Surveillance system and operating method thereof

Abstract

A surveillance system including a battery camera and a gateway. The battery camera includes a battery configured to supply power to the battery camera, a camera module configured to capture a surveillance area, a connector configured to directly connect to the gateway, a network module configured to communicate with the gateway, and a processor configured to charge the battery through the connector. The processor transmits high-quality images through the connector when the connector is connected to the gateway and transmits low-quality images through the network module when the connector is disconnected from the gateway.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A surveillance system comprising a battery camera and a gateway, wherein the battery camera comprises:
 a battery configured to supply power to the battery camera;   a camera module configured to capture a surveillance area to acquire images;   a connector configured to directly connect to the gateway;   a network module configured to communicate with the gateway; and   a processor configured to allow the battery camera to operate in a charging mode when the connector is connected to the gateway and allow the battery camera to operate in a normal mode when the connector is disconnected from the gateway,   wherein:   in the charging mode, the battery receives power from the gateway through the connector, and the camera module continuously transmits the images to the gateway through the connector; and   in the normal mode, the camera module discontinuously transmits the images to the gateway through the network module.   
     
     
         2 . The surveillance system of  claim 1 , further comprising a sensing module configured to detect an event, wherein:
 in the charging mode, the camera module transmits the images to the gateway in real-time streaming; and   in the normal mode, the camera module transmits the images to the gateway only when the event is detected by the sensing module.   
     
     
         3 . The surveillance system of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the battery comprises a rechargeable battery and a non-rechargeable battery;   in the charging mode, the rechargeable battery supplies power to the battery camera while receiving power from the gateway through the connector; and   in the normal mode, the non-rechargeable battery supplies power to the battery camera.   
     
     
         4 . The surveillance system of  claim 1 , wherein:
 in the charging mode, the camera module acquires relatively high-quality images;   in the normal mode, the camera module acquires relatively low-quality images; and   at least one of a frame rate, a resolution, and a bit rate of the relatively high-quality images is higher than that of the relatively low-quality images.   
     
     
         5 . The surveillance system of  claim 1 , wherein the connector comprises a magnet, and the connector is directly connected to the gateway by an attractive force between the magnet and a magnet included in the gateway. 
     
     
         6 . A surveillance system comprising a battery camera and a gateway, wherein the gateway comprises:
 a memory;   a charging module configured to supply power to the outside;   a connector configured to directly connect to the battery camera;   a network module configured to communicate with the battery camera; and   a processor configured to allow the gateway to operate in a charging mode when the connector is connected to the battery camera and allow the gateway to operate in a normal mode when the connector is disconnected from the battery camera, wherein:   in the charging mode, the charging module supplies power to the battery camera through the connector, and the memory continuously receives images from the battery camera through the connector and stores the received images; and   in the normal mode, the memory discontinuously receives the images from the battery camera through the network module and stores the received images.   
     
     
         7 . The surveillance system of  claim 6 , further comprising a panning module configured to rotate from side to side,
 wherein the processor activates the panning module in the charging mode.   
     
     
         8 . The surveillance system of  claim 7 , wherein the processor rotates the panning module at a predetermined speed. 
     
     
         9 . The surveillance system of  claim 7 , wherein the processor rotates the panning module according to a control signal received through the network module. 
     
     
         10 . The surveillance system of  claim 9 , wherein the control signal is an event detection signal of the battery camera. 
     
     
         11 . The surveillance system of  claim 9 , wherein the network module communicates with an internal network device different from the battery camera, and the control signal is an event detection signal of the internal network device. 
     
     
         12 . The surveillance system of  claim 9 , wherein:
 the network module communicates with a user terminal through an external network; and   the control signal is a signal corresponding to a user input of the user terminal.   
     
     
         13 . The surveillance system of  claim 6 , wherein:
 in the charging mode, the memory stores the images received through the connector in real-time streaming therein, and the images are relatively high-quality images;   in the normal mode, the images are relatively low-quality images; and   at least one of a frame rate, a resolution, and a bit rate of the relatively high-quality images is higher than that of the relatively low-quality images.   
     
     
         14 . The surveillance system of  claim 6 , wherein the connector comprises a magnet, and the connector is directly connected to the battery camera by an attractive force between the magnet and a magnet included in the battery camera. 
     
     
         15 . A method of operating a surveillance system comprising a battery camera and a gateway, the method comprising:
 connecting a first connector of the battery camera to a second connector of the gateway;   operating the battery camera and the gateway in a charging mode;   disconnecting the first connector from the second connector; and   operating the battery camera and the gateway in a normal mode,   wherein:   in the charging mode, power is supplied from the gateway to the battery camera through the first connector and the second connector, and a panning module of the gateway is activated; and   in the normal mode, the panning module of the gateway is deactivated.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein:
 in the charging mode, images acquired by the battery camera are continuously transmitted from the battery camera to the gateway through the first connector and the second connector; and   in the normal mode, the images acquired by the battery camera are discontinuously transmitted from the battery camera to the gateway through a first network module of the battery camera and a second network module of the gateway.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein, in the charging mode, the panning module rotates at a predetermined speed. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein, in the charging mode, the panning module rotates in accordance with at least one of a first event detection signal received from the battery camera, a second event detection signal received from an internal network device different from the battery camera, and a user input received from a user terminal. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the gateway receives the first event detection signal from the battery camera through the second connector, receives the second event detection signal from the internal network device through a network module, and receives the user input from the user terminal through the network module. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein, in response to the first connector and the second connector being connected to each other, the battery camera rotates in accordance with rotation of the panning module.