Change detecting method and apparatus

• US 20040233286A1
• Filed: 05/07/2004
• Published: 11/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Kokusai Electric Incorporated (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Kokusai Electric Incorporated (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ueda, Hirotada, Kawabe, Tsuyoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,496,212 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/152
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/96 Management of image or video recognition tasks

Abstract

A change detecting method and apparatus constituted by an input portion for inputting image data obtained by imaging apparatus, a processing unit for processing the image data inputted from the input portion, and a storage for storing the image data. The processing unit has an image data change detecting portion, a monitoring information generating/transmitting portion. The storage has a monitoring schedule table. The image data change detecting portion reads the image data from the storage based on the monitoring schedule table, and detects a change in image data from the image data. The monitoring information generating/transmitting portion generates monitoring information based on a result of the detected change and outputs the monitoring information.

Claims

1. A change detecting apparatus comprising:

an input portion for inputting image data obtained by an imaging apparatus;

a processing unit for processing said image data inputted from said input portion; and

a storage for storing said image data;

wherein said processing unit has an image data change detecting portion and a monitoring information generating/transmitting portion;

wherein said storage has a monitoring schedule table;

wherein said image data change detecting portion reads said image data from said storage in accordance with said monitoring schedule table and detects a change in image data from said image data; and

wherein said monitoring information generating/transmitting portion generates a signal representing said change in image data and outputs said signal to a detection result receiving unit which is connected to said change detecting apparatus.

2. A change detecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a table generating portion for rewriting said monitoring schedule table, said table generating portion rewriting said monitoring schedule table in accordance with a request from a user.

3. A change detecting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said table generating portion includes a setting screen generating portion for generating a setting screen including setting boxes for setting a monitoring schedule including a monitoring execution time and a monitoring suspension time, and a display portion for displaying a setting status, so as to allow said user to rewrite said monitoring schedule table.

4. A change detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said receiving unit for receiving detection result includes a notification apparatus and client terminal network-connected to said change detecting apparatus, wherein said signal representing detection result includes monitoring information to be transmitted to said client terminal via said notification unit, said monitoring information including at least one of an image at change detection time point acquired by said imaging apparatus, image pickup time point and the change in the image acquired by said imaging apparatus.

5. A change detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said receiving unit for receiving detection result includes a notification apparatus and client terminal network-connected to said change detecting apparatus, wherein said signal representing detection result includes monitoring information to be transmitted to said client terminal via said notification unit, said monitoring information including a message for indicating that said change in image data is detected.

6. A change detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said detection result receiving unit includes a alarm lamp connected to said change detecting apparatus, wherein said signal representing detection result includes a signal for turning said alarm lump on in response to said detection of said change in image data.

7. A change detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said detection result receiving unit includes a monitor connected to said change detecting apparatus, wherein said signal representing detection result includes monitoring information to be displayed on said monitor, said monitoring information including at least one of an image at change detection time point acquired by said imaging apparatus, image pickup time point and the change in the image acquired by said imaging apparatus.

8. A change detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said detection result receiving unit includes a monitor connected to said change detecting apparatus, wherein said signal representing detection result includes monitoring information to be displayed on said monitor, said monitoring information including at least one of an image at change detection time point acquired by said imaging apparatus, image pickup time point and the change in the image acquired by said imaging apparatus.

9. A change detecting apparatus comprising:

an input portion for inputting image data obtained by an imaging apparatus;

a processing unit for processing said image data inputted from said input portion; and

a storage for storing said image data;

wherein said processing unit for processing said image data has an image data change detecting portion and a monitoring information generating/transmitting portion;

wherein said storage has an image recognition region table in which at least one partial region of an image from said imaging apparatus is set as a to-be-image-recognized region;

wherein said image data change detecting portion reads said image data from said storage and detects a change in image data in a region of said image data corresponding to said to-be-image-recognized region based on said image recognition region table;

wherein said monitoring information generating/transmitting portion generates a signal representing said change in image data and outputs said signal to a detection result receiving unit which is connected to said change detecting apparatus.

10. A change detecting apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said image data is divided into a plurality of blocks, and at least one of said divided blocks is set as said to-be-image-recognized region.

11. A change detecting apparatus according to claim 10, wherein a size of each of said blocks is changed in accordance with a change request.

12. A change detecting apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a table generating portion for rewriting said image recognition region table, said table generating portion setting said to-be-image-recognized region in accordance with a request from a user.

13. A change detecting apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said table generating portion includes a setting screen generating portion for generating a setting screen for allowing said user to set said image recognition region table, said setting screen including a setting box for allowing said user to set division of a screen of said imaging apparatus into a plurality of blocks and a button for allowing said user to choose whether to perform image recognition on each of said blocks or not.

14. A change detecting apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said table generating portion includes a setting screen generating portion for generating a setting screen for allowing said user to set said image recognition region table, said setting screen including a region name setting portion for setting a region name of each to-be-image-recognized region, said signal representing said change in image data including a region name of a to-be-image-recognized region where said change in image data has been detected.

15. A change detecting apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said setting screen includes an input field for allowing said user to set at least one partial region of said image data from said imaging apparatus as a to-be-image-recognized region and a box for allowing said user to input a name of each to-be-image-recognized region.

16. A change detecting apparatus comprising:

an input portion for inputting image data obtained by an imaging apparatus;

a processing unit for processing said image data inputted from said input portion; and

a storage for storing said image data;

wherein said processing unit has an image data change detecting portion and a monitoring information generating/transmitting portion;

wherein said storage has a monitoring schedule table and an image recognition region table in which at least one to-be-image-recognized region is defined in said image data;

wherein said image data change detecting portion reads said image data from said storage based on said monitoring schedule table and detects a change in image data in a region of said image data corresponding to said to-be-image-recognized region based on said image recognition region table;

wherein said monitoring information generating/transmitting portion generates a signal representing said change in image data and outputs said signal to a detection result receiving unit which is connected to said change detecting apparatus.

17. A change detecting apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said storage includes a plurality of image recognition region tables in which different to-be-image-recognized regions have been set, said image data change detecting portion selects at least one of said image recognition region tables based on said monitoring schedule table, and detects a change in said image data based on said selected image recognition region table.

18. A change detecting apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising an image recognition region setting screen, said screen including a table name setting portion which sets at least one of table names of said image recognition region tables or table numbers of said image recognition region tables.

19. A change detecting apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising a monitoring schedule setting screen including an inputting field for allowing a user to set at least one of a plurality of image recognition region tables by allowing the user to select at least one of said table name or table number.

20. A method for detecting occurrence of a change in an image from imaging apparatus, comprising the steps of:

creating a monitoring schedule in which a monitoring execution period is set in advance;

reading said monitoring schedule;

acquiring a current time;

reading an image from an image storing/distributing apparatus and executing an image recognition process on said read image when said current time is within said monitoring execution period; and

notifying occurrence of a change when said change is detected to a detection result receiving apparatus.

21. A method for detecting occurrence of a change in an image from an imaging apparatus, comprising the steps of:

creating a image recognition region schedule in which a to-be-image-recognized region is set in said image in advance;

reading said image recognition region schedule;

acquiring image data corresponding to said to-be-image-recognized region from an image storing/ distributing apparatus in accordance with said image recognition region schedule;

executing an image recognition process on said image data; and

notifying occurrence of a change when said change is detected in said to-be-image-recognized region to a detection result receiving apparatus.

22. A method for detecting occurrence of a change in an image from an imaging apparatus, comprising the steps of:

creating a plurality of kinds of image recognition region schedules in which different to-be-image-recognized regions are set in said image in advance;

creating a monitoring schedule for setting at least one monitoring execution period, and information for specifying one image recognition region schedule to be used in each monitoring execution period from said plurality of kinds of image recognition region schedules, in advance;

reading said monitoring schedule;

acquiring a current time;

acquiring image data corresponding to a to-be-image-recognized region from an image storing/distributing apparatus in accordance with an image recognition region schedule to be used in a monitoring execution period of time when said current time is within said monitoring execution period of time;

executing image recognition on said image data; and

reporting occurrence of a change when said change is detected in said image data to a detection result receiving apparatus.