Monitoring camera system

• US 10,044,966 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2015
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Sato, Keizo, Kawamura, Mitsuru
• Primary Examiner(s): Rahaman, Mohammed
• Application Number:
  US14/665,887
• Publication Number:
  US 20150296165A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,233 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44 Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control

Abstract

A master device transmits received image data to a mobile phone terminal and includes a storage unit that stores sensor setting information including at least sensitivity or a threshold value of a sensor, the mobile phone terminal includes a display and input unit, displays the image data transmitted from the master device on the display and input unit, requests the master device to provide the sensor setting information when receiving a predetermined operation, displays the sensor setting information transmitted from the master device on the display and input unit, and transmits the changed sensor setting information to the master device when receiving an operation of changing the sensor setting information, and the master device updates the sensor setting information stored in the storage unit using the sensor setting information after changing transmitted from the mobile phone terminal.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a first camera arranged in a first zone;

a first sensor associated with the first camera;

a second camera and a third camera arranged in a second zone different from the first zone;

a second sensor associated with the second camera in the second zone;

a third sensor and a fourth sensor associated with the third camera in the second zone; and

a master device that, in operation, performs wireless communication with the first, second and third cameras and the first, second, third and fourth sensors according to a communications protocol, wherein the master device includes a storage configured to store setting information of the first, second, third and fourth sensors including ON/OFF settings of the first, second, third and fourth sensors;

wherein the master device,

in response to receiving a user selection of one of the first camera, the second camera, and the third camera, via a wireless router from a smartphone connected to a mobile phone network, transmits the setting information of those sensor(s) associated with the selected camera to the smartphone for display;

in response to receiving an update to the setting information of the first sensor from the smartphone when the user has selected the first camera in the first zone, updates the setting information of the first sensor;

in response to receiving an update to the setting information of the second sensor from the smartphone when the user has selected the second camera in the second zone, updates the setting information of the second sensor, and

in response to receiving an update to the setting information of the third sensor and the fourth sensor from the smartphone when the user has selected the third camera in the second zone, updates the setting information of the third sensor and the fourth sensor in a batch.

2. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the setting information includes operating time settings of the first, second, third and fourth sensors.

3. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the setting information includes at least one of sensitivity settings of the first, second, third and fourth sensors and threshold values of the first, second, third and fourth sensors.

4. The communication system of claim 3, wherein the update to at least one of the sensitivity settings of the first, second, third and fourth sensors and the threshold values of the first, second, third and fourth sensors is inputted via user operation of a seek bar displayed on the smartphone.

5. The communication system of claim 1, wherein at least some of the first, second, third and fourth sensors are infrared sensors.

6. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the first, second, third and fourth sensors are selected from a group consisting of human sensors, smoke sensors, and opening/closing sensors.

7. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the third sensor and the fourth sensor are located within an imaging range of the third camera.

8. A communication method based on a communication system, the communication system comprising:

(a) a first camera arranged in a first zone;

a first sensor associated with the first camera;

(b) a second camera and a third camera arranged in a second zone different from the first zone;

a second sensor associated with the second camera in the second zone;

a third sensor and a fourth sensor associated with the third camera in the second zone; and

(c) a master device that, in operation, performs wireless communication with the first, second and third cameras and the first, second, third and fourth sensors according to a communications protocol, wherein the master device includes a storage configured to store setting information of the first, second, third and fourth sensors including ON/OFF settings of the first, second, third and fourth sensors;

the communication method comprising;

in response to receiving, at the master device, a user selection of one of the first camera, the second camera, and the third camera, via a wireless router from a smartphone connected to a mobile phone network, transmitting the setting information of those sensor(s) associated with the selected camera to the smartphone for display;

in response to receiving, at the master device, an update to the setting information of the first sensor from the smartphone when the user has selected the first camera in the first zone, updating the setting information of the first sensor;

in response to receiving, at the master device, an update to the setting information of the second sensor from the smartphone when the user has selected the second camera in the second zone, updating the setting information of the second sensor; and

in response to receiving, at the master device, an update to the setting information of the third sensor and the fourth sensor from the smartphone when the user has selected the third camera in the second zone, updating the setting information of the third sensor and the fourth sensor in a batch.

9. The communication method of claim 8, wherein the setting information includes operating time settings of the first, second, third and fourth sensors.

10. The communication method of claim 8, wherein the setting information includes at least one of sensitivity settings of the first, second, third and fourth sensors and threshold values of the first, second, third and fourth sensors.

11. The communication method of claim 10, wherein the update to at least one of the sensitivity settings of the first, second, third and fourth sensors and the threshold values of the first, second, third and fourth sensors is inputted via user operation of a seek bar displayed on the smartphone.

12. The communication method of claim 8, wherein at least some of the first, second, third and fourth sensors are infrared sensors.

13. The communication method of claim 8, wherein the first, second, third and fourth sensors are selected from a group consisting of human sensors, smoke sensors, and opening/closing sensors.

14. The communication method of claim 8, wherein the third sensor and the fourth sensor are located within an imaging range of the third camera.