JP2006059185A - Data management system and method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a data management system and method capable of automatically integrating and outputting image data with file data. <P>SOLUTION: Image data of a hospital 3 taken by cameras 4a-4c are acquired, and image processed, in addition to storage thereof in an image database in association with the ID of the hospital 3. A detection pattern of abnormal event is described in an abnormal event detection table 25 in association with the ID of the hospital 3. Occurrence of abnormal event in the hospital 3 is detected based on a basic image retrieved from the detection table 25 based on a camera ID contained in the acquired image data and the result of the image processing. When an abnormal event is detected, an alarm message containing the information of the image data, the detected event, and the ID of the hospital 3 is generated. A reporting destination is retrieved from a reporting destination master 26, and the alarm message is transmitted thereto. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a system and method for managing file data and image data by a computer system.

  Conventionally, a data management system that constructs a database in a storage area of a computer system and stores and manages image data, document data, and the like in the database has been widely used. Data stored in the database includes data type (image data, text data, music data, etc.), data format (created application software and version, corresponding OS, etc.), date and time of data acquisition, data Are managed in association with various search information (index information) such as file names arbitrarily set by the creator and user. The user can search and output desired data based on the search information.

As such a data management system, for example, techniques described in Patent Documents 1 to 3 have been proposed.
JP 2000-82071 A JP 2002-14983 A JP 2002-259410 A

  In such a data management system, for example, it is desired to automatically synthesize and output arbitrary image data and text data without performing troublesome operations such as “duplication” and “pasting”, regardless of the type or format of the file. There is a request. In particular, with the widespread use of digital cameras and the Internet, a large number of image data has been stored in PCs (personal computers) and the like, and desired image data is automatically selected from such a large number of image data. There is a growing demand for search and integration.

  On the other hand, a surveillance camera is installed in a hospital or the like, and a guard or the like visually confirms image data captured by the surveillance camera to monitor the behavior of a hospitalized patient or a suspicious person. Since the imaging data in this case is also sequentially stored in the server and the amount of data becomes enormous, there is also a demand for automatically outputting desired image data for reconfirmation and analysis, as described above.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a data management system and method capable of automatically integrating and outputting image data and file data.

  Another object of the present invention is to automatically detect an abnormal event in a monitoring area in which a plurality of imaging means are installed without increasing the amount of data stored in a computer storage area and automatically It is to provide a monitoring system and method capable of notifying the user.

  According to a first main aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system in which a plurality of imaging means for photographing a monitoring object is monitored by a host computer connected via a communication network, the host computer comprising: Image data acquisition means for acquiring image data of a monitoring object photographed by the imaging means at a predetermined cycle and storing it in an image database in association with identification information of the monitoring object or identification information of a monitoring target facility where the imaging means is installed Image processing means for image processing the acquired image data according to a predetermined image processing algorithm, an abnormal event detection table describing an abnormal event detection pattern in association with the identification information of the monitoring object or the identification information of the facility, Based on the identification information of the monitored object or the facility identification information associated with the acquired image data An abnormal event detection means for searching for an abnormal event from the abnormal event detection table and detecting whether an abnormal event has occurred in the monitoring object or the monitoring target facility based on the search result and the result of the image processing; When an abnormal event is detected, an alarm generating means for generating an alarm message including information for identifying the image data, the detected event, and information on a monitored object or a monitored facility; and the monitored object A monitoring system comprising alarm notification means for searching for a notification destination from a notification destination master described in association with an object or a facility to be monitored and an alarm notification destination and transmitting the generated alarm message Provided.

  According to a second main aspect of the present invention, there is provided a file data management system for managing data of a plurality of files including a basic file serving as an output base and an object file such as image data by a computer, The computer includes one or more basic files and a file database that registers the object files in association with the basic files, a file data selection receiving unit that acquires basic file selection conditions and receives an output instruction; Based on the selected condition, a basic file and one or more object files associated with the basic file are searched from the file database, and these files are synthesized with a predetermined output layout to generate an output file. Output file generation means and raw Has been output file, system characterized in that a file transmission means for transmitting to the destination associated with the underlying file is provided.

  According to a third main aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for monitoring an object by a host computer in which a plurality of imaging means for photographing the object to be monitored is connected via a communication network, the host computer However, image data of the monitoring object captured by the imaging means is acquired at a predetermined cycle, and stored in the image database in association with the identification information of the monitoring object or the identification information of the monitoring facility where the imaging camera is installed. Based on the acquisition process, the image processing process that performs image processing on the acquired image data according to a predetermined image processing algorithm, and the identification information of the monitored object or the facility that is associated with the acquired image data, An abnormal event detection test in which a detection pattern is described in association with the monitoring object identification information or facility identification information. An abnormal event is detected from the data base, and an abnormal event detecting step for detecting whether an abnormal event has occurred in the monitoring object or the monitoring target facility is detected based on the search result and the result of the image processing. An alarm generating step for generating an alarm message including information specifying the image data, a detected event, and information on the monitoring target or the monitoring target facility, and the monitoring target or the monitoring target facility. And an alarm notification step of searching for a notification destination from a notification destination master described in association with an alarm notification destination and transmitting the generated alarm message.

  According to a fourth main aspect of the present invention, there is provided a file data management method for managing data of a plurality of files including a basic file serving as an output base and an object file such as image data by a computer, A file data registration step in which the computer registers the object file in one or more basic files and the file database in association with the basic file, and file data selection for acquiring basic file selection conditions and receiving an output instruction Based on the reception process and the acquired selection condition, the basic file and one or more object files associated with the basic file are searched from the file database, and these files are synthesized with a predetermined output layout. Output file that generates the output file And yl generating step, the generated output file, file data management method and executes the file transmission step of transmitting to the destination associated with the underlying file is provided.

  In the present invention, the image data captured by the monitoring camera is associated with the alarm message and the alarm notification destination when an abnormality is detected, so that the monitoring object and the target facility can be efficiently monitored. Can do.

  In the present invention, object files such as image data are managed separately from the basic file data that is the basis of output. This makes it possible to share a large number of image data with a plurality of basic data, or conversely, a plurality of basic data with a large number of image data. Therefore, the amount of data to be saved can be minimized and computer resources can be effectively used as compared with the case where each of these output file data is created and individually saved and managed.

  Other features and remarkable effects of the present invention will be understood more clearly by referring to the description of the best mode section for carrying out the present invention and the attached drawings.

(First embodiment)
DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Below, the example which manages the image data image | photographed with the some imaging camera installed in the hospital as a monitoring object facility is demonstrated.

(overall structure)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a network configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a monitoring system provided in the host computer of the management center 2. The management center is an external contractor entrusted with monitoring by a manager of each facility (hospital 3, school, company, nursing home, etc.) or a security company that monitors them, and this monitoring system 1 has a plurality of monitoring targets. It has a function to monitor the facility at the same time. A security company may operate a management center.

  The system 1 is configured to be connectable to a plurality of imaging cameras 4a to 4c, a supervisor terminal 5 and a notification destination terminal 6 installed at predetermined positions of the monitoring target facility via wireless / wired communication networks. .

  The hospital 3 has an inpatient facility, and in order to monitor the behavior of inpatients, intrusion of suspicious persons, accidents, fires, etc., a plurality of imaging cameras 4a to 4 at predetermined positions such as the entrance, the corridor in front of the toilet, and the vicinity of the emergency exit. 4c is installed. And the image data which these imaging cameras 4 image | photographed are transmitted to the monitoring system 1 via the said communication network, and an abnormal event is detected by image processing. When an abnormal event is detected, data of the detected abnormal event is transmitted to the security officer who is responsible for monitoring the hospital 3 or the terminal 5 of the security company. An alarm is transmitted to the terminal 6 of a predetermined notification destination (the attending physician, relative, police station, fire station, etc.) when a determination result that an abnormal event has occurred is received from a security officer or the like. Yes.

  The camera 4 is a digital camera or a digital television camera installed on the wall surface of a building in a surveillance area, for example, using a CCD image sensor and an optical system such as a lens that forms an optical image on the CCD image sensor. An optical image (time-series image) of the monitoring target area is taken at a time period and output to the monitoring system 1. In the camera 4, exposure conditions and the like are adjusted so that pixel data is not saturated in the entire monitoring area. Further, the imaging camera 4 may be either a color photographing type or a monochrome photographing type. In order to perform nighttime monitoring, for example, an infrared camera can be used, or illumination having a wavelength in the near-infrared region can be used, and an imaging element having sensitivity in the wavelength region can be used in the imaging unit of the camera 4. Further, a wide-angle lens such as a fisheye lens may be used to widen the field of view. Furthermore, a stereo camera system that uses two cameras and can measure the distance to an object based on their parallax can be employed.

(Hardware configuration)
In order to perform the monitoring function as described above, the monitoring system 1 is configured as shown in FIG. That is, in the system 1, a RAM 12, a ROM 13, an HDD 14 (storage area), and an input / output interface (I / F) circuit 15 are connected to a CPU 10 built in a general-purpose computer system via a bus line 11. The input / output I / F 15 includes an output unit 16 such as a CRT display, an input unit 17 such as a keyboard and a mouse, a communication unit 18 such as a modem, and a disk drive 20 for a removable recording medium 19 such as an FD and a CD-ROM. Are connected to each other.

  Generally, in this type of hardware configuration, a software program for realizing the monitoring system 1 is supplied by the external recording medium 19. The program stored in the external recording medium 19 is read from the disk drive 20 prior to execution, loaded into the RAM 12 via the input / output I / F, and executed by the CPU 10.

(Software configuration and data structure)

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a processing function of the monitoring system 1 and a data configuration of the storage unit realized by the hardware configuration described above. First, the configuration of the data storage unit such as the HDD 14 or ROM 13 will be described.

  The data storage unit includes an image data storage unit (image database, file database) 21, a camera basic information master 22, a facility information storage unit 23, and an output basic file storage unit (file database) 24 as related to the present embodiment. An abnormal event detection table 25 and a notification destination master 26 are provided. Each of these storage means is a fixed area secured in the data storage unit, and constitutes an integrated relational database in which data can be referred to each other by link information indicated by arrows in the drawing.

  In the image data storage unit 21, as shown in FIG. 4, image data transmitted from the imaging camera 4 and an image processed by an image processing unit (image processing unit) 31 to be described later are stored in the ID and image of this camera 4. It is stored in time series as one image and one record together with information of ID and photographing time. When the imaging camera 4 is a digital television camera, the moving image is registered as a still image divided into frames for every predetermined time. The image data storage unit 21 has a capacity capable of storing a large number of images over a relatively long time such as 30 to 60 minutes in time series. Here, in the figure, the record (record 2) in which the image ID, the image data, and the processed image are blank and the photographing time is in minutes is determined as “no abnormality” as will be described later. A record from which image data or the like has been deleted. In this record, a code “1” indicating a determination result of “no abnormality” is registered in the abnormality determination column.

  In the camera basic information master 22, as shown in FIG. 6, the ID of a plurality of imaging cameras, the ID of a facility where the cameras are installed, the code of the installation location, and the imaging cycle are described. Image data captured by the imaging camera is transmitted together with the camera ID and registered in the image data storage unit 21.

  Here, the shooting period is set in advance for each camera based on the attribute of the facility, the installation position of the camera, the time zone, the day of the week, and the like. For example, when monitoring a hospital with a facility ID of 1111, the shooting period of night (17:00 to 8:00) with few people is set every 3 seconds, and daytime with many people (8:00 to 17:00). ) Is set every 10 seconds so as to achieve both reliable detection of intruders and monitoring efficiency. The code 01 in the period change column indicates that the imaging period is set to change every day at a predetermined time (for example, 17:00 and 8:00) regardless of the day of the week.

  Even in the same facility, you can monitor the behavior of suspicious individuals and patients by setting a longer shooting interval in areas where there are many people entering and exiting, such as the entrance and classrooms, and setting it short in areas where there are few people, such as in the vicinity of toilets and emergency exits. Like that. In the illustrated example, the camera ID: B001 is installed at the east gate of the junior high school, so the daytime (8:00:00 to 17:00) on weekdays with many people is a 10-second cycle, holidays and nighttime (17:00 to 8: 00) is set to a period of 3 seconds. Therefore, a code: 11 is registered, which is a combination of “1” for changing the period according to the time zone and “10” for changing the period according to the day of the week (weekdays / holidays). In places where there are few people, such as near emergency exits, the imaging camera may be linked to a sensor that detects a moving object using infrared rays or a laser, so that images are taken when the sensor detects a moving object, even outside the imaging cycle. preferable.

  In the facility information storage unit 23, as shown in FIG. 5, the ID, name, attribute, camera installation location (monitoring area) of the facility to be monitored, its code, and determination cycle are registered. Here, in addition to general attributes such as schools and hospitals, the attributes of the facility include the monitoring level set by the facility administrator (monitoring client), the incidence of crimes in the vicinity available from police authorities, and suspicious It is preferable to register and update the attributes of the surrounding environment based on information such as information on the person and weather information (drying warning, etc.). In the illustrated example, XX junior high school (BB) with facility ID: 2222 is registered with attribute code: BB1 indicating monitoring level: normal (code: 1), and ZZ elementary school (BB) with facility ID: 4444 is monitored. An attribute code BB2 indicating level: high (code: 2) is registered.

  The detection cycle is a cycle in which an abnormal event detection unit 32, which will be described later, executes a process of detecting an abnormal event based on the result of the image processing. The facility is based on each facility, each monitoring area, time zone, day of the week, etc. It is set in advance by an administrator or a security company.

  In the output basic file storage unit 24, data of an output basic file preset for each facility is stored in association with the facility ID. For example, a message to be included in an alarm transmitted to the supervisor terminal 5 or the notification destination terminal 6 or a layout thereof, a data file output reception unit 36 described later is permitted to access the system including the supervisor or the notification destination. Various reports and basic files for management / statistical data that have received an output request from a manager (such as a manager of a supervisor or a public institution) are registered.

In the abnormal event detection table 25, as shown in FIG. 7, the names and codes of events to be detected are registered in association with image patterns, facility IDs, and camera installation location IDs. Here, as the image pattern, for example, a reference image of a monitoring area that is captured in a state where no abnormal event has occurred when the imaging camera 4 is activated is stored. Further, the continuous time (T ₂ ) in the figure is a time for detecting that “abnormal event” is not detected as “abnormal”. For example, there is no need to set the continuous time (T ₂ ) for door breakage (code: S001), but if the toilet door remains closed for a long time, the patient falls down. Therefore, T ₂ is set to 30 minutes.

  When the abnormal event pattern is detected by the image processing, and when the monitor determines that the abnormal event pattern has been detected as “abnormal event occurrence”, the notification destination master 26 detects the facility name / monitoring area ( Information on the other party that notifies information such as the location of the camera) and the type of abnormal event that occurred is registered in advance. The notification destination information includes the notification method (FAX, e-mail, etc.), the type of abnormal event, and the necessity of notification for each level. For example, if the abnormal event type is “patient of a patient wearing hospitalized sleepwear”, the notification destination is set as “nurse center”, but the abnormal event type is set for the image data of the camera near the toilet. In the case of “falling patient”, “primary physician”, “on-duty doctor”, and the like are added as notification destinations. Further, when the type of the abnormality type is “a person other than a patient or an ID card holder (hospital person)”, the notification required level is “1: normal”, and the notification destination is “security company” or “ “Monitor” is set. If the type of abnormal event is “A flaw of a person other than a hospital person” and “Broken glass near an emergency exit”, the notification level required is “3: Most important” and the notification destination is “Police station” Is added. In this way, by changing the alarm notification destination according to the type of event that occurs, the location in the facility, the level of notification required, etc., it is possible to prevent oversight of false alarms and abnormal events, and improve the accuracy and efficiency of monitoring. .

  As shown in FIG. 3, the system 1 includes an image acquisition unit (image data acquisition unit) 30, an image processing unit 31, an abnormal event detection unit (abnormal event detection unit) as processing functions related to the present embodiment. 32, abnormal event notification unit (abnormal event notification unit, output file transmission unit) 33, determination result reception unit 34, alarm notification unit (alarm generation unit, alarm notification unit, output file generation unit, output file transmission unit) 35, data A file output receiving unit (file data selection receiving unit) 36, an image data updating unit (data updating unit) 37, and a camera control unit 38 are provided.

  The image acquisition unit 30 registers the image data captured by the plurality of imaging cameras 4a to 4c at a predetermined cycle (for example, every 3 seconds) in the image data storage unit 21. The image acquisition unit 30 acquires the ID of the facility where the imaging camera is installed, the ID of the camera, and the time when the image was captured, together with the image data, and generates and registers a record including these pieces of information as shown in FIG. To do. The image acquisition unit 30 repeats the process of storing the image data captured by the imaging camera 4 and transmitted through the communication set work in the image data storage unit 21 in normal times. Further, the image data first obtained after the activation of the system 1 or the camera 4 is stored in the abnormal event detection table 25 as a reference image.

  The image processing unit 31 reads out a reference image for the image data registered in the image data storage unit 21, generates a difference image between this and the image data at each time, and outputs it to the abnormal event detection unit 32. is there. Specifically, the image processing unit 31 obtains a spatial filter process for differentiating an image, an inter-image calculation for obtaining a difference or a sum among a plurality of images, a normalized correlation process for gray pattern matching, an image projection distribution, and the like. Perform histogram processing and so on. Here, the normalized correlation processing is one method of light and shade pattern matching, and is a method of calculating the similarity by combining the abnormal event detection table 25 (template) and the density of the pattern to be recognized.

  The abnormal event detection unit 32 matches the result of the image processing with the reference screen of the abnormal event detection table 25 at a predetermined period, and appears in the monitoring area using the shape and size of the change area of the optical image. An image of an object or a changed object is extracted to detect whether an abnormal event has occurred. At this time, various feature quantities of each object are comprehensively determined, and the normal state is distinguished from abnormal events such as intrusion of people, damage to equipment, fire, and tenant collapse. Factors detected as an abnormal event include abnormally slow / fast speed, high object density, and the presence of a stationary object.

  For example, it is difficult to detect an intruder or a suspicious person from a large number of people (moving bodies) by image processing in a hospital entrance, waiting room, school yard or classroom. Therefore, in order to monitor abnormal movement, the object is tracked by the normalized correlation process, and the presence or absence of abnormality is measured by measuring that the movement is not linear or fast (running). To detect. Alternatively, by using edge detection and motion detection processing, it can be determined that there is an abnormality when an object is present in a region that should not exist. In monitoring people and the like, features can be obtained by detecting edges in both the horizontal and vertical directions.

  The period of the detection process is read and used in advance, which is set in advance according to the attribute, installation location, time zone, etc. of the facility and stored in the facility information storage unit 23. For example, if it is near the entrance of a hospital, abnormal events are determined at 1-minute intervals during the day, and at 10-second intervals at night. Note that an abnormal event may be determined when a predetermined amount of image data (the number of frames) is accumulated in conjunction with the imaging cycle.

  It should be noted that a specific abnormal pattern (an object having a specific shape, a moving object having a certain speed or more) is registered in the abnormal event detection table 25 for each facility, each monitoring area, and every time, and the acquired image data is processed. This pattern may be extracted.

  The abnormal event notification unit 33 searches and notifies the notification destination of the abnormal event from the notification destination master 26 when the abnormal event detection unit 32 detects an abnormal event based on the result of the image processing. Specifically, the abnormal event notification unit 33 is registered in the notification destination master 26 in association with the ID of the camera, a function for searching the camera basic information master 22 for a camera that has captured the image data to be processed. A function to search for one or more notification destinations (security guards, supervisors, etc.) and notification methods (e-mail, fax, etc.), whether or not to notify each notification destination based on the type and urgency of the abnormal event And a function for generating a message including the detected event, the name of the facility, the location, the ID of the image data, and the like and transmitting the message to the notification destination using a set method.

  In this embodiment, considering that the detection of abnormal events based on image processing is not necessarily highly accurate, if an abnormal event is detected, the monitoring person is first notified if the abnormal event has occurred. Is to be judged visually. When it is determined that there is a high possibility that an abnormal event has occurred, an alarm is notified to a predetermined notification destination such as a police station, an attending physician, or a relative. Thereby, both the detection accuracy and monitoring efficiency of an abnormal event can be made compatible. Therefore, the abnormal event notification unit 33 is stored in the image data before and after processing in the message to be notified or the image data storage unit 21 as information necessary for the person in charge of monitoring to determine whether or not an abnormal event has occurred. The link information to the image data is included.

  The determination result receiving unit 34 acquires a determination result as to whether an abnormal event has occurred from a security guard or the like who has transmitted the abnormality detection message. When the determination result “abnormal event has not occurred” is received, the determination result receiving unit 34 registers the code “1” indicating the determination result “no abnormality” in the image data, and the image data Is generated from the image data storage unit 21 and sent to the image data update unit 37. On the other hand, when the determination result “abnormal event has occurred” is received, the alarm notification unit 35 is instructed to search for an alarm notification destination.

  When a security guard or the like determines that “there is an abnormality” based on the image processing result, the alarm notification unit 35 notifies a notification destination registered in advance in the notification destination master 26 regarding the facility where the image data is captured. A message including “abnormality occurrence facility”, “abnormality occurrence time”, “abnormal event type”, and the like is generated and transmitted by FAX, e-mail, or the like.

  The data file output receiving unit 36 displays a search screen (search condition input interface) on the supervisor terminal 5 or the notification destination terminal 6 to acquire the search condition of the search target image data or the output basic file and output the data file. An instruction is received and the corresponding data is retrieved from the output basic file storage unit 24. Such data output is executed when a monitor or the like creates a report or the like by integrating image data (before and after processing) into an output basic file of various layouts for internal reporting or statistical data creation.

  The image data update unit 37 detects abnormal events detected based on the result of the image processing, but has been detected as “no abnormality” by a security guard or the like, or abnormal events continuously for a predetermined time (number of times) or more. The image data in the time zone that has not been detected is deleted from the image data storage unit 21. Also, the code “1” indicating the determination result of “no abnormality” is registered in the record from which the image data has been deleted (see FIG. 4). Thereby, unnecessary data can be arranged regularly or individually, and computer resources can be used effectively.

  The camera control unit 38 recognizes the change timing of the imaging cycle using a calendar function and a clock function built in the computer, and controls the imaging cycle of each camera according to the imaging cycle registered in the camera basic information master 22. To do. In addition, when the supervisor issues a manual control instruction for a specific camera when the monitor determines an abnormal event, the camera control unit 38 zooms in / out the zoom camera, pans, tilts, The auxiliary camera is remotely controlled to start, switch, and start / stop shooting.

  Hereinafter, detailed functions of the system 1 will be described together with actual operations with reference to FIGS. In addition, S1-S22 of these figures is a code | symbol which shows a processing order, and respond | corresponds to step S1-S22 of the following description.

  First, the monitoring flow of FIG. 8 will be described. This processing step is started when an operator, a monitor, or the like presses (clicks) a “monitoring start button” or an icon from the server input device to start a monitoring system program.

  First, the image acquisition unit 30 of the monitoring system 1 acquires initial image data transmitted via a communication network from a plurality of monitoring cameras 4 installed in a predetermined location as a reference image, and detects an abnormal event together with the camera ID. Register in the table 25 (step S1). Thereafter, the image data captured by the camera 4 at a predetermined cycle is acquired together with the camera ID and the shooting date and time and is registered in the image data storage unit 21 as needed (step S2).

  Next, the image processing unit 31 is activated, performs image processing for determining an abnormal event, and stores it in the image data storage unit 21 (step S3). In addition, the abnormal event detection unit 32 searches the facility ID and the camera installation location code from the camera ID associated with the image data at a predetermined cycle (5 seconds, 10 seconds, etc.), and based on these information, the image An abnormal event pattern (reference image) is retrieved from the data storage unit 21 (step S4). The abnormal event detection unit 32 takes out the processed image from the image data storage unit 21 and matches the reference image with the reference image to detect whether an abnormal event has occurred (step S5). When an abnormal event is detected (Yes in step S5), the abnormal event detection unit 32 sends a detection result (namely, facility name, installation location (monitoring area), photographing time, detected abnormal event) to the abnormal event notification unit 33. Type, image data information). The abnormal event notification unit 33 generates a message including the acquired information and transmits the message to the supervisor terminal 5 set for each facility by e-mail or the like (step S6).

  Next, the determination result receiving unit 34 receives the result of the monitoring person determining whether or not an abnormal event has occurred (step S7). If the determination result is not accepted until the predetermined standby time has elapsed (No in step S7, No in step S8), it is estimated that “abnormal event has occurred” (step S9). Thus, when it is estimated that “abnormal event has occurred” or when the determination result “abnormal event has occurred” is received (Yes in step S7, Yes in S10), the alarm notification unit 35 is based on the facility ID. All the alarm notification destinations are extracted from the notification destination master 26 (step S11). And the message which the said abnormal event notification part 33 produced | generated is acquired, and it transmits by e-mail, FAX, etc. to all the extracted notification destinations (step S12).

  On the other hand, when the determination result “No abnormal event has occurred” is received from the supervisor in step S10 (No in step S10), the image data update unit 37 corresponds to the corresponding time zone (3 seconds, 5 seconds). (Seconds, etc.) image data records are searched and deleted at once, and a record including a code “1” indicating “no abnormality” is generated in this time zone as shown in FIG. 4 (step S13).

  The processes in steps S2 to S13 described above are continued until an instruction to end monitoring is input or until the set monitoring period expires (step S14).

  If no abnormal event is detected in the pattern matching process by the abnormal event detection unit 32 in step S5 (No in step S5), the process proceeds to the subroutine of FIG.

In this processing step, first, the image data updating unit 37 registers a code “1” indicating “no abnormal event” in the corresponding image data (step S15). Next, the image data update unit 37 sorts the image data using the camera ID and the shooting date / time as a key (step S16). When the continuous time T _n of the image data in which the code “1” is registered is _equal to or longer than a predetermined time T ₁ (for example, 1 minute or longer) (Yes in step S17), the records of the image data are collectively deleted. (Step S18), a record including the code “1” indicating “no abnormality” is generated in this time zone (Step S19). If the continuous time T _n of the image data “no abnormality” is less than the predetermined time T _{1 in} step S17 (No in step S17), the process proceeds to step S2 in FIG. 8 and monitoring is continued.

In addition, the abnormal event detection unit 32 is activated at a predetermined cycle, and the “abnormal event detection continuous time T ₂ ” registered for each facility is searched from the abnormal event detection table 25 (step S20). When “no abnormality” continues for a predetermined time or more, it may be determined as “abnormal event”. For example, when a nursing home or a corridor near a toilet in a hospital is being monitored, it is determined as an “abnormal event” that a resident or patient does not come out more than tens of minutes while remaining in the toilet. In this case, the “predetermined time T ₂ ” is set longer than the “predetermined time T ₁ ” for deleting the image data. This makes it possible to achieve both saving of the data area and monitoring of an abnormal event.

In this way, regarded as time T _x of the determination result is continuous in "no abnormality" is when the predetermined time T ₂ or more (Yes in step S21), and abnormal event detecting unit 32 abnormal event is detected The facility name, the installation location (monitoring area), and the continuous time without abnormality are sent to the abnormal event notification unit 33. The abnormal event notification unit 33 generates a message including the acquired information and transmits the message to the supervisor terminal 5 set for each facility by e-mail or the like (step S22). In this case, it is not necessary to include image information because the image data is not effective in determining whether there is an abnormality. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S7. Further, when the time T _x where the judgment result is continuous in "no abnormality" is ₂ less than the predetermined time T (No at step S21), and proceeds to step S2 of FIG. 8.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, a file database (image data storage unit 21) stores electronic map data as a basic file, landmarks associated with predetermined coordinate positions on the electronic map data, milestones, and a specific service provider. This is a map data management system for registering and managing object files selected from the display of or the display of sponsors. The configuration corresponding to the first embodiment described above will be denoted by the same reference numeral, detailed description thereof will be omitted, and the description will be limited to a configuration different from the first embodiment.

  In this map data management system, when the data file output receiving unit 36 receives an instruction to display a specific display area of the electronic map from the user via the input unit 17 and the input / output I / F circuit 15 of the host computer. The object file associated with the coordinate position belonging to the display area is searched from the image data storage unit 21, and is synthesized with electronic map data with a predetermined output layout to generate and output an output file. The data file output accepting unit 36 embeds the object file in another layer so that the object file is conspicuous and displays it superimposed on the map data. Further, according to the acquired search condition, the display size of the landmark, sponsor display, etc. is determined based on the type of the object file. Further, sponsor display or the like can be set so as to selectively display all or specific display areas.

  With this configuration, in the second embodiment, it is possible to effectively use computer resources by managing object files such as image data separately from electronic map data. In addition, since the image data to be displayed is searched for each selected area, different map information can be provided based on the time and place of the search, the attribute of the searcher (user), etc. And the advertising effect can be improved.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, in this embodiment, in the file database (image data storage unit 21), two-dimensional or three-dimensional design drawing data of the building as a basic file and the interior of each building block as object data A design data management system that registers and manages the appearance / facility simulation image data. The configuration corresponding to the first embodiment described above will be denoted by the same reference numeral, detailed description thereof will be omitted, and the description will be limited to a configuration different from the first embodiment.

  The simulation image data includes image data of various housing equipment and building parts such as exterior tiles, window frames, lighting fixtures, wallpaper, floor boards, bathtubs, built-in furniture, and the like. These image data are associated with identification codes of installable sections (living room, kitchen, hallway, men's toilet, office space, etc.). When the data file output receiving unit 36 receives an instruction to display a specific section of the building, the data file output receiving unit 36 searches the image data storage unit 21 for the simulation image data associated with the section and performs a pull-down menu or An output file is generated by combining the image data displayed in a selection window or the like and selected by the user with the design drawing data of the section.

  With this configuration, in the third embodiment, computer resources can be effectively used by managing object files such as image data separately from design drawing data. In addition, even if it is difficult to get a complete image of a building from tasteless design drawing data or a reduced model, it can be easily combined with housing equipment and building parts to present an image close to the real thing, making it an extremely useful presentation and sales tool. It is valid.

(Other variations)
In addition, this invention is not limited to each said embodiment, A various deformation | transformation is possible in the range which does not change the summary of invention.

  For example, in each of the above-described embodiments, the image data is exemplified as the object file. However, data such as music and moving images can be associated and managed. Since these data have a large file size, they can be shared with a plurality of basic data by managing them separately from the basic data, and the merit is particularly great.

  Further, as the image data, various image data other than those exemplified in the above-described three embodiments can be used. For example, the present invention is effective when efficiently managing a large amount of stored data such as photos and WEB pages in association with basic data. For example, data files such as picture diaries and albums, company brochures and catalogs, and quotations can be easily created.

It is a figure which shows the network structure of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the hardware constitutions of this system. It is a figure which shows the software configuration and data structure of this system. It is a figure which shows the data structure of an image data storage part. It is a figure which shows the data structure of a facility information storage part. It is a figure which shows the data structure of a camera basic information master. It is a figure which shows the data structure of an abnormal event detection table. It is a flowchart which shows the monitoring flow based on this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows one subroutine of the monitoring flow based on this embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... Monitoring system (file data management system)
2 ... Management center 3 ... Hospital (monitoring facility)
4 (4a to 4c) ... Camera 5 ... Monitor terminal 6 ... Notification destination terminal 21 ... Image data storage unit 22 ... Camera basic information master 23 ... Facility information storage unit 24 ... Output basic file storage unit 25: abnormal event detection table 26 ... notification destination master 30 ... image acquisition unit 31 ... image processing unit 32 ... abnormal event detection unit 33 ... abnormal event notification Unit 34 ... Determination result reception unit 35 ... Alarm notification unit 36 ... Data file output reception unit 37 ... Image data update unit 38 ... Camera control unit

Claims (12)

A system in which a plurality of imaging means for imaging a monitoring object is monitored by a host computer connected via a communication network,
The host computer
Image data acquisition means for acquiring image data of a monitoring object photographed by the imaging means at a predetermined cycle and storing it in an image database in association with identification information of the monitoring object or identification information of a monitoring target facility where the imaging means is installed When,
Image processing means for image processing the acquired image data according to a predetermined image processing algorithm;
An abnormal event detection table describing an abnormal event detection pattern in association with the identification information of the monitoring object or the identification information of the facility;
Search the abnormal event from the abnormal event detection table based on the identification information of the monitored object or the facility identification information associated with the acquired image data, based on the search result and the result of the image processing, An abnormal event detection means for detecting whether an abnormal event has occurred in the monitored object or the monitored facility;
When an abnormal event is detected, an alarm generating means for generating an alarm message including information for identifying the image data, the detected event, and information on a monitored object or a monitored facility;
An alarm notification means for searching for a notification destination from a notification destination master described in association with the monitored object or the facility to be monitored and an alarm notification destination, and transmitting the generated alarm message. Monitoring system. The system of claim 1, comprising:
The plurality of imaging means are installed in a resident facility including a medical institution having hospitalization facilities, a welfare facility having occupancy facilities, or a school,
The abnormal event detection table indicates abnormal events selected from abnormal behaviors of in-patients / residents or internal persons including internal children / students / students, intrusions from outside the facility, accidents within the facility, or fire. An image pattern is described for each attribute of the tenant.
The abnormal event detecting means is configured to search an image pattern for each attribute of the occupancy facility from the abnormal event detection table and detect whether an abnormal event has occurred by matching with the image-processed data. system. The system of claim 1, comprising:
The plurality of imaging means are installed in a specific facility selected in advance,
The abnormal event detection table describes the attribute of the facility where the imaging means is installed, the abnormal event to be detected, and one or more image patterns for each abnormal event in association with each other,
The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the image data acquisition unit acquires imaging data in association with attribute information of a facility where the imaging unit is installed. The system of claim 1, comprising:
The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the abnormal event detecting means detects that an abnormal event has not been detected for a predetermined time or more as an abnormal event. The system of claim 1, comprising:
Furthermore, when an abnormal event is not detected for a predetermined time or longer, the image data within that time is erased from the image database, and a detection result record in which an identification flag of “no abnormality” is registered is generated for that time zone. A system comprising data updating means for registering in a database. A file data management system for managing data of a plurality of files including a basic file serving as an output base and object files such as image data by a computer,
The computer
A file database for registering the object file in association with one or more basic files and the basic files;
File data selection accepting means for obtaining the selection condition of the basic file and accepting the output instruction;
Based on the acquired selection conditions, the basic file and one or more object files associated with the basic file are searched from the file database, and these files are synthesized with a predetermined output layout to generate an output file. Output file generation means to
And a file transmission unit configured to transmit the generated output file to a transmission destination associated with the basic file. The system of claim 6, wherein
The computer further includes image data acquisition means for acquiring image data of a monitoring target imaged by a plurality of imaging means connected via a communication network in a predetermined cycle and recording the image data in the file database.
The file database includes the basic file and the image data, the attribute of the facility where the imaging unit is installed and / or the attribute of the subject, the location (monitoring area) in the monitoring target facility where the imaging unit is installed, or the A system characterized by being recorded in association with at least one of attributes. The system of claim 7, wherein
The file database stores, as the basic file, an alarm message for notifying information on the abnormal event to a predetermined transmission destination when an abnormal event preset in the monitored object or the monitored facility is detected. A system characterized by being a thing. The system of claim 6, wherein
The file database is an object file selected from electronic map data as a basic file and landmarks, milestones, display of a specific service provider, or display of a sponsor associated with a predetermined coordinate position on the electronic map data. And register
When the output file generation means receives an instruction to display a specific display area of the electronic map, the output file generation means searches the object file associated with the coordinate position belonging to the display area from the file database and outputs the output file. A system characterized by being generated. The system of claim 6, wherein
The file database registers two-dimensional or three-dimensional design drawing data of a building as a basic file, and simulation image data of interior, appearance, and equipment for each section of the building as object data,
When the output file generation unit receives an instruction to display a specific section of a building, the output file generation unit searches the simulation image data associated with the section from the file database and generates an output file. A system characterized by that. A method in which a plurality of imaging means for photographing a monitoring object is monitored by a host computer connected via a communication network,
The host computer is
An image data acquisition step of acquiring image data of a monitoring object photographed by the imaging means in a predetermined cycle and storing it in the image database in association with the identification information of the monitoring object or the identification information of the monitoring facility where the imaging camera is installed When,
An image processing step of image processing the acquired image data according to a predetermined image processing algorithm;
Abnormal event detection that describes an abnormal event detection pattern in association with the monitoring object identification information or facility identification information based on the monitoring object identification information or facility identification information associated with the acquired image data An abnormal event is detected from the table, and based on the search result and the result of the image processing, an abnormal event detection step of detecting whether an abnormal event has occurred in the monitoring target object or the monitoring target facility;
When an abnormal event is detected, an alarm generation step for generating an alarm message including information for identifying the image data, the detected event, and information on the monitored object or the monitored facility;
An alarm notification step of searching for a notification destination from a notification destination master described in association with the monitored object or facility to be monitored and an alarm notification destination, and transmitting the generated alarm message. Monitoring method. A file data management method for managing data of a plurality of files including a basic file serving as an output base and an object file such as image data by a computer,
The computer is
A file data registration step of registering the object file in a file database in association with one or more basic files and the basic files;
File data selection acceptance process for acquiring basic file selection conditions and receiving output instructions;
Based on the acquired selection conditions, the basic file and one or more object files associated with the basic file are searched from the file database, and these files are synthesized with a predetermined output layout to generate an output file. Output file generation process to
And a file transmission step of transmitting the generated output file to a transmission destination associated with the basic file.

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