JP2006245686A - Image recording apparatus and image recording / reproducing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image recording apparatus capable of not only easily confirming a desired photographed image but also suppressing the occurrence of an illegal act in a scene where an illegal act may be performed. .
A part where an operation that is highly likely to be fraudulent is performed or where there is a possibility that a malfunction occurs is photographed, and if there is a possibility that the fraud or malfunction occurs, the speaker informs the surroundings in advance, Widely inform the surroundings, make fraud difficult to prevent fraud, and can search for recorded images according to the operations performed on the terminal, and search designation based on the recording time as before Therefore, it is possible to specify a desired recorded image much more easily and quickly than in the case of the case. Moreover, it is possible to automatically display images from a certain time before the timing of the operation, extract a series of progress before and after the operation, and easily and quickly grasp the situation. It can be carried out.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus and an image recording / reproducing method, for example, an image recording that makes it possible to quickly and easily grasp an illegal act or the like of an operator of an information device by using a captured image and to prevent an illegal act from occurring. The present invention relates to an apparatus and an image recording / reproducing method.

  In the past, most of the salesclerks at retail stores and supermarkets were full-time full-time employees, and their morals were high. For this reason, it was not envisaged that employees would engage in fraudulent behavior on the store side, and little precautions were taken.

  In recent years, social morals have also been declining, and not only so-called shoplifting activities where customers take out unsettled products etc. outside the store, but there are also cases where customers and employees work together to engage in illegal activities. Yes.

  In addition, recently, employees have been hiring more part-time employees rather than full-time employees, and there have been cases where customers and employees colluded to conduct fraud.

  For example, even if a POS terminal or a payment register is installed at the checkout location, many frauds have occurred in the operations of return processing and price correction using this, and when a fellow person comes, This is the case when you are dealing with a discounted product, not a price.

  However, in the past, no effective measures have been taken to deal with such cases, and the degree to which attention is paid to find out that only certain operators return many items or that there are many discount sales at a later date. I could only do that.

  Although this countermeasure has a deterrent effect on subsequent fraud, it is not an effective countermeasure against the fraud that is going to be performed. For this reason, there has been a demand for effective countermeasures that prevent the user from feeling unwilling to cheat.

  The present invention was made for the purpose of solving the above-described problems, and is an image suitable for a crime prevention system that not only can easily confirm the occurrence of fraud but also can prevent the occurrence of fraud. A recording device is provided. As a means for achieving such an object, for example, the following configuration is provided.

  That is, an image recording apparatus that can receive imaging information from a plurality of imaging units capable of imaging a monitoring range and record the received captured image, and a captured image recording unit that receives and records captured image information by the imaging unit; Detecting means for detecting a change in state of the monitoring range; information recording means for recording detection information detected by the detecting means; specifying means for specifying a specific state change in the detection information detected by the detecting means; Search means for searching for a specific state change designated by the designation means from the detection information recorded in the information recording means, and a photographed image of the monitoring range in which the state change is recorded in the photographed image recording means And image output means for extracting and outputting a predetermined range of shooting information based on the detection of the specific state change detected by the search means.

  Or an image recording apparatus capable of receiving imaging information from a plurality of imaging units connected to a network capable of imaging a monitoring range via the network, wherein captured image information obtained by the imaging unit is transmitted via the network. Captured image recording means for receiving and recording, detection information receiving means for receiving state change detection information from the state change detecting means provided in the monitoring range, and information recording means for recording the detection information received by the receiving means Designating means for designating a specific state change in the detection information received by the receiving means; search means for retrieving the specific state change designated by the designating means from the detection information recorded in the information recording means; The specific state change detection searched by the search means in the photographic image in the monitoring range where the state change recorded in the photographic image recording means is detected. Characterized in that it comprises an image output means for extracting and outputting imaging information in a certain range based on time.

  For example, the receiving means receives timekeeping time information of the apparatus that has detected the state change together with the detection information, and the information recording means also records the timekeeping time information received by the receiving means.

  Further, for example, the monitoring range is a payment register terminal for photographing the periphery of a payment register terminal in a store, and the imaging means includes a plurality of shooting cameras installed corresponding to the number of payment checkout terminals installed, and the state The change detection means is the payment register terminal, the detection information of the specific state change is at least a specific operation instruction such as a return process or a price correction process, and the information recording means stores the operation instruction information in the payment register terminal. Received from the receiving means and recorded.

  Further, for example, the state change received by the receiving unit is a case where it is detected that at least the state of the monitoring target is out of a predetermined allowable range, and the imaging unit is installed corresponding to at least the monitoring target. The information recording means records the photographing information to be monitored and information that is out of a predetermined allowable range received from the receiving means.

  Further, for example, the imaging unit includes a photographing camera that captures the periphery of the operation unit of the information processing device, the state change received by the receiving unit is an information extraction operation from the information processing device, and the information recording unit includes the information recording unit The information extraction operation instruction time and the operation instruction information from the information processing apparatus are received from the receiving means and recorded.

  Furthermore, for example, sound output means installed in the vicinity of the monitoring target, message storage means for storing a predetermined message according to a change in status of the monitoring target received by the receiving means, and monitoring target received by the receiving means The message storage means is provided with a message output means for outputting a message extracted from the stored message in response to a change in state.

  Or an image recording / reproducing method in an image recording system comprising recording means for receiving and recording imaging information from a plurality of imaging means connected to a network capable of imaging a monitoring range, the recording means Records photographic image information from the imaging unit in time series, receives detection information for detecting a change in state of a monitoring target by the imaging unit, and records the received detection information in the recording unit together with detection time information The specific state change in the captured image of the monitoring range in which the specific state change designated from the detection information recorded in the recording means is detected by designating the specific state change in the received detection information. The present invention is characterized in that the image recording / reproducing method extracts and reproduces a certain range of photographing information based on the detection time.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image recording apparatus capable of easily and quickly searching and confirming a desired captured image.
In particular, it is possible to provide an image recording apparatus that can not only easily detect and confirm the occurrence and details of fraud but also prevent the occurrence of fraud.

  Furthermore, since it is possible not only to easily search and specify a photographed image at a timing when a predetermined state change occurs, it is also possible to easily check the state before and after the state change has occurred, so that necessary photographing can be performed quickly. You can check the image.

  In addition, since a necessary captured image can be confirmed by a separate control from the existing information management system, a large amount of cost is not required for system construction. In addition, management of captured images can be performed completely separately from existing information management systems.

  Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, a security system in a supermarket will be described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to the above examples, and it is needless to say that the present invention can be applied to all types of business including retail, wholesale, manufacturing and sales, and various service industries.

Furthermore, not only can it be applied to a crime prevention system, but also the state when the state of the monitoring target changes can be easily confirmed, and the cause of the state change can be reliably grasped.
[First Embodiment]

  First, the schematic configuration of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration when an image recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to a crime prevention system, and FIG. 2 shows a detailed configuration of the image storage apparatus shown in FIG. It is a block diagram.

  First, the overall configuration will be described with reference to FIG. The crime prevention system according to the present embodiment includes, as a first system system, a management computer 200 for managing sales products and services and sales management, and sales floor information for performing sales management under the control of the management computer 200. A system system including payment register terminals A210 to D240 as management terminals is provided. In the first system system, each terminal and the management computer 200 are so-called existing computer systems connected to each other via a network system.

  In addition, as a second system system, an imaging camera 10-40 for imaging the status of the surrounding area of the checkout cash register terminals A210-D240, and an image recording apparatus for recording captured image information captured by each of the imaging cameras 10-40 100, and a system system including speakers 50 to 80 that acoustically output guidance or warnings for people at the checkout cash register terminals A210 to D240.

  The image recording apparatus 100 of the second system system, in order to give a control instruction, with an image monitor 110 that displays image information captured by the imaging cameras 10 to 40 and image information recorded in the image recording apparatus 100 as necessary. The keyboard 120 is configured to be connectable, and is connected when it is necessary to search and check the shooting information recorded when a problem occurs. For this reason, the second system system is very compact at the time of image recording.

In the second system system, each camera and speaker and the image recording apparatus 100 are connected to each other via a network system, and are a new computer system independent of the first system system. The management computer 200 can be connected and operated with minimal changes to the existing network system only by enabling connection between the management computers 200 via a communication medium.

  The image recording apparatus 100 records information on the images captured by the above-described imaging cameras 10 to 40, and in addition to the settlement cash register terminal A210 from the management computer 200 configured to be capable of data communication via a communication medium or the like. The D240 operation information is received and recorded in association with the shooting information together with the time information, and the image information can be reproduced in synchronization with the specific processing execution timing by the settlement cash register terminals A210 to D240.

  That is, a part of the operation information at the checkout cash register terminals A210 to D240 is sent from the first system management computer 200 to the second system image recording apparatus 100, and the image recording apparatus 100 stores the operation information. The operation time information is stored in association with the image information. And it is comprised so that only the imaging | photography information before and behind the time when the predetermined operation in the specific payment register terminal was performed can be extracted and displayed from the image monitor 110. FIG.

  In the above description, an example has been described in which the management computer 200 controls each checkout cash register terminal, receives operation information of each checkout cash register terminal, and transmits information received according to a request from the image recording apparatus 100. However, the present invention is not limited to the above example, and each checkout cash register terminal may be provided with an intelligence function so that each checkout cash register terminal can perform a checkout operation independently.

  In the case of such a configuration, the management computer 200 is not necessary. For example, instead of the management computer 200, a so-called file server or image recording apparatus 100 that receives and records collected information from each payment register terminal is used. What is necessary is just to set it as the structure provided with the gateway for performing communication between them.

  In this case, the image recording apparatus 100 does not request the management computer 200 to transmit the collection information of the payment register terminal, but receives the operation information via the gateway or directly by accessing each payment register terminal.

  The operation information may be received by receiving the operation information of each settlement cash register terminal by polling control at regular intervals. When each checkout cash register terminal is connected to the star network as shown in FIG. 1, the checkout cash register terminals are sequentially requested to send operation results.

  Next, a detailed configuration of the image recording apparatus 100 having the above configuration unique to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the image recording apparatus 100 temporarily stores the control unit 101 that controls the entire image recording apparatus and the processing information of the control unit 101, and also captures image information and image recording by the imaging cameras 10 to 40. A memory 102 that primarily stores image information and processing information read from the unit 150 is provided.

  Further, the display control unit 103 that controls the interface with the image monitor 110, the keyboard interface unit 104 that controls the interface with the keyboard 120, the communication interface unit 105 that controls the interface with the management computer 200 or each checkout terminal, and the photographing cameras 10 to 40. And a speaker control unit 107 that controls the driving of the speakers 50 to 80.

  Further, the image storage device 100 includes an image recording unit 150 mainly composed of a hard disk drive device or a removable large capacity recording disk device.

  The image recording unit 150 includes a photographed image information storage unit 152 that stores at least photographed image information from the photographing cameras 10 to 40 and a specific processing flag storage unit 153 that stores a specific operation detection result from the settlement cash register terminal together with a reception time. ing.

  In the present embodiment, by providing the above configuration, the configuration is completely different from various I / O devices such as the management computer 200 or the checkout cash register terminal that are fixedly installed and cannot be easily moved to another location. Since various information important for crime prevention can be recorded in a second system system, for example, even if only this image recording device 100 is moved to another place as necessary, a general keyboard and monitor device are simply used. Only by connecting, the recorded contents of the image recording unit 150 can be searched and confirmed.

  In the present embodiment, a method is adopted in which captured image information is sent as digital data to the image recording apparatus 100 via a network and recorded in the captured image information storage unit 152. The captured image information of each camera is used. Are collectively recorded at regular intervals.

  When the recorded images are read and displayed, the screen is divided into multiple screens for the number of shooting cameras provided in the system, and the shot images of each shooting camera are displayed on the same time axis on each divided screen. is doing.

  For this reason, if there are 16 shooting cameras, it is possible to check the shooting information of all the shooting cameras at a glance on a screen divided into 16 screens, and if there are 10 shooting cameras, the screen is divided into 10 screens.

  If you want to check the image taken by any of the camera cameras, click on the image displayed in the thumbnail or specify it by some method, or click or enlarge the image taken by the specified camera. It is possible to display in full screen.

  In this manner, the images taken by the respective photographing cameras are recorded, and the recorded images can be displayed as thumbnails at the same timing, so that the state of all the monitoring areas at once can be confirmed continuously.

  In the system according to the present embodiment, the management computer 200 or the checkout cash register terminal does not actively access the image recording apparatus 100, but only reports according to the access from the image recording apparatus 100.

  On the other hand, the image recording apparatus 100 grasps the operation status from the operation speed of the management computer 200 or the checkout cash register terminal at regular intervals, for example, every 100 ms, every 500 ms, or less. Request transfer of operation status at any possible interval.

  When receiving operation information at the checkout cash register terminal from the management computer 200 or the checkout cash register terminal, the image recording apparatus 100 records the received operation information together with the reception time. As a result, the photographed image of the photographing camera and the operating state of the checkout register at the time of photographing are recorded in association with each other.

  In the above description of the control, an example in which only the time measurement time of the image recording apparatus 100 is recorded has been described. However, the time is also measured in the management computer 200 or the checkout cash register terminal, and both systems are used at the start of daily operation. The timekeeping time may be synchronized.

  As a result, not only when the operation information is received in real time, but also when the operation result information is received for every certain amount from the management computer 200 or the checkout cash register terminal, for example, image information synchronized with the checkout cashier operation timing. Can not be taken out accurately, or it is possible to prevent the extracted photographed image from being unclear in the photographing information at a desired time.

  In order to alleviate the above problems, when communicating the operation information of the checkout cash register terminal, the information of the checkout cash register terminal together with the information when the respective clock time is communicated to recognize and recognize the difference from the own clock time May be recorded together with the photographed image information. By controlling in this way, it is possible to cope with a case where operation information is received at long intervals such as every 10 minutes, every 30 minutes, and every hour.

  By adopting a configuration that can correct the error in the time measured with other information processing systems connected as described above, it is possible to extract shooting information that is accurately synchronized with the operation timing of the checkout cash register. Even if the timekeeping time difference is large, it is possible to prevent erroneous recognition of captured images at other times.

  Furthermore, even if a problem occurs in a part of the network, it is possible to collectively receive information from the management computer 200 after the recovery, for example, when a problem occurs. Even when the network is down, it is possible to reliably receive the operation result and synchronize with the captured image. In other words, when an act that causes a problem is performed, even when communication between the management computer 100 and the image recording apparatus 100 is interrupted, it is possible to reliably extract shooting information at a desired time. This brings about a very good effect in terms of crime prevention.

  An example of an information communication format between the first system system and the second system system of the present embodiment having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the checkout cash register terminal operation information output from the management computer 200 used in this embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, for example, information in the format shown in FIG. 3 is exchanged between the management computer and the image recording apparatus. 3A is an operation information transmission format 300 sent from the management computer 200 or the checkout cash register terminal to the image processing apparatus 100, and FIG. 3B is an image recording apparatus transmission format 350 that requests transmission of operation information from the image processing apparatus 100. It is.

  The operation information transmission format 300 shown in (A) is a header 301 including destination information, transmission source information, transmission information type, and the like that identifies communication information addressed to the image recording apparatus 100 from the management computer 200 or the payment register terminal, Timekeeping time 302 in which the timekeeping time of the management computer at the time of transmission is stored, operation result information 302 to 307 in which the operation time and operation result information in the checkout cash register terminal are stored, and finally the check code in which the check code information is stored Part 308.

  The amount of operation result information is determined by untransmitted operation result information at the time of transmission, and no special restriction is provided. Note that the time count 302 need not be included. Further, the operation result information may be sent only from the settlement register that is actually operated, and the information from the untreated settlement register may be omitted.

  The image recording apparatus transmission format 350 shown in FIG. 5B is a header 351 including destination information, transmission source information, transmission information type, and the like that specify communication information addressed to the management computer 200 or the payment register end from the image recording apparatus 100. The operation result request 353 for requesting transmission of the operation result information at the checkout cash register terminal, and the check code unit 358 storing the check code information.

  Control according to the security system of the present embodiment that communicates with each other in the communication format described above will be described below with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation control of this embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the details of the reproduction processing of FIG.

  In the following description, an example will be described in which each payment register terminal is provided with an intelligent function and is a system system in which information communication with the image recording apparatus 100 is possible with the payment register alone. However, the present invention is not limited to the above example, and as shown in FIG. 1, the management computer 100 controls each payment register terminal, collects and manages the operation information of the payment register terminal, and the image recording apparatus 100 and the management computer. The collected information of each checkout cash register terminal may be communicated with 200.

  In this case, information communication of the payment register terminal may be performed between the management computer 200 and the image recording apparatus 100 instead of communication with each payment register terminal by the following control. In this example, for example, it can be assumed that the image recording apparatus 100 is additionally introduced to a store already equipped with a sales management system centered on the management computer 200 from a crime prevention request. Even in this case, it can be easily incorporated into an existing system, changes in the existing system can be minimized, and a crime prevention system can be easily constructed.

  Communication control between the image recording apparatus and each checkout cash register terminal will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. As the communication control, when the operation information is individually requested for each settlement cash register terminal, the settlement register terminal operation information request packet is sequentially circulated from the image recording device 100 to the settlement cash register connected to the network, and the image recording device An example in which operation information of each checkout cash register terminal is stored when received at 100 will be described. However, the operation information may be received individually for each checkout cash register terminal. In this case, the operation result information of the transmission format to the image recording apparatus shown in FIG. 3A is only information from one scrutinization cash register terminal.

  When the power of the image recording apparatus 100 is turned on, as shown in step S1, the camera control unit 106 is controlled to start shooting around each settlement register terminal, and the shot image information is stored in the shot image information storage unit 152. Start recording.

  Since communication with each checkout cash register terminal is not established at first, in the subsequent step S3, the image recording apparatus 100 creates a transmission format shown in FIG. 3B and transmits it to each checkout cash register terminal. While notifying that the own device has started moving, it requests transmission of the operation information of the checkout cash register terminal. Then, the process proceeds to step S7.

  When each checkout cash register terminal receives data from the image recording apparatus 100, according to the transmission format shown in FIG. 3A, the timekeeping time is stored in the timekeeping time 302, and there is an operation result to be sent. Is sent including the operation result information.

  For this reason, the image recording apparatus 100 monitors whether or not the data sent from the payment register terminal is received in the subsequent step S7. In addition to responding to the transmission request in step S3, the settlement cash register terminal detects that a specific key of a predetermined settlement register or a press of a specific button installed at a location different from the settlement register is detected. It may be controlled to notify the image recording apparatus to that effect. As a result, when the operator wishes to record an image, the photographed image at the desired time can be searched.

  If there is no reception information in step S7, the process proceeds to step S10, and it is determined whether or not reception has been received for a predetermined time. If the state in which there is no reception information has not passed for a certain period of time, the process returns to step S7 and monitoring of information transmission from each checkout cash register terminal is continued.

  On the other hand, if there is no information transmission from each settlement cash register terminal for a certain time in step S10, the process proceeds to step S11, and a request for transmission of the operation result is made again to each settlement cash register terminal. Then, the process returns to step S7. As described above, the certain time is an arbitrary interval at which the operation status can be grasped from the human operation speed.

  The transmission request is made in a transmission format including the operation result request 353 shown in FIG. The reason for making a request is to regularly communicate with each checkout cash register terminal to confirm that each checkout cash register terminal is operating normally. It is desirable to record this time together with shooting information. This is to enable retrieval by a reproduction process described later.

  If information from each checkout cash register terminal is sent in step S7, the process proceeds to step S15, where the information is received and the received information is analyzed. Then, it is determined whether or not an operation result for outputting a predetermined message from the speakers 50 to 80 is included. When the operation result for outputting the predetermined message by sound is not included, the process proceeds to step S22.

  In this embodiment, each checkout cash register terminal prompts the image recording apparatus 100 that there has been an operation promptly when it detects that an operation requiring sound output from a speaker has been performed at the checkout cash register terminal. Inform. This case corresponds to a case where an operation result for outputting a predetermined message by sound is included in step S17. In this case, the process proceeds from step S17 to step S20. Then, a predetermined message predetermined by the operation result is acoustically output from the speaker. Then, the process proceeds to step S22.

  The operation for outputting the predetermined message as a sound is a case where an operation that is statistically prone to fraud is performed. When such an operation is performed, the operation related to the speaker installed near the cash register terminal is performed. When the system is notified, the system can detect that the process is being performed and recognize that it is being monitored. The aim is to prevent the outbreak.

  An example of an operation for outputting a predetermined message output from the speaker according to the present embodiment and an example of a message for outputting the sound are shown below.

  Table 1 shows an example of an operation and an output message for outputting a sound output message in the present embodiment. In addition, the operation of outputting the sound output message and the example of the output message are not limited to the above examples, and can be selected as appropriate.

  In step S <b> 22, the timekeeping time information and the operation result information sent are stored in the specific treatment flag information storage unit 153. Then, the process proceeds to step S24. In step S24, for example, it is checked whether or not there is a recorded image reproduction instruction from the keyboard 120 or the like. If there is no instruction to reproduce the recorded image, the process returns to step S7 to monitor the image capturing / recording and information sent from each settlement register terminal.

  On the other hand, if there is a recorded image reproduction instruction in step S24, the process proceeds to step S30, image reproduction processing is performed, and the captured image recorded in the captured image information storage unit 152 is displayed according to the display instruction. When the display process ends, the process returns to step S7.

  Next, details of the reproduction processing in step S30 will be described below with reference to FIG. The process of step S30 is executed when, for example, the image monitor 110 and the keyboard 120 are connected to the image recording apparatus 100, and a recorded image reproduction instruction is issued from the keyboard.

  First, in step S31, for example, a reproduction instruction from the keyboard 120 is analyzed, and a keyword for searching the storage position of the instructed image is created. As an instruction from the keyboard 120, for example, specification of a photographing camera to be played back (designation of a checkout cash register terminal to play a peripheral image) and playback time, or a specific operation to be played back should be specified as a keyword and searched. When a time range is specified, the time range to be searched is specified as a keyword.

  Examples that can be specified as a keyword when searching in the present embodiment are, for example, “time adjustment, payment over a certain amount”, “payment over a certain amount” in addition to the operation shown in Table 1 of the checkout cash register terminal. ”,“ If payment is not completed for a certain period of time ”,“ If payment is not completed for more than a certain period of time ”,“ If a specific key is hit repeatedly (such as when a problem occurs, shooting the status of the cashier terminal) Instructions) ”and so on. The operation to be the keyword can be arbitrarily determined.

  Subsequently, in step S33, search processing according to the keyword generated in step S31 is performed, and a list of corresponding timings in the specific process flag information storage unit 153 is displayed on the image monitor 110, for example. The operator who confirms this list specifies a desired item.

  When the designation is made, the process proceeds from step S33 to step S35, and the display control for starting the reproduction from a certain time before the reference time and the reproduction to the certain time after the reference time is started based on the designated operation timing or time. .

  In the present embodiment, for example, how long before playback starts from the reference time can be arbitrarily set by a keyword. For example, in the case of the operation shown in Table 1, it is 30 seconds from 15 seconds before the operation is performed. It is conceivable that the reproduction is not finished until later or until an instruction is given.

  In the subsequent step S37, it is determined whether or not the playback time has elapsed and the playback stop time has come, such as when the playback time is set to a fixed time only. If the playback stop time is reached, the process proceeds to step S43 to stop playback and return.

  On the other hand, if the playback stop time is not fixed or the stop time has not been reached in step S37, the process proceeds to step S39 to check whether or not a playback stop instruction has been input. If there is no instruction to stop playback, the process returns to step S35 to continue playback of the captured image.

  If a reproduction stop instruction is detected in step S39, the process proceeds to step S41, where the reproduction of the captured image is stopped and the process returns.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when an operation with a high possibility of fraud is performed, the speaker informs the surroundings that the operation is performed, and thus widely informs the surroundings. It is possible to make it difficult to perform fraud in such operations. For this reason, fraud can be prevented in advance.

  In addition, the recorded image can be searched by an operation performed at the checkout cash register terminal, and a desired recorded image can be obtained very easily and quickly compared to the case where the search is specified based on the recording time as in the past. Can be identified.

  Moreover, instead of extracting the scene where the operation was performed, an image from a certain time ago can be automatically displayed based on the timing at which the operation was performed, and a series of sequences before and after the operation was performed The progress can be extracted, and the situation can be easily and quickly grasped.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the image around the cash register is not taken sensuously, but the image is recorded by performing an appropriate angle and zooming according to the operation. can do. Further, since this recorded image can be easily searched, it is possible to easily grasp the situation at the site at the time to be confirmed.

  In the present embodiment, when an image recorded in the image recording apparatus 100 is read and displayed, the display screen is subdivided into the number of shooting cameras in the case of normal image search, Alternatively, it can be subdivided into a predetermined number of screens, and the shooting information of one shooting camera can be divided and displayed on each screen, and specific camera shooting information can be confirmed while checking the entire shooting information.

  For example, a photographed image of a checkout register for which a predetermined operation has been performed is displayed slightly larger in the center on the screen, and a small divided screen is arranged around it, and a peripheral checkout register for a shooting camera in which a specific operation has been performed on each divided screen The captured image may be displayed. As a result, the images taken by the respective cameras can be confirmed in chronological order without any breaks.

[Second Embodiment]
The above description has described an example in which the present embodiment is applied to a security system. However, the present invention is not limited to the above examples. One of the features of the present invention is that an image is recorded at the initiative of the image recording apparatus, and information that can be a search key for searching the recorded image is also recorded in the same image recording apparatus and separated from other systems. A necessary image can be recorded only by the image recording apparatus, and a necessary image can be extracted.

  Of course, this feature can be applied to various image recording systems. For example, by creating a database by associating changes in data such as temperature information, humidity information, flow rate information, etc. with imaging and recording of monitored objects, for example, crisis management of research facilities, factories, observation facilities, improvement of prediction accuracy, accidents, etc. Prevention can be achieved.

  When using a change in measurement information as described above as a search keyword, a certain allowable range is set in advance for the measurement information to be monitored, and the timing that exceeds the allowable range can be searched as a keyword. Just keep it.

  As a specific example of a configuration for risk management or accident prevention in a factory, for example, in the case of applying to a configuration in which operation control of a line is performed according to measurement values from various instruments in a production line or an inspection line of a factory. Collects measurement information of each instrument at a predetermined interval, monitors whether the measurement value is within a predetermined range, and if it is outside the predetermined range, it is out of range What is necessary is just to be able to search the captured image within the monitoring range at the timing.

  Alternatively, in the case of performing temperature management of a production machine, for example, a machine tool, the state of the machine tool is photographed, and when it is detected that the temperature is out of a certain range, this is notified to the image recording apparatus 100, It can be used as an image search key.

  In the image reproduction, it is often more necessary to reproduce the image than the earlier timing as compared with the first embodiment. For example, if temperature management is performed automatically, the cause of the temperature change is not at the timing when the temperature exceeds the allowable range, but it is necessary to elucidate the reason why the temperature control is not possible. Therefore, it is desirable to be able to specify at what timing playback is to be started and at which timing playback is to be stopped prior to the search. This is exactly the same as in the first embodiment described above, and by making it possible to specify an arbitrary time prior to the search, it is possible to confirm the captured image according to the situation.

  Even in this case, since the photographed image can be checked using only the image recording apparatus that records the photographing information of the image, it can be easily introduced with a slight modification to the existing equipment.

  Also in the second embodiment, the image recording apparatus receives and records the time measurement information on the monitoring system side, for example, prior to data exchange between the monitoring system of the measurement system and the image recording apparatus, It is desirable to be able to correct the error from the time measured by the image recording apparatus.

[Third Embodiment]
In the above description, an example in which the present embodiment is applied to a crime prevention system, and an example in which a change in data such as temperature information, humidity information, and flow rate information is associated with image capturing and recording of a monitoring target to create a database are described. . However, the present invention is not limited to the above examples, and various applications are possible.

  For example, take pictures of various devices installed at disaster prevention centers (for example, fire alarms, elevator monitoring systems, various alarm monitoring locations) or building maintenance equipment, etc., and record the timing of each alarm occurrence. Therefore, it can be expected to have a great effect on the resolution, prevention, and prevention of misoperation.

  When applied to a fire alarm, it is desirable to use a photographing camera that can widely photograph the situation around the fire alarm. For example, a wide-angle camera or an omnidirectional camera is suitable.

  By adopting the above configuration, all shooting information in the field situation can be recorded on the image recording device. Therefore, even in an emergency, if you take only this image recording device, you can easily and accurately grasp the emergency situation. can do.

  Furthermore, the image recording apparatus can be miniaturized, and the current standard technology is almost as large as an attache case. For this reason, it is possible to protect the recorded contents even in an emergency by securing the container in an emergency by making the container rigid and storing it in a heat-resistant container. You can check later.

[Other Embodiments]
In addition to the above monitoring target, the image recording target is not only the above-mentioned monitoring target, but also the operation status of the OA equipment (copier, facsimile machine, personal computer (PC), server), etc., is recorded and recorded by the camera. It can be applied to information protection by detecting the distribution status and the access status of internal data, receiving them as keywords, and recording them together with the captured images.

  That is, the first photographing camera is arranged at a position where the operation status of the copying machine can be recognized, so that it can be determined by checking the photographed image whether or not unnecessary copying has been performed. It is conceivable to receive and record that a copy instruction or a color copy instruction has been made so that it can be confirmed what kind of material has been specifically copied. Alternatively, when it is detected that securities are copied by a copying machine, the information is received and recorded, so that the copying status can be recorded and searched more reliably.

  In addition, the photographing camera is arranged at a position where the operation status of the PC or the server can be recognized so that the operation status can be discriminated by checking the photographed image, and access to information managed in a secret state, for example, is possible. When it is detected, the access instruction information for the information is recorded together with the photographed image, so that, for example, leakage of confidential information can be prevented, and even if a leak is found, image recording can be performed. A captured image recorded in the apparatus can be easily confirmed by searching for access instruction information as a keyword.

  Specifically, the display screen of personal information includes, for example, a case where a payroll ledger display screen is displayed in addition to an individual's age, address, preference, and the like. Further, there may be a case where an operation that may cause a specific damage is performed. For example, when an operation for displaying a bank transfer operation screen via the Internet is performed, the operation is performed on the image recording apparatus 100. It is conceivable to provide a notification key as a retrieval key for a captured image.

  Alternatively, the management computer is configured to be able to detect that the customer information screen is displayed on the POS terminal or the PC display, and when this screen is displayed, the display information is displayed from the POS terminal keyboard or the PC keyboard. Operation monitoring system application software is provided to detect and notify when a print output instruction, a request to copy stored data, or an operation required for copying to a storage medium is performed. This installation enables more thorough information management and protection of confidential information.

  In the above case, since the image recording device is for recording a photographed image, writing to the image recording device is limited to the photographed image and keyword information so that the written information cannot be erased by a normal operation. It is desirable to configure. If the configuration is such that the written information cannot be erased or rewritten without a hardware switch operation inside the image recording apparatus, the recorded information will not be accidentally erased by a normal operation, and the recorded contents can be prevented from being falsified. Thereby, the reliability of the recorded contents can be ensured.

  The rewriting of the recorded contents of the image recording apparatus is performed, for example, when shooting information and information serving as keywords are recorded on the entire recording medium, and when the recording medium runs out of space, for example, the oldest recorded information is overwritten sequentially. It is desirable to control so that it is done.

  As a result, a photographed image of a certain past time can be reliably recorded without any special operation. Since some information cannot be rewritten, it is not possible to erase the shooting information on the PC or the like, and it is possible to grasp a certain state where the information has occurred.

  It should be noted that not only the case where all the various special effects described above are registered, but also operations that are widely performed when a special title is required for this type of operation, for example, in various information processing apparatuses, In view of the fact that the “password input screen” is displayed in most cases, the image recording apparatus 100 is notified when the control for displaying the “password input screen” is performed, and the image recording apparatus 100 is the controlled device. It may be controlled so that it is possible to confirm which screen is surely displayed and who operated it by zooming up the camera for photographing the operator.

[Effects of Embodiment]
As described above, according to the above-described embodiment, not only the shooting information of the shooting camera is recorded continuously in time series as in the past, but also information that can be a search keyword is recorded together. Therefore, desired image information can be quickly confirmed.

  In addition, the recorded contents are updated by recording the operation / state in which the problem has occurred or the operation / state in which the problem may occur as information for searching the recorded image on the recording apparatus that records the captured image. It is not necessary to provide a function, and an apparatus suitable for a crime prevention system can be provided in which the recorded contents are not falsified or deleted later, as in the case of recording search information in a general computer system.

  In particular, because it is a dedicated system for recording and reproducing images, the system configuration is also simplified, and it can be easily introduced without significant modification of other existing computer systems, and it is independent and reliable. A high monitoring system can be obtained.

  In addition, if the recording medium portion (for example, hard disk portion) is detachable in an emergency, it can be easily taken out in an emergency. Further, the recording medium portion can be configured to have a robust structure or a heat-resistant structure, so that photographing information can be protected in an emergency.

  Furthermore, since it is difficult to rewrite like a general computer system, there is no falsification of photographing information, and the situation at the time of occurrence of a problem can be grasped reliably. For this reason, even if the secret information recorded in the PC or the like is illegally acquired, it is difficult to eliminate the operation trace, and the situation can be confirmed later.

  In addition, for example, when a key input for performing return processing, price correction processing, and discount processing by operating a POS such as a settlement register is made, an operation instruction signal sent from the POS etc. to the management computer system is used as a trigger. The image recording apparatus is controlled to instruct the photographing camera to operate. The fact that such an operation has been performed is recorded in association with the photographed image.

  As an operation instruction to the photographing camera at this time, zooming of the subject, control for moving the angle of view of the camera to van / tilt, and a speaker (this speaker may be configured to be integrated with the photographing camera) by voice will be used. Announce the operation to be performed.

  By controlling in this way, the camera is switched so that it can grasp the general situation of the monitoring range so far, and when a specific operation is detected, it switches to shooting at a different angle, and zooming is performed. In addition, the position of the shooting angle of the camera and the camera can be moved, and sound can be heard to alert and intimidate the person who operates the POS and the surrounding people. For this reason, it is possible to exert a deterrent effect to prevent fraud, and to know the situation that has occurred even when fraud occurs.

  In any of the above cases, it is possible to correct an error in the timekeeping time of both apparatuses, and to accurately search and display a desired captured image.

It is a block diagram for demonstrating the structure of the crime prevention system of the example of one embodiment which concerns on this invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of the image storage device illustrated in FIG. 1.

It is a figure which shows the example of the network communication control information used by the example of this embodiment. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the operation control of the example of this embodiment. 6 is a flowchart for explaining details of the reproduction process of FIG. 4.

Explanation of symbols

10 to 40 photographing cameras 50 to 80 speakers 100 image recording apparatus 101 control unit 102 memory 103 display control unit 104 keyboard interface unit 105 communication interface unit 106 camera control unit 107 speaker control unit 110 image monitor 120 keyboard 150 image recording unit 152 photographed image Information storage unit 153 Specific processing flag storage unit 200 Management computer 210 to 240 Checkout cash register terminals A to D

Claims (8)

An image recording apparatus capable of receiving imaging information from a plurality of imaging means capable of imaging a monitoring range and recording the received captured image,
Captured image recording means for receiving and recording captured image information by the imaging means;
Detecting means for detecting a change in state of the monitoring range;
Information recording means for recording detection information detected by the detection means;
Designation means for designating a specific state change in the detection information detected by the detection means;
Search means for searching for a specific state change designated by the designation means from the detection information recorded in the information recording means;
Image output means for extracting and outputting shooting information in a certain range based on the detection of the specific state change searched by the search means in the shooting image of the monitoring range where the state change is detected recorded in the shooting image recording means An image recording apparatus comprising: An image recording apparatus capable of receiving imaging information from a plurality of imaging means connected to a network capable of imaging a monitoring range via the network,
Captured image recording means for receiving and recording captured image information by the imaging means via the network;
Detection information receiving means for receiving state change detection information from the state change detection means provided in the monitoring range;
Information recording means for recording the detection information received by the receiving means;
Designating means for designating a specific state change in the detection information received by the receiving means;
Search means for searching for a specific state change designated by the designation means from the detection information recorded in the information recording means;
Image output means for extracting and outputting shooting information in a certain range based on the detection of the specific state change searched by the search means in the shooting image of the monitoring range where the state change is detected recorded in the shooting image recording means An image recording apparatus comprising: The receiving means receives timekeeping time information of a device that has detected a state change together with the detection information,
The image recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the information recording unit also records time keeping information received by the receiving unit. The monitoring range is a checkout cash register terminal for photographing the vicinity of a checkout cash register terminal of a store,
The imaging means includes a plurality of photographing cameras installed corresponding to the number of installation of the checkout cash register terminals,
The state change detection means is the checkout cash register terminal, and the detection information of the specific state change is at least a specific operation instruction such as return processing or price correction processing,
4. The image recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the information recording unit receives and records operation instruction information from the receiving unit in the checkout cash register terminal. The state change received by the receiving means is a case where it is detected that at least the state of the monitoring target is out of a predetermined allowable range,
The imaging means includes a shooting camera installed corresponding to at least a monitoring target,
4. The image recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the information recording unit records the photographing information to be monitored and information that is out of a predetermined allowable range received from the receiving unit. The imaging means includes a photographing camera that photographs the periphery of the operation unit of the information processing apparatus,
The state change received by the receiving means is an information extraction operation from the information processing device,
4. The image recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the information recording unit receives and records information extraction operation instruction time and operation instruction information from the information processing apparatus from the receiving unit. Furthermore, sound output means installed around the monitoring target,
Message storage means for storing a predetermined message according to a change in state of the monitoring target received by the receiving means;
7. A message output unit that outputs a message extracted from a message stored in the message storage unit in response to a change in state of a monitoring target received by the reception unit. The image recording apparatus described. An image recording / reproducing method in an image recording system comprising recording means for receiving and recording imaging information from a plurality of imaging means connected to a network capable of imaging a monitoring range via the network,
The recording means records captured image information from the imaging means in time series,
Receiving detection information for detecting a change in state of the monitoring target by the imaging means, recording the received detection information together with detection time information in the recording means,
By specifying the specific state change in the received detection information, the specific state change is detected in the captured image of the monitoring range in which the specific state change specified from the detection information recorded in the recording unit is detected. An image recording / reproducing method characterized in that a predetermined range of shooting information is extracted and reproduced.

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