JP7786903B2 - Abnormality monitoring device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an abnormality monitoring device that monitors abnormalities in circuit breakers.

For example, various abnormalities can occur in the barriers installed at railroad crossings, one of the most common of which is the breakage of the barrier rod due to a car collision or other cause. When the barrier rod breaks, it loses its function of preventing vehicles and other vehicles from entering the crossing, so for safety reasons, it is necessary to quickly replace or repair the barrier rod.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for detecting broken barrier bars. This technology involves mounting a camera on a train to capture images of the barrier bars as they pass through a railroad crossing. It then determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the barrier bar based on the captured image of the barrier bar.

JP 2012-056514 A

In order to use the technology in Patent Document 1 to photograph the barrier bars and detect abnormalities such as breakage, it is necessary to correctly extract the barrier bar portion from the captured image. However, the technology in Patent Document 1 photographs the barrier bars using a camera mounted on a train, and does not mention in detail the extraction method, which could result in a problem of reduced accuracy in detecting abnormalities depending on the method applied. Furthermore, while the explanation has been given about barriers at railroad crossings, similar problems could also occur with barriers installed at the entrances and exits of gated parking lots such as coin parking lots.

The problem that this invention aims to solve is to provide technology that can accurately detect abnormalities in a circuit breaker by properly extracting the circuit breaker portion from an image of the circuit breaker.

The first invention to solve the above problem is an abnormality monitoring device that monitors abnormalities in a circuit breaker based on a circuit breaker bar image, which is an image of the circuit breaker bar. The circuit breaker bar has predetermined marker colors arranged at predetermined intervals along its longitudinal direction, and the abnormality monitoring device includes: a detection image generation means that generates a detection image by performing a masking process to mask color components other than the marker color from the circuit breaker bar image; and an abnormality detection means that detects abnormalities in the circuit breaker based on image portions in the detection image that correspond to the marker colors.

According to the first invention, by focusing on the marker color scheme applied at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction of the barrier rod and masking all color components in the barrier rod image other than the marker color, it is possible to extract the image portion corresponding to the marker color. Then, abnormalities in the barrier can be detected based on this image portion. This allows the barrier portion to be properly extracted from the barrier rod image, making it possible to accurately detect abnormalities in the barrier.

A second invention is an anomaly monitoring device according to the first invention, in which the detection image generation means generates the detection image by performing grayscale processing and binarization processing on the image that has been subjected to the mask processing.

According to the second invention, after mask processing of the blocking image, grayscale processing and binarization processing can be performed to generate an image for detection.

A third aspect of the present invention is an abnormality monitoring device according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, in which the abnormality detection means performs edge detection processing on the detection image and extraction processing to extract, from the detected edge portions, barrier bar edge portions that are included in a predetermined barrier bar photographing area, and detects an abnormality in the barrier based on the extracted barrier bar edge portions.

According to the third invention, edge detection processing is performed on the detection image to extract the barrier bar edge portion included in the barrier bar photographed area, thereby enabling appropriate extraction of the barrier bar image portion.

A fourth aspect of the present invention is an abnormality monitoring device according to the third aspect of the present invention, in which the abnormality detection means detects breakage of the circuit breaker rod based on any one of the arrangement direction, arrangement number, and arrangement length of the circuit breaker rod edge portion in the image.

According to the fourth invention, breakage of the circuit breaker rod can be detected from the arrangement direction, number of arrangements, and arrangement length of the circuit breaker rod edge portions included in the circuit breaker rod photographing area.

A fifth aspect of the present invention is an abnormality monitoring device according to the third aspect, in which the detection image generation means generates a first detection image for a first barrier bar image relating to a first barrier bar, and generates a second detection image for a second barrier bar image relating to a second barrier bar installed at the same crossing as the first barrier bar, and the abnormality detection means compares the barrier bar edge portion relating to the first detection image with the barrier bar edge portion relating to the second detection image to detect a failure in the raising or lowering of either the first barrier bar or the second barrier bar.

According to the fifth invention, a failure to raise or lower a barrier rod can be detected by comparing the barrier rod edge portion extracted from one barrier rod installed at the same railroad crossing with the barrier rod edge portion extracted from the other barrier rod.

A sixth aspect of the present invention is an abnormality monitoring device according to the third aspect of the present invention, in which the abnormality detection means detects a failure to raise or lower the circuit breaker based on the edge portion of the barrier obtained by performing the edge detection process and the extraction process on the detection image at two timings separated by a predetermined time interval equal to or greater than the raising or lowering operation time.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, for example, a failure to raise or lower a circuit breaker can be detected based on the edge portion of the circuit breaker bar extracted at the time when the circuit breaker bar starts to raise or lower and the time when the circuit breaker bar is supposed to finish raising or lowering.

A seventh aspect of the present invention is an abnormality monitoring device according to the third aspect of the present invention, in which the abnormality detection means detects a total loss of the circuit breaker rod if the circuit breaker rod edge portion is not extracted for a predetermined time equal to or longer than the lifting/lowering operation time.

According to the seventh invention, it is possible to detect a total breaker failure in which the breaker rod breaks off at the base.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a monitoring system to which an anomaly monitoring device is applied. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a circuit breaker to be monitored by the abnormality monitoring device. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an image of the circuit breaker rod when the circuit breaker rod is in an open state. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an image of the interrupter rod when the interrupter rod is in an interrupted state. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a detection image after edge detection processing for an image of a barrier rod when the barrier rod is not broken. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of a detection image after edge detection processing for an image of a barrier rod when the barrier rod is not broken. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a detection image after edge detection processing on an image of a breaker rod when the breaker rod is broken; FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of a detection image after edge detection processing for an image of a breaker rod when the breaker rod is broken. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the abnormality monitoring device. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing performed by the abnormality monitoring device. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing following FIG. 10 . FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a first image. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a second image. 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an abnormality detection process in Modification 2.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, and the forms to which the present invention can be applied are not limited to the following embodiments. Furthermore, in the drawings, identical parts are designated by the same reference numerals.

Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the general configuration of a monitoring system that uses the abnormality monitoring device 10 of this embodiment. For example, the monitoring system shown in Figure 1 is configured such that a central device 9 and an abnormality monitoring device 10 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a network N.

The abnormality monitoring device 10 monitors abnormalities in the crossing gates installed at the crossing based on images of the gates captured by the camera 3 installed at the crossing.

The central device 9 receives notifications of abnormalities from the abnormality monitoring devices 10 and controls alarm output, etc. For example, it controls the display of the abnormality that occurred in the circuit breaker 5 monitored by the abnormality monitoring device 10 that issued the notification, the type of abnormality that occurred, etc., on a display device, outputs an alarm sound to alert users of the abnormality, and notifies specified contacts of the abnormality that has occurred. The content of the received notification of the abnormality can also be saved in a storage device as an abnormality occurrence history. It can also control the transfer of the content of the notification of the abnormality to a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet computer carried by a maintenance worker.

Figure 2 shows an example of a crossing barrier 5 monitored by the abnormality monitoring device 10. Railroad tracks and other elements are not shown. Figure 2 shows an example in which a crossing barrier 5 is installed at each entrance to a road section that crosses the railroad tracks, blocking access to the crossing 1, more specifically, blocking access to the road section that crosses the railroad tracks. As shown in Figure 2, each crossing barrier 5 is equipped with a barrier rod 7 that lowers when a train passes, blocking access to pedestrians and vehicles. After the train has passed, the barrier rod 7 of one of the crossing barriers 5 in Figure 2 is raised, as shown by the dashed line, to allow access to the crossing 1.

The barrier rod 7 is configured with a predetermined marker color 71 applied at predetermined intervals along its length. The marker color 71 is applied by attaching a reflective material of the marker color to the surface of the barrier rod 7 or by applying paint of the marker color. For example, there are barrier rods with a marker color of yellow alternating with black, and barrier rods with a marker color of red alternating with white, etc.

A camera 3 for capturing images of the barrier bars is installed at each crossing gate 5 at the railroad crossing 1, and captures the barrier bars 7 of that gate 5. In this embodiment, the camera 3 is installed so that its capturing range includes both the barrier bar 7 (dashed line) in an open state that has been raised to a predetermined raised position, and the barrier bar 7 (solid line) in a closed state that has been lowered to a predetermined lowered position. The camera 3 then captures an image of that capturing range as a barrier bar image and outputs it to the abnormality monitoring device 10.

Figure 3 shows an example of an image of the barrier rod 7 when it is in the open state. Figure 4 shows an example of an image of the barrier rod 7 when it is in the closed state. Note that, for ease of explanation, Figure 3 illustrates the open state as the barrier rod standing upright (at an elevation angle of 90 degrees). However, some barriers stop at a certain tilt when in the open state (for example, at an elevation angle of approximately 70 degrees). Therefore, it is advisable to define the state of the barrier rod in the open state according to the barrier being monitored. As shown in Figure 3, in the image of the barrier rod 7 when it is in the open state, if the barrier rod 7 is not broken, the barrier rod 7 is captured in the barrier rod photography area A1 surrounded by a dashed line (hereinafter referred to as the "barrier rod photography area when open"). Also, as shown in Figure 4, in the image of the barrier rod 7 when it is in the closed state, if the barrier rod 7 is not broken, the barrier rod 7 is captured in the barrier rod photography area A3 surrounded by a dashed line (hereinafter referred to as the "barrier rod photography area when closed").

On the other hand, while the image of the circuit breaker rod 7 is moving up and down, it shows the circuit breaker rod 7 descending from the raised position in Figure 3 to the lowered position in Figure 4, and ascending from the lowered position in Figure 4 to the raised position in Figure 3, although this is not shown. Therefore, during the ascending and descending operation, the circuit breaker rod 7 is not visible in the open circuit breaker rod photography area A1 or the closed circuit breaker rod photography area A3.

The abnormality monitoring device 10 therefore processes the barrier bar image from the camera 3 and detects the image portion of the barrier bar image that corresponds to the marker color scheme 71 of the barrier bar 7, thereby monitoring the barrier 5 being monitored for abnormalities. Specifically, the abnormality monitoring device 10 performs a detection image generation process that generates a detection image by performing a masking process that masks out color components other than the marker color from the barrier bar image, and an abnormality detection process that detects abnormalities in the barrier 5 based on the image portion of the detection image that corresponds to the marker color. In the example of Figure 2, the abnormality monitoring device 10 repeatedly performs each process for each barrier 5 based on the barrier bar images input from the two cameras 3.

1. Detection Image Generation Process In the detection image generation process, the anomaly monitoring device 10 first performs masking of the interrupted light image. For example, a range of brightness values indicating the RGB (red, green, blue) of the marker color is set in advance as the color components of the marker color. The anomaly monitoring device 10 then performs masking on the interrupted light image by masking color components other than the marker color in the interrupted light image. The masking process makes it possible to extract only the color component of the marker color from the interrupted light image. For example, if the marker color is yellow, the masking process masks pixels other than yellow in the interrupted light image, making it possible to extract only the yellow pixels in the interrupted light image.

Next, the anomaly monitoring device 10 performs grayscale processing on the masked image. The anomaly monitoring device 10 then performs binarization processing on the grayscaled image, obtaining the binarized image as a detection image. Note that after the grayscale processing, various filters such as a median filter, Gaussian filter, bilateral filter, and non-local means filter may be used to remove noise such as flickering from the image.

2. Regarding the Abnormality Detection Process In the abnormality detection process, the abnormality monitoring device 10 first performs edge detection on the detection image. This can be achieved by applying known techniques, such as edge detection using the Canny method, a Laplacian filter, or a Sobel filter. The abnormality monitoring device 10 then performs extraction processing to extract barrier rod edge portions from the edge portions detected by the edge detection processing, and detects an abnormality in the circuit breaker 5 based on the extracted barrier rod edge portions. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an image obtained after edge detection processing has been performed on the detection image obtained from the barrier rod image of FIG. 3, which illustrates an example of a case where the barrier rod 7 is not broken. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an image obtained after edge detection processing has been performed on the detection image obtained from the barrier rod image of FIG. 4, which illustrates an example of a case where the barrier rod 7 is not broken. Meanwhile, FIGS. 7 and 8 are diagrams showing examples of images obtained after edge detection processing has been performed on the detection image obtained from the barrier rod image of a case where the barrier rod 7 is broken.

As described above with reference to Figures 3 and 4, the open-state interrupter rod image captures the interrupter rod 7 in the open state, and the closed-state interrupter rod image captures the interrupter rod in the closed-state interrupter rod image A3. If the interrupter rod 7 is not broken, the marker color scheme 71 on the interrupter rod 7 will all be displayed in a straight line across the entire open-state interrupter rod image capture area A1 or the closed-state interrupter rod image capture area A3. Therefore, in the image after edge detection processing, if the interrupter rod 7 is in the open state, as shown in Figure 5, the edge portion corresponding to the marker color scheme 71 (hereinafter referred to as the "marker edge portion") will be included as the interrupter rod edge portion in the open-state interrupter rod image capture area A1. If the interrupter rod 7 is in the closed state, as shown in Figure 6, the marker edge portion related to the color scheme 71 will be included as the interrupter rod edge portion in the closed-state interrupter rod image capture area A3.

In contrast, if the circuit breaker rod 7 is broken, such as if it is bent or the broken part is chipped due to falling, all of the marker edge portions that would be captured if the circuit breaker rod 7 was intact will not be captured in the open circuit breaker rod imaging area A1 or the closed circuit breaker rod imaging area A3. As a result, the number of marker edge portions included in the open circuit breaker rod imaging area A1 or the closed circuit breaker rod imaging area A3 will be reduced by an amount corresponding to the cut or bent portions, etc.

For example, Figure 7 shows an example where the tip of the interrupter rod 7 is broken and chipped. In the example of Figure 7, because part of the interrupter rod 7 is chipped, the arrangement of the marker edge portions in the interrupter rod shooting area A1 when open is interrupted halfway, and the marker edge portion is not included within range A101. Also, Figure 8 shows an example where the interrupter rod 7 is bent halfway. In the example of Figure 8, the interrupter rod 7 is bent halfway, and the bent portion is captured outside the interrupter rod shooting area A3 when closed. As a result, the arrangement of the marker edge portions in the interrupter rod shooting area A3 when closed is interrupted halfway, and the marker edge portion is not included within range A301.

Therefore, in the extraction process, the abnormality monitoring device 10 extracts the breaker rod edge portion included in the open breaker rod imaging area A1 and the breaker rod edge portion included in the closed breaker rod imaging area A3 from the image after edge detection processing of the detection image. When the breaker rod 7 is in the open state, the breaker rod edge portion is extracted from the open breaker rod imaging area A1, and when it is in the closed state, the breaker rod edge portion is extracted from the closed breaker rod imaging area A3. Then, if the extraction process results in the breaker rod edge portion being extracted from the open breaker rod imaging area A1 or the closed breaker rod imaging area A3, the abnormality monitoring device 10 performs a breakage determination process to detect an abnormality in the crossing barrier 5.

In addition, in this embodiment, if the barrier rod edge portion is not extracted from either the open barrier rod photography area A1 or the closed barrier rod photography area A3, that is, if the barrier rod 7 is in the lifting or lowering operation and is not captured in each area A1, A3, a lifting or lowering failure determination process is performed to detect an abnormality in the barrier 5.

Specifically, in the breakage determination process, the abnormality monitoring device 10 first counts the number of marker edge portions (arrangements) by treating each rectangular edge portion among the breaker rod edge portions extracted in the extraction process as a single marker edge portion. The abnormality monitoring device 10 then determines that there is no breakage if the counted number is the same as the number of marker color combinations 71 that would occur if the breaker rod 7 were not broken, and determines that there is breakage if the counted number is less than that number.

If a "breakage" is determined, the position where the arrangement of the marker edge portions in the open-state interrupter rod imaging area A1 or the closed-state interrupter rod imaging area A3 is interrupted may be detected as the cut or bent position (breakage position) of the interrupter rod 7. For example, position P1 shown in Figure 7 may be detected as the breakage position (cut position in the example of Figure 7). Furthermore, by detecting marker edge portions whose arrangement direction does not follow the longitudinal direction of the open-state interrupter rod imaging area A1 or the closed-state interrupter rod imaging area A3 (the direction from the base to the tip of the interrupter rod), it may be possible to determine whether the breakage position is a cut or bent position (i.e., whether the broken portion is missing or bent). This can be detected by determining whether a marker edge portion exists outside the open-state interrupter rod imaging area A1 or the closed-state interrupter rod imaging area A3. For example, in the example of Figure 8, marker edge portions exist outside the closed-state interrupter rod imaging area A3, and their arrangement direction does not follow the longitudinal direction of the closed-state interrupter rod imaging area A3. Therefore, breakage position P3 is detected as a bent position. In this way, when it is determined that "breakage has occurred," it becomes possible to detect the breakage position and whether the breakage position is a cut position or a bent position.

Also, the length (array length) of the array of marker edge portions included in the open-state interrupter rod imaging area A1 or the closed-state interrupter rod imaging area A3 may be calculated to determine whether or not there is breakage. The array length is calculated as the length between both ends of the array of marker edge portions included in the open-state interrupter rod imaging area A1 or the closed-state interrupter rod imaging area A3. For example, if the calculated length is shorter than the normal length L1 shown in FIG. 5 or the normal length L3 shown in FIG. 6, it is determined that there is breakage. In the example of FIG. 7, the length L11 of the array of marker edge portions within the open-state interrupter rod imaging area A1 is calculated, and since the calculated length L11 is shorter than length L1, it is determined that there is breakage. Similarly, in the example of FIG. 8, it is determined that there is breakage because length L31 is shorter than length L3.

On the other hand, in the lifting/lowering failure determination process, the abnormality monitoring device 10 detects a lifting/lowering failure of the circuit breaker rod 7 based on the circuit breaker rod edge portion obtained by performing edge detection and extraction processes on the detection image at two timings separated by a predetermined time interval equal to or greater than the lifting/lowering operation time. Specifically, the abnormality monitoring device 10 determines the arrival of the first timing as the timing when the circuit breaker rod edge portion (marker edge portion) is no longer detected from either the open circuit breaker rod imaging area A1 or the closed circuit breaker rod imaging area A3. If the abnormality monitoring device 10 determines that the first timing has occurred, if the circuit breaker rod 7 is descending, it sets the second timing to a timing after a predetermined time for determining when the circuit breaker rod 7 has descended, which is equal to or greater than the time required for the circuit breaker rod 7 to descend from the raised position to the lowered position. If the circuit breaker rod 7 is ascending, it sets the second timing to a timing after a predetermined time for determining when the circuit breaker rod 7 has ascended, which is equal to or greater than the time required for the circuit breaker rod 7 to ascend from the lowered position to the upper position. Whether the timing is up or down can be determined by whether the timing is down if the off-state off-state bar edge portion is included in the off-state off-state bar photographing area A1 until just before the first timing is determined, or up if the off-state off-state bar edge portion is included in the off-state off-state bar photographing area A3 until just before the first timing is determined.

Here, for example, if the edge portion of the interrupter rod is no longer detected in the interrupter rod shooting area A1 when opened and the edge portion of the interrupter rod is no longer detected in the interrupter rod shooting area A3 when closed even after the descent time has passed, it is considered that a lifting/lowering error has occurred, such as when the interrupter rod 7 stops halfway before descending to the lowered position, or when the descent is slow due to an abnormality such as motor deterioration. Similarly, if the edge portion of the interrupter rod is no longer detected in the interrupter rod shooting area A3 when closed and the edge portion of the interrupter rod is no longer detected in the interrupter rod shooting area A1 when opened even after the rise time has passed, it is considered that a lifting/lowering error has occurred.

Therefore, in the lifting/lowering defect determination process, once the second timing has been set as described above, the abnormality monitoring device 10 determines when the second timing has arrived. When the second timing arrives, the abnormality monitoring device 10 determines whether or not a barrier bar edge portion has been detected from the open barrier bar imaging area A1 or the closed barrier bar imaging area A3. If detected, the abnormality monitoring device 10 determines that there is no lifting/lowering defect; if not, it determines that there is a lifting/lowering defect, and detects a lifting/lowering defect in the barrier 5. At this time, it can also determine and detect whether the lifting or lowering operation was faulty.

[Functional configuration]
Fig. 9 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the anomaly monitoring device 10. As shown in Fig. 9, the anomaly monitoring device 10 includes an operation unit 110, a display unit 120, an image input unit 130, a calculation processing unit 140, a storage unit 150, and a communication unit 190, and can be configured as a type of computer.

The operation unit 110 is configured with push switches, dials, etc., and the display unit 120 is configured with LEDs, a small LCD display, etc. The operation unit 110 and display unit 120 are primarily used by workers during maintenance.

The image input unit 130 is connected to the camera 3 and inputs a barrier bar image at predetermined frame time intervals (hereinafter simply referred to as a "frame"). As explained with reference to Figure 2, the camera 3 is installed for each barrier 5 monitored by the abnormality monitoring device 10, and captures the barrier bar 7 of that barrier 5. The input barrier bar image is stored in the memory unit 150 as barrier bar image data 153 for each barrier 5.

The arithmetic processing unit 140 is implemented using electronic components such as a processor, such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), and controls the input and output of data between each unit of the device. It performs various arithmetic processing based on predetermined programs, data, and barrier bar images input to the image input unit 130, and controls the operation of the abnormality monitoring device 10. The arithmetic processing unit 140 includes a detection image generation unit 141 as a detection image generation means, and an abnormality detection unit 143 as an abnormality detection means. These functional units may be processing blocks implemented as software by executing a program, or circuit blocks implemented by hardware circuits such as an ASIC or FPGA. In this embodiment, the arithmetic processing unit 140 is described as a processing block implemented as software by executing the railroad crossing monitoring program 151.

The detection image generation unit 141 is a functional unit that performs detection image generation processing. In this embodiment, the detection image generation unit 141 performs mask processing on the blocked image from the camera 3, and then performs grayscale processing and binarization processing on the masked image to generate a detection image.

The abnormality detection unit 143 is a functional unit that performs abnormality detection processing. In this embodiment, the abnormality detection unit 143 performs edge detection processing on the detection image and extraction processing to extract edge portions included in the open-state barrier bar photography area A1 and the closed-state barrier bar photography area A3 from the image after the edge detection processing as barrier bar edge portions. If the extraction processing results in a barrier bar edge portion being extracted from the open-state barrier bar photography area A1 or the closed-state barrier bar photography area A3, the abnormality detection unit 143 performs breakage determination processing; if a barrier bar edge portion is not extracted from either the open-state barrier bar photography area A1 or the closed-state barrier bar photography area A3, the abnormality detection unit 143 performs lifting/lowering failure determination processing to detect an abnormality in the crossing barrier 5.

The memory unit 150 is realized by a storage medium such as an IC memory, hard disk, or optical disk. This memory unit 150 pre-stores programs for operating the abnormality monitoring device 10 and realizing the various functions of the abnormality monitoring device 10, as well as data used during the execution of these programs, or temporarily stores these programs each time processing is performed. For example, the memory unit 150 stores a railroad crossing monitoring program 151, barrier bar image data 153, and abnormality detection result data 155.

The railroad crossing monitoring program 151 is a program that causes the calculation processing unit 140 to function as the detection image generation unit 141 and the abnormality detection unit 143.

The abnormality detection result data 155 stores the results of abnormality detection for each frame based on the barrier image from the corresponding camera 3 for each barrier 5 monitored by the abnormality monitoring device 10.

The communication unit 190 is a device that communicates with external devices via wired or wireless communication. For example, if the abnormality detection unit 143 detects an abnormality in the crossing gate 5, specifically if a break in the crossing bar 7 or a failure to raise or lower it is detected, a notification of the occurrence of the abnormality is sent to the central device 9. For example, the notification of the occurrence of the abnormality may include information such as the identification information of the crossing gate 5 in which the abnormality occurred, an image of the crossing gate 5, and the type of abnormality, indicating whether the detected abnormality is a break in the crossing bar 7 or a failure to raise or lower it. In addition to the notification of the occurrence of the abnormality, the communication unit 190 may be configured to send an alarm signal to on-board equipment on the train or station equipment, or to send an alarm activation signal to a specified alarm issuing device that outputs an alarm sound around the railroad crossing 1.

[Processing flow]
Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing performed by the abnormality monitoring device 10. Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing following Fig. 10. The processing described here can be realized in the abnormality monitoring device 10 by the calculation processing unit 140 reading and executing the railroad crossing monitoring program 151 from the storage unit 150.

As shown in Figures 10 and 11, the calculation processing unit 140 repeats the processing of Loop A for each frame and monitors the crossing barrier 5 for abnormalities (steps S1 to S35). Note that Figures 10 and 11 show a processing flow focusing on the abnormality monitoring of one crossing barrier 5, and the calculation processing unit 140 repeats the processing of Loop A for each crossing barrier 5 based on the crossing barrier image input for each frame from the corresponding camera 3.

In Loop A, first, the detection image generation unit 141 performs mask processing on the blocked image (step S3). Next, the detection image generation unit 141 performs grayscale processing on the image after the mask processing in step S3 (step S5). Then, the detection image generation unit 141 performs binarization processing on the image after the grayscale processing in step S5 (step S7) to generate a detection image.

Once the detection image has been generated, the anomaly detection unit 143 performs edge detection processing on the detection image (step S9). Next, the anomaly detection unit 143 performs extraction processing (step S11). In this embodiment, the anomaly detection unit 143 extracts the interrupter rod edge portion included in the open interrupter rod imaging area A1 and the interrupter rod edge portion included in the closed interrupter rod imaging area A3 from the detection image after the edge detection processing in step S9.

If an interrupter rod edge portion is extracted from the interrupter rod open imaging area A1 or the interrupter rod closed imaging area A3 (step S13: YES), the abnormality detection unit 143 performs a breakage determination process to detect breakage of the interrupter rod 7 (step S15). If the breakage determination process in step S15 determines that the interrupter rod 7 is broken (step S17: YES), the abnormality detection unit 143 performs control to send a notification of the occurrence of an abnormality to the central device 9 (step S19).

On the other hand, when the interrupter rod edge portion is no longer extracted from either the open interrupter rod imaging area A1 or the closed interrupter rod imaging area A3, the abnormality detection unit 143 determines that this is the first timing (step S21: YES) and starts the lifting/lowering failure determination process. That is, if the interrupter rod 7 is descending, the abnormality detection unit 143 sets the second timing to the timing after the descending determination time, and if the interrupter rod 7 is ascending, the abnormality detection unit 143 sets the second timing to the timing after the ascending determination time (step S23). Furthermore, in the frame in which the second timing has arrived (step S25: YES), the abnormality detection unit 143 determines whether the interrupter rod edge portion has been detected from the open interrupter rod imaging area A1 or the closed interrupter rod imaging area A3. Then, if the interrupter rod edge portion has been detected (step S27: YES), the abnormality detection unit 143 determines that there is no lifting/lowering failure (step S29). On the other hand, if no abnormality is detected (step S27: NO), the abnormality detection unit 143 determines that there is a "lifting malfunction" (step S31) and performs control to send a notification of the occurrence of an abnormality to the central device 9 (step S33).

As described above, according to this embodiment, by performing masking processing to mask color components other than the marker color in the barrier bar image, it is possible to generate a detection image in which objects of color components other than the marker color are removed from the barrier bar image. Furthermore, by performing edge detection processing on the detection image, it is possible to accurately detect the rectangular outline of the marker color scheme 71 that appears in the barrier bar image, improving the accuracy of extraction of the marker edge portion. This makes it possible to properly extract the barrier bar 7 portion from the barrier bar image, making it possible to accurately detect abnormalities in the barrier 5. Furthermore, masking color components other than the marker color has the effect of reducing the processing load related to abnormality detection in the subsequent stage.

Furthermore, abnormalities in the crossing barrier 5 can be detected, including whether or not the crossing barrier 5 is broken and whether or not it is moving up or down properly. If an abnormality in the crossing barrier 5 is detected, a notification of the occurrence of the abnormality can be sent to the central device 9. This makes it possible to carry out prompt maintenance work on the crossing barrier 5 in which an abnormality has been detected.

Note that the forms to which the present invention can be applied are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and components can be added, omitted, or modified as appropriate.

[Modification 1]
For example, a configuration may be adopted in which a lifting/lowering malfunction is detected by comparing images of barrier bars installed at the same crossing. For example, the crossing 1 in FIG. 2 has two barriers 5, 5, one at the entrance and one at the exit of a road crossing the crossing 1. If each barrier bar 7, 7 is set to simultaneously lift and lower when a train passes, each barrier bar 7, 7 will simultaneously begin their lowering operation to their lowered positions prior to the arrival of a train approaching the crossing 1. After the train has passed, each barrier bar 7, 7 will simultaneously begin their raising operation to their raised positions. Therefore, if the two barrier bars do not move in the same way, it can be determined that one of the barrier bars 7, 7 is not lifting/lowering properly.

In this modified example, the abnormality monitoring device 10 performs a lifting/lowering failure determination process by pairing the barrier rods 7 that perform lowering and raising operations at the same time in the monitored barrier 5. For example, if the two barrier rods 7, 7 in Figure 2 are paired, the detection image generated for the first barrier rod image related to one of the first barrier rods 7 is set as the first detection image, and the detection image generated for the second barrier rod image related to the other second barrier rod 7 is set as the second detection image.

Specifically, in the lifting/lowering defect determination process, a detection image (first detection image) is generated for the first barrier rod 7, and edge detection processing is further performed on the first detection image to obtain a first image, from which rectangular edge portions are extracted as marker edge portions. A detection image (second detection image) is generated for the second barrier rod 7, and edge detection processing is further performed on the second detection image to obtain a second image, from which rectangular edge portions are extracted as marker edge portions. The movement of the marker edge portions extracted for the first image is then compared with the movement of the marker edge portions extracted for the second image, and if the two movements differ, a lifting/lowering defect is detected for either the first barrier rod 7 or the second barrier rod 7.

Figure 12 shows an example of a first image obtained at a certain timing after edge detection processing, and Figure 13 shows an example of a second image obtained at the same timing as Figure 12 after edge detection processing. For example, as shown in Figure 12, in the first image, the marker edge portion of the first shutoff rod 7 has moved to a lowered position included in the shutoff rod shooting area A3 when the rod is open. In contrast, as shown in Figure 13, in the second image, the marker edge portion of the second shutoff rod 7 has not moved to the lowered position included in the shutoff rod shooting area A3 when the rod is open, but is located somewhere along the way. By comparing images obtained at the same timing in this way, if the positions of the marker edge portions differ, a lifting/lowering error is determined. The same is true when the shutoff rod 7 is being raised. For example, if in the second image the marker edge portion of the second shutoff rod 7 has moved to a raised position included in the shutoff rod shooting area A1 when the rod is open, but in the first image the marker edge portion of the first shutoff rod 7 is located somewhere along the way, a lifting/lowering error is determined.

[Modification 2]
14 is a diagram for explaining the abnormality detection process in this modified example, and shows an image obtained after edge detection processing has been performed on the detection image obtained from the image of the breaker rod. In the above embodiment, the presence or absence of breaker rod breakage is determined by detecting the breaker rod edge portion while focusing on the open breaker rod photographing area A1 in which the breaker rod 7 is in the open state and the closed breaker rod photographing area A3 in which the breaker rod 7 is in the closed state. In contrast to this, as shown in FIG. 14, a breaker rod photographing area A5 in which the breaker rod 7 is being raised or lowered (hereinafter referred to as the "breaker rod photographing area during raising or lowering operation") may also be set in advance, so that the presence or absence of breaker rod breakage can be constantly determined even during the raising or lowering operation.

Specifically, the breaker rod edge portion is detected for each of the breaker rod photography areas: open breaker rod photography area A1, closed breaker rod photography area A3, and lifting/lowering breaker rod photography area A5. For lifting/lowering breaker rod photography area A5 where the breaker rod edge portion is detected, a breakage determination process is performed in the same manner as in the above embodiment. This makes it possible to monitor breakage of the breaker rod 7 in real time. Note that Figure 14 shows an example where the breaker rod 7 is in the closed state and is not broken.

Furthermore, the lifting/lowering failure determination process can be performed in the same manner as in the above embodiment, but if it is determined that there is a "lifting/lowering failure," the stopping position of the barrier rod 7 can be detected depending on which barrier rod edge portion is detected within which barrier rod imaging area A5 during lifting/lowering operation.

Alternatively, in the configuration of this modified example, a lifting/lowering malfunction can also be determined as follows. That is, if the edge of the barrier rod continues to be detected for a predetermined period of time in the barrier rod imaging area A5 during one lifting/lowering operation, it is determined that there is a "lifting/lowering malfunction," and the position of that barrier rod imaging area A5 during lifting/lowering operation is determined to be the stopping position of the barrier rod 7.

[Modification 3]
Furthermore, in the configuration of the modified example 2, it is also possible to distinguish between a total break in which the circuit breaker rod 7 is broken at the base and a case where a lifting/lowering malfunction occurs and the circuit breaker rod 7 stops midway through the lifting/lowering operation. That is, while the circuit breaker rod 7 is lifting/lowering, the circuit breaker rod 7 is not captured in the open circuit breaker rod photographing area A1 or the closed circuit breaker rod photographing area A3. On the other hand, the same thing happens when the circuit breaker rod 7 is totally broken. In this modified example, both cases are distinguished.

Specifically, if the breaker rod edge portion is not detected in any of the breaker rod photography areas A1 when opened, A3 when closed, and A5 when raising or lowering, it is determined that the breaker rod 7 is totally lost. On the other hand, even if the breaker rod edge portion is no longer detected in the breaker rod photography area A1 when opened or A3 when closed, it is determined that the breaker rod is not totally lost if the breaker rod edge portion is detected in any of the breaker rod photography areas A5 when raising or lowering.

The processing procedure involves, for example, setting the second timing in the same manner as the lifting/lowering failure determination process of the above embodiment, and then, if the edge of the breaker rod is not detected in the open breaker rod imaging area A1 or the closed breaker rod imaging area A3 when the second timing arrives, determining whether the breaker rod 7 is completely damaged or due to a lifting/lowering failure. If the edge of the breaker rod is not detected in any of the lifting/lowering operation breaker rod imaging areas A5, it is determined that the breaker rod 7 is completely damaged. On the other hand, if the edge of the breaker rod is detected in any of the lifting/lowering operation breaker rod imaging areas A5, it is determined that there is a "lifting/lowering failure." In addition, at that time, the position of the lifting/lower operation breaker rod imaging area A5 is determined to be the stop position of the breaker rod 7.

[Modification 4]
Furthermore, the range of brightness values used as the color components of the marker color may be configured to be set for each time period, such as daytime or nighttime, and for each weather condition, such as sunny or rainy. In this case, the abnormality monitoring device 10 selectively uses a brightness range according to the current time and the surrounding weather to perform masking. The weather may be determined by installing a necessary measurement sensor at each crossing, or by acquiring weather information from an external device, etc. This allows for masking according to the time, weather, and other conditions, thereby further improving the accuracy of extracting the marker edge portion.

[Modification 5]
Furthermore, when an abnormality in the crossing barrier 5 is detected, images of the crossing barrier for a predetermined time before and after the detection may be saved for verifying the cause of the breakage. Images of the past crossing barrier can be acquired by always storing images of the crossing barrier for the most recent predetermined time as the crossing barrier image data 153.

[Other Modifications]
Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the case of detecting an abnormality was explained using a barrier installed at a railroad crossing as an example, but the above embodiment can also be similarly applied to the case of detecting an abnormality in a barrier (barrier) installed at the entrance and exit of a gated parking lot such as a coin parking lot, not limited to railroad crossings.

10. Anomaly monitoring device, 110. Operation unit, 120. Display unit, 130. Image input unit, 140. Processing unit, 141. Detection image generation unit, 143. Anomaly detection unit, 150. Storage unit, 151. Railroad crossing monitoring program, 153. Barrier image data, 155. Anomaly detection result data, 1. Railroad crossing, 3. Camera, 5. Barrier, 7. Barrier, 9. Central unit

Claims (5)

An abnormality monitoring device that monitors abnormalities in a crossing bar based on a crossing bar image, which is an image of a crossing bar at a railroad crossing ,
The interrupter rod is colored in a predetermined marker color at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction,
a detection image generating means for generating a detection image by performing a masking process for masking color components other than the marker color from the blocking image;
an abnormality detection means for detecting an abnormality in the crossing barrier based on the extracted edge portions of the crossing barrier, the abnormality detection means performing an edge detection process on the detection image and an extraction process for extracting the edge portions of the crossing barrier included in a predetermined crossing barrier photographing area from the detected edge portions ;
Equipped with
The detection image generating means generates a first detection image for a first barrier bar image relating to a first barrier bar, and generates a second detection image for a second barrier bar image relating to a second barrier bar installed at the same railroad crossing as the first barrier bar,
the abnormality detection means compares the interrupter rod edge portion relating to the first detection image with the interrupter rod edge portion relating to the second detection image to detect a failure in the lifting and lowering of either the first interrupter rod or the second interrupter rod.
Abnormality monitoring device. An abnormality monitoring device that monitors abnormalities in a circuit breaker based on a circuit breaker bar image, which is an image of a circuit breaker bar,
The interrupter rod is colored in a predetermined marker color at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction,
a detection image generating means for generating a detection image by performing a masking process for masking color components other than the marker color from the blocking image;
an abnormality detection means for detecting an abnormality in the crossing barrier based on the extracted edge portions of the crossing barrier, the abnormality detection means performing an edge detection process on the detection image and an extraction process for extracting the edge portions of the crossing barrier included in a predetermined crossing barrier photographing area from the detected edge portions ;
Equipped with
the abnormality detection means detects a failure in raising or lowering the circuit breaker based on the circuit breaker rod edge portion obtained by performing the edge detection process and the extraction process on the detection image at two timings separated by a predetermined time interval equal to or longer than the raising or lowering operation time when the circuit breaker rod is raised or lowered,
Abnormality monitoring device. An abnormality monitoring device that monitors abnormalities in a circuit breaker based on a circuit breaker bar image, which is an image of a circuit breaker bar,
The interrupter rod is colored in a predetermined marker color at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction,
a detection image generating means for generating a detection image by performing a masking process for masking color components other than the marker color from the blocking image;
an abnormality detection means for detecting an abnormality in the crossing barrier based on the extracted edge portions of the crossing barrier, the abnormality detection means performing an edge detection process on the detection image and an extraction process for extracting the edge portions of the crossing barrier included in a predetermined crossing barrier photographing area from the detected edge portions ;
Equipped with
the abnormality detection means detects a total loss of the circuit breaker rod when the circuit breaker rod edge portion is not extracted for a predetermined time equal to or longer than a lifting/lowering operation time during the raising or lowering of the circuit breaker rod.
Abnormality monitoring device. the detection image generating means performs grayscale processing and binarization processing on the image that has been subjected to the mask processing to generate the detection image;
The abnormality monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . the abnormality detection means detects breakage of the circuit breaker rod based on any one of an arrangement direction, an arrangement number, and an arrangement length of the circuit breaker rod edge portions in the image.
The abnormality monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 .