KR20150138456A - An apparatus for performing multi channel image recording and management considering the life-time of a storage medium and the method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a multi-channel image storage management apparatus considering a lifetime of a storage medium and a method thereof and, more particularly, to an apparatus which stores an image frame received from a plurality of channels in an image file in order of reception, and uses a method for storing the image frame by continuously generating a new image file when the capacity of the image file is full, thereby reducing the number of the generated image files to prevent the shortening of the lifetime of the storage medium caused by fragmentation and a frequent head movement, and endlessly recording an image.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a multi-channel image storage management apparatus and a multi-channel image storage management apparatus,

The present invention relates to a multichannel image storage management apparatus and a method thereof, and more particularly to a multichannel image storage management apparatus and a multichannel image storage management apparatus, And stores the image file and the meta file continuously stored in the storage (e.g., HDD, storage medium, memory, etc.) as a new image file and a meta file The present invention relates to an image storage management apparatus and method capable of eliminating unnecessary accesses to a storage medium and extending its lifetime and shortening the time required for image reproduction while performing circular recording.

In an apparatus for storing and managing multi-channel images photographed by a plurality of cameras such as a DVR (Digital Video Recorder), a NVR (Network Video Recorder), and a black box, a method of storing multi- And the image frame received by the unit (camera unit) is stored. That is, a directory or an image file is generated for each channel to store an image, a directory is created for each channel, a plurality of image files are created and stored in the directory, or a plurality of channels It is common to use a method of generating the respective image files for the images.

In addition, a plurality of index files for addressing an image frame according to an event or time are generated and used to search for a video frame in a video file of a specific channel by a specific event or time.

In the case of storing an image on a channel-by-channel basis as described above, a method of creating and storing a thread for each channel is generally used. That is, as a result, since the HDD (Hard Disk Drive) is controlled by a plurality of threads, the movement of the HDD head is increased, which shortens the life of the HDD (storage medium).

In addition, since a plurality of image files are generated for each channel unit, the capacity of the HDD becomes fast and the fragmentation due to use, modification and deletion of a large number of files occurs a lot, There is a problem that a lot of Seek Time and Rotational Latency Time occur while moving. In addition, the fragmentation decreases the efficiency of HDD usage and shortens the lifetime of the HDD as time goes by.

 As described above, since the channel-based storage method includes the channel name and the time information such as the directory name and the file name, in order to reproduce a video of a specific channel, it is possible to search the corresponding directory or file very quickly However, when a plurality of channels are simultaneously synchronized in time and reproduced, it takes a very complicated process. Therefore, a lot of time is consumed. Further, it takes much more time to reproduce a specific event and motion information .

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new image recording apparatus capable of preventing a shortening of the life time of a storage medium (e.g., HDD) due to fragmentation and shortening the time consumed in reproducing a plurality of channels synchronously in time Storage management apparatus and method thereof.

The following describes briefly the prior art which exists in the technical field of the present invention, and then describes a technical matter that the present invention intends to differentiate from the prior art.

Korean Patent Registration No. 1124168 (Feb. 29, 2012) relates to a multi-channel video recording apparatus, and more particularly, to a multi-channel video recording apparatus that stores multi-channel video frames in a received file in a received order, By storing frame index information including time information and storage location information in a separate file for each channel, it is possible to minimize seeking of a hard disk in multi-channel video recording and playback, thereby improving the recording and reproducing speed And a video recording apparatus.

Also, Korean Patent Laid-Open No. 2008-0040231 (2008.05.08) relates to a multi-channel recording display device and a multi-channel recording method, and more particularly, to a display device capable of implementing a PIP including a plurality of tuners, A technique for processing a plurality of video signals received by a plurality of tuners and having undergone a series of signal processing processes to be output on one screen and storing video signals for one screen composed of the plurality of video signals I am suggesting.

Korean Patent Registration No. 1214784 (Dec. 17, 2012) relates to a multi-channel recording and reproducing apparatus for improving the recording and reproducing speed, and more particularly, to a multi-channel recording and reproducing apparatus for reading and writing data in a read cache block allocated to a multi- Only the image data from the requested specific channel position to the end position of the read cache block is loaded and the remaining image data at the specific channel position requested to be read is loaded when it is determined that the load is small, Thereby improving the playback speed of the multi-channel recording and reproducing apparatus.

Although the prior art has some similarities with the present invention in that it is a technique for storing and managing image data received from a plurality of channels, unlike the present invention, image frames received from a plurality of channels are received And storing the index information of the image file and the image file as a metafile. When the image file and the metafile are filled in a storage medium (e.g., HDD), the image file and the metafile previously stored continuously are converted into a new image file and a metafile There is provided a video storage management apparatus and method for performing circular recording by overwriting a video data stream and eliminating unnecessary accesses to a storage medium to extend its life span and shorten the time required for video reproduction There is a difference from the present invention in that it is not described or suggested.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a method and apparatus for storing image frames received from a plurality of channels in order of reception, generating a new image file continuously when the capacity of the image file is full by a specified size, There is provided an image storage management apparatus and method for extending the life of a storage medium that can reduce the number of generated image files and prevent the shortening of the life span of the storage medium due to fragmentation and frequent head movement It has its purpose.

In addition, according to the present invention, when a capacity of a storage medium is full during a multi-channel video recording, a method of overwriting a newly received video frame with an image file generated first is used to record an endless video It has its purpose.

In addition, the present invention generates a metafile of a designated size according to each image file and stores frequently used information such as time information of an image frame, event information, image information and positional information of a corresponding image frame, The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems occurring in the prior art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an image storage management apparatus and method capable of improving the efficiency of reproduction by using a method of generating and storing a plurality of metafiles by connecting to the metafile .

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a multi-channel image storage management apparatus comprising: a video data receiving unit for receiving video frames from a plurality of channels; Storing the received video frame as a video file of a predetermined capacity in the order of the received time, generating at least one metafile, and storing metadata corresponding to the video file; And a storage for storing the image file and the metafile, wherein at least two of the image file and the at least one metafile are stored in the storage.

In addition, in the multi-channel image storage management apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, when the capacity of the storage is full, the recording control unit continuously stores a new image file and at least one metafile, And endlessly recording image frames cyclically in a manner of overwriting the location where the metafile is stored.

In the multi-channel image storage management apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, the meta file includes a plurality of sub meta files, and the first sub meta file includes time information, event information, Information that is frequently used, including information, position information, channel information, offset information, or a combination thereof, and stores additional information or additional information in the second and third sub metafiles, respectively .

In addition, since the multi-channel image storage management apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention aligns image frames on the time axis, when synchronizing the corresponding image files on the time axis with respect to a plurality of channels sequentially, .

Also, in the multi-channel image storage management apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, the image is multimedia data including voice, image, data, or a combination thereof.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a multi-channel image storage management method comprising: receiving image frames from a plurality of channels; Storing the received video frames in storage in a predetermined order of video files in order of time received; And storing at least one metafile corresponding to the image file in the storage, wherein at least two or more of the image file and the at least one metafile are stored in the storage, .

Also, in the multi-channel image storage management method according to another embodiment of the present invention, when the capacity of the storage is full, the oldest image file and metafile continuously storing a new image file and at least one metafile, Recording an image frame cyclically endlessly in such a manner as to overwrite the stored location.

The present invention relates to an image storage management apparatus and method for extending the life of a storage medium, and more particularly, to an image storage management apparatus and method for extending the life of a storage medium, in which image frames received from a plurality of channels are stored in an image file in order of reception, It is possible to prevent the shortening of the life time of the storage medium due to fragmentation and frequent movement of the head by reducing the number of generated image files by using a method of continuously storing new image files and storing image frames, And time synchronization can be facilitated when a plurality of video channels are reproduced by time.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is an exemplary diagram for explaining a method of storing image frames received from a plurality of conventional channels; Fig.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to an image storage management apparatus for extending the life of a storage medium according to an embodiment of the present invention.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a storage medium, and more particularly,
4 is a flowchart illustrating an image storage management method for extending the life of a storage medium according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of an image storage management device for extending the life of a storage medium according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a method of storing image frames received from a plurality of conventional channels.

As shown in FIG. 1, in a device for storing and managing multi-channel images photographed by a plurality of cameras, conventionally, a method of separately storing image frames received by each channel unit (camera unit) is used . That is, a directory or an image file is generated for each channel to store an image, a directory is created for each channel, a plurality of image files are created and stored in the directory, or a plurality of channels It is common to use a method of generating the respective image files for the images. As described above, as described above, since a plurality of image files are generated for each channel unit, the capacity of the storage medium is rapidly reduced, a large number of fragmentation occurs due to use, modification and deletion of a large number of files, The search time and the rotation delay time are frequently generated. Therefore, the efficiency of the storage medium is lowered and the life of the storage medium is shortened. In addition, since the conventional channel-based storage method includes channel and time information such as a directory name and a file name, there is an advantage that it is possible to browse the corresponding directory or file very rapidly in reproducing a video of a specific channel. However, In the case of simultaneously reproducing the channels synchronously in time, it takes a very complicated process. Therefore, it takes a lot of time. Further, it takes much more time to reproduce a specific event and motion information by associating them with each other.

The present invention relates to an image storage management device (100) capable of shortening the life time of a storage medium according to the fragmentation and shortening the time consumed in the process of synchronizing and reproducing a plurality of channels simultaneously in time, and a method thereof will be.

 In the following detailed description of the principles of preferred embodiments of the present invention, it is to be understood that the detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention unclear. If it is not necessary, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

However, the real-time multi-channel image storage management device must be capable of real-time storage, and it is required to be able to simultaneously reproduce a plurality of images synchronously in time, and to simultaneously reproduce a plurality of images in accordance with an event Playback should be possible. Hereinafter, a method of efficiently managing and storing multi-channel images by overcoming the problems of the channel-based storage management method will be described.

2 is a diagram illustrating an image storage management apparatus for extending the life of a storage medium according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

2, the image storage management device 100 for extending the life of the storage medium of the present invention includes an image data receiving unit 110, a recording control unit 120, and a memory 130. [ Here, the term " image " may mean multimedia data including voice or data.

The image data receiving unit 110 receives multi-channel image frames photographed by a plurality of cameras such as a DVR, an NVR, or a black box, and receives image frames transmitted from the respective channels in the order of transmitted time .

Here, the image data receiving unit 110 may include a corresponding network interface function when each camera includes a network function such as an IP camera.

The recording control unit 120 stores the multi-channel image frames received by the image data receiving unit 110 and generates a meta file. The recording control unit 120 includes an image data storage module 121 and a metadata storage module 122 .

The image data storage module 121 generates an image file and stores an image frame. The storage method includes generating an image file of a predetermined size, and transmitting image frames received from the image data receiver 110 to a channel And stores them in the generated image file in the order of the received time irrespective of the time. When the capacity of the image file storing the image frame becomes full, a new image file is generated and the image frame is stored continuously. For example, if an image file designated by a size of 2 gigabytes (GB) is generated to store multi-channel image frames received in a reception order regardless of a channel, if all the 2 gigabytes are used, The image file is generated and the image frame is continuously stored.

That is, according to the present invention, the size of the image file is designated and the image frame is stored in the image file upon receipt. In this way, the stored image frames are arranged on the time axis, so that they can be reproduced as they are. Also, even if synchronization is required while reproducing on a plurality of channels on the time axis, the image files can be reproduced in order. According to this method, only one thread can be used for storing and managing images. That is, by not using a plurality of threads, the movement of the head relative to a storage medium (e.g., HDD) can be reduced.

The meta data storage module 122 generates a meta file corresponding to each image file generated by the image data storage module 121, and the meta file includes a time Index information for addressing image frames such as information, event information, image information, and position information of the image frame corresponding thereto, and various kinds of additional information are stored. The metafile can also be created in a designated size. First, information frequently used in image reproduction is stored in the generated metafile, and when the capacity of the metafile is full, a metafile is continuously generated, Stores information. That is, the metadata storage module 122 may generate a plurality of metafiles for one image file. That is, the meta file may be composed of a plurality of sub meta files, and the most frequently used information (e.g., channel, video file offset, time information, event information, etc.) , And connects to the first meta file to create a plurality of meta files, so that each meta file stores additional information that is less frequently used. By managing the metafile in this way, it is possible to reduce the access frequency of the metafile, thereby avoiding the shortening of the life span due to the frequent access of the storage medium.

That is, in generating a plurality of metafiles related to the image file, time information of the image frame, event information, image information, and the like are written in the metafile, and the position information of the image frame is stored. Here, the image file stores an offset address for an image frame of the corresponding channel. The meta file may include a plurality of sub meta files. Among the plurality of files, the first meta file stores information (e.g., channel information, image file offset, time information, event information, etc.) , It is possible to link to the first meta file to create a plurality of meta files, and this meta file may be added with information that is incurred less frequently or added later.

If the storage capacity of the storage medium becomes full during the storage of the image frame using the method described above and there is no room for storing the image frame, the image data storage module 121 stores the image file (Overwriting) the received video frame. With this storage method, even if the oldest image frame is erased, the newly received image frame can be continuously stored. That is, the video storage management apparatus 100 of the present invention is capable of storing an image frame of an endless circular storage method in which new data is pushed out and stored.

As shown in FIG. 2, the memory 130 stores a plurality of image files storing multi-channel image frames together with a plurality of meta files corresponding to the respective image files.

For the sake of reference, the terms related to the configuration of the image storage management device 100 are exemplary defined according to their functions, and may be modified into other terms according to the intention and custom of the user or operator. Also, since the recording control unit 120 has at least this configuration for explaining the video storage management apparatus 100 according to the present invention, more configuration is required in order to configure the entire video storage management apparatus.

3 is an exemplary view for explaining an image file and an image file-specific metafile stored by the image storage management device for extending the life of the storage medium according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The left side of FIG. 3 shows the structure of the metafile according to the image file, and the right side shows the structure of the image file. As shown in the figure, the present invention stores multi-channel image frames in a received file in a received order, adds channel information and frame-by-frame index information including playback time information and storage location information of multi- Save the information as a separate file.

By using the method of storing video frames of multiple channels in the order of reception in the single video file 200 as described above, time synchronization can be performed quickly even if multi-channel images are reproduced by time.

In addition, since the image file 200 having the designated size is used, the number of the image files 200 is varied according to the amount of received image frames. As described above, the image frames are stored in chronological order, In addition, since the metafile 300 including the image frame information of each channel is generated for each image file 200, even if the image is reproduced, the search time consumed while the head moves up and down to find the data, The rotation delay time can be saved, and the reproduction speed can be improved.

In addition, as described above, the movement of the head of the storage medium can be minimized, and as a result, the life of the storage medium is prolonged.

3 is a diagram illustrating a method of circulating data when the capacity of the storage medium of the video storage management apparatus 100 of the present invention is full. As shown in the figure, the video storage management apparatus 100 of the present invention continuously stores video frames in the order of reception, and if there is no storage space, By storing the frame, fragmentation which causes performance degradation and life span of the storage medium does not occur.

When such overwriting occurs, the image file and the meta file are overwritten together. This is because if the image file does not exist, the meta file is useless. Of course, important information about the image is included in the metafile according to the purpose of use, and it is desirable to manage it separately when using this information.

4 is a flowchart illustrating an image storage management method for extending the life of a storage medium according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

4, an image storage management method for extending the service life of a storage medium of the present invention receives multi-channel image frames photographed by a plurality of cameras such as a DVR, an NVR, or a black box (S101 ). The received multi-channel image frames can be input physically through a plurality of ports, but can be randomly input with a unique network address through a single network port.

Next, an image file having a designated size is generated, and the received multi-channel image frames are stored in the generated image file in the order of the received time (S102). In order to store the multi-channel image frames according to the order, a separate buffer is required, and the multi-channel image frames should be stored separately according to the channel.

A metafile having a predetermined size is generated for each image file and the metafile information about the image frame is stored. At this time, information frequently used for reproducing an image, such as time information of an image frame, event information, image information and position information of the image frame corresponding thereto, is stored in the meta file first, Information is linked to the meta file to generate and store a plurality of meta files (S103). In other words, frequently used information is stored in the main meta file, and less frequently used information is stored in the sub meta file, so that information that is frequently referred to can be retrieved and reproduced immediately by shortening the delay time if possible .

When the capacity of the image file becomes full, a new image file is continuously generated and the received image frame is stored (S104). The creation of such a new image file can specify the required size according to the convenience of the user and the purpose of use.

Next, when the storage capacity of the storage medium becomes full, a newly received image frame is overwritten with the oldest image file, and the image frame is cyclically stored (S105). This approach allows for endless storage.

In addition, a metafile corresponding to the overwritten image file is also generated by overwriting the new metafile with the meta data of the newly received image frame (S106). However, it is not necessary to use the previous metafile storage space as the next metafile space, and it may be used in combination with the place where the previous image file is stored.

By storing the multi-channel image frames photographed by a plurality of cameras in the above-described manner in the storage medium, it is possible to prevent fragmentation of the storage medium according to the conventional image storage method, As a result, the life of the storage medium can be greatly extended. That is, the user can refer directly to the corresponding frame data of the image file to be reproduced by referring to the meta file, and access and reproduce the corresponding frame data.

As described above, according to the present invention, video frames received from a plurality of channels are stored in a video file in the order of reception, and when a capacity of the video file is full by a predetermined size, a new video file is continuously generated to store video frames It is possible to reduce the number of image files to be generated and to prevent the shortening of the service life of the storage medium due to fragmentation and frequent movement of the head, to enable endless video recording, to reproduce a plurality of video channels by time Time synchronization is easy.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken by way of limitation. I will understand that. Accordingly, the technical scope of the present invention should be defined by the following claims.

100: Image storage management device 110: Image data reception unit
120: recording control unit 121: video data storage module
122: metadata storage module 130: storage medium (storage, memory, HDD)
200: image file 300: metafile

Claims (9)

A video data receiver for receiving video frames from a plurality of channels;
Storing the received video frame as a video file of a predetermined capacity in the order of the received time, generating at least one metafile, and storing metadata corresponding to the video file; And
And a storage for storing the image file and the metafile,
Wherein at least two image files and at least one or more metafiles are stored in the storage. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the recording control unit comprises:
When the capacity of the storage is full, a new image file and at least one metafile are continuously overwritten at a location where the oldest image file and the metafile are stored, Frame recording means for recording the multi-channel image data. The method according to claim 1,
The meta-
The first sub metafile stores frequently used information including time information, event information, image information, position information, channel information, offset information, or a combination thereof of the image frame in the first sub metafile And the second and third sub metafiles store additional information or information added to the second and third sub metafiles, respectively. The method according to claim 1,
Channel image storage management apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that synchronization is automatically established when a corresponding image file is sequentially reproduced on a time axis for a plurality of channels. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the image is multimedia data including voice, image, data, or a combination thereof. Receiving image frames from a plurality of channels;
Storing the received video frames in storage in a predetermined order of video files in order of time received; And
Generating at least one metafile and storing metadata corresponding to the image file in the storage,
Wherein at least two or more image files and at least one or more metafiles are stored in the storage. The method of claim 6,
When the capacity of the storage is full, a new image file and at least one metafile are continuously overwritten at a location where the oldest image file and the metafile are stored, The method comprising the steps of: (a) recording a frame of a multi-channel video image; The method of claim 6,
The meta-
The first sub metafile stores frequently used information including time information, event information, image information, position information, channel information, offset information, or a combination thereof of the image frame in the first sub metafile And the additional information or the additional information is stored in the second and third sub metafiles, respectively. The method of claim 6,
Wherein the synchronization is automatically established when the image files are sequentially reproduced on the time axis for a plurality of channels because the image frames are arranged on the time axis.

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