KR20220001116A - Surveillance camera apparatus and method for operating the same - Google Patents

Abstract

It is an object of the present invention to provide a surveillance camera device and an operating method thereof for improving image quality taken in a low-light environment in a surveillance camera device equipped with an infrared light emitting diode. According to an embodiment of the present invention, a surveillance camera device comprises: an image sensor that converts an externally incident optical signal into an electrical signal and outputs a plurality of image signals; an image processing unit that processes image signals on a plurality of image signals output from the image sensor; an infrared light emitting unit including at least one infrared light emitting element emitting infrared light having a predetermined irradiation angle and/or light quantity; an illuminance sensor for sensing the illuminance of external light; and an infrared control unit for controlling an irradiation angle or amount of infrared light emitted from the at least one infrared light emitting device based on an illuminance value of the external light sensed by the illuminance sensor.

Description

Surveillance camera device and method of operation thereof

An embodiment of the present invention relates to a surveillance camera, and more particularly, to a surveillance camera apparatus for improving image quality taken in a low-light environment using an infrared light emitting diode, and an operating method thereof.

For various purposes such as crime prevention, security, and store management, it is common to install a surveillance camera system inside a building, outside, or on the street. Even in a low-light environment such as at night, it is necessary to generate an image of a certain quality or higher, but in a low-light environment, noise is highly likely to occur in the image.

Accordingly, there is an increasing demand for a surveillance camera having an infrared light emitting diode (IR-LED) that can be used in a low-light environment such as at night.

However, since the infrared light emitting diode provided in the surveillance camera is fixed to a state already set when the irradiation angle and light quantity are released, the subject image captured by the surveillance camera according to the position of the subject or the distance between the subject and the camera in a low-light environment. The disadvantage is that there is a large variation in the quality of

In an embodiment of the present invention, in a surveillance camera device equipped with an infrared light emitting diode, the irradiation angle and/or the amount of light of the infrared light emitting diode is set to have at least two values different from each other, and the at least A surveillance camera that takes two images, acquires only a portion with a high signal to noise ratio (SNR) for the two captured images, and creates an optimal image synthesizing them, thereby improving the image quality captured in a low-light environment. An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and an operating method thereof.

In order to achieve the above object, a surveillance camera apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: an image sensor that converts an optical signal incident from the outside into an electrical signal and outputs a plurality of image signals; an image processing unit that processes image signals on a plurality of image signals output from the image sensor; an infrared light emitting unit including at least one infrared light emitting element emitting infrared light having a predetermined irradiation angle and/or light quantity; an illuminance sensor for sensing the illuminance of external light; and an infrared control unit for controlling an irradiation angle or amount of infrared light emitted from the at least one infrared light emitting device based on an illuminance value of the external light sensed by the illuminance sensor.

The infrared light emitting unit may include a first infrared light emitting device having a first irradiation angle and a second infrared light emitting device having a second irradiation angle.

The second irradiation angle does not overlap the first irradiation angle, and the sum of the first and second irradiation angles may cover the entire photographing area of the surveillance camera device.

The image processing unit may include a first image receiver configured to receive a first image generated by the operation of the first infrared light emitting device having the first irradiation angle, and a second infrared light emitting device having the second irradiation angle to operate. A second image receiving unit for receiving the generated second image, and an image synthesizing unit for generating a synthesized image by acquiring only a portion having a high signal to noise ratio (SNR) from among the received first and second images. may include

The infrared light emitting unit may include only a single first infrared light emitting element, and the irradiation angle of the first infrared light emitting element may be varied for each viewpoint under the control of the infrared control unit.

The first infrared light emitting device may be controlled to emit infrared light of a first irradiation angle at a first time point under the control of the infrared control unit, and may be controlled to emit infrared light of the second irradiation angle at a second time point.

The second irradiation angle does not overlap the first irradiation angle, and the sum of the first and second irradiation angles may cover the entire photographing area of the surveillance camera device.

The image processing unit may include a first image receiving unit configured to receive a first image generated by the operation of the first infrared light emitting device having a first irradiation angle at the first time point, and a second irradiation angle at the second time point. A second image receiver for receiving a second image generated by the operation of the first infrared light emitting device, and only a portion having a high signal to noise ratio (SNR) of each of the received first and second images It may include an image synthesizing unit that acquires and generates a synthesized image.

The infrared light emitting unit may include a first infrared light emitting device having a first light amount and a second infrared light emitting device having a second light amount different from the first light amount.

The second light amount may be set to have a greater value than the first light amount.

The image processing unit may include a first image receiving unit configured to receive a first image generated by the operation of the first infrared light emitting device having the first light amount, and a second infrared light emitting device having the second light amount generated by the operation A second image receiving unit for receiving a second image, and an image combining unit for generating a synthesized image by acquiring only a portion having a high signal to noise ratio (SNR) of each image with respect to the received first and second images can

The infrared light emitting unit may be configured with only a single first infrared light emitting element, and the amount of light of the first infrared light emitting element may be varied for each viewpoint under the control of the infrared control unit.

The first infrared light emitting device is controlled to emit infrared light of a first amount of light at a first time by the control of the infrared control unit, and at a second time point, it can be controlled to emit infrared light of a second amount different from the first light amount have.

The image processing unit may include a first image receiving unit configured to receive a first image generated by the operation of the first infrared light emitting device having a first light amount at the first time point, and the second image receiving unit having a second light amount at the second time point. 1 A second image receiver for receiving a second image generated by the operation of an infrared light emitting device, and for the received first image and the second image, only a portion having a high signal to noise ratio (SNR) is acquired It may include an image synthesizing unit that generates a synthesized image.

According to this embodiment of the present invention, the irradiation angle and/or the amount of light of the infrared light emitting diode provided in the surveillance camera is set to have at least two values different from each other, and at least two images taken with the different set values are displayed. Image quality captured in a low-light environment can be improved by capturing only a portion having a high signal to noise ratio (SNR) of the two captured images and generating an optimal image synthesizing them.

1 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of a surveillance camera device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2A is a block diagram showing the configuration of an infrared light emitting unit and an infrared control unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
2B is a diagram illustrating an example of first and second video images received according to the first embodiment of the present invention and a video image obtained by combining them;
3A is a block diagram showing the configuration of an infrared light emitting unit and an infrared control unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention;
3B is a view showing an example of first and second video images received according to the second embodiment of the present invention and a video image obtained by synthesizing them;
4A is a block diagram showing the configuration of an infrared light emitting unit and an infrared control unit according to a third embodiment of the present invention;
4B is a diagram illustrating an example of first and second video images received according to a third embodiment of the present invention and a video image obtained by synthesizing them;
5A is a block diagram showing the configuration of an infrared light emitting unit and an infrared control unit according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;
5B is a diagram illustrating an example of first and second video images received according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention and a video image obtained by synthesizing them;
6A is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a surveillance camera device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
6B is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a surveillance camera apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
7A is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a surveillance camera apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
7B is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a surveillance camera apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

The content described in the technical field that is the background of the present invention is only for helping the understanding of the background for the technical idea of the present invention, and therefore it can be understood as the content corresponding to the prior art known to those skilled in the art of the present invention. none.

In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth to aid in understanding various embodiments. It will be evident, however, that various embodiments may be practiced without these specific details or in one or more equivalent manners. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the various embodiments.

Each block of the accompanying block diagram may be executed by computer program instructions (execution engine), which may be loaded on the processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing equipment, so that the computer or The instructions, executed by the processor of the other programmable data processing equipment, will create means for performing the functions described in each block of the block diagram.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-usable or computer-readable memory which may direct a computer or other programmable data processing equipment to implement a function in a particular manner, and thus the computer-usable or computer-readable memory. It is also possible to produce an article of manufacture containing instruction means for performing the functions described in each block of the block diagram, the instructions stored in the block diagram.

And, since the computer program instructions may be mounted on a computer or other programmable data processing equipment, a series of operating steps are performed on the computer or other programmable data processing equipment to create a computer-executed process to create a computer or other program It is also possible that instructions for performing the possible data processing equipment provide functionality for performing the functions described in each block of the block diagram.

In addition, each block may represent a module, segment, or portion of code that includes one or more executable instructions for executing specified logical functions, and in some alternative embodiments, the functions recited in the blocks or steps are ordered It is also possible to occur outside of

That is, the two illustrated blocks may be substantially simultaneously performed, and the blocks may also be performed in the reverse order of their corresponding functions, if necessary.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and not for the purpose of limitation. Throughout the specification, when a part "includes" a certain component, it means that other components may be further included, rather than excluding other components, unless otherwise stated. Unless otherwise defined, terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of a surveillance camera device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1, the surveillance camera 100 device according to the embodiment of the present invention includes an infrared light emitting unit ( 130), the infrared control unit 140 and the illuminance sensor 150 is configured to include.

The lens assembly 110 may include one or more lenses, in which case some of the plurality of lenses may have the same lens property (eg, angle of view, focal length, autofocus, f number, or optics). zoom), or at least one lens may have one or more lens properties that are different from the lens properties of another lens. The lens assembly 110 may include, for example, a wide-angle lens or a telephoto lens.

The image sensor 120 converts an optical signal incident through the lens assembly 110 into an electrical signal, and may acquire an image corresponding to the subject. According to an embodiment, the image sensor 120 may include, for example, one image sensor selected from among image sensors having different properties, such as an RGB sensor, a black and white (BW) sensor, an IR sensor, or a UV sensor, the same It may include a plurality of image sensors having properties, or a plurality of image sensors having different properties. The image sensor may be implemented using, for example, a charged coupled device (CCD) sensor or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor. The CMOS image sensor has a great advantage in maintaining the power of the surveillance camera 100 due to low power consumption required for shooting, and is advantageous in making the area of the image sensor large because the manufacturing cost is relatively low, and mass production is easy. On the other hand, the image sensor as a CCD has the advantage that it generates much less noise and the image information transfer speed is very fast compared to CMOS, so the storage speed during continuous shooting is fast and the image quality is excellent.

The image processing unit 160 implements the operation of the image signal processor (ISP), and may perform image processing on an image signal acquired through the image sensor 120 or an image signal stored in a memory (not shown). . In this case, the image processing includes, for example, image reception, image synthesis, and image compensation (eg, noise reduction, resolution adjustment, brightness adjustment, blurring, sharpening, or softening), etc. can do. Also, the image processing unit 160 may control the operation of the image sensor 120 .

The image signals processed by the image processing unit 160 are stored again in a memory (not shown) for further processing, or external devices such as DVR (Digital Video Recorder), NVR (Network Video Recorder), VMS (Video Management System) ) may be transmitted to an image receiving device (server), etc.

The embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that it further includes an infrared light emitting unit 130 , an infrared control unit 140 and an illuminance sensor 150 as shown in FIG. 1 , wherein the image processing unit 160 is configured to In addition to the image sensor 120 , it is possible to control the operation of the infrared controller 140 .

The infrared light emitting unit 130 may be provided in the surveillance camera device 100 to take an image in a low-illuminance environment such as at night. In general, the infrared light emitting unit 130 emits infrared rays having a wavelength range of 8 to 13 um, and through this, the surveillance camera 100 senses heat radiation emitted by itself from a subject that is an object to be photographed, such as sunlight, etc. It can provide night vision without the need for an external light source.

That is, when the external illuminance is low, the infrared light emitting unit 130 operates only in a low illuminance environment such as at night, for example, and does not operate in the daytime when the external illuminance is sufficiently high.

The illuminance sensor 150 performs an operation of sensing the illuminance of external light, and when the illuminance of the external light is sensed to be less than or equal to a preset value, it may transmit this to the infrared control unit 140 . That is, the illuminance sensor 150 senses an external light illuminance value as a reference for determining whether or not the infrared light emitting unit 130 operates and provides it to the infrared light emitting unit 140 .

The infrared control unit 140 may control the operation of the infrared light emitting unit 130 based on the illuminance value of the external light received from the illuminance sensor 150 .

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the infrared light emitting unit 130 may include a plurality of infrared light emitting devices (IR-LEDs), and the plurality of infrared light emitting devices (IR-LEDs) have different irradiation angles or It may be set to have an amount of light, and thus the infrared control unit 140 may control the operation of each of the plurality of infrared light emitting devices (IR-LEDs).

In addition, according to another embodiment of the present invention, the infrared light emitting unit 130 is composed of one infrared light emitting device (IR-LED), and the infrared control unit 140 is the one infrared light emitting device (IR- LED) can be controlled to have different irradiation angles or light amounts at different time points. For example, the infrared control unit 140 controls the infrared light emitting device to have a first irradiation angle or a first light amount at a first time point t1, and a second irradiation angle or a second light amount at a second time point t2. It is possible to control the infrared light emitting device to have a.

Hereinafter, a monitoring camera apparatus and an operation method thereof according to the first to fourth embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 7 .

2A is a block diagram showing the configuration of the infrared light emitting unit and the infrared control unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2B is the first and second video images received according to the first embodiment of the present invention and synthesizing them. It is a diagram showing an example of one video image. 6A is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a surveillance camera apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2A , in the surveillance camera device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the infrared light emitting unit 130 includes a first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130a and a second infrared light emitting device ( It is characterized in that it includes a second IR-LED (130b). In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2A , the infrared light emitting unit 130 is composed of two infrared light emitting devices as an example, but this is only for convenience of description, and the embodiment of the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto. .

In addition, the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130a is set to have a first irradiation angle, and the second infrared light emitting device (second IR-LED) 130b has the first irradiation angle and It may be set to have different second irradiation angles that do not overlap each other. In this case, the sum of the first and second irradiation angles is preferably implemented as an irradiation angle that can cover the entire shooting area of the surveillance camera 100 .

The infrared control unit 140 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes an irradiation angle control unit 140a that controls the irradiation angle of the infrared light emitting device (IR-LED) constituting the infrared light emitting unit 130 and/or the infrared light emitting device. It may be configured to include a light amount control unit 140b for controlling the light amount of the (IR-LED).

In the case of the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 2A, in the infrared control unit 140, the irradiation angle control unit 140a is activated, the light amount control unit 140b is deactivated, and thus the irradiation angle control unit 140a) Thus, the operation of the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130a and the second infrared light emitting device (second IR-LED) 130b may be controlled. For example, the irradiation angle control unit 140a sets the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130a to have a first irradiation angle, and the second infrared light emitting device (second IR-LED) ( 130b) may be set to have different second irradiation angles that do not overlap the first irradiation angle.

Thereafter, the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130a is set to have a first irradiation angle, and the second infrared light emitting device (second IR-LED) 130b is set to have a first irradiation angle and It can be set to have different second irradiation angles that do not overlap each other.

Accordingly, when the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130a that emits infrared light at the first irradiation angle operates to take a picture of a subject in a low light state, the image sensor 120 is A first image corresponding to the subject is acquired.

Similarly, when the second infrared light emitting device (second IR-LED) 130b that emits infrared light at the second irradiation angle operates to take a picture of a subject in a low light state, through the image sensor 120 A second image corresponding to the subject is acquired.

In the case of the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 2A , the image processing unit 160 operates the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130a that emits infrared rays at the first irradiation angle. The first image receiver 160a for receiving the first image generated by and a second image receiving unit 160b for receiving two images, and an image combining unit 160c for synthesizing the received first and second images. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the image synthesis unit 160c may include different image images, for example, first and second It is characterized in that it is possible to obtain a high-quality image even in a low-illuminance environment by receiving a video image, acquiring and synthesizing only a portion having a high signal to noise ratio (SNR) among the respective video images.

Referring to FIG. 2B , the first image received by the first image receiving unit 160a is a first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) having a first irradiation angle corresponding to the left half of the photographing area as shown. ) 130a may be a video image captured by the operation. That is, a high-quality image is obtained for the left half of the photographing area, which is the area corresponding to the first irradiation angle, but in the case of the right half of the remaining photographing area, the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130a The image quality is so high that it is difficult to identify the subject because it is not affected by the infrared rays emitted by the camera.

On the other hand, the second image received by the second image receiving unit 160b is a second infrared light emitting device (second IR-LED) 130b having a second irradiation angle corresponding to the right half of the photographing area as shown. It may be a video image taken by operating . That is, high-quality images are obtained for the right half of the photographing area, which is the area corresponding to the second irradiation angle, but in the case of the left half of the remaining photographing area, the second infrared light emitting device (second IR-LED) 130b The image quality is so high that it is difficult to identify the subject because it is not affected by the infrared rays emitted by the camera.

Accordingly, in the embodiment of the present invention, as described above, the image synthesizing unit 160c includes a first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130a and a second infrared light emitting device (second IR) having different irradiation angles. - With respect to the first and second video images captured by the operation of the LED) 130b, only a portion having a high SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio) is acquired and synthesized, that is, the first video image is photographed. A high-quality image can be obtained even in a low-light environment by acquiring the left half of the region and generating a synthesized image by acquiring the right half of the photographing region for the second image image.

6A is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of the surveillance camera apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6A , first, the illuminance level of external light is sensed through the illuminance sensor 150 provided in the surveillance camera device 100 (ST 600 ). Accordingly, when it is sensed that the illuminance of external light is less than or equal to a preset value, the illuminance sensor 150 may transmit it to the infrared control unit 140 . That is, the illuminance sensor 150 senses an external light illuminance value as a reference for determining whether or not the infrared light emitting unit 130 operates and provides it to the infrared light emitting unit 140 .

Thereafter, the infrared control unit 140 may control the operation of the infrared light emitting unit 130 based on the illuminance value of the external light received from the illuminance sensor 150 .

More specifically, according to the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B above, the infrared light emitting unit 130 includes a first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130a and a second infrared light emission. It may include a device (second IR-LED) 130b, wherein the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130a is set to have a first irradiation angle, and the second infrared light emitting device ( The second IR-LEDs 130b may be set to have different second irradiation angles that do not overlap the first irradiation angle. In this case, the sum of the first and second irradiation angles is preferably implemented as an irradiation angle that can cover the entire shooting area of the surveillance camera 100 .

Accordingly, the first and second IR-LEDs 130a and 130b having different irradiation angles included in the infrared light emitting unit 130 based on the illuminance value of the external light transmitted from the illuminance sensor 150 operate, The first and second images are captured (ST 610).

Accordingly, the image processing unit 160 receives the first image generated by the operation of the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130a emitting infrared light at the first irradiation angle, and together with the A second image generated by the operation of the second infrared light emitting device (second IR-LED) 130b emitting infrared light at a second irradiation angle is received (ST 620).

Finally, the image processing unit 160 is configured to operate the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130a and the second infrared light emitting device (second IR-LED) 130b. For the first and second video images, only a portion having a high signal to noise ratio (SNR) is acquired and synthesized (ST 630), whereby a high-quality image can be obtained even in a low-illuminance environment.

3A is a block diagram showing the configuration of an infrared light emitting unit and an infrared control unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3B is a first and second video image received according to the second embodiment of the present invention and synthesizing them. It is a diagram showing an example of one video image. 6B is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a surveillance camera apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

In the second embodiment of the present invention, compared with the first embodiment described above, the infrared light emitting unit 130 is composed of a single infrared light emitting device (IR-LED) rather than a plurality of infrared light emitting devices, and the infrared control unit ( 140) is different in that it controls the single infrared light emitting device (IR-LED) to have different irradiation angles at different viewpoints. Accordingly, the same reference numerals are used for the same components as those of the first embodiment, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 3A, the surveillance camera device according to the second embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the infrared light emitting unit 130 is composed of only a first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130'. . In this case, the irradiation angle of the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130 ′ may be varied for each viewpoint under the control of the infrared controller 140 .

More specifically, the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130 ′ is controlled to emit infrared light of a first irradiation angle at a first time point t1 by the control of the infrared control unit 140 and , at a second time point t2 , it may be controlled to emit infrared rays having different second irradiation angles that do not overlap with the first irradiation angle. In this case, the sum of the first and second irradiation angles is preferably implemented as an irradiation angle that can cover the entire shooting area of the surveillance camera 100 .

Accordingly, the infrared control unit 140 according to the embodiment of the present invention controls the irradiation angle of the single infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) constituting the infrared light emitting unit 130 to be differently controlled depending on the viewpoint. (140a') and/or may be configured to include a light amount control unit 140b for controlling the light amount of the infrared light emitting device (IR-LED).

In the case of the second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 3A, in the infrared control unit 140, the irradiation angle control unit 140a' is activated, and the light amount control unit 140b is deactivated, and thus the irradiation angle control unit 140a ), the operation of the single first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130 ′ may be controlled. For example, the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130' is controlled to emit infrared light of a first irradiation angle at a first time point t1 under the control of the irradiation angle control unit 140a'. and, at a second time point t2, it may be controlled to emit infrared light of the second irradiation angle.

Therefore, when the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130 ′ emitting infrared rays at the first irradiation angle at the first time point t1 operates and photographing the subject in a low light state, The first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) that acquires a first image corresponding to the subject through the image sensor 120 and emits infrared rays at a second irradiation angle at the second time point t2 When 130 ′ operates to capture a subject in a low light state, a second image corresponding to the subject may be acquired through the image sensor 120 .

In the case of the second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 3A , the image processing unit 160 is substantially the same as the configuration of the first embodiment of the present invention described above. That is, the first image receiver 160a receives the first image generated at a first time point t1 for emitting infrared rays at the first irradiation angle, and at a second time point t2 for emitting infrared rays at the second irradiation angle. ) and a second image receiving unit 160b for receiving the generated second image, and an image synthesizing unit 160c for synthesizing the received first and second images. The image synthesizing unit 160c receives, for example, first and second image images, respectively different from each other, captured by the operation of two or more types of photometric environments, that is, infrared light emitting devices having different irradiation angles, and the It is characterized in that it is possible to obtain a high-quality image even in a low-illuminance environment by acquiring and synthesizing only a portion having a high signal to noise ratio (SNR) among each video image.

Referring to FIG. 3B , the first image received by the first image receiving unit 160a has a first irradiation angle by the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130 ′ as shown. It may be a video image captured at the first time point t1 corresponding to the left half of the photographing area. That is, a high-quality image is obtained for the left half of the photographing area, which is the area corresponding to the first irradiation angle, but in the case of the right half of the remaining photographing area, the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130' The image quality is so high that it is difficult to identify the subject because it is not affected by the infrared rays emitted by the camera.

On the other hand, in the second image received by the second image receiving unit 160b, as shown, the second irradiation angle by the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130 ′ is the right side of the photographing area. It may be a video image captured at the second time point t2 corresponding to the half. That is, a high-quality image is obtained for the right half of the photographing area, which is the area corresponding to the second irradiation angle, but in the case of the left half of the remaining photographing area, the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130' The image quality is so high that it is difficult to identify the subject because it is not affected by the infrared rays emitted by the camera.

Accordingly, in the embodiment of the present invention, as described above, for the first and second video images received at first and second time points having different irradiation angles, the image synthesizing unit 160c receives a signal (SNR), respectively. to Noise Ratio) is acquired and synthesized, that is, for the first video image, the left half of the photographing area is acquired, and for the second video image, the synthesized image is obtained by acquiring the right half of the photographing area. By creating it, it is possible to obtain a high-quality image even in a low-light environment.

6B is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of the surveillance camera apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6B , first, the illuminance level of external light is sensed through the illuminance sensor 150 provided in the surveillance camera device 100 (ST 600). Accordingly, when it is sensed that the illuminance of external light is less than or equal to a preset value, the illuminance sensor 150 may transmit it to the infrared control unit 140 . That is, the illuminance sensor 150 senses an external illuminance value as a reference for determining whether or not the infrared light emitting unit 130 ′ operates and provides it to the infrared control unit 140 .

Thereafter, the infrared control unit 140 may control the operation of the infrared light emitting unit 130 ′ based on the illuminance value of the external light received from the illuminance sensor 150 .

More specifically, according to the second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B above, the infrared light emitting unit 130 ′ includes one first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED), and the The first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130' is controlled to emit infrared light of a first irradiation angle at a first time point t1 under the control of the infrared control unit 140, and a second time point ( At t2), it may be controlled to emit infrared rays of different second irradiation angles that do not overlap with the first irradiation angle.

Accordingly, the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130 ′ operates at different time points t1 and t2 based on the illuminance value of the external light received from the illuminance sensor 150 to operate the first and second 2 Take a video.

More specifically, at the first time point t1, the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130 ′ that emits infrared light at a first irradiation angle operates to photograph a subject in a low light state. On the lower surface (ST 610a), the image processing unit 160 receives the first image corresponding to the subject through the image sensor 120 (ST 620a).

Then, at the second time point t2, the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130 ′ emitting infrared rays at a second irradiation angle operates to perform photographing of a subject in a low-illumination state ( ST 610b), the image processing unit 160 receives a second image corresponding to the subject through the image sensor 120 (ST 620b).

Accordingly, the image synthesis unit 160c of the image processing unit 160 performs a signal to noise ratio (SNR) for the first and second image images received at the first time point t1 and the second time point t2, respectively. An operation of acquiring and synthesizing only this high part is performed (ST 630), and through this, a high-quality image can be obtained even in a low-illuminance environment.

4A is a block diagram showing the configuration of an infrared light emitting unit and an infrared control unit according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4B is a first and second video image received according to the third embodiment of the present invention and synthesizing them. It is a diagram showing an example of one video image. 7A is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a surveillance camera apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

The third embodiment of the present invention is compared to the first embodiment described above in that the plurality of infrared light emitting elements included in the infrared light emitting unit 130 are controlled to have different amounts of light rather than different irradiation angles. There is a difference. Accordingly, the same reference numerals are used for the same components as those of the first embodiment, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 4A , in the surveillance camera device according to the third embodiment of the present invention, the infrared light emitting unit 130 includes a first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130a ′ and a second infrared light emitting device. (second IR-LED) 130b'. In addition, the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130a' is set to have a first light amount, and the second infrared light emitting device (second IR-LED) 130b has the first light amount and It may be set to have a different second light quantity. In this case, the first light amount is preferably set to be smaller than the second light amount.

The infrared control unit 140 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes an irradiation angle control unit 140a that controls the irradiation angle of the infrared light emitting device (IR-LED) constituting the infrared light emitting unit 130 and/or the infrared light emitting device. It may be configured to include a light amount control unit 140b for controlling the light amount of the (IR-LED).

In the case of the third embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 4A, in the infrared control unit 140, the light quantity control unit 140b is activated, and the irradiation angle control unit 140a is deactivated, and accordingly, the light quantity control unit 140b Thus, the operation of the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130a' and the second infrared light emitting device (second IR-LED) 130b' may be controlled. For example, the light amount control unit 140b sets the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130a' to have a first light amount, and the second infrared light emitting device (second IR-LED) 130b ') may be set to have the second light amount.

Thereafter, the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130a is set to emit infrared light of a first amount, and the second infrared light emitting device (second IR-LED) 130b is configured to emit the second It can be set to emit infrared light in the amount of light.

In this case, the first light amount may be set to a value smaller than the second light amount, and accordingly, the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130a ′ emitting infrared light with the first light amount operates In this case, it is possible to overcome the problem that the subject located adjacent to the surveillance camera device 100 in the surveillance area is white-out and invisible.

In addition, when the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130a' of the small amount of light operates, only the subject located adjacent to the camera can be recognized well, and the background behind the subject is blacked out due to the small amount of light. black-out) In other words, it may be difficult to see because it is dark. Accordingly, when the second infrared light emitting device (second IR-LED) 130b ′ that emits infrared light with the second light quantity having a large light quantity operates, the background of the subject located far from the surveillance camera device 100 in the monitoring area is black. You can overcome the problem of being black-out.

Therefore, when the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130a ′ emitting infrared light with the first light amount operates to capture a subject located in the monitoring area in a low light state, the image sensor ( 120) to acquire a first image corresponding to the monitoring area.

Similarly, when the second infrared light emitting device (second IR-LED) 130b ′ that emits infrared light with the second light amount operates to take a picture of a subject in a low light state, the image sensor 120 is A second image corresponding to the monitoring area is acquired.

In the case of the third embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 4A , the image processing unit 160 operates the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130a ′ that emits infrared light with the first light amount. The first image receiving unit 160a that receives the first image generated by and a second image receiving unit 160b for receiving two images, and an image combining unit 160c for synthesizing the received first and second images. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the image synthesizing unit 160c may include different image images, for example, first and second images, respectively captured by the operation of infrared light emitting devices having two or more types of light intensity environments, that is, different light amounts. After receiving an image, and synthesizing only the high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) portion of each video image, overexposure is compensated for according to the difference in the distance between the camera and the subject to provide high-quality quality even in low-light environments. It is characterized in that the image can be acquired.

Referring to FIG. 4B , the first image received by the first image receiving unit 160a' operates as a first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130a having a first light amount as shown. It may be a captured video image. That is, by the first light amount, which is a relatively small amount of light, a high-quality image may be obtained for an area corresponding to a subject located relatively close to the camera, but the remaining photographing area may be blacked out.

On the other hand, the second image received by the second image receiver 160b' is an image captured by the operation of a second infrared light emitting device (second IR-LED) 130b' having a second light quantity as shown. It can be an image. That is, due to the second light amount, which is a relatively large amount of light, a high-quality image may be obtained for an area corresponding to the background of the subject located at a relatively distant position from the camera, but the subject may be whited out.

Accordingly, in the embodiment of the present invention, as described above, the image synthesizing unit 160c includes a first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130a ′ and a second infrared light emitting device (second IR) having different amounts of light. - With respect to the first and second video images captured by the operation of the LED) 130b', only a portion having a high SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio) is acquired and synthesized to obtain a high-quality image even in a low-light environment. can

7A is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a surveillance camera apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7A , first, the illuminance level of external light is sensed through the illuminance sensor 150 provided in the surveillance camera device 100 (ST 700). Accordingly, when it is sensed that the illuminance of external light is less than or equal to a preset value, the illuminance sensor 150 may transmit it to the infrared control unit 140 . That is, the illuminance sensor 150 senses an external light illuminance value as a reference for determining whether or not the infrared light emitting unit 130 operates and provides it to the infrared light emitting unit 140 .

Thereafter, the infrared control unit 140 may control the operation of the infrared light emitting unit 130 based on the illuminance value of the external light received from the illuminance sensor 150 .

More specifically, according to the third embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B above, the infrared light emitting unit 130 includes a first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130a ′ and a second infrared light emitting unit 130 . may include a light emitting element (second IR-LED) 130b', wherein the first infrared light emitting element (first IR-LED) 130a' is set to have a first light quantity, and the second infrared light emission The device (second IR-LED) 130b' may be set to have a second amount of light.

Accordingly, the first and second IR-LEDs 130a and 130b having different amounts of light included in the infrared light emitting unit 130 operate based on the illuminance value of the external light transmitted from the illuminance sensor 150 to operate. The first and second images are captured (ST 710).

Accordingly, the image processing unit 160 receives a first image generated by the operation of the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130a emitting infrared light with the first light amount, and together with the first image A second image generated by the operation of the second infrared light emitting device (second IR-LED) 130b that emits infrared light with two amounts of light is received (ST 720).

Finally, the image processing unit 160 is configured to operate the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130a and the second infrared light emitting device (second IR-LED) 130b. For the first and second video images, only a portion having a high signal to noise ratio (SNR) is acquired and synthesized (ST 730), whereby a high-quality image can be obtained even in a low light environment.

5A is a block diagram showing the configuration of an infrared light emitting unit and an infrared control unit according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5B is a first and second video image received according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention and synthesizing them. It is a diagram showing an example of one video image. 7B is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a surveillance camera apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

In the fourth embodiment of the present invention, compared with the third embodiment described above, the infrared light emitting unit 130 is composed of a single infrared light emitting element (IR-LED) rather than a plurality of infrared light emitting elements, and the infrared control unit ( 140) is different in that it controls the single infrared light emitting device (IR-LED) to have different amounts of light at different times. Accordingly, the same reference numerals are used for the same components as those of the third embodiment, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

5A, the surveillance camera device according to the second embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the infrared light emitting unit 130 is composed of only a first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130". At this time, the amount of light of the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130 ′ may be varied for each viewpoint under the control of the infrared controller 140 .

More specifically, the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130" is controlled to emit infrared light of a first amount at a first time point t1 by the control of the infrared control unit 140, At a second time point t2 , the infrared rays having a second light amount greater than the first light amount may be controlled to be emitted.

Accordingly, the infrared control unit 140 according to the embodiment of the present invention controls the light amount of the single infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) constituting the infrared light emitting unit 130 differently depending on the viewpoint (140b). ') and/or a light amount control unit 140a for controlling the irradiation angle of the infrared light emitting device (IR-LED).

In the case of the fourth embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 5A, in the infrared control unit 140, the light quantity control unit 140b' is activated, and the irradiation angle control unit 140a is deactivated, and thus the light quantity control unit 140b' ) may control the operation of the single first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130″. For example, the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130″ may be controlled to emit infrared light of the first amount of light at a first time point t1 by the control of the light amount controller 140b ′, and may be controlled to emit infrared light of the second light amount at a second time point t2. .

Therefore, when the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130" that emits infrared light with a first amount of light at the first time point t1 operates to capture the monitoring area in a low light state, The first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) that acquires a first image corresponding to the monitoring area through the image sensor 120 and emits infrared light with a second amount of light at the second time point t2 When 130 ″ operates and captures the monitoring area in a low light state, a second image corresponding to the monitoring area may be acquired through the image sensor 120 .

In the case of the fourth embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 5A , the image processing unit 160 is substantially the same as the configuration of the third embodiment of the present invention described above. That is, the first image receiving unit 160a that receives the first image generated at the first time t1 when infrared light is emitted with the first light amount, and the second time point t2 that emits infrared light with the second light amount It is configured to include a second image receiving unit 160b for receiving the generated second image, and an image synthesizing unit 160c for synthesizing the received first and second images. The image synthesizing unit 160c receives, for example, first and second image images, respectively different from each other, captured by an operation of an infrared light emitting device having two or more types of light amounts, that is, different light amounts, and It is characterized in that it is possible to obtain a high-quality image even in a low-light environment by acquiring and synthesizing only a portion having a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) among video images.

Referring to FIG. 5B , the first image received by the first image receiving unit 160a is generated by the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130″ of the first amount of light as shown. It may be a video image captured at one time point t1.

At the first time point t1, the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130" emitting infrared light with a first amount of light operates to photograph a subject located in the monitoring area in a low light state. , it is possible to overcome the problem that the subject located adjacent to the surveillance camera device 100 in the surveillance area is white-out and invisible, but the background behind it is black-out due to a small amount of light, that is, It may be difficult to see because it is dark.

The second image received by the second image receiving unit 160b is, as shown, at a second time point t2 by the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130″ of the second amount of light. It may be a captured video image.

At the second time point t2, when the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130" that emits infrared light with a second amount of light operates to take a picture of the subject in a low light state, Although the problem that the background is blacked out can be overcome, there is a problem in that the subject is white-out and cannot be seen.

Accordingly, in the embodiment of the present invention, as described above, the image synthesizing unit 160c receives the first and second video images at first and second time points having different light amounts, respectively, for the respective video images. High-quality images can be obtained even in low-light environments by compensating for overexposure according to the difference in distance between the camera and the subject by acquiring and synthesizing only the parts with a high SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio).

7B is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of the surveillance camera apparatus according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7B , first, the illuminance level of external light is sensed through the illuminance sensor 150 provided in the surveillance camera device 100 (ST 700). Accordingly, when it is sensed that the illuminance of external light is less than or equal to a preset value, the illuminance sensor 150 may transmit it to the infrared control unit 140 . That is, the illuminance sensor 150 senses an external illuminance value as a reference for determining whether or not the infrared light emitting unit 130 ″ operates and provides it to the infrared control unit 140 .

Thereafter, the infrared control unit 140 may control the operation of the infrared light emitting unit 130 ″ based on the illuminance value of the external light received from the illuminance sensor 150 .

More specifically, according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B above, the infrared light emitting unit 130 ″ includes one first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED), and the The first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130 ″ is controlled to emit infrared light of a first amount of light at a first time point t1 under the control of the infrared control unit 140 , and a second time point t2 ) may be controlled to emit infrared light of a second amount of light greater than the first amount of light.

Accordingly, based on the illuminance value of the external light received from the illuminance sensor 150, the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130″ operates at different time points t1 and t2 to operate the first and second 2 Take a video.

More specifically, at the first time point t1, the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130" that emits infrared light at a first irradiation angle operates to photograph a subject in a low light state. On the lower surface (ST 710a), the image processing unit 160 receives the first image corresponding to the subject through the image sensor 120 (ST 720a).

Thereafter, at the second time point t2, the first infrared light emitting device (first IR-LED) 130" emitting infrared light with a second amount of light operates to perform photographing of a subject in a low light state (ST 710b), the image processing unit 160 receives a second image corresponding to the subject through the image sensor 120 (ST 720b).

Accordingly, the image synthesis unit 160c of the image processing unit 160 performs a signal to noise ratio (SNR) for the first and second image images received at the first time point t1 and the second time point t2, respectively. An operation of acquiring and synthesizing only this high part is performed (ST 730), and through this, a high-quality image can be obtained even in a low-illuminance environment.

As described above, in the present invention, specific matters such as specific components, etc., and limited embodiments and drawings have been described, but these are only provided to help a more general understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. , various modifications and variations are possible from these descriptions by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains.

Therefore, the spirit of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, and not only the claims described below, but also all of the claims and all equivalents or equivalent modifications to the claims will be said to belong to the scope of the spirit of the present invention. .

Claims (14)

an image sensor that converts an externally incident optical signal into an electrical signal and outputs a plurality of image signals;
an image processing unit that processes image signals on a plurality of image signals output from the image sensor;
an infrared light emitting unit including at least one infrared light emitting element emitting infrared light having a predetermined irradiation angle and/or light quantity;
an illuminance sensor for sensing the illuminance of external light;
and an infrared controller for controlling an irradiation angle or amount of infrared light emitted from the at least one infrared light emitting device based on an illuminance value of the external light sensed by the illuminance sensor. According to claim 1,
The infrared light emitting unit,
A surveillance camera device comprising a first infrared light emitting element having a first irradiation angle and a second infrared light emitting element having a second irradiation angle. 3. The method of claim 2,
The second irradiation angle does not overlap the first irradiation angle, and the sum of the first and second irradiation angles covers the entire shooting area of the surveillance camera apparatus. 3. The method of claim 2,
The image processing unit,
a first image receiver configured to receive a first image generated by operating the first infrared light emitting device having the first irradiation angle;
a second image receiver configured to receive a second image generated by operating the second infrared light emitting device having the second irradiation angle;
and an image synthesizing unit for generating a synthesized image by acquiring only a portion having a high signal to noise ratio (SNR) of each image with respect to the received first image and the second image. According to claim 1,
The infrared light emitting unit is composed of only a single first infrared light emitting device,
A surveillance camera device in which the irradiation angle of the first infrared light emitting device is varied for each viewpoint under the control of the infrared control unit. 6. The method of claim 5,
The first infrared light emitting device is controlled to emit infrared light of a first irradiation angle at a first time point under the control of the infrared control unit, and is controlled to emit infrared light of the second irradiation angle at a second time point. 7. The method of claim 6,
The second irradiation angle does not overlap the first irradiation angle, and the sum of the first and second irradiation angles covers the entire shooting area of the surveillance camera apparatus. 7. The method of claim 6,
The image processing unit,
a first image receiver configured to receive a first image generated by the operation of the first infrared light emitting device having the first irradiation angle at the first time point;
a second image receiver configured to receive a second image generated by the operation of the first infrared light emitting device having the second irradiation angle at the second time point;
and an image synthesizing unit for generating a synthesized image by acquiring only a portion having a high signal to noise ratio (SNR) of each image with respect to the received first image and the second image. According to claim 1,
The infrared light emitting unit,
A surveillance camera device comprising: a first infrared light emitting element having a first light quantity; and a second infrared light emitting element having a second light quantity different from the first light quantity. 10. The method of claim 9,
The second light amount is set to have a value greater than the first light amount, the surveillance camera device to cover the entire shooting area of the surveillance camera device. 10. The method of claim 9,
The image processing unit,
a first image receiver configured to receive a first image generated by the operation of the first infrared light emitting device having the first amount of light;
a second image receiver configured to receive a second image generated by the operation of the second infrared light emitting device having the second amount of light;
and an image synthesizing unit for generating a synthesized image by acquiring only a portion having a high signal to noise ratio (SNR) of each image with respect to the received first image and the second image. According to claim 1,
The infrared light emitting unit is composed of only a single first infrared light emitting device,
A monitoring camera device in which the amount of light of the first infrared light emitting device is varied for each viewpoint under the control of the infrared control unit. 13. The method of claim 12,
The first infrared light emitting device is controlled to emit infrared light of a first amount of light at a first point in time by the control of the infrared control unit, and at a second point in time, it is controlled to emit infrared light of a second light amount different from the first light amount. camera device. 14. The method of claim 13,
The image processing unit,
a first image receiver configured to receive a first image generated by the operation of the first infrared light emitting device having a first amount of light at the first time point;
a second image receiver configured to receive a second image generated by the operation of the first infrared light emitting device having a second amount of light at the second time point;
and an image synthesizing unit for generating a synthesized image by acquiring only a portion having a high signal to noise ratio (SNR) of each image with respect to the received first image and the second image.

Images