KR102288450B1 - Multi-modal sensor module for outdoor monitoring - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a multi-modal sensor module for outdoor monitoring, which can monitor the outdoors while acquiring desired information in all-weather environmental conditions while stopping or moving. The present invention provides the multi-modal sensor module for outdoor monitoring, which has a body case in which a plurality of cameras and sensors are embedded and installed from the front to the outside. Each of the plurality of cameras comprises: two 3D motion cameras arranged to be spaced apart by a first interval (a) in a horizontal direction at a predetermined height on a front surface of a body case; a night camera arranged to be spaced apart by the first interval (a) in the horizontal direction with an empty space in the front surface at one camera point of the two 3D motion cameras; a global shutter camera which is spaced apart by a second interval (b) in a vertical direction with the empty space in the front surface at the camera point of one 3D motion camera, which is the standard for positioning the night camera; and a thermal imaging cameras spaced apart from the global shutter camera by the first interval (a) in the horizontal direction. According to the present invention, information is processed faster in integrating information data of the plurality of cameras and sensors, usage in all-weather and day and night environments is possible, permanent damage to the cameras and the sensors due to overheating and heating is effectively prevented, and during moving, vibrations along a road surface are effectively absorbed, so that clear information can be obtained from the multi-modal sensor.

Description

Multi-modal sensor module for outdoor monitoring

The present invention relates to a multi-modal sensor module for outdoor monitoring, and more particularly, to a multi-modal sensor module for outdoor monitoring that can monitor the outdoors while acquiring desired information on all-weather environmental conditions while stationary or moving.

For outdoor monitoring, a camera or sensor suitable for the purpose and environment is selected and used. A device commonly used for surveillance is an RGB video camera. The camera acquires a visual image of the visible light frequency band for the surveillance area and provides relevant information. In a dark environment, since the intensity of visible light is weak, a night vision camera having a high sensor sensitivity or an infrared camera having a different wavelength is used. Thermal imaging cameras are used when temperature detection in the surveillance area is an important purpose. A microphone sensor is used to acquire information about environmental sounds. Recently, a 3D motion camera is used to acquire information such as the shape and distance of an object of interest in a surveillance area, and a device and a sensor such as a camera are mounted on a mobile robot for monitoring to monitor a wider area.

As such, devices or sensors used for surveillance include RGB video cameras, night vision cameras, infrared cameras, and thermal imaging cameras. And it is difficult to obtain desired information in all environmental conditions day and night. Therefore, there is a need for a device that can combine more various cameras or sensors into one, and if necessary, two or more devices are used in combination.

For example, if only the RGB video camera is used, since it can be used only during the daytime, an infrared camera is used together and a microphone is added to acquire day/night image and sound information. In the case of 3D motion camera, Intel's D435 product is a representative product, which has one IR (infrared) projector, two IR Depth (Infrared Depth) sensors, RGB camera, and provides image information and distance information at the same time. It is possible to obtain distance information and shape information about an object of interest at the same time.

In this way, a sensor module in which a device and a sensor are combined for a specific purpose is called a multimodal sensor. This sensor is developed by selectively integrating a built-in device or sensor according to the purpose of use, but a multimodal sensor developed and commercialized for outdoor monitoring is not disclosed. On the other hand, the mobile robot for monitoring can be used with devices such as cameras and sensors installed. ) or a damper installed between the robot and the device.

If you develop/manufacture a multi-modal sensor by integrating multiple cameras or sensors for outdoor monitoring, you can acquire information in more diverse environments. However, in integrating the increasing amount of information, a sensor arrangement structure is needed to process information more quickly. In addition, there is a problem in that it is difficult to manufacture a case such as waterproof/dustproof for use in all-weather outdoor use. In addition, there is a problem in that the possibility of permanent damage to the device and the sensor due to internal overheating is increased when the device and the sensor that receive direct sunlight or have severe heat are concentrated inside the case.

In addition, when a mobile robot is equipped with a multi-modal sensor and used, it is difficult to obtain clean information because vibration occurs depending on the condition of the road surface. Therefore, it is necessary to apply a dedicated damper mechanism that can absorb the driving vibration of the mobile robot and help acquire clean information from the multi-modal sensor.

Chinese Laid-Open Patent CN110386083A (published date: 2019.10.29.)

The present invention has been made to meet the above needs and to solve the problems, and an object of the present invention is to integrate information data of a plurality of cameras and sensors for outdoor monitoring with an arrangement to process information faster. To provide a modal sensor module.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a multimodal sensor module for outdoor monitoring having a waterproof and dustproof case structure for use outdoors in all weather conditions.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a multimodal sensor module for outdoor monitoring that effectively prevents permanent damage to a camera and a sensor due to overheating and heat generation.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a multi-modal sensor module for outdoor monitoring, which effectively absorbs vibration according to the road surface during movement to obtain clean information from the multi-modal sensor.

The present invention for achieving the above object is a multi-modal sensor module for outdoor monitoring having a body case in which a plurality of cameras and sensors are built-in and installed from the front to the outside, wherein the plurality of cameras are installed at a predetermined height of the front surface of the body case. A 3D motion camera incorporating two cameras arranged to be spaced apart by a first interval (a) in the horizontal direction, and a first interval (a) in the horizontal direction with an empty space in the front at one camera point of the 3D motion camera A night camera arranged spaced apart, a global shutter camera arranged at a second interval (b) in the vertical direction with an empty space in front from the camera point of one 3D motion camera serving as a reference for the arrangement of the night camera, and a global shutter camera; and a thermal imaging camera arranged to be spaced apart from the shutter camera by a first interval (a) in the horizontal direction.

On the front of the body case, one microphone sensor is placed between the global shutter camera and one 3D motion camera, which is the basis for the placement of the night camera, and the microphone sensor is placed on the front of the body case on the rear, left and right sides of the body case. One additional microphone sensor is placed at the same height as the

A plurality of cameras are provided with a waterproof seal around the lens exposed to the outside, the microphone sensor is a waterproof sensor, and the bottom surface of the body case prevents rainwater flowing from the upper side from flowing into the inside of the body case. A rain gutter groove is formed surrounding the opening leading to the inside of the case.

A heat dissipation fin is provided on the upper surface of the body case to dissipate heat generated by a plurality of cameras or sensors to the outside, a cooling fan for introducing cool air into the lower surface of the body case is installed, and upper left and right sides of the body case An air outlet through which the hot air that has absorbed heat is discharged is formed, and the air outlet is provided with an outlet cover covering the air outlet so that rainwater does not flow into the interior of the body case.

On the upper side of the body case, a cloth guide frame made of an easy-to-ventilate material and a sunshade covered with a wire mesh are additionally installed.

A damper mechanism for absorbing vibrations during movement is installed on the lower side of the body case, and the damper mechanism includes an upper belt plate on which the body case is seated, a plurality of upper brackets fixed to the lower surface of the upper belt plate, and each protruding from each upper bracket and connected to each other. of the wire damper, a plurality of lower brackets connected to the wire damper, and a lower belt plate to which each lower bracket is fixed.

According to the multi-modal sensor module for outdoor monitoring according to the present invention, information is processed faster in integrating information data of a plurality of cameras and sensors, can be used in all weather and day and night environments, and due to overheating and heat generation It effectively prevents permanent damage to the camera and sensor, and effectively absorbs vibration along the road surface during movement, thereby enabling clean information to be acquired from the multi-modal sensor.

1 is a perspective view showing a multi-modal sensor module for outdoor monitoring according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a view showing the arrangement of a camera and a sensor from the front of the body case of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 3 is a view showing a waterproof structure from the front of the body case of FIG. 1 .
4 is a view showing a waterproof structure from the bottom of the body case of FIG. 1 .
5 is a diagram illustrating a heat dissipation and cooling structure of a multi-modal sensor module for outdoor monitoring according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a perspective view illustrating the sun shade of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the damper mechanism of FIG. 1 .

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this case, it should be noted that in the accompanying drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals as much as possible. In addition, detailed descriptions of well-known functions and configurations that may obscure the gist of the present invention will be omitted. For the same reason, some components are exaggerated, omitted, or schematically illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

1 is a perspective view showing a multi-modal sensor module for outdoor monitoring according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a view showing the arrangement of a camera and a sensor from the front of the body case of FIG. 1 .

As shown, the multi-modal sensor module 100 for outdoor monitoring according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a 3D motion camera 120 , a night camera 130 , and a global shutter camera 140 on a body case 110 . A thermal imaging camera 150 and a microphone sensor 160 are disposed and installed, and a sunshade 170 and a damper mechanism 180 are provided.

The body case 110 is generally a hexahedron, the front f1 in which the plurality of cameras 120, 130, 140, 150 are installed is flat, and the remaining surfaces (top, bottom, left, right, and rear) are in contact with each other. The edges are rounded. The plurality of cameras 120 , 130 , 140 , 150 are installed toward the outside from the front surface f1 of the body case 110 .

The 3D motion camera 120 is a camera that three-dimensionally detects and measures distances for objects and obstacles within a field of view, and has a built-in camera and an infrared sensor therein. Two 3D motion cameras 120 are arranged, and the camera points P1 and P2 are spaced apart at a first interval (a) in the horizontal direction at a predetermined height (h) of the front surface (f1) of the body case 110, are placed

The night camera 130 is a camera for acquiring image information even in a dark night environment, at a first interval in the horizontal direction with an empty space in the front at one camera point P1 among the two 3D motion cameras 120 . (a) is spaced apart.

The global shutter camera 140 is a high-speed camera for taking a two-dimensional reference picture with respect to the entire viewing area at the moment of shooting, and is a camera point of one 3D motion camera 120 serving as a placement standard for the night camera 130 . In (P1), there is a blank space in the front is arranged to be spaced apart by a second interval (b) in the vertical direction.

The thermal imaging camera 150 is a camera (or sensor) that detects a deterioration point and a temperature range of interest corresponding to an emergency such as a fire situation, and is spaced apart from the global shutter camera 140 by a first interval (a) in the horizontal direction. and placed

When a plurality of cameras are disposed from the front of the body case 110 to the outside in the above position, information data can be more easily integrated and processed, thereby reducing the information processing speed.

In addition, a microphone sensor 160 is installed in the body case 110 to obtain information about environmental sounds, and the microphone sensor 160 is a front surface of the body case 110 in order to more effectively integrate and process information data. In (f1), one microphone sensor 160 is disposed between one 3D motion camera 120 and the global shutter camera 140, which is the arrangement standard of the night camera 130, and the rear of the body case 110 and One microphone sensor 160 ′ (shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 ) is additionally disposed on the left side and the right side at the same height as the microphone sensor 160 disposed on the front side of the body case, respectively.

3 is a view showing the waterproof structure from the front of the body case of the multi-modal sensor module for outdoor monitoring according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a view showing the waterproof structure from the bottom of the body case of FIG. 1 . 3 and 4, the plurality of cameras (120, 130, 140, 150) are provided with waterproof seals (111a, 111b, 111c, 111d) around the lens exposed to the outside, The microphone sensors 160 and 160 ′ are waterproof sensors, and on the bottom surface f2 of the body case 110 , rainwater flowing from the upper side does not flow into the inside of the body case 110 . The rainwater receiving band grooves 112 surrounding the openings S1 and S2 leading to the are formed in a rectangular band. S1 is an opening in which a cooling fan, which will be described later, is installed, and S2 is an opening through which a wire cable is introduced.

On the other hand, the case of the body case 110 is made of an aluminum material with high thermal conductivity, etc., and a heat dissipation fin part 113 is formed on the upper surface of the body case 110 to more effectively radiate heat generated by a plurality of cameras or sensors to the outside. do. The heat dissipation fin unit 113 may be configured by forming a concave/convex portion on a separate heat dissipating plate to increase a contact surface with air or by forming a concave/convex portion directly on the upper surface of the body case 110 .

5 is a diagram illustrating a heat dissipation and cooling structure of a multi-modal sensor module for outdoor monitoring according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 5 , the heat dissipation fins 113 as described above are formed on the upper surface of the body case 110 , and the cooling fan 191 for introducing cold air into the lower surface of the body case 110 is provided. installed, and on the upper left and right sides of the body case 110 , an air outlet 114 through which hot air that has absorbed heat is discharged is formed, and rainwater flows into the inside of the body case 110 at the air outlet 114 . An outlet cover 115 that covers the air outlet 114 is provided so as not to be disturbed. The outlet cover 115 extends downward a predetermined distance (C) while covering the air outlet 114 from the upper end of the air outlet 114 .

The heat emitted from the plurality of cameras or sensors is discharged in a heat conduction manner through the heat dissipation fin unit 113 , and is cooled by cooling air introduced by the cooling fan 191 , and the rising and heated air is discharged through the air outlet 114 . ) and is released to the outside.

6 is a perspective view illustrating the sun shade of FIG. 1 . 1 and 6, the sun shade 170 is hinged to the upper both sides of the body case 110, and covers the upper side of the body case 110 to cover the sunlight, and the hinge brackets on both sides ( 171) is inserted into the hole (not shown) formed in the upper both sides of the body case 110 by the hinge pin 172 protruding from the hinge-coupled.

The sunshade 170 has a horizontal guide frame 173 disposed in a generally horizontal direction in the hinge brackets 171 on both sides, and a vertical guide frame 174 is disposed in a generally vertical direction in the hinge brackets 171 on both sides. , two inclined guide frames 175 with different inclinations are disposed from the hinge brackets 171 on both sides to the rear upper side of the body case 110, the horizontal guide frame 173 and the vertical guide frame 174 and the inclined guide While covering the frame 175, a plastic or metal wire mesh 176 is covered, and the wire mesh 176 is covered with a fabric 177 made of an easily ventilated material. Between the adjacent guide frames (173, 174, 175), a gap maintaining member 178 is to maintain a gap.

The guide frames 173, 174, and 175 are in the form of a band plate bent in a substantially U-shape with rounded corners, and the wire mesh 176 is in the form of a mesh in which wires are generally woven in a square or rhombic shape.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the damper mechanism of FIG. 1 . As shown in FIGS. 1 and 7 , the damper mechanism 180 is installed on the lower side of the body case 110 to absorb vibrations when the multi-modal sensor module 100 moves. The upper belt plate 181 on which is seated, a plurality of upper brackets 182 fixed to the bottom surface of the upper belt plate 181, each wire damper 183 protruding from each upper bracket 182 and connected, and a wire damper It includes a plurality of lower brackets 184 connected to (183), and a lower belt plate 185 to which each lower bracket 184 is fixed.

The upper belt plate 181 and the lower belt plate 185 have a through hole formed in the middle, and a plurality of (six in this embodiment) protrusions 181a and 185a protruding to the outside are formed at intervals in the circumferential direction. In the form of a belt plate, the lower belt plate 185 forms a larger circular ring shape than the upper belt plate 181 .

The upper bracket 182 is fixed to the bottom surface of the protrusion 181a of the upper belt plate 181, and the lower end thereof is inclined plate portion inclined at a predetermined angle (45 degrees in this embodiment) toward the outside from the upper belt plate 181. (182a) is provided. The inclined plate portion 182a may be formed as a separate plate and fixed, or may be formed integrally with the upper bracket 182 .

The lower bracket 184 is fixed to the upper surface of the protrusion 185a of the lower bracket 185, and the upper end of the lower bracket 184 is inclined at a predetermined angle (45 degrees in this embodiment) toward the inside from the lower bracket 185. 184a) is provided. The inclined plate portion 184a may be formed as a separate plate and fixed or may be integrally formed with the lower bracket 184 .

The wire damper 183 penetrates the swash plate portion 182a of the upper bracket 182 and the swash plate portion 184a of the lower bracket 184 to connect the upper bracket 1820 and the lower bracket 184. A wire The damper is in the form of a bent and twisted wire.

In this damper mechanism 180, when the multi-modal sensor module 100 is attached to a moving mobile robot, the wire damper 183 absorbs driving vibration to provide clean information from the camera and the sensor of the multi-modal sensor module 100. help you get it

On the other hand, the embodiments of the present invention disclosed in the present specification and drawings are merely presented as specific examples to easily explain the technical contents of the present invention and help the understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains that other modifications based on the technical spirit of the present invention can be implemented in addition to the embodiments disclosed herein.

100: multimodal sensor module 110: body case
111a~111d: waterproof seal 112: rain gutter groove
113: heat dissipation fin 114: air outlet
115: outlet cover 120: 3D motion camera
130: night camera 140: global shutter camera
150: thermal imaging camera 160: microphone sensor
170: sun shade 180: damper mechanism
181: upper belt plate 182: upper bracket
183: wire damper 184: lower bracket
185: hearti plate 191: cooling fan
f1: Front of body case f2: Bottom of body case

Claims (6)

In the multi-modal sensor module for outdoor monitoring having a body case in which a plurality of cameras and sensors are built-in and installed from the front to the outside,
the plurality of cameras
A 3D motion camera incorporating two cameras spaced apart from each other by a first interval (a) in a horizontal direction at a predetermined height of the front surface of the body case;
a night camera arranged to be spaced apart by a first interval (a) in the horizontal direction with an empty space in the front at one camera point of the 3D motion camera;
A global shutter camera arranged at a second interval (b) in the vertical direction with an empty space in the front from the camera point of the one 3D motion camera, which is the arrangement standard of the night camera;
A multi-modal sensor module for outdoor monitoring, characterized in that it comprises a thermal imaging camera spaced apart from the global shutter camera by a first interval (a) in the horizontal direction. According to claim 1,
One microphone sensor is disposed between the one 3D motion camera and the global shutter camera, which is a reference for the arrangement of the night camera on the front side of the body case,
Multi-modal sensor module for outdoor monitoring, characterized in that one microphone sensor is additionally disposed on the rear side, left side and right side of the body case at the same height as the microphone sensor disposed on the front side of the body case. According to claim 1,
The plurality of cameras is provided with a waterproof seal around the lens exposed to the outside,
The microphone sensor is a waterproof sensor.
Multi-modal sensor module for outdoor monitoring, characterized in that a rainwater receiving groove is formed on the lower surface of the body case from the upper side so that the rainwater flowing down from the upper side does not flow into the inside of the body case and surrounds the opening passing through the inside of the body case. According to claim 1,
A heat dissipation fin is provided on the upper surface of the body case to radiate heat generated by the plurality of cameras or sensors to the outside;
A cooling fan for introducing cold air into the lower surface of the body case is installed,
An air outlet for discharging hot air absorbing heat is formed on the upper left and right sides of the body case,
The multi-modal sensor module for outdoor monitoring, characterized in that the air outlet is provided with an outlet cover that covers the air outlet so that rainwater does not flow into the interior of the body case. According to claim 1,
Multi-modal sensor module for outdoor monitoring, characterized in that the upper side of the body case is additionally installed with a cloth guide frame made of a material for easy ventilation and a sunshade covered with a wire mesh. According to claim 1,
A damper mechanism for absorbing vibrations during movement is installed on the lower side of the body case,
The damper mechanism includes an upper belt plate on which the body case is seated; A multi-modal sensor module for outdoor monitoring, comprising: a bracket; and a heart plate to which each lower bracket is fixed.

Images