KR102704472B1 - Multi-light source cctv camera having improved power efficiency and night serveillance performance - Google Patents

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a multi-light source CCTV camera comprises: a housing; an image acquisition unit installed in the housing to acquire a surveillance image; an image analysis unit to analyze a video image acquired by the image acquisition unit to determine an object; an illuminance sensor installed in the housing to measure illuminance; a motion detection sensor installed in the housing to detect movement of the object; a multi-light source unit installed in the housing and comprising an infrared LED, a first white LED having a first color temperature, and a second white LED having a color temperature higher than the first color temperature; And a control unit that controls the operation of the multi-light source unit based on the object information determined by the image analysis unit and the measurement values of the light sensor and the motion detection sensor, wherein the control unit turns on the infrared LED when the light value measured by the light sensor is in the range of a preset reference value and a maximum value, and adjusts the output of the infrared LED according to a preset first output step corresponding to the light value, and when the movement of the object is detected by the motion detection sensor and the object determined by the image analysis unit is a person, the control unit can adjust the output of the infrared LED according to a preset second output step corresponding to the light value.

Description

{MULTI-LIGHT SOURCE CCTV CAMERA HAVING IMPROVED POWER EFFICIENCY AND NIGHT SERVEILLANCE PERFORMANCE}

The present invention relates to a CCTV camera, and more particularly, to a multi-light source CCTV camera capable of controlling infrared LEDs and white LEDs to improve power efficiency and night surveillance performance.

CCTV (Closed Circuit Television) is widely used for indoor and outdoor surveillance systems. While sufficient light is often available indoors in buildings, outdoor lighting is not available at night, so infrared LEDs are used to improve nighttime surveillance performance.

Korean Patent No. 10-1173542 (hereinafter referred to as “Patent 542”) discloses an integrated CCTV camera device including a CCTV camera module, an LED lamp module, an infrared LED, a light sensor, a controller, and a dome cover.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2014-0095407 (hereinafter referred to as “Patent 407”) discloses a surveillance camera including a substrate, a lens module, an infrared LED, a light sensor, a high-brightness LED, and a control unit, a surveillance device using a surveillance camera, and a control method thereof.

In the case of prior art technologies such as the 542 patent and the 407 patent, when the movement of an object such as an external intruder is detected at night, a high-brightness white LED is emitted to improve nighttime image quality and warn the intruder.

However, in the case of these conventional technologies, power efficiency is reduced because the infrared LED and white LED operate based on the measured illuminance value or the value of a motion detection sensor such as a PIR (Passive Infrared Sensor) sensor, and there is a problem that the white LED operates unnecessarily even when there is no person present due to the movement of tree branches caused by the wind or the movement of small animals such as birds.

Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1173542 (2012.08.07) Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2014-0095407 (August 1, 2014)

The present invention is intended to solve the above problems and to provide a multi-light source CCTV camera with improved power efficiency and night surveillance performance by controlling output in preset stages based on illuminance values and object recognition information.

The tasks of the present invention are not limited to the tasks mentioned above, and other tasks not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

According to an embodiment of the present invention for solving the above-described problem, a multi-light source CCTV camera comprises: a housing; an image acquisition unit installed in the housing to acquire a surveillance image; an image analysis unit to analyze a video image acquired by the image acquisition unit to determine an object; an illuminance sensor installed in the housing to measure illuminance; a motion detection sensor installed in the housing to detect movement of the object; a multi-light source unit installed in the housing and comprising an infrared LED, a first white LED having a first color temperature, and a second white LED having a color temperature higher than the first color temperature; And a control unit that controls the operation of the multi-light source unit based on the object information determined by the image analysis unit and the measurement values of the light sensor and the motion detection sensor, wherein the control unit turns on the infrared LED when the light value measured by the light sensor is in the range of a preset reference value and a maximum value, and adjusts the output of the infrared LED according to a preset first output step corresponding to the light value, and when the movement of the object is detected by the motion detection sensor and the object determined by the image analysis unit is a person, the control unit can adjust the output of the infrared LED according to a preset second output step corresponding to the light value.

In one embodiment, the output of the second output stage of the infrared LED corresponding to the same illuminance value may be set to be greater than the output of the first stage.

In one embodiment, the color temperature of the first white LED may have a value of 1000K to 3000K, and the color temperature of the second white LED may have a value of 4000K to 7000K.

In one embodiment, the motion detection sensor may be a PIR sensor.

In one embodiment, the control unit can control the on/off of the infrared LED by comparing the average value of the illuminance value measured by the illuminance sensor over a preset standard time period with the reference value.

In one embodiment, the control unit may adjust the output of the first white LED to a preset third output step corresponding to the illuminance value, and when movement of an object is detected by the motion detection sensor and the object determined by the image analysis unit is a person, the control unit may adjust the output of the first white LED to a preset fourth output step corresponding to the illuminance value.

In one embodiment, the output of the fourth output stage of the first white LED for the same illuminance value may be set to be greater than the output of the third stage.

In one embodiment, the image analysis unit is configured to analyze the image image acquired by the image acquisition unit to determine whether a specific event has occurred, and the control unit can turn on the second white LED when the motion detection sensor detects movement of an object, the object determined by the image analysis unit is a person, and the image analysis unit determines that the specific event has occurred.

In one embodiment, the image analysis unit is configured to calculate a distribution ratio of an area occupied by a person in a video image when the determined object is a person, and the control unit can adjust the output of the second white LED to be larger as the value of the distribution ratio decreases based on the calculated distribution ratio.

A multi-light source CCTV camera according to one embodiment of the present invention has the effect of maximizing power efficiency and night surveillance performance by controlling output in preset stages based on illuminance values and object recognition information.

The effects according to the present invention are not limited to those exemplified above, and more diverse effects are included in this specification.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a multi-light source CCTV camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a drawing showing one side of a housing in which an image acquisition unit and a multi-light source unit of a multi-light source CCTV camera according to one embodiment of the present invention are installed.
FIG. 3 is an example screen in which the brightness of the second white LED of a multi-light source CCTV camera according to one embodiment of the present invention is adjusted according to the distribution range of an object.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart explaining the operation of a multi-light source CCTV camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The advantages and features of the present invention, and the methods for achieving them, will become clearer with reference to the embodiments described in detail below together with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but may be implemented in various different forms, and the present embodiments are provided only to make the disclosure of the present invention complete and to fully inform those skilled in the art of the scope of the invention, and the present invention is defined only by the scope of the claims. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification.

Hereinafter, a multi-light source CCTV camera with improved power efficiency and night surveillance performance according to embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a multi-light source CCTV camera according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a drawing showing one side of a housing in which an image acquisition unit and a multi-light source unit of a multi-light source CCTV camera according to an embodiment of the present invention are installed.

A multi-light source CCTV camera (100) is installed indoors or outdoors and performs video surveillance.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the multi-light source CCTV camera (100) of the present invention is configured to include an image acquisition unit (110), an image analysis unit (120), an illuminance sensor (130), a motion detection sensor (140), a multi-light source unit (150), a communication unit (160), a storage unit (170), and a control unit (180).

The image acquisition unit (110) can be installed in a housing configured to install various components of a multi-light source CCTV camera (100) (hereinafter referred to as “CCTV camera”) and serves to acquire external surveillance images.

The image acquisition unit (110) may be configured to include an optical lens and an image sensor, and may be arranged to be surrounded by a multi-light source unit (150) on the substrate of the housing as shown in FIG. 3.

The image analysis unit (120) analyzes the image acquired from the image acquisition unit (110) to determine the object.

Object detection can be performed using currently commercialized image analysis techniques such as feature point analysis, and the image analysis unit (120) can determine whether the object is a person, an animal, an insect, etc. based on the analyzed results. As will be described later, the CCTV camera (100) of the present invention can operate the white LED only when the object is determined to be a person.

The light sensor (130) is installed in the housing of the CCTV camera (100) and may be a CDS (Cadmium sulfide) sensor, which is widely used as a sensor for measuring the light level around the location where the CCTV camera (100) is installed.

The motion detection sensor (140) is installed in the housing of the CCTV camera (100) and detects the movement of objects around the location where the CCTV camera (100) is installed, and may be a PIR (Passive Infrared Sensor), etc.

The multi-light source unit (150) is installed on the substrate of the housing of the CCTV camera (100) and is configured to include an infrared LED (151), a first white LED (152) having a first color temperature, and a second white LED (153) having a color temperature higher than the first color temperature.

The infrared LED (151) is used to improve nighttime surveillance performance by operating when it is determined to be nighttime based on the illuminance value measured by the illuminance sensor (130).

The first white LED (152) and the second white LED (153) are types of white LEDs and have different color temperatures. Specifically, the second white LED (153) may have a higher color temperature value than the first white LED (152).

For example, the first white LED (152) may be a Warm White LED with a color temperature value of about 1000 to 3000K, and the second white LED (153) may be a Cool White LED with a color temperature value of about 4000 to 7000K.

However, this is only an example and is not limited to the above color temperature values. If the color temperature of the second white LED (153) has a higher value, an example in which the color temperature of the first white LED (152) has a value of about 3000 to 4000 K and the color temperature of the second white LED (153) has a color temperature value of about 5000 to 8000 K may also be possible.

The communication unit (160) serves to enable data transmission and reception between the CCTV camera (100) and an external device, and may enable data transmission and reception with an external server (not shown) connected to a network, for example.

The CCTV camera (100) can be configured to transmit information such as real-time video images or video images corresponding to a specific event when the event occurs to an external server through a communication unit (160) according to a preset algorithm.

The storage unit (170) serves to store video images, sensor values, and video analysis results obtained from the CCTV camera (100).

The control unit (180) controls the overall operation of the CCTV camera (100), and as an example, can control the operation of the multi-light source unit (150) based on object information determined by the image analysis unit (120) and measurement values of the light sensor (130) and the motion detection sensor (140).

Specifically, the control unit (180) turns on the infrared LED (151) when the illuminance value measured by the illuminance sensor (130) is within the range of the preset reference value and maximum value, and can adjust the output of the infrared LED (151) according to the preset first output step in response to the illuminance value.

That is, when the illuminance value, which is the criterion for entering the night mode, is set to 20% as in Table 1 above, when the illuminance value is 20% or higher, the infrared LED (151) turns on with an output intensity of 20%, and when the illuminance value increases to 50%, 75%, and 100%, the output of the infrared LED (151) can operate so that the output increases stepwise to 50%, 75%, and 100%.

In addition, the control unit (180) can adjust the output of the infrared LED (151) in a second output step set in advance in response to the illuminance value when the movement of an object is detected by the motion detection sensor (140) and the object determined by the image analysis unit (120) is a person.

That is, when both conditions of motion detection and human recognition are satisfied as in Table 1 above, the output of the infrared LED (151) can be increased to 50%, 75%, 100%, and 100%, which are greater outputs than the basic operation mode.

As described above, by controlling the output of the infrared LED (151), unnecessary power consumption can be minimized by controlling the output in stages according to the illuminance value in the basic operation mode and enhanced operation mode in which no person is detected.

In addition, the output is not increased simply by detecting motion from a motion detection sensor (140) such as a PIR sensor, but when the image analysis unit (120) determines that an object is a person, the enhanced motion mode is entered, thereby preventing the device from frequently entering the enhanced motion mode even when moving surrounding objects other than people, thereby improving the reliability and power efficiency of the operation.

At this time, the control unit (180) may be configured to control the on/off of the infrared LED (151) by comparing the average value of the illuminance value measured by the illuminance sensor (130) over a preset standard time period with the above-described standard value.

The reason for controlling the on/off of the infrared LED (151) based on the average value for a preset standard time period (e.g., 3 to 5 minutes) is that, by not reacting when the illuminance value increases or decreases momentarily, such as when the headlights of a car or a temporary flash occurs, but reacting based on the average value for a certain standard time period, it is possible to prevent an increase in failure and power consumption due to an increase in unnecessary on/off operations.

In addition, the control unit (180) can adjust the output of the first white LED (152) to a third output step preset in response to the illuminance value when the motion detection sensor (140) does not detect the object's movement, and when the motion detection sensor (140) detects the object's movement and the image analysis unit (120) determines that the object is a person, the control unit (180) can adjust the output of the first white LED (152) to a fourth output step preset in response to the illuminance value.

That is, for example, as shown in Table 2 above, the output of the first white LED (152) is adjusted by preset steps (four steps in Table 2) corresponding to the illuminance value, and the output can be adjusted to 0%, 20%, 35%, 50% and 25%, 50%, 75%, 100% when motion is not detected and when motion is detected and a person is recognized, respectively.

In addition, the image analysis unit (110) is configured to analyze the image acquired from the image acquisition unit (110) to determine whether a specific event has occurred, and the control unit (180) can turn on the second white LED (143) when the motion detection sensor (140) detects movement of an object, the object determined by the image analysis unit (120) is a person, and the image analysis unit (120) determines that a specific event has occurred.

At this time, the output of the second white LED (153) can be set to a maximum value of 100%.

By controlling the output of the first white LED (152) and the second white LED (153) as shown in Table 2 above, the output of the first white LED (152) and the second white LED (153) is controlled in stages in response to each of the three cases of no motion being detected, motion detection and human recognition, and motion detection, human recognition, and event detection, thereby sufficiently securing the nighttime surveillance image quality while minimizing power consumption.

Meanwhile, unlike Table 2, the intensity of the output of the second white LED (153) can be adjusted in response to the size of the object.

That is, the image analysis unit (120) is configured to be able to calculate the distribution ratio of the area occupied by a person in the image image when the determined object is a person, and the control unit (180) can be configured to be able to adjust the output of the second white LED to a larger value as the value of the distribution ratio decreases based on the calculated distribution ratio.

FIG. 3 shows an example screen in which the brightness of the second white LED (153) of a multi-light source CCTV camera according to one embodiment of the present invention is adjusted according to the distribution range of an object.

That is, when an object is determined to be a person as in FIG. 3, the ratio of the distribution area of the part of the video image determined to be a person is calculated, and when the value of the distribution ratio is high, the object is close as in FIG. 3a, so the value of the second white LED (153) can be set to 50%, and when the value of the distribution ratio is low, the object is far as in FIG. 3b, so the value of the second white LED (153) can be adjusted to 100%.

In addition, the video analysis unit (120) determining whether a specific event occurs means determining whether an emergency situation occurs, such as when a person falls or when a specific person is assaulted, and this can be performed by analyzing the shape, such as the outline of an object in a video image, and, if necessary, can also be determined by further referring to sound data received by a microphone installed in a CCTV camera (100).

FIG. 4 is a flowchart explaining the operation of a multi-light source CCTV camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the CCTV camera (100) of the present invention obtains a video image from the sensor values of the light sensor (130) and the motion detection sensor (140) and the image acquisition unit (110) (S410).

The control unit (180) determines whether night mode has been entered based on the illuminance value of the illuminance sensor (130) (S420).

If it is determined that the night mode has been entered in step S420, the output of the infrared LED (151) is determined based on the illuminance value and operated accordingly (S430).

That is, the control unit (180) operates the infrared LED (151) in response to the illuminance value in the basic operation mode based on the illuminance value.

Next, the control unit (180) determines whether motion has been detected based on the measurement value from the motion detection sensor (140) (S440).

If motion is detected in step S440, the output of the first white LED (152) is determined and operated accordingly (S450).

In this case, since human recognition has not yet occurred, the infrared LED (151) operates in the basic operation mode, and the first white LED (152) operates in the basic operation mode.

Next, the control unit (180) determines whether the object is recognized as a person based on the analysis results of the image analysis unit (120) (S460).

If the object is recognized as a person in step S460, the control unit (180) determines the output of the first white LED (152) and operates accordingly (S470).

In this case, since motion recognition and human recognition have been achieved, the first white LED (152) is operated in the reinforced operation mode with an increased output, and at the same time, the infrared LED (151) is also operated in the reinforced operation mode.

Next, the control unit (180) determines whether a specific event set in advance has occurred based on the analysis results of the image analysis unit (120) (S480).

If it is determined that a specific event has occurred in step S480, the control unit (180) determines the output of the second white LED (153) and operates accordingly (S470).

In this case, the control unit (180) can set the output of the second white LED (153) to the maximum value or adjust the output according to the ratio of the distribution range of the detected object, i.e., person.

As shown in FIG. 4, by controlling the on/off and output values of the infrared LED (151), the first white LED (152), and the second white LED (153) by dividing them into each stage: when motion is not detected (stage a), when motion is detected and a person is recognized (stage b), and when motion is detected, a person is recognized, and an event is detected (stage c), it is possible to sufficiently secure nighttime surveillance performance while maximizing power efficiency. In addition, when only motion is detected, it does not react, and only when both motion detection and a person are recognized, it enters the enhanced operation mode so that frequent mode switching according to the existing PIR sensor value does not occur, thereby improving the durability of the CCTV camera (110).

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be implemented in other specific forms without changing its technical idea or essential characteristics. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are exemplary in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims described below rather than the detailed description above, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalent concepts should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

100: Multi-light source CCTV camera 110: Image acquisition unit
120: Image analysis unit 130: Light sensor
140: Motion detection sensor 150: Multi-light source
151: Infrared LED 152: First white LED
153: 2nd white LED 160: Communication section
170: Storage 180: Control

Claims (9)

housing;
An image acquisition unit installed in the above housing to acquire surveillance images;
An image analysis unit that analyzes the image acquired from the image acquisition unit to determine the object;
A light sensor installed in the above housing to measure illuminance;
A motion detection sensor installed in the above housing to detect movement of an object;
A multi-light source unit installed in the housing and comprising an infrared LED, a first white LED having a first color temperature, and a second white LED having a color temperature higher than the first color temperature; and
It includes a control unit that controls the operation of the multi-light source unit based on the object information determined by the image analysis unit and the measurement values of the light sensor and the motion detection sensor.
The above image analysis unit is configured to analyze the image acquired from the image acquisition unit to determine whether a specific event has occurred, and if the determined object is a person, to calculate the distribution ratio of the area occupied by the person in the image.
The above control unit,
When the illuminance value measured by the above illuminance sensor is within the range of the preset reference value and maximum value, the infrared LED is turned on, and the output of the infrared LED is adjusted by the preset first output step in response to the illuminance value.
When the movement of an object is detected by the above motion detection sensor and the object determined by the image analysis unit is a person, the output of the infrared LED is adjusted according to the second output step set in advance in response to the illuminance value.
Adjusting the output of the first white LED in a preset third output step in response to the illuminance value,
If the motion detection sensor detects the movement of an object and the image analysis unit determines that the object is a person, the output of the first white LED is adjusted according to the preset fourth output step in response to the illuminance value.
If the motion detection sensor detects the movement of an object, the image analysis unit determines that the object is a person, and the image analysis unit determines that a specific event has occurred, the second white LED is turned on.
A multi-light source CCTV camera characterized in that the output of the second white LED is adjusted more significantly as the value of the distribution ratio gets smaller based on the calculated distribution ratio.
In the first paragraph,
A multi-light source CCTV camera, characterized in that the output of the second output stage of the infrared LED corresponding to the same illuminance value is set to be greater than the output of the first output stage.
In the first paragraph,
A multi-light source CCTV camera, characterized in that the color temperature of the first white LED has a value of 1000K to 3000K, and the color temperature of the second white LED has a value of 4000K to 7000K.
In the first paragraph,
A multi-light source CCTV camera characterized in that the above motion detection sensor is a PIR sensor.
In the first paragraph,
A multi-light source CCTV camera, characterized in that the control unit controls the on/off of the infrared LED by comparing the average value of the illuminance value measured by the illuminance sensor over a preset standard time period with the reference value.
delete In the first paragraph,
A multi-light source CCTV camera, characterized in that the output of the fourth output stage of the first white LED for the same illuminance value is set to be greater than the output of the third output stage.
delete delete