KR101656601B1 - Imaging device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an image capturing apparatus, and an image capturing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is an image capturing apparatus for capturing a moving image in a rolling shutter system. The image capturing apparatus includes an image sensor for sequentially acquiring image signals for each line, A camera module including an image processor for generating a frame and a timing controller for transmitting a timing signal corresponding to an exposure time interval of a predetermined number of consecutive lines; A plurality of light sources for outputting illumination; And a strobe controller for sequentially controlling the flashing of each of the plurality of light sources in accordance with the timing signal so that substantially the same amount of light is continuously provided.

Description

[0001] IMAGING DEVICE [0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus, and more particularly, to a rolling shutter type image pickup apparatus.

Generally, there are two types of methods in which a camera acquires an image: a rolling shutter type and a global shutter type. Generally, the global shutter method uses a CCD image sensor to acquire an entire image at once, which is slow and costly because it processes the entire image at a time. On the other hand, the rolling shutter system acquires an image signal line by line using a CMOS image sensor, and sequentially acquires an image for each line of the entire image to generate an image sequentially. Since the rolling shutter method acquires image signals on a line-by-line basis, image distortion occurs when moving objects are photographed. CMOS image sensors are inexpensive because they are inexpensive and have recently been used in CCTVs because of improved image distortion due to improved performance of image processing processors.

In the case of acquiring an image using the rolling shutter method or photographing a moving image, the illuminance is provided using a light source in the case where illumination is required because the ambient illuminance is low particularly at night. In a method of receiving illumination using a light source, a method of continuously receiving illumination using a single light source is mainly used. In this case, overload or overheating occurs in the light source, which shortens the life of the light source.

An object of the present invention is to provide an imaging device which continuously outputs illumination with a constant amount of light while preventing overheating of the light source.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims .

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image pickup apparatus for picking up a moving image in a rolling shutter mode, comprising: an image sensor for sequentially acquiring line-by-line image signals; an image processor for processing the image signal to generate an image frame; A camera module including a timing controller for transmitting a timing signal corresponding to an exposure time interval of successive lines; A plurality of light sources for outputting illumination; And a strobe controller for sequentially controlling the flashing of each of the plurality of light sources in accordance with the timing signal so that substantially the same amount of light is continuously provided.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image pickup apparatus for picking up moving images in a rolling shutter mode, comprising: an image sensor for sequentially acquiring line-by-line image signals; an image processor for processing the image signal to generate an image frame; A camera module including a timing controller for transmitting a timing signal corresponding to a time interval; A first illumination and a second illumination for outputting illumination; And a strobe controller for complementarily lighting the first illumination and the second illumination with each other in accordance with the timing signal so that substantially the same amount of light is continuously supplied.

It is to be understood that the solution of the problem of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned solutions, and the solutions which are not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs It will be possible.

According to the present invention, by sequentially flashing a plurality of lights, it is possible to obtain an image of uniform quality by continuously providing constant brightness while preventing overheating of the illumination.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and the effects not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

1 is a block diagram of an image pickup apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a diagram illustrating signal processing of a camera module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a diagram illustrating signal processing of a strobe controller according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a diagram illustrating image processing according to a rolling shutter system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating lighting blinking according to the timing signal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
6 is a diagram of image processing for omitting the first or last line according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating lighting blinking according to a timing signal according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating lighting blinking according to the timing signal according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating lighting blinking according to a timing signal according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating lighting blinking according to a timing signal according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a flowchart of image processing for omitting exception lines according to an embodiment of the present invention.
12 is a diagram illustrating an operation for deactivating a failed light source according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 13 is a diagram for recognizing a car number according to an embodiment of the present invention.
14 is a flowchart of a car number identification method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to be illustrative of the present invention and not to limit the scope of the invention. Should be interpreted to include modifications or variations that do not depart from the spirit of the invention.

Although the terms used in the present invention have been selected in consideration of the functions of the present invention, they are generally used in general terms. However, the present invention is not limited to the intention of the person skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs . However, if a specific term is defined as an arbitrary meaning, the meaning of the term will be described separately. Accordingly, the terms used herein should be interpreted based on the actual meaning of the term rather than on the name of the term, and on the content throughout the description.

The drawings attached hereto are intended to illustrate the present invention easily, and the shapes shown in the drawings may be exaggerated and displayed as necessary in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and thus the present invention is not limited to the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a detailed description of known configurations or functions related to the present invention will be omitted when it is determined that the gist of the present invention may be obscured.

In the present specification, a description of a configuration obvious to a person skilled in the art such as a power supply unit and a storage unit will be omitted as necessary.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image pickup apparatus for picking up a moving image in a rolling shutter mode, comprising: an image sensor for sequentially acquiring line-by-line image signals; an image processor for processing the image signal to generate an image frame; A camera module including a timing controller for transmitting a timing signal corresponding to an exposure time interval of successive lines; A plurality of light sources for outputting illumination; And a strobe controller for sequentially controlling the flashing of each of the plurality of light sources in accordance with the timing signal so that substantially the same amount of light is continuously provided.

The strobe controller may control the plurality of light sources to alternately emit light.

Further, the strobe controller may control the two or more light sources of the plurality of light sources to output lights at the same time.

The timing signal may correspond to an exposure time interval of an entire line belonging to the image frame.

The timing signal may correspond to an exposure time interval of an entire line belonging to at least two of the image frames.

The timing signal may correspond to an exposure time of a number of lines smaller than the total number of lines belonging to the image frame.

The image processor of claim 1, wherein the image processor is capable of generating the image except for at least one of the first line or the last line of the lines.

The image processor may generate the image by excluding a line having a brightness higher than a predetermined brightness among the lines.

And a car number recognition processor for analyzing the image and recognizing a car number included in one area of the image.

The vehicle identification processor may be provided integrally with the camera module.

The light source may be deactivated when the ambient illuminance is equal to or lower than a predetermined illuminance.

The strobe controller may sequentially control the blinking of the remaining light sources except for the fixed omnidirectional light source when there is a defective light source among the light sources.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image pickup apparatus for picking up moving images in a rolling shutter mode, comprising: an image sensor for sequentially acquiring line-by-line image signals; an image processor for processing the image signal to generate an image frame; A camera module including a timing controller for transmitting a timing signal corresponding to a time interval; A first illumination and a second illumination for outputting illumination; And a strobe controller for complementarily lighting the first illumination and the second illumination with each other in accordance with the timing signal so that substantially the same amount of light is continuously supplied.

In the present invention, the image should be interpreted in a generic sense including both still images obtained by photographing with a camera, and image frames of a moving image photographed through a camcorder and a CCTV.

Hereinafter, an image sensing apparatus 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

1 is a block diagram of an image sensing apparatus 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1, the image sensing apparatus 1000 may include a camera module 1200, a light source 1400, a strobe controller 1450, an illuminance sensor 1600, and a vehicle identification processor 1800. The camera module 1200 can generate an image in a rolling shutter manner, and the light source 1400 can provide illumination required for the camera module 1200 to take an image. The strobe controller 1450 can receive the timing signal from the camera module 1200 and control the light source 1400 based on the timing signal. The illuminance sensor 1600 can sense ambient illuminance. The car number recognition processor 1800 can recognize the car number from the image generated by the camera module 1200.

The camera module 1200 can generate an image for an external background, an object, a person, and the like in a rolling shutter manner. Here, the rolling shutter method may be a photographing method in which an entire image is composed of a plurality of lines by a photographing method using a CMOS image sensor, and images for each line are sequentially obtained.

The camera module 1200 may include an image sensor 1220, an image processor 1240 and a timing controller 1260. Specifically, the image sensor 1220 can sequentially acquire image signals for an external background, object, person, etc. line by line, and the image processor 1240 can process line-by-line image signals to generate image frames therefrom . The timing controller 1260 may generate a timing signal for controlling the light source 1400 and transmit the timing signal to the strobe controller 1450 to provide the illumination required for the image sensor 1220 to acquire the image signal. Wherein the timing signal may be a signal corresponding to an exposure time interval of a predetermined number of consecutive lines of the total lines constituting the image frame. In one example, when the lines constituting the image frame are four lines, the timing signal may be a signal corresponding to the time required for the four lines to acquire the image signal. As another example, the timing signal may be a signal corresponding to the time required to acquire the image signal of two lines out of the four lines constituting the image frame. In yet another example, the timing signal may be a signal corresponding to the time required to acquire an image signal of four lines constituting two image frames.

A more detailed description of each configuration of the camera module 1200 will be described later.

The light source 1400 may be provided in the form of an LED, a halogen lamp, an OLED, or the like, in order to provide illumination to the camera module 1200. The light source 1400 may be composed of two or more light sources 1400. The light source 14000 may be provided as a part of the camera module 1200 or may be provided separately from the camera module 1200. [ The light source 1400 may be positioned proximate the image sensor 1220 to provide the illumination required for the image sensor 1220 to acquire the image signal and the plurality of light sources may be symmetric about the image sensor 1220 Can be located. For example, if there are two light sources 1400, the light source 1400 may be located one on the left and one on the right side of the image sensor 1220. In another example, when there are two light sources 1400, the light sources 1400 may be positioned one above the image sensor 1220 and one below.

The strobe controller 1450 can sequentially control the blinking of each of the plurality of light sources in accordance with the timing signal received from the camera module 1200. [ According to one example, when there are two light sources, the strobe controller 1450 can sequentially flash the two light sources according to the timing signal received from the camera module 1200. That is, the strobe controller 1450 can control the light source 1400 so that one of the two light sources flickers and the next light source flickers repeatedly.

A more detailed description of the operation of the strobe controller 1450 will be described later.

The illuminance sensor 1600 may be a sensor capable of detecting the ambient illuminance and may be a sensor capable of sensing the amount of ambient light. The illuminance sensor 1600 may be a sensor capable of converting the amount of ambient light into an electrical signal and transmitting the illuminated light. In this case, the illuminance sensor 1600 may be provided as a CSD cell, a photodiode, and a phototransistor.

The illuminance sensor 1600 may transmit an electrical signal for the amount of ambient light to at least one of the camera module 1200, the light source 1400, the strobe controller 1450, and the controller (not shown).

In addition, the illuminance sensor 1600 may be electrically connected between the light source 1400 and the strobe controller 1450 to serve as a switch. For example, the illuminance sensor 1600 is electrically connected between the light source 1400 and the strobe controller 1450 to control the light source 1400 and the strobe controller 1450 to be electrically connected when the ambient illuminance is high, When the ambient illuminance is low, the light source 1400 and the strobe controller 1450 can be controlled to be electrically disconnected.

In the above description, the illuminance sensor 1600 is implemented in the form of a sensor that outputs the amount of ambient light as an electrical signal. Alternatively, the illuminance sensor 1600 may be used as a program or an application It may be implemented in the form of internal software.

The illuminance sensor 1600 provided in this type of software can check the brightness value from the image signal or image frame acquired or generated by the camera module 1200, and determine the illuminance according to the brightness. For example, when the image processor 1240 receives the image signal and confirms the brightness of the received image signal, it determines that the illumination is unnecessary when the brightness is equal to or higher than the brightness corresponding to the predetermined illuminance, , It can be determined that illumination is necessary. The image processor 1240 may transmit a signal corresponding to the determination result to at least one of the camera module 1200, the light source 1400, the strobe controller 1450, and the controller (not shown), and the light source 1400 and the strobe controller 1450 to act as a switch.

Car number recognition processor 1800 can receive image frames from camera module 1200 and obtain vehicle numbers from image frames. When the car number is included in the image frame, the car number recognition processor 1800 acquires the car number from the image frame, converts the car number into data, (Not shown) connected to the vehicle identification processor 1800 and may be transmitted to an external electronic device connected to the vehicle identification processor 1800.

A more detailed description of the operation of the vehicle identification processor 1800 will be given later.

Hereinafter, each component of the camera module 1200 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail.

2 is a diagram illustrating signal processing of a camera module 1200 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2, the camera module 1200 may include an image sensor 1220, an image processor 1240, and a timing controller 1260. The image sensor 1220 acquires an image signal for each line of the entire image frame, and the image processor 1240 processes the image signal to generate an image frame, and the timing controller 1260 acquires a predetermined number of consecutive lines of exposure The timing signal corresponding to the time interval can be transmitted.

The image sensor 1220 can sequentially acquire an image signal for a predetermined number of lines, and may be a CMOS image sensor as a representative example.

The image sensor 1220 can acquire image signals for a predetermined number of lines. For example, the image sensor 1220 may acquire image signals for five lines. The image sensor 1220 can acquire an image signal for a predetermined number of lines at the time of production and receives a signal for an image signal acquisition line from a control unit (not shown) Lt; / RTI >

The image sensor 1220 can sequentially acquire image signals for a predetermined number of lines. For example, when the image sensor 1220 acquires an image signal for five lines, the image sensor 1220 can acquire image signals sequentially from the first line to the fifth line.

The image sensor 1220 may transmit the acquired image signal to the image processor 1240. The image sensor 1220 may acquire an image signal line by line and sequentially transmit the sequentially acquired image signals to the image processor 1240. [ For example, when the image sensor 1220 acquires an image signal for five lines, the image sensor 1220 transmits the image signal for the first line to the image processor 1240, The third line, the fourth line, and the fifth line, to the image processor 1240.

The operation of the image sensor 1220 to acquire the image signal and the operation to transmit the image signal to the image processor 1240 can be performed separately. For example, the image sensor 1220 may acquire an image signal for the second line while transmitting the image signal for the first line to the image processor 1240, and the image signal for the third and fourth lines, Can be obtained.

Image processor 1240 may receive an image signal from image sensor 1220 and process the image signal to generate an image frame.

The image processor 1240 may sequentially receive the image signal from the image sensor 1220 and process the image signal to generate an image frame when the predetermined number of lines of the image signal is received. For example, the image processor 1240 sequentially receives the image signals from the first line to the fifth line, receives the image signal of the fifth line, processes the image from the first line to the fifth line, An image frame can be generated.

The image processor 1240 may also receive the image signals sequentially from the image sensor 1220 and process the received image signals to generate image frames. For example, the image processor 1240 receives the image signal for the first line from the image sensor 1220, processes the image signal for the first line, and outputs the area corresponding to the first line of the image frame And may receive the image signal for the second line, process the image signal for the second line, and output the area corresponding to the first line of the image frame. That is, the image processor 1240 may generate one image frame at a time by generating one image frame by line, thereby generating one image frame.

The image processor 1240 may store the generated image frame in a separate storage unit (not shown) and may transmit the image frame to the vehicle identification processor 1800. The image processor 1240 can also transmit image frames generated by an external electronic device connected to the camera module. At this time, the image processor 1240 can transmit an image frame generated by an external electronic device through a separate communication unit (not shown) included in the camera module 1200.

The timing controller 1260 can transmit a timing signal corresponding to an exposure time interval of a predetermined number of consecutive lines to the strobe controller 1450. [ The timing signal may be a signal corresponding to an exposure time interval of a predetermined number of consecutive lines of the total lines constituting the image frame. In addition, the timing signal may be a signal corresponding to the time required to acquire the image signal for the entire line or some lines constituting the image frame. For example, the timing signal may be a signal corresponding to the time it takes for the image sensor 1220 to acquire an image signal for the five lines making up the image frame, and for another example, May correspond to the time required to acquire the image signal for two lines out of the five lines constituting the image frame.

Also, the timing signal may be a signal for the blink period of each of the plurality of light sources 1400. In other words, the timing signal may be a signal for a time at which each of the plurality of light sources 1400 starts lighting, a time at which light is maintained, and a time at which light is extinguished, The time to maintain the lighting corresponds to the number of lines of the image frame or the time required to acquire the image signal of the entire line of the image frame, At the end of the process.

The timing controller 1260 can send timing signals for each of the plurality of light sources to the strobe controller 1450. For example, when the light source is composed of the first light source 1402 and the second light source 1404, The timing controller 1260 can separate the timing signal for the first light source 1402 and the timing signal for the second light source 1404 and send them to the strobe controller 1450.

Hereinafter, the operation of the strobe controller 1450 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail.

3 is a diagram illustrating signal processing of the strobe controller 1450 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the strobe controller 1450 may be connected to the camera module 1200 and the light source 1400. The strobe controller 1450 may further include an interface unit (not shown) for connecting the camera module 1200 and the light source 1400.

The strobe controller 1450 can receive the timing signal from the camera module 1200. [

The strobe controller 1450 receives the timing signal from the camera module 1200 according to a predetermined period, and controls the light source 1400 in accordance with the timing signal.

The strobe controller 1450 can sequentially control the blinking of each of the plurality of light sources 1400 according to the timing signal so that substantially the same amount of light is continuously supplied. For example, the strobe controller 1450 can sequentially control the first light source 1402 and the second light source 1404 so as to continuously provide the light amount for one light source.

The strobe controller 1450 can control the power of the plurality of light sources 1400 to be turned on / off so as to sequentially turn on / off. For example, when the first light source 1402 and the second light source 1404 are provided, the strobe controller 1450 applies power to the first light source 1402 according to a timing signal, and turns on the first light source 1402 The second light source 1404 may be turned on by applying power to the second light source 1404. [ Here, the light-off of the first light source 1402 and the light-up of the second light source 1402 may be performed substantially simultaneously, but may be continuously performed according to the predetermined time period. Also, the first light source 1402 and the second light source 1402 may be turned on at substantially the same time, but may be continuously performed at a predetermined time period. For example, the strobe controller 1450 may turn on the second light source 1402 after turning off the first light source 1402, turn off the first light source 1402 after the second light source 1402 is turned on, can do.

The strobe controller 1450 can control the plurality of light sources 1400 to turn on / off by sequentially using the frequency signals.

The strobe controller 1450 can control the plurality of light sources 1400 to sequentially turn on and off using signals such as a sine wave and a square wave. For example, the strobe controller 1450 transmits a complementary square wave to the first light source 1402 and the second light source 1404 to control the first light source 1402 and the second light source 1404 to sequentially flash .

Hereinafter, the operation of the strobe controller 1450 according to the embodiment of the present invention to control the light source 1400 in various ways using the timing signals will be described with reference to FIG. 4 to FIG.

4 is a diagram illustrating image processing according to a rolling shutter system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the image frame may include a plurality of lines, and the image sensor 1220 may acquire an image signal for each line. For example, an image frame may include eight lines, and may include more or fewer lines depending on the selection.

The image sensor 1220 can sequentially acquire image signals for the first through N-th lines and transmit the acquired image signals to the image processor 1240, as shown in FIG.

The image sensor 1220 may acquire an image signal for a second image frame after acquiring an image signal for the entire line of the first image frame, Signals can be obtained sequentially. In FIG. 4, the image signal acquisition for the first image frame and the acquisition of the image signal for the second image frame are continuously performed. Alternatively, after the image signal acquisition for the first image frame is completed, And obtain the image signal for the second image frame.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating lighting blinking according to the timing signal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

5, the timing controller 1260 may transmit timing signals for the first light source 1402 and the second light source 1404 to the strobe controller 1450, and the strobe controller 1450 may output timing signals for the first light source 1402 and the second light source 1404 to the strobe controller 1450, The first light source 1402 and the second light source 1404 can be controlled to be sequentially turned on and off.

5, the strobe controller 1450 turns on the first light source 1402 while the image sensor 1220 acquires the image signal for the first image frame in accordance with the timing signal, The first light source 1402 can be turned off while the image signal for the second light source 1404 is obtained, and the second light source 1404 can be controlled to be turned on. Also, the first light source 1402 is turned on while the image signal for the third image frame is acquired, and the second light source 1404 is controlled to be turned off so that the first light source 1402 and the second light source 1404 are sequentially And controls the light sources 1400 of the first light source 1402 and the second light source 1404 to be turned on so as to control the illumination of substantially the same amount of light.

By alternately blinking the plurality of light sources 1400 as described above, it is possible to continuously provide the same size illumination (one light source in the above example) during imaging and to sufficiently radiate heat during the off-time, Can be prevented from being overheated.

6 is a diagram of image processing for omitting the first or last line according to the embodiment of the present invention.

As described above, the strobe controller 1450 controls the plurality of light sources 1400 to turn on / off sequentially by controlling the light sources 1400. The strobe controller 1450 controls the first light source 1402 to be turned on And the second light source can be performed simultaneously or sequentially.

The first light source 1402 and the second light source 1402 are sequentially turned on and off so that the first light source 1402 and the second light source 1402 may be simultaneously turned on or off. Even if the first light source 1402 is turned off and the second light source 1402 is turned on simultaneously, the remaining light emitted by the first light source 1402 and the transmitted light of the second light source 1402 are combined The amount of light to the light source 1400 of the light source 1400 can be provided. In another example, when the second light source 1404 is turned off after the first light source 1402 is turned on, the first light source 1402 and the second light source 1402 may be turned on at the same time instantaneously When the second light source 1404 is turned on after the first light source 1402 is turned off, the first light source 1402 and the second light source 1402 are turned off at the same time instantaneously . The brightness of the image signal obtained at the instant when the first light source 1402 and the second light source 1402 are lit simultaneously can be relatively bright and the brightness of the first light source 1402 and the second light source 1402 may be turned off at the same time The image signal acquired at the moment may be relatively dark. Therefore, distortion of brightness may occur in one image frame.

The image processor 1240 may generate image frames except for at least one of the first line or the last line of the plurality of lines of the image frame to prevent distortion to brightness. 6, the image processor 1240 may process the second through fifth line image signals, except for the first line image signal, to generate an image frame.

In addition, the image processor 1240 may generate an image frame, excluding image signals of predetermined lines. For example, if the image frame includes five lines, the image processor 1240 may process the image signal, excluding the third line image signal, to generate an image frame.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating lighting blinking according to a timing signal according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

7, the timing controller 1260 may transmit a timing signal for the first light source 1402, the second light source 1404, and the third light source 1406 to the strobe controller 1450, The first light source 1402, the second light source 1404, and the third light source 1406 may be sequentially turned on and off according to the timing signal.

7, the strobe controller 1450 controls the first light source 1402 and the second light source 1404 while the image sensor 1220 acquires the image signal for the first image frame in accordance with the timing signal The first light source 1402 is extinguished while acquiring the image signal for the second image frame and the second light source 1404 and the third light source 1406 Can be controlled to be turned on. The first light source 1402 and the third light source 1406 are turned on while the image signal for the third image frame is acquired and the second light source 1404 is controlled to be turned off so that the first light source 1402, Two light sources 1400 of the first light source 1402, the second light source 1404 and the third light source 1406 can be controlled to sequentially turn on the two light sources 1404 and the third light sources 1406. [ It is possible to control so that illumination with substantially the same amount of light is provided.

7, since there is at least one light source 1400 that continuously provides illumination even when the light source 1400 is controlled to be blinking, in the example of FIG. 5, As a result, all the light sources 1400 are prevented from being turned off instantaneously during the time period for controlling the blinking of the light source 1400, so that the rate of change of the amount of light can be relatively decreased, and as a result, have.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating lighting blinking according to the timing signal according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

8, the timing controller 1260 outputs timing signals for the first light source 1402, the second light source 1404, the third light source 1406, and the fourth light source 1408 to the strobe controller 1450 And the strobe controller 1450 may control the at least two light sources 1400 of the first light source 1402, the second light source 1404, the third light source 1406 and the fourth light source 1408 according to the timing signal. Can be controlled to be sequentially turned on and off.

8, the strobe controller 1450 controls the first light source 1402 and the second light source 1404 while the image sensor 1220 acquires the image signal for the first image frame in accordance with the timing signal The third light source 1406 and the fourth light source 1408 can be controlled to be turned off and the first light source 1402 and the fourth light source 1408 can be controlled to be turned off during acquisition of the image signal for the second image frame, And the second light source 1404 and the third light source 1406 are turned on. The first light source 1402 and the fourth light source 1408 are turned on while the image signal for the third image frame is acquired and the first light source 1402 and the second light source 1404 are controlled to be turned off, At least two light sources 1400 of the first light source 1402, the second light source 1404, the third light source 1406 and the fourth light source 1408 may be sequentially turned on and off, The second light source 1404, the third light source 1406 and the fourth light source 1408 are turned on so as to provide substantially the same amount of light.

As shown in FIG. 8, when controlling the plurality of light sources 1400, it is possible to extend the time for turning off the light sources 1400, thereby reducing the heat generation of the light sources 1400.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating lighting blinking according to a timing signal according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

9, the timing controller 1260 may send timing signals for a plurality of image frames to the strobe controller 1450, which may be a first The light source 1402 and the second light source 1404 may be sequentially turned on and off.

9, the strobe controller 1450 lights the first light source 1402 while the image sensor 1220 acquires the image signal for the first image frame and the second image frame in accordance with the timing signal (step < RTI ID = 0.0 > , The second light source 1402 can be turned off and the first light source 1402 is turned off while the image signals for the third image frame and the fourth image frame are acquired and the second light source 1404 is controlled to be turned on can do. Accordingly, the strobe controller 1450 can sequentially turn on the light source 1400 according to a cycle of acquiring line-by-line image signals for a plurality of image frames according to a timing signal.

If the illumination flicker is controlled according to the time interval of two or more cycles of the image frame, the life of the light source 1400 can be prevented from rapidly consuming as the light source 1400 blinks repeatedly for a short time. At this time, it is possible to determine the number of cycles of the image frame to correspond to the lighting / blinking timing in consideration of the degree of heat generation of the illumination.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating lighting blinking according to a timing signal according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

10, the timing controller 1260 can transmit timing signals corresponding to a plurality of lines to the strobe controller 1450, and the strobe controller 1450 can output the timing signals corresponding to the plurality of lines in accordance with the timing signals corresponding to the plurality of lines The light source 1402 and the second light source 1404 may be sequentially turned on and off.

For example, in the case where one image frame includes six lines, the strobe controller 1450 controls the image sensor 1220 to acquire image signals for nine lines in accordance with a timing signal, as shown in Fig. 10 The first light source 1402 is turned off while the second light source 1402 is turned off and the first light source 1402 is turned off while acquiring the image signal for the next nine lines and the second light source 1404 Can be controlled to be turned on. Accordingly, the strobe controller 1450 can sequentially turn on the light source 1400 according to a cycle of acquiring line-by-line image signals for a plurality of lines in accordance with a timing signal.

11 is a flowchart of image processing for omitting exception lines according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 11, the operation of the image processor 1240 to perform the image processing for omitting the exception line includes receiving the image signal (S110), checking the brightness (S120), removing the brightness abnormal image signal Step S130 and generating an image frame (S140). Step S110 of receiving an image signal may be the step of image processor 1240 receiving an image signal for each line from image sensor 1220 and step S120 of checking brightness may be performed by image processor 1240 And checking the brightness of the image signal for each line from the image sensor 1220. The step of removing the brightness abnormal image signal S130 may be a step of the image processor 1240 comparing the brightness of the image signal with a predetermined brightness, And generating the image frame excluding a line having a brightness of a predetermined brightness or more as a result of comparing the predetermined brightness.

12 is a diagram of an operation for deactivating a failed light source 1400 according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention.

12, when at least one light source 1400 of the plurality of light sources 1400 is in failure, the timing controller 1260 outputs the first light source 1402 (not shown), except for the light source 1400, And the second light source 1404 are sequentially turned on and off.

For example, when the second light source 1404 of the first light source 1402, the second light source 1404, and the third light source 1406 is faulty, the strobe controller 1450 outputs a timing signal It is possible to control the first light source 1402 to light up and the third light source 1402 to turn off while the image sensor 1220 acquires the image signal for the first image frame in accordance with the signal, The first light source 1402 is extinguished while the second image light source 1406 is in the off state and the third light source 1406 is lighted.

The strobe controller 1450 may be connected to a sensor for detecting the failure of the plurality of light sources 1400 to determine whether there is a light source 1400 that is faulty among the plurality of light sources 1400, It is possible to control the light source 1400 except for the failure.

Whether or not the light source 1400 has failed may be determined by analyzing the image of the image processor 1240 and when the brightness of the image frame to which the corresponding light source 1400 should provide illumination is low. Or may be grasped according to user input.

FIG. 13 is a diagram for recognizing a car number according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 13, an image frame generated by the image processor 1240 may include a vehicle number. When the image sensing apparatus 1000 is utilized as a CCTV or the like, the image frame may include a vehicle and a car number. Image processor 1240 may send the image frame to car number recognition processor 1800 to obtain the car number contained in the image frame. Car number recognition processor 1800 can receive image frames from camera module 1200 and obtain vehicle numbers from image frames. When the vehicle number is included in the image frame, the vehicle number recognition processor 1800 extracts the object area having the vehicle number from the image frame, (Not shown) connected to the car number recognition processor 1800, and the car number recognition processor 1800 can recognize the extracted car number as character data, To an external electronic device connected to the network. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, the image frame may include the vehicle and the car number, and the car number recognition processor 1800 can recognize and obtain the car number 12 as 3456.

14 is a flowchart of a car number identification method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

14, the car number recognition method includes a step S210 of sensing illumination, a step S220 of outputting illumination, a step S230 of acquiring an image signal, a step S240 of generating an image frame, And recognizing the vehicle number (S250).

The illuminance sensor 1600 may transmit an electrical signal to the strobe controller 1450 about the amount of ambient light (S210).

The strobe controller 1450 can determine whether to control the light source 1400 in accordance with the signal received from the illuminance sensor 1600. [

The strobe controller 1450 can sequentially control the blinking of each of the plurality of light sources 1400 according to the timing signal received from the camera module 1200 (S220).

The light source 1400 may sequentially turn on the light source under the control of the strobe controller 1450.

The image sensor 1220 can successively acquire image signals line by line (S230).

The image sensor 1220 sequentially acquires image signals line by line and transmits the image signals to the image processor 1240. [

The image processor 1240 may process the image signal received from the image sensor 1220 to generate an image frame (S240).

The image processor 1240 receives an image signal transmitted sequentially by the image sensor 1220 line by line, processes the received image signal to generate an image frame, and transmits the generated image frame to the vehicle recognition processor 1800 have.

The car number recognition processor 1800 can recognize the car number from the image frame.

Car number recognition processor 1800 can receive an image frame from image processor 1240 and determine whether the image frame contains a vehicle number. If the image frame includes the car number, the car number recognition processor 1800 acquires the car number from the image frame, converts the car number into data, and transmits the car number to the storage unit (not shown) connected to the car number recognition processor 1800 And can be transmitted to an external electronic device connected to the vehicle identification processor 1800. [

In the present invention, the image sensing apparatus 1000 may include a controller (not shown) and a storage unit (not shown), and the image processor or the vehicle recognition processor may be included in a controller (not shown). In addition, the storage unit (not shown) may store a program necessary for the operation of the image sensing apparatus 1000, and may store values for the predetermined line and the predetermined brightness.

The foregoing description is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present invention, and various changes and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments of the present invention described above can be implemented separately or in combination.

Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are intended to illustrate rather than limit the scope of the present invention, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of the present invention should be construed according to the following claims, and all technical ideas within the scope of equivalents should be construed as falling within the scope of the present invention.

1000: image pickup device 1200: camera module
1220: image sensor 1240: image processor
1260: timing controller 1400: light source
1450: strobe controller 1600: illuminance sensor
1800: Car number recognition processor

Claims (13)

An image pickup apparatus for picking up a moving image by a rolling shutter system,
An image sensor for sequentially acquiring line-by-line image signals, an image processor for processing the image signals to generate image frames, and a timing controller for transmitting a timing signal corresponding to an exposure time interval of a predetermined number of consecutive lines A camera module;
A plurality of light sources for outputting illumination; And
And a strobe controller for sequentially controlling the flashing of each of the plurality of light sources in accordance with the timing signal so that substantially the same amount of light is continuously provided,
Wherein the timing signal corresponds to at least one of an exposure time interval of an entire line belonging to at least two image frames and an exposure time of a number of lines smaller than the total number of lines belonging to the image frame
.
The method according to claim 1,
The strobe controller controls the plurality of light sources to alternately emit light
.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the strobe controller controls the at least two light sources of the plurality of light sources to simultaneously emit light
.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the timing signal is a timing signal corresponding to an exposure time interval of an entire line belonging to the image frame
.
delete delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the image processor is configured to generate the image frame except for at least one of the first line or the last line of the lines
.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the image processor is configured to generate the image frame excluding a line having a brightness of a predetermined brightness or higher among the lines
.
The method according to claim 1,
And a car number recognition processor for analyzing the image and recognizing a car number included in one area in the image
.
10. The method of claim 9,
The vehicle identification processor may further include:
.
The method according to claim 1,
And an illuminance sensor for sensing an ambient illuminance,
When the ambient illuminance is less than or equal to a predetermined illuminance, the light source is inactivated
.
The method according to claim 1,
The strobe controller sequentially controls the blinking of the remaining light sources except for the faulty light source, when there is a faulty light source among the light sources
.
An image pickup apparatus for picking up a moving image by a rolling shutter system,
A camera module including an image sensor for sequentially acquiring line-by-line image signals, an image processor for processing the image signal to generate an image frame, and a timing controller for transmitting a timing signal corresponding to a time interval of the image frame;
A first illumination and a second illumination for outputting illumination; And
And a strobe controller for complementarily lighting the first illumination and the second illumination with each other according to the timing signal so that substantially the same amount of light is continuously provided,
Wherein the timing signal corresponds to at least one of an exposure time interval of an entire line belonging to at least two image frames and an exposure time of a number of lines smaller than the total number of lines belonging to the image frame
.

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