MONITORING SYSTEM, MONITORING METHOD, AND PROGRAM

• US 20180184051A1
• Filed: 12/05/2017
• Published: 06/28/2018
• 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
• Granted Patent: US 10,516,858 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 plurality of cameras that are installed in an imaging area; and

a server that is connected to the cameras via a network,

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

the camera, in operation, transmits the information on the camera to the server in response to the request, and

the server, in operation, derives an occurrence position of the incident based on the information on the camera transmitted from the camera, further instructs a predetermined unmanned aerial vehicle to capture an image around the derived occurrence position of the incident, and acquires the image captured in the vicinity of the occurrence position of the incident captured by the unmanned aerial vehicle from the unmanned air vehicle to display the image on the display.

2. The monitoring system of claim 1,

wherein the information on the camera is an imaging condition of the camera that, in operation, captures images of the occurrence position of the incident.

3. The monitoring system of claim 1,

wherein the information on the camera is feature information on a subject within an angle of view of the camera that, in operation, captures images of the occurrence position of the incident.

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

a plurality of lightings,

wherein the server, in operation, instructs lighting of any of the lightings among the plurality of lightings, which is in proximity to the occurrence position of the incident.

5. The monitoring system of claim 1,

wherein the server, in operation, recognizes occurrence of the incident and requests information on the camera to the camera in response to a predetermined button operation.

6. A monitoring method in a monitoring system which includes a plurality of cameras installed in an imaging area and a server that is connected to the cameras via a network, the method comprising:

displaying a captured image of an imaging area captured by the camera on a display and sending to the camera requesting of information on the camera in response to occurrence of an incident around the imaging area by the server;

transmitting the information on the camera to the server in response to the request by the camera; and

deriving an occurrence position of the incident based on the information on the camera transmitted from the camera, instructing a predetermined unmanned aerial vehicle to capture an image around the occurrence position of the derived incident, acquiring the captured image in the vicinity of the occurrence position of the incident imaged by the unmanned aerial vehicle from the unmanned air vehicle, and displaying the image on the display by the server.

7. A computer readable medium recording a program causing a server, which is a computer and connected to a plurality of cameras installed in an imaging area via a network, to realize the steps of:

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

sending to the camera requesting of information on the camera in response to occurrence of an incident around the imaging area;

deriving an occurrence position of the incident based on the information on the camera transmitted from the camera in response to the request;

instructing a predetermined unmanned aerial vehicle to capture an image around the occurrence position of the derived incident; and

acquiring the captured image in the vicinity of the occurrence position of the incident imaged by the unmanned aerial vehicle from the unmanned aerial vehicle and displaying the captured image on the display.