Watching system

• US 20020080238A1
• Filed: 12/27/2001
• Published: 06/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Ohmura, Akira
• Application Number:
  US10/026,904
• Publication Number:
  US 20020080238A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/143
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1966 Wireless systems, other than telephone systems, used to communicate with a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19669 Event triggers storage or change of storage policy
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19682 Graphic User Interface [GUI] presenting system data to the user, e.g. information on a screen helping a user interacting with an alarm system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A watching system has a watching camera that takes pictures of a field to output image data. The watching system records image data in a disk recorder which records conventional broadcast program. The watching system transmits the image data to a mobile terminal. The watching system prefers an internal call to a public call. The watching system carries out a management against a danger when a suspected person is detected. The watching system changes the management according to the detected time. The watching system changes the management according to whether or not anyone is at home.

Claims

1. A watching system comprising:

a watching camera that takes pictures of a field to output image data;

a disk recorder that records conventional broadcast program data in a disk memory; and

a controller that controls the disk recorder to record the image data into the disk memory.

2. The watching system according to claim 1, wherein the disk memory in the disk recorder includes a hard disk driver.

3. The watching system according to claim 1, wherein the disk recorder makes the image data distinguishable from the broadcast program data upon recording the data.

4. The watching system according to claim 1 further comprising a first input for the broadcast program data and a second input for the image data.

5. The watching system according to claim 4, wherein the controller is adapted to switch between the first and second inputs to be effective to record the data into the disk memory.

6. A watching system comprising:

a mobile terminal capable of a first wireless communication on the public call and a second wireless communication on an internal call;

a watching camera that takes pictures of a field to output image data; and

a remote communication equipment capable of transmitting the image data to the mobile terminal through one of the first and second wireless communications.

7. The watching system according to claim 6, further comprising a controller that makes a first try with the second wireless communication and a second try with the first wireless communication if the first try results in fail.

8. The watching system according to claim 7, wherein the controller is located in the mobile terminal.

9. The watching system according to claim 7, wherein the controller is located in the remote communication equipment.

10. The watching system according to claim 6, wherein the second wireless communication is on a wireless local area network.

11. The watching system according to claim 6, wherein the mobile terminal is capable of transmitting a command to the remote communication equipment through one of the first and second wireless communications.

13. The watching system according to claim 12, further comprising a controller that makes a first try with the second wireless communication and a second try with the first wireless communication if the first try results in fail.

14. The watching system according to claim 12, wherein the second wireless communication is on a wireless local area network.

15. The watching system according to claim 12, wherein the mobile terminal is adapted to put a higher priority on the signal from the remote communication equipment than any other call.

16. The watching system according to claim 12, wherein the remote communication equipment is adapted to transmit the image data of the watching camera.

17. The watching system according to claim 12, wherein the mobile terminal has a monitor device which displays the signal from the remote communication equipment.

18. The watching system according to claim 17, wherein the signal from the remote communication equipment is the image data of the watching camera.

19. The watching system according to claim 12, wherein the remote communication equipment includes a detector that detects a predetermined condition on the image data to generate the signal to be transmitted to the mobile terminal.

20. The watching system according to claim 12, wherein the mobile terminal is capable of transmitting a command to the remote communication equipment through one of the first and second wireless communications.

21. The watching system according to claim 12, wherein the mobile terminal is a mobile phone.

12. A watching system comprising:

a mobile terminal capable of a first wireless communication on the public call and a second wireless communication on an internal call;

a watching camera that takes pictures of a field to output image data; and

a remote communication equipment capable of responding to the watching camera to transmit a signal to the mobile terminal through one of the first and second wireless communications.

22. A watching system comprising:

a watching camera that takes pictures of a field to output image data;

a monitor that displays conventional broadcast program;

a provider that provides a management information against a danger; and

a controller that controls the monitor to display the image data and the management information.

23. The watching system according to claim 22, wherein the controller is adapted to control the monitor to display the image data and the management information when the controller detects a predetermined condition on the image data.

24. The watching system according to claim 23, wherein the predetermined condition is an appearance of a predetermined object in the image data.

25. The watching system according to claim 22, wherein the management information includes a report of the danger to a predetermined place.

26. The watching system according to claim 22, wherein the management information includes a plurality of selectable counteractions to the danger.

27. The watching system according to claim 26, wherein the controller is adapted to require a choice among the plurality of selectable counteractions.

29. The watching system according to claim 28, wherein the controller is adapted to carry out a different management on the same image data depending on the information.

30. The watching system according to claim 28, wherein the information acquired by acquisition equipment is the difference between daytime or nighttime.

31. The watching system according to claim 30, wherein the controller is adapted to carry out the management on a predetermined image data only when the information represents nighttime.

32. The watching system according to claim 31, wherein the management is a report to one of police or a secure company.

33. The watching system according to claim 28, further comprising a monitor that displays the image data.

35. The watching system according to claim 34, wherein the controller is adapted to carry out a different management on the same image data depending on the detection.

28. A watching system comprising:

a watching camera that takes pictures of a field to output image data;

an acquisition equipment that acquires information relating to time; and

a controller that carries out a management against a danger depending on the image data and the information.

34. A watching system comprising:

a watching camera that takes pictures of a field to output image data;

a detector that detects whether or not anyone is at home; and

a controller that carries out a management against a danger depending on the image data of the watching camera and the detection by the detector.