JP3532233B2 - Search device for video signal based on camera moving distance - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for managing an object by using an image recorded by a video or the like from a moving object. The present invention relates to a technology for easily retrieving a target using moving distance information of a moving object. 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a method of utilizing a video recorded using a video or the like, a tape which has been recorded again is reproduced in order from the front and viewed, or the time at which the user wants to watch is known in advance. If there is, there is a method in which fast forward or rewind is performed until the recording time, and a desired portion is searched. However, with this method, it is very difficult to efficiently view various photographed screens. For this reason, for example, in the broadcasting industry, SMPTE
A search is performed using a time code or the like based on a standard or the like. Actually, editing work and the like are automatically performed under the control of a computer. [0004] However, in a case where an object is managed using a video or the like recorded from a moving object on a moving body, for example, a railway company, a road company, etc. When searching for continuously recorded video for management, maintenance, and inspection of incidental facilities along the road, video is not recorded at a constant speed using the standard time code method. There is a problem that it is difficult to directly search a specific place. [0005] Alternatively, there is a method in which distance information is superimposed on a captured image and recorded, and a search is performed based on the information. However, this data cannot be directly used as a search key, and the desired data can be quickly obtained. Finding places is difficult. In the end, the above-described method has a problem in that searching for a known facility or the like is very troublesome. [0007] Further, acquisition of continuous images for equipment maintenance or the like may not always be performed by a certain route. In such a case, a simple search using only distance information
It is very difficult to search for a desired place. In addition, there is a problem that an error or the like occurs when the vehicle travels every time an image is obtained, and a search may be shifted. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and it is intended to cope with a case in which a continuous image is searched for based on moving distance information, and a case where photographing from a moving object is not performed along a fixed route. It is an object of the present invention to provide a technology capable of easily performing a search. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to a video signal generator.
In a search device based on a camera moving distance, a unit for recording a management number for each image of an image obtained by recording a video signal from a camera on a moving body, and the management number corresponds to a moving distance obtained from the moving body. an information storage device having a means for storing the association information, and means for reproducing the recorded images, and managed separately the moving distance in the interval, and, in the moving distance
Means for enabling and storing the correction, and the divided section
Means for searching for an image based on the corrected moving distance, means for calculating a corresponding management number from the searched moving distance using the association information stored in the information storage device, and the calculated management transmits the number to the means for reproducing the picture image, by which an image retrieval apparatus having a means for obtaining a search image of interest, in which to achieve the above object. According to the present invention, an image is taken in from an image pickup device on a moving body, and at the same time, a management number is recorded. The moving distance information and the management number are associated with each other, and by recording the associated information, the position of the target video is estimated by the moving distance information after image capturing,
A management number corresponding to the distance is determined from the associated information, and a distance search is performed using the information to obtain a target image from the original image. In addition, in the distance search, the first moving distance information is divided into sections and managed, and errors in the distance information are corrected and stored, so that the distance information is used more easily and accurately. Images can be searched. Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration on a moving body of a distance search apparatus according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 denotes a mobile unit equipped with a distance search device, 12 denotes a camera, 14 denotes a time code generator, 16 denotes an image / time code recording device, and 18 denotes a time code generator 14 and an image / time code. It is a video tape recorder (or video disc recorder) including the recording device 16 and the like. Reference numeral 20 denotes a computer system (personal computer), which inputs a time code input interface 22 for taking in the time code output from the time code generator 14 and a distance pulse formed from a wheel of the moving body through a distance pulse generator 24. A distance pulse input interface 26, a CPU 28,
It comprises a magnetic disk 30, a floppy disk device 32 and the like. The computer 20 integrates the input distance pulse and has it as integrated distance information. The computer 20 compares the sampled integrated distance with the corresponding time code information at a sufficiently short interval to obtain the distance and time code. Is stored in the magnetic disk device 30. The data in the correspondence table is portable via the floppy disk device 32. FIG. 2 shows an example of the correspondence table between the distance information and the time code. FIG. 2 is an example in which corresponding time codes are recorded every three meters. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of a terrestrial system for the system on the moving body in FIG. 1 of the distance search apparatus in the present embodiment. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 40 denotes a computer system, which includes a keyboard 42, a magnetic disk 44, and a CPU.
46, a floppy disk device 48, a monitor 50, and the like. Further, 52 is a time code remote control receiving unit, 54 is an image reproducing unit, 56 is a video tape player (or video disk player) including them, and 58 is a video signal reproducing monitor. In this terrestrial system, the video tape player (or video disk player) 5
6, if you give the time code of the predetermined place from the outside,
It has a remote control function that enables cueing, and can play back images shot by a system on a moving object. On the other hand, the time code information of the predetermined place and the command of the cueing are issued from the computer system 40 to the video tape player 56. The computer system 40 transplants the time code obtained by the system on the moving body and the matching information of the integrated distance by using a floppy disk or the like.
When the integrated distance of the place to be searched is input from the keyboard 42, a corresponding time code is calculated by performing an interpolation operation based on the matching information. By transmitting a predetermined time code to the video tape player 56 via the interface based on the time code and performing remote control of the cueing operation, an initial target image can be reproduced on the monitor 58. In the present embodiment, a means for searching for the images recorded continuously as described above from the distance information is provided. In general, as shown in FIG. When searching for only one piece of distance information, searching for a video such as a different route becomes complicated. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the integrated distance information and the corresponding time code. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a time code corresponding to integrated distance information when a distance search is performed by dividing into sections. As shown in FIG. 5, instead of searching for distances d1, d2,... Corresponding to the initially integrated distance information,
In the computer system 40, a target image can be more easily searched by newly creating a correspondence table divided into sections that are easy to find in searching for all shooting distances. Here, the accumulated distance may be different from the distance in the section that is originally searched for, due to the manner of running of the moving body, for example, slipping or slipping of wheels. Therefore, the section correction distance is used to correct the deviation. The integrated distance corresponding to the distance r2 of the section A in FIG.
d ′ is obtained from the correspondence table, and as described above, the corresponding time code t ′ is calculated from the integrated distance by performing an interpolation operation based on the matching information.
A desired image can be obtained. This method generally makes it possible to correct later if an error has occurred in the matching of the time code acquired first and the distance information. In these methods, it is not necessary to calculate the corresponding time code by using the initial time code and distance information correspondence table, and to create a table for directly associating the section distance information and the time code shown in FIG. Is also possible. Further, in the search for the section distance as shown in FIG. 5, the end of the section A must always be the beginning of the next section. To search the entire shooting range, the entire range is covered by the section. There is a need. However, in the case of continuous photographing, there is a range in which retrieval is not important. In such a case, as shown in FIG. 6, only the beginning of the section is given, and the end point is not specified, and the section is defined as necessary, so that only the necessary section can be easily registered later. It is possible to search. In the case of the concept of a new section shown in FIG. 6, by specifying the start point of the section and a point (calibration point) for correcting the distance, the error of the distance can be corrected and searched by the method described in FIG. As the calibration point, a point having the clearest distance in advance between the start point of the section and the next start point is selected. Also, the screen of the section is linearly corrected with respect to the original integrated distance. Therefore, the section distance before correction is the integrated distance of the corresponding section. In this way, it is not necessary to specify sections even for sections that do not need to be searched. By using such an idea, a distance search system capable of approximating a broken line in the correspondence between the time code and the distance information in FIG. Easily. In the present embodiment, in the system on the moving object, the distance information obtained from the moving object is based on the distance pulse (pulse generated every unit movement), but the present invention is not limited to this. It is obvious that the distance search can be performed in the ground system in the same manner by using the distance information and the time code matching table in the above description instead of giving the moving distance of the moving object as distance information. . As described above, according to the present invention,
When recording a video signal from a moving object with a variable speed,
By creating information for matching a time code and a moving distance at the time of recording, a search device calculates a corresponding time code based on the information from a distance of a desired video, so that a desired image can be easily searched. Having. In this search, some correspondence tables are created on a simple computer system such as a personal computer, the base time code is associated with the accumulated distance information, and the travel distance is divided into sections and managed. , since it possible to modify the distance traveled, section distance search, additional sections, allows also deletion, has an excellent effect that it is possible even more quick and accurate search.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration on a moving object of a distance search device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a correspondence table of distance information and corresponding time codes. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a terrestrial system configuration of the distance search device according to the embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a relationship between accumulated distance information and a corresponding time code; FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example in which a distance search is performed separately. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example in which only a start point of a section is specified, a section is set as necessary, and a distance search is performed. ... Moving body 12, Camera 14, Time code generator 16, Image / time code recording device 20, 40, Computer system 24, Distance pulse generator 52, Time code remote control receiver 54, Image reproducer 58, Video No. Play monitor

Continuation of front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H04N 5/76-5/956

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] [Claim 1] A video signal from a camera on a moving object is recorded.
The obtained image, the means for recording the management number of each image, and an information storage device having a means for storing information that associates a moving distance obtained from the mobile with the management number, the recorded image Means for reproducing the image and managing the moving distance divided into sections and correcting the moving distance
And means for storing, and the image is divided by the divided section and the corrected moving distance.
Means for searching for an image, and using the association information stored in the information storage device,
From the retrieved travel distance, and means for calculating a corresponding control number, and sends the management number thus calculated to means for reproducing the picture image, the image retrieval apparatus having a means for obtaining a search image of interest, An apparatus for retrieving a video signal based on a moving distance of a camera.