Monitoring system, monitoring method, and program

• US 10,516,858 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2017
• Issued: 12/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: I-Pro Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Masao, Yoshimura, Takahiro, Nawata, Akihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Senfi, Behrooz M
• Application Number:
  US15/832,629
• Publication Number:
  US 20180184051A1
• Time in Patent Office: 749 Days
• Field of Search: 348144
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/104 using satellite radio beacon positioning systems, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19602 Image analysis to detect motion of the intruder, e.g. by frame subtraction
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19621 Portable camera
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19656 Network used to communicate with a camera, e.g. WAN, LAN, Internet
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/04 using optical or ultrasonic detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0078 for monitoring traffic from the aircraft radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• 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

A plurality of fixed cameras installed in a driving area on a highway and a server device are connected via a network NW. The server device displays the captured images of the fixed cameras on the fixed camera monitor and requests camera position information and zooming position information to respective fixed cameras in response to occurrence of a traffic accident or the like in the driving area. In response to this request, the fixed cameras transmit the camera position information and the zooming position information to the server device. Based on camera position information and zooming position information, the server device derives the occurrence position of a traffic accident or the like, instructs a predetermined drone to capture the image around the occurrence position such as a traffic accident, and displays the captured image transmitted from the drone on a drone monitor.

Claims

1. A monitoring system comprising:

a camera that is installed in an imaging area; and

a server that communicates with the camera via a network,

wherein the server, in operation, displays an image of the imaging area captured by the camera on a display, and transmits to the camera a request for camera information in response to an occurrence of an incident in the imaging area,

wherein the camera, in operation, transmits the camera information to the server in response to the request, the camera information including camera position information of the camera and zooming position information of the camera, and

wherein the server, in operation,

derives an occurrence position of the incident based on the image of the imaging area captured by the camera and the camera information including the camera position information of the camera and the zooming position information of the camera transmitted from the camera,

selects a lighting device based on the occurrence position derived based on the image of the imaging area captured by the camera and the camera information including the camera position information of the camera and the zooming position information of the camera transmitted from the camera,

issues a lighting instruction to the lighting device selected based on the occurrence position derived based on the image of the imaging area captured by the camera and the camera information including the camera position information of the camera and the zooming position information of the camera transmitted from the camera, the lighting instruction instructing the lighting device to adjust a brightness of light emitted by the lighting device,

issues an on-site check instruction to an unmanned aerial vehicle, the on-site check instruction instructing the unmanned aerial vehicle to capture an image of a vicinity of the occurrence position of the incident derived based on the image of the imaging area captured by the camera and the camera information including the camera position information of the camera and the zooming position information of the camera transmitted from the camera,

acquires the image of the vicinity of the occurrence position of the incident captured by the unmanned aerial vehicle; and

displays the image of the vicinity of the occurrence position of the incident captured by the unmanned aerial vehicle on the display.

2. The monitoring system of claim 1,

wherein the camera information transmitted by the camera includes feature information of a subject within an angle of view of the camera.

3. The monitoring system of claim 1,

wherein the feature information of the subject within the angle of view of the camera transmitted by the camera includes color information.

4. The monitoring system of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of lighting devices including the lighting device selected by the server,

wherein the server, in operation, selects the lighting device from among the plurality of lighting devices based on the position information of the camera indicating proximity to the occurrence position of the incident.

5. The monitoring system of claim 1,

wherein the server, in operation, recognizes the occurrence of the incident and transmits the request for camera information to the camera in response to a predetermined button operation.

18. The monitoring system of claim 1,

wherein the server, in operation, recognizes the occurrence of the based on the image of the imaging area captured by the camera.

6. A monitoring method in a monitoring system which includes a camera that is installed in an imaging area and a server that communicates with the cameras via a network, the method comprising:

displaying an image of an imaging area captured by the camera on a display;

transmitting from the server to the camera a request for camera information in response to an occurrence of an incident in the imaging area;

transmitting from the camera to the server the camera information in response to the request transmitted from the server, the camera information including camera position information of the camera and zooming position information of the camera;

deriving an occurrence position of the incident based on the image of the imaging area captured by the camera and the camera information including the camera position information of the camera and the zooming position information of the camera transmitted from the camera;

selecting a lighting device based on the occurrence position derived based on the image of the imaging area captured by the camera and the camera information including the camera position information of the camera and the zooming position information of the camera transmitted from the camera;

issuing a lighting instruction to the lighting device selected based on the occurrence position derived based on the image of the imaging area captured by the camera and the camera information including the camera position information of the camera and the zooming position information of the camera transmitted from the camera, the lighting instruction instructing the lighting device to adjust a brightness of light emitted by the lighting device;

issuing an on-site check instruction to an unmanned aerial vehicle, the on-site check instruction instructing the unmanned aerial vehicle to capture an image of a vicinity of the occurrence position of the incident derived based on the camera information including the camera position information of the camera and the zooming position information of the camera transmitted from the camera;

acquiring the image of the vicinity of the occurrence position of the incident captured by the unmanned aerial vehicles; and

displaying the image of the vicinity of the occurrence position of the incident captured by the unmanned aerial vehicle on the display.

13. The monitoring method of claim 6,

wherein the camera information transmitted by the camera includes feature information of a subject within an angle of view of the camera.

14. The monitoring method of claim 13,

wherein the feature information of the subject within the angle of view of the camera transmitted by the camera includes color information.

15. The monitoring system of claim 6,

wherein the selecting includes selecting the lighting device from among a plurality of lighting devices based on the position information of the camera indicating proximity to the occurrence position of the incident.

16. The monitoring system of claim 6, further comprising:

recognizing, by the server, the occurrence of the incident in response to a predetermined button operation,

wherein the transmitting of the request for camera information to the camera is in response to the predetermined button operation.

17. The monitoring system of claim 6, further comprising:

recognizing, by the server, the occurrence of the incident based on the image of the imaging area captured by the camera.

7. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program that causes a computer server, which communicates with a camera installed in an imaging area via a network, to:

display an image of the imaging area captured by the camera on a display;

transmit to the camera a request for camera information in response to an occurrence of an incident in the imaging area;

receive from the camera the camera information in response to the request, the camera information including camera position information of the camera and zooming position information of the camera;

derive an occurrence position of the incident based on the image of the imaging area captured by the camera and the camera information including the camera position information of the camera and the zooming position information of the camera in response to receiving the camera information including the camera position information of the camera and the zooming position information of the camera transmitted from the camera;

select a lighting device based on the occurrence position derived based on the image of the imaging area captured by the camera and the camera information including the camera position information of the camera and the zooming position information of the camera transmitted from the camera;

issue a lighting instruction to the lighting device selected based on the occurrence position derived based on the image of the imaging area captured by the camera and the camera information including the camera position information of the camera and the zooming position information of the camera transmitted from the camera, the lighting instruction instructing the lighting device to adjust a brightness of light emitted by the lighting device,

issues an on-site check instruction to an unmanned aerial vehicle, the on-site check instruction instructing the unmanned aerial vehicle to capture an image of a vicinity of the occurrence position of the incident derived based on the image of the imaging area captured by the camera and the camera information including the camera position information of the camera and the zooming position information of the camera transmitted from the camera;

acquire the image of the vicinity of the occurrence position of the incident captured by the unmanned aerial vehicle; and

display the image captured in the vicinity of the occurrence position of the incident captured by the unmanned aerial vehicle on the display.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 7,

wherein the camera information transmitted by the camera includes feature information of a subject within an angle of view of the camera.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 8,

wherein the feature information of the subject within the angle of view of the camera transmitted by the camera includes color information.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 7,

wherein the program causes the server to select the lighting device from among a plurality of lighting devices based on the position information of the camera indicating proximity to the occurrence position of the incident.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 7,

wherein the program causes the server to recognize the occurrence of the incident and transmit the request for camera information to the camera in response to a predetermined button operation.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 7,

wherein the program causes the server to recognize the occurrence of the incident based on the image of the imaging area captured by the camera.