JPH0465959A - Remote monitor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make it possible to change the photographing position of a camera at real time while observing a moving image by multiplexing data such as a moving image and voice and simultaneously transferring these data through the same communication line of an ISDN. CONSTITUTION:An image photographed by the camera 3 and a voice collected by a microphone l are inputted to a coder 6 respectively through a video signal line 21 and a voice signal line 19 and multiplexed. The multiplexed signal is transferred to the remove equipment side, and on the remote operation side, processing for multiplexing a camera photographing position changing request to the data channel of a coder 10 is executed and the multiplexed signal is transferred to the camera setting side. Consequently, the camera photographing position can be changed at real time.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a remote monitoring device that can remotely control a camera via an 15DN line.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, various devices have been proposed for remotely monitoring the status of a monitored location. This type of device sends a video signal captured by a camera to an operator using a video transmission line.

[Problem to be solved by the invention] However, in recent years, there has been an increasing demand for transmitting not only video but also audio at the same time in order to obtain a sense of realism, such as traffic information, event information, nature observation, sports broadcasts, etc. There is also a desire to control the direction of the image from the operator side and obtain images at arbitrary angles, but attempting to achieve this with conventional equipment requires a separate line for this, which is uneconomical. there were.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention multiplexes data such as images and audio, transfers them simultaneously over the same communication line of the 15DN, and displays moving images on the screen. This allows you to change the camera shooting position in real time while looking at the image. - [Operation] The image signal and audio signal are multiplexed and transmitted to the operator side. On the operator side, this is separated and monitored as a separate signal. Furthermore, the operator transmits a control signal to the monitored location to control the operating state of the camera.

[Embodiment] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. In Fig. 0, 1 is a microphone, 2 is an electric zoom lens, 3 is a camera, 4 is a remote control pan head, 5 is a servo amplifier, and 6 is an encoding device on the camera installation side that multiplexes three types of signals: video, audio, and data; 7 is a network control device on the camera installation side; 8 is a mill device on the camera installation W side; 9 is a remote control side ( 10 is an encoding device on the remote control side that can multiplex three types of data: moving images, audio, and data; 11 is a network control device on the operator side);
is a speaker, 12 is a screen composition device, 13 is a monitor display, 14 is a control device on the remote control side, 15 is a keyboard, 16 is an l5DN public communication network, 17 and 18 are subscriber lines, 19 and 20 are audio signal lines , 21 and 22
2 is a video signal line, and 23 and 24 are signal lines for multiple-encoded moving images, audio, and data. The video, audio, and data frames multiplexed with this device are 15DN-
H1l channel of next group interface (1536K
b/s) is assumed to be used.

Further, FIG. 2 shows the frame structure of multiple encoded moving images, audio, and data transmitted on signal lines 23 and 24. In FIG. 2, time slot 1 is assigned to the audio channel and data channel, and time slots 2 to 24 are assigned to the video channel.

The operation of the apparatus configured as described above will be explained with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. When the operator selects the name of the connected camera displayed on the monitor display 13 using the keyboard 15 as shown in step 100, the remote control side processes the outgoing connection start process shown in step 101, and the camera installation side processes the incoming call shown in step 120. The detection process is performed, and a call request to the corresponding 15DN number is sent from the control device 14 on the remote control side to the network control wave W9 on the remote control side, and a call connection is started.

Then, as shown in step 122, the network control wave W7 detects the incoming call, notifies the control device 8 on the camera installation side, and responds to the incoming call as shown in step 124. This response is detected on the remote control side as shown in step 102, and the other party's response is confirmed.

Note that the network control device 7 may respond to an incoming call either during incoming call detection processing or after receiving a response instruction from the control device 8, but here it responds immediately, completes the communication path setting, and It is assumed that synchronization has been established between the encoding device 6 on the camera installation side and the encoding device 10 on the remote control side.

Once this synchronization is established, as shown in step 124,
The video captured by the camera 2 and the audio collected by the microphone 1 are input to the encoding device W6 on the camera installation side via the video signal line 21 and audio signal line 19, respectively, resulting in a frame configuration as shown in FIG. multiplexed into At this point the data channel is unused.

The multiplexed signal is transferred to the remote device as shown in step 125, where the multiplexed signal is transferred to the remote device in step 103.
As shown in FIG. 2, processing is performed to separate the multiplexed signals and decode each one. Therefore, the encoding device 10 on the remote control side separates the transferred multiplexed signal into three signals for video inspection, audio, and data, and decodes the video inspection and audio components. The decoded audio is then sent to the speaker 11 via the audio signal line 20, and step 1
The sound is emitted as shown in 04. The decoded moving image is sent to the screen compositing device 12 via the video signal line 22, and the screen compositing device W12 controls the control device on the remote control side! It is synthesized with the guidance message etc. sent from 114, and the process is performed in step 105.
The screen will be displayed as shown.

Here, when the operator inputs a camera shooting position change request from the keyboard 15 as shown in step 106, the request is transmitted from the remote control side control device 214 to the remote control side encoding device W.
10, and as shown in step 107, processing is performed to multiplex the camera photographing position change request onto the data channel of the encoding device 110, and the frame structure is multiplexed as shown in FIG. The multiplexed signal is transferred to camera installation a as shown in step 108.

The method of inputting a camera shooting position change request from the keyboard 15 is, for example, using the numeric keypad to control panning of "4" and "6", tilting control of "2" and "8", and control of "1" and "3".
Assign the lens focus controls "7" and "9" to the lens zoom control, and when the "4" key is pressed, pan left, when "6" key is pressed, pan right, and "2" This can be achieved by defining that when the key is pressed, it is near focus, when the ``3'' key is pressed, it is telephoto, and when the ``9'' key is pressed, it is wide-angle. If the key code of the pressed numeric keypad is sent as is, the request to change the camera shooting position will only need to be transferred in 1 byte, so if the same key is continuously pressed, the same camera shooting position change request will be sent continuously. In this case, the data can be transferred at a very low transmission speed without compromising real-time processing on the camera side. This is equivalent to saying that the required transmission speed of the data channel can be very low (for example, 4800 bits/s), so
As a result, a high transmission speed can be assigned to video and audio, allowing them to be transmitted simultaneously without sacrificing quality.

The control device 8 on the camera side separates the received camera shooting position change request signal from the multiplexed code in step 126, and sends the remote control pan head control value to the servo amplifier according to the change request contents as shown in step 127, Controls the pan head 3 and electric zoom lens 2.

Calculation of remote control head control values includes pan, tilt, zoom,
This can be easily done by predetermining the control value change amount per corresponding camera photographing position change request for each remote control pan head control value of the focus. Then, if the amount of change in the control value is sent to the servo amplifier 5 as a remote control pan head control value, and if the servo amplifier 5 is left to monitor if the operating range is exceeded, even if camera shooting position change requests are continuously transferred, the camera The control device W8 on the installation side can send the remote control pan head control value to the servo amplifier 5 in sufficient real time. For example, if the numeric key code "2", which is a downward tilt request, is received - times, it will count -5 as the tilt control value. If this is sent to the servo amplifier 5, and the servo amplifier 5 controls how many times the tilt angle should be changed per count, the load on the control device W8 can be reduced.

Even while the remote control pan head is being controlled, the video captured by the camera 2 and the audio collected by the microphone 1 are transmitted through the video signal line 21. The audio is input to the encoding device 6 on the camera installation side via the audio signal line 19, multiplexed in the frame configuration shown in FIG. 2, and transferred to the encoding device W10 on the remote control side. The moving image is output to the speaker 11 via the line 20 and displayed on the monitor display 13.

Here, if the operator changes the shooting conditions as shown in step 110, the shooting position can be changed in real time while repeatedly checking the image on the screen any number of times.

When the operation is completed, the operator goes to step 11 on the remote control side.
Since the communication line is disconnected as shown in step 1, the camera side detects the communication line disconnection as shown in step 128,
As shown in step 129, communication line disconnection processing is performed.

Note that steps 106 to 111 and steps 124 to 1
The processes up to 28 are performed simultaneously in parallel.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, the present invention provides video signals and
Since the audio and data signals are time-division multiplexed and transmitted over the 15DN line, the camera shooting position can be changed in real time, and requests for changing video images, audio, and camera shooting positions can be transferred simultaneously over the same line. Therefore, there is an advantage that there is no need to provide a separate line as in the conventional case.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining time slots, and FIG. 3 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of FIG. 1. 1...Mic, 2...Electric zoom lens, 3...
... Camera, 4 ... Remote control pan head, 5 ... Servo amplifier, 6 ... Encoding device, 7.9 ... Network control device, 8.14 ... Control Device, 10...Encoding device, 11...Speaker, 12...Screen synthesis device, 13...Monitor display, 15...
・Keyboard, 16...l5DN public communication network, 17
．． 18--Subscriber line. Patent applicant Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] In a remote monitoring device in which a camera installation side and a remote control side are connected by a two-way communication line using an ISDN line, the camera installation side connects a camera that captures images and a remote control system that responds to control signals. a movable pan head that determines the direction of the camera; an audible sound collection means for collecting audible sounds; and multiplexing for multiplexing and transmitting the image signal output from the camera and the audible sound signal output from the audible sound collection means. and a control signal receiving device that receives a control signal transmitted from the remote control side and supplies it to the movable pan head, and the remote control side converts the multiplexed signal transmitted from the camera installation side into an image signal and a control signal receiving device. A remote monitoring device comprising a signal separating means for separating into an audible signal and a control signal sending means for sending a control signal to a camera installation side.