image having the same specification as that of each digital monitoring camera; and an ITV camera control device 30 that integrally controls a revolution type camera operation for a model different from that of a switching control of the digital video image signal output to the monitor 50 by a center video image switch changer 27.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an ITV camera control system that can uniformly control analog and digital surveillance cameras in an environment where analog surveillance cameras that output analog video signals and digital surveillance cameras that output digital video signals are mixed, and can monitor the images by displaying them uniformly on a monitor. In particular, this relates to an ITV camera control system that, in an environment where digital surveillance cameras, such as HD-SDI surveillance cameras that output HD-SDI digital video signals, and IP digital surveillance cameras that output IP video data, coexist with analog surveillance cameras, unifies the surveillance camera output to an HD-SDI signal, thereby enabling the analog and digital surveillance cameras to be controlled uniformly and the images to be displayed uniformly on a monitor for monitoring. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a video monitoring system has been disclosed that switches between a video signal transmitted by an analog transmission method and a video signal transmitted by a digital transmission method on the same channel and displays them. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which a monitoring center 20 instructs a monitoring terminal 10A to perform analog modulation or digital modulation using an infrared remote control 27, and analog-digital modulators 12a to 12k analog-modulate or digitally modulate images captured by monitoring cameras 11a to 11k based on the modulation instruction from the monitoring center 20 and output the images to the monitoring center 20, so that the monitoring center 20 demodulates the analog-modulated monitoring images using an analog demodulation unit 21 and displays them on a display monitor 25, and demodulates the digitally modulated monitoring images using a digital demodulation unit 22 and displays them on the display monitor 25. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-197723 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the conventional ITV camera control system, when replacing some of the analog surveillance cameras with HD-SDI surveillance cameras or IP surveillance cameras, or when adding HD-SDI surveillance cameras or IP surveillance cameras while keeping the analog surveillance cameras installed, it is difficult to mix analog surveillance cameras, HD-SDI surveillance cameras, and IP surveillance cameras because there is no identical ITV camera control device that can uniformly control these surveillance cameras, and because analog video signals, HD-SDI video signals, and IP video data are not compatible. Therefore, in such cases, it is necessary to replace all analog surveillance cameras with either HD-SDI surveillance cameras or IP surveillance cameras at once, and it is also necessary to remove existing cables for analog surveillance cameras and lay cables for a new system, which results in a large cost. In addition, in the conventional ITV camera control system, it is difficult to mix HD-SDI surveillance cameras and IP surveillance cameras, which have different signal types, even though they are the same digital surveillance cameras. Furthermore, since surveillance cameras can usually only be controlled by an ITV camera control device provided by the manufacturer of the surveillance camera, the surveillance camera and the ITV camera control device had to be products of the same manufacturer, which placed restrictions on the selection of surveillance cameras.

[0005] The present invention provides an ITV camera control system that can appropriately control surveillance cameras and perform surveillance in an environment where analog surveillance cameras that output analog video signals and digital surveillance cameras that output digital video signals are mixed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The ITV camera control system of the present invention is an ITV camera control system that switches between images captured by analog surveillance cameras and digital surveillance cameras in an environment where analog surveillance cameras that output analog video signals and digital surveillance cameras that output digital video signals are mixed, and displays them on a monitor.The system comprises a first converter that converts the analog video signal output from the analog surveillance camera into a digital video signal of the same standard as the digital surveillance camera, a video switch that is capable of switching the digital video signal to be output to the monitor from among the digital video signal converted by the first converter and the digital video signal output by the digital surveillance camera, and an ITV camera control device that controls the switching of the digital video signal to be output to the monitor by the video switch. Furthermore, in the above-mentioned ITV camera control system, in an environment where analog surveillance cameras that output analog video signals and digital surveillance cameras that output HD-SDI video signals and IP video data are mixed, when switching between videos captured by the analog surveillance cameras and the digital surveillance cameras to display them on the same monitor, the system can be configured to include an NTSC / HD-SDI converter that converts the analog video signals output from the analog surveillance cameras into HD-SDI video signals of the same standard as HD-SDI surveillance cameras, an IP video data converter that converts IP video data output from an IP surveillance camera into HD-SDI video signals of the same standard as the HD-SDI surveillance cameras, a video switch that is capable of switching the HD-SDI video signal to be output to the monitor from among the HD-SDI video signals converted by the NTSC / HD-SDI converter, the HD-SDI video signals output by the HD-SDI surveillance cameras, and the HD-SDI video signals converted by the IP video data converter, and an ITV camera control device that controls the switching of the HD-SDI video signal to be output to the monitor by the video switch. In the above-mentioned ITV camera control system, the video switch can be configured to include a first child video switch that transmits video from the analog surveillance camera and the digital surveillance camera installed in a first facility to a parent video switch, a second child video switch that transmits video from the analog surveillance camera and the digital surveillance camera installed in a second facility to the parent video switch, and a parent video switch that is capable of switching the digital video signal to be output to the monitor between the first and second child video switches. In the above ITV camera control system, a coaxial cable may be interposed between the video switch and the analog surveillance camera, and between the video switch and the digital surveillance camera. In the above ITV camera control system, the digital surveillance camera may have an HD-SDI surveillance camera that outputs HD-SDI standard video signals, the first converter converts the analog video signals output from the analog surveillance camera into HD-SDI standard video signals, and the video switch is capable of switching between the HD-SDI standard video signals converted by the first converter and the HD-SDI standard video signals output by the HD-SDI surveillance camera and outputting them based on the control of the ITV camera control device. The above ITV camera control system may further include a transmission path consisting of a low-frequency coaxial cable through which the HD-SDI standard video signal is transmitted, and an EX-SDI converter that converts the HD-SDI standard video signal into an EX-SDI standard video signal, and the EX-SDI standard video signal converted by the EX-SDI converter may be transmitted via the transmission path, thereby enabling transmission distances of more than 100 meters. In the above ITV camera control system, the digital surveillance camera includes a plurality of IP surveillance cameras that transmit IP video data via a LAN cable, and the ITV camera control system includes a plurality of IP video data converters that receive the plurality of IP video data transmitted from the plurality of IP surveillance cameras and convert them into HD-SDI standard video signals and output them, and the video switch can be configured to be capable of switching the HD-SDI standard video signal to be output to the monitor from among the HD-SDI standard video signal converted by the first converter, the HD-SDI standard video signal output by the HD-SDI surveillance camera, and the HD-SDI standard video signal converted by the IP video data converter, based on the control of the ITV camera control device. In the above ITV camera control system, a LAN-coaxial converter can be used to convert the IP video data transmitted over the LAN cable into a signal that can be transmitted over a low-frequency coaxial cable, making it possible to transmit video signals over distances of more than 300 meters. The ITV camera control system may further comprise a plurality of IP video data converters each connected to the plurality of IP surveillance cameras while maintaining a communication state with the plurality of IP surveillance cameras. In the above ITV camera control system, the IP video data converter can be configured to perform image processing for cutting out and enlarging an imaging area in the image output by the IP surveillance camera. In the above ITV camera control system, the IP video data converter can be configured to also perform IP-HD-SDI conversion. In the above ITV camera control system, the IP video data converter can be configured to maintain an established connection with the IP surveillance camera, constantly read the IP video data transmitted from the IP surveillance camera, and constantly output an HD-SDI video signal. In the above ITV camera control system, the IP video data converter converts the IP video data transmitted from the IP surveillance camera into a digital video signal of the HD-SDI standard, and the video switch can be configured to be capable of switching and outputting, based on the control of the ITV camera control device, between the HD-SDI standard digital video signal converted by the first converter, the HD-SDI standard digital video signal output by the HD-SDI surveillance camera, and the HD-SDI standard digital video signal converted by the IP video data converter. In the above ITV camera control system, the ITV camera control device is An input unit is provided for an operator to input instructions, Even if the models or manufacturers of the analog surveillance cameras and the digital surveillance cameras are different, The operator instructs via the input unit Analog surveillance camera or The digital surveillance camera The image is displayed on the monitor. It can be configured as follows. In the above ITV camera control system, the digital surveillance camera outputs a digital video signal of the 3G-SDI standard or 12G-SDI standard, the first converter converts the analog video signal output from the analog surveillance camera into a digital video signal of the same 3G-SDI standard or 12G-SDI standard as the digital surveillance camera, and the video switch can be configured to switch between the 3G-SDI standard digital video signal or the 12G-SDI standard digital video signal to be output to the monitor from among the 3G-SDI standard or 12G-SDI standard digital video signals, and an ITV camera control device that controls the switching of the 3G-SDI standard digital video signal or the 12G-SDI standard digital video signal to be output to the monitor by the video switch. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, even in an environment where analog surveillance cameras that output analog video signals and digital surveillance cameras that output digital video signals are mixed, it is possible to appropriately control the surveillance cameras and perform monitoring by utilizing existing cables. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram of an ITV camera control system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1 is an example of an image output from an IP surveillance camera. [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of an ITV camera control system according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] The ITV camera control system according to the present embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that, although the ITV camera control system in a thermal power plant will be described below as an example, the facility to which the ITV camera control system according to the present invention can be applied is not limited to a thermal power plant, and the system can be applied to facilities such as plants, factories, and large-scale stores.

[0010] First Embodiment Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an ITV camera control system 1 according to the first embodiment. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, the ITV camera control system 1 according to the first embodiment is applied to a thermal power plant having a plant 100 and an ITV camera control room 200. In Fig. 1, the lines shown by solid lines indicate coaxial cables, and in particular, the lines shown by solid and thick lines indicate transmission paths using existing low-frequency coaxial cables 60a to 60f. Also, the lines shown by dashed lines indicate communication lines such as LAN cables.

[0011] In the ITV camera control system 1 according to the present embodiment, analog monitoring cameras 10a, 11a and digital monitoring cameras 12a to 15a are mixed as monitoring cameras. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, a plant 100 has an analog swivel camera 10a and an analog fixed camera 11a as analog monitoring cameras, and an HD-SDI swivel camera 12a, an HD-SDI fixed camera 13a, an IP swivel camera 14a, and an IP fixed camera 15a as digital monitoring cameras. In the present invention, the HD-SDI swivel camera 12a and the HD-SDI fixed camera 13a are collectively referred to as HD-SDI monitoring cameras, and the IP swivel camera 14a and the IP fixed camera 15a are collectively referred to as IP monitoring cameras. The configuration shown in FIG. 1 is an example, and the location and number of the monitoring cameras are not particularly limited. Furthermore, the analog swivel camera 10a and analog fixed camera 11a installed in the plant 100, and the low-frequency coaxial cables 60a-60f laid between the plant 100 and the ITV camera control room 200 are already installed. In this embodiment, the existing surveillance cameras 10a, 11a and low-frequency coaxial cables are used, and the HD-SDI swivel camera 12a, HD-SDI fixed camera 13a, IP swivel camera 14a and IP fixed camera 15a are newly installed, thereby achieving the system configuration shown in FIG.

[0012] The analog swivel camera 10a outputs the captured image as a video signal (analog signal) conforming to the NTSC standard, and transmits the outputted video signal conforming to the NTSC standard to the central video switch 27 via the existing low-frequency coaxial cable 60a. In addition, an NTSC-HD-SDI converter 20a is connected to the analog swivel camera 10a. The NTSC-HD-SDI converter 20a converts the video signal conforming to the NTSC standard (analog signal) transmitted from the analog swivel camera 10a into a video signal conforming to the HD-SDI standard (digital signal), and outputs it to the central video switch 27. In addition, an NTSC-RS485 superimposer 21a is connected to the analog swivel camera 10a. The NTSC-RS485 superimposer 21a is connected to the ITV camera control device 30 via the LAN-RS485 converter 19a, which converts a control signal for the LAN cable sent from the ITV camera control device 30 into a control signal of the RS485 standard and sends it to the NTSC-RS485 superimposer 21a. This enables the ITV camera control device 30 to control the rotation operation of the analog rotation camera 10a by sending a signal for controlling the rotation operation of the analog rotation camera 10a to the analog rotation camera 10a via the LAN-RS485 converter 19a and the NTSC-RS485 superimposer 21a.

[0013] Similarly to the analog swivel camera 10a, the analog fixed camera 11a also outputs the captured image as a video signal conforming to the NTSC standard and transmits it to the central video switch 27 via the existing low-frequency coaxial cable 60b. An NTSC-HD-SDI converter 20b is connected to the analog fixed camera 11a, and it is possible to convert the NTSC standard video signal (analog signal) transmitted from the analog fixed camera 11a into an HD-SDI standard video signal (digital signal) and transmit it to the central video switch 27.

[0014] The HD-SDI swivel camera 12a is a digital surveillance camera using a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) element, and outputs the captured image as a video signal (digital signal) conforming to the HD-SDI standard. The HD-SDI video signal output by the HD-SDI swivel camera 12a is transmitted to the central video switcher 27 via the EX-SDI converters 24a and 24b and the existing low-frequency coaxial cable 60c. The EX-SDI converter 24a converts the HD-SDI video signal output from the HD-SDI swivel camera 12a into a video signal conforming to the EX-SDI standard, and transmits the converted EX-SDI video signal to the EX-SDI converter 24b via the low-frequency coaxial cable 60c. The EX-SDI converter 24b is also a converter that converts an EX-SDI standard video signal into an HD-SDI standard video signal, and is capable of transmitting the converted HD-SDI standard video signal to the central video switch 27. The HD-SDI swivel camera 12a is connected to the ITV camera control device 30 via the LAN / RS485 converter 19b, and the EX-SDI converters 24a and 24b also have the function of superimposing and separating a control signal of the RS485 standard. Specifically, the EX-SDI converter 24b superimposes the RS485 standard control signal converted by the LAN / RS485 converter 19b onto a low-frequency coaxial cable 60c and transmits it to the HD-SDI swivel camera 12a. This enables the ITV camera control device 30 to transmit a signal for controlling the rotation operation of the HD-SDI swivel camera 12a via the existing low-frequency coaxial cable 60c to the HD-SDI swivel camera 12a, thereby controlling the rotation operation of the HD-SDI swivel camera 12a.

[0015] Similarly to the HD-SDI swivel camera 12a, the HD-SDI fixed camera 13a also outputs the captured image as a video signal of the HD-SDI standard, and transmits it to the central video switch 27 via the existing low-frequency coaxial cable 60d. The HD-SDI fixed camera 13a is also connected to EX-SDI converters 24c and 24d. The EX-SDI converter 24c is a converter that converts the HD-SDI standard video signal output from the HD-SDI fixed camera 13a into a video signal of the EX-SDI standard, and transmits the EX-SDI standard video signal to the EX-SDI converter 24d via the low-frequency coaxial cable 60d. The EX-SDI converter 24d is also a converter that converts the EX-SDI standard video signal into a HD-SDI standard video signal, and is capable of transmitting the converted HD-SDI standard video signal to the central video switch 27.

[0016] In this way, by using the EX-SDI converters 24a to 24d, the transmission distance of the low-frequency coaxial cables 60c, 60d can be extended even when an HD-SDI surveillance camera is used. That is, when a video signal conforming to the HD-SDI standard is transmitted using a low-frequency coaxial cable, the transmission distance of the video signal is about 70 meters, so in facilities with a large area such as thermal power plants, factories, plants, and large stores, it may not be possible to install a digital surveillance camera at a desired position, or at the position of an existing analog camera when an existing cable is used. In contrast, in this embodiment, by extending the low-frequency coaxial cables 60c, 60d using the EX-SDI converters 24a to 24d, it is possible to transmit a video signal conforming to the HD-SDI standard up to a transmission distance of more than 100 meters.

[0017] The IP swivel camera 14a is a digital surveillance camera using a CCD or CMOS element, and compresses the captured image according to the MPEG4 or H.265 standard, and outputs it as digital IP video data. The IP video data output by the IP swivel camera 14a is output to the LAN-coaxial converter 22a via a LAN cable. The LAN-coaxial converter 22a converts the IP video data transmitted from the IP swivel camera 14a into a signal according to the HD-PLC standard, and transmits it to the LAN-coaxial converter 22b via the existing low-frequency coaxial cable 60e. The LAN-coaxial converter 22b converts the signal according to the HD-PLC standard, transmitted via the low-frequency coaxial cable 60e, into IP video data, and transmits it to the IP video data converter 40a. The IP video data converter 40a converts the IP video data transmitted from the LAN-coaxial converter 22b into a video signal according to the HD-SDI standard, and outputs it to the central video switcher 27. In addition, like the IP swivel camera 14a, the IP fixed camera 15a is also capable of outputting the captured images as IP video data and transmitting them to the central video switcher 27 via the existing low-frequency coaxial cable 60f.

[0018] The IP swivel camera 14a is a camera capable of swivel operation, and the ITV camera control device 30 can control the swivel operation of the IP swivel camera 14a by transmitting a signal for controlling the swivel operation of the IP swivel camera 14a to the IP swivel camera 14a via the IP video data converter 40a. Specifically, the IP swivel camera 14a is connected to the ITV camera control device 30 via the LAN-RS485 converter 19c. The LAN-RS485 converter 19c converts a control signal for a LAN cable transmitted from the ITV camera control device 30 into a control signal of the RS485 standard and transmits it to the IP video data converter 40a. The IP video data converter 40a then transmits the control signal of the RS485 standard transmitted from the LAN-RS485 converter 19c to the IP swivel camera 14a via the LAN-coaxial converters 22b and 22a. This enables the ITV camera control device 30 to transmit a signal for controlling the rotation operation of the IP swivel camera 14a via the existing low-frequency coaxial cable 60e to the IP swivel camera 14a, thereby controlling the rotation operation of the IP swivel camera 14a.

[0019] Further, the IP video data converters 40a and 40b are computers that maintain a connection to the IP surveillance cameras 14a and 15a, and continuously receive IP video data from the IP surveillance cameras 14a and 15a, respectively, while also maintaining a connection to the central video switch 27. Therefore, the IP video data converters 40a and 40b can transmit the IP video data output from the IP surveillance cameras 14a and 15a to the central video switch 27 without performing an operation to establish a connection with the IP surveillance cameras 14a and 15a or the central video switch 27. Conventionally, when switching the surveillance camera video displayed on the monitor 50 to the video of the IP surveillance cameras 14a and 15a, it was necessary to first establish a connection with the IP surveillance cameras 14a and 15a, which may result in a delay time. In this embodiment, by providing IP video data converters 40a, 40b, communication with IP surveillance cameras 14a, 15a can be established in advance, making it possible to prevent delays due to the establishment of communication with IP surveillance cameras 14a, 15a.

[0020] Furthermore, the IP video data converters 40a and 40b also have a function of performing image processing on the image of the IP video data transmitted from the IP surveillance cameras 14a and 15a. Here, FIG. 2 shows an example of an image 240 output from the IP surveillance cameras 14a and 15a. The IP surveillance cameras 14a and 15a according to this embodiment are commercially available IP surveillance cameras, and as shown in FIG. 2, are set in advance to generate and output a video signal for displaying an image 240 in which an operation area 241 and an image area 242 are combined. In this case, the image actually captured by the IP surveillance cameras 14a and 15a is displayed in accordance with the image 240, which is different from the display of an analog surveillance camera and an HD-SDI surveillance camera, making it difficult for the operator monitoring the video to monitor on the monitor 50. Therefore, the IP video data converters 40a, 40b perform image processing on the IP video data transmitted from the IP surveillance cameras 14a, 15a to cut out and enlarge the image area 242 from the image 240, thereby enabling an image with the image area 242 enlarged (without the operation area 241 being displayed) to be displayed on the monitor 50.

[0021] In the conventional ITV camera control system, the IP video data of the IP surveillance cameras 14 and 15 is directly transmitted to the ITV camera control device 30 via a hub, without passing through the IP video data converter 40 or the LAN / RS485 converter. However, in this case, the IP video data of all the IP surveillance cameras is constantly input to the ITV camera control device 30, and if the amount of data processing increases, there is a risk of delays in processing time. In contrast, in the ITV camera control system 1 according to this embodiment, the IP video data converters 40a and 40b are configured to convert the IP video data into HD-SDI video signals and output them to the central video switcher 27, so there is no transmission of IP video data to the ITV camera control device 30, and the above-mentioned delays in processing time can be suppressed. In this way, in this embodiment, IP video data from the IP surveillance cameras 14, 15 is not transmitted to the ITV camera control device 30, so the amount of data processing by the ITV camera control device 30 is greatly reduced, and delays in data processing due to the concentration of IP video data from all IP surveillance cameras 14, 15 in the ITV camera control device 30 and the associated delays in image display on the monitor 50 are prevented.

[0022] The ITV camera control room 200 is a place where workers are stationed to monitor the images captured by the analog surveillance cameras 10a, 11a, the HD-SDI surveillance cameras 12a, 13a, and the IP surveillance cameras 14a, 15a installed in the plant 100. As shown in Fig. 1, the ITV camera control room 200 is equipped with the above-mentioned NTSC / HD-SDI converters 20a, 20b, the NTSC / RS485 superimposer 21a, the LAN / coaxial converters 22b, 22d, the EX-SDI converters 24b, 24d, the IP video data converters 40a, 40b, and the LAN / RS485 converters 19a to 19c. In addition, the ITV camera control room 200 is provided with an ITV camera control device 30 for controlling the analog surveillance cameras 10a, 11a, the HD-SDI surveillance cameras 12a, 13a, and the IP surveillance cameras 14a, 15a, and a monitor 50 for a user to monitor the images captured by the analog surveillance cameras 10a, 11a, the HD-SDI surveillance cameras 12a, 13a, and the IP surveillance cameras 14a, 15a. In this embodiment, the ITV camera control room 200 is also provided with a central video switcher 27, which will be described later. Note that, although only one monitor 50 is illustrated in FIG. 1, the number of monitors 50 is not limited, and may be two or more.

[0023] Central video switch 27 receives as input HD-SDI standard video signals output from various monitoring cameras installed in plant 100. That is, central video switch 27 receives (1) HD-SDI standard video signals output from analog monitoring cameras 10a, 11a and converted from NTSC standard video signals by NTSC-HD-SDI converters 20a, 20b, (2) HD-SDI standard video signals output from HD-SDI monitoring cameras 12a, 13a and converted from EX-SDI standard video signals by EX-SDI converters 24b, 24d, and (3) HD-SDI standard video signals output from IP monitoring cameras 14a, 15a and converted from IP video data by IP video data converters 40a, 40b. Then, based on the control of the ITV camera control device 30, the central video switch 27 is capable of switching the output HD-SDI standard video signal from among the input HD-SDI standard video signals, and outputting it to the monitor 50.

[0024] The ITV camera control device 30 is connected to the central video switch 27 via the hub 25, and controls the switching of the video to be output to the monitor 50 by the central video switch 27. Specifically, the ITV camera control device 30 has an input unit through which an operator inputs instructions, and causes the central video switch 27 to display on the monitor 50 the video from the surveillance camera instructed by the operator via the input unit.

[0025] For example, when an operator instructs to display the image from the analog swivel camera 10a of the plant 100, the ITV camera control device 30 instructs the central video switch 27 via the hub 25 to switch so that the image signal from the analog swivel camera 10a is displayed. In this case, the NTSC standard video signal (analog signal) of the image captured by the analog swivel camera 10a is converted from the NTSC standard video signal (analog signal) to the HD-SDI standard video signal (digital signal) by the NTSC-HD-SDI converter 20a, and then output to the monitor 50 via the central video switch 27, and the image from the analog swivel camera 10a is displayed on the monitor 50.

[0026] Furthermore, when an operator instructs to display the image from the HD-SDI swivel camera 12a of the plant 100, the ITV camera control device 30 instructs the central image switch 27 via the hub 25 to switch so that the image signal from the HD-SDI swivel camera 12a is displayed. In this case, the image signal is switched so that the HD-SDI standard image signal output from the HD-SDI swivel camera 12a is output by the central image switch 27, and the image from the HD-SDI swivel camera 12a is output to the monitor 50 and displayed on the monitor 50.

[0027] Furthermore, when an operator instructs to display the image of the IP swivel camera 14a of the plant 100, the ITV camera control device 30 instructs the central video switch 27 via the hub 25 to perform switching so that the image signal of the IP swivel camera 14a is displayed. In this case, the IP image data output from the IP swivel camera 14a is subjected to image processing in the IP image data converter 40a, converted into an image signal of the HD-SDI standard, and output to the central video switch 27, which then outputs it to the monitor 50, whereby the image of the IP swivel camera 14a is displayed on the monitor 50.

[0028] In this way, the ITV camera control system 1 according to this embodiment has multiple types of surveillance cameras 10a, 11a, 12a, 13a, 14a, and 15a, but the operator can control the various surveillance cameras 10a, 11a, 12a, 13a, 14a, and 15a by the same operation without being aware of which camera it is, and can display the images output from the surveillance cameras 10a, 11a, 12a, 13a, 14a, and 15a on the monitor. Also, as described later, in the ITV camera control system 1 according to this embodiment, even if the models and manufacturers of the surveillance cameras 10a, 11a, 12a, 13a, 14a, and 15a are different, the operator can operate all the surveillance cameras in the same way without being aware of the differences in the models and manufacturers of the surveillance cameras.

[0029] Next, a method for installing the digital surveillance cameras 12a to 15a according to this embodiment will be described. Not limited to thermal power plants, but also in facilities such as factories, plants, and large-scale stores, surveillance cameras are often installed at positions away from the ITV camera control room 200 (for example, at positions 100 meters or more away from the ITV camera control room 200). On the other hand, although a video signal conforming to the HD-SDI standard can be transmitted by a low-frequency coaxial cable, the transmission distance is shorter than 100 meters, which is the transmission distance of a video signal conforming to the HD-SDI standard by a high-frequency coaxial cable. Therefore, for example, there is a problem that the HD-SDI surveillance cameras 12a and 13a cannot be installed at positions more than about 70 meters away from the central video switcher 27. In contrast to this, in this embodiment, for example, as in the HD-SDI swivel camera 12a and HD-SDI fixed camera 13a shown in FIG. 1, a video signal conforming to the HD-SDI standard is converted into a video signal conforming to the EX-SDI standard, and the EX-SDI standard video signal is transmitted over existing low-frequency coaxial cables 60c, 60d, making it possible to transmit the HD-SDI standard video signal over a transmission distance of more than 100 meters (more specifically, over 200 meters, up to a transmission distance of approximately 300 meters).

[0030] Furthermore, there is a demand to install surveillance cameras in locations where the transmission distance of digital video signals exceeds 300 meters. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, the IP video data output from the IP surveillance cameras 14a, 15a is converted into signals of HD-PLC standard or the like by LAN-coaxial converters 22a-22d to increase the transmission distance, thereby making it possible to extend the transmission distance of the existing low-frequency coaxial cables 60e, 60f to a transmission distance of more than 300 meters, for example, 1000 meters or more.

[0031] As described above, in this embodiment, the video signals output from the analog surveillance cameras 10a, 11a, the HD-SDI surveillance cameras 12a, 13a, and the IP surveillance cameras 14a, 15a are converted and unified into video signals of the HD-SDI standard, and by utilizing the existing low-frequency coaxial cables 60a to 60f, it is possible to mix the video signals (NTSC standard) of the analog surveillance cameras 10a, 11a, the video signals (HD-SDI standard) of the HD-SDI surveillance cameras 12a, 13a, and the video signals of the IP surveillance cameras 14a, 15a on the same system. Conventionally, when analog surveillance cameras are replaced with digital surveillance cameras, it is necessary to replace all the analog surveillance cameras with digital surveillance cameras at once, and it is not possible to replace the analog surveillance cameras with digital surveillance cameras one by one. Therefore, it is necessary to lay a new cable network for transmitting the video at once, which causes a problem of a large cost. For example, when replacing all analog surveillance cameras with digital surveillance cameras, not only the cost of purchasing and installing the digital surveillance cameras is required, but also the cost of laying new cables (the cost of the cable itself and the cost of laying the cable) is required because most of the existing low-frequency coaxial cables cannot be reused (only when the cable length is 70 meters or less is sufficient). In contrast, in the ITV camera control system 1 according to this embodiment, even when some surveillance cameras are updated to digital surveillance cameras or when new digital surveillance cameras are installed while keeping the analog surveillance cameras, it is possible to use the existing low-frequency coaxial cables and partially switch to digital surveillance cameras while maintaining consistency with the existing ITV camera control system 1 having analog surveillance cameras, thereby suppressing an increase in costs. In addition, it is possible to smoothly transition from the conventional analog system to the latest digital system, assuming a total low cost, and it is possible to strengthen the surveillance function and contribute to the sophistication of plant abnormality surveillance technology.Furthermore, in the past, when analog and digital surveillance cameras were mixed, it was difficult to switch between and output the images from both cameras on a common monitor. However, in this embodiment, by unifying the video signals output from analog surveillance cameras 10a, 11a, digital surveillance cameras 12a, 13a, and IP surveillance cameras 14a, 15a into HD-SDI standard video signals, it has become possible to freely switch between and output the images from both cameras on a common monitor even when analog and digital surveillance cameras are mixed.

[0032] In addition, in this embodiment, the ITV camera control device 30 can universally control the analog surveillance cameras 10a, 11a, the digital surveillance cameras 12a, 13a, and the IP surveillance cameras 14a, 15a even if the models and manufacturers of the analog surveillance cameras 10a, 11a, the digital surveillance cameras 12a, 13a, and the IP surveillance cameras 14a, 15a are different. That is, conventionally, digital surveillance cameras could only be controlled by a dedicated control device (or a dedicated program) for each model, and it was sometimes difficult to control digital surveillance cameras of different models in a unified manner. In contrast, in this embodiment, the program of the ITV camera control device 30 is designed to enable unified control of these surveillance cameras, making it possible to select an appropriate surveillance camera from many candidates when replacing or adding some of the surveillance cameras.

[0033] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the IP video data converters 40a and 40b are connected to the IP surveillance cameras 14a and 15a, and maintain a connection to the IP surveillance cameras 14a and 15a while also continuously maintaining a connection to the central video switcher 27. This effectively prevents a delay in display caused by a delay in connection establishment with the IP surveillance cameras 14a and 15a even when the digital video signal output to the monitor 50 is switched to the digital video signal of the IP surveillance cameras 14a and 15a. In fact, without the IP video data converters 40a and 40b, when the digital video signal output to the monitor 50 is switched to the digital video signal of the IP surveillance cameras 14a and 15a, a time of about 5 seconds occurs during which no video is displayed. However, by installing the IP video data converters 40a and 40b, the video of the IP surveillance cameras 14a and 15a can be displayed without such a waiting time (almost 0 seconds). In addition, in this embodiment, since the IP video data of the IP surveillance cameras 14a, 15a is not transmitted to the ITV camera control device 30, the amount of data processing by the ITV camera control device 30 is greatly reduced, and it is possible to prevent delays in data processing caused by the concentration of IP video data of all IP surveillance cameras in the ITV camera control device 30 and the associated delays in image display on the monitor 50. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the IP video data converters 40a, 40b convert signals of the IP standard or the like into video signals of the HD-SDI standard, so that the video signals of all surveillance cameras can be unified into video signals of the HD-SDI standard, and the videos of all surveillance cameras can be switched and displayed on the monitor 50 regardless of the type of surveillance camera.

[0034] Second Embodiment Fig. 3 is a configuration diagram showing an ITV camera control system 1a according to the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, as shown in Fig. 3, a scene in which the ITV camera control system 1a according to the second embodiment is applied to a thermal power plant having a first facility 300, a second facility 400, and a third facility 500 in addition to an ITV camera control room 200 will be described. Note that also in Fig. 3, the lines shown by solid lines indicate coaxial cables, and in particular, the lines shown by solid and thick lines indicate transmission paths using existing low-frequency coaxial cables. Also, the lines shown by dashed lines indicate communication lines such as LAN cables.

[0035] As shown in Fig. 3, the ITV camera control system 1a according to the second embodiment includes analog swivel cameras 10b-10c, analog fixed cameras 11b-c, HD-SDI swivel cameras 12b-12d, HD-SDI fixed cameras 13b-13d, IP swivel cameras 14b-14d, and IP fixed cameras 15b-15d as surveillance cameras. Specifically, in the first facility 300, in an environment where only analog swivel cameras and analog fixed cameras were previously installed, some of the analog swivel cameras and some of the analog fixed cameras are replaced with HD-SDI swivel cameras, HD-SDI fixed cameras, IP swivel cameras, and IP fixed cameras, and the analog swivel cameras 10b, analog fixed cameras 11b, HD-SDI swivel cameras 12b, HD-SDI fixed cameras 13b, IP swivel cameras 14b, and IP fixed cameras 15b are installed. In the second facility 400, an HD-SDI swivel camera, HD-SDI fixed camera, IP swivel camera, and IP fixed camera are added to an environment where only analog swivel cameras and analog fixed cameras were already installed, resulting in a configuration in which analog swivel camera 10c, analog fixed camera 11c, HD-SDI swivel camera 12c, HD-SDI fixed camera 13c, IP swivel camera 14c, and IP fixed camera 15c are installed. Furthermore, in the third facility 500, an environment where no surveillance cameras were installed at all, a HD-SDI swivel camera 12d, HD-SDI fixed camera 13d, IP swivel camera 14d, and IP fixed camera 15d are newly installed.

[0036] The configuration shown in Fig. 3 is also an example, and the locations and number of the surveillance cameras are not particularly limited. In the example shown in Fig. 3, the analog swivel camera 10b and analog fixed camera 11b in the first facility 300, and the analog swivel camera 10c and analog fixed camera 11c in the second facility 400 were already installed. The low-frequency coaxial cables 61a to 61h shown by the thick lines in Fig. 3 were also already installed, and by utilizing these existing facilities, it is possible to build the ITV camera control system 1a at low cost.

[0037] The analog swivel cameras 10b, 10c transmit NTSC standard video signals based on captured images to the digital video switches 26a, 26b via the existing low-frequency coaxial cables 61a, 61g. The analog swivel cameras 10b, 10c are connected to NTSC / HD-SDI converters 20c, 20d, which convert the NTSC standard video signals (analog signals) transmitted from the analog swivel cameras 10b, 10c into HD-SDI standard video signals (digital signals) and output them to the digital video switches 26a, 26b. In addition, the analog rotating cameras 10b, 10c are connected to NTSC-RS485 superimposers 21b, 21c, and the ITV camera control device 30 can control the rotating operation of the analog rotating cameras 10b, 10c via the NTSC-RS485 superimposers 21b, 21c. The analog fixed cameras 11b, 11c also output the captured images as NTSC standard video signals and transmit them to the digital video switches 26a, 26b via the existing low-frequency coaxial cables 61b, 61h. The NTSC standard video signals output by the analog fixed cameras 11b, 11c are also converted into HD-SDI standard video signals (digital signals) by the NTSC-HD-SDI converters 20c, 20d and input to the digital video switches 26a, 26b.

[0038] The HD-SDI swivel cameras 12b-12d output the captured images as HD-SDI standard video signals. The HD-SDI swivel camera 12b transmits the HD-SDI standard video signals to the digital video switch 26a using the low-frequency coaxial cable 61c already installed in the first facility 300. Meanwhile, the HD-SDI swivel cameras 12c and 12d transmit the HD-SDI standard video signals to the digital video switches 26b and 26c via the high-frequency coaxial cables 62a and 62b newly installed in the second facility 400 and the third facility 500. In addition, the HD-SDI swivel cameras 12b-12d are connected to the ITV camera control device 30 via EX-SDI converters 23a-23f, LAN / RS485 converters 19d-19f, and hubs 25a-25d, and the ITV camera control device 30 is able to control the rotation operation of the HD-SDI swivel cameras 12b-12d by sending signals for controlling the rotation operation of the HD-SDI swivel cameras 12b-12d to the HD-SDI swivel cameras 12b-12d via the EX-SDI converters 23a-23f. Similarly, the HD-SDI fixed camera 13b uses the low-frequency coaxial cable 61d already installed in the first facility 300 to transmit HD-SDI standard video signals to the digital video switch 26a, and the HD-SDI fixed cameras 13c and 13d transmit HD-SDI standard video signals to the digital video switchers 26b and 26c via high-frequency coaxial cables 62c and 62d newly installed in the second facility 400 and the third facility 500.

[0039] The IP swivel cameras 14b-14d output the captured images as digital IP video data. The IP swivel camera 14b transmits the IP video data to the IP video data converter 40c using the low-frequency coaxial cable 61e already installed in the first facility 300. Specifically, the IP video data output by the IP swivel camera 14b is converted into a signal of HD-PLC standard or the like by the LAN-coaxial converter 22e, and transmitted to the LAN-coaxial converter 22f via the already installed low-frequency coaxial cable 61e, after which it is reconverted into IP video data and input to the IP video data converter 40c. Meanwhile, the IP swivel cameras 14c and 14d transmit the IP video data to the IP video data converters 40e and 40g via the LAN cables 67a and 67b newly installed in the second facility 400 and the third facility 500. Similarly, the IP fixed camera 15b transmits IP video data to the IP video data converter 40d via a low-frequency coaxial cable 61f and LAN-coaxial converters 22g and 22h already installed in the first facility 300, and the IP swivel cameras 15c and 15d transmit IP video data to the IP video data converters 40f and 40h via LAN cables 67c and 67d newly installed in the second facility 400 and the third facility 500.

[0040] The IP video data converters 40c-40h convert the IP video data transmitted from the IP swivel cameras 14b-14d and the IP fixed cameras 15b-15d into HD-SDI standard video signals and output them to the digital video switches 26a-26c. The IP video data transmitted from the IP swivel cameras 14b and the IP fixed cameras 15b is converted into HD-PLC standard signals for low-frequency coaxial cables by the LAN-coaxial converters 22e-22g in order to utilize the existing low-frequency coaxial cables 61e-61f, and is reconverted into IP video data by the LAN-coaxial converters 22f-22h, before being input to the IP video data converters 40c-40d. The IP video data input to the IP video data converters 40c-40d is converted into HD-SDI standard video signals and then output to the digital video switcher 26a. On the other hand, the IP video data transmitted from the IP swivel cameras 14c, 14d and the IP fixed cameras 15c, 15d is input as is to the IP video data converters 40e-40h, where it is converted into a video signal of the HD-SDI standard and then output to the digital video switchers 26b, 26c. Note that, in the second embodiment as well, the IP video data converters 40c-40h continuously receive IP video data from the IP swivel cameras 14b-14d and the IP fixed cameras 15b-15d, thereby maintaining a communication state with the IP swivel cameras 14b-14d and the IP fixed cameras 15b-15d, and making it possible to prevent delays due to communication establishment. In addition, the IP video data converters 40c-40h perform image processing on the IP video data transmitted from the IP swivel cameras 14b-14d and the IP fixed cameras 15b-15d to cut out and enlarge the image area 242 from the image 240, thereby making it possible to display an image with the image area 242 enlarged (without the operation area 241 being displayed) on the monitor 50.

[0041] The digital video switch 26a installed in the first facility 300 is connected to the analog swivel camera 10b, the analog fixed camera 11b, the HD-SDI swivel camera 12b, the HD-SDI fixed camera 13b, the IP swivel camera 14b, and the IP fixed camera 15b installed in the first facility 300. As a result, the digital video switch 26a receives input of HD-SDI standard video signals based on images captured by the analog swivel camera 10b and the analog fixed camera 11b, HD-SDI standard video signals based on images captured by the HD-SDI swivel camera 12b and the HD-SDI fixed camera 13b, and HD-SDI standard video signals based on images captured by the IP swivel camera 14b and the IP fixed camera 15b. The NTSC standard video signal (analog signal) based on the images captured by the analog swivel camera 10b and the analog fixed camera 11b is converted by the NTSC-HD-SDI converter 20c into an HD-SDI standard video signal (digital signal) and then input to the digital video switch 26a. The IP video data based on the images captured by the IP swivel camera 14b and the IP fixed camera 15b is also converted by the IP video data converters 40c and 40d into an HD-SDI standard video signal and then input to the digital video switch 26a. The digital video switch 26a is connected to the ITV camera control device 30 via the hubs 25a and 25c, and can switch and output the HD-SDI standard video signal from the input HD-SDI standard video signals based on the control of the ITV camera control device 30.

[0042] Similarly, the digital video switch 26b installed in the second facility 400 is connected to the analog swivel camera 10c, the analog fixed camera 11c, the HD-SDI swivel camera 12c, the HD-SDI fixed camera 13c, the IP swivel camera 14c, and the IP fixed camera 15c installed in the second facility 400. As a result, the digital video switch 26b receives input of HD-SDI standard video signals based on images captured by the analog swivel camera 10c and the analog fixed camera 11c, HD-SDI standard video signals based on images captured by the HD-SDI swivel camera 12c and the HD-SDI fixed camera 13c, and HD-SDI standard video signals based on images captured by the IP swivel camera 14c and the IP fixed camera 15c. The NTSC standard video signal (analog signal) based on the images captured by the analog swivel camera 10c and the analog fixed camera 11c is converted into an HD-SDI standard video signal (digital signal) by the NTSC-HD-SDI converter 20d, and then input to the digital video switcher 26b. The IP video data based on the images captured by the IP swivel camera 14c and the IP fixed camera 15c is also converted into an HD-SDI standard video signal by the IP video data converters 40e and 40f, and then input to the digital video switcher 26b. The digital video switcher 26b is connected to the ITV camera control device 30 via the hubs 25b and 25c, and can switch and output the HD-SDI standard video signal from the input HD-SDI standard video signals based on the control of the ITV camera control device 30.

[0043] Moreover, the digital video switch 26c installed in the third facility 500 is connected to the HD-SDI swivel camera 12d, the HD-SDI fixed camera 13d, the IP swivel camera 14d, and the IP fixed camera 15d installed in the third facility 500. As a result, the digital video switch 26c receives HD-SDI standard video signals based on images captured by the HD-SDI swivel camera 12d and the HD-SDI fixed camera 13d, and HD-SDI standard video signals based on images captured by the IP swivel camera 14d and the IP fixed camera 15d. The IP video data based on images captured by the IP swivel camera 14d and the IP fixed camera 15d is converted into HD-SDI standard video signals by the IP video data converters 40g and 40h, and then input to the digital video switch 26c. The digital video switch 26c is connected to the ITV camera control device 30 via hubs 25d, 25c, and is capable of switching among the input HD-SDI standard video signals and outputting the HD-SDI standard video signal based on the control of the ITV camera control device 30.

[0044] In the second embodiment, the central video switch 27 installed in the ITV camera control room 200 is connected to the digital video switch 26a of the first facility 300, the digital video switch 26b of the second facility 400, and the digital video switch 26c of the third facility 500, and receives the HD-SDI standard video signal output by the digital video switch 26a of the first facility 300, the HD-SDI standard video signal selected by the digital video switch 26b of the second facility 400, and the HD-SDI standard video signal output by the digital video switch 26c of the third facility 500. The central video switch 27 can switch the HD-SDI standard video signal to be output from among the input HD-SDI standard video signals based on the control of the ITV camera control device 30, and output the HD-SDI standard video signal to the monitor 50. Note that in the second embodiment, a plurality of monitors 50 are provided, and the selected HD-SDI standard video signal is output to each monitor 50.

[0045] The ITV camera control device 30 is connected to the central video switch 27, and controls the central video switch 27 to switch the video to be output to the monitor 50. Specifically, the ITV camera control device 30 has an input unit through which an operator inputs instructions, and causes the central video switch 27 to display on the monitor 50 the video from the surveillance camera instructed by the operator via the input unit.

[0046] For example, when an operator instructs to display the image from the analog swivel camera 10b in the first facility 300, the ITV camera control device 30 instructs the digital image switcher 26a and the central image switcher 27 via the hubs 25a, 25c to switch so that the image signal from the analog swivel camera 10b is displayed. In this case, the NTSC standard image signal (analog signal) of the image captured by the analog swivel camera 10b is converted from the NTSC standard image signal (analog signal) to the HD-SDI standard image signal (digital signal) by the NTSC-HD-SDI converter 20c, and then output to the monitor 50 via the digital image switcher 26a and the central image switcher 27, and the image from the analog swivel camera 10b is displayed on the monitor 50.

[0047] Also, when the operator instructs to display the video from the HD-SDI swivel camera 12c in the second facility 400, the ITV camera control device 30 instructs the digital video switch 26b and the central video switch 27 via the hubs 25b and 25c to perform switching so that the video signal from the HD-SDI swivel camera 12c is displayed. In this case, the video signal is switched so that the HD-SDI standard video signal output from the HD-SDI swivel camera 12c is output by the digital video switch 26b and the central video switch 27, and the video from the HD-SDI swivel camera 12c is output to the monitor 50 and displayed on the monitor 50.

[0048] Furthermore, when the worker instructs to display the image of the IP swivel camera 14d of the third facility 500, the ITV camera control device 30 instructs the digital image switcher 26c and the central image switcher 27 via the hubs 25d and 25c to perform switching so that the image signal of the IP swivel camera 14d is displayed. In this case, the IP image data output from the IP swivel camera 14d is image-processed in the IP image data converter 40g, converted into an image signal of the HD-SDI standard, and input to the digital image switcher 26c. Then, the digital image signal is switched in the digital image switcher 26c, and the image signal of the IP swivel camera 14d is output to the central image switcher 27, which outputs it to the monitor 50, so that the image of the IP swivel camera 14d is displayed on the monitor 50.

[0049] As described above, in the second embodiment as well, by converting and unifying the video signals output from analog surveillance cameras 10b-10c, 11b-11c, HD-SDI surveillance cameras 12b-12d, 13b-13d, and IP surveillance cameras 14b-14d, 15b-15d into the same HD-SDI standard digital video signals, it is possible to mix the video signals (NTSC standard video signals) of analog surveillance cameras 10b-10c, 11b-11c, the video signals (HD-SDI standard) of HD-SDI surveillance cameras 12b-12d, 13b-13d, and the video signals of IP surveillance cameras 14b-14d, 15b-15d on the same system by utilizing existing low-frequency coaxial cables. In addition, the ITV camera control system 1a of the second embodiment also has multiple types of surveillance cameras 10b-10c, 11b-11c, 12b-12d, 13b-13d, 14b-14d, and 15b-15d, but as in the first embodiment, the operator can control all the surveillance cameras with the same operation and display the images output from each surveillance camera on a monitor without being aware of differences in the models or manufacturers of the surveillance cameras.

[0050] Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the description of the above embodiment. Various modifications and improvements can be made to the above embodiment, and such modifications and improvements are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0051] For example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the video signals output from various surveillance cameras are unified into digital signals of the HD-SDI standard used in digital surveillance cameras, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and for example, the video signals output from various surveillance cameras can be unified into 3G-SDI (SMPTE ST-424M) or 12G-SDI (SMPTE ST-2082-1), which are higher-level standards of SMPTE, instead of digital signals of the HD-SDI standard. This allows the same effects as those of the above-mentioned embodiment to be obtained even when digital surveillance cameras of the 3G-SDI or 12G-SDI standard are used. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 1,1a…ITV camera control system 10a~10c…Analog rotating camera 11a~11c…Analog fixed camera 12a~12d…HD-SDI swivel camera 13a~13d…HD-SDI fixed cameras 14a~14d…IP rotating camera 15a~15d…IP fixed camera 19a~19f...LAN / RS485 converter 20a~20d...NTSC / HD-SDI converter 21a~21c...NTSC / RS485 Overlay 22a~22h...LAN / coaxial converter 23a~23l...EX-SDI converter 24a~24d…EX-SDI converter 25,25a~25d...Hub 26a~26c…Digital video switcher 27…Central video switch 30...ITV camera control device 40a~40h...IP video data converter 50…Monitor 60a~60f...Low frequency coaxial cable (existing) 61a~61h...Low frequency coaxial cable (existing) 62a~62d…High frequency coaxial cable (newly installed) 67a~67d…LAN cable (newly installed)

Claims

1. 1. An ITV camera control system for switching between images captured by an analog surveillance camera that outputs an analog video signal and a digital surveillance camera that outputs a digital video signal and displaying the images on a monitor in an environment where the analog surveillance camera and the digital surveillance camera are mixed, comprising: a first converter that converts the analog video signal output from the analog surveillance camera into a digital video signal having the same standard as that of the digital surveillance camera; a video switch capable of switching a digital video signal to be output to a monitor from among the digital video signal converted by the first converter and the digital video signal output by the digital surveillance camera; an ITV camera control device that controls switching of the digital video signal to be output to the monitor by the video switcher.

2. The ITV camera control system of claim 1, wherein the video switch is composed of a first child video switch that transmits video from the analog surveillance camera and the digital surveillance camera installed in a first facility to a parent video switch, a second child video switch that transmits video from the analog surveillance camera and the digital surveillance camera installed in a second facility to the parent video switch, and a parent video switch that is capable of switching the digital video signal to be output to a monitor from between the first and second child video switches.

3. 3. The ITV camera control system according to claim 1, wherein a coaxial cable is interposed between said video switch and said analog surveillance camera, and between said video switch and said digital surveillance camera.

4. The digital surveillance camera includes an HD-SDI surveillance camera that outputs a video signal conforming to the HD-SDI standard; The first converter converts the analog video signal output from the analog surveillance camera into a video signal conforming to HD-SDI standard; An ITV camera control system as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the video switch is capable of switching between the HD-SDI standard video signal converted by the first converter and the HD-SDI standard video signal output by the HD-SDI surveillance camera based on the control of the ITV camera control device.

5. a transmission path formed of a low-frequency coaxial cable through which the video signal conforming to the HD-SDI standard is transmitted; an EX-SDI converter that converts the video signal of the HD-SDI standard into a video signal of the EX-SDI standard, The ITV camera control system according to claim 4, wherein the EX-SDI standard video signal converted by the EX-SDI converter is transmitted via the transmission path, enabling transmission over a transmission distance of more than 100 meters.

6. The digital surveillance camera includes a plurality of IP surveillance cameras that transmit IP video data via a LAN cable; the ITV camera control system includes a plurality of IP video data converters that receive the plurality of IP video data transmitted from the plurality of IP surveillance cameras, convert the plurality of IP video data into a video signal conforming to an HD-SDI standard, and output the video signal; The ITV camera control system of claim 4 or 5, wherein the video switch is capable of switching the HD-SDI standard video signal to be output to the monitor from among the HD-SDI standard video signal converted by the first converter, the HD-SDI standard video signal output by the HD-SDI surveillance camera, and the HD-SDI standard video signal converted by the IP video data converter, based on the control of the ITV camera control device.

7. The ITV camera control system of claim 6, wherein a LAN / coaxial converter converts IP video data transmitted through the LAN cable into a signal that can be transmitted through a low-frequency coaxial cable, thereby enabling the video signal to be transmitted over a distance of more than 300 meters.

8. 8. The ITV camera control system according to claim 6, further comprising a plurality of IP video data converters each connected to said plurality of IP surveillance cameras while maintaining a communication state with said plurality of IP surveillance cameras.

9. 9. The ITV camera control system according to claim 8, wherein the IP video data converter performs image processing to cut out and enlarge an imaging area in the image output by the IP surveillance camera.

10. The IP video data converter converts the IP video data transmitted from the IP surveillance camera into a digital video signal conforming to the HD-SDI standard; An ITV camera control system as described in any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the video switch is capable of switching and outputting the HD-SDI standard digital video signal converted by the first converter, the HD-SDI standard digital video signal output by the HD-SDI surveillance camera, and the HD-SDI standard digital video signal converted by the IP video data converter, based on the control of the ITV camera control device.

11. The ITV camera control system of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the ITV camera control device has an input unit for an operator to input instructions, and causes the monitor to display the image of the analog surveillance camera or the digital surveillance camera instructed by the operator via the input unit, even if the models or manufacturers of the analog surveillance camera and the digital surveillance camera are different.

12. The digital surveillance camera outputs a digital video signal conforming to the 3G-SDI standard or the 12G-SDI standard; The first converter converts the analog video signal output from the analog surveillance camera into a digital video signal conforming to the same 3G-SDI or 12G-SDI standard as the digital surveillance camera; The ITV camera control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising: a video switch capable of switching between a 3G-SDI standard digital video signal or a 12G-SDI standard digital video signal to be output to the monitor from among 3G-SDI standard or 12G-SDI standard digital video signals; and an ITV camera control device that controls the switching of the 3G-SDI standard digital video signal or the 12G-SDI standard digital video signal to be output to the monitor by the video switch.

Images