Monitoring system

Abstract

Provided is a monitoring system in which the operability when performing camera control through an operation terminal is improved.　A monitoring system according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a camera device (10) for monitoring; and an operation terminal (20) that receives operation inputs relating to camera control from a user, the operation inputs including changing the imaging direction, zoom, or focus of the camera device (10). The operation terminal (20) transmits a control signal instructing a camera control to the camera device (10) according to the operation input, and transmits a control signal instructing reversion of the camera control according to a delay time relating to the camera control when the operation input ends.

Description

Monitoring system

[0001] The present invention relates to a monitoring system capable of realizing camera control including changing the shooting direction, zoom, or focus of a camera by an operation input of a user to an operation terminal.

[0002] Conventionally, for ensuring safety in a monitoring area, detecting intruders and abandoned objects, verifying incidents and accidents, etc., a monitoring system has been developed that shoots a monitoring area with a camera and displays it on a monitor. As a camera used in such a monitoring system, there is a camera (for example, a network pan-tilt camera) capable of performing camera control including changing the shooting direction, zoom, or focus in response to an operation input of a user to an operation terminal connected via a network.

[0003] As prior art related to the present invention, there are the following. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in a monitoring system that couples a pan-tilt camera device and a control terminal device via a network, where the pan-tilt camera device includes self-diagnosis means, recording means for recording diagnosis information of the self-diagnosis means, and transmission means for distributing the diagnosis information to the network, and the control terminal device includes display means for displaying the diagnosis information distributed via the network.

[0004] Japanese Patent No. 4642925

[0005] In the above-described monitoring system, when performing camera control according to an operation input of a user to an operation terminal, a delay time until the camera image is displayed and a delay time according to an operation command occur. Therefore, when a user performs an operation input to change the shooting direction while viewing the camera image, even if the user stops the operation input recognizing that the shooting direction is directed to the place to be confirmed, the change of the shooting direction is not stopped immediately. As a result, the change of the shooting direction is stopped at a place slightly past the place the user originally wanted to confirm. Therefore, the user has to re-perform an operation input to return the overshoot amount and perform fine adjustment of the shooting direction. Such a situation is more likely to occur for users who are not accustomed to camera operations, and some countermeasures have been desired.

[0006] This invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional circumstances, and aims to provide a surveillance system that improves operability when controlling a camera via an operating terminal.

[0007] A monitoring system according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a monitoring camera and an operation terminal that receives operation inputs from a user regarding camera control, including changes to the shooting direction, zoom, or focus of the camera, wherein the operation terminal transmits a control signal to the camera instructing the camera to perform the camera control in response to the operation input, and transmits a control signal to the camera instructing the camera to return the camera control in accordance with the delay time related to the camera control when the operation input is completed.

[0008] In the above-described monitoring system, the operating terminal pre-stores the delay time for each camera model, and can determine the duration of the return process according to the delay time for the camera model targeted for camera control.

[0009] Furthermore, in the monitoring system described above, the operation terminal can measure the cumulative operation time obtained by accumulating the duration of the operation input for each user, and determine the duration of the return process by correcting the delay time based on the cumulative operation time.

[0010] Furthermore, in the above-described monitoring system, the operating terminal may be able to switch the return process on or off in response to the user's input.

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a monitoring system that improves operability when controlling a camera via an operating terminal.

[0012] This figure shows an overview of a monitoring system according to one embodiment of the present invention. This figure shows an example of the configuration of the operating terminal shown in Figure 1. This figure shows an example of the return process for camera control. This figure shows an overview of the return control of the shooting direction. This figure shows an example of a flowchart related to the return process for camera control. This figure shows an example of a flowchart related to user authentication processing. This figure shows an example of a flowchart related to the return time calculation process.

[0013] One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 shows an overview of a monitoring system according to one embodiment of the present invention. The monitoring system in this example comprises a camera device 10 for monitoring and an operation terminal 20 for a user to remotely operate the camera device 10, and these are connected to each other via a network for communication. In Figure 1, N camera devices 10-1 to 10-N are provided, but the number of camera devices 10 is arbitrary.

[0014] The camera device 10 consists of a camera body that generates and outputs a video signal by photoelectric conversion of the optical image of the subject formed on the imaging surface through the lens, and a pan / tilt head that holds the camera body so that its orientation can be changed in the left / right and up / down directions. The camera device 10 can change the orientation of the camera (i.e., the shooting direction) by controlling the pan / tilt head according to control signals from the operation terminal 20. In addition, the camera device 10 can change the zoom and focus of the camera by controlling the lens according to control signals from the operation terminal 20.

[0015] Figure 2 shows an example configuration of the operating terminal 20. The operating terminal 20 shown in Figure 2 includes an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 21, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 22, program memory 23, an internal clock 24, and a network interface 25. The HDD 21 stores a database, as well as the operating system, programs, and configuration data. The program memory 23 stores various programs according to the present invention, and by executing these programs by the CPU 22, processing and functions such as the camera selection unit 31, camera control unit 32, video display unit 33, and user authentication unit 34 are realized. Note that the hardware configuration in Figure 2 is just one example, and the operating terminal 20 can be realized with any other hardware configuration.

[0016] The camera selection unit 31 receives an operation input from the user to specify one camera device 10-1 to 10-N, and performs processing to select that camera device 10 as the control target. The camera control unit 32 receives an operation input from the user regarding camera control, including changing the shooting direction, zoom, or focus of the camera device 10 to be controlled, and performs processing to send a control signal to the camera device 10 to be controlled to instruct the camera control. The video display unit 33 performs processing to display the camera video captured by the camera device 10 to be controlled on the monitor screen. The user authentication unit 34 performs processing to authenticate the user using the operation terminal 20. Note that the camera selection unit 31 and the video display unit 33 are the same as those in a general surveillance system, so they will not be explained in detail below.

[0017] In this example, the operating terminal 20 not only has a function to send control signals that instruct camera control in response to user input (camera control function), but also a function to send a camera control signal that instructs the camera control to be reversed according to the delay time related to camera control when the user's input ends (camera control reverse function). This camera control reverse function eliminates the need for manual fine-tuning to obtain camera images with the desired field of view, thereby improving the operability of camera control through the operating terminal 20.

[0018] The following will specifically explain the camera control reset process by the operation terminal 20 with reference to Figures 3 to 7. Figure 3 shows an example of the camera control reset process. Figure 3 shows (A) the amount of reset for pan / tilt head operation and (B) the amount of reset for zoom operation, using the case where the delay time for camera control by the camera device 10 is 0.5 seconds as an example. Focus operation is omitted.

[0019] First, with reference to Figure 3(A), the return process for controlling the shooting direction of the camera device 10 will be explained. As shown in the figure, the pan-tilt operation to change the shooting direction of the camera device 10 is performed in the following order: (1) a right turn for 0.7 seconds, (2) a downward turn for 0.3 seconds, (3) a right turn for 0.5 seconds, and (4) a left turn for 0.3 seconds, and the pan-tilt operation is completed. In this case, control signals instructing the camera device 10 to turn in each direction are transmitted sequentially from the operation terminal 20. However, if the delay time for camera control by the camera device 10 is 0.5 seconds, the image that the user originally wanted is the image from 0.5 seconds before the end of the operation input. Therefore, the operation terminal 20 transmits additional control signals to the camera device 10 in order to perform a return process equivalent to the delay time of 0.5 seconds, namely (5) a right turn for 0.3 seconds (the reverse of the left turn) and (6) a left turn for 0.2 seconds (the reverse of the right turn). As a result, the shooting direction of the camera device 10 is automatically returned to the direction that is 0.5 seconds in the reverse of the direction at the end of the operation input. Therefore, the user can obtain camera footage in the desired shooting direction without having to manually fine-tune the shooting direction. This means that, for example, as shown in Figure 4, if the user detects a suspicious person in the camera footage while in the process of changing the shooting direction of the camera device 10, the user can simply stop the operation input at that moment, and the camera device 10 will automatically return to its shooting direction so that camera footage of the suspicious person can be obtained.

[0020] Next, with reference to Figure 3(B), the return process for zoom control of the camera device 10 will be explained. As shown in the figure, suppose that the zoom operation to change the zoom magnification of the camera device 10 is performed in the following order: (1) 0.7 seconds for telephoto, (2) 0.3 seconds for wide-angle, (3) 0.5 seconds for telephoto, and (4) 0.3 seconds for wide-angle, and the zoom operation is completed. In this case, control signals instructing telephoto or wide-angle are sequentially transmitted from the operation terminal 20 to the camera device 10. However, if the delay time for camera control by the camera device 10 is 0.5 seconds, the image that the user originally wanted is the image from 0.5 seconds before the end of the operation input. Therefore, the operation terminal 20 sequentially transmits control signals to the camera device 10 for a return process equivalent to the delay time of 0.5 seconds, that is, (5) 0.3 seconds for telephoto (reverse operation of wide-angle) and (6) 0.2 seconds for wide-angle (reverse operation of telephoto). As a result, the zoom magnification of the camera device 10 is automatically returned to the magnification obtained by reversing the playback time by 0.5 seconds from the zoom magnification at the end of the operation input. Therefore, the user can obtain camera images at the desired zoom magnification without having to manually fine-tune the zoom magnification.

[0021] Figure 5 shows an example flowchart relating to the return process of camera control by the operation terminal 20. The camera control unit 32 first determines whether or not an operation input related to camera control, including changing the shooting direction, zoom, or focus of the camera device 10, is currently being performed (step S11). Examples of operation inputs include operation inputs to buttons displayed on the screen of the operation terminal 20, and operation inputs from operation devices (joysticks or gamepads) connected to the operation terminal 20.

[0022] If it is determined in step S11 that an operation input is in progress, the camera control unit 32 records the duration and content of the operation input in the program memory 23 (step S12). The duration of the operation input is measured using the internal clock 24. The content of the operation input may include the type of camera control (shooting direction control / zoom control / focus control, etc.), the control direction (up / down / left / right for shooting direction control, telephoto / wide-angle for zoom control, far / near for focus control, etc.), and the control speed.

[0023] If it is determined in step S11 that no operation input is currently being performed, that is, if the operation input has ended, the camera control unit 32 first sets the return time length calculated in the return time calculation process (step S25) described later (step S13). Next, the camera control unit 32 determines whether or not to continue the return process (step S14). If the return process for the length of the return time has not been completed, it is determined to continue the return process.

[0024] If it is determined in step S14 to continue the return process, the camera control unit 32 reads the time duration and content of the operation inputs recorded in the program memory 23, working backward from the most recent, and performs the return process according to the time duration and content of the operation inputs (step S15). In the return process, camera controls in the opposite direction to the camera controls that were input are performed sequentially for the duration of the operation inputs, provided that the total time spent on the return process does not exceed the return time duration. When the total time spent on the return process exceeds the return time duration, it is determined in step S14 not to continue the return process, and the return process is terminated.

[0025] Next, the user authentication process by the user authentication unit 34 will be explained using the flowchart example shown in Figure 6. The user authentication process is implemented to improve security and to adjust the return time by determining the proficiency level of each user. User authentication may be performed using a password that the user has individually set for login, or it may be performed using a card reader or facial recognition mechanism; the method is not limited.

[0026] The user authentication unit 34 first determines whether or not it has just logged in (step S21). If it is determined in step S21 that it has just logged in, the user authentication unit 34 performs initialization processing related to the camera control return process. In the initialization process, the current time measured by the internal clock 24 is recorded as the login time (step S22), the operation start time is initialized (step S23), the cumulative operation time obtained by accumulating the duration of the logged-in user's operation input is read from the database on the HDD 21 (step S24), and a return time calculation process is performed to calculate the return time length to be applied to the logged-in user (step S25).

[0027] If it is determined in step S21 that the user has not just logged in, that is, if the user is already logged in and the initialization process has been completed, the user authentication unit 34 determines whether or not the user is still logged in (step S26). If it is determined in step S26 that the user is still logged in, the user authentication unit 34 determines whether or not the user is currently inputting an operation related to camera control (step S27). If it is determined in step S27 that the user is currently inputting an operation related to camera control, the user authentication unit 34 determines whether or not the operation start time remains at its initial value (step S28), and if the operation start time remains at its initial value, it records the current time measured by the internal clock 24 as the operation start time (step S29).

[0028] If it is determined in step S27 that the user is not currently inputting an operation related to camera control, that is, at the end of the operation input, the current time measured by the internal clock 24 is obtained (step S30), and the time obtained by subtracting the operation start time from the current time (i.e., the duration of this operation input) is added to the cumulative operation time (step S31). If it is determined in step S26 that the user is not still logged in, that is, when the user logs off, the cumulative operation time is stored in the database of HDD 21 (step S32). Through the above process, the cumulative operation time for each user can be measured and recorded.

[0029] Next, the process for calculating the return time (S25) will be explained using the flowchart example shown in Figure 7. Here, it is assumed that the operation terminal 20 in this example maintains a delay time table in the HDD 21 database that associates the model of the camera device 10 with the delay time related to camera control for that model. Furthermore, it is assumed that the camera control return function can be switched on or off in response to user input. Experienced camera operators may stop their input early, taking the delay time into consideration, and may find it bothersome if the camera control return process is always performed, so such users can turn off the camera control return function.

[0030] The user authentication unit 34 first determines whether the camera control return function is on or off (step S41). If the camera control return function is determined to be off in step S41, the user authentication unit 34 sets the return time length to be applied to the logged-in user to 0. As a result, it is determined in step S14 of Figure 5 that the return process will not be continued, and camera control ends without performing the return process.

[0031] If the camera control return function is determined to be ON in step S41, the user authentication unit 34 reads the delay time corresponding to the model of the camera device 10 from the database on the HDD 21 (step S42), and sets this delay time as the return time length to be applied to the logged-in user (step S43). Next, in this embodiment, the return time length is adjusted according to the user's proficiency, so the user authentication unit 34 determines whether the logged-in user's cumulative operation time is equal to or greater than the threshold (= 90 hours) (step S44). The threshold used to determine the cumulative operation time can be changed for each system, and in this example, it is set to 90 hours, assuming that the user will become accustomed to camera operation after performing about 3 hours of work for 30 days.

[0032] If it is determined in step S44 that the cumulative operation time is equal to or greater than a threshold, the delay time corresponding to the model of the camera device 10 is corrected based on the cumulative operation time, and this corrected delay time is set as the return time length to be applied to the logged-in user (step S45). Here, the corrected delay time is calculated by the formula delay time × (1 - 0.1 × (cumulative operation time / 90)). If the delay time is 0.5 seconds, the corrected delay time will be 0.45 seconds if the cumulative operation time is 90 hours, and the corrected delay time will be 0.4 seconds if the cumulative operation time is 180 hours. Note that the above calculation is merely an example, and the method of correcting the delay time is not limited to this.

[0033] Subsequently, the user authentication unit 34 determines whether the user has made further fine-tuning inputs after the camera control return process has been completed for the length of the return time (step S46). Here, "fine-tuning input" refers to an operation input that is the same as the last operation input. For example, if the last operation input was a right turn, this applies when a right turn operation input is made again after the camera control return process. If it is determined in step S46 that a fine-tuning operation input has been made, the user authentication unit 34 makes an adjustment by subtracting the fine-tuning operation time from the return time length (step S47). Specifically, when a fine-tuning operation input is made, the fine-tuning operation time is recorded in memory, and in subsequent pan / tilt head operations, the fine-tuning operation time is subtracted from the return time length calculated in step S45 and applied to the camera control return process. For example, if a user with a cumulative operation time of 90 hours makes a fine-tuning operation input for 0.1 seconds, the return time after adjustment will be 0.45 seconds - 0.1 seconds = 0.35 seconds. Furthermore, if the result of subtracting the fine-tuning operation time from the return time length is 0 or less, the user authentication unit 34 sets the return time length to 0 and does not perform the camera control return process (steps S48, S49). By performing this process, the return time length applied in the camera control return process can be adjusted according to the user's proficiency level.

[0034] As described above, the surveillance system in this example comprises a surveillance camera device 10 and an operation terminal 20 that receives operation inputs from the user regarding camera control, including changes to the shooting direction, zoom, or focus of the camera device 10. The operation terminal 20 is configured to send a control signal to the camera device 10 instructing camera control in response to the operation input, and to send a control signal to the camera device 10 at the end of the operation input instructing the camera control to be returned according to the delay time related to camera control. This improves the operability of camera control via the operation terminal 20 and makes it easier for the user to acquire the desired camera image.

[0035] In the above explanation, the delay time related to camera control is stored in advance for each camera device model, and the return time length is determined according to the delay time of the camera device being controlled. However, the return time length may be determined by other methods. For example, the delay time related to camera control may be stored in advance for each camera device, and the return time length may be determined according to the delay time of the camera device being controlled. Alternatively, considering the case where there is a delay in communication between the camera device and the operating terminal, the communication delay time may be measured in advance or in real time, the communication delay time may be added to the delay time related to camera control to calculate the total delay time, and the return time length may be determined based on the total delay time.

[0036] Furthermore, while the above explanation describes how to reverse camera control by reproducing the input in reverse, other methods may also be used to reverse camera control. For example, the shooting direction, zoom, or focus state at a point in time equal to the reverse time length can be identified, and camera control can be performed to achieve that state. The shooting direction, zoom, or focus state at a point in time equal to the reverse time length can be identified by referring to data that has been periodically recorded for each state (for example, every 0.05 seconds), or by calculating the content of the input in reverse from the final state.

[0037] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are merely illustrative and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention. The present invention can take many other embodiments, and various modifications such as omissions and substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention as described herein, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as described in the claims.

[0038] Furthermore, the present invention can be provided not only as the devices described above or as systems composed of such devices, but also as methods executed by these devices, programs for a processor to realize the functions of these devices, and storage media for storing such programs in a computer-readable manner.

[0039] This system can be used in surveillance systems where camera control, including changes to the camera's shooting direction, zoom, or focus, can be achieved through user input to an operating terminal.

[0040] 10: Camera device, 20: Operation terminal, 21: HDD, 22: CPU, 23: Program memory, 24: Internal clock, 25: Network interface, 31: Camera selection unit, 32: Camera control unit, 33: Video display unit, 34: User authentication unit

Claims

1. A surveillance system comprising a surveillance camera and an operation terminal that receives operation inputs from a user regarding camera control, including changes to the shooting direction, zoom, or focus of the camera, wherein the operation terminal transmits a control signal to the camera instructing the camera to perform the camera control in response to the operation input, and transmits a control signal to the camera instructing the camera to return to the original state of camera control in accordance with the delay time related to the camera control when the operation input is completed.

2. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the operating terminal stores the delay time in advance for each model of camera, and determines the length of the return process according to the delay time for the model of camera that is the subject of camera control.

3. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the operation terminal measures the cumulative operation time obtained by accumulating the time duration of the operation input for each user, and determines the time duration of the return process by correcting the delay time based on the cumulative operation time.

4. The monitoring system according to claim 1, characterized in that the operating terminal can switch the return process on or off in response to the user's input.

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