KR101700532B1 - Apparatus for capturing selection images - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention discloses a selected image capturing device. Such a selected image capturing device comprises at least two camera modules installed in a parking lot for acquiring images in different target ranges, And a multiplexing unit for selectively outputting an integrated image, which is resized and integrated, to an output terminal. The apparatus further includes a control unit for converting images received from the output terminal of the multiplexing unit and outputting the processed images for each channel, and a communication unit for transmitting output signals for each channel of the control unit through a transmission line.

Description

[0001] Apparatus for capturing selection images [0002]

The present invention relates to a technology applied to a commercial building such as a department store, a residential building such as an apartment or a villa, and a parking lot such as a public office building such as a ward office. More specifically, the present invention relates to a technology for selectively capturing an integrated image or an original image Ring device.

A plurality of cameras are installed in each parking lot such as a commercial building such as a department store, a residential building such as an apartment or a villa, and a public office building such as a ward office for the purpose of charge settlement, monitoring, security, parking guidance, or parking position recognition.

The camera for recognizing the car which obtains the image necessary for recognizing the car number is relatively expensive as compared with the surveillance camera.

A car number recognition camera can be used to automatically perform parking position recognition for parking areas of vehicles parked in a parking lot.

Most of the car recognition cameras are installed independently and are expensive and relatively large in size. In addition, the size of the image data transmitted through the transmission line is also limited.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a selection image capturing apparatus capable of installing two or more camera modules in a single housing.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a selective image capturing device capable of efficiently transmitting an image provided by two or more camera modules.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an image capture device capable of selectively outputting an integrated image or an original image that is resized and integrated when images transmitted from two or more camera modules are transmitted on one common output line, Ring device.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a selected image capturing device includes:

A first camera module mounted on the housing to obtain a first image within a first target range,

A second camera module mounted on the housing to obtain a second image in a second target range different from the first target range,

A multiplexing unit for selectively outputting an integrated image obtained by resizing and combining the first and second images or the first and second images of the first and second camera modules,

A controller for converting images received from the output terminal of the multiplexing unit and outputting the processed images for each channel;

And a communication unit for transmitting channel-specific output signals of the control unit through a transmission line.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a selection image capturing apparatus,

At least two camera modules installed in the car park to obtain images within different target ranges;

A multiplexing unit for storing images of the camera modules and for outputting an integrated image in which the images or the images are resized and integrated according to a transmission selection control signal;

A controller for converting the images received from the output terminal of the multiplexing unit and outputting the processed images for each channel; And

And a communication unit for transmitting channel-specific output signals of the control unit through a transmission line.

According to the present invention, two or more small cameras can be installed in one housing and used for car number recognition and CCTV surveillance. In addition, images transmitted from two or more cameras can be selectively provided in the form of an original image or a resized and integrated integrated image. Thus, the image capture fidelity for more important images is increased while overcoming transmission restrictions.

1 is a block diagram of an image processing system including image capturing devices in accordance with the concepts of the present invention.
2 is a detailed block diagram of a multiplexing unit of the image capturing apparatus of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a view exemplarily showing viewing angles of camera modules in the image capturing device of FIG. 1;
Fig. 4 is an exemplary view showing another view angle of camera modules of the image capturing device of Fig. 1. Fig.
5 is a conceptual diagram of an image storing operation of the multiplexing unit of FIG.
6 is a flowchart of image storage and selection transfer operations according to FIG.
FIG. 7 is an expanded block diagram of an image processing system showing an expanded embodiment of FIG. 1;
8 is a power saving operation flow chart according to Fig.
FIG. 9 is a crime prevention operation flowchart according to FIG. 7. FIG.
FIG. 10 is an expanded block diagram of an image processing system showing another alternative embodiment of FIG. 1;

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments with reference to the attached drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein but may be embodied in other forms. Rather, the embodiments disclosed herein are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the invention to those skilled in the art, without intention other than to provide an understanding of the present invention.

In this specification, when it is mentioned that some element or lines are connected to a target element block, it also includes a direct connection as well as a meaning indirectly connected to the target element block via some other element.

In addition, the same or similar reference numerals shown in the drawings denote the same or similar components as possible. In some drawings, the connection relationship of elements and lines is shown for an effective explanation of the technical contents, and other elements or circuit blocks may be further provided.

Each embodiment described and exemplified herein may also include its complementary embodiment and details regarding vehicle identification or the specific operation or function of the security camera will not be described in detail to avoid obscuring the gist of the present invention.

1 is a block diagram of an image processing system including image capturing devices in accordance with the concepts of the present invention.

1, the image capturing apparatus 500 includes a first camera module 110, a second camera module 120, a multiplexing unit 200, a control unit 300, and a communication unit 400, May be included in the housing. Here, the housing refers to a metal or synthetic resin case that can mount and protect the camera modules 110, 120 and the functional blocks 200, 300, 400. The housing may have a width of 30 mm to 200 mm, a length of 40 mm to 220 mm, and a depth of 10 mm to 130 mm. Therefore, in order for both the first camera module 110 and the second camera module 120 to be mounted on the housing, the camera modules may have a size slightly larger than a general smartphone camera module or a smartphone camera module. As a result, the camera modules used in the embodiment of the present invention are much more compact than general camera module for vehicle identification and CCTV camera module.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the camera module is meant to include a camera lens and a CCD or CMOS image sensor and image processing circuit blocks for capturing an image coming from a camera lens. The diameter of the camera lens used in the embodiment of the present invention is significantly smaller than the diameter of the camera lens for general car number recognition or the diameter of the CCTV camera lens, and may be about 10 mm or less. As a result, two 10 mm open holes are formed in the surface plate of the housing, and the lenses of the first camera module 110 and the second camera module 120 form images of a target range set through the two open holes .

As a result, the first camera module 110 is installed in the housing to obtain a first image in the first target range (F1, F10 in FIGS. 3 and 4), and the second camera module 120 is installed in the housing Is installed in the housing to obtain a second image in a second target range (F2, F20 in Figures 3 and 4) that is different from the range.

The multiplexing unit 200 may store the first and second images of the first and second camera modules 110 and 120 on a frame-by-frame basis. The multiplexing unit 200 selectively outputs the integrated image obtained by resizing and combining the first and second images or the first and second images of the first and second camera modules to the output terminal OU1. The multiplexing unit 200 may include a plurality of buffers (an original buffer, a resizing buffer, and a merge buffer) as shown in FIG. 2, for example. Here, the resizing buffer or the merge buffer may be implemented as a video RAM (RAM).

The control unit 300 converts and processes the integrated image or the first and second images received from the output OU1 of the multiplexing unit 200 for each channel. For example, the control unit 300 may be implemented as "ASC8852A" which is a high-resolution security processing camera processor. In addition, the control unit 300 may extract a still image, i.e., still image, to be used for car number identification from the first and second images, and transmit the extracted still image through one of the channels. In addition, the control unit 300 separates the combined images again, and independently transmits the separated images through one channel.

The communication unit 400 transmits channel-specific output signals of the controller 300 through a transmission line L10. Here, the transmission line L10 may be a TCP / IP communication line for Ethernet communication when it is wired. The channel-specific output signals transmitted through the transmission line L10 may include a first video channel, a second video channel, and a still video channel. That is, the two-channel moving image and the one-channel still image can be transmitted in the band set through the TCP / IP communication line.

In the meantime, when the combined image after the first and second images are resized is transmitted through the first moving picture channel, image transmission to the second moving picture channel may be omitted. In the presence of motion detection, the first image is transmitted on the first video channel, the second image is transmitted on the second video channel, and still images required for vehicle identification can be transmitted through the still image channel There will be.

Meanwhile, although the transmission line L10 is shown as a wired line, it may be a wireless channel. In this case, the communication unit 400 may include a function block capable of performing short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth or ZigBee communication.

In FIG. 1, the image capturing device 500 may function as one parking position reader 500-1 installed per parking area. The plurality of parking position readers 500-1, 500-2,..., 500-n may be installed on the wall surface of the parking lot so as to monitor six or more parking spaces per reader. That is, the six vehicle numbers can be recognized by one parking position reader including two cameras monitoring three vehicles per one.

Although the first camera module 110, the second camera module 120, the multiplexing unit 200, the control unit 300, and the communication unit 400 are mounted in one housing, The first camera module 110, the second camera module 120, and the multiplexing unit 200 may be separated from the housing and installed in another housing depending on the location characteristics. The multiplexing unit 200 or the control unit 300 may be installed in the housing of the image capturing apparatus 500 or may be separated from the housing and installed in another housing.

The channel-by-channel output signals transmitted from one parking position reader via the transmission line L10 are provided to the recognition and storage server 1000. The recognition and storage server 1000 is commonly connected to a plurality of parking position readers 500-1, 500-2,..., 500-n.

The recognition and storage server 1000 may include a license plate recognition unit 1100, an image storage unit 1200, a database 1300, and a voice communication unit 1400.

The license plate recognition unit 1100 extracts a car number by processing the first and second images according to a license plate recognition program. Accordingly, if the parking lot is recognized when the car number is recognized, parking notification or parking position information of household members can be provided to the monthly pad of each household when the car is a household registered in the case of an apartment.

The image storage unit 1200 records moving images or still images of the first and second images on a semiconductor storage device such as a hard disk, a magnetic tape, or an SSD, and displays the images on a monitor.

The database 1300 basically has personal information of customers or household members matching the vehicle numbers and the vehicle numbers as a map table. The database 1300 may exist as an external server.

The voice communication unit 1400 includes a microphone and a speaker for performing voice communication and can perform voice communication with one of the plurality of parking position readers 500-1, 500-2, ..., and 500-n. Accordingly, the voice introduced through the plurality of parking position readers 500-1, 500-2,..., 500-n is applied to the voice communication unit 1400.

2 is a detailed block diagram of a multiplexing unit of the image capturing apparatus of FIG.

Referring to FIG. 2, a multiplexer 200, which is a multiplexer module, includes first and second original buffers 210 and 220, first and second resizing buffers 230 and 240, a merge buffer 260, And a controller 250.

The first and second original buffers 210 and 220 store the first and second images of the first and second camera modules 110 and 120, respectively, on a frame-by-frame basis.

The first and second resizing buffers 230 and 240 store images resizing the first and second images stored in the first and second original buffers 210 and 220, respectively.

The merge buffer 260 stores a combined image of the resized first and second images stored in the first and second resizing buffers 230 and 240.

The controller 250 selectively outputs the integrated image of the merge buffer 260 or the first and second images of the first and second original buffers 210 and 220 through an output terminal in response to the transmission selection signal.

When the controller 250 outputs an integrated image of the merge buffer 260 through an output terminal and motion is detected in at least one of the first and second images of the first and second camera modules 110 and 120, 2 images of the first and second images of the original buffers 210 and 220 through the output terminal.

Here, the controller 250 may be implemented as a microprocessor or an FPGA (Field Programable Gate Array). For example, when ATxmega64 is implemented as a microprocessor, an XC3550AN may be used, for example, when implemented as an FPGA.

The transmission selection signal may be applied from the controller 300 while the controller 250 is connected to a motion sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, or a microwave sensor.

In the case of selectively outputting the integrated image or the first and second images to the output terminal OU1 as shown in FIG. 2, in a general operation mode, when the integrated image is transmitted to the controller 300 and a precise transmission situation such as a parking event occurs An original image of a place where a motion has occurred is provided to the control unit 300. [ Thus, image capturing fidelity for more important images among the images obtained from two or more cameras is enhanced. For example, if the vehicle is parked or an object appears within the target range of the first camera module 110, but no object appears within the target range of the second camera module 120, The first image acquired from the first image 110 is more important than the second image. Accordingly, the controller 250 outputs a combined image, and outputs a first image, which is an original image that is not resized.

FIG. 3 is a view exemplarily showing viewing angles of camera modules in the image capturing device of FIG. 1;

Referring to FIG. 3, the first camera module 110 may have a viewing angle F1 to bring the parking areas PA1, PA2, and PA3 in the parking lot into a first target range. This viewing angle is physically determined by the aperture and the curvature of the lens and can be changed by the zoom function. Meanwhile, the second camera module 120 may have a viewing angle F2 to bring the parking areas PA10 and PA20 in the parking lot into the second target range. 3, the first camera module 110 covers three vehicles, and the second camera module 120 covers two vehicles. Accordingly, the camera modules in FIG. 3 have different resolutions or different viewing angles.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary view showing viewing angles of camera modules in the image capturing apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 3, the first and second camera modules 110 and 120 may have the same resolution or the same viewing angle (F10 = F20) because they perform number recognition for each of the three vehicles.

5 is a conceptual diagram of an image storing operation of the multiplexing unit of FIG. 6 is a flowchart of image storage and selection transfer operations according to FIG.

Referring to FIG. 5, the original images 211 and 221 provided from the first and second camera modules 110 and 120 are stored as digital data in 1,2 original buffers 210 and 220, respectively. 1,2 Original images 211 and 221 are stored in the original buffers 210 and 220 on a frame basis. As a result, the original image 211 received from the first camera module 110 is sequentially stored in the first original buffer 210, and the original image 221 received from the second camera module 120 is stored in the second original And stored in the buffer 220 sequentially. This operation corresponds to S801 in Fig. That is, in step S801, the original images 211 and 221 are stored in the corresponding original buffers 210 and 220, respectively.

The controller 250 retrieves the original image and resizes the original image into 1/4 size, and then stores the first and second resizing images 231 and 241 in the first and second resizing buffers 230 and 240, respectively. In this case, if the original image 211 stored in the first original buffer 210 is 5M Pixel, the first resizing image 231 stored in the first resizing buffer 230 may be 1.25M Pixel. If the original image 221 stored in the second original buffer 220 is 5M Pixel, the second resizing image 241 stored in the second resizing buffer 240 may be 1.25M Pixel. This operation corresponds to S802 in Fig. In this case, 1 / n is illustrated as 1/4.

The controller 250 retrieves the resized first and second resizing images 231 and 241 stored in the first and second resizing buffers 231 and 241 and combines the resized first and second resizing images 231 and 241 in units of frames, (260). In this case, the size of the integrated image 261 may be 5M Pixel (actual image 2.5M Pixel + empty space image 2.5M Pixel). This operation corresponds to S803 in Fig.

In S804, it is checked whether or not a transmission selection event has occurred. Here, the transmission selection event may mean a selection control signal generated upon detection of motion.

The controller 250 selects one of the combined image 261 and the original image 211 and 221 after being resized according to the selection control signal and transmits the selected image to the image processing IC 300. This operation corresponds to S805 in Fig.

The controller 250 can transmit the integrated image 261 stored in the merge buffer 260 to the image processing IC 300 in the normal operation mode, i.e., the normal mode. This operation corresponds to S806 in Fig.

The controller 250 does not transmit the combined image 261 stored in the merge buffer 260 when the image processing IC 300 requests an image capture for the first camera module 110 and the first original buffer 210 To the image processing IC 300. In this case,

The controller 250 does not transmit the combined image 261 stored in the merge buffer 260 but transmits the merged image 261 to the second original buffer 220 when the image processing IC 300 requests the image capture for the first camera module 120. [ To the image processing IC (300).

The controller 250 may perform image storage, processing, and transmission operations for each image frame.

FIG. 7 is an expanded block diagram of an image processing system showing an expanded embodiment of FIG. 1;

Referring to FIG. 7, the image processing system includes a first camera module 110, a second camera module 120, a multiplexing unit 200, a control unit 300, and a communication unit 400, And a capturing device 500 basically. In addition, the image processing system may include an interface unit 30 connected to the microwave (M / W) sensor 10 in the housing of the image capturing apparatus 500.

The interface unit 30 may be connected to the control unit 300 through a serial transmission line such as a UART. Accordingly, when an object such as a person or a vehicle appears, the sensing signal may be transmitted through the interface unit 30 to the control unit 300 through the UART communication.

The communication unit 400 is connected to a recognition and storage server 1000 through a network communication network such as a TCP / IP communication network. The recognition and storage server 1000 can be connected to a lighting control server 2000 have.

The image processing system configured as shown in FIG. 7 can perform the power save operation as shown in FIG.

8 is a power saving operation flow chart according to Fig.

8, when the sensing signal from the microwave (M / W) sensor 10 is not generated, the controller 300 outputs a power saving mode control signal to the communication unit 400 in step S810, And causes the control server 2000 to control the illumination lamp to the power saving mode. For example, in the power saving mode, the illumination lamp can be controlled to an illumination of about 40% of the maximum brightness. In this case, the lighting lamp may be an LED lighting lamp or a dimming controlled lamp. Also, at least one of the first camera module 110 and the second camera module 120 and the multiplexing unit 200 may be in a deactivated state, although the power saving mode may vary depending on the case. Power consumption can be minimized when the camera module or the multiplexing unit is controlled in the standby mode or the sleep mode.

In step S820, the control unit 300 checks whether a release event is detected in relation to power saving. As the vehicle enters the parking lot, it is determined that a release event is detected when a detection signal from the microwave (M / W) sensor 10 is generated.

The control unit 300 controls the multiplexing unit 200 and the module in the standby mode or the sleep mode from among the first camera module 110 and the second camera module 120 in step S830, Up. That is, the camera module and the multiplexing unit are activated.

When wake-up is completed in step S830, the normal operation is performed in step S840. Here, the set normal operation includes transmitting the output signals (still image channel and moving image channel) for each channel as described above, and controlling the illumination of the parking lot to the maximum brightness or the illuminance set at the appearance of the object .

If the detection signal from the microwave (M / W) sensor 10 is not generated after a predetermined time, the controller 300 determines that a power saving event has occurred in step S850. If the power saving event has occurred, the process returns to step S810.

FIG. 9 is a crime prevention operation flowchart according to FIG. 7. FIG.

9, when no sensing signal is generated from the microwave (M / W) sensor 10, there is no occurrence of a person or an object. Therefore, in step S910, It can be controlled in the security standby mode.

In the security standby mode, the illumination lamp can be controlled to an illuminance of about 30% of the maximum brightness. Also, at least one of the first camera module 110 and the second camera module 120 and the multiplexing unit 200 may be in an inactive state, although it may vary depending on the case in the security standby mode. Power consumption can be minimized when the camera module or the multiplexing unit is controlled in the standby mode or the sleep mode.

In step S920, the control unit 300 checks whether an activation event is detected in connection with crime prevention. As a person enters the parking lot, it is determined that an activation event is detected when a detection signal from the microwave (M / W) sensor 10 is generated.

If an activation event is detected, the control unit 300 controls the multiplexing unit 200 and the module in the standby mode or the sleep mode from among the first camera module 110 and the second camera module 120 in step S930, Up. That is, the camera module and the multiplexing unit are activated. Also, in step S930, the control unit 300 controls the illumination of the parking lot to the maximum brightness or the illuminance set at the appearance of the object.

When the illumination normalization and wake-up are completed in step S930, a security image acquisition and alarm processing operation is executed in step S940. Transmission of the channel-by-channel output signals (the first moving picture channel, the second moving picture channel, and the still picture channel) as described above by the execution of the above operation, an emergency alarm generation or a standby operation may occur.

If the detection signal from the microwave (M / W) sensor 10 is not generated after a predetermined time, the controller 300 determines that a security waiting event has occurred in step S950. If a security waiting event has occurred, the process returns to step S910.

8 and 9 can be independently performed in parallel or can be performed together. In this case, a plurality of microwave (M / W) sensors 10 can be provided for distinguishing between the insulation and the security.

FIG. 10 is an expanded block diagram of an image processing system showing another alternative embodiment of FIG. 1;

10, a configuration in which the microwave sensor 900 without the interface unit 30 is directly connected to the control unit 300, which is an image processing IC, unlike FIG. 7 is shown.

10, an image capturing apparatus 500 including a first camera module 110, a second camera module 120, a multiplexing unit 200, a control unit 300, and a communication unit 400 as shown in FIG. ), So that the power saving function and the crime prevention function as shown in Figs. 8 and 9 can be performed.

Further, a dip switch or a setting unit may be further provided for performing a crime prevention function, a power saving function, or a camera operation function setting.

As described above, an optimal embodiment of the present invention has been disclosed through drawings and specification. Although specific terms have been employed herein, they are used for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention as defined in the claims or the claims. Therefore, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and equivalent embodiments are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, without departing from the technical idea of the present invention, the number of cameras and the detailed control functions for the cameras may be changed or variously changed if the matters are different.

Description of the Related Art [0002]
200: multiplexing unit
300:
500: image capturing device
1000: Recognition and storage server

Claims (24)

delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete A first camera module mounted in the housing for obtaining a first image within a first target range for car number recognition, parking monitoring, or parking position recognition;
A second camera module mounted on the housing for acquiring a second image in a second target range different from the first target range for car number recognition, parking monitoring, or parking position recognition;
Outputting the first image to the output stage when object motion is detected from the first target range of the first and second target ranges and outputting the second image to the output terminal when object motion is detected from the second target range A multiplexing unit for outputting an integrated image obtained by resizing and combining the first and second images when the object motion is not detected from the first and second target ranges to the output terminal;
A control unit for converting images received from the output terminal of the multiplexing unit and outputting the processed images for each channel; And
And a communication unit for transmitting channel-specific output signals of the control unit through a single transmission line.
23. The selected image capturing device of claim 22, wherein the output signals for each channel include still images.
23. The selected image capturing device according to claim 22, wherein the control unit is an image processing IC.

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