Video or information processing method and processing apparatus, and monitoring method and monitoring apparatus using the same

• US 6,965,376 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2001
• Issued: 11/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Tanikoshi, Koichiro, Tanifuji, Shinya, Tani, Masayuki, Yamaashi, Kimiya, Futakawa, Masayasu, Hirota, Atsuhiko, Nishikawa, Atsuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu, Amare
• Application Number:
  US09/845,838
• Publication Number:
  US 20020075244A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,659 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/157, 345/113, 345/173, 345/185, 345/1, 345/326, 345/952, 345/948, 345/343, 345/155, 395155-161, 364/138, 364/139, 348/15, 348/36, 348/208, 348/12, 348/47, 348/473
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0216 Human interface functionality, e.g. monitoring system providing help to the user in the selection of tests or in its configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0267 Fault communication, e.g. human machine interface [HMI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance

Abstract

In a remote operation monitoring system and the like, it is a video processing apparatus capable of intuitively grasping an object operated by an operator and an operation result. The video processing apparatus includes a unit (310, 320, 2104, 2202) for storing information about at least one object displayed on a screen of a display unit; a unit (12, 2105) for designating information about the object; a unit (300, 2201) for searching the store unit based upon the designated information, and for obtaining information within the store unit corresponding to the designated information; and also a unit (20, 2103) for performing a process related to the object based on the obtained information. An operator can readily grasp an object to be operated and a result.

Claims

1. A camera selecting method for selecting a camera which can monitor a specific subject from among images of a plurality of cameras, comprising:

storing plural pairs of information, with each pair including a name of a subject and information specifying at least one of said plurality of cameras which can monitor said subject;

inputting text indicative of the specific subject to be searched for;

searching the plural pairs of information for a pair of information which has data corresponding to the text having been inputted;

selecting one of said plurality of cameras specified by the information included in the pair of information found by the searching;

displaying on a display unit a video image output from a camera designated by the selecting.

2. An image searching method according to claim 1, wherein the image displaying step includes a substep of synthesizing a graphics representing the subject thus specified on the video image displayed on the display unit.

3. An image searching method according to claim 1, wherein the inputting step includes a substep of inputting the search key by using voice.

4. A camera selecting apparatus for selecting a camera which can monitor a specific subject from among images of a plurality of cameras, comprising:

a storage to store plural pairs of information, with each pair including a name of a subject and information specifying at least one of said plurality of cameras which can monitor said subject;

a user-interface to input text indicative of the specific subject to be searched for;

a search unit to search the plural pairs of information for a pair of information which has data corresponding to the text having been inputted;

a selecting unit to select one of said plurality of cameras specified by the information included in the pair of information found by the search unit;

a video image searching a display unit to display, when the subject fitting to the search key is specified by the subject searching unit, an output video camera image from a camera designated by the selecting unit.

5. An image searching apparatus according to claim 4, comprising a synthesizing display unit which synthesizes a graphics representing the subject on the video image searched by the video image searching unit.