WO2018134943A1 - Discriminating device, discriminating system, discriminating method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

A discriminating device (2) is provided with a location information reception unit (220), a discriminating unit (240), and an output unit (260). The location information reception unit (220) receives location information indicating the location of an apparatus to be discriminated. On the basis of an image photographed at the location indicated by the location information received by the location information reception unit (220), the discriminating unit (240) discriminates apparatus information relating to the apparatus to be discriminated. The output unit (260) outputs the apparatus information discriminated by the discriminating unit (240).

Description

Discrimination device, discrimination system, discrimination method and program

The present invention relates to a discrimination device, a discrimination system, a discrimination method, and a program.

A technique for detecting a target from an image is known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system that detects a target from a satellite image that is an image taken by an artificial satellite. Specifically, the system disclosed in Patent Document 1 detects a target from a satellite image by comparing a region including the target in a satellite image with a template image and evaluating similarity. To do.

Japanese Patent No. 5076956

In the system disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is necessary for the user himself / herself to find an image in which the discrimination target is photographed and to specify an area including the discrimination target from the image. However, there is a demand for discriminating information related to a device from an image obtained by photographing the device to be discriminated by an easier method.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a discriminating apparatus and the like that can easily discriminate information related to a discrimination target device.

In order to achieve the above object, a discrimination device according to the present invention is:
Position information receiving means for receiving position information indicating the position of the device to be determined;
A discriminating unit that discriminates device information related to the discriminating target device based on a captured image at the location indicated by the location information received by the location information receiving unit;
Output means for outputting the device information determined by the determining means.

The present invention receives position information indicating the position of the device to be determined, and determines device information related to the device to be determined based on the captured image at the position indicated by the received position information. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to easily discriminate information relating to a discrimination target device.

Schematic which shows the whole structure of the discrimination | determination system which concerns on embodiment of this invention The block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the discrimination device which concerns on embodiment of this invention The block diagram which shows the information memorize | stored in the memory | storage part of the discrimination | determination apparatus shown in FIG. The figure which shows the example of the catalog information memorize | stored in the memory | storage part shown in FIG. The figure which shows the example of the installation apparatus list memorize | stored in the memory | storage part shown in FIG. The block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the terminal device which concerns on embodiment of this invention The block diagram which shows the functional structure of the discrimination | determination system which concerns on embodiment of this invention The figure which shows the example of the satellite image in embodiment of this invention The figure which shows the example of the satellite image in embodiment of this invention The figure which shows the example of the alerting | reporting image alert | reported in the terminal device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The sequence diagram which shows the flow of the process performed in the discrimination | determination system which concerns on embodiment of this invention The flowchart which shows the flow of the discrimination | determination process performed in the discrimination | determination apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals.

FIG. 1 shows an overall configuration of a discrimination system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The discrimination system 1 is a system for discriminating the manufacturer, model, construction time, operation state, etc. of an air conditioner installed in a building such as an office building, a house, or a factory. As shown in FIG. 1, the discrimination system 1 includes a discrimination device 2, a satellite image server 3, and a terminal device 4.

The discrimination device 2, the satellite image server 3, and the terminal device 4 are connected to be communicable via the wide area network N. The wide area network N is, for example, the Internet. The wide area network N relays transmission / reception of information among the determination device 2, the satellite image server 3, and the terminal device 4.

The discrimination device 2 is installed, for example, in a manufacturer of an air conditioner to be discriminated or a management company that manages the air conditioner, and comprehensively manages information such as images, drawings, and catalogs of a plurality of air conditioners. To do. The determination device 2 is an information processing device such as a general-purpose computer or a cloud server. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the determination device 2 includes a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, a time measuring unit 23, an image processing unit 24, and a communication unit 28. These units are connected via a bus 29.

The control unit 21 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The CPU is also called a central processing unit, a central processing unit, a processor, a microprocessor, a microcomputer, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), or the like. In the control unit 21, the CPU reads out the program and data stored in the ROM, and performs overall control of the determination device 2 using the RAM as a work area.

The storage unit 22 is a non-volatile semiconductor memory such as flash memory, EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), and serves as a so-called secondary storage device or auxiliary storage device. The storage unit 22 stores programs and data used by the control unit 21 to perform various processes, and data generated or acquired by the control unit 21 performing various processes.

The timekeeping unit 23 is provided with an RTC (Real Time Clock) and is a time measuring device that keeps time even when the power of the discrimination device 2 is off.

The image processing unit 24 includes a processor for image processing such as DSP, GPU (GraphicsGraphProcessing Unit), and a buffer memory for temporarily storing an image to be processed. The image processing unit 24 executes processing for processing an image, object recognition processing for recognizing a specific object included in the image, and the like.

The communication unit 28 includes a communication interface for connecting to the wide area network N. The communication unit 28 communicates with external devices including the satellite image server 3 and the terminal device 4 through the wide area network N under the control of the control unit 21.

FIG. 3 shows information stored in the storage unit 22 of the discrimination device 2. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the storage unit 22 stores air conditioner information 50, building information 60, and Web content 70.

The air conditioner information 50 is information relating to a plurality of air conditioners that are candidates for determining the air conditioners to be determined. As shown in FIG. 3, the storage unit 22 stores photo information 51, drawing information 52, and catalog information 53 as the air conditioner information 50.

The photograph information 51 is information indicating a photograph of the air conditioner. The photograph of an air conditioner is a photograph obtained by photographing an outdoor unit of an air conditioner installed outdoors from the front or obliquely. From the photograph of the air conditioner, the appearance of the outdoor unit such as shape, size, color, etc. can be determined. Further, from the photograph of the air conditioner, not only the overall appearance of the outdoor unit, but also the position, shape, color, shape of the upper surface outlet, etc. of the outdoor unit can be determined.

The drawing information 52 is information indicating a drawing of the air conditioner. The drawing of the air conditioner is a drawing showing the appearance of the outdoor unit such as a front view, a top view, and a perspective view of the outdoor unit. Similar to the photographic information 51, the drawing information 52 is information indicating the appearance of the outdoor unit such as shape, size, and color. The drawing information 52 is used as information for distinguishing the air conditioner from the appearance together with the photographic information 51 or instead of the photographic information 51.

The photograph shown by the photograph information 51 and the drawing shown by the drawing information 52 are appearance images showing the appearance of the air conditioner. The discriminating device 2 stores in advance at least one of the photographic information 51 and the drawing information 52 as information indicating an appearance image for each of a plurality of air conditioners that are candidates to be discriminated as air conditioners to be discriminated. I remember it.

The catalog information 53 is information that can be obtained from the catalog of the air conditioner. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the storage unit 22 records information such as the manufacturer, model, model number, application, and year of manufacture of the air conditioner as catalog information 53. Air conditioners are used for office buildings, factories, data centers, etc. The discriminating device 2 stores catalog information 53 for identifying such air conditioners in the storage unit 22 in advance for each of a plurality of air conditioners that are candidates for discriminating the air conditioners to be discriminated. .

The catalog information 53 is associated with the photograph information 51 and the drawing information 52 through an ID (identification information). In other words, the storage unit 22 stores a plurality of appearance images indicating the appearance of a plurality of air conditioners and catalog information 53 of the plurality of air conditioners in association with each other. The storage unit 22 functions as a storage unit.

The building information 60 stored in the storage unit 22 shown in FIG. 3 is information related to the building where the air conditioner is installed. The storage unit 22 stores an installed device list 61 and completion date information 62 as building information 60.

The installed equipment list 61 is a list of air conditioners installed in the building. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the storage unit 22 stores information such as the building name, the latitude / longitude of the building, the identification information (ID) of the air conditioner, and the data storage date as the installed device list 61. ing.

The building name and the latitude / longitude information of the building are information for identifying the building. Such information can be discriminated from the satellite image, or can be input by the user.

The ID of the air conditioner is information for identifying the air conditioner installed in the corresponding building. When determining the air conditioner to be determined, the determining device 2 adds the ID of the determined air conditioner to the installed device list 61 as the air conditioner installed in the corresponding building. Thereby, the air conditioner in the air conditioner information 50 and the building in the installed device list 61 are associated with each other.

The data storage date indicates the date when the ID of the air conditioner of the corresponding building was last stored. By comparing this storage date with the update date of the satellite image, it is possible to determine whether or not it is necessary to execute the discrimination process again for a building that has previously performed the discrimination process of the air conditioner. The installed device list 61 stores information on buildings in which air conditioners determined in the past are installed. The storage date is data for eliminating the need to determine again the air conditioners installed in the same building by comparing with the update date of the satellite image.

The completion date information 62 is information indicating the date of completion of each building described in the installed device list 61. The date of completion of the building may be determined from a change in the satellite image of the building. Alternatively, the completion date information may be acquired from the building registry information.

Returning to the description of the discrimination system 1 shown in FIG. The satellite image server 3 is a server operated by a business operator that provides a service that provides satellite images.

A satellite image is an image taken by an artificial satellite orbiting around the earth, and is obtained by observing the state of the ground such as buildings, facilities, and terrain from the sky. The business operator is a company or a public organization, for example, and performs a service for managing satellite images and providing satellite images to general users for a fee or free of charge.

Although not shown, the satellite image server 3 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and a communication interface, and communicates with external devices including the determination device 2 via the communication interface. The satellite image server 3 includes a readable / writable nonvolatile memory such as a hard disk memory or a flash memory. The satellite image server 3 stores a plurality of satellite images obtained by photographing various places on the ground from the sky with artificial satellites in a database realized by a nonvolatile memory.

The satellite image server 3 selects a satellite image that matches the request from a plurality of satellite images stored in the database in response to a request from an external device. Then, the satellite image server 3 transmits the selected satellite image to the requesting device via the communication interface.

The terminal device 4 is a device operated by a user, such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a remote controller, a mobile phone, a personal computer, or the like. The terminal device 4 is a portable terminal held by a user, and moves with the movement of the user. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the terminal device 4 includes a control unit 41, a storage unit 42, a position detection unit 43, a user interface 44, and a communication unit 48.

The control unit 41 includes a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The CPU is also called a central processing unit, a central processing unit, a processor, a microprocessor, a microcomputer, a DSP, or the like. In the control unit 41, the CPU reads the program and data stored in the ROM, and performs overall control of the terminal device 4 using the RAM as a work area.

The storage unit 42 is a nonvolatile semiconductor memory such as a flash memory, EPROM, or EEPROM, and plays a role as a so-called secondary storage device or auxiliary storage device. The storage unit 42 stores programs and data used by the control unit 41 to perform various processes, and data generated or acquired by the control unit 41 performing various processes.

The position detection unit 43 detects the position of the terminal device 4. Specifically, the position detection unit 43 includes a GPS (Global Positioning System) reception unit, and receives GPS signals transmitted from a plurality of GPS satellites orbiting the sky via a GPS antenna (not shown). Receive. The position detection unit 43 detects the current position of the terminal device 4 based on the received GPS signal. The position detection unit 43 functions as a position detection unit.

The user interface 44 includes a display unit 45 and an input unit 46. The display unit 45 is a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) panel, an organic EL, and an LED (Light Emitting Diode). The input unit 46 is an input device such as a touch panel, a touch pad, a switch, or a push button. The user interface 44 receives an operation from the user via the input unit 46 and displays a display image via the display unit 45. Note that the display unit 45 and the input unit 46 may be configured as a touch panel or a touch screen in which they are arranged to overlap each other. The user interface 44 may include a speaker that outputs sound.

The communication unit 48 includes a communication interface for connecting to the wide area network N. The communication unit 48 communicates with external devices including the determination device 2 via the wide area network N under the control of the control unit 41. The terminal device 4 transmits information indicating the content of the operation received from the user via the input unit 46 to the determination device 2 via the communication unit 48 and the wide area network N. In addition, the terminal device 4 receives information to be presented to the user from the determination device 2 via the communication unit 48 and the wide area network N, and displays the received information on the display unit 45.

Next, the functional configuration of the discrimination system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the determination device 2 functionally includes a Web server unit 210, a position information reception unit 220, an image acquisition unit 230, a determination unit 240, a resolution change unit 250, and an output unit 260. . In addition, the terminal device 4 functionally includes an input reception unit 410, a program execution unit 420, a position information transmission unit 440, a device information reception unit 450, and a notification unit 460.

These functions are realized by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. The software and firmware are described as programs and stored in the ROM or storage unit 22 of the determination device 2 and the ROM or storage unit 42 of the terminal device 4. Then, in the control unit 21 of the determination device 2, each function of the determination device 2 is realized by the CPU executing a program stored in the ROM or the storage unit 22. Moreover, in the control part 41 of the terminal device 4, CPU implement | achieves each function of the terminal device 4 by running the program memorize | stored in ROM or the memory | storage part 42. FIG.

In the terminal device 4, the input receiving unit 410 receives an input from the user. The user can input a desired instruction to the terminal device 4 by operating the input unit 46. For example, the user can input an instruction to execute an air conditioner determination process, an instruction to acquire the current position of the terminal device 4 by GPS, and the like. Further, the user can input URLs (Uniform Resource Locator) for accessing various websites via the wide area network N.

The input reception unit 410 receives an instruction input from the user in this way. The input receiving unit 410 is realized by the control unit 41 cooperating with the input unit 46. The input reception unit 410 functions as an input reception unit.

In the terminal device 4, the program execution unit 420 executes a determination program for executing an air conditioner determination process. The discrimination program is a Web program for the terminal device 4 to perform air conditioning machine discrimination processing in cooperation with the discrimination device 2 and present the discrimination result to the user.

The discrimination program is defined as Web content 70 in the storage unit 22 of the discrimination device 2. The program execution unit 420 communicates with the determination device 2 via the wide area network N and requests the Web content 70 from the determination device 2 when the input of the air conditioner determination processing is received by the input reception unit 410. To do.

In the determination device 2, the Web server unit 210 receives access from the terminal device 4 via the wide area network N. When the web server unit 210 receives a request for the web content 70 from the terminal device 4, the web server unit 210 transmits the web content 70 stored in the storage unit 22 to the terminal device 4. The Web server unit 210 is realized by the control unit 21 cooperating with the communication unit 28. The Web server unit 210 functions as a Web server when the program execution unit 420 executes the determination program in the terminal device 4.

In the terminal device 4, when receiving the Web content 70 from the determination device 2, the program execution unit 420 executes the received Web content 70. More specifically, the program execution unit 420 executes air conditioner determination processing according to the received Web content 70. The air conditioner determination process is a process necessary for determining an air conditioner, including the processes of the position information transmission unit 440, the device information reception unit 450, and the notification unit 460. In addition, the program execution unit 420 causes the display unit 45 to display a display image indicating that the air conditioner discrimination process is being executed.

Thus, the program execution unit 420 is realized by the control unit 41 cooperating with the display unit 45 and the communication unit 48. The program execution unit 420 functions as a program execution unit.

In the terminal device 4, when the instruction input for determining the air conditioner is received by the input receiving unit 410, the position information transmission unit 440 displays the position information indicating the position of the air conditioner to be determined together with the determination instruction. 2 to send. The position of the air conditioner to be discriminated is the position where the air conditioner to be discriminated by the discriminating device 2 is installed. The position information may be information indicating an accurate position such as latitude and longitude coordinates, and if it is information capable of specifying the position of the air conditioner, the address, building name, facility name, station The information may be spread information such as the periphery, an area centered on a specified position, and the like.

More specifically, the position information transmission unit 440 transmits position information indicating the position of the terminal device 4 detected by the position detection unit 43 to the determination device 2 as position information indicating the position of the air conditioner to be determined. To do. Since the terminal device 4 is held and operated by the user, the position of the terminal device 4 corresponds to the position of the user. Therefore, the user can transmit to the determination device 2 an instruction for determining an air conditioner installed around his / her location.

For example, when it is desired to discriminate an air conditioner installed at home, the user operates the terminal device 4 at home and inputs a discrimination instruction. Alternatively, when the user is outdoors, when it is desired to determine the air conditioners installed in the surrounding buildings, the user operates the terminal device 4 near the building and inputs the determination instruction. . In this way, it is possible to instruct the determination device 2 to determine the air conditioners installed in various places.

The position information transmission unit 440 communicates with the determination device 2 via the wide area network N, and transmits position information indicating the position of the air conditioner to be determined to the determination device 2. The position information transmission unit 440 is realized by the control unit 41 cooperating with the communication unit 48. The position information transmission unit 440 functions as a position information transmission unit.

In the discriminating apparatus 2, when the position information is transmitted from the terminal device 4, the position information receiving unit 220 receives the transmitted position information. Thereby, the position information reception part 220 acquires the position information which shows the position of the air conditioning machine of discrimination | determination object. The position information receiving unit 220 is realized by the control unit 21 cooperating with the communication unit 28. The position information receiving unit 220 functions as a position information receiving unit.

In the determination device 2, the image acquisition unit 230 acquires a captured image at the position indicated by the position information received by the position information reception unit 220. The captured image at the position indicated by the received position information is an image obtained by capturing an area including the position. More specifically, the image acquisition unit 230 acquires, from the satellite image server 3, a satellite image obtained by shooting the position of the air conditioner to be determined from the sky with an artificial satellite. As described above, the satellite image server 3 stores a plurality of satellite images obtained by photographing various places on the ground from the sky with artificial satellites.

The image acquisition unit 230 communicates with the satellite image server 3 via the wide area network N, and transmits position information indicating the position of the air conditioner to be determined to the determination device 2 together with a satellite image acquisition request.
When the satellite image server 3 receives the position information from the determination device 2, the satellite image server 3 selects a satellite image obtained by photographing the position indicated by the received position information from among a plurality of satellite images stored in the database. Then, the satellite image server 3 transmits the selected satellite image to the determination device 2 via the wide area network N. The image acquisition unit 230 is realized by the control unit 21 cooperating with the communication unit 28. The image acquisition unit 230 functions as an image acquisition unit.

FIG. 8 shows an example of the satellite image 80 acquired by the image acquisition unit 230. As shown in FIG. 8, the satellite image 80 captures a plurality of outdoor units including the outdoor unit of the air conditioner to be determined, which is installed on the roof of the building. The image acquisition unit 230 acquires from the satellite image server 3 a satellite image 80 obtained by photographing the state around the position where the air conditioner to be discriminated is installed from above.

In the discriminating apparatus 2, the discriminating unit 240 discriminates device information related to the air conditioner to be discriminated based on the satellite image 80 acquired by the image acquiring unit 230. The equipment information related to the air conditioner is information for distinguishing the air conditioner to be distinguished from other air conditioners, such as the manufacturer, model, and construction time of the air conditioner.

The determination unit 240 analyzes the satellite image 80 acquired by the image acquisition unit 230 by the image processing unit 24. Thereby, the determination unit 240 identifies an air conditioner corresponding to the air conditioner captured in the satellite image 80 from among the plurality of air conditioners whose information is recorded in the air conditioner information 50. The determination unit 240 is realized by the control unit 21 cooperating with the image processing unit 24. The determination unit 240 functions as a determination unit.

More specifically, the determination unit 240 compares the satellite image 80 acquired by the image acquisition unit 230 with each of a plurality of appearance images indicating the appearances of a plurality of candidate air conditioners, thereby providing a plurality of air conditioners. The air conditioner to be identified is identified from among the machines. The plurality of air conditioners are air conditioners that are candidates to be identified as air conditioners to be identified, and specifically, are air conditioners that store information as air conditioner information 50 in the storage unit 22.

The appearance image showing the appearance of the air conditioner is specifically a photograph of the air conditioner indicated by the photographic information 51 or a drawing of the air conditioner indicated by the drawing information 52. The determination unit 240 refers to at least one of the photographic information 51 and the drawing information 52 stored in the storage unit 22 and identifies the air conditioner to be determined by comparing the satellite image 80 with a photograph or drawing. .

More specifically, the determination unit 240 extracts from the satellite image 80 an image of a portion where the air conditioner to be determined is captured. Specifically, the portion where the air conditioner to be discriminated is photographed is a portion where the outdoor unit of the air conditioner to be discriminated is surrounded by a thick line in the satellite image 80 shown in FIG. The determination unit 240 cuts out the outline of the outdoor unit from the satellite image 80 based on the color difference between the outdoor unit and the background other than the outdoor unit in the satellite image 80. Then, the determination unit 240 extracts a portion including the cutout outline of the outdoor unit from the satellite image 80, and generates the partial image 81 illustrated in FIG.

Returning to the functional configuration of the discrimination system 1 shown in FIG. In the determination device 2, the resolution changing unit 250 reduces the resolution of each of the plurality of appearance images to the resolution of the satellite image 80. The resolution is an index that represents the density of pixels constituting an image. Since the satellite image 80 is an image taken from the sky, its resolution is generally lower than that of a photograph or drawing of an air conditioner obtained from a catalog. Therefore, the resolution changing unit 250 makes the resolution of the satellite image 80 in order to be able to compare the resolution of the photograph or drawing indicated by the photograph information 51 or the drawing information 52 with the satellite image 80 acquired from the satellite image server 3. To the same resolution.

The resolution changing unit 250 processes the plurality of appearance images stored in the storage unit 22 by the image processing unit 24 and changes the resolution. The resolution changing unit 250 is realized by the control unit 21 cooperating with the image processing unit 24. The resolution changing unit 250 functions as a resolution changing unit.

The determination unit 240 compares the partial image 81 extracted from the satellite image 80 with each of a plurality of appearance images whose resolution has been changed by the resolution changing unit 250. Specifically, the determination unit 240 compares features such as the shape, size, and color of the outdoor unit between each of the plurality of appearance images and the partial image 81.

More specifically, the determination unit 240 extracts feature points for each of a plurality of air conditioner photos indicated by the photo information 51, a plurality of air conditioner drawings indicated by the drawing information 52, and the partial image 81. To do. The characteristic points are points that characteristically indicate the appearance of the outdoor unit such as the outline of the outdoor unit, the corner position of the outdoor unit, the position and shape of the fan, and the position and shape of the opening.

The discriminating unit 240 calculates the degree of coincidence indicating the degree of coincidence of the feature points with the partial image 81 for each of the plurality of appearance images. Then, the determination unit 240 identifies the appearance image having the highest degree of coincidence calculated as an appearance image that matches the air conditioner to be determined.

When the appearance image corresponding to the air conditioner to be discriminated is specified, the discriminating unit 240 refers to the catalog information 53 stored in the storage unit 22 and discriminates device information that is information relating to the air conditioner to be discriminated. More specifically, the determination unit 240 determines information associated with the specified appearance image from among information on manufacturers, models, and manufacturing years of a plurality of air conditioners described in the catalog information 53. It is determined that the information is for the target air conditioner. In this way, the determination unit 240 determines the air conditioner to be determined.

Together with the determination of the information about the air conditioner itself, the determination unit 240 determines the information about the building where the air conditioner is installed as the device information about the air conditioner to be determined. Specifically, the information regarding the building is the name, type, scale, and the like of the building where the air conditioner to be discriminated is installed. Moreover, the information regarding the building includes information such as rebuilding work of the building where the air conditioner to be discriminated is installed, and equipment replacement work in the building.

More specifically, the determination unit 240 determines information such as the name, type, and scale of the building where the air conditioner to be determined is installed based on the satellite image 80 acquired by the image acquisition unit 230. In addition, when it is detected from the satellite image 80 that the rebuilding work or the air-conditioner replacement work is being performed in the building where the air conditioner to be discriminated is installed, the discriminating unit 240 displays the building completion date, Or the construction time of an air conditioner can be discriminated.

The determination unit 240 updates the building information 60 stored in the storage unit 22 with the determined information. More specifically, the determination unit 240 associates the position information received by the position information reception unit 220 with the identified building name in the installed device list 61 and the ID for identifying the determined air conditioner. Store and update storage date. Thereby, in the storage unit 22, the device information of the determined air conditioner, the building information where the air conditioner is installed, and the position information of the building are stored in association with each other.

As shown in FIG. 8, when a plurality of air conditioners are reflected in the satellite image 80 acquired from the satellite image server 3, the determination unit 240 performs the above-described determination processing for each of the plurality of air conditioners. Execute. For example, in a large-scale building having a plurality of floors, outdoor units of a plurality of air conditioners for air-conditioning the plurality of floors are installed on the roof. In such a case, the determination unit 240 determines device information such as manufacturer, model, and year of manufacture for each of the plurality of air conditioners captured in the satellite image 80.

In the discriminating apparatus 2, the output unit 260 outputs device information related to the air conditioner discriminated by the discriminating unit 240. The output unit 260 communicates with the terminal device 4 via the wide area network N, and outputs device information regarding the air conditioner to be determined to the terminal device 4 that has transmitted the air conditioner determination instruction. The output unit 260 is realized by the control unit 21 cooperating with the communication unit 28. The output unit 260 functions as an output unit.

When the position information stored in the storage unit 22 is received again by the position information receiving unit 220, the output unit 260 outputs the device information stored in association with the position information in the storage unit 22. . In other words, when the position information receiving unit 220 receives an instruction to determine again an air conditioner installed at the same position as the position where the determination unit 240 has performed the determination process in the past, the output unit 260 may store the storage unit 22. In the past, the device information determined in the past is output. In this case, the image acquisition unit 230 does not execute the process of acquiring the satellite image 80, and the determination unit 240 does not execute the process of determining information regarding the air conditioner to be determined.

Thus, by using the past determination result stored in the storage unit 22, the process of acquiring the satellite image 80 by the image acquisition unit 230 and the determination process of the determination unit 240 can be omitted. As a result, the processing in the determination device 2 can be made efficient.

In the terminal device 4, when the device information is output from the determination device 2, the device information receiving unit 450 receives the output device information. The device information receiving unit 450 is realized by the control unit 41 cooperating with the communication unit 48. The device information receiving unit 450 functions as a device information receiving unit.

In the terminal device 4, the notification unit 460 notifies the device information received by the device information receiving unit 450. FIG. 10 shows an example of a notification image. When the device information receiving unit 450 receives the device information, the notification unit 460 displays the notification image illustrated in FIG. 10 on the display unit 45.

Specifically, the notification unit 460 notifies the manufacturer, model, and manufacturing time as information on the air conditioner to be determined, and the building name, position, and information as information on the building in which the air conditioner to be determined is installed. Inform the completion date. Further, the notification unit 460 calculates the replacement time from the manufacturing time of the air conditioner to be determined, and also notifies the replacement time. When a plurality of air conditioners are photographed in the satellite image 80, the notification unit 460 notifies such notification images for the plurality of air conditioners.

The notification unit 460 is not limited to display by the display unit 45, and may output device information by outputting sound from a speaker. The notification unit 460 is realized by the control unit 41 cooperating with the display unit 45 or the speaker. The notification unit 460 functions as a notification unit.

The flow of processing executed in the discrimination system 1 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 11 shows a flow of processing executed among the discrimination device 2, the satellite image server 3, and the terminal device 4 in order to discriminate the air conditioners installed in the buildings around the designated position. The determination process shown in FIG. 11 starts when the control unit 41 receives an instruction to determine an air conditioner in the terminal device 4 (step S1).

The instruction for determining the air conditioner is input by the user operating the input unit 46 of the terminal device 4. More specifically, the user of the terminal device 4 operates the input unit 46 to specify a URL for accessing the determination device 2 via the wide area network N. In step S <b> 1, the control unit 41 functions as the input reception unit 410.

When the terminal device 4 receives an instruction to determine an air conditioner, the control unit 41 requests the Web content 70 from the determination device 2 (step S2). The web content 70 is a web program for executing an air conditioner discrimination process. The control unit 41 is communicably connected to the determination device 2 via the communication unit 28 and the wide area network N. Communication with the discrimination device 2 is started. Then, the control unit 41 transmits a request for the Web content 70 stored in the storage unit 22 of the determination device 2.

In the determination device 2, when the control unit 21 receives a request for the Web content 70 from the terminal device 4, the control unit 21 transmits the Web content 70 to the terminal device 4 via the communication unit 28 and the wide area network N as a response to the request (step S3). In step S <b> 3, the control unit 21 functions as the Web server unit 210.

In the terminal device 4, when receiving the web content 70 from the determination device 2, the control unit 41 executes the received web content 70 (step S4). More specifically, the control unit 41 starts a discrimination process for the air conditioner by executing a discrimination program defined in the received Web content 70. In step S2 and step S4, the control unit 41 functions as the program execution unit 420.

When the Web content 70 is executed, the control unit 41 transmits position information indicating the position of the air conditioner to be determined to the determination device 2 together with a determination instruction (step S5). More specifically, the control unit 41 transmits the position information of the terminal device 4 detected by the GPS function built in the terminal device 4 to the determination device 2 via the wide area network N. Thereby, the control unit 41 designates the position of the air conditioner to be discriminated with respect to the discriminating apparatus 2. In step S <b> 5, the control unit 41 functions as the position information transmission unit 440.

In the determination device 2, the control unit 21 acquires the position information transmitted from the terminal device 4. Thereby, the control part 21 receives designation | designated of the position of the air conditioning machine which should be discriminate | determined from the terminal device 4. FIG. At this time, the control unit 21 functions as the position information receiving unit 220.

When the position information is acquired from the terminal device 4, the control unit 21 determines whether or not the air conditioner in the acquired position information already exists in the installed device list 61 (step S6). When the air conditioner in the acquired position information exists in the installed device list 61 (step S6; YES), the control unit 21 skips the processing of steps S7 to S9. In other words, the control unit 21 does not execute the process of acquiring the satellite image from the satellite image server 3 and the determination process based on the acquired satellite image.

On the other hand, when the air conditioner in the acquired position information does not exist in the installed device list 61 (step S6; NO), the control unit 21 sends the satellite image corresponding to the acquired position information to the satellite image server 3. A request is made (step S7). More specifically, the control unit 21 transmits the position information acquired from the terminal device 4 to the satellite image server 3 via the wide area network N, and requests the satellite image at the position indicated by the acquired position information. .

When the satellite image request is transmitted from the discriminating apparatus 2, the satellite image server 3 receives the transmitted request. The satellite image server 3 selects a satellite image corresponding to the received request from a plurality of satellite images stored in the database, and transmits the satellite image to the determination device 2 (step S8).

The control unit 21 of the determination device 2 acquires the satellite image transmitted from the satellite image server 3. For example, the control unit 21 acquires the satellite image 80 shown in FIG. In steps S7 and S8, the control unit 21 functions as the image acquisition unit 230.

When the determination device 2 acquires a satellite image from the satellite image server 3, the control unit 21 executes an air conditioner determination process (step S9). Details of the determination processing in step S9 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

When the air conditioner discrimination process shown in FIG. 12 is started, the control unit 21 separates the air conditioner from the acquired satellite image (step S101). More specifically, the control unit 21 recognizes the outdoor unit from the satellite image based on the difference in pixel color between the outdoor unit and the background, and extracts a part of the outdoor unit from the satellite image. Thereby, the control part 21 extracts the partial image 81 shown in FIG. 9 from the satellite image 80 shown, for example in FIG.

When the air conditioner is separated from the satellite image, the control unit 21 adjusts the resolution of the plurality of appearance images indicating the appearance of the plurality of air conditioners that are candidates to be identified as the identification target air conditioners (step S102). More specifically, the control unit 21 makes it possible to compare the resolution of the photograph or drawing of the air conditioner stored in the storage unit 22 with the satellite image acquired from the satellite image server 3. Reduce to the same resolution as In step S <b> 102, the control unit 21 functions as the resolution changing unit 250.

When the resolution of the appearance image is adjusted, the control unit 21 compares the appearance image whose resolution has been adjusted with the satellite image from which the air conditioner is cut out. First, the control unit 21 calculates the degree of coincidence between each of the photos of the plurality of air conditioners indicated by the photo information 51 and the satellite image (step S103). More specifically, the control unit 21 extracts feature points indicating the features of the outdoor unit captured in the satellite image. And the control part 21 calculates the coincidence degree of the feature point between each satellite image and each of the photographs of the plurality of air conditioners.

Second, the control unit 21 calculates the degree of coincidence between each of the drawings of the plurality of air conditioners indicated by the drawing information 52 and the satellite image (step S104). Specifically, the control unit 21 calculates the degree of coincidence of the feature points with the satellite image for each of the drawings of the plurality of air conditioners.

When calculating the degree of coincidence from the photograph and the drawing, the control unit 21 determines the air conditioner to be determined based on the calculated degree of coincidence (step S105). More specifically, the control unit 21 identifies the photograph or drawing with the highest degree of coincidence calculated as the photograph or drawing corresponding to the air conditioner to be determined. Then, the control unit 21 refers to the catalog information 53 to determine device information corresponding to the specified photograph or drawing. Moreover, the control part 21 also discriminate | determines also about the information regarding the building in which the air conditioner of discrimination | determination object was installed.

When the air conditioner is determined, the control unit 21 updates the building information 60 stored in the storage unit 22 with the determination result (step S106). More specifically, the control unit 21 associates and stores information about the determined air conditioner, building information where the air conditioner is installed, and position information in the installed device list 61. In steps S101, 103 to S106, the control unit 21 functions as the determination unit 240. Thus, the air conditioner discrimination process shown in FIG. 12 ends.

Returning to the explanation of the sequence diagram shown in FIG. When the air conditioner determination process is executed in step S9, the control unit 21 transmits the device information regarding the determined air conditioner to the terminal device 4 via the wide area network N (step S10). In step S <b> 10, the control unit 21 functions as the output unit 260.

When it is determined in step S6 that the air conditioner in the acquired position information exists in the installed device list 61, the control unit 21 is stored in the storage unit 22 in association with the position information. The device information is transmitted to the terminal device 4. In other words, when the control unit 21 is instructed again to determine the air conditioner executed in the past, the control unit 21 uses the device information obtained by the past determination.

In the terminal device 4, when the device information is transmitted from the determination device 2, the control unit 41 receives the transmitted device information. At this time, the control unit 41 functions as a device information receiving unit 450.

When the device information is received from the discriminating device 2, the control unit 41 notifies the received device information (step S11). Specifically, the control unit 41 displays a notification image illustrated in FIG. 10 on the display unit 45. In step S <b> 11, the control unit 41 functions as the notification unit 460. Thus, the processing of the discrimination system 1 shown in FIG. 11 ends.

As described above in detail, in the determination system 1 according to the present embodiment, the determination device 2 receives position information indicating the position of the air conditioner to be determined from the terminal device 4, and a satellite corresponding to the received position information. Based on the image 80, information on the air conditioner to be determined is determined. Since information about the air conditioner can be determined from the position information of the air conditioner, it is not necessary to check with the owner of the air conditioner, the manager of the building where the air conditioner is installed, or the like. Therefore, according to the determination device 2 according to the present embodiment, information about the air conditioner can be easily determined.

In general, air conditioners are often replaced in about 15 to 20 years in order to improve energy efficiency or increase the failure rate. The discrimination system 1 according to the present embodiment can easily confirm the timing of such replacement by discriminating the manufacturer, model, and year of manufacture of the air conditioner to be discriminated. Therefore, according to the discrimination system 1 according to the present embodiment, renewal of the air conditioner can be proposed to the user at an appropriate timing.

In particular, when a large number of air conditioners are to be identified, it takes a lot of trouble to check the information of each air conditioner with the owner, administrator, etc. one by one. Even in such a case, according to the determination system 1 according to the present embodiment, information regarding a large number of air conditioners can be easily determined. Thereby, renewal of many air conditioners can be proposed to a user exactly.

Further, in the discrimination system 1 according to the present embodiment, the discrimination device 2 acquires a satellite image obtained by photographing the air conditioner to be discriminated, and discriminates information related to the air conditioner based on the acquired satellite image. As a result, it is possible to easily determine information such as the operating state and whether or not an abnormality has occurred even for an air conditioner that is not connected to the wide area network and cannot be monitored remotely via the wide area network. .

In particular, in recent years, satellite images obtained by photographing various places on the earth from the sky can be obtained relatively easily. Furthermore, the resolution of the satellite image has been improved year by year to such an extent that the air conditioner can be distinguished from the appearance. The discrimination system 1 according to the present embodiment makes it possible to easily discriminate information related to the air conditioner by using such satellite images.

Further, in the discrimination system 1 according to the present embodiment, the terminal device 4 is a portable device carried by the user, and the location information of the own device detected by the GPS is used as the location information of the air conditioner to be discriminated. As shown in FIG. Thereby, the user of the terminal device 4 can distinguish easily the air conditioner installed in the surrounding building of own.

In the discrimination system 1 according to the present embodiment, the discrimination device 2 reduces the resolution of each of the plurality of appearance images prepared in advance as comparison targets in accordance with the satellite image 80 acquired from the satellite image server 3. After that, matching is performed between each of the plurality of appearance images and the satellite image 80. Therefore, the air conditioner can be identified with high accuracy.

(Modification)
The embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but various modifications and applications can be made in implementing the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, the position information transmission unit 440 uses the position information indicating the position of the terminal device 4 detected by the position detection unit 43 as the position information indicating the position of the air conditioner to be determined. Sent to. However, the position information transmission unit 440 may transmit the position information received from the user by the input reception unit 410 to the determination device 2 as position information indicating the position of the air conditioner to be determined. In this case, the user operates the input unit 46 of the terminal device 4 to input position information such as the latitude / longitude, address, building name, facility name, etc. where the air conditioner to be determined is installed.

In the above-described embodiment, the determination unit 240 determines the manufacturer, model, production time, and the like of the air conditioner as device information related to the air conditioner to be determined. However, the determination unit 240 may determine the operating state of the air conditioner, the presence / absence of an abnormality in the air conditioner, or the like instead of or in addition to these. The operating state is whether or not the air conditioner is operating. Moreover, the occurrence of abnormality means that the air conditioner cannot be operated normally due to damage, deterioration, or the like. In other words, the determination unit 240 can determine at least one of a manufacturer, a model, a manufacturing time, an operating state, and whether or not an abnormality has occurred as device information.

In the above-described embodiment, the determination unit 240 compares the captured image obtained by capturing the air conditioner to be determined with each of the plurality of appearance images indicating the appearance of the candidate air conditioners, thereby determining the air conditioner to be determined. Device information about the machine was determined. However, the determination unit 240 may determine the device information based on the information shown in the position visible from the outside of the air conditioner to be determined without comparing the captured image with each of the plurality of appearance images. . The information shown at the position visible from the outside in the air conditioner to be determined is, for example, a color, a character, an image code, or a combination thereof.

More specifically, a specific pattern such as a color, a character, or an image code indicating a manufacturer, a model, a manufacturing time, or the like is attached in advance to the air conditioner to be discriminated. The discriminating unit 240 discriminates the manufacturer, model, production time, and the like based on such a specific pattern photographed in the photographed image. Or you may make it an air conditioner output the specific pattern which shows the presence or absence of the present driving | running state or abnormality so that it can be visually recognized from the outside. In this case, the determination unit 240 determines the operating state of the air conditioner or whether or not an abnormality has occurred based on a specific pattern captured in the captured image.

In the above embodiment, the photographed image obtained by photographing the air conditioner to be discriminated is an image photographed by an artificial satellite. However, in the present invention, the captured image may be captured by a flying object other than an artificial satellite. For example, the photographed image may be an aerial photograph taken by an aircraft, or an aerial photograph taken by a drone, a balloon, or the like. Alternatively, the photographed image is not limited to an image photographed from above by a flying object, but may be an image photographed from the ground by a person, a car, or the like.

When the captured image is not an image captured by an artificial satellite, the image acquisition unit 230 can acquire the captured image from a server other than the satellite image server 3. Alternatively, the determination device 2 includes an image storage unit that stores a captured image obtained by capturing the device to be determined. Even if the device information is determined based on the captured image stored in the image storage unit. good.

In the above embodiment, the resolution changing unit 250 has acquired the resolution of the appearance image of the air conditioner stored in the storage unit 22 after the image acquiring unit 230 acquires the satellite image 80 from the satellite image server 3. The resolution of the satellite image 80 was reduced. However, the determination device 2 may store in the storage unit 22 the appearance image data whose resolution has been reduced in advance in accordance with the resolution of the satellite image 80 that may be acquired. As a result, the time required for the discrimination process can be shortened.

In the above embodiment, the determination device 2 stores the photographic information 51 and the drawing information 52 in the storage unit 22 as information indicating the appearance images of a plurality of air conditioners that are candidates for determination. However, the determination device 2 may store only one of the photographic information 51 and the drawing information 52, and may determine information about the air conditioner using only one of them. Or you may discriminate | determine the information regarding an air conditioner using the some photograph or drawing seen from the different direction about one air conditioner.

In the above embodiment, the device to be determined is an air conditioner, and the determination unit 240 determines information about the air conditioner based on a captured image of the outdoor unit of the air conditioner. However, in the present invention, the device to be determined may be a device other than the air conditioner as long as it can be determined based on the captured image. For example, the discrimination target device may be a water heater. In this case, the discrimination unit 240 may discriminate the water heater based on a photographed image obtained by photographing a hot water storage tank or a heat pump unit installed outdoors. good.

In the above-described embodiment, the program execution unit 420 acquires the Web content 70 from the determination device 2 and executes the received Web content 70 to execute the air conditioner determination process. However, the Web content 70 may be installed in advance in the terminal device 4 as an application program. In this case, the program execution unit 420 executes the air conditioner determination process by executing the application program. As described above, when the terminal device 4 can execute the Web content 70 alone, the determination device 2 may not include the Web server unit 210 or may not store the Web content 70.

In the above embodiment, the discrimination device 2, the satellite image server 3, and the terminal device 4 are connected via the wide area network N. However, at least two of these are installed in the same building and may be connected by a local area network. Further, at least two of these functions may be realized by the same device. For example, the terminal device 4 may have the function of the determination device 2, and the satellite image server 3 may have the function of the determination device 2.

In the above embodiment, in the control unit 21 of the determination device 2, the CPU executes a program stored in the ROM or the storage unit 22, whereby the Web server unit 210, the position information reception unit 220, the image acquisition unit 230, the determination The unit 240, the resolution changing unit 250, and the output unit 260 function as each unit. Further, in the control unit 41 of the terminal device 4, when the CPU executes a program stored in the ROM or the storage unit 42, the input reception unit 410, the program execution unit 420, the position information transmission unit 440, and the device information reception unit 450. And it functioned as each part of the alerting | reporting part 460. However, in the present invention, the control units 21 and 41 may be dedicated hardware. The dedicated hardware is, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated 、 Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a combination thereof. When the control units 21 and 41 are dedicated hardware, the functions of the respective units may be realized by individual hardware, or the functions of the respective units may be collectively realized by a single hardware.

Also, some of the functions of each unit may be realized by dedicated hardware, and the other part may be realized by software or firmware. As described above, the control units 21 and 41 can realize the functions described above by hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof.

By applying an operation program that defines the operation of the determination device 2 or the terminal device 4 according to the present invention to an existing computer such as a personal computer or an information terminal device, the computer is used as the determination device 2 or the terminal device according to the present invention. 4 can also function.

Further, such a program distribution method is arbitrary. For example, a computer-readable record such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disk ROM), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), an MO (Magneto Optical Disk), or a memory card. It may be distributed by being stored in a medium or distributed via a communication network such as the Internet.

The present invention is capable of various embodiments and modifications without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the present invention. The above-described embodiments are for explaining the present invention and do not limit the scope of the present invention. In other words, the scope of the present invention is shown not by the embodiments but by the claims. Various modifications made within the scope of the claims and within the scope of the equivalent invention are considered to be within the scope of the present invention.

The present invention can be suitably employed in a technique for discriminating information related to equipment.

1 discriminating system, 2 discriminating device, 3 satellite image server, 4 terminal device, 21, 41 control unit, 22, 42 storage unit, 23 timing unit, 24 image processing unit, 28, 48 communication unit, 29, 49 bus, 43 Position detection unit, 44 user interface, 45 display unit, 46 input unit, 50 air conditioner information, 51 photographic information, 52 drawing information, 53 catalog information, 60 building information, 61 installed equipment list, 62 completion date information, 70 Web content 80 satellite image, 81 partial image, 210 Web server unit, 220 position information receiving unit, 230 image acquiring unit, 240 discriminating unit, 250 resolution changing unit, 260 output unit, 410 input receiving unit, 420 program executing unit, 440 position Information transmission unit, 450 device information reception unit, 460 notification unit, N Wide area network

Claims (14)

1. Position information receiving means for receiving position information indicating the position of the device to be determined;
   A discriminating unit that discriminates device information related to the discriminating target device based on a captured image at the location indicated by the location information received by the location information receiving unit;
   Output means for outputting the device information determined by the determination means,
   Discriminator.
2. Image acquisition means for acquiring the captured image at the position indicated by the position information received by the position information receiving means from a server storing a plurality of captured images;
   The determination means determines the device information based on the captured image acquired by the image acquisition means.
   The discrimination device according to claim 1.
3. The discriminating unit identifies and identifies the device to be discriminated from among the plurality of devices by comparing the captured image with each of a plurality of appearance images indicating the appearance of the plurality of candidate devices. Determining the device information related to the device to be determined;
   The discrimination device according to claim 1 or 2.
4. A resolution changing means for reducing the resolution of each of the plurality of appearance images to the resolution of the captured image;
   The determination unit specifies the identification target device from the plurality of devices by comparing the captured image with each of the plurality of appearance images whose resolution has been reduced by the resolution changing unit, Determining the device information related to the device to be determined;
   The discrimination apparatus according to claim 3.
5. The determination means includes, as the device information, a manufacturer of the device to be determined, a model of the device to be determined, a manufacturing time of the device to be determined, an operating state of the device to be determined, To determine at least one of the occurrence of an abnormality in the device to be determined;
   The discrimination device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
6. The determination means determines, as the device information, information related to a building where the device to be determined is installed.
   The discrimination device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
7. A storage unit for storing the device information determined by the determination unit in association with the position information received by the position information receiving unit;
   The output means outputs the device information stored in association with the position information in the storage means when the position information stored in the storage means is received again by the position information receiving means. To
   The discrimination device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.
8. The determining means determines the device information based on information indicated at a position visible from outside in the device to be determined.
   The discrimination device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.
9. The device to be discriminated is an air conditioner,
   The determining means determines the device information related to the air conditioner based on the captured image obtained by photographing the outdoor unit of the air conditioner.
   The discrimination device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.
10. The captured image is an image captured by a flying object,
    The discrimination device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.
11. A discrimination system comprising the discrimination device according to any one of claims 1 to 10 and a terminal device,
    In the discrimination device,
    The output means outputs the device information to the terminal device,
    The terminal device
    Device information receiving means for receiving the device information output by the output means;
    Informing means for informing the equipment information received by the equipment information receiving means,
    Discriminating system.
12. The terminal device
    Position detecting means for detecting the position of the terminal device;
    Position information transmitting means for transmitting the position information indicating the position of the terminal device detected by the position detecting means to the determination device;
    In the discrimination device,
    The position information receiving means receives the position information transmitted from the terminal device;
    The discrimination system according to claim 11.
13. Obtain location information indicating the location of the device to be identified,
    Based on the captured image at the position indicated by the acquired position information, device information related to the device to be determined is determined.
    How to determine.
14. Computer
    Position information receiving means for receiving position information indicating the position of the device to be determined;
    Based on a captured image at the position indicated by the position information received by the position information receiving means, functioning as a determination means for determining device information related to the device to be determined;
    program.

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