MONITORING CAMERA AND MONITORING CAMERA CONTROL METHOD

• US 20100007736A1
• Filed: 02/12/2008
• Published: 01/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: I-Pro Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Mori, Yuuichiro, Ouyabu, Satoru, Nakamura, Yasuji, Higuchi, Kazutaka
• Granted Patent: US 9,286,775 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/155
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/196 using television cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19602 Image analysis to detect motion of the intruder, e.g. by frame subtraction
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19606 Discriminating between target movement or movement in an area of interest and other non-signicative movements, e.g. target movements induced by camera shake or movements of pets, falling leaves, rotating fan
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19608 Tracking movement of a target, e.g. by detecting an object predefined as a target, using target direction and or velocity to predict its new position
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19613 Recognition of a predetermined image pattern or behaviour pattern indicating theft or intrusion
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1963 Arrangements allowing camera rotation to change view, e.g. pivoting camera, pan-tilt and zoom [PTZ]
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19652 Systems using zones in a single scene defined for different treatment, e.g. outer zone gives pre-alarm, inner zone gives alarm
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19689 Remote control of cameras, e.g. remote orientation or image zooming control for a PTZ camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 Control of parameters via user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/69 Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/144 Movement detection for video coding H04N19/503; analysis of motion in general G06T7/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/188 Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253

Abstract

An image signal processing DSP subjects an image captured by an imaging element having a zoom lens to image processing for identifying a tracking target. In accordance with zoom information generated by the image signal processing DSP, the main CPU controls the zoom lens; and controls a turn table that moves the imaging element in panning and tilting directions in accordance with pan and tilt information, to track the tracking target. During tracking of the tracking, a determination is made, from information about movements of the tracking target generated by the image signal processing DSP, as to whether or not the target to be tacked has intruded the inside of the area from the outside. In a case where the target has intruded the inside of a preset area from the outside, an alarm command is produced when the target continually remains in the area for; e.g., one second.

Claims

1. A monitoring camera comprising:

an imaging unit having a zoom lens;

a turn table that moves the imaging unit in panning and tilting directions;

an image processing unit which subjects an image captured by the imaging unit to image processing for identifying a tracking target, and generates tracking information including information about motion of the tracking target and pan, tilt and zoom information;

a tracking unit which tracks the tracking target by controlling the zoom lens of the imaging unit in accordance with the zoom information generated by the image processing unit and controls the turn table in accordance with the pan and tilt information generated by the image processing unit; and

an intrusion detection unit which determines, based on the information about motion of the tracking target generated by the image processing unit, whether or not the tracking target has intruded inside of a preset area from outside during tracking the tracking target, and outputs an alarm only when the tracking target has intruded the inside of the area from the outside.

2. The monitoring camera according to claim 1, wherein, in a case where the tracking target intrudes the inside of the area from the outside, the intrusion detection unit outputs an alarm when the tracking target continually stays in the area for a predetermined period of time since the tracking target performed intrusion.

3. The monitoring camera according to claim 1, wherein, when tracking of the tracking of the tracking target starts from the inside of the area and when the tracking target still keeps moving in the area, the instruction detection unit does not output an alarm.

4. A monitoring camera system comprising at least two monitoring cameras according to any one of claims 1 through 3, wherein the tracking target is tracked in an associated manner by supplying an alarm signal from one camera directly to the other camera.

5. A monitoring camera control method comprising:

subjecting an image captured by an imaging unit having a zoom lens to image processing for identifying a tracking target, and generating tracking information including information about motion of the tracking target and pan, tilt, and zoom information;

tracking the tracking target by controlling the zoom lens of the imaging unit in accordance with the zoom information generated in the image processing step and controlling the turn table, which moves the imaging unit to panning and tilting directions, in accordance with the pan and tilt information generated in the image processing step; and

determining, from the information about motion of the tracking target generated in the image processing step, whether or not the tracking target has intruded inside of a preset area from outside, during the course of tracking the tracking target, and that outputs an alarm only when the tracking target has intruded the inside of the area from the outside.