JP3223258B2 - Operation status monitoring device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an operating state monitoring device, and more particularly to an operating state monitoring apparatus for recording image data of a monitoring target imaged by an imaging means in a recording means to monitor the operating state of the monitoring object. Related to the device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to monitor the operating state of a production facility (an example of an object to be monitored) in a factory, a monitor camera is installed on the production facility, and the operating state of the production facility is imaged by the monitor camera. 2. Description of the Related Art There is known an operation state monitoring device that displays a captured image and records the captured image on a video tape recorder (hereinafter, referred to as a VTR). In this device, the operation status can be recorded on the VTR by using a signal or the like indicating a malfunction of the equipment as a trigger. In this case, since only the operating state after the occurrence of the malfunction is recorded on the VTR, it is not possible to know the operating state before the occurrence of the malfunction, which is necessary to determine the cause of the malfunction. When recording the operating status before the occurrence of a malfunction on a VTR, the operating status is always set to VT.
R is recorded in advance, and the VTR tape recorded later is edited to display the operating status before and after the occurrence of the malfunction. In this case, there is a problem that much labor and time are required for editing work.

In order to solve these problems, it is possible to use an operation state monitoring device that temporarily records an image in a memory. In this apparatus, an image is converted into a digital format, and an image of a maximum of 4800 frames at 50 to 1000 frames per second can be saved in a memory. This device uses the output of various sensors such as an optical sensor and a proximity sensor as a trigger, continuously records until a trigger is received, and continuously stops recording until the memory capacity becomes full after receiving the trigger. Has record trigger mode. Thereby, the state before and after the trigger input can be known.

However, in this configuration, since the captured image is stored in the memory as it is, the capacity of the memory for recording an image of a maximum of 4800 frames becomes enormous, and the cost of the apparatus increases. This type of equipment is usually
Since the apparatus is provided as an accessory to the production equipment, the price of the apparatus is reflected in the production cost, which increases the production cost.

An object of the present invention is to enable recording of states before and after a change in operating state at low cost.

[0006]

An operating condition monitoring apparatus according to the present invention is a device for recording image data of a monitoring target imaged by an imaging unit in a recording unit and monitoring the operating state of the monitoring target. is there. This apparatus includes a compression unit, a delay unit, a decompression unit, and a recording control unit. The compression unit is a unit that compresses image data obtained by the imaging unit. The delay unit delays the image data compressed by the compression unit. The extension means extends the delay result of the delay means. The recording control means causes the recording means to record the decompression result of the decompression means when the operating state changes.

[0007]

In the operation state monitoring apparatus according to the present invention, when the object to be monitored is imaged by the imaging means, the image data obtained by the imaging means is compressed by the compression means. The compressed image data is delayed by the delay unit. The delay result is decompressed by the decompression means and restored to the original image data. When the operating state changes, the recording control unit records the extension result of the extension unit in the recording unit.

Here, since the image data can be delayed by the delay means, if the decompression result is recorded in the recording means when the operating state changes, the states before and after the change in the operating state can be recorded in the recording means. Further, since the image data compressed by the compression unit is delayed by the delay unit, the amount of data handled by the delay unit is reduced. For example, when a memory is used as the delay unit, the capacity of the memory can be reduced. Thereby, the cost of the apparatus can be reduced. For this reason, the state before and after the change of the operating state can be recorded at low cost.

[0009]

FIG. 1 shows a video operation monitoring system employing an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, a video operation monitoring system includes four video cameras 5 for imaging a facility A to be monitored from four different directions, and a multi-purpose system for synthesizing image data obtained by the four video cameras 5. A channel adapter 2, an operating state monitoring device 1 for compressing, delaying, and expanding the video signal VDS obtained by the multi-channel adapter 2, a monitor 3 including a CRT display for display, and a delay for the operating state monitoring device 1. The delayed video signal VDD is supplied to the external trigger signal TR.
And a video tape recorder (VTR) 4 for recording for a predetermined time at the G input timing.

The multi-channel adapter 2 digitizes the image obtained by the video camera 5, synthesizes the digitized image so that it can be displayed on the screen of the monitor 3 in four parts, and converts the synthesized image into an analog video signal VDS. Convert. As shown in FIG. 2, the operation state monitoring device 1 converts an analog video signal VDS into a digital value by an A / D converter.
A D conversion circuit 10, a compression circuit 11 for compressing a digital video signal by a compression encoding method, and storing the compressed video signal, for example, for a maximum of about 30 seconds (for 900 frames), and delaying the video signal for a maximum of 30 seconds. Memory circuit 12, a decompression circuit 13 for decompressing the compressed and stored video signal, and a video signal circuit 14 for converting the decompressed video signal into an analog delayed video signal VDD.

The operating state monitoring device 1 has an external input terminal 6 for inputting an external trigger signal TRG.
5 given. The control circuit 15 receives the external trigger signal T
When the RG is input, the video control signal VCT that turns on the VTR 4 for a predetermined period is output. Also, the control circuit 15
The delay amount setting signal is output to the O memory circuit 12. FIF
The O memory circuit 12 stores image data for the set delay amount.

The analog delayed video signal VDD output from the video signal circuit 14 is applied to the VTR 4, and when the video control signal VCT is turned on, the delayed video signal VDD is recorded by the VTR 4. Note that the control circuit 15
The on-period of the video control signal VCT output from is, for example, about 5 minutes. Further, the ON period of the video control signal VCT may be set externally.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described with reference to the timing chart shown in FIG. Note that, here, for simplicity of explanation, the FIFO memory circuit 1
The case where four frames of image data are stored in 2 will be described as an example. The numbers shown in FIG. 3 are frames. The video signal VDS given from the multi-channel adapter 2 is A / D-converted by an A / D conversion circuit 10,
The data is further compressed by the compression circuit 11. The compressed video signal is stored in the FIFO memory circuit 12 for four frames, and is sequentially decompressed by the decompression circuit 13 so that the video signal
, And output as a delayed video signal VDD. Here, the delayed video signal VDD is the video signal VDS
Is output with a delay of 4 frames.

In this state, if an abnormal state occurs at the timing of the eighth frame of the video signal VDS and the external trigger signal TRG is input from the external input terminal 6, the time during which the video control signal VCT can be recorded for, for example, 9 frames Turn on. Then, from the fourth frame to the first
Nine frames up to two frames are recorded on the VTR 4.
This recording data REC is data from the fourth frame before the timing (eighth frame) when the external trigger signal TRG is input to the twelfth frame after input. By reproducing the data REC, it is possible to check the operation state of the equipment before and after the change of the external trigger signal TRG, that is, before and after the occurrence of the abnormal state, and to investigate the cause of the abnormality.

Further, in the present embodiment, since the images obtained by photographing the equipment from four directions are combined and displayed, it is possible to know a change in the operating state which cannot be understood from one image, and to more surely investigate the cause thereof. can do. As a compression method, a general compression method such as JPEG or MPEG is adopted.

[Other Embodiments] (a) In the above embodiment, the multi-channel adapter 2
Is input to the operation state monitoring apparatus 1, but the multi-channel adapter 2 is not always necessary. (B) Instead of the FIFO memory circuit of the embodiment, various storage / recording media such as a semiconductor memory, a hard disk, and a VTR can be used as the delay unit.

[0017]

In the operating state monitoring apparatus according to the present invention, since the image is compressed and delayed, the data for delay can be reduced, and the state before and after the change of the operating state can be recorded at low cost.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a video operation monitoring system employing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an operation state monitoring device.

FIG. 3 is a timing chart showing the operation of the operation state monitoring device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 operating state monitoring device 4 VTR 5 video camera 6 external input terminal 11 compression circuit 12 FIFO memory circuit 13 decompression circuit 15 control circuit

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-3-204799 (JP, A) JP-A-3-295364 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G07C 3/00 G06T 1/00 280 G08B 23/00 G08B 25/00 510

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. An operation state monitoring device for recording image data of a monitoring target imaged by an imaging unit in a recording unit and monitoring an operation state of the monitoring target, wherein the operation state monitoring device is provided with the image data obtained by the imaging unit. Compression means for compressing image data; delay means for delaying the image data compressed by the compression means; decompression means for decompressing the delay result of the delay means; and An operating state monitoring device comprising: a recording control unit that causes the recording unit to record an extension result.