TW201318464A - IP camera system and IP address setting method for IP cameras - Google Patents

Abstract

An IP (Internet Protocol) camera system and IP address setting method for IP cameras. The IP camera system includes a plurality of cameras and a coordinator. The plurality of cameras and the coordinator connect to a local area network (LAN). Each IP camera includes a storage module, a network control module and a wireless communication module. When the coordinator connects with the IP cameras by a wireless communication technique to form a wireless sensor network (WSN), the coordinator obtains an unique code in one of the cameras through the WSN. The coordinator returns an address through the WSN to the camera for setting the address as an IP address in the LAN.

Description

Network camera system and network camera address setting method

The present invention relates to a camera system, and more particularly to a network camera system and a network camera address setting method.

In order to achieve the purpose of security monitoring, a surveillance camera is conventionally combined with a DVR (Digital Video Recorder). And relying on the development of the Internet, IP cameras have become the choice of more and more users. The advantage is that the user can connect to the network camera through the network at any time, and then can be viewed.

In order to connect to the network camera, the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the network camera must be preset during installation. There are currently two ways to set an IP address. One uses a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server to automatically assign an IP address, and the other uses a user-specified IP address.

If the IP address is automatically assigned by DHCP, the trouble of separately setting the IP address for each network camera can be eliminated. However, the IP addresses assigned by DHCP are randomly assigned, and there are no rules, which causes the IP addresses of all network cameras to be disordered, so users are difficult to manage. Furthermore, once the network camera is reset or added, the IP address reconfigured by the DHCP server is also different from the original one. When the network camera changes, the user must re-record the IP address corresponding to the network camera, which is very inconvenient for the user.

If the user specifies the IP address, the IP address of the network camera can be planned to be a more organized distribution. However, setting the network camera one by one is not only time-consuming and labor-intensive, error-prone, but when the IP address needs to be changed (such as when adding or removing a network camera), the user needs to re-set it. It is also inconvenient to manage.

In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a method for setting an address of a network camera system and a network camera, thereby solving the problem of the IP address setting of the network camera existing in the prior art.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a network camera system including: a plurality of network cameras and a coordinator. Multiple webcam communications are connected to the regional network. The coordinator also communicates with the regional network.

In an embodiment, each of the network cameras includes: a storage module, a network control module, and a wireless communication module. The storage module stores a unique code. The network control module is used to communicate to the regional network. The wireless communication module is configured to transmit a unique code via a wireless communication protocol.

In an embodiment, when the coordinator and the network camera are connected as a wireless sensor network by using a wireless communication protocol, the coordinator obtains a unique code of one of the network cameras via the wireless sensor network, and The wireless sensor network returns an address for the network camera to set the address of the Internet Protocol address of the network camera in the regional network.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for setting an address of a network camera, which is used for setting a plurality of network cameras connected to a regional network, each having a unique code, including: the communication connection is located in the area network. a coordinator and a webcam, and connected to the wireless sensor network by a wireless communication protocol; the coordinator obtains a unique code of one of the network cameras via the wireless sensor network; the coordinator is wirelessly sensed The network returns a location to the webcam; and the webcam address is an internet protocol address of the webcam on the regional network.

According to the network camera system and the setting method thereof according to the embodiment of the invention, the coordinator and the network camera can self-organize into a wireless sensor network, which can facilitate the management of the internet protocol of each network camera in the regional network. Address.

1 is a schematic diagram of a webcam system 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a webcam 110 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 together, the network camera system 100 includes: a plurality of network cameras 110 (such as the first camera 110A, the second camera 110B, and the third camera 110C, but not limited thereto) and coordination. 130. A plurality of network cameras 110 communicate with the regional network 300. The coordinator 130 also communicates with the regional network 300.

In an embodiment, the local area network 300 can be a wired network, a wireless network, or a wired network and a wireless network. That is, the webcam 110 and the coordinator 130 can connect to the regional network 300 in a wireless or/and wired manner.

Each network camera 110 includes a storage module 111, a network control module 113, and a wireless communication module 115. The storage module 111 stores a unique code. The network control module 113 is used for communication connection to the area network 300. The wireless communication module 115 is configured to transmit a unique code via a wireless communication protocol.

In an embodiment, the wireless communication protocol can be implemented as ZigBee, Bluetooth Low Energy, Wavenis, Ultra Low Power WiFi, Z-Wave, IEEE 802.15.4, EnOcean, or Dash 7.

When the coordinator 130 and the network camera 110 are connected as a wireless sensor network (WSN) 150 by a wireless communication protocol, the coordinator 130 obtains the network camera 110 via the wireless sensor network 150. A unique code (e.g., first camera 110A) is transmitted back to the address (e.g., the first address) via wireless sensor network 150. Thereby, the first camera 110A can set the first address as the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the first camera 110A in the area network 300. Similarly, the second camera 110B can set a second address to the IP address of the second camera 110B in the area network 300.

That is, when the coordinator 130 and the webcam 110 are organized into a wireless sensor network 150, the coordinator 130 may require each webcam 110 to return its stored unique code. Then, the coordinator 130 can individually assign an IP address to each of the network cameras 110 according to a specific IP address allocation method (such as a coordinate network IP address allocation method or a MAC address and a sequence number addressing method). The coordinator 130 can then connect to the corresponding webcam 110 based on its assigned IP address. Alternatively, an external device (not shown) may be connected to the coordinator 130 via a local area network or the Internet to obtain an IP address comparison table for each of the network cameras 110. Thereby, the external device can directly connect to the specific network camera 110 or indirectly to the specific network camera 110 through the coordinator 130 according to the obtained IP address comparison table.

In an embodiment, the IP address is a Private IP address. In addition, the configuration and operation principle of the wireless sensor network 150 (such as routing algorithms and topology architecture) are well known to those skilled in the art, and thus will not be described herein. The network topology and routing path shown in FIG. 1 are only examples, and the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto.

In some embodiments, the unique code can be implemented as a MAC (Media Access Control) address or a production serial number.

In some embodiments, each of the network cameras 110 further includes a camera module 117 for photographing to generate an image file. The network camera 110 can transmit image files to other devices connected to the same regional network 300 through the network control module 113. The image file can be stored in the storage module 111.

Figure 3 is a circuit block diagram of a network camera 110 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the camera module 117 can be implemented by a photographing lens 211, a photosensitive element 212, a codec 213, and a Micro Controller Unit (MCU) 214. The storage module 111 can be memorized. The system (such as ROM (Read Only Memory)) 215 is implemented; the network control module 113 can be implemented by an Ethernet chip 216 and a network port (such as an RJ45 interface) 217; The communication module 115 can be implemented by the Zigbee control chip 218 and the antenna 219. The micro control unit 214 is coupled between the Zigbee control chip 218 and the codec 213. The codec 213 is coupled between the photosensitive element 212 and the Ethernet wafer 216. The Ethernet chip 216 is coupled between the memory 215 and the network port 217.

Thereby, the MAC address stored in the memory 215 is used as the unique code, and the coordinator 130 or other network camera 110 can be used to identify the identity. In addition, the serial number of the network camera 110 or its internal components can also be stored in the memory 215 or other chip (such as the micro control unit 214) as a unique code that provides the identity recognition function.

Figure 4 is a circuit block diagram (1) of the coordinator 130 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 4, the coordinator 130 can include a micro-control unit (MCU) 234, an Ethernet chip 236, a Zigbee control chip 238, and an antenna 239. The network communication function is provided by the Ethernet chip 236 and the network connection port (not shown) coupled to the area network 300. The wireless sensor network 150 is constructed by the Zigbee control chip 238 and the antenna 239, and all nodes (such as the network camera 110) within the wireless sensor network 150 are controlled or communicated.

Figure 5 is a circuit block diagram (2) of the coordinator 130' in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Figure 5, the difference from Figure 4 is that the coordinator 130' may substantially include the computer 240. For example, similar to FIG. 4, the sensor node 230 has a micro control unit 234', a Zigbee control chip 238' and an antenna 239', and communicates via a communication port 232 (such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus)). Connected to computer 240, a coordinator 130' can be formed. Here, the computer 240 may include a Central Processor Unit (CPU) 241, a North Bridge 242, a South Bridge 243, an Ethernet card 244, a network port 245, and a communication port 246. The peripheral components and operating principles are well known to those skilled in the art, and thus will not be described herein. Thereby, the administrator can connect to the specific webcam 110 using the computer 240.

Figure 6 is a schematic block diagram of a sensing device 170 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6, a network camera system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention further includes a sensing device 170.

The sensing device 170 can wirelessly connect one of the network cameras 110 to form one of the nodes of the wireless sensor network 150. Thus, sensing device 170 can include micro control unit 174, Zigbee control wafer 178, and antenna 179. The sensing device 170 further includes at least one sensor 172 for detecting an environmental state, such as detecting temperature, humidity, luminosity, vibration, and the like. Moreover, the sensing device 170 can transmit the collected data back to the coordinator 130 through the wireless sensor network 150. The sensed data can be combined with the images taken by the webcam 110 corresponding to the geographic location. Thereby, the sensing capability of the network camera 110 can be extended, for example, to compensate for the defects of the photographic dead angle, and provide a sound environment detection and security function.

The principle of operation of the webcam system 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is described in detail below. Referring to FIG. 1, when the wireless sensor network 150 is formed, the coordinator 130 can set an IP address for the first camera 110A, the second camera 110B, and the third camera 110C, respectively. Here, the coordinator 130 can allocate an Internet Protocol (IP) address according to the Hop Count between the network camera 110 and the coordinator 130.

For example, the first camera 110A and the third camera 110C are separated from the coordinator 130 by a hop, and the second camera 110B and the coordinator 130 are separated by a second hop. Therefore, the coordinator 130 can assign the IP address of "192.168.1.0" to the first camera 110A; assign the IP address of "192.168.2.0" to the third camera 110C; assign the IP address of "192.168.1.1" to the first Second camera 110B. That is to say, the coordinator 130 can generate an IP address according to the upper and lower hierarchical relationship between the network cameras 110, and the administrator of the network camera system 100 can infer the relative positional relationship of the network camera 110 from the IP address. In addition, when one of the network cameras 110 fails, even if another network camera 110 is replaced, the coordinator 130 can be assigned the same or or according to the number of hops or routing relationships of its adjacent network cameras 110. Approximating the IP address of the original webcam 110 can facilitate the management of the webcam system 100.

As another example, the coordinator 130 can assign an Internet Protocol (IP) address in accordance with the geographic location of the network camera 110. When the network camera 110 can be divided according to the allocation area, for example, the first camera 110A and the third camera 110C are located in the same area, and the second camera 110B is located in another area. The coordinator 130 may assign an IP address of "192.168.1.1" to the first camera 110A; assign an IP address of "192.168.1.2" to the third camera 110C; assign an IP address of "192.168.2.1" to the second camera. 110B. That is to say, the network cameras 110 in the same area can be observed by the IP address to be in the same group. Thereby, it is convenient for the administrator to understand the actual geographical address of the network camera 110, and it is convenient to repair the specific network camera 110.

In addition, the coordinator 130 may scan the IP address already used in the area network 300 before assigning the IP address, thereby obtaining an assignable IP address for use by the network camera 110. Alternatively, after allocating the IP address, the coordinator 130 may detect whether there is an IP collision in the area network 300 at intervals. When an IP collision occurs, the coordinator 130 can adjust the IP address of the webcam 110 or notify the administrator to troubleshoot the IP conflict.

Figure 7 is a flow chart showing a method of setting an address of the network camera 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 7, the address setting method of the network camera 110 is used to set a plurality of network cameras 110 that are communicatively coupled to a regional network 300, each having a unique code, including: the communication connection is located in the area network. The coordinator 130 in the path 300 and the network camera 110 are connected as a wireless sensor network 150 by a wireless communication protocol (step S401); the coordinator 130 obtains the network camera 110 via the wireless sensor network 150. a unique code (such as the first camera 110A) (step S403); the coordinator 130 returns a single address (such as the first address) to the network camera 110 via the wireless sensor network 150 (step S405); The network camera 110 sets the address to the internet protocol address of the webcam in the regional network 300 (step S407).

In some embodiments, the unique code can be a MAC address or a production serial number (such as the production serial number of the network camera 110 or its internal components).

In step S401, the coordinator 130 is a coordinator role of the wireless sensor network 150, and serves as a hub of the overall wireless sensor network 150, and is responsible for selecting channels and organizing networks and the like. Thus, a plurality of network cameras 110 can be organized into a wireless sensor network 150 through the coordinator 130.

Here, with respect to the coordinator 130 being the coordinator role of the wireless sensor network 150, the network camera 110 can function as a router role or an end device. As shown in Fig. 1, the first camera 110A is communicably connected between the coordinator 130 and the second camera 110B, the first camera 110A functions as a router, and the second camera 110B functions as a terminal device. For example, if a fourth camera is added and the communication is connected to the second camera 110B, the second camera 110B is changed from the original terminal device role to the router role. Similarly, the sensing device 170 can also function as a router role or a terminal device.

In step S403, the coordinator 130 can collect the unique code stored by each of the network cameras 110 using the technology of the wireless sensor network.

In step S405, the IP address can be individually assigned to each of the network cameras 110 according to a specific IP address allocation method (such as a coordinate network IP address allocation method or a MAC address and a sequence number addressing method).

In step S407, each network camera 110 (such as the first camera 110A) receives the IP address (such as the first address) assigned by the coordinator 130, and sets the received IP address to the regional network 300. IP address in . Thereby, an external device can be connected to the specific network camera 110 via the area network 300 to obtain the captured image.

Here, the local area network 300 can be a wired network, a wireless network, or a wired network and a wireless network. If the local area network 300 includes a wired network, the coordinator 130 and the respective network cameras 110 can be electrically connected by a network route before step S407.

Figure 8 is another flow chart of the address setting method of the network camera 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 8, the address setting method of the network camera 110 may further include step S404: allocating an internet protocol address according to the number of hops between the network camera and the coordinator 130. In an embodiment, step S404 may continue after step S403 and before step S405. The related operation principle and function have been described above, and the detailed description thereof will not be repeated here.

Figure 9 is still another flow chart of the address setting method of the network camera 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 9, the address setting method of the network camera 110 may further include step S404': allocating an internet protocol address according to the geographic location of the network camera. In an embodiment, step S404' may continue after step S403 and before step S405. The related operation principle and function have been described above, and the detailed description thereof will not be repeated here.

According to the address setting method of the network camera system 100 and the network camera 110 of the present invention, the coordinator 130 and the network camera 110 can self-organize into the wireless sensor network 150, which can facilitate the management of the respective network cameras 110. The IP address within the local area network 300. Moreover, the IP address is allocated according to the number of hops between the network camera 110 and the coordinator 130 or the geographic location of the network camera 110, so that the administrator can know the location of each network camera 110. Moreover, IP address allocation by the number of hops or the geographic location of the network camera 110 can cause the network camera 110 to reset to the original IP address or set to be similar when it is replaced or reset. IP address, not random number configuration.

While the present invention has been described above in the foregoing embodiments, it is not intended to limit the invention, and the invention may be modified and modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The scope of patent protection shall be subject to the definition of the scope of the patent application attached to this specification.

100. . . Webcam system

110. . . Webcam

110A. . . First camera

110B. . . Second camera

110C. . . Third camera

111. . . Storage module

113. . . Network control module

115. . . Wireless communication module

117. . . Photography module

130, 130’. . . Coordinator

150. . . Wireless sensor network

170. . . Sensing device

172. . . Sensor

174. . . Micro control unit

178. . . Zigbee control chip

179. . . antenna

211. . . Photographic lens

212. . . Photosensitive element

213. . . Codec

214. . . Micro control unit

215. . . Memory

216. . . Ethernet chip

217. . . Network connection埠

218. . . Zigbee control chip

219. . . antenna

230. . . Sensor node

232. . . Communication

234, 234’. . . Micro control unit

236. . . Ethernet chip

238, 238’. . . Zigbee control chip

239, 239’. . . antenna

240. . . computer

241. . . CPU

242. . . North Bridge

243. . . South Bridge

244. . . Ethernet card

245. . . Network connection埠

246. . . Communication

300. . . Regional network

1 is a schematic diagram of a network camera system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a schematic block diagram of a network camera according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 3 is a circuit block diagram of a network camera according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 4 is a circuit block diagram (1) of a coordinator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 5 is a circuit block diagram (2) of a coordinator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 6 is a schematic block diagram of a sensing device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 7 is a flow chart showing a method of setting a network camera system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 8 is another flow chart of a method of setting a network camera system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 9 is still another flow chart of a method of setting a network camera system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

110. . . Webcam

111. . . Storage module

113. . . Network control module

115. . . Wireless communication module

117. . . Photography module

130. . . Coordinator

Claims (10)

A network camera system includes: a plurality of network cameras connected to a regional network, each of the network cameras comprising: a storage module storing a unique code; and a network control module for a communication connection to the local area network; and a wireless communication module for transmitting the unique code via a wireless communication protocol; and a coordinator for communicating to the regional network, when the coordinator and the network cameras are When the wireless communication protocol is connected to a wireless sensor network, the coordinator obtains the unique code of one of the network cameras via the wireless sensor network, and returns via the wireless sensor network. An address is transmitted for the network camera to set the address as an internet protocol address of the network camera in the area network. The network camera system of claim 1, wherein the unique code is a media access control address or a production serial number. The network camera system of claim 1, wherein the coordinator allocates the internet protocol address according to a number of hops between the network cameras and the coordinator. The network camera system of claim 1, wherein the coordinator allocates the internet protocol address according to a geographic location of the network cameras. The network camera system of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication protocol comprises ZigBee, Bluetooth Low Energy, Wavenis, Ultra Low Power WiFi, Z-Wave, IEEE 802.15.4, EnOcean or Dash7. The network camera system of claim 1, further comprising a sensing device, wirelessly connecting one of the network cameras to form a node of the wireless sensor network, the sensing device comprising at least one sense A detector for detecting the state of the environment. A network camera address setting method for setting a plurality of network cameras communicatively connected to a regional network, each having a unique code, comprising: a coordinator of the communication connection in the network of the area and the Some of the network cameras are connected as a wireless sensor network by a wireless communication protocol; the coordinator obtains the unique code of one of the network cameras via the wireless sensor network; the coordinator via the The wireless sensor network returns an address to the network camera; and the network camera sets the address as an internet protocol address of the network camera in the area network. The method for setting a network camera system according to claim 7, further comprising: allocating the internet protocol address according to the number of hops between the network cameras and the coordinator. The method for setting a network camera system according to claim 7, further comprising: allocating the internet protocol address according to a geographic location of the network cameras. The method for setting a network camera system according to claim 7, wherein the unique code is a media access control address or a production serial number.