Monitoring device, monitoring method, and program

Abstract

A monitoring device according to one aspect of the present embodiment comprises: a vibration acquisition unit that acquires vibration occurring in an optical fiber cable; a determination unit that determines whether the vibration corresponds to reference vibration; and a notification control unit whereby, when the vibration corresponds to the reference vibration, notification regarding the source of the vibration is controlled on the basis of permission information that is associated with the reference information and indicates whether passage is permitted. This monitoring device is capable of issuing an alert corresponding to a detected object.

Description

Monitoring device, monitoring method, and program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a monitoring device, a monitoring method, and a program.

[0002] In recent years, optical fibers have come to be used not only for communication purposes but also as sensors for detecting vibrations occurring on the ground.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes that two different optical fiber networks each detect sensing information related to a monitoring target, and an optical fiber sensing system identifies the monitoring target based on the two types of detected sensing information. For example, when the optical fiber sensing system detects a person in a first building using the optical fiber network and then detects a person in a second building using the optical fiber network, it can determine whether the person is the same as the person in the first building that was previously detected.

[0004] Furthermore, Patent Document 2 describes a monitoring system that acquires a unique pattern corresponding to the behavior pattern of an authenticated person or vehicle based on an optical signal received from an optical fiber, and identifies the behavior pattern of the authenticated person or vehicle based on the unique pattern. For example, the monitoring system can identify the behavior pattern of a person who has passed through a gate by acquiring the behavior pattern, such as the movement trajectory and gait, of the person passing through the gate. Furthermore, when a person who has passed through the gate is authenticated, the monitoring system can sound an alarm if the person's behavior pattern does not match a pre-registered behavior pattern.

[0005] Furthermore, Patent Document 3 describes an optical fiber sensing system that receives an optical signal having a pattern corresponding to the state of a monitored object from an optical fiber and identifies the position and trajectory of the monitored object located around a fence based on the pattern. The sensing system can also display an alarm if the monitored object exhibits suspicious behavior.

[0006] International Publication No. 2021 / 070222 International Publication No. 2020 / 202694 International Publication No. 2020 / 161823

[0007] One possible application of optical fiber is for an authentication or security system in a predetermined area to manage the passage of people, vehicles, and other objects detected by optical fiber. When this process is performed, the system preferably takes action depending on whether the object to be authenticated or guarded is allowed to pass through. Patent Documents 1 to 3 listed above do not solve this problem because the system does not determine whether the object is allowed to pass through. For example, the monitoring system in Patent Document 2 determines the behavioral pattern of a person after completing authentication of the person, but does not sound an alarm at the authentication stage.

[0008] One object of the present disclosure is to provide a monitoring device, a monitoring method, and a program that are capable of issuing a warning in response to a detected object. Note that this object is only one of multiple objects that the multiple embodiments disclosed herein aim to achieve. Other objects or problems and novel features will become apparent from the description of this specification or the accompanying drawings.

[0009] A monitoring device according to one embodiment includes a vibration acquisition means for acquiring a first vibration generated in a first optical fiber cable, a determination means for determining whether the first vibration corresponds to a reference vibration, and a notification control means for controlling a notification regarding the source of the first vibration based on passability information indicating passability associated with the reference vibration if the first vibration corresponds to the reference vibration.

[0010] A monitoring method according to one embodiment is executed by a computer, acquires vibrations generated in an optical fiber cable, determines whether the vibrations correspond to reference vibrations, and, if the vibrations correspond to the reference vibrations, controls notification regarding the source of the vibrations based on passability information associated with the reference vibrations that indicates whether passage is permitted.

[0011] A program in one embodiment causes a computer to acquire vibrations generated in an optical fiber cable, determine whether the vibrations correspond to reference vibrations, and, if the vibrations correspond to the reference vibrations, control notification regarding the source of the vibrations based on passability information associated with the reference vibrations indicating whether passage is permitted.

[0012] The present disclosure makes it possible to provide a monitoring device, a monitoring method, and a program that are capable of issuing a warning in accordance with a detected object.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a monitoring device according to the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a typical process of a monitoring device according to the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a monitoring system according to the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a situation in which an optical fiber cable and an authentication gate are provided in the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of an authentication device according to the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of a monitoring device according to the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a typical process of a monitoring device according to the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an example of a monitoring system according to the present disclosure. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a situation in which an optical fiber cable is provided in the present disclosure. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of a monitoring device according to the present disclosure. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of a monitoring system according to the present disclosure. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a situation in which an optical fiber cable is provided in the present disclosure. FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing an example of a monitoring device according to the present disclosure. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating another example of a situation in which an optical fiber cable is provided in the present disclosure. FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing another example of a monitoring device according to the present disclosure. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a table according to the present disclosure. FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a device according to the present disclosure.

[0014] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following descriptions and drawings in the embodiments have been omitted or simplified as appropriate for clarity of explanation. Furthermore, in this disclosure, unless otherwise specified, when multiple items are defined as "at least one of them," the definition may mean any one item, or any multiple items including all items.

[0015] Embodiment 1 [Configuration Description] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a monitoring device. The monitoring device 10 is connected to an optical fiber cable and includes a vibration acquisition unit 11, a determination unit 12, and a notification control unit 13. The monitoring device 10 is used, for example, for authentication or security in a predetermined area. The predetermined area may refer to, for example, the interior of a building, an outdoor area, etc. Here, the interior of a building may refer to the entire interior area of ​​the building, or may refer to a partial interior area, such as a predetermined floor or a predetermined room of the building.

[0016] In this example, the monitoring device 10 is shown as a single computer device, but as will be described later, it may be formed as a distributed system having multiple computer devices. Each part of the monitoring device 10 is controlled by a hardware controller (not shown). Each part will be described below.

[0017] The vibration acquisition unit 11 acquires vibrations generated in the optical fiber cable (hereinafter also referred to as the target optical fiber cable). When an object moves around the optical fiber cable, vibrations from the object are transmitted to the optical fiber cable, causing changes in the characteristics of the optical signal in the optical fiber cable. The characteristics of the optical signal that change include, for example, the wavelength and amplitude of the optical signal. The vibration acquisition unit 11 can acquire vibration data by acquiring this optical signal.

[0018] The target optical fiber cable is laid in any location and can detect the passage or approach of a person, vehicle, etc. The target optical fiber cable may be laid, for example, on the ground or under a floor, around a gate, or on a building wall, but the location where the target optical fiber cable is installed is not limited to these. For example, the target optical fiber cable may be installed on a fence, guardrail, or post. The monitoring device 10 is a device that monitors the area around the target optical fiber cable. The target optical fiber cable detects the vibrations of a person and acquires the person's gait data based on the detected vibrations. The target optical fiber cable also detects the vibrations of a vehicle and acquires vehicle driving data based on the acquired vehicle vibrations. Note that vehicle vibrations are not limited to road noise, but may also be vibrations emitted from an internal combustion engine or motor. As such, vibrations caused by the movement of objects such as people and vehicles vary depending on the object, making it possible to identify the object based on the vibrations. The target optical fiber cable can also acquire information about artificial sounds caused by speaking or operating an object as vibrations.

[0019] The determination unit 12 determines whether the vibration acquired by the vibration acquisition unit 11 corresponds to the reference vibration. This reference vibration is associated with passability information indicating whether it is possible to pass. The passability information is stored in, for example, a database (not shown).

[0020] The permission information is, for example, information indicating whether a reference object, which is a source of reference vibrations, is permitted to pass through. Here, the reference object is an object, such as a person or a vehicle, for which the monitoring device 10 may issue a notification (described below). The reference object is an object that is predicted to move around the target optical fiber cable, regardless of whether passage around the target optical fiber cable is permitted. The permission information is information on whether the object is permitted to pass around the target optical fiber cable. The permission information includes, for example, at least one of the following information, but is not limited to these: (1) Information indicating that the object is permitted to pass through; (2) Information indicating that the object is not permitted to pass through; or (3) Information indicating that the object is permitted to pass under certain conditions but is not permitted if certain conditions are not met. The specific condition refers, for example, to a condition in which, when information indicating permission to pass is presented for an object that is the subject of the permission information (hereinafter also referred to as the target object), the target object is accompanied by another object that is permitted to pass through, or the target object has permission from a monitor. However, the specific conditions are not limited to this.

[0021] The reference vibration is a vibration used when determining whether to execute notification control. The reference vibration refers to, for example, a vibration that is thought to occur when a reference object moves around the target optical fiber cable. The reference vibration data may be data on vibrations that actually occur in the target optical fiber cable when the reference object moves around the target optical fiber cable, or data on vibrations that actually occur in an optical fiber cable different from the target optical fiber cable due to the movement of the reference object. As another example, data obtained by simulating the movement of the reference object or other types of example data may be used as the reference vibration data. Furthermore, a vibration pattern input by a user may be used as the reference vibration data.

[0022] Furthermore, the reference vibration data may be data indicating the frequency or amplitude of the vibration, which makes it possible to reduce the amount of data to be stored compared to when sound data of the vibration is stored.

[0023] The determination unit 12 may calculate the similarity of the acquired vibration with, for example, a reference vibration, and determine that the acquired vibration corresponds to the reference vibration if the similarity is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. In other words, the determination unit 12 may determine that the acquired vibration corresponds to the reference vibration even if the acquired vibration does not match the reference vibration if the acquired vibration is similar to the reference vibration to a certain extent. This similarity calculation can be performed using similarity calculations for existing waveforms, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted here. Here, the acquired vibration corresponding to the reference vibration means that the source of the acquired vibration can be considered to be the reference object.

[0024] When the vibration acquired by the vibration acquisition unit 11 corresponds to the reference vibration, the notification control unit 13 controls the notification regarding the source of the vibration based on the feasibility information associated with the reference vibration. Different feasibility information results in different control details by the notification control unit 13. Specific examples of feasibility information and corresponding control details are shown below, but examples of feasibility information and corresponding control details are not limited to these. When the feasibility information is (1) above, the notification control unit 13 does not provide a notification regarding the source of the vibration. Alternatively, the notification control unit 13 provides a notification indicating that the source of the vibration is permitted to pass through. When the feasibility information is (2) above, the notification control unit 13 provides a notification regarding the source of the vibration. Alternatively, the notification control unit 13 provides a notification indicating that the source of the vibration is not permitted to pass through. When the feasibility information is (3) above, the notification control unit 13 provides a notification regarding the source of the vibration. This notification is provided differently from the notification regarding (1) or (2). Alternatively, the notification control unit 13 issues a notification indicating that the passage of the object that is the source of the vibration is permitted under certain conditions, but is not permitted if the certain conditions are not met.

[0025] Note that if the reference vibration is a vibration that satisfies a certain predetermined condition, the possibility information may be set as information indicating that passage is permitted. For example, the possibility information is set as information indicating that passage of the reference object is permitted. This predetermined condition may be, for example, a vibration stored in a database. Furthermore, based on a specific sound stored in the database, it may be determined that the predetermined condition is satisfied if the reference vibration includes a vibration pattern corresponding to a specific sound. Note that the predetermined conditions are not limited to these. Specific examples of the predetermined conditions will be described in detail in the second embodiment and thereafter.

[0026] The notification control unit 13 is connected to the notification unit, and controls the operation executed by the notification unit to control the notification. The notification method includes any method capable of alerting a monitor who detects the notification unit or an intruder. For example, the notification unit may be configured with at least one of a screen, a speaker, and a vibration device. The notification may be made by displaying at least any combination of characters, symbols, and colors on the screen, a sound or voice emitted by the speaker, or a vibration pattern. When changing the notification, the display on the screen, the sound or voice, and the vibration pattern will be changed.

[0027] 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a typical process of the monitoring device 10, and this flowchart explains an overview of the process of the monitoring device 10. Note that the details of each process are as described above, and therefore will not be explained further.

[0028] First, the vibration acquisition unit 11 acquires vibrations generated in the optical fiber cable (step S11), and then the determination unit 12 determines whether the vibrations correspond to the reference vibrations (step S12).

[0029] If the acquired vibration corresponds to the reference vibration (Yes in step S12), the notification control unit 13 controls the notification regarding the source of the vibration based on the availability information associated with the reference vibration (step S13). If the acquired vibration does not correspond to the reference vibration, the notification control unit 13 does not execute the control of step S13.

[0030] Note that multiple vibrations may be set as the reference vibration. In this case, the determination unit 12 performs the determination of step S12 for a single reference vibration, and if the acquired vibration corresponds to the reference vibration, the notification control unit 13 performs the process of step S13 based on the feasibility information associated with the reference vibration. On the other hand, if the acquired vibration does not correspond to the reference vibration, the monitoring device 10 may end the process there, or the determination unit 12 may perform the determination of step S12 for another reference vibration. If the result of the determination of step S12 is that the acquired vibration corresponds to the reference vibration, the process of step S13 is performed. In this way, the monitoring device 10 may continue to determine whether all or some of the multiple reference vibrations correspond to the acquired vibration until it is determined that the acquired vibration corresponds to the reference vibration.

[0031] Furthermore, when the vibration acquisition unit 11 acquires a plurality of vibrations, the monitoring device 10 may execute the process illustrated in FIG. 2 for each of the acquired vibrations.

[0032] [Explanation of Effect] As described above, when the acquired vibration corresponds to the reference vibration, the monitoring device 10 controls the notification regarding the source of the vibration based on the feasibility information associated with the reference vibration. For example, the monitoring device 10 can determine that the source of the detected vibration is a reference object and control the notification based on the feasibility information. Therefore, the monitoring device 10 can issue a warning according to the detected object.

[0033] Furthermore, when the reference vibration satisfies a predetermined condition and the permission information indicates that passage is permitted, the monitoring device 10 can control notifications regarding the source of the vibration based on the permission information. This allows the monitoring device 10 to control notifications to be sent to an object that satisfies the predetermined condition, indicating that the object is permitted to pass.

[0034] The processing executed by the monitoring device 10 may be shared and executed by a plurality of computer devices, that is, the processing of the monitoring device 10 may be realized by a distributed system.

[0035] Here, the method for distributing the units of the monitoring device 10 among multiple computers is arbitrary. As one example, the monitoring device 10 may be configured by installing the vibration acquisition unit 11 in a first computer, installing the determination unit 12 and the notification control unit 13 in a second computer, and connecting the first and second computers. As another example, the monitoring device 10 may be configured by installing the vibration acquisition unit 11, the determination unit 12, and the notification control unit 13 in different computers, and connecting the computers.

[0036] As another example, some or all of the components of the monitoring device 10 may be provided on a cloud server built on a cloud, or on another type of virtualized server created using virtualization technology, etc. Functions other than those provided on such a server are placed on an edge device. For example, in a system that monitors video captured on-site via a network, an edge device is a device placed on or near the site, and is also a device that is close to the terminal in terms of the network hierarchy.

[0037] Embodiment 2 In the following embodiments 2 to 4, specific examples of the monitoring device described in embodiment 1 are disclosed. However, the specific examples of the monitoring device shown in embodiment 1 are not limited to those shown below. In other words, the configurations and processes described below are examples and are not limited to these. Furthermore, the configurations or processes shown in embodiments 2 to 4 below can be combined in any manner.

[0038] (2A) [Configuration Description] An example of a monitoring system will now be described. The monitoring system 100 shown in Fig. 3 includes optical fiber cables 110A and 110B, an authentication device 120, and a monitoring device 130. The optical fiber cables 110A and 110B and the authentication device 120 are connected to the monitoring device 130. Hereinafter, the optical fiber cables 110A and 110B will also be collectively referred to as the optical fiber cables 110.

[0039] The optical fiber cables 110A and 110B are provided at different locations. As described in the first embodiment, vibrations occurring around the optical fiber cable 110 are detected by the monitoring device 130.

[0040] 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a situation in which an optical fiber cable and an authentication gate are installed. Fig. 4 illustrates a situation in which the optical fiber cable and the authentication gate are installed around an area L1 with multiple entrances and exits. Area L1 is an area where entry is restricted, such as an area around a building such as a company building, research institute, or government office.

[0041] Here, area L1 has a substantially rectangular outline. A person can enter area L1 from a location where optical fiber cable 110A is laid on the ground on one side of the periphery of area L1, and from a location on the opposite side where optical fiber cable 110B is laid on the ground. In area L1, the area around optical fiber cable 110A is set as the official entrance / exit, and the area around optical fiber cable 110B is set as the service entrance.

[0042] An authentication gate G1 that controls the entry and exit of people into area L1 is provided around optical fiber cable 110A, i.e., at the official entrance / exit. Therefore, when a person enters area L1 from around optical fiber cable 110A, the person must pass through authentication gate G1.

[0043] As described below, the authentication gate G1 is a gate whose opening and closing is controlled by the authentication device 120. The authentication gate G1 is provided with a device located outside the authentication gate G1 (i.e., outside the area L1) that acquires biometric information of visitors applying for entry into the area L1. The device may be, for example, a camera, a sensor, a speaker, etc., but is not limited to these. The authentication gate G1 opens and closes based on the results of biometric authentication performed by the authentication device 120 based on the acquired information. When the gate is open, the visitor can enter the area L1 through the authentication gate G1, but when the gate remains closed, the visitor cannot enter the area L1. The biometric information acquired by the authentication gate G1 may be one or more types of biometric information.

[0044] Here, the authentication gate G1 is provided outside the area L1 with respect to the optical fiber cable 110A. Therefore, a person entering the area L1 through the authentication gate G1 passes directly above the optical fiber cable 110A after passing through the authentication gate G1.

[0045] Furthermore, section D1, which is located around authentication gate G1 and inside area L1, is set as a section that is not subject to alert issuance. In other words, even if the monitoring device 130 detects the presence of a person in section D1 based on the optical signal from the optical fiber cable 110A, the monitoring device 130 will not issue an alert regarding that person. Section D1 includes the area directly above and adjacent to a section in which the optical fiber cable 110A is installed, through which a person who has passed through authentication gate G1 is expected to pass. By setting section D1 in this manner, issuance of an alert to a person who has been authenticated at authentication gate G1 and permitted entry is suppressed when that person is in section D1. This reduces the likelihood of an alert being issued erroneously.

[0046] In the following description, a person who is permitted to enter will be referred to as a regular entrant, and a person who is not permitted to enter will be referred to as an intruder. A regular entrant is assumed to be, for example, a company staff member or a person who is temporarily permitted to enter area L1, but examples of regular entrants are not limited to this. Being temporarily allowed to enter area L1 means that a person is allowed to enter area L1 for an arbitrary limited period of time.

[0047] On the other hand, there is no gate at the service entrance near the optical fiber cable 110B. Therefore, it is possible for either an authorized entrant or an intruder to enter area L1 through the service entrance. However, by using the processing described below, the monitoring device 130 can determine the vibrations generated by a person near the optical fiber cable 110B and determine whether the person is an authorized entrant or an intruder. If the person is an authorized entrant, no alert is issued, but if the person is an intruder, an alert is issued. Therefore, authentication and security are performed at the service entrance.

[0048] Next, the configurations of the authentication device 120 and the monitoring device 130 will be described in detail.

[0049] 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the authentication device 120. The authentication device 120 manages the authentication gate G1 and includes a biometric information acquisition unit 121, a biometric authentication unit 122, an opening / closing control unit 123, a storage unit 124, and a communication unit 125. Each unit of the authentication device 120 will be described below.

[0050] The biometric information acquisition unit 121 acquires biometric information of the visitor from equipment installed at the authentication gate G1. The visitor's biometric information is any type of biometric information on one or more parts of the human body, such as the face, iris, fingerprints, and veins. Biometric information can be considered a type of identification information used to authenticate the visitor.

[0051] The biometric authentication unit 122 compares the biometric information acquired by the biometric information acquisition unit 121 with the biometric information of a person permitted to enter area L1, stored in the storage unit 124. If the biometric information stored in the storage unit 124 corresponds to the biometric information acquired by the biometric information acquisition unit 121, the biometric authentication unit 122 determines that the visitor is permitted to enter. In this case, the biometric authentication unit 122 determines that authentication is successful. However, if the biometric information stored in the storage unit 124 does not correspond to the biometric information acquired by the biometric information acquisition unit 121, the biometric authentication unit 122 determines that the visitor is not permitted to enter. In this case, the biometric authentication unit 122 determines that authentication is unsuccessful.

[0052] The biometric authentication unit 122 may extract feature information (e.g., feature amounts, feature vectors) from the biometric information acquired by the biometric information acquisition unit 121 and perform authentication by comparing the feature information with feature information stored in the storage unit 124. For example, the biometric authentication unit 122 may calculate, for each person permitted to enter, a similarity between the feature amounts extracted from the acquired biometric information and the feature amounts of the person permitted to enter. If any of the calculated similarities is equal to or exceeds a threshold, the biometric authentication unit 122 determines that the visitor is permitted to enter. On the other hand, if none of the calculated similarities is equal to or exceeds the threshold, the biometric authentication unit 122 determines that the visitor is not permitted to enter.

[0053] As another example, the biometric authentication unit 122 may calculate, for each person permitted to enter, the distance between a feature vector extracted from the acquired biometric information and the feature vector of the person permitted to enter. If any of the calculated distances is equal to or greater than a threshold, the biometric authentication unit 122 determines that the visitor is permitted to enter. On the other hand, if any of the calculated distances is equal to or greater than the threshold, the biometric authentication unit 122 determines that the visitor is not permitted to enter.

[0054] The opening / closing control unit 123 controls the opening and closing of the authentication gate G1. For example, the opening / closing control unit 123 controls the gate so that the gate is normally kept closed, and when the biometric authentication unit 122 determines that the authentication is successful, the gate is opened.

[0055] The storage unit 124 is a database that stores biometric information of people who are permitted to enter the area L1, and is used for authentication by the biometric authentication unit 122. The storage unit 124 may store information about people in association with their biometric information. Information about people is hereinafter collectively referred to as personal information, and this information includes at least one of the person's name, ID (identifier), attributes, and period for which entry is permitted. Examples of the person's attributes include the person's job title, gender, age, etc.

[0056] The authentication device 120 may further include a notification unit. The notification unit includes at least one of a display unit such as a display and an audio output unit such as a speaker, and notifies the security staff of at least one of the authentication result in the biometric authentication unit 122 and the gate opening / closing control in the opening / closing control unit 123. If the authentication in the biometric authentication unit 122 is successful, the notification unit may further notify the security staff of personal information associated with the biometric information determined to correspond to the biometric information of the entrant.

[0057] The authentication device 120 and authentication gate G1 may authenticate visitors using either possession authentication using a certificate or knowledge authentication using a password, instead of biometric authentication. When possession authentication or knowledge authentication is performed, the authentication device 120 compares information based on the visitor's possessions or knowledge acquired from the authentication gate G1 with information based on the possessions or knowledge of persons permitted to enter, stored in the memory unit 124. If any of the information stored in the memory unit 124 matches the information acquired from the authentication gate G1, the authentication device 120 determines that the visitor is permitted to enter. In this case, the authentication is successful, and the opening / closing control unit 123 opens the authentication gate G1 and allows the visitor to enter. However, if any of the information stored in the memory unit 124 does not match the information acquired from the authentication gate G1, the authentication device 120 determines that the visitor is not permitted to enter. In this case, the authentication fails, and the opening / closing control unit 123 keeps the authentication gate G1 closed. In this way, authentication is performed using unique identification information (object information).

[0058] As yet another example, the authentication device 120 and the authentication gate G1 may perform multi-factor authentication that combines two or more of biometric authentication, possession authentication, and knowledge authentication. When multi-factor authentication is performed, the authentication device 120 opens the authentication gate G1 and allows the visitor to enter if all the performed authentications are successful.

[0059] The communication unit 125 communicates with the monitoring device 130 as necessary.

[0060] Furthermore, the authentication device 120 may store in the memory unit 124 at least one of the authentication result by the biometric authentication unit 122 and the history of gate opening and closing by the opening / closing control unit 123. The stored history may further include personal information associated with the biometric information stored in the memory unit 124, which corresponds to the biometric information of a person permitted to enter by the biometric authentication unit 122. In other words, this personal information is information about a person permitted to enter. The stored history information may also be displayed as a report on the screen of the authentication device 120 or a terminal connected thereto.

[0061] 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the monitoring device 130. The monitoring device 130 includes a vibration acquisition unit 131, a determination unit 132, a notification control unit 133, a notification unit 134, a storage unit 135, and a communication unit 136. The vibration acquisition unit 131, the determination unit 132, and the notification control unit 133 correspond to the vibration acquisition unit 11, the determination unit 12, and the notification control unit 13 in the first embodiment, respectively. Each unit of the monitoring device 130 will be described below.

[0062] The vibration acquisition unit 131 acquires vibrations generated in the optical fiber cable 110, which is the vibration acquisition target, using the mechanism described in the first embodiment. Here, the vibration acquisition unit 131 distinguishes between vibrations generated in the optical fiber cable 110A and vibrations generated in the optical fiber cable 110B. When vibrations occur in the optical fiber cable 110A, the vibration acquisition unit 131 can also detect whether the source of the generated vibrations is in section D1 or in another area. Furthermore, the vibration acquisition unit 131 can also estimate the position of the generated vibrations in the optical fiber cable.

[0063] If the vibration source from which the vibration acquired by the vibration acquisition unit 131 generated is in section D1, the determination unit 132 determines that the vibration is from a person who has passed through authentication gate G1. In this case, the determination unit 132 determines whether the acquired vibration corresponds to any of the vibrations of authorized entrants stored in advance by referring to the storage unit 135. This vibration determination process is as described in the first embodiment, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0064] If the acquired vibration does not correspond to any of the pre-stored vibrations of an authorized entrant, the determination unit 132 updates the storage unit 135 so that the acquired vibration is stored in the storage unit 135 as the vibration of an authorized entrant. At this time, the vibration of the authorized entrant is associated with permission / denial information indicating that the authorized entrant is permitted to enter area L1 and is stored in the storage unit 135. In this way, the gait data of the authorized entrant is registered in the storage unit 135. On the other hand, if the acquired vibration corresponds to any of the pre-stored vibrations of an authorized entrant, the determination unit 132 ends the processing.

[0065] Furthermore, the determination unit 132 performs a determination of the vibration when the acquired vibration in the optical fiber cable 110 satisfies any of the following conditions: (a) When the vibration occurs in the optical fiber cable 110A and the vibration occurs at a location other than section D1 (b) When the vibration occurs in the optical fiber cable 110B In other words, when the vibration occurs at a location other than section D1, the determination unit 132 performs a determination of the vibration.

[0066] If the condition (a) or (b) is satisfied, the determination unit 132 determines whether the acquired vibration corresponds to the vibration of an authorized entrant stored in the storage unit 135. Here, the vibration of an authorized entrant and the authorized entrant correspond to the reference vibration and the reference object, respectively, in the first embodiment. Details of the determination are as described in the first embodiment, and therefore will not be described here.

[0067] Furthermore, when the acquired vibration satisfies the condition (a) or (b), the determination unit 132 may determine whether or not the vibration corresponds to the vibration of an intruder stored in advance in the storage unit 135. When the vibration acquired by the vibration acquisition unit 131 corresponds to the vibration of an intruder, the determination unit 132 determines that the vibration generated in the optical fiber cable 110 is caused by an intruder.

[0068] If the person who generated the acquired vibration is a legitimate entrant who is permitted to enter area L1, the notification control unit 133 determines that the legitimate entrant is permitted to enter area L1 by referring to the permission information of the legitimate entrant, and then controls the notification unit 134 not to issue a notification for that person.

[0069] On the other hand, if the notification control unit 133 determines that the person who generated the acquired vibration is not a legitimate entrant who is permitted to enter area L1, it determines that the person is not permitted to enter area L1. Alternatively, if the person who generated the acquired vibration is an intruder who is not permitted to enter area L1, the notification control unit 133 determines that the person is not permitted to enter area L1 by referring to the intruder's admission information. Then, it controls the notification unit 134 to execute a notification regarding the person who is not permitted to enter.

[0070] The notification unit 134 includes a screen and a speaker, and executes notification in response to the notification control unit 133. As described above, if the person who generated the acquired vibration is an authorized entrant who is permitted to enter area L1, no notification is made by the notification unit 134. The notification unit 134 may be provided, for example, in a room where a guard is present, or may be provided in area L1 to notify an intruder.

[0071] On the other hand, if the person who generated the acquired vibration is not permitted to enter area L1, the notification unit 134 issues a notification regarding the person under the control of the notification control unit 133. For example, a message saying "There is a person who is thought to be an intruder" may be displayed on the screen of the notification unit 134. Alternatively, instead of or in addition to the display, a warning sound or a voice message saying "There is a person who is thought to be an intruder" may be output from a speaker.

[0072] At this time, the notification unit 134 may also notify, by either screen display or audio, the position of the vibration estimated by the vibration acquisition unit 131. Furthermore, if the person who generated the acquired vibration is an intruder who is not permitted to enter the area L1, the notification unit 134 may also notify, by either screen display or audio, the personal information of the intruder stored in the storage unit 135.

[0073] If the person who generated the acquired vibration is a legitimate entrant who is permitted to enter area L1, the notification control unit 133 may control the notification unit 134 to execute a notification about that person. In this case, for example, a message saying "There is a person who is thought to be a legitimate entrant" may be displayed on the screen of the notification unit 134. At this time, the notification unit 134 may also notify the position of the vibration estimated by the vibration acquisition unit 131 or the personal information of the legitimate entrant stored in the memory unit 135 by either a screen display or a voice.

[0074] The storage unit 135 is a database that stores the vibrations of authorized entrants and the associated personal information of the authorized entrants. The vibrations of authorized entrants are also associated with permission / denial information indicating that the authorized entrant is permitted to enter area L1, and this information is stored in the storage unit 135. The definition of the personal information is as described above, and therefore a detailed explanation will be omitted.

[0075] Furthermore, the storage unit 135 may further store vibrations of an intruder who is not permitted to enter the area L1. The vibrations of the intruder are associated with permission / denial information indicating that the intruder is not permitted to enter the area L1, and the information is stored in the storage unit 135. Furthermore, the storage unit 135 may further store personal information of the intruder, associated with the vibrations of the intruder.

[0076] 7A and 7B are flowcharts showing an example of typical processing by the monitoring device 130, and these flowcharts provide an overview of the processing by the monitoring device 130. Note that the details of each process are as described above, and therefore will not be described again as appropriate.

[0077] First, the vibration acquisition unit 131 acquires vibrations generated in the optical fiber cable 110 (step S21). Then, the determination unit 132 determines whether the acquired vibrations have occurred in section D1 (step S22).

[0078] If the acquired vibration occurred in section D1 (Yes in step S22), the determination unit 132 refers to the storage unit 135 to determine whether the acquired vibration has already been registered in the storage unit 135 as the vibration of an authorized entrant (step S23). If the acquired vibration has already been registered in the storage unit 135 as the vibration of an authorized entrant (Yes in step S23), the monitoring device 130 ends the processing. On the other hand, if the acquired vibration has not been registered in the storage unit 135 as the vibration of an authorized entrant (No in step S23), the determination unit 132 newly registers the vibration as the vibration of an authorized entrant (step S24). Then, the monitoring device 130 ends the processing.

[0079] If the acquired vibration occurred at a location other than section D1 (No in step S22), the determination unit 132 determines whether the vibration corresponds to the vibration of an authorized entrant pre-stored in the storage unit 135 (step S25). If the vibration corresponds to the vibration of an authorized entrant (Yes in step S25), the notification control unit 133 controls the notification unit 134 not to issue a notification about the person who generated the vibration (step S26). On the other hand, if the vibration does not correspond to the vibration of an authorized entrant (No in step S25), the notification control unit 133 controls the notification unit 134 to issue a notification about the person who generated the vibration (step S27). The notification unit 134 issues a notification based on this control.

[0080] As in the description of the first embodiment, multiple vibrations may be set as the vibrations of an authorized entrant, or multiple vibrations may be acquired by the vibration acquisition unit 11. Details of the processing executed in such cases are the same as those described in the first embodiment, and therefore will not be described again. When there are multiple vibrations that will cause an alert to be issued, the notification control unit 133 can control the notification unit 134 to issue a notification for each vibration.

[0081] [Explanation of Effect] As described above, when the vibrations acquired from the optical fiber cable 110 are those of a legitimate entrant, the monitoring device 130 controls the notification unit 134 not to notify the person who generated the vibrations. The monitoring device 10 can then notify the person if the detected person is not appropriate for entering the area L1. This allows the monitoring device 130 to issue a warning tailored to the attributes of the detected person.

[0082] When optical fiber cable sensing technology is used to detect pedestrians around the perimeter of a facility or area, all people who enter the area covered by the optical fiber cable will be detected. In this case, an alert will be issued as a result of the detection, even for legitimate entrants who have been permitted to enter the area.

[0083] However, this monitoring device 130 can accurately determine intruders who should be alerted by filtering out authorized entrants from the detected individuals. This allows the monitoring device 130 to issue alerts only to intruders, making the issuance of alerts in the monitoring device 130 more efficient and in line with the actual situation.

[0084] Furthermore, the vibration acquiring unit 131 can acquire vibrations generated in the optical fiber cable 110A (reference optical fiber cable) that is different from the optical fiber cable 110B used to determine intrusion into area L1. In particular, when the vibration acquiring unit 131 acquires vibrations generated in section D1 of the optical fiber cable 110A, the vibration acquiring unit 131 sets the vibrations in the storage unit 135 as vibrations of an authorized entrant. At that time, permission / denial information indicating that the authorized entrant is permitted to enter is also associated with the vibrations and set in the storage unit 135. In this way, the monitoring device 130 can detect the generation of vibrations of an authorized entrant, and if the authorized entrant later enters area L1, it can determine this and control not to issue an alert.

[0085] In (2A), the optical fiber cable 110B or the optical fiber cable 110 (not shown) may be set as an optical fiber cable related to a restricted area. If a person is present near the optical fiber cable 110B, the vibration acquisition unit 131 stores the vibration data in the memory unit 135 as the vibration of an intruder who is not permitted to enter the area L1. At this time, the vibration of the intruder is associated with permission / prohibition information indicating that the intruder is not permitted to enter the area L1 and is stored in the memory unit 135. Thereafter, when the vibration of the intruder is detected in the optical fiber cable 110, the monitoring device 130 can issue an alert regarding the intruder as described above.

[0086] Furthermore, when the vibration acquisition unit 131 acquires vibrations in the section D1 of the optical fiber cable 110A, the determination unit 132 does not need to execute a determination process for the vibrations. As a result, when vibrations caused by an authorized entrant are detected in the optical fiber cable 110A, the monitoring device 130 can be controlled not to issue an alert in response to the vibrations.

[0087] The authentication gate G1 may be provided directly above the optical fiber cable 110A, or the optical fiber cable 110A may be provided outside the area L1 relative to the authentication gate G1.

[0088] The optical fiber cables 110A and 110B may be separate optical fiber cables, or may be a single optical fiber cable connected to each other.

[0089] Instead of the authentication gate G1, a door for authentication or similar equipment may be provided. Furthermore, equipment similar to the authentication gate G1 is not essential in the embodiment (2A). In this case, when a person who has been granted entry enters the area L1 for the first time, the person walks through the section D1, and as described above, the determination unit 132 stores the vibrations in the memory unit 135 as the vibrations of an authorized entrant. In this way, the gait data of the authorized entrant is registered in the memory unit 135.

[0090] In the explanation so far, the authentication device 120 and the monitoring device 130 have been shown as separate devices, but they may be provided in the same device. Furthermore, at least either the authentication device 120 or the monitoring device 130 may be configured as a distributed system as shown in the first embodiment.

[0091] In (2A), a case where the monitoring device 130 is applied to authenticate entry into an area with multiple entrances and exits was described. This area may not only be an area around a building requiring authentication, but also an open space with many potential entrances, such as a nature reserve, a border crossing, or an archaeological site. In such an area, authorized entrants or intruders may enter or exit through locations other than the authorized gate. Even in such a case, by installing optical fiber cable 110A near the authorized gate and optical fiber cable 110B at a potential entrance other than the authorized gate, the monitoring device 130 can detect a person entering the area using the optical fiber cable. As a result, the monitoring device 130 distinguishes authorized entrants from intruders using the processing described above, and operates to issue an alert to intruders but not to authorized entrants. This allows the monitoring device 130 to issue alerts efficiently and in line with actual situations.

[0092] The processing target shown in (2A) can be a vehicle instead of a person. In this case, vehicle authentication in the authentication device 120 may be achieved by performing at least one of the above-mentioned biometric authentication, property authentication, or knowledge authentication on the vehicle driver or other participants. Alternatively, the authentication device 120 may compare a portion of the exterior of a vehicle near the authentication gate G1 with a portion of the exterior of a vehicle that has been permitted to enter, which is stored in advance in the memory unit 124. It is preferable that the portion of the vehicle's exterior includes a part that displays information that is considered effective for identifying the vehicle, such as a license plate.

[0093] The monitoring device 130 can then control notification to the vehicle by performing the same processing as described above regarding vibrations caused in the optical fiber cable 110 by the vehicle.

[0094] In this way, the authentication device 120 and the monitoring device 130 can perform the same authentication process and monitoring process for objects other than people as for people. The authentication device 120 and the monitoring device 130 may also perform the above process for both people and vehicles. (2B) In the following examples, people will be used for explanation, but it should be noted that the same process can also be performed for vehicles.

[0095] (2B) In (2A), the vibrations of a person detected walking in section D1 were determined to be from a person who passed through authentication gate G1 and were stored in the memory unit 135 as vibrations of a legitimate entrant. However, a person detected walking in section D1 may not only be a person who passed through authentication gate G1 after being authenticated, but may also be a person who passed through authentication gate G1 fraudulently without being authenticated. Passing through authentication gate G1 fraudulently means, for example, stepping over authentication gate G1. If a person detected walking in section D1 is a person who passed through fraudulently, that person will be registered in the memory unit 135 as a legitimate entrant. This may result in a problem in which that person is permitted to enter area L1.

[0096] In (2B), a person who has passed through illegally is prevented from being registered in the memory unit 135 as a legitimate entrant, as will be described below.

[0097] When the authentication in the biometric authentication unit 122 is successful and the gate is controlled to be open, the communication unit 125 of the authentication device 120 transmits information indicating this to the monitoring device 130. In other words, the communication unit 125 transmits information indicating that the authentication has been determined to be successful as information about the person who has passed through. The communication unit 125 can also include time information indicating the timing at which the gate opened in this information.

[0098] Furthermore, the vibration acquiring unit 131 can identify the time indicating the timing when the vibration occurred. Assume that the monitoring device 130 receives information and time information about a person who passed through authentication gate G1, and the vibration acquiring unit 131 detects the occurrence of vibration in section D1 of the optical fiber cable 110A. Here, the vibration acquiring unit 131 determines that the locations where the two events occurred correspond (i.e., are close to each other) based on the information indicating that authentication was performed at authentication gate G1 and the information indicating that the location where the vibration occurrence was detected is section D1.

[0099] The determination unit 132 can then compare the acquired time of occurrence of the vibration with the time indicating the timing of the gate opening by referring to the time information. The gate opening time information is transmitted from the authentication device 120, as described above. If the two times match or the difference between the two times is within a predetermined threshold period, the determination unit 132 determines that the vibration generated in section D1 is caused by a person who passed through authentication gate G1. In other words, the determination unit 132 determines that the vibration in section D1 was caused by a person who passed through the gate properly. Alternatively, the determination unit 132 may determine that the vibration generated in section D1 is caused by a person who passed through authentication gate G1 if the two times match or if the timing of the vibration generated in section D1 is after the gate opening and within a predetermined threshold period.

[0100] When the determination unit 132 determines that the vibration generated in section D1 is caused by a person who has passed through authentication gate G1, the determination unit 132 determines that the vibration is caused by a person who has passed through authentication gate G1. In this case, the determination unit 132 refers to the storage unit 135 to determine whether the acquired vibration corresponds to any of the vibrations of authorized entrants stored in advance.

[0101] If the acquired vibration does not correspond to any of the pre-stored vibrations of an authorized entrant, the determination unit 132 updates the storage unit 135 so that the acquired vibration is stored in the storage unit 135 as the vibration of an authorized entrant. At this time, permission / denial information indicating that the authorized entrant is permitted to enter is also associated with the vibration and set in the storage unit 135. In this way, when the authorized entrant passes through the authentication gate G1 and enters, the gait of the authorized entrant is registered in the storage unit 135 in real time. On the other hand, if the acquired vibration corresponds to any of the pre-stored vibrations of an authorized entrant, the determination unit 132 ends the process.

[0102] Furthermore, the determination unit 132 executes vibration determination when either condition (a) or (b) shown in (2A) is satisfied. This determination and subsequent processing are as described in (2A), and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0103] [Explanation of Effect] As described above, the monitoring device 130 can update the gait data of authorized entrants who have previously passed through gates, stored in the memory unit 135, by working with the authentication device 120. As a result, even if an intruder illegally passes through authentication gate G1 and reaches section D1, the vibrations will not be registered as vibration data of an authorized entrant. Therefore, when the vibrations of the intruder are detected by the optical fiber cable 110, an alert can be issued as a result of the determination by the determination unit 132. Therefore, the monitoring device 130 can detect intruders with higher accuracy.

[0104] Specifically, when the monitoring device 130 acquires information indicating that the authentication of a passing person has been determined to be successful as information about the person (reference object information), the monitoring device 130 can set the authorized entry information that will be subject to vibration based on this information. This allows the monitoring device 130 to accurately set authorized entries for which an alert will not be issued.

[0105] Furthermore, when the determination unit 132 acquires vibrations in section D1, it can compare the information on the location and time when the vibrations were acquired with the data on the location and time when the authentication gate G1 was opened after successful authentication. If the two match, the determination unit 132 can set the pass / fail information based on the information about the person. This allows the monitoring device 130 to more accurately set authorized entrants for whom an alert should not be issued.

[0106] Furthermore, if the identification information of a person permitted to enter area L1 matches the identification information of the object to be authenticated, the determination unit 132 may set information indicating that the object is one through which the person is permitted to pass as new admission information. This allows the person who should be permitted to be authenticated to be set as a legitimate entrant, thereby enabling the monitoring device 130 to accurately set a legitimate entrant.

[0107] Furthermore, even if vibration occurs in section D1, the determination unit 132 may compare the time at which the vibration occurred with the time indicating the timing at which the gate opened, and may cause the determination unit 132 to determine whether vibration has occurred if the difference between the two times is greater than a predetermined threshold period. Alternatively, the determination unit 132 may determine whether vibration has occurred if the difference between the two times is greater than a predetermined threshold period, or if the timing at which the vibration occurred in section D1 precedes the timing at which the gate opened. This enables the monitoring device 130 to issue an alert when an intruder illegally passes through authentication gate G1 and reaches section D1.

[0108] It is possible that a person whose biometric information is stored in the memory unit 124 of the authentication device 120 is actually permitted to enter may not have their vibration stored as a reference vibration in the memory unit 135 of the monitoring device 130. When such a person enters the area L1 from the vicinity of the optical fiber cable 110B, the monitoring device 130 determines that the vibration emitted by the person does not correspond to the reference vibration, determines that the person is an intruder, and issues an alert.

[0109] Therefore, when the person enters area L1, they first undergo authentication at authentication gate G1 and then pass through that gate. As a result, as described above, the person's vibrations are detected by optical fiber cable 110A and stored in monitoring device 130. After this process, even if the person enters area L1 from the vicinity of optical fiber cable 110B, monitoring device 130 determines that the vibrations emitted by the person correspond to the reference vibrations and determines that the person is an authorized entrant. Therefore, no alert is issued.

[0110] Furthermore, by acquiring the time variation of the vibration detected by the optical fiber cable 110, the determination unit 132 can determine whether the person has moved from the outside to the inside of the area L1 or from the inside to the outside of the area L1. Then, as shown in (2A), the determination unit 132 can determine whether the person is an authorized entrant. If the person is an authorized entrant, the communication unit 136 transmits at least one of information on the time when the authorized entrant moved from the outside to the inside of the area L1 or the time when the authorized entrant moved from the inside to the outside of the area L1, along with the information on the authorized entrant, to the authentication device 120. In other words, this information indicates the entry and exit record of the authorized entrant. Based on the transmitted information, the authentication device 120 may record information indicating the entry and exit record in the personal information of the authorized entrant in the memory unit 124. In this way, the authentication device 120 and the monitoring device 130 can share the entry and exit information of authorized entrants based on an API (Application Programming Interface).

[0111] Furthermore, the authentication device 120 may transmit personal information of the authenticated individual to the monitoring device 130. If the transmitted personal information includes a period during which entry is permitted, the monitoring device 130 compares information identifying the individual in the transmitted personal information with information identifying the individual in the personal information of authorized entrants stored in the memory unit 135. The information identifying the individual may be, for example, a name or ID. If there is a match, the monitoring device 130 may erase or invalidate the matching authorized entrant's personal information and the associated vibration information after the period during which entry is permitted has elapsed. This allows the monitoring device 130 to consider the entry as an unauthorized intrusion and issue an alert, even if a person who is no longer permitted entry enters area L1.

[0112] (2C) When the notification control unit 133 issues an alert, it is also possible to change the manner in which the alert is issued based on the position of the vibration that has occurred and that is estimated by the vibration acquisition unit 131 .

[0113] For example, the storage unit 135 may store a map indicating the positions of the area L1 and the optical fiber cable 110. The notification control unit 133 identifies the position of the generated vibration estimated by the vibration acquisition unit 131 on the map. The notification control unit 133 may then issue a stronger alert as the estimated vibration position moves further inward from the outer periphery of the area L1 (i.e., the optical fiber cable 110). In other words, when the estimated vibration position is inside the area L1, the greater the distance between that position and the closest point on the outer periphery of the area L1, the stronger the alert will be issued.

[0114] Intensifying the alert mode means changing the alert mode to one that more strongly calls the attention of the person viewing the alert. Examples of intensifying the alert mode on the screen include enlarging the characters, symbols, etc. used for notification, changing the colors used on the screen from low saturation to high saturation, and increasing the area where a noticeable color (e.g., red) is used. Examples of intensifying the alert mode by audio from a speaker include increasing the volume or voice, and outputting a warning sound from the speaker. However, examples of intensifying the alert mode are not limited to these.

[0115] As described above, the monitoring device 130 can issue a stronger alert as the estimated vibration position moves inward from the outer periphery of the area L1. This allows for a stronger warning to be issued to a person with a high degree of intrusion, making it possible to issue a warning appropriate to the situation.

[0116] In addition, if there are multiple vibrations that will issue an alert, the notification control unit 133 can also issue a stronger alert for vibrations whose position is further inside the outer periphery of area L1 than for vibrations whose position is not.

[0117] Third Embodiment [Configuration Description] Further variations of the present disclosure will be described below. In the following embodiments, the matters described in the second embodiment will be omitted as appropriate.

[0118] 8 includes optical fiber cables 210A, 210B, 210C, and 210D and a monitoring device 220. The optical fiber cables 210A to 210D are connected to the monitoring device 220. Hereinafter, the optical fiber cables 210A to 210D will also be collectively referred to as optical fiber cables 210.

[0119] 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a situation in which optical fiber cables are installed. Fig. 9 illustrates a state in which optical fiber cables 210A to 210D are installed in area L2. Area L2 is an area where facilities to be secured are located, and security guards and other staff regularly patrol area L2.

[0120] In this example, within area L2, the optical fiber cables 210A-210D are connected to form a substantially rectangular shape. The optical fiber cables 210A-210D are laid underground along the patrol route that security guards regularly follow. As will be described later, the monitoring device 220 can manage information indicating whether the security guards have patrolled the patrol route at the scheduled time.

[0121] 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the monitoring device 220. The monitoring device 220 includes a vibration acquisition unit 221, a determination unit 222, a notification control unit 223, a notification unit 224, and a storage unit 225. Each unit of the monitoring device 220 will be described below.

[0122] The vibration acquisition unit 221 acquires vibrations generated in the optical fiber cable 210, which is the vibration acquisition target. Here, the vibration acquisition unit 221 detects where the vibrations have occurred in the optical fiber cables 210A to 210D, and is also capable of estimating at which point in the optical fiber cables 210A to 210D the vibrations have occurred. The vibration acquisition unit 221 can also identify the time indicating the timing at which the vibrations occurred.

[0123] When the vibration acquisition unit 221 detects vibration, the determination unit 222 specifies the route traveled by the source of the detected vibration by collecting a log of the estimated position of the vibration and the time information at which the vibration occurred over time. Here, the storage unit 225 may store a map indicating the positions of the area L1 and the optical fiber cable 210. By using the map, the determination unit 222 can specify the travel route of the person who is the vibration source on the map.

[0124] The determination unit 222 compares the route identified on the map with the security guard's route stored in advance in the storage unit 225 and determines whether the two match. The security guard is a person who is permitted to move within the area L2. For example, the determination unit 222 performs a known calculation of similarity regarding the trajectory data as the degree of match between the routes, and determines that the two match if the calculated similarity is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. If the two match, the determination unit 222 determines that the detected vibration is from the security guard, whereas if the two do not match, the determination unit 222 determines that the detected vibration is not from the security guard. If the determination unit 222 determines that the acquired vibration is from the security guard, it collects a log of the movement route of the vibration and time information on the movement route and stores the log in the storage unit 225.

[0125] Furthermore, if the determination unit 222 determines that the acquired vibrations are from a security guard, it stores the acquired vibrations of the security guard in the memory unit 225. The determination unit 222 stores permission / prohibition information indicating whether the security guard is permitted to move within area L2 in association with the vibrations of the security guard in the memory unit 225. Furthermore, personal information of the security guard may also be stored in the memory unit 225 in association with the data of the vibrations of the security guard. The personal information is the information described in (2A).

[0126] If the acquired vibration is that of a security guard, the notification control unit 223 controls the notification unit 224 not to issue a notification for that vibration. On the other hand, if the acquired vibration is not that of a security guard, the notification control unit 223 determines that the person is not permitted to enter area L2. Then, the notification control unit 223 controls the notification unit 224 to issue a notification for the person who is not permitted to enter.

[0127] The notification unit 224 executes the processing shown in the second embodiment under the control of the notification control unit 223. Details of this will be omitted. The notification unit 224 can also appropriately notify, as a report, the movement route and time information on the movement route that the determination unit 222 has stored in the storage unit 225. Like the notification unit 134, the notification unit 224 may be provided to notify a monitor or to notify an intruder.

[0128] The storage unit 225 stores information about the routes of security guards for comparison and logs of their movement routes. Furthermore, the storage unit 225 may also store vibrations of security guards and information related thereto.

[0129] [Explanation of Effects] As explained above, the monitoring device 220 can determine whether a security guard is patrolling the patrol route and store a log of the patrol status. This enables attendance management of security guards. If there are multiple security guards, the above process can be performed for each of them.

[0130] Furthermore, as described below, the monitoring device 220 can acquire data on the vibrations of the security guard in real time and use this data to determine whether an intruder has occurred, thereby improving the reliability of the security system.

[0131] When the vibration acquisition unit 221 acquires vibrations, the determination unit 222 may determine whether the acquired vibrations correspond to any of the security guard vibrations stored in the storage unit 225. When the vibrations acquired by the vibration acquisition unit 221 do not correspond to any of the stored security guard vibrations, the determination unit 222 determines that the vibrations generated in the optical fiber cable 210 are not originating from a security guard. On the other hand, when the vibrations acquired by the vibration acquisition unit 221 correspond to any of the security guard vibrations stored in advance, the determination unit 222 determines that the vibrations generated in the optical fiber cable 110 are originating from a security guard.

[0132] If the acquired vibration is from a security guard stored in advance, the notification control unit 223 determines that the security guard is permitted to move within the area L2 by referring to the security guard's permission information, and then controls the notification unit 224 not to issue a notification for that person.

[0133] If the notification control unit 223 determines that the person who generated the acquired vibration is not a security guard, it determines that the person is not permitted to enter area L2. Then, it controls the notification unit 224 to execute a notification regarding the person who is not permitted to enter. The method of this notification is as described in (2A), and a description thereof will be omitted.

[0134] 11 includes optical fiber cables 310A, 310B, and 310C and a monitoring device 320. The optical fiber cables 310A to 310C are connected to the monitoring device 320. Hereinafter, the optical fiber cables 310A to 310C will also be collectively referred to as optical fiber cable 310.

[0135] Fig. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a situation in which optical fiber cables are installed. Fig. 12 illustrates a state in which optical fiber cables 310A to 310C are installed around the periphery of different areas L11 to L13. Areas L11 to L13 are areas where authorized entrants can enter, but if an unauthorized person enters, an alert will be issued by the monitoring device 320. Specific examples of such areas are as shown in the second embodiment.

[0136] In (4A), authorized entrants to each of the areas L11 to L13 wear a sound generator that emits a specific sound. The object emits a sound at least when it is positioned near the outer periphery of the areas L11 to L13.

[0137] In this example, the sound generator generates a specific electronic sound outside the audible range. However, the sound generator may also be shoes that emit a specific sound, a portable bell to ward off birds and animals, etc. The sound emitted by the sound generator is preferably a sound outside the audible range that cannot be detected by humans, but it may also be a sound within the audible range. When the sound generator emits a sound within the audible range, for example, the emitted sound may be a mosquito sound, or the sound may be emitted for a predetermined period of time so that it is difficult for humans to notice. This makes it possible to prevent third parties from noticing that security using sound is being carried out.

[0138] 13 is a block diagram showing an example of the monitoring device 320. The monitoring device 320 includes a vibration acquisition unit 321, a determination unit 322, a notification control unit 323, a notification unit 324, and a storage unit 325. Each unit of the monitoring device 320 will be described below.

[0139] The vibration acquisition unit 321 acquires vibrations generated in the optical fiber cable 310, which is the vibration acquisition target. Here, the vibration acquisition unit 321 can detect where the vibrations have occurred among the optical fiber cables 310A to 310C.

[0140] The determination unit 322 determines whether the acquired vibration corresponds to the vibration of an authorized entrant stored in the memory unit 325. Here, the data on the vibration of an authorized entrant stored in the memory unit 325 includes data on the vibration related to the specific electronic sound emitted by the sound generator 340. Therefore, the determination unit 322 determines whether the detected vibration corresponds to the vibration related to the stored specific electronic sound. When an authorized entrant who possesses the sound generator 340 enters, the detected vibration includes the vibration related to the electronic sound emitted from the sound generator 340. Therefore, the detected vibration corresponds to the vibration related to the stored specific electronic sound, and the person who generated the acquired vibration is determined to be an authorized entrant.

[0141] The vibration data relating to the specific electronic sound is common to each area. Also, the vibration of an authorized entrant is associated with permission information indicating whether the authorized entrant is permitted to enter each area, and is stored in the storage unit 325.

[0142] If the person who generated the acquired vibration is an authorized entrant who is permitted to enter the area where the optical fiber cable 310 that detected the vibration is installed, the notification control unit 323 determines that the authorized entrant is permitted to enter the area by referring to the authorization information for the authorized entrant. Then, the notification control unit 323 controls the notification unit 324 not to issue a notification for that person. In this case, the person who generated the acquired vibration is emitting a specific electronic sound.

[0143] On the other hand, if the person who generated the acquired vibration is not a legitimate entrant who is permitted to enter the area where the optical fiber cable 310 that detected the vibration is installed, the notification control unit 323 determines that the person is not permitted to enter the area. Then, the notification control unit 323 controls the notification unit 324 to execute a notification regarding the person who is not permitted to enter. In this case, the person who generated the acquired vibration is not emitting the specific electronic sound.

[0144] The notification unit 324 executes the process described in the second embodiment under the control of the notification control unit 323. Details of this process are omitted. The notification unit 324 may be provided to notify a monitor or to notify an intruder.

[0145] The vibration and the permission information of authorized visitors are stored in association with each other in the storage unit 325. Personal information of authorized visitors may also be stored.

[0146] [Explanation of Effects] As described above, the monitoring device 320 can determine that a person emitting a specific electronic sound is a legitimate entrant, and determine that a person not emitting a specific electronic sound is an intruder, and issue an alert to the intruder. In this way, by using sound for determination, the issuance of an alert by the monitoring device 320 can be made more efficient and in line with the actual situation.

[0147] Furthermore, by making the specific electronic sound outside the audible range, it is possible to prevent third parties from realizing that the sound is being used for security purposes, thereby improving the reliability of security.

[0148] (4B) (4A) assumes that the sound generator remains in a state of generating sound, or that the owner of the sound generator, who is an authorized entrant, causes the sound generator to generate sound near the optical fiber cable 310. However, in the former case, there is a possibility that the power of the sound generator will be consumed quickly, and in the latter case, there is a possibility that the owner will forget to turn the sound generator on. In (4B), it is possible to prevent such problems from occurring.

[0149] Fig. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a situation in which optical fiber cables are installed. The configuration in Fig. 14 differs from the configuration shown in Fig. 12 in that radio wave transmitters 330A to 330C are provided in areas L11 to L13, respectively. Hereinafter, radio wave transmitters 330A to 330C will also be collectively referred to as radio wave transmitter 330.

[0150] The radio wave transmitter 330 transmits a signal to the sound generator 340, which triggers the sound generator 340 to generate a sound. Any wireless communication standard such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or Bluetooth (registered trademark) can be used to transmit the signal. The radio wave transmitter 330 is controlled by the monitoring device 320.

[0151] When sound generator 340 is in proximity to any of areas L11 to L13, i.e., when it is in proximity to optical fiber cable 310, it is in a state where it can receive a signal from radio wave transmitter 330. Therefore, sound generator 340 generates a specific electronic sound. Optical fiber cable 110 detects vibrations including the electronic sound. The processing executed by monitoring device 320 based on the detected vibrations is as shown in (4A). Note that when sound generator 340 moves away from optical fiber cable 310, it is no longer able to receive a signal from radio wave transmitter 330. In other words, when the owner of sound generator 340 moves away from areas L11 to L13, sound generator 340 stops emitting sound.

[0152] 15 is a block diagram showing an example of the monitoring device 320 in (4B). The monitoring device 320 includes a vibration acquisition unit 321 to a storage unit 325, as well as a sound control unit 326. The processes executed by the vibration acquisition unit 321 to the storage unit 325 are the same as those in (4A).

[0153] The sound control unit 326 controls the radio wave transmitter 330 in each region to turn on and off the signal transmission of the radio wave transmitter 330. By turning on the signal transmission of the radio wave transmitter 330, the optical fiber cable 110 can detect the electronic sound from the sound generator 340, as described above.

[0154] [Explanation of Effects] As described above, the sound control unit 326 of the monitoring device 320 can control the sound generator 340 to generate a specific electronic sound when the sound generator 340 is located in the vicinity of the optical fiber cable 310. As a result, the sound generator 340 emits sound only when it approaches areas L11 to L13, thereby reducing the power consumption of the sound generator 340. Furthermore, the holder does not need to operate the sound generator 340 when generating the sound. This prevents a situation in which a holder who is an authorized entrant forgets to operate the sound generator 340 to generate a sound, causing an alert to be issued.

[0155] It is preferable that the radio wave transmitter 330 is provided near the optical fiber cable 310 in each area. In this case, when the holder of the sound generator 340 enters the area, the sound generator 340 emits a sound. However, if the holder enters the area and moves away from the optical fiber cable 310, the signal from the radio wave transmitter 330 no longer reaches the holder, and the sound generator 340 stops emitting a sound. In other words, when the sound generator 340 and its holder move to a range where the optical fiber cable 310 does not detect vibrations, the sound generator 340 stops emitting a sound. Therefore, even if the sound generator 340 is located in a range within the area where sound emission is unnecessary, the sound generator 340 stops emitting a sound, thereby improving the power-saving effect of the sound generator 340.

[0156] As another example, the monitoring device 320 may control the sound generation of the sound generator 340 without providing a radio wave transmitter 330 in the area. In this case, the sound generator 340 may be equipped with, for example, a GPS (Global Positioning System, Global Positioning Satellite) receiver, and the position of the sound generator 340 may be determined based on signals received from multiple positioning satellites. Note that the sound generator 340 may determine its own position using a satellite positioning system other than GPS. Furthermore, the sound generator 340 may further include a gyro sensor and an acceleration sensor for determining its position by dead reckoning, instead of or in addition to the GPS receiver. In this way, the sound generator 340 has a self-position estimation function. The sound generator 340 transmits information about its estimated self-position to the monitoring device 320.

[0157] The sound control unit 326 refers to the transmitted position of the sound generator 340 and the positions of the areas L11 to L13 on the map stored in the storage unit 325, and calculates the distance between the position of the sound generator 340 and each of the areas L11 to L13. If necessary, the sound control unit 326 calculates the distance by matching the received position of the sound generator 340 with a position on the map based on the correspondence between the position measured by the sound generator 340 and the position on the map. Then, when it is determined that the distance between the position of the sound generator 340 and any of the areas L11 to L13 is equal to or less than a predetermined distance, it controls the radio wave transmitter 330 provided in the area determined to be equal to or less than the predetermined distance to transmit a signal.

[0158] If the distance between the position of sound generator 340 and the area becomes greater than a predetermined distance, control is performed to stop signal transmission from radio wave transmitter 330. This applies not only to cases where the owner of sound generator 340 is outside the area, but also to cases where the owner is inside the area and away from optical fiber cable 310.

[0159] Even when the above-described control is executed, if the sound generator 340 is located in a range within the area where sound emission is unnecessary, the sound generator 340 can stop emitting sound. This can enhance the power saving effect of the sound generator 340. Furthermore, the sound control unit 326 can stop the signal transmission of the radio wave transmitter 330 when it is not necessary, which can also enhance the power saving effect of the radio wave transmitter 330.

[0160] (4C) In (4A) and (4B), the same vibration data for each region is used as the vibration data for the specific electronic sound. However, different vibration data may be used for each region. Such variations will be described below. The processes shown in (4A) and (4B) may be combined with the following variations.

[0161] The installation status of the optical fiber cable 310 in (4C) is as shown in Figure 12. Here, assume that the areas L11 to L13 are areas of a facility belonging to a certain company, and the attributes of people who are allowed to enter each of the areas L11 to L13 are different. In such a case, it is preferable that the sound emitted by the sound generator 340 that allows entry to each of the areas L11 to L13 be changed for each of the areas L11 to L13.

[0162] Therefore, company staff members have sound generators 340 that emit different electronic sound patterns for each attribute. This makes it possible to change the areas that staff members can enter depending on their attributes, as will be described later. In this example, different electronic sound patterns mean different frequencies of the electronic sound, but examples of different electronic sound patterns are not limited to this.

[0163] A block diagram of the monitoring device 320 is shown in Fig. 13. Below, the processing executed by the monitoring device 320 will be described, particularly the differences from (4A), and the description of the points in common with (4A) will be omitted as appropriate.

[0164] The vibration acquisition unit 321 acquires vibrations generated in the optical fiber cable 310, which is the vibration acquisition target. Here, the vibration acquisition unit 321 can detect where the vibrations have occurred among the optical fiber cables 310A to 310C.

[0165] The determination unit 322 refers to a table that contains ID information for each optical fiber cable 310 (or each area) and the vibrations of authorized entrants associated with the ID information, which is stored in advance in the storage unit 325. Here, data indicating the frequency of a specific electronic sound is associated with the ID information for each optical fiber cable 310 as data related to the vibrations of authorized entrants. Furthermore, the frequencies indicated in this table may be associated with information indicating whether authorized entrants are authorized or not.

[0166] In the table, the frequencies associated with each of the optical fiber cables 310A-310C include one or more frequencies. Furthermore, there may be a common frequency between the frequencies associated with one optical fiber cable 310 and the frequencies associated with another optical fiber cable 310. However, there may be a difference between the frequencies associated with one optical fiber cable 310 and the frequencies associated with another optical fiber cable 310 in the presence or absence of at least one frequency.

[0167] FIG. 16 shows an example of such a table. In FIG. 16, the IDs of optical fiber cables 310A to 310C are indicated by A to C. For ID: A, frequencies of 100, 50, and 10 Hz are set, for ID: B, frequencies of 100 and 50 Hz are set, and for ID: C, a frequency of 100 Hz is set. In this case, a holder of a sound generator 340 that emits an electronic sound with a frequency of 100 or 50 Hz can enter multiple areas. However, FIG. 16 is merely an example, and the number of areas that can be entered for each frequency may be set to only one in the table.

[0168] The determination unit 322 uses the table to identify the frequency associated with the optical fiber cable from which the acquired vibration occurred. For example, if the acquired vibration occurred in the optical fiber cable 310A, the determination unit 322 identifies the frequency associated with the ID information of the optical fiber cable 310A. Then, the determination unit 322 determines whether the vibration actually detected from the optical fiber cable 310A corresponds to the vibration related to the frequency of the optical fiber cable 310A shown in the table. Referring to the example of FIG. 16 , the determination unit 322 determines whether the vibration actually detected from the optical fiber cable 310A includes vibration of at least one of the frequencies of 100, 50, and 10 Hz.

[0169] If the vibrations actually detected from the optical fiber cable 310A include vibrations at at least one of the frequencies of 100, 50, or 10 Hz, the person who generated the acquired vibrations is an authorized entrant who is permitted to enter the area where the optical fiber cable 310A is laid. In this case, the notification control unit 323 determines that the authorized entrant is permitted to enter the area L11 by referring to the authorization information for authorized entrants. Then, the notification control unit 323 controls the notification unit 324 not to issue a notification for that person.

[0170] On the other hand, if the vibrations actually detected from the optical fiber cable 310A do not include vibrations at any of the frequencies of 100, 50, or 10 Hz, the person who generated the acquired vibrations is a person who is not permitted to enter the area where the optical fiber cable 310A is laid. In this case, the notification control unit 323 controls the notification unit 324 to execute a notification regarding the person who is not permitted to enter.

[0171] The notification unit 324 executes the process described in the second embodiment under the control of the notification control unit 323. The storage unit 325 stores the above table and the admission information of authorized visitors in association with each other. Personal information of authorized visitors may also be stored.

[0172] 16, a security staff member may possess a sound generator 340 that emits a 100 Hz electronic sound, a general staff member may possess a sound generator 340 that emits a 50 Hz electronic sound, and a guest may possess a sound generator 340 that emits a 10 Hz electronic sound. In this case, the security staff member may enter any of areas L11 to L13, but the general staff member may enter areas L11 and L12, and the guest may enter only area L11. If the general staff member or the guest attempts to enter an area that is not accessible to them, an alert will be issued.

[0173] Furthermore, when the vibration acquisition unit 321 acquires vibrations, the determination unit 322 may determine whether the vibrations include vibrations related to any of the frequencies shown in the table (frequencies of 100, 50, or 10 Hz in the above example). If the acquired vibrations do not include vibrations related to any of the frequencies, the determination unit 322 determines that an intruder not equipped with a sound generator 340 has invaded the area. The notification control unit 323 controls the notification unit 324 to issue a notification regarding the intruder.

[0174] On the other hand, if the acquired vibration includes vibration related to any frequency, the determination unit 322 identifies, in the table, the frequency associated with the optical fiber cable 310 in which the vibration was detected, as described above. If the optical fiber cable 310 in which the vibration was detected is optical fiber cable 310A, the determination unit 322 determines whether the acquired vibration corresponds to the vibration related to the frequency of the optical fiber cable 310A shown in the table. If it corresponds, the processing is as described above.

[0175] If it is determined that the person does not qualify, the determination unit 322 determines that an unauthorized person has entered the area. The notification control unit 323 controls the notification unit 324 to issue a notification regarding the person. In this case, the content of the notification issued by the notification unit 324 may be different from the notification issued by the notification unit 324 regarding an intruder. For example, assume that the notification unit 324 is provided as a speaker within the area. Here, if it is determined that an intruder has entered the area, the notification control unit 323 causes the notification unit 324 to output an audio announcement saying, "No one other than staff members allowed to enter." However, if it is determined that an unauthorized person has entered the area, the notification control unit 323 causes the notification unit 324 to output an audio announcement saying, "No unauthorized staff members allowed to enter."

[0176] For example, suppose a general staff member possessing a sound generator 340 that emits a 50 Hz electronic sound attempts to enter area L13. In this case, the determination unit 322 determines, based on the acquired vibration, that the person attempting to enter L13 is a general staff member and that the general staff member does not have the authority to enter area L13. In this case, the notification control unit 323 may cause the notification unit 324 to output an audio announcement that "Staff members other than security staff are not allowed to enter." In other words, the notification control unit 323 can control the notification unit 324 to notify the attributes of staff members who are permitted to enter the target area and to notify content indicating that the person attempting to enter does not have the authority to enter the target area.

[0177] The above-described process can be performed for each optical fiber cable 310 .

[0178] [Explanation of Effect] In (4C), the monitoring device 320 sets the frequency of the sound generator 340 that allows entry into the area for each optical fiber cable 310. This makes it possible to assign permission or denial of entry to different people for each area, allowing for the construction of a more sophisticated security system.

[0179] Furthermore, even if a person does not have the authority to enter the area, the notification method can be changed depending on whether the person is a mere intruder or a staff member equipped with a sound generator 340. This allows the person to be notified to be accurately aware of their own status.

[0180] The monitoring device 320 may change the contents of the table in response to a user operation. For example, the monitoring device 320 may delete the frequency "100" for ID: A in the table of FIG. 16. In this case, before the deletion, an alert would not be issued to a holder of a sound generator 340 that emits an electronic sound with a frequency of 100 Hz, even if the holder enters any of areas L11, L12, and L13. However, after the deletion, an alert would be issued if the holder enters area L11.

[0181] The monitoring device 320 may also control the sound generator 340 to change the frequency of the sound it emits. For example, the storage unit 325 stores a person's attributes and the corresponding IDs of the sound generators 340 in association with each other. When the monitoring device 320 wants to change the entry authority to an area for a specific attribute, it changes the frequency of the sound emitted by the sound generator 340 having the ID associated with the specific attribute. For example, in the above example, when the monitoring device 320 wants to suspend the entry authority of the security staff to area L13, the monitoring device 320 can control the sound generator 340 having the ID corresponding to the security staff to change the frequency of the sound it emits from 100 Hz to 50 Hz. The monitoring device 320 can also perform similar control on sound generators 340 having IDs corresponding to other attributes. In this way, the sound pattern emitted by the sound generator 340 can be updated.

[0182] However, monitoring device 320 may, before and after the above control, make at least one of the sound patterns emitted by sound generator 340 having an ID corresponding to a first attribute different from that of sound generator 340 having an ID corresponding to a second attribute different from the first attribute. This allows monitoring device 320 to give different authority to enter an area to persons with different attributes.

[0183] The monitoring device 320 may change, for a limited period of time, at least one of the frequencies associated with the optical fiber cables 310 listed in the table and the frequencies of the sounds emitted by the sound generators 340. This makes it possible, for example, to cause the sound generators 340 for guests to emit frequencies that allow entry and exit to a predetermined area for only a short period of time.

[0184] Furthermore, the electronic sound generated by the sound generator 340 may include electronic sounds related to not only one frequency among the frequencies stored in the table of the memory unit 325, but also multiple frequencies. In this case, the determination unit 322 determines whether at least one of the frequencies of the vibrations actually detected from the optical fiber cable 310 corresponds to the vibration of the optical fiber cable 310 shown in the table. If at least one of the frequencies of the vibrations actually detected from the optical fiber cable 310 corresponds to the vibration of the optical fiber cable 310 shown in the table, the person who generated the acquired vibration is an authorized entrant. On the other hand, if this does not apply, the person who generated the acquired vibration is not an authorized entrant. The notification control unit 323 and the notification unit 324 perform the same processing as described above based on this determination result.

[0185] The frequency of the sound emitted by the sound generator 340 and the table settings are not limited to those described above. For example, suppose the frequencies associated with the optical fiber cables 310A, 310B, and 310C at a table are 100, 50, and 10 Hz, respectively. In this case, if the sound generator 340 owned by a security staff member emits an electronic sound including all frequencies of 100, 50, and 10 Hz, the security staff member will be allowed to enter any of areas L11 to L13. On the other hand, if the sound generator 340 owned by a general staff member emits an electronic sound including frequencies of 100 and 50 Hz, the security staff member will be allowed to enter areas L11 and L12. Furthermore, if the sound generator 340 owned by a guest emits an electronic sound including a frequency of 100 Hz, the security staff member will only be allowed to enter area L11. In this way, even when the sound generator 340 emits a composite sound composed of multiple frequencies, the areas allowed to enter can be set based on the attributes of each person.

[0186] (4D) In ​​(4C), the sound generator 340 emits one or more constant frequencies. However, in a real environment, a situation may arise in which a sound of a similar frequency is emitted by a source other than the sound generator 340. The optical fiber cable 310 detects such sounds as vibrations. Therefore, the determination unit 322 may mistakenly determine that such sounds, which are not emitted by the sound generator 340, are emitted by the sound generator 340. In this case, an alert may not be issued to a person who does not actually have permission to enter the area.

[0187] In (4D), in order to prevent such problems from occurring, sound generator 340 does not emit a sound of a fixed frequency. Instead, sound generator 340 emits an electronic sound in which a predetermined pattern of on and off during the sound emission period is changed according to the attributes of the person who owns sound generator 340.

[0188] The difference from (4C) is that in (4D), in the table stored in the memory unit 325, data indicating a specific on / off pattern is associated with the ID information of each optical fiber cable 310 as data related to the vibration of authorized entrants.

[0189] The determination unit 322 uses the table to identify a pattern associated with the optical fiber cable from which the acquired vibration occurred, and then determines whether the vibration actually detected from the optical fiber cable 310 includes vibration of at least one frequency among one or more patterns associated with the optical fiber cable.

[0190] As another example, when the vibration acquisition unit 321 acquires vibration, the determination unit 322 can determine whether the vibration includes vibration related to any of the patterns shown in the table. If the acquired vibration does not include vibration related to any of the patterns, the determination unit 322 determines that an intruder without a sound generator 340 has entered the area. On the other hand, if the acquired vibration includes vibration related to any of the patterns, the determination unit 322 identifies, in the table, the pattern associated with the optical fiber cable 310 from which the vibration was detected, as described above. Then, the determination unit 322 determines whether the acquired vibration corresponds to vibration related to the pattern of that optical fiber cable shown in the table.

[0191] [Explanation of Effect] The processing performed based on the result of the determination is the same as in (4C), and therefore will not be described here. As described above, the monitoring device 320 can use data indicating a specific on / off pattern instead of a frequency. This allows the monitoring device 320 to more accurately determine whether a sound has been emitted from the sound generator 340. Furthermore, even if the sound generators 340 owned by people with different attributes each emit sounds in the same or similar frequency bands, the monitoring device 320 can clearly identify that the two sound generators 340 are different. This expands the range of sound types that can be used by the sound generator 340, allowing the monitoring device 320 to more precisely distinguish between owners.

[0192] The various variations of (4D) are the same as those of (4C). For example, the monitoring device 320 can change at least one of the table stored in the memory unit 325 and the sound pattern emitted by the sound generator 340. This makes it possible to cause the guest sound generator 340 to emit a sound pattern that allows a guest to enter and exit a predetermined area for only a short period of time.

[0193] (4E) The frequency or on / off pattern shown in (4C) or (4D) may be set differently for each sound generator 340, i.e., for each individual who owns a sound generator 340. A table associating the ID of the sound generator 340 with a pattern is stored in the storage unit 325. The data in this table can be changed as appropriate, as described above.

[0194] When vibrations resulting from sound emitted from sound generator 340 are detected in optical fiber cable 310, determination unit 322 refers to the table and determines that the vibrations correspond to vibrations associated with the ID of a specific sound generator 340. In other words, determination unit 322 determines that the vibrations are generated by a person corresponding to that ID.

[0195] At this time, the determination unit 322 identifies the movement history of the source of the detected vibration by collecting a log of the estimated location of the vibration and the time information at which the vibration occurred over time. The movement history identifies the time when an individual entered a certain area and the time when they left that area.

[0196] Based on the movement history, the determination unit 322 can then create a report indicating the time from which the identified individual was present in a certain area. This report, which indicates, for example, the individual's work status, can be viewed by a manager via the notification unit 324. Furthermore, if a device that manages entrance and exit is connected to the monitoring device 320, the monitoring device 320 may transmit the report contents to the management device based on an API. This allows the management device to store the report as an entrance and exit record.

[0197] [Explanation of Effect] By creating the above-mentioned report in a system using the sound generator 340, it becomes possible to use the monitoring device 320 for staff attendance management.

[0198] In the above-described embodiments, this disclosure has been described as a hardware configuration, but this disclosure is not limited to this. This disclosure can also be realized by having a processor in a computer execute a computer program to perform the processing of each device described in the above-described embodiments.

[0199] 17 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an information processing device 90 that executes the processes of the above-described embodiments. Referring to FIG. 17, the information processing device 90 includes a signal processing circuit 91, a processor 92, and a memory 93.

[0200] The signal processing circuit 91 is a circuit for processing signals in accordance with the control of the processor 92. The signal processing circuit 91 may include a communication circuit for receiving signals from a transmitting device.

[0201] The processor 92 is connected to the memory 93, and performs the processing of the device described in the above embodiment by reading and executing a computer program from the memory 93. As an example of the processor 92, one of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), a DSP (Demand-Side Platform), and an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) may be used, or a plurality of these may be used in parallel.

[0202] The memory 93 may be a volatile memory, a nonvolatile memory, or a combination thereof. The memory 93 is not limited to one, and may be provided in multiple units. The volatile memory may be, for example, a random access memory (RAM) such as a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) or a static random access memory (SRAM). The nonvolatile memory may be, for example, a read only memory (ROM) such as a programmable random only memory (PROM) or an erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), a flash memory, or a solid state drive (SSD).

[0203] The memory 93 is used to store one or more instructions. Here, the one or more instructions are stored as programs in the memory 93. The processor 92 can perform the processes described in the above embodiments by reading and executing these programs from the memory 93.

[0204] The memory 93 may include a memory provided outside the processor 92, as well as a memory built into the processor 92. The memory 93 may also include a storage device located away from the processors constituting the processor 92. In this case, the processor 92 can access the memory 93 via an I / O (Input / Output) interface.

[0205] As described above, one or more processors included in each device in the above-described embodiments execute one or more programs including instructions for causing a computer to execute the algorithms described using the drawings. This processing enables the information processing described in each embodiment to be realized.

[0206] The program includes instructions or software code that, when loaded into a computer, causes the computer to perform one or more functions described in the embodiments. The program may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium or a tangible storage medium. By way of example and not limitation, computer-readable media or tangible storage media include random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, solid-state drive (SSD) or other memory technologies, CD-ROM, digital versatile disk (DVD), Blu-ray disc or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassette, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage device. The program may also be transmitted on a transitory computer-readable medium or communication medium. By way of example and not limitation, transitory computer-readable media or communication media include electrical, optical, acoustic, or other forms of propagated signals.

[0207] Some or all of the above embodiments may be described as, but are not limited to, the following supplementary notes. Furthermore, some or all of the elements (e.g., configurations and functions) described in supplementary notes 2 to 14 that are dependent on supplementary note 1 may also be dependent on supplementary notes 16 and 17 in the same dependency relationship as supplementary notes 2 to 14. In this way, some or all of the elements described in any supplementary note may be applied to various hardware, software, and recording means, systems, and methods for recording software. (Supplementary note 1) A monitoring device comprising: vibration acquisition means for acquiring a first vibration generated in a first optical fiber cable; determination means for determining whether the first vibration corresponds to a reference vibration; and notification control means for, when the first vibration corresponds to the reference vibration, controlling a notification regarding a source of the first vibration based on passability information associated with the reference vibration and indicating passability. (Supplementary Note 2) The monitoring device according to Supplementary Note 1, further comprising: a first setting means for setting the possibility information as information indicating that passage is permitted when the reference vibration is a vibration that satisfies a predetermined condition. (Supplementary Note 3) The monitoring device according to Supplementary Note 1 or 2, further comprising: a second setting means for, when the vibration acquisition means acquires vibration generated in a reference optical fiber cable different from the first optical fiber cable, setting the vibration as the reference vibration and setting information indicating whether a reference object that is a source of the vibration is permitted to pass as the possibility information. (Supplementary Note 4) The monitoring device according to Supplementary Note 3, further comprising: information acquisition means for acquiring reference object information that is information regarding the reference object, and the second setting means sets the possibility information based on the reference object information. (Appendix 5) The second setting means compares the information of the position and time when the vibration acquisition means acquired the reference vibration with the information of the position and time when the information acquisition means acquired the reference object information, and if the two correspond, sets the yes / no information based on the reference object information.(Supplementary Note 6) The monitoring device according to Supplementary Note 4 or 5, wherein, when the reference object information matches the object information of the object to be authenticated, the second setting means newly generates information indicating that the reference object is an object permitted to pass, and sets the information as the permission / prohibition information. (Supplementary Note 7) The monitoring device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 3 to 6, wherein, when the vibration acquisition means acquires a third vibration generated in the reference optical fiber cable, the determination means does not determine whether the third vibration corresponds to the reference vibration. (Supplementary Note 8) The monitoring device according to Supplementary Note 2, wherein the predetermined condition is that the reference vibration includes a vibration related to a specific electronic sound. (Supplementary Note 9) The monitoring device according to Supplementary Note 8, wherein the specific electronic sound is a sound outside the audible range. (Supplementary Note 10) The monitoring device according to Supplementary Note 8 or 9, wherein the specific electronic sound includes a specific on and off pattern of sound. (Supplementary Note 11) The monitoring device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 8 to 10, further comprising: a sound control means for controlling a sound generating device that generates the specific electronic sound to generate the specific electronic sound when the sound generating device is located in a vicinity of the first optical fiber cable.(Supplementary Note 12) The vibration acquisition means further acquires a second vibration generated in a second optical fiber cable different from the first optical fiber cable; when the vibration acquisition means acquires the first vibration, the determination means determines whether the first vibration includes vibration related to at least one pattern of first electronic sound patterns including one or more electronic sound patterns, and when the vibration acquisition means acquires the second vibration, determines whether the second vibration includes vibration related to at least one pattern of second electronic sound patterns including one or more electronic sound patterns and having at least one electronic sound pattern different from the first electronic sound pattern; and the notification control means controls notification related to a source of the first vibration based on the possibility information when the first vibration includes vibration related to at least one pattern of the first electronic sound patterns, and controls notification related to a source of the second vibration based on the possibility information when the second vibration includes vibration related to at least one pattern of the second electronic sound patterns. The monitoring device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 8 to 11. (Supplementary Note 13) The monitoring device according to Supplementary Note 12, wherein the first setting means assigns a first sound generating device that generates the specific electronic sound to generate at least one pattern included in the patterns of the first electronic sound and at least one pattern included in the patterns of the second electronic sound, and assigns a second sound generating device that generates the specific electronic sound to generate at least one pattern included in the patterns of the first electronic sound and at least one pattern included in the patterns of the second electronic sound, and the pattern assigned to the first sound generating device and the pattern assigned to the second sound generating device differ in at least one pattern.(Supplementary Note 14) The monitoring device according to Supplementary Note 12 or 13, wherein the first setting means updates the first electronic sound pattern to a third electronic sound pattern including one or more electronic sound patterns, and updates the second electronic sound pattern to a fourth electronic sound pattern including one or more electronic sound patterns, and the third electronic sound pattern differs from the patterns constituting the first electronic sound pattern by at least one electronic sound pattern, the fourth electronic sound pattern differs from the patterns constituting the second electronic sound pattern by at least one electronic sound pattern, and the third electronic sound pattern differs from the patterns constituting the fourth electronic sound pattern by at least one electronic sound pattern. (Supplementary Note 15) A monitoring system comprising: the monitoring device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 14, and the first optical fiber cable. (Supplementary Note 16) A monitoring method executed by a computer, comprising: acquiring vibrations generated in an optical fiber cable; determining whether the vibrations correspond to reference vibrations; and, if the vibrations correspond to the reference vibrations, controlling notification regarding the source of the vibrations based on passability information associated with the reference vibrations. (Supplementary Note 17) A program that causes a computer to execute the following steps: acquiring vibrations generated in an optical fiber cable; determining whether the vibrations correspond to reference vibrations; and, if the vibrations correspond to the reference vibrations, controlling notification regarding the source of the vibrations based on passability information associated with the reference vibrations.

[0208] The drawings referenced in the above embodiments are merely examples for describing one or more embodiments. Each drawing may not be related to only one particular embodiment, but may also be related to one or more other embodiments. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, various features or steps described with reference to any one drawing can be combined with features or steps shown in one or more other drawings to create, for example, an embodiment not explicitly shown or described. Not all features or steps shown in any one drawing are necessarily required to describe an exemplary embodiment, and some features or steps may be omitted. The order of steps described in any drawing may be changed as appropriate.

[0209] Although the present disclosure has been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Various modifications that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present disclosure within the scope of the disclosure. Furthermore, each embodiment can be combined with other embodiments as appropriate.

[0210] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-010977, filed on January 27, 2023, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0211] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Monitoring device 11 Vibration acquisition unit 12 Determination unit 13 Notification control unit 100 Monitoring system 110 Optical fiber cable 120 Authentication device 121 Biometric information acquisition unit 122 Biometric authentication unit 123 Opening / closing control unit 124 Memory unit 125 Communication unit 130 Monitoring device 131 Vibration acquisition unit 132 Determination unit 133 Notification control unit 134 Notification unit 135 Memory unit 136 Communication unit 200 Monitoring system 210 Optical fiber cable 220 Monitoring device 221 Vibration acquisition unit 222 Determination unit 223 Notification control unit 224 Notification unit 225 Memory unit 300 Monitoring system 310 Optical fiber cable 320 Monitoring device 321 Vibration acquisition unit 322 Determination unit 323 Notification control unit 324 Notification unit 325 Memory unit 330 Radio wave transmitter 340 Sound generator

Claims

1. a vibration acquiring means for acquiring a first vibration generated in the first optical fiber cable; a determination means for determining whether the first vibration corresponds to a reference vibration; a notification control means for controlling a notification regarding a source of the first vibration based on passability information indicating passability associated with the reference vibration when the first vibration corresponds to the reference vibration; A monitoring device comprising:

2. and a first setting means for setting the permission / prohibition information as information indicating that passage is permitted when the reference vibration is a vibration that satisfies a predetermined condition. The monitoring device of claim 1 .

3. and second setting means for, when the vibration acquiring means acquires vibration generated in a reference optical fiber cable different from the first optical fiber cable, setting the vibration as the reference vibration and setting information indicating whether or not a reference object that is a source of the vibration is permitted to pass as the permission / prohibition information. The monitoring device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. and an information acquisition unit for acquiring reference object information, which is information about the reference object, the second setting means sets the acceptability information based on the reference object information. The monitoring device according to claim 3.

5. the second setting means compares information on the position and time at which the vibration acquisition means acquired the reference vibration with information on the position and time at which the information acquisition means acquired the reference object information, and if the two correspond to each other, sets the propriety information based on the reference object information. The monitoring device according to claim 4.

6. the second setting means, when the reference object information matches the object information of the object to be authenticated, newly generates information indicating that the reference object is an object permitted to pass, and sets the information as the permission information. The monitoring device according to claim 4.

7. when the vibration acquisition means acquires a third vibration generated in the reference optical fiber cable, the determination means does not determine whether the third vibration corresponds to the reference vibration. The monitoring device according to claim 3.

8. the predetermined condition is that the reference vibration includes a vibration related to a specific electronic sound; The monitoring device according to claim 2 .

9. Acquire vibrations generated in the optical fiber cable, determining whether the vibration corresponds to a reference vibration; When the vibration corresponds to the reference vibration, a notification regarding a source of the vibration is controlled based on passability information indicating passability associated with the reference vibration. The monitoring method that the computer performs.

10. Acquire vibrations generated in the optical fiber cable, determining whether the vibration corresponds to a reference vibration; When the vibration corresponds to the reference vibration, a notification regarding a source of the vibration is controlled based on passability information indicating passability associated with the reference vibration. A program that makes a computer do something.