Video integration computer, video integration method, and program

Abstract

A video integration computer (1) is for displaying, on a terminal (3), videos from a plurality of observation devices (2) that are dispersed. The video integration computer (1) comprises: an acquisition unit (20) that acquires a plurality of videos captured by the plurality of observation devices (2); a setting unit (10) that sets, for at least one of the plurality of acquired videos, a video portion to be displayed on the terminal (3); an encoding unit (11) that encodes the set video portion; and an output unit (21) that transmits the encoded video portion to the terminal (3).

Description

Video aggregation computer, video aggregation method, and program

[0001] The present invention relates to a video aggregation computer, a video aggregation method, and a program.

[0002] Conventionally, at particularly dangerous sites such as construction sites, work machines and the like are sometimes remotely operated. At such sites, imaging devices such as fixed cameras installed at multiple locations, cameras mounted on drones, and mobile cameras installed on portable devices, etc., are used to provide work support to workers, managers, and other related parties in various remote locations with information about the site situation (e.g., Patent Documents 1 and 2).

[0003] International Publication No. 2021 / 070214 Pamphlet Patent No. 7029586 Specification

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a video aggregation computer, a video aggregation method, and a program that can reduce the amount of data transfer.

[0005] The provided video aggregation computer is a computer for displaying videos from multiple distributed observation devices on a terminal, and includes an acquisition unit that acquires multiple videos captured by the multiple observation devices, a setting unit that sets a video portion to be displayed on the terminal for at least one of the acquired videos, an encoding unit that encodes the set video portion, and an output unit that transmits the encoded video portion to the terminal.

[0006] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of a system including a video aggregation computer 1, an observation device 2, and a terminal 3 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a system including a video aggregation computer 1, an observation device 2, and a terminal 3 according to this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a video aggregation process executed by the video aggregation computer 1 according to this embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of a video that the video aggregation computer 1 according to this embodiment displays (outputs) on the terminal 3.

[0007] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same elements are designated by the same numbers or symbols throughout the description of the embodiments.

[0008] [Basic Concept / Basic Configuration] Fig. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of a video aggregation system that is a system including a video aggregation computer 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of observation devices 2, and a terminal (information terminal) 3. Hereinafter, the video aggregation computer 1 may be referred to simply as computer 1.

[0009] As shown in FIG. 1 , the video consolidation computer 1 may function as, for example, a media server. The computer 1 is connected to each of the observation device 2 and the terminal 3 so as to enable data communication via the Internet, a network such as a mobile phone network, a network constructed by software virtualization, or the like. The number of each of the observation device 2 and the terminal 3 may be one or more. Two or more observation devices 2 may be connected to the computer 1 simultaneously. The observation device 2 and the terminal 3 may be connected to the computer 1 simultaneously. The system shown in FIG. 1 includes multiple observation devices 2. The multiple observation devices 2 may be installed at a single site or may be installed separately at multiple sites. The observation device 2 may be, for example, an imaging device such as a video camera that observes the remote operation status of a remotely controlled work machine such as a robot arm, shovel, crane, bulldozer, or transporter. The multiple observation devices 2 may include an observation device 2 mounted on a mobile object. The mobile object may be a mobile work machine such as a shovel or crane, a vehicle such as an automobile, or an aerial vehicle such as a drone. The terminal 3 acquires and displays the images captured by the observation device 2 via the image aggregation computer 1.

[0010] The video aggregation computer 1 may be an on-premise computer or computing system such as an on-premise server or on-premise computing system, or may be a cloud computer or computing system such as a cloud server or cloud computing system. In this embodiment, the video aggregation computer 1 is a cloud computing system. As will be described later, the computer 1 may be a personal computer, a computer installed in a mobile terminal, or a computer installed in a wearable terminal.

[0011] The observation device 2 may be a device such as a camera, a temperature sensor, or a metal detector. The video captured by the observation device 2 may be video data, image data, numerical data, or other data. The video aggregation computer 1 may acquire the data from the observation device 2 via the network, or may acquire the data via a system (not shown) that controls remote operations other than the observation device 2.

[0012] The terminal 3 is a terminal capable of transmitting and receiving data between the terminal 3 and the video aggregation computer 1. The terminal 3 may be, for example, an electronic device such as a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a smartphone, or a tablet terminal.

[0013] As shown in Fig. 1, the computer 1 has at least one video channel 4. The video channel 4 includes a plurality of ports 5. Each of the plurality of ports 5 may be assigned a unique port number (identifier). The video channel 4 may be, for example, a data channel in a peer-to-peer communication connection method. An example of communication based on a peer-to-peer communication connection method is WebRTC (Web Real-Time Communication).

[0014] The video aggregation computer 1 acquires multiple videos captured by multiple observation devices 2. Specifically, the video aggregation computer 1 may acquire multiple videos from multiple observation devices 2 observing the site X via a video channel 4. The video channel 4 may be composed of multiple ports 5 set according to the multiple observation devices 2. The video aggregation computer 1 may acquire video from each observation device 2 via the port 5 corresponding to that observation device 2. The multiple observation devices 2 may be, for example, a portion of the multiple observation devices 2 present at the site X shown in FIG. 1 , or may be all of the multiple observation devices 2.

[0015] The video aggregation computer 1 sets a video portion to be displayed on the terminal 3 for at least one of the multiple videos acquired from the multiple observation devices 2. The video aggregation computer 1 may set a video portion to be displayed on the terminal 3 for each of the multiple videos acquired from the multiple observation devices 2. The video aggregation computer 1 may set a video portion required by the terminal 3 for each of the multiple acquired videos. That is, the video portion to be displayed on the terminal 3 may be a video portion required by the terminal 3. The video portion required by the terminal 3 may be a video portion required by a user, such as the user of the terminal 3. The video portion to be displayed on the terminal 3 may be a video portion that the user wants to display on the terminal 3, i.e., a video portion that the user desires to be displayed on the terminal 3. Furthermore, the video portion to be displayed on the terminal 3 may be a video portion that is targeted for display on the terminal 3 based on information such as information from the observation device 2, input provided by the user to the terminal 3, input provided by the user to the computer 1, and an inference result inferred using a trained model, as described below.

[0016] The image portion is at least a part of the image (original image) that the computer 1 acquires from the observation device 2. The image portion is a part or all of the image (original image) that the computer 1 acquires from the observation device 2.

[0017] The video portion may be represented, for example, by a specific range (specific area) in the original video. The specific range (specific area) may be represented, for example, by a specific coordinate range in the original video. The specific range (specific area) may be, for example, a range (area) in the original video that corresponds to a specific work area. The specific range (specific area) may be, for example, a range (area) in the original video that includes a specific object. The specific object may be, for example, an object present at the work site, a person such as a worker present at the work site, or another object. The object present at the work site may be, for example, a work machine present at the work site, an obstacle present at the work site, or equipment present at a manufacturing site.

[0018] For each acquired video, the video aggregation computer 1 may set the video portion to be displayed on the terminal 3 (e.g., the video portion required by the terminal 3 or the user). The computer 1 may set the video portion to be displayed on the terminal 3 (e.g., the video portion required by the terminal 3 or the user) based on information from the observation device 2, based on input provided to the terminal 3 by the user of the terminal 3, based on input provided to the computer 1 by the user of the computer 1, or based on an inference result inferred using a trained model constructed by machine learning. The video aggregation computer 1 may set the video portion required by the terminal 3, for example, based on information for specifying the range (area) of the video required by the terminal 3. Specific examples of setting the video portion will be described later.

[0019] The video aggregation computer 1 encodes the video portion set for each of the multiple videos. The video aggregation computer 1 may, for example, perform at least one of compressing, encrypting, and converting the file format of the video portion (video data) when encoding the video portion (video data). The video aggregation computer 1 may also trim at least one of the multiple acquired videos. Trimming is a process (cutting process) in which the computer 1 retains the video portion required by the terminal 3 from the video (original video) acquired by the observation device 2 and removes unnecessary portions from the original video. Specifically, for example, the computer 1 may trim the original video based on the settings for the video portion and compress the video portion generated by the trimming, thereby encoding the set video portion. Specific examples of the settings will be described later.

[0020] The video aggregation computer 1 may transmit the encoded multiple video portions to the terminal 3. The computer 1 may transmit video data related to the encoded multiple video portions to the terminal 3 and output (display) video corresponding to the video data, i.e., video related to the multiple video portions, to the terminal 3. Specifically, for example, the video aggregation computer 1 opens each port 5 of the video channel 4 to the terminal 3, allowing the terminal 3 to acquire the video data related to the multiple video portions encoded by the video aggregation computer 1 and display multiple videos corresponding to the acquired video data on the screen of the terminal 3. The video aggregation computer 1 may display the encoded multiple video portions on a single screen on the terminal 3, as in the display example of the terminal 3 in FIG. 1 . Note that the video channel 4 in this embodiment may or may not be divided into a video acquisition channel and a video output channel.

[0021] 2 is a configuration diagram of a video aggregation system that includes a video aggregation computer 1 of this embodiment, an observation device 2, and a terminal 3. The video aggregation computer 1 may be realized, for example, by one terminal device or by multiple terminal devices.

[0022] As described above, the computer 1 may be an on-premise computer or computing system, or a cloud-based computer or computing system. The computer 1 may also be a personal computer such as a desktop computer or a laptop computer. The video aggregation computer 1 may also be a computer installed in a mobile terminal such as a handheld terminal, smartphone, or tablet terminal, or a computer installed in a wearable terminal such as smart glasses, a head-mounted display, or a smart watch. In this case, the computer 1 may be equipped with a camera or other imaging device that captures color video and / or still images.

[0023] The video-intensive computer 1 includes an arithmetic processing unit and a memory. Examples of the arithmetic processing unit include a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). Examples of the memory include a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory). The computer 1 includes a control unit. The functions of the control unit are realized by the arithmetic processing unit executing a program stored in the memory. As shown in FIG. 2 , the control unit includes a processing unit, a communication unit, a storage unit, an input unit, and an output unit. The control unit issues execution commands to the processing unit, communication unit, input unit, output unit, storage unit, etc., and the processing unit calculates data and determines the calculation results.

[0024] The video aggregation computer 1 includes a communication unit that is a device that enables the computer 1 to communicate with other devices such as the terminal 3 and the observation device 2. The communication method may be wireless or wired.

[0025] The video-intensive computer 1 has, as an input unit, functions necessary for a user to operate the video-intensive computer 1. The computer 1 includes an input device for realizing input. The computer 1 can be equipped with, for example, an LCD display that realizes a touch panel function, a keyboard, a mouse, a pen tablet, hardware buttons on the device, a microphone for voice recognition, and the like as input devices. The input unit of the computer 1 is not limited to the input methods described above.

[0026] The video-intensive computer 1 has, as an output unit, functions necessary for a user to operate the video-intensive computer 1. The computer 1 includes an output device for realizing output. The computer 1 may, for example, be equipped with a display device or an audio output device as the output device. Examples of the display device include a liquid crystal display, a PC display, a projector, a head-mounted display, etc., and examples of the audio output device include a speaker, etc. The output unit of the computer 1 is not limited to the output methods described above.

[0027] The video aggregation computer 1 includes a storage unit (recording medium) such as a hard disk, semiconductor memory, or memory card. The data may be stored in a cloud service, database, or the like. The storage unit may store, for example, some or all of the video acquired from the observation device 2 as data. In this case, the computer 1 may be configured to be able to search for video data stored in the storage unit.

[0028] The processing unit of the control unit includes a setting unit 10 and an encoding unit 11. The communication unit of the control unit includes an acquisition unit 20, an output unit 21, and a reception unit 22. The storage unit of the control unit includes a video storage unit 30.

[0029] The observation device 2 may be, for example, a camera, a temperature sensor, a metal detector, or the like. The observation device 2 is equipped with a camera unit that captures video. The observation device 2 may also be, for example, a mobile terminal such as a handheld terminal, smartphone, or tablet terminal, or a wearable terminal such as smart glasses, a head-mounted display, or a smartwatch. The multiple observation devices 2 shown in FIG. 1 may include an observation device 2 attached to a mobile body for observing the remote operation status of the work machine, or may include an observation device 2 attached to the work machine itself. Two or more observation devices 2 may be attached to one mobile body, and two or more observation devices 2 may be attached to one work machine. In this case, the two or more observation devices 2 are disposed at positions distant from each other on the one mobile body or the one work machine. The multiple observation devices 2 shown in FIG. 1 may also include one or more observation devices 2 installed on-site for observing the remote operation status of the work machine. The multiple observation devices 2 shown in FIG. 1 may also include one or more observation devices 2 installed on-site for observing the remote operation status of the mobile body. The multiple observation devices 2 shown in Figure 1 include one or more observation devices 2 attached to a work machine, an observation device 2 attached to a mobile body, and one or more observation devices 2 fixed to the work site.

[0030] The observation device 2 includes a processing unit and a memory. Examples of the processing unit include a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). Examples of the memory include a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory). The observation device 2 includes a control unit. The functions of the control unit are realized by the processing unit executing a program stored in the memory. As shown in FIG. 2 , the control unit of the observation device 2 includes a processing unit, a communication unit, a memory unit, an imaging unit, an input unit, and an output unit. The control unit issues execution commands to the processing unit, imaging unit, communication unit, input unit, output unit, memory unit, etc., and the processing unit calculates data and determines the calculation results.

[0031] The observation device 2 includes a communication unit that is a device that enables the observation device 2 to communicate with other devices such as the computer 1 and the terminal 3. The communication method may be wireless or wired.

[0032] The observation device 2 has an input unit that is equipped with functions necessary for a user to operate the observation device 2. The observation device 2 includes an input device for realizing input. The observation device 2 can be equipped with, for example, an LCD display that realizes a touch panel function, a keyboard, a mouse, a pen tablet, hardware buttons on the device, a microphone for voice recognition, etc. as input devices. The input unit of the observation device 2 is not limited to the input methods described above.

[0033] The observation device 2 has, as an output unit, functions necessary for a user to operate the observation device 2. The observation device 2 includes an output device for realizing output. The observation device 2 may, for example, be equipped with a display device or an audio output device as the output device. Examples of the display device include a liquid crystal display, a PC display, a projector, etc., and examples of the audio output device include a speaker, etc. The output unit of the observation device 2 is not limited to the output methods described above.

[0034] The observation device 2 includes a storage unit such as a hard disk, a semiconductor memory, a memory card, or other data storage (recording medium). The data may be stored in a cloud service, a database, or the like.

[0035] Terminal 3 is a terminal for a remote user. If the object remotely operated by the user is, for example, a work machine, terminal 3 may be located at a location remote from the work site where the work machine is located, and may be equipped with a display device that displays an image of the work site including the work machine. Note that the remote user is not limited to an operator who remotely operates the work machine as described above. For example, the remote user may be a person involved in the work who uses terminal 3 located at a location remote from the work site where the work machine is located to check the status of work performed by the work machine, monitor the work, manage the work, and guard the work.

[0036] The terminal 3 may be, for example, a mobile terminal such as a handheld terminal, a smartphone, or a tablet terminal, or a wearable terminal such as smart glasses, a head-mounted display, or a smart watch, or may be another type of information terminal. The terminal 3 may be equipped with a photographing device such as a camera that captures images such as color moving images and / or still images.

[0037] The terminal 3 includes an arithmetic processing unit and a memory. Examples of the arithmetic processing unit include a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). Examples of the memory include a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory). The terminal 3 includes a control unit. The functions of the control unit are realized by the arithmetic processing unit executing a program stored in the memory. As shown in FIG. 2 , the control unit includes a processing unit, a communication unit, an input unit, an output unit, and a storage unit. The control unit issues execution commands to the processing unit, communication unit, input unit, output unit, storage unit, etc., and the processing unit calculates data and determines the calculation results.

[0038] The terminal 3 includes a communication unit that enables the terminal 3 to communicate with other devices such as the computer 1 and the observation device 2. The communication method may be wireless or wired.

[0039] The terminal 3 has, as an input unit, functions necessary for a user to operate the terminal 3. The terminal 3 includes an input device for realizing input. The terminal 3 can be equipped with, for example, an LCD display realizing a touch panel function, a keyboard, a mouse, a pen tablet, hardware buttons on the device, a microphone for voice recognition, etc. as input devices. The input unit of the terminal 3 is not limited to the input methods described above.

[0040] The terminal 3 has, as an output unit, functions necessary for a user to operate the terminal 3. The terminal 3 includes an output device for realizing output. The terminal 3 may have, for example, a display device or an audio output device as the output device. Examples of the display device include a liquid crystal display, a PC display, a projector, etc., and examples of the audio output device include a speaker, etc. The output unit of the terminal 3 is not limited to the output methods described above.

[0041] The terminal 3 includes a storage unit such as a hard disk, a semiconductor memory, a memory card, or other data storage (recording medium). The data may be stored in a cloud service, a database, or the like.

[0042] Furthermore, some or all of the functions of the image-collecting computer 1 may be implemented in the observation device 2 or the terminal 3 by software virtualization.

[0043] The above is the basic concept and basic configuration of the video aggregation system, which is a system including the video aggregation computer 1 (distributed video aggregation computer), the observation device 2, and the terminal 3.

[0044] [Video Aggregation Processing] The video aggregation processing executed by the video aggregation computer 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a flowchart of the video aggregation processing executed by the video aggregation computer 1.

[0045] The acquisition unit 20 of the video aggregation computer 1 acquires a plurality of videos captured by a plurality of observation devices 2 (step S1). Specifically, the acquisition unit 20 acquires videos of a quality preset by the observation devices 2 from the observation devices 2 via the video channel 4 of the video aggregation computer 1.

[0046] 4, the video aggregation computer 1 includes a video channel 4, which is configured from a plurality of ports 5 (specifically, 11 ports 5), but the number of ports is not limited. The plurality of ports 5 may be set in advance according to a plurality of observation devices 2. In other words, a plurality of observation devices 2 may be associated with a plurality of ports 5. The acquisition unit 20 may acquire the video captured by each observation device 2 at the port 5 corresponding to that observation device 2.

[0047] The setting unit 10 of the video consolidation computer 1 sets the video portion to be displayed on the terminal 3 (e.g., the video portion required by the terminal 3 of the remote user) for each of the acquired videos (step S2). Specifically, as described above, the setting unit 10 may set the video portion based on information from the observation device 2, input provided to the terminal 3 by the user of the terminal 3, input provided to the computer 1 by the user of the computer 1, or an inference result obtained by machine learning. As described above, the video portion may be a specific range (specific area) of the original video. The specific range (the specific area) may be a range (area) that includes a specific object, a range (area) that corresponds to a specific work area, or a range (area) that is set based on other conditions.

[0048] For example, a specific example will be described in which the setting unit 10 sets the video portion based on an input by a user of the terminal 3. In this specific example, as shown in Fig. 4, the computer 1 acquires at least a plurality of videos (specifically, three videos) taken by a plurality of observation devices 2 (specifically, three observation devices 2) that are some of the many observation devices 2 present at the site X, and sets video portions A1, A2, and A3 to be displayed by the terminal 3 for each of the acquired three videos.

[0049] In the above specific example, the user may input to the input unit of terminal 3 to specify a video portion for each of the three videos. This input may include, for example, information specifying a partial range (area) of the original video, or information specifying the entire range (entire area) of the original video. Upon receiving this input, terminal 3 transmits information corresponding to the input (information for specifying the video portion) to video aggregation computer 1, and video aggregation computer 1 receives the transmitted information. That is, the reception unit 22 of computer 1 receives information for specifying the video portion for each of the three videos. Then, based on the received information, setting unit 10 sets the video portion to be displayed on terminal 3 (the video portion required by terminal 3) for each of the three videos.

[0050] It is preferable that at least one of the plurality of video portions (the three video portions A1, A2, and A3) is a part of the original video. Each of the plurality of video portions A1, A2, and A3 may be a part of the original video. Furthermore, one of the plurality of video portions A1, A2, and A3 (e.g., video portion A1) may be the entire original video, and each of the remaining video portions (e.g., video portions A2 and A3) may be a part of the original video.

[0051] In the above specific example, the setting unit 10 sets the video portion based on input by the user of the terminal 3, but even if the setting unit 10 sets the video portion based on input made by the user of the computer 1 to the input unit of the computer 1, the setting unit 10 can set the video portion in the same manner as in the above specific example.

[0052] Next, a brief description will be given of a specific example in which the setting unit 10 sets the video portion based on information from the observation device 2. The computer 1 may detect an object included in the video by performing image recognition on the video acquired from the observation device 2, and set a range including the object (e.g., a range including the object and its surroundings) as the video portion based on the detection results. In this case, the object may be detected based on an inference result using a technique such as machine learning or deep learning, and the setting unit 10 may set a range including the object (e.g., a range including the object and its surroundings) as the video portion based on the detection results.

[0053] Next, computer 1 performs the processes of steps S3 and S4 in Fig. 3. Computer 1 encodes the three video portions set for each of the three videos (step S3) and transmits the three encoded video portions to terminal 3 (step S4). Terminal 3 then displays the video of the three video portions A1, A2, and A3 (three videos) on a single screen on its display device, as shown in Fig. 4. Specifically, this is as follows.

[0054] The encoding unit 11 of the video-collecting computer 1 encodes the video portions set for each of the multiple videos (step S3). Specifically, the encoding unit 11 trims (cuts out) each of the multiple acquired videos (the three videos) based on the settings set for that video (i.e., the set video portions). This allows the encoding unit 11 to generate video data for multiple video portions obtained by trimming the multiple videos. The encoding unit 11 then encodes the multiple video portions by compressing each of the generated video data.

[0055] For example, if a specific range (specific area) of the original video is set as the setting content, the encoding unit 11 may encode the video portion by trimming this range (area) from the original video and compressing the trimmed video. The encoding unit 11 may encode the video by trimming a range of the original video that includes a specific object or a specific work area of ​​the original video from the original video and compressing the trimmed video. The encoding unit 11 may store the video data of the encoded multiple video portions in the video storage unit 30. Note that, of the trimming and compression methods, the encoding unit 11 may only perform the trimming and omit the compression. Alternatively, of the trimming and compression methods, the encoding unit 11 may only perform the compression and omit the trimming.

[0056] The output unit 21 of the video consolidation computer 1 transmits the encoded video data of the multiple video portions to the terminal 3 (step S4). The terminal 3 receives the video data of the multiple video portions transmitted from the computer 1 and displays the video (three videos) of the multiple video portions A1, A2, and A3 on the display device of the terminal 3. Specifically, the output unit 21 of the computer 1 opens each port 5 of the video channel 4 to the terminal 3, so that the terminal 3 can acquire the encoded video data of the multiple video portions and display the multiple video portions A1, A2, and A3 corresponding to the acquired video data on the screen of the display device of the terminal 3. The output unit 21 may display the multiple video portions A1, A2, and A3 of the encoded multiple video portions on a single screen of the terminal 3, as in the display example of the terminal 3 in FIG. 4.

[0057] The output unit 21 may extract the encoded video from the video storage unit 30 and display it on the terminal 3 .

[0058] This completes the video aggregation process.

[0059] The video aggregation computer 1 according to this embodiment sets the video portions to be displayed on the terminal 3 for each of the multiple videos acquired from the multiple observation devices 2 (for example, the video portions required by the remote user), encodes the set multiple video portions, and transmits (outputs) the video data for the encoded multiple video portions to the terminal 3. Therefore, this computer 1 can reduce the data transmission volume of the video data compared to when multiple videos acquired from the multiple observation devices 2 scattered around the site are transmitted directly to the terminal 3.

[0060] The video aggregation computer 1 of this embodiment displays, on a single screen on the terminal 3, the video of the video portion set for each of the multiple videos from the multiple observation devices 2. Therefore, even in an environment where the amount of data transmission available for video transmission is limited, this computer 1 can display, on a single screen on the terminal 3, the site conditions such as the location and machinery shown in the video portion to be displayed on the terminal 3 (for example, the video portion required by the user). This allows the user to monitor the site conditions in detail on a single screen.

[0061] The video consolidation computer 1 of this embodiment trims the original video, leaving only the video portion to be displayed on the terminal 3 (e.g., the video portion required by the remote user) and removing unnecessary portions, thereby reducing the amount of data transmission required for video data sent from the computer 1 to the terminal 3. Therefore, even in an environment where the amount of data transmission available for video transmission is limited, the computer 1 can display on the terminal 3 video of on-site conditions, such as locations and machines, that are displayed in multiple video portions required by the user, even with minimal infrastructure. This allows the user to monitor the on-site conditions in detail.

[0062] The video aggregation computer 1 of this embodiment stores video data for the encoded video portion and can keep the output of that video data in a standby state in the computer 1. This makes it possible to smoothly switch videos without delay, either automatically by the computer 1 or manually by the user, even in a location with a poor communication environment. Also, by storing video data in the computer 1 (e.g., a server), it becomes possible to search for video of the subject being shot.

[0063] The video consolidation computer 1 of this embodiment can instantly access video data that has been stored in the video storage unit 30 and is on standby for output, and output the video related to that video data to the terminal 3. Therefore, even in a site with a poor communication environment, it is possible to smoothly switch videos without delay, either automatically by the computer 1 or manually by the user.

[0064] In the image-aggregating computer 1 of this embodiment, when a user such as a user of computer 1 or a user of terminal 3 wishes to switch the image displayed on terminal 3 to another image, the user can input to the input unit of computer 1 or the input unit of terminal 3 to specify the image portion to be displayed on terminal 3 (for example, the image portion required by terminal 3), and computer 1 can set the image portion based on the information specified by the input, i.e., the information for specifying the image portion. This allows computer 1 to appropriately switch images showing the on-site situation, such as a machine operated by the user or a site monitored by the user.

[0065] The above-described means and functions are realized by a computer 1 including a CPU, memory, various terminals, etc., reading and executing a predetermined program. The program may be provided, for example, in the form of a cloud service provided from one or more terminals via a network, specifically, for example, in the form of SaaS (Software as a Service). The program may also be provided, for example, in the form of a computer-readable recording medium. In this case, the computer 1 may read the program from the recording medium, transfer it to an internal or external recording device, record it, and execute it. The program may also be pre-recorded on a non-transitory recording device (non-transitory recording medium), such as a magnetic disk, optical disk, or magneto-optical disk, and may be configured to be provided to the terminal from the recording device via a communication line.

[0066] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. Furthermore, the effects described in the embodiments of the present invention are merely a list of the most preferable effects resulting from the present invention, and the effects of the present invention are not limited to those described in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0067] However, when a mobile object such as a vehicle communicates with other devices via, for example, a mobile phone network, the available network bandwidth is prone to fluctuation, which can easily cause problems such as packet loss and video delays due to insufficient communication bandwidth. Specifically, when an observation device is mounted on a mobile object or when a user's terminal is mounted on a mobile object, the communication environment is prone to fluctuation. Furthermore, in areas such as mountainous regions and the sea, the communication environment, such as the network communication speed and communication capacity, may not always be favorable. Furthermore, when multiple observation devices, such as multiple cameras, are deployed on-site and video images from the multiple observation devices are transmitted to user terminals via a network, problems such as video delays and degradation of video quality are likely to occur.

[0068] The video aggregation computer 1, video aggregation method, and program according to this embodiment can reduce the amount of data transfer of video data sent from the computer 1 to the terminal 3 when videos from multiple observation devices 2 are displayed on the terminal 3. Therefore, even in an environment where the amount of data transmission available for video is limited, multiple videos can be displayed on the terminal 3 while suppressing problems such as video delays and degradation of video quality.

[0069] Summary of the embodiment The video aggregation computer 1 having the first feature is a computer for displaying videos from a plurality of distributed observation devices 2 on a terminal 3. This video aggregation computer 1 includes an acquisition unit 20 that acquires a plurality of videos captured by a plurality of observation devices 2, a setting unit 10 that sets a video portion to be displayed on the terminal 3 for at least one of the acquired videos, an encoding unit 11 that encodes the set video portion, and an output unit 21 that transmits the encoded video portion to the terminal 3.

[0070] This video aggregation computer 1 sets a video portion to be displayed on terminal 3 for at least one of the multiple videos acquired from multiple observation devices 2, and transmits the set video portion to terminal 3. Therefore, this computer 1 can reduce the amount of data transmission of video data transmitted from computer 1 to terminal 3 compared to transmitting the at least one video directly from computer 1 to terminal 3, and can display on terminal 3 the video for the video portion to be displayed on terminal 3.

[0071] In the video-aggregating computer 1 having the first feature, the setting unit 10 may determine which of the multiple videos acquired by the acquisition unit 20 are to be displayed on the terminal 3 and which are not to be displayed on the terminal 3. The setting unit 10 may set video portions to be displayed on the terminal 3 for the video to be displayed on the terminal 3. The reception unit 22 may receive information for determining which of the multiple videos are to be displayed on the terminal 3 and which are not to be displayed on the terminal 3, and the setting unit 10 may set video portions to be displayed on the terminal 3 for the video to be displayed on the terminal 3 based on the received information. Specifically, for example, a user such as a user of the computer 1 or a user of the terminal 3 may input to the input unit of the computer 1 or the input unit of the terminal 3 to specify at least one of the multiple videos to be displayed on the terminal 3 and the video not to be displayed on the terminal 3. The setting unit 10 can determine which of the multiple videos are to be displayed on the terminal 3 and which are not to be displayed on the terminal 3 based on the information specified by the input.

[0072] This video aggregation computer 1 may include an acquisition unit 20 that acquires multiple videos captured by multiple observation devices 2, a setting unit 10 that sets the video portion to be displayed on terminal 3 for each of the acquired multiple videos, an encoding unit 11 that encodes the video portion set for each of the multiple videos, and an output unit 21 that transmits the encoded multiple video portions to terminal 3.

[0073] This video aggregation computer 1 sets the video portions to be displayed on terminal 3 for each of the multiple videos acquired from the multiple observation devices 2, and transmits the set video portions for each of the multiple videos to terminal 3. Therefore, this computer 1 can reduce the amount of data transmission of video data sent from computer 1 to terminal 3 compared to when multiple videos acquired from the multiple observation devices 2 are sent directly from computer 1 to terminal 3, and can also display on terminal 3 the videos for the multiple video portions to be displayed on terminal 3.

[0074] Specifically, for example, the video aggregation computer 1 may include an acquisition unit 20 that acquires multiple videos captured by multiple observation devices 2, a setting unit 10 that sets the video portions required by the terminal 3 for each of the acquired multiple videos, an encoding unit 11 that encodes the video portions set for each of the multiple videos, and an output unit 21 that transmits the encoded multiple video portions to the terminal 3 and outputs the video for the multiple video portions to the terminal 3.

[0075] This video aggregation computer 1 transmits the video portions required by terminal 3 (for example, the video portions required by a remote user) to terminal 3. Therefore, this computer 1 can reduce the amount of data transmission of video data transmitted from computer 1 to terminal 3 compared to when multiple videos acquired from multiple observation devices 2 are transmitted directly from computer 1 to terminal 3, and can also output to terminal 3 the video of the multiple video portions required by terminal 3 (for example, the multiple video portions required by the user of terminal 3).

[0076] In the image-collecting computer 1 having the second feature, at least one of the plurality of observation devices 2 may be provided on a moving body.

[0077] In the video aggregation computer 1 having the third feature, the setting unit 10 sets the video portion to be displayed on the terminal 3 for each of the plurality of videos, the encoding unit 11 encodes each of the plurality of set video portions, and the output unit 21 may output the plurality of encoded video portions on a single screen on the terminal 3.

[0078] The video consolidation computer 1 having the third feature encodes the set video portion for each of the multiple videos from the multiple observation devices 2 and displays the encoded multiple video portions on a single screen on the terminal 3. Therefore, even in an environment where the amount of data transmission available for video transmission is limited, the computer 1 can display on a single screen on the terminal 3 the site conditions, such as the location and machinery, shown in the video portion to be displayed on the terminal 3 (for example, the video portion required by the terminal 3 or the user). This allows the user to monitor the site conditions in detail on a single screen.

[0079] In the video-intensive computer 1 having the fourth feature, the encoding unit 11 may trim at least one of the plurality of acquired videos.

[0080] The video consolidation computer 1 having the fourth feature trims the original video, removing unnecessary parts from the video and leaving only the video parts that should be displayed on the terminal 3 (for example, the video parts required by the terminal 3 or the remote user), thereby reducing the amount of data transmission required for video data sent from the computer 1 to the terminal 3. Therefore, even in an environment where the amount of data transmission available for video transmission is limited, the computer 1 can display on the terminal 3, for example, video of on-site conditions such as locations and machines that are displayed in multiple video parts required by the user, even with minimal infrastructure. This allows the user to monitor the on-site conditions in detail.

[0081] The video integration computer 1 having the fifth feature may include a video storage unit 30 that stores the encoded video portion.

[0082] Storing a video portion in the video storage unit 30 may mean storing the video portion in a standby state in the computer 1, in which the video portion to be stored can be instantly displayed on the terminal 3 as needed. The standby state is a state in which video is transmitted from the observation device 2 to the computer 1, the computer 1 is not transmitting the video portion of the video to the terminal 3, and the computer 1 can quickly access the video portion. The transmission unit 23 can instantly display the video portion stored in the video storage unit 30 (the video portion in the standby state) on the terminal 3 as needed.

[0083] The video consolidation computer 1 having the fifth feature can, for example, store video data for the encoded video portion and keep the output of that video data in a standby state in the computer 1. This allows for smooth video switching without delay, either automatically by the computer 1 or manually by the user, even in locations with poor communication environments. Furthermore, by storing video data in the computer 1 (e.g., a server), it becomes possible to search for video of the subject being shot.

[0084] In the video-intensive computer 1 having the sixth feature, the output unit 21 may transmit the encoded and stored video portion to the terminal and cause it to be output by the terminal.

[0085] The video consolidation computer 1 having the sixth feature can instantly access video data that has been stored in the video storage unit 30 and is on standby for output, and output the video related to that video data to the terminal 3. Therefore, even in a site with a poor communication environment, it is possible to smoothly switch videos without delay, either automatically by the computer 1 or manually by the user.

[0086] The video aggregation computer 1 having the seventh feature further includes a reception unit 22 that receives information for specifying the video portion, and the setting unit 10 may set the video portion (for example, the video portion required by the terminal 3) based on the received information.

[0087] According to the video-aggregating computer 1 having the seventh feature, it is possible to set the video portion based on the received information. Specifically, for example, when a user such as a user of computer 1 or a user of terminal 3 wants to switch the video displayed on terminal 3 to another video, the user can input to the input unit of computer 1 or the input unit of terminal 3 to specify the video portion required by terminal 3, and computer 1 can set the video portion based on the information specified by the input. This allows computer 1 to appropriately switch the video showing the on-site situation, such as a machine operated by the user or a site monitored by the user.

[0088] A video aggregation method having an eighth feature is a method executed by a computer 1 that displays videos from a plurality of distributed observation devices 2 on a terminal 3. This video aggregation method includes the steps of acquiring a plurality of videos taken by a plurality of observation devices 2, setting a video portion to be displayed on the terminal 3 for at least one of the acquired videos, encoding the set video portion, and transmitting the encoded video portion to the terminal 3.

[0089] In this video aggregation method, the computer 1 sets the video portion to be displayed on the terminal 3 for each of the multiple videos acquired from the multiple observation devices 2, and transmits the set video portion to the terminal 3. Therefore, the computer 1 can reduce the amount of data transmission of the video data transmitted from the computer 1 to the terminal 3 compared to transmitting the at least one video directly from the computer 1 to the terminal 3, and can display on the terminal 3 the video of the video portion to be displayed on the terminal 3.

[0090] This video aggregation method may include the steps of acquiring multiple videos taken by multiple observation devices 2, setting the video portion to be displayed on terminal 3 for each of the acquired multiple videos, encoding the video portion set for each of the multiple videos, and transmitting the encoded multiple video portions to terminal 3.

[0091] In this video aggregation method, the computer 1 transmits to the terminal 3 the video portions to be displayed on the terminal 3 for each of the multiple videos acquired from the multiple observation devices 2. Therefore, the computer 1 can reduce the amount of data transmission of video data sent from the computer 1 to the terminal 3 compared to when the multiple videos acquired from the multiple observation devices 2 are sent directly from the computer 1 to the terminal 3, and can also display on the terminal 3 the video for the multiple video portions to be displayed on the terminal 3.

[0092] A program having a ninth feature is a program to be executed by a computer 1 to display images from a plurality of distributed observation devices 2 on a terminal 3. This program is a computer-readable program to execute the steps of acquiring a plurality of images taken by a plurality of observation devices 2, setting a video portion to be displayed on the terminal 3 for at least one of the acquired images, encoding the set video portion, and transmitting the encoded video portion to the terminal 3.

[0093] A computer 1 executing this program sets a portion of at least one of the multiple images acquired from multiple observation devices 2 to be displayed on a terminal 3, and transmits the set portion of the image to the terminal 3. Therefore, this program can reduce the amount of data transmission of image data transmitted from the computer 1 to the terminal 3 compared to transmitting the at least one image directly from the computer 1 to the terminal 3, and can display on the terminal 3 an image of the portion of the image that should be displayed on the terminal 3. This program may be recorded in advance on a non-transitory recording device (non-transitory recording medium), such as a magnetic disk, optical disk, or magneto-optical disk, and may be configured to be provided from the recording device to the terminal via a communication line.

[0094] This program is a program for causing a computer 1 to execute the steps of acquiring multiple images taken by multiple observation devices 2, setting the image portion to be displayed on a terminal 3 for each of the acquired multiple images, encoding the image portion set for each of the multiple images, and transmitting the encoded multiple image portions to the terminal 3, and may be a program readable by the computer 1.

[0095] A computer 1 executing this program transmits to terminal 3 the video portions to be displayed on terminal 3 for each of the multiple videos acquired from multiple observation devices 2. Therefore, this program can reduce the amount of data transmission of video data sent from computer 1 to terminal 3 compared to when multiple videos acquired from multiple observation devices 2 are sent directly from computer 1 to terminal 3, and can also display on terminal 3 the video for the multiple video portions to be displayed on terminal 3.

[0096] The embodiments having the above first to ninth features are in the category of computers, methods, or programs, but similar actions and effects according to the category can also be achieved in other categories such as systems, which will be described later.

[0097] As described above, the computer 1, video aggregation method, and program of this embodiment can reduce the amount of data transmission of video data sent from the computer 1 to the terminal 3, even in an environment where there is a limit to the amount of data transmission that can be used for video, even with the minimum necessary infrastructure, compared to sending multiple videos acquired from observation devices 2 such as cameras scattered around the site directly from the computer 1 to the terminal 3.

[0098] The present invention further includes the following video aggregation system.

[0099] The video aggregation system comprises a video aggregation computer 1 that acquires multiple videos from multiple observation devices 2 that are distributed in a dispersed manner, and a terminal 3 that is located at a distance from the video aggregation computer 1, wherein the video aggregation computer 1 comprises: an acquisition unit 20 that acquires multiple videos taken by the multiple observation devices 2; a setting unit 10 that sets the video portion to be displayed on the terminal 3 for each of the acquired multiple videos; an encoding unit 11 that encodes the video portion set for each of the multiple videos; and an output unit 21 that transmits video data for the encoded multiple video portions to the terminal 3, and the terminal 3 receives the video data transmitted from the output unit 21 of the video aggregation computer 1 and displays video for the multiple video portions using the received video data.

[0100] This video aggregation system can reduce the amount of data transmission of video data sent from the computer 1 to the terminal 3 compared to when the computer 1 directly sends multiple videos acquired from multiple observation devices 2 from the computer 1 to the terminal 3. In addition, it is possible to output to the terminal 3 videos of multiple video portions required by the terminal 3 (for example, multiple video portions required by the user of the terminal 3).

[0101] The video aggregation system may include a plurality of observation devices 2 as components, but the plurality of observation devices 2 are not essential components of the video aggregation system.

[0102] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and includes the following modifications, for example.

[0103] [Variation 1] In the video aggregation system according to the embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 4, the site where the observation device 2 is installed is a work site where a work machine 60 such as a shovel, crane, or bulldozer performs work, but this is not limited to the above embodiment. The site where the observation device 2 is installed may also be, for example, a manufacturing site. In this case, a production line for manufacturing products from raw materials is installed at the manufacturing site. In this production line, multiple processes are performed to manufacture products from raw materials. Multiple observation devices 2 are installed at the manufacturing site to capture images of the status of each of the multiple processes.

[0104] Specifically, for example, the production line may include a first process, a second process, and a third process, and the multiple observation devices 2 may include a first observation device 2 for photographing the situation of the first process, a second observation device 2 for photographing the situation of the second process, and a third observation device 2 for photographing the situation of the third process.

[0105] In variant example 1, the configurations of the computer 1, the multiple observation devices 2, and the terminal 3 are the same as the configurations of the video aggregation computer 1, the multiple observation devices 2, and the terminal 3 in the embodiment described with reference to Figures 1 to 4, so detailed explanations of these will be omitted.

[0106] In this first modification, similarly to the above embodiment, the video consolidation computer 1 is configured to display videos from a plurality of observation devices 2 that are distributed around the manufacturing site on a user's terminal 3. This video consolidation computer 1 includes an acquisition unit 20 that acquires a plurality of videos captured by the plurality of observation devices 2, a setting unit 10 that sets a video portion to be displayed on the terminal 3 for each of the acquired videos, an encoding unit 11 that encodes the set video portion for each of the plurality of videos, and an output unit 21 that transmits the encoded video portions to the terminal 3.

[0107] The terminal 3 is a terminal for a remote user. When multiple observation devices 2 are installed at a manufacturing site, the terminal 3 may be installed at a location away from the manufacturing line and may be equipped with a display device that displays an image of the manufacturing site including the manufacturing line.

[0108] In this modified example 1, the computer 1 performs the arithmetic processing shown in Fig. 3. Also, in this modified example 1, the terminal 3 displays, for example, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4 based on instructions from the computer 1.

[0109] Furthermore, the site where the observation device 2 is installed may be, for example, a site where monitoring and maintenance of infrastructure facilities such as a plant or power plant is required.

[0110] [Modification 2] In a video aggregation system according to Modification 2, the computer 1 performs processing to switch at least one of the image quality and size of the video output at the terminal 3 in accordance with at least one of a specific action and a specific video.

[0111] The site where the observation device 2 is placed is a work site, and a work machine 60 such as a shovel, a crane, or a bulldozer is placed at this work site.

[0112] The work machine 60 shown in Fig. 1 is, for example, a shovel. This work machine 60 includes a self-propelled lower traveling body 61, an upper rotating body 62 rotatably supported on the lower traveling body 61, and a working device 63 supported on the upper rotating body 62. In the specific example shown in Fig. 1, the lower traveling body 61 includes a crawler-type traveling device, but the traveling device may also include tires. The working device 63 includes, for example, a boom rotatably supported on the upper rotating body 62, an arm rotatably supported at the tip of the boom, and a bucket rotatably supported at the tip of the arm.

[0113] The work machine 60 is equipped with an attitude detector 64 for detecting the attitude of the work machine 60. The attitude detector 64 may include a boom attitude detector for detecting the attitude of the boom, an arm attitude detector for detecting the attitude of the arm, and a bucket attitude detector for detecting the attitude of the bucket. The attitude detector 64 may further include a rotating unit attitude detector for detecting the attitude of the upper rotating unit 62 relative to the undercarriage 61. The attitude detector 64 may further include an attitude detector that detects the degree of inclination of the work machine 60 relative to a horizontal plane.

[0114] The video aggregation system according to Modification 2 includes a remote control device. The remote control device includes a terminal 3 including a display device as shown in Figures 1 and 4, and a remote controller 65 for remotely operating the work machine 60. The remote controller 65 includes a plurality of remote control levers for moving the work implement 63 of the work machine 60 and rotating the upper rotating body 62. The remote controller 65 also includes at least one of an operation lever and an operation pedal (not shown) for driving the undercarriage 61 of the work machine 60. A user can remotely operate the work machine 60 located at a work site by operating the remote controller 65 of the remote control device while viewing the screen of the display device of the terminal 3.

[0115] The computer 1 according to Modification 2 may perform processing to automatically switch at least one of the image quality and size of the video output on the terminal 3 in accordance with a specific operation of the work machine 60. The specific operation is stored in advance in the computer 1. The user inputs information to the input section of the terminal 3 shown in FIG. 2 to specify the specific operation, and the computer 1 sets the operation corresponding to the input as the specific operation.

[0116] The specific motion may be, for example, at least one of a motion of the working implement 63 and a motion of the upper rotating body 62. Specifically, the specific motion may be a traveling motion of the work machine 60 in a predetermined direction, a traveling motion of the work machine 60 going uphill, or a traveling motion of the work machine 60 going downhill. The specific motion may also be a boom motion, an arm motion, a bucket motion, or a swing motion of the upper rotating body 62. The specific motion may also be a motion in which the traveling speed of the work machine 60 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, a motion in which the operating speed (rotation speed) of the boom, arm, or bucket of the working implement 63 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, or a motion in which the swing speed of the upper rotating body 62 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold.

[0117] The computer 1 or the controller of the work machine 60 can determine whether the specific action has been performed based on the detection results input from a motion detection device for determining the specific action. The motion detection device may be, for example, the attitude detector 64, the observation device 2, the remote controller 65, or any other device. If the motion detection device is the observation device 2, the computer 1 or the controller of the work machine 60 may determine whether the specific action has been performed by image recognition of video acquired from the observation device 2. If the motion detection device is the attitude detector 64, the computer 1 or the controller of the work machine 60 can determine whether the specific action has been performed based on the detection results from the attitude detector 64. If the motion detection device is the remote controller 65, the computer 1 or the controller of the work machine 60 can determine whether the specific action has been performed based on the amount of lever operation applied to the remote controller 65.

[0118] When the specific action is performed, the computer 1 may perform processing to automatically change at least one of the image quality and size of the image output by the terminal 3. Specifically, when the specific action is performed, the computer 1 may instruct the terminal 3 to increase the size of the image related to the specific action on the terminal 3 compared to before the specific action was performed, and the terminal 3 may increase the size of the image related to the specific action on the display device of the terminal 3 in accordance with the instruction. When enlarging and displaying the image related to the specific action, the terminal 3 may convert the resolution of the image (original resolution) to a higher resolution using upscaling technology. This can prevent pixelation, block noise, and other problems from occurring in the enlarged and displayed image. This can prevent a decrease in the visibility of the enlarged and displayed image. Note that a known method can be used as the upscaling technology.

[0119] Furthermore, when the specific action is performed, the computer 1 instructs the observation device 2 that captures the video so that the image quality of the video related to the specific action is higher than before the specific action was performed, and the observation device 2 sets the image quality of the video to be higher in accordance with the instruction than before the specific action was performed, provides the video of the set image quality to the computer 1, and the computer 1 may output the video to the terminal 3.

[0120] Furthermore, the computer 1 may perform processing to switch at least one of the image quality and size of the image output on the terminal 3 in accordance with a specific image. The computer 1 may store the specific image in advance. The specific image may be, for example, an image whose contrast is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold, or an image whose resolution is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold. A user may input to an input unit of the terminal 3 shown in FIG. 2 to specify the predetermined threshold, and the computer 1 may set a value corresponding to the input as the predetermined threshold. The computer 1 or a controller of the terminal 3 may acquire the contrast of the image displayed on the terminal 3.

[0121] When the specific video is displayed on terminal 3, computer 1 may perform processing to automatically switch at least one of the image quality and size of the video output on terminal 3. Specifically, when the specific video is displayed on terminal 3, computer 1 may instruct terminal 3 to increase the size of the specific video on terminal 3 compared to before the specific video was displayed, and terminal 3 may increase the size of the specific video on the display device of terminal 3 in accordance with the instruction compared to before the specific video was displayed. When enlarging the size of the specific video for display, terminal 3 may convert the resolution of the video (original resolution) to a higher resolution using upscaling technology.

[0122] Furthermore, when the specific image is displayed on the terminal 3, the computer 1 may instruct the terminal 3 to increase the contrast of the specific image compared to before the specific image was displayed, and the terminal 3 may increase the contrast of the image in accordance with the instruction compared to before the specific image was displayed.

[0123] [Modification 3] The video aggregation system according to Modification 3 has the following preset function: That is, the computer 1 is configured to be able to save video display settings associated with specific identification conditions.

[0124] The video display setting items may include, for example, a setting item regarding the number of videos (number of video portions) to be displayed on terminal 3, a setting item regarding the size of the videos (size of the video portions) to be displayed on terminal 3, and a setting item regarding the display position of the videos (display position of the video portions) on terminal 3.

[0125] The specific identification condition may be, for example, a condition related to an identifier (identification information) for identifying a user, or a condition related to an identifier (identification information) for identifying a target object such as a work machine, manufacturing equipment, or facility located at a work site. The specific identification condition may also be, for example, a condition related to the operating speed of a remotely controlled target such as the work machine 60, or a condition related to the characteristics of the image. The specific identification condition may also be a condition related to the content of an operation performed at a work site. The content of the operation may include, for example, a work machine operation such as an excavation operation or a reversing operation at a work site, or a vehicle operation such as a transport operation or a reversing operation at a manufacturing site. The specific identification condition may also be a condition related to weather, a condition related to a time period, or a condition related to the quality of the communication environment.

[0126] The user inputs to the input section of the terminal 3 shown in Figure 2 to specify the specific identification condition and the video display setting associated therewith, and the computer 1 associates and saves the specific identification condition with the video display setting based on the input. When the specific identification condition is met, the computer 1 causes the terminal 3 to output video using the video display setting associated with the identification condition. Therefore, the computer 1 can cause the terminal 3 to display video in a display mode that matches the specific identification condition, such as the user's preferences or the type of work machine 60.

[0127] While the above embodiment has been described primarily in terms of the case where the observation device 2 is installed at a work site, environments in which the amount of data transmission is limited may also be, for example, enclosed spaces such as underground spaces, tunnels, and factories, regions in Japan or overseas where communication infrastructure is not adequately developed, space, or regions with congested communications. Furthermore, environments in which the amount of data transmission is limited may also be, for example, environments in which at least one of the observation device 2, computer 1, and terminal 3 communicate while moving.

[0128] The communication means between the computer 1 and the observation device 2 and between the computer 1 and the terminal 3 are not limited to the above-mentioned internet line, a network such as a mobile phone network, or a network constructed by software virtualization. The communication means may be, for example, satellite communication, LPWA (Low Power Wide Area), or other communication means. Satellite communication is a communication method for data communication between the ground and an artificial satellite. LPWA is suitable, for example, when the observation device 2 and the computer 1 are relatively close to each other, or when the computer 1 and the terminal 3 are relatively close to each other, and is expected to have a cost-reducing effect.

[0129] [Variation 5] The video aggregation system according to Variation 5 includes a setting mode and a work mode as control modes. The setting mode is a control mode that is executed before the work mode. The work mode is a control mode that is used when actual work is performed by the work machine 60 at a work site. The computer 1 may set the control mode of the system to the setting mode, and after completing the setting of the video portion (the setting content), switch the control mode of the system from the setting mode to the work mode. Furthermore, the computer 1 may switch the control mode of the system from the work mode to the setting mode when the actual work is completed or when the actual work is interrupted.

[0130] The work mode is a control mode in which the computer 1 generates video data for a video portion of the original video that is to be displayed on the terminal 3 (e.g., step S3 in FIG. 3), transmits the video data to the terminal 3 (e.g., step S4 in FIG. 3), and displays the video of the video portion received by the terminal 3. In this work mode, the computer 1 may transmit the video data to the terminal 3 with a higher image quality than in the setting mode. Also, in this work mode, when a communication line such as a best-effort Internet connection is used, the computer 1 may increase or decrease the image quality of the video data depending on the degree of congestion on the communication line.

[0131] The setting mode is a mode for specifying an image portion. The setting mode is a mode in which the computer 1 can transmit at least one of the multiple images acquired from the multiple observation devices 2 to the terminal 3, the terminal 3 can receive this image, and the received image can be displayed on the display device of the terminal 3. In the setting mode, the computer 1 can display a full-size image (an image including the entire range of the original image) of at least one of the multiple images acquired from the multiple observation devices 2 on the display device of the terminal 3.

[0132] Specifically, for example, when the video data of the video portion is generated by trimming, the setting mode is a mode in which the computer 1 transmits at least one of the multiple videos acquired from the multiple observation devices 2 to the terminal 3 without trimming, the terminal 3 receives this uncropped video, and the received video can be displayed on the display device of the terminal 3. The uncropped video is a full-size video (a video that includes the entire range of the original video).

[0133] In this setting mode, the computer 1 may transmit the full-size video to the terminal 3, for example, with a lower image quality than the image quality of the original video. Also, in this setting mode, the computer 1 may transmit the full-size video to the terminal 3, for example, without changing the image quality of the original video. In other words, the full-size video may be video obtained from the observation device 2 that has been processed to reduce the image quality, or may be video obtained from the observation device 2 that has not been processed to reduce the image quality (video with the same image quality as the original video).

[0134] In this setting mode, terminal 3 accepts input for specifying a video portion to be displayed on the display device of terminal 3 in work mode. Terminal 3 sets the range (area) of the full-size video specified by the accepted input as the video portion (the setting content). Terminal 3 transmits information about the set video portion (the setting content) to computer 1. Computer 1 receives the transmitted information. Computer 1 sets the video portion to be displayed on the display device of terminal 3 in work mode based on the received information. This processing for setting the video portion in setting mode may be performed for each of multiple videos acquired by computer 1 from multiple observation devices 2.

[0135] In this modification 5, the terminal 3 may be provided with a user interface such as a mouse, a keyboard, etc. The user of the terminal 3 may use the user interface to perform the input for specifying a range (area) of the full-size image displayed on the display device of the terminal 3 that the user wishes to set as the image portion (the setting content) within the full-size image displayed on the display device while viewing the full-size image displayed on the display device.

[0136] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Video aggregation computer 2 Observation device 3 Terminal 4 Video channel 5 Port 10 Setting unit 11 Encoding unit 20 Acquisition unit 21 Output unit 22 Reception unit 30 Video storage unit

Claims

1. A video aggregation computer for displaying images from multiple distributed observation devices on a terminal, comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires multiple images taken by the multiple observation devices; a setting unit that sets the image portion to be displayed on the terminal for at least one of the acquired images; an encoding unit that encodes the set image portion; and an output unit that transmits the encoded image portion to the terminal.

2. The image aggregation computer according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of observation devices is provided on a moving body.

3. A video aggregation computer as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the setting unit sets the video portion to be displayed on the terminal for each of the plurality of videos, the encoding unit encodes each of the plurality of set video portions, and the output unit outputs the encoded plurality of video portions on a single screen on the terminal.

4. The video aggregation computer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the encoding unit trims at least one of the plurality of acquired videos.

5. The video aggregation computer according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a video storage unit for storing the encoded video portion.

6. The video aggregation computer according to claim 5, wherein said output unit transmits the encoded and stored video portion to said terminal and causes said terminal to output it.

7. A video aggregation computer as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a reception unit that receives information for specifying the video portion, and the setting unit sets the video portion based on the received information.

8. A computer-implemented video aggregation method for displaying video from a plurality of distributed observation devices on a terminal, the video aggregation method comprising the steps of: acquiring a plurality of videos taken by the plurality of observation devices; setting a video portion to be displayed on the terminal for at least one of the acquired videos; encoding the set video portion; and transmitting the encoded video portion to the terminal.

9. A computer-readable program for causing a computer to display images from a plurality of distributed observation devices on a terminal, the computer executing the steps of: acquiring a plurality of images taken by the plurality of observation devices; setting an image portion to be displayed on the terminal for at least one of the acquired images; encoding the set image portion; and transmitting the encoded image portion to the terminal.

Images