Television – Special applications – Observation of or from a specific location
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-10
2001-05-29
Kelley, Chris (Department: 2613)
Television
Special applications
Observation of or from a specific location
Reexamination Certificate
active
06239833
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a remote image monitoring method and system for executing remote image monitoring with use of digitalized images of a TV camera, and to a recording medium for use in executing the remote image monitoring.
Remote image monitoring has conventionally been executed with use of TV cameras for many purposes and uses, for example, in order to monitor the operational states of equipment installed in various spots in plants, to check the entering in and exit from buildings of persons, and to confirm the possibility of danger.
When remote image monitoring is executed with use of TV cameras, TV cameras or objects to be controlled are installed on the spot side and a monitor apparatus is installed on a control room side, relatively near the objects to be controlled. Analog images of the TV cameras are displayed on the monitor apparatus via analog cables to constantly monitor the condition of the spot.
In the prior art, as mentioned above, the remote image monitoring in the control room is executed at all times. In recent years, however, it is desired for various reasons to execute monitoring with ease at locations other than the control room.
For example, it is desired that in preference for the health of monitoring workers or the comfort of working environment, the remote image monitoring be easily executed with use of personal computers, etc. at freely chosen places such as desks within offices or homes of monitoring workers. It is also desired, from the standpoint of reduction in personnel expenses of monitoring workers or in power consumption for monitoring, that the remote image monitoring be executed at night by a small number of monitoring workers with use of personal computers installed at a watchman room in a factory or accommodation facilities.
In order to achieve this, however, communication means suitable for remote image monitoring with use of TV cameras needs to be provided between the control room and monitor terminals. An example of conventional communication means is a network (Ether 10M, etc.). Specifically, there is an idea of using a TV meeting system in which a meeting is conducted while participants are viewing one another's image, by utilizing digital image distribution techniques available on the network.
However, the digital moving picture transmission executed in the TV meeting system is based on the digital moving picture compression system according to ITU-T-recommended H.261, wherein the image resolution of camera signals is “352×288” (in the case of CIF) or “176×144” (in the case of QCIF). The image resolution in this system is too low to be applied to the remote image monitoring in which the condition of the spot varies subtly due to a variation in environment.
As has been described above, the conventional system is merely applied in accordance with properties of communication media, and no special device is made. In addition, even if an existing network is to be applied to remote image monitoring, disturbance may be caused in the network and thus there is a problem the in application.
Under the circumstances, there is a demand for executing remote image monitoring with clear images, which can be executed in a freely chosen environment desired by monitoring workers at places other than the control room (e.g. desks within offices, homes of monitoring workers, branches, watchman rooms in factories, or accommodation facilities).
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a remote image monitoring method and system capable of easily executing remote image monitoring with clear images at places other than a control room by making use of a suitable network, and a recording medium for use in executing the remote image monitoring.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a remote image monitoring method and system capable of easily executing remote image monitoring with clear images by using personal computers, etc. in a freely chosen environment desired by monitoring workers, for example, on the desks within an office, in their homes, or at branches, and a recording medium for use in executing the remote image monitoring.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a remote image monitoring method and system enabling remote image monitoring with clear images to be executed by a small number of monitoring workers with use of personal computers, etc. installed in a watchman room, accommodation facilities, etc., and a recording medium for use in executing the remote image monitoring.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a camera control unit provided in a remote image monitoring system for monitoring an object with use of a plurality of TV cameras, comprising: a camera controller for sending a camera switch control signal for selecting at least one of the TV cameras in accordance with an operation signal sent over the Internet, and operating a camera operating stand on which the selected TV camera is situated; and a digital encoder for selectively receiving an image signal of at least one of the TV cameras in accordance with the camera switch control signal, and compressing the received image signal to a digital image, the compressed digital image being transmitted over the Internet.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a remote image monitoring system for monitoring an object with use of a plurality of TV cameras, comprising: a camera control unit for selectively receiving an image signal of at least one of the TV cameras, compressing the image signal to a digital image, and transmitting the compressed digital image over the Internet; and a monitoring computer for decoding the digital image sent over the Internet, displaying the decoded image on a display, and monitoring the object.
In the system, the camera control unit may include a camera controller for selecting the TV camera associated with the image signal to be received, in accordance with an operation signal sent over the Internet, and operating the camera operating stand on which the selected TV camera is situated.
In the system, the monitoring computer may transmit the operation signal to the camera control unit over the Internet.
The system may further comprise a monitor support apparatus for successively saving the digital images sent over the Internet and detecting a condition variation of a specific region from the saved digital images.
In the system, the monitoring computer may access the monitor support apparatus and read out and display necessary digital image data from the saved digital image data.
In the system, the monitor support apparatus may include a database apparatus for successively saving the digital images transmitted over the Internet; and an intelligent function apparatus for detecting the condition variation from a current latest image saved in the database apparatus and an immediately previous image.
In the system, the intelligent function apparatus may include movement vector calculation means for calculating movement vectors of the current latest image and the immediately previous image; suppress function means for determining whether the movement vectors vary due to an operation of the TV camera, and if not, outputting a detection instruction; virtual master image storage means for storing in advance a normal-state image of a region of the object; and condition variation detection means for detecting the condition variation of the specific region from the normal-state image stored in the storage means and one of the current latest image and the immediately previous image, when the detection instruction has been received.
In the system, the intelligent function apparatus may further include message issue means for issuing a message when the condition variation detection means has detected the condition variation in the specific region; and storage means for storing data associated with the condition variation when the condition variation has been detecte
Egi Hiroshi
Ozaki Nobuyuki
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner L.L.P.
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
Kelley Chris
Vo Tung
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