KR20050064438A - Computer apparatus for monitoring service using network camera and the operating method therefore - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a computer device for a surveillance service using a network camera and a method of operating the device.

The present invention, in view of the problems of the prior art, by using a network camera, the Internet network and a public server provides a surveillance system that enables each user to monitor in a clear picture quality at a low cost and easy search of the recording screen To provide a computer device and an operating method by the computer device.

Description

Computer Apparatus For Monitoring Service Using Network Camera And The Operating Method Therefore

The present invention relates to a computer device for a surveillance service using a network camera and a method of operating the device.

Conventional surveillance method is analog method, and at least one camera is installed in the place where you want to monitor, and coaxial cable displays analog video signals corresponding to each place from these cameras on the monitor in the remote monitoring room. Or by recording on an analog VCR, the security guard monitors in real time through the monitor and retrieves past monitored screens through the recorded screens later.

However, this analog surveillance method requires a coaxial cable connection between all cameras and monitors and VCRs in the surveillance room to minimize analog video signal attenuation and deterioration. This necessitates significant cable costs. In particular, since the signal is transmitted to the monitoring room in the remote area, the signal attenuation occurs, and the video signal reaching the monitoring room is often deteriorated, and the recording of the analog VCR causes the aging of the VCR. And because of the deterioration of the video tape, the picture quality at the time of recording is also not clear. After a considerable period of time after recording, the recorded picture quality deteriorates considerably. . In addition, since it is often necessary to record the multi-channel video signals from multiple cameras to a single VCR, in this case, a device for sequentially switching the video signals coming into the multi-channel at the front of the VCR is needed. During playback, the location is continuously changed due to the sequential switching, making it difficult to search.

In order to solve the problems caused by the analog recording, another conventional technique uses a DVR device (a kind of computer, which stores data on a hard disk, etc.) integrating a capture board and a storage device to digitally store recording. The same surveillance system is used.

In the method as shown in FIG. 1, the analog video signal from the camera is converted to digital in a multi-channel capture board, and the digital video signal is stored in the storage device, so that the image quality during recording can be maintained continuously. The search becomes easy.

However, in the prior art as shown in FIG. 1, since an analog signal is connected between the camera and the capture board, an expensive coaxial cable has to be used since the video signal is transmitted to the DVR device in an analog manner. Since the video signal is already attenuated or deteriorated, the image quality cannot still be clear even if the attenuated or deteriorated analog video signal is recorded on the DVR. In particular, the price of the capture board depends largely on the price of the built-in analog-to-digital converter (ADC). As the number of cameras increases, a single high-performance ADC or multiple ADCs must be used to cover the increased number of channels. As the number of cameras increases, the price of the capture board increases exponentially, which significantly increases the overall installation cost.

The present invention, in view of the problems of the prior art, using a plurality of network cameras, the Internet network and a common server monitoring system that each user can monitor in a clear picture quality at a low cost and can easily search the recording screen To provide a computer device and an operating method by the computer device.

Recently, as shown in FIG. 2, a PC, a capture board, a network card, a sound card, a so-called network camera incorporating the functions of a camera into one device has been developed and commercially available by the present applicant. The analog video signal from the camera is converted to digital by a capture board (capable of low cost because only one camera is used), and compressed by the built-in compression software, so that the amount of data transmitted while maintaining a high quality video signal It is a device that can transmit digital video data to a desired place through a network by minimizing it.It can be installed in a desired place by supplying only a cable and power without a separate peripheral device such as a PC. Can be monitored. Particularly, the network camera of the present applicant compresses a video signal using MPEG4 technology, and has a high compression ratio (50: 1), a bidirectional communication of an audio signal, and a terminal for connecting various sensors (motion detection, heat detection sensor, etc.). It can provide alarms when abnormal signs are detected and send a text message to a mobile phone. Applicants' network cameras are described in more detail at the Internet address www.netcodec.com.

3, the configuration and operation of a surveillance system for the present invention applicable to a plurality of users using such a network camera will be described.

First, the network cameras 1-1 to 1-N are installed for each installation place desired by a specific user USER1. Then, the network cameras 1-1, ... 1-N are connected to each input port of the hub 2 by wire or wireless method through a conventional low-cost cable (for example, a telephone line for the Internet). do. Then, the output port of the hub 2 is connected with a normal cable to a nearby Internet line (eg, telephone line, VDSL, ADSL) by wire. With this installation, the network cameras 1-1, ..., 1-N are ready to transmit digital video data via the Internet.

The server 3 in the surveillance service company stores the image coming through the network cameras 1-1 to 1-N in the storage device 4 together with the index and storage time for the camera installation site.

As described above, images from network cameras installed at a desired place by a plurality of users USER are stored in the storage device 4 of the server 3 of the service company via the Internet.

Now, we will see how a particular user can monitor the image stored in the storage device 4 of the server 3 of the surveillance service company.

 When a specific user wants to monitor the place where the network camera is installed, he / she connects to the monitoring service company's server (3) through the Internet through the Internet-enabled means (5) (laptop PC, notebook PC, PDA, mobile phone, etc.) When the menu provided by the server 3 is selected, the server 3 transmits the surveillance image according to the selected menu to the Internet means 5 of the user and can be monitored through the display device (CRT monitor, LCD monitor, etc.). Done. Here, the selection menu may be, for example, camera selection, monitoring time selection, split screen monitoring, and the like.

Now, how the above-described monitoring system is applied and how to receive the monitoring service of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

First, each user (person, company, etc.) USER accesses the server 3 of the surveillance service company via the Internet via means 5 (desktop PC, laptop, PDA, mobile phone, etc.) capable of internet (S1). Proceed with the subscription procedure for service provision (S2). In this sign-up process, the user (USER) inputs personal information (subscriber's name, address, contact information, etc.), the number of cameras to be installed and the place of installation, the fee system (monthly contract, service hourly contract, etc.), payment method, data Specify the storage period.

Now, at the time of the employee's visit to the service company for the installation of the surveillance system as described below or how to download the relevant software that can monitor the image data transmitted or stored from the camera in real time on the server (3) The related software is installed in the Internet-capable means 4 through a method such as installation by this employee (S3).

Here, the software may be dedicated software, or may be web-based software that provides a homepage service from the server 3 to monitor the current screen and the recorded screen of its camera on this homepage. Using the software, each user can access their homepage with their own Internet Explorer to view their installed cameras and recorded screens. Of course, subscribers subscribed to other homepage services can install the web-based software on their homepage to monitor current camera screens and recorded screens.

In this way, after the registration procedure and software installation, the monitoring service company dispatches an employee to install the monitoring system as shown in Figure 3 in the place designated by the subscriber (S4).

After the installation of the surveillance system, the server 3 stores the image data received from the network cameras 1 in the storage device 4 of the server 3 together with the subscriber name, the camera number, and the storage time (S5). .

When the subscriber wants to monitor the images from the cameras corresponding to the subscriber, the subscriber runs the software in the Internet-enabled means 5 and accesses the server 3 to perform the subscriber verification procedure (S6). When the subscriber is confirmed as the subscriber in this confirmation procedure, the subscriber selects various menu functions such as real-time screen or stored screen monitoring, network camera selection, monitoring time selection, single screen monitoring or split screen monitoring (S7). This option is transmitted to the server 3 and the corresponding image data is transmitted from the server 3, and each network camera is displayed in real time by the display device (CRT monitor, LCD monitor, etc.) of the Internet-enabled means 4. Monitor the image transmitted from or to monitor the stored image (S8).

By using the monitoring service as described above, each subscriber can store the video data in the common server 3 to reduce the cost of installing and maintaining his own DVR, and the surveillance system can be borrowed for a certain period of time. The initial cost of installation can be reduced, and the digital image stored in the server (3) is converted into a digital signal from the network camera to monitor the vivid image quality, and the screen can be easily searched. .

In addition, the surveillance service company can generate revenue through more subscribers.

Now, an example in which the business method of the present invention is applied to various uses will be described.

In the conventional surveillance system, the camera and the recording apparatus main body installed in the surveillance region must be in the same region, but the surveillance system of the present invention may be far from the camera and the recording apparatus. For example, a surveillance system can be configured in such a way that surveillance cameras are in their factories and servers are in their own homes.

Cameras can also be monitored in a single surveillance system even when they are not physically in the same space. For example, when a user configures a surveillance system for monitoring a factory in Seoul, Paris, New York, etc., three independent DVR systems are required. However, the present invention can be configured as one surveillance system.

The present invention can be used not only for a simple monitoring system but also for live broadcasting on the Internet, and can be used for various events such as public relations, school promotion, and tourism. For example, if a network camera is installed in each stadium of a major league or a golf course where a PGA or LPGA is in progress and connected to the Internet, the screen of the camera is transferred directly to a server connected to the Internet network. This screen can be recorded, and the screen can be relayed to each user connected to the server in real time, or the recorded screen can be viewed. In this case, the announcer and the commentator's voice may be attached and relayed and stored.

When a network camera is installed in a place where public relations is required, such as a school or a tourist spot, and the Internet is connected, the screen and voice of the place are transmitted to a server, so that the user of the server or the tourist spot often sees the screen of the school or tourist spot. Can be. Of course, if the camera is equipped with a PAN / TILT, the user connected to the server can control the time of the video screen from time to time. Publicity is suitable for schools, tourist destinations, government offices, various shops, and live broadcasts are suitable for various sports, go, weddings, events, various performances, concerts, and the like.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, it should be noted that the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, but various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention described above.

For example, the above has been described a case in which the service of the present invention is provided for a fee, but a case in which the service is provided for free or at a lower fee is also possible. For example, an advertiser may be recruited to provide a monitoring service to the subscriber at no cost or at a lower fee on condition that the subscriber views the advertisement. In this case, the server 3 stores the advertisement screen. When the subscriber selects such a service condition, the server 3 transmits the advertisement to the Internet means together with the monitoring screen data, and the monitoring apparatus displays the monitoring screen. Allow this ad to appear in the margins except for the part.

Finally, if the network camera developed by the applicant has a terminal for installing various sensors (motion sensor, heat sensor), and a small microphone and speaker capable of inputting / outputting voice, the person suspicious by these sensors The detection result is delivered to the server, and the server sends the mobile phone number and message stored in advance to the mobile phone service company. The informed user can immediately monitor the screen of the surveillance area through the client program in an internet-enabled place (monitoring room, PC room, game room, etc.) and if there is still a chipper such as a thief in the monitoring area, Send your alert to the speakers installed in the surveillance camera. You can give a warning.

If the monitoring service as described above, the subscriber can store the video data in the common server (3), the cost of installing and maintaining the original DVR is reduced, and the monitoring system can be borrowed for a certain period of time to install the monitoring system. The huge initial cost required can be reduced, and the digital camera converts the digital signal from the network camera to monitor the digital image stored in the server 3, so that the monitor can be monitored with a clear screen and the screen can be easily searched.

In addition, the surveillance service company can generate revenue through more subscribers.

1 is a monitoring system according to the prior art

2 is a configuration diagram of a network camera used in the present invention

3 is a block diagram of a surveillance system using a network camera according to the present invention

4 is a flowchart of a monitoring service method according to the present invention;

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

1: network camera

2: hub

3: server

4: storage means

5: Internet enabled means

Claims (11)

Receiving and storing digital images from a plurality of network cameras through the Internet; And transmitting the stored image to the internet-capable means when the internet-enabled means requests the stored image by accessing the internet for monitoring the stored image. Treatment method. The computer for monitoring service using a network camera according to claim 1, further comprising the step of a user connecting to the computer device and subscribing to the service using an internet-capable means for providing the monitoring service. Method of treatment of the device. The method according to claim 2, wherein in the joining step, the user inputs personal information, the number of network cameras to be installed, and selects a fare system. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the user further inputs a payment method and an image data storage period in the subscribing step. The method of claim 1, wherein the surveillance service is for live streaming to the Internet. The method of claim 1, wherein the surveillance service is for promotion of a specific place. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer device stores an advertisement screen and stores and transmits the advertisement screen for transmitting the advertisement screen to the user's Internet-enabled means if the fee system selected by the user is watching the advertisement screen. Processing method of a computer device for monitoring service using a network camera, characterized in that it further comprises. 2. The processing according to claim 1, further comprising the step of: sending a text message to said cellular phone number using a previously stored cellular phone number and a text message according to the abnormal symptom detection signal attached to said network camera. A method of processing a computer device for a surveillance service using a network camera, characterized in that it further comprises the step of. Receiving the stored image by connecting to the Internet for monitoring the stored image from the monitoring service computer device for receiving and storing digital images from a plurality of network cameras over the Internet A method of processing an internet enabled device for monitoring using a network camera. An apparatus for receiving and storing digital images from a plurality of network cameras through the Internet; And an apparatus for transmitting the stored image to the internet-capable means when the internet-enabled means requests the stored image by accessing the internet for monitoring the stored image. And a device for receiving the stored images by connecting to the Internet for monitoring the stored images from a monitoring service computer device for receiving and storing digital images from a plurality of network cameras through the Internet. Internet-enabled device for monitoring with a network camera.