Information collection apparatus, information collection system, information collection method, program, and recording medium

• US 20050104973A1
• Filed: 11/09/2004
• Published: 05/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Iizuka, Yoshio
• Granted Patent: US 7,446,801 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/211.100
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 7/26 Power supplies; Circuitry or arrangement to switch on the power source; Circuitry to check the power source voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00127 Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00323 with a measuring, monitoring or signaling apparatus, e.g. for transmitting measured information to a central location
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0055 By radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera

Abstract

An information collection system including an information collection apparatus, a photographing apparatus and information acquisition apparatuses. The information collection apparatus collects information on the information acquisition apparatuses and the photographing apparatus. The information collection apparatus selects at least one of the information-acquisition apparatuses based on the collected information, and collects information about a predetermined position by communicating with the selected information-acquisition apparatus.

Claims

1. An information collection apparatus capable of collecting information from a plurality of information-acquisition apparatuses and a photographing apparatus, the information collection apparatus comprising:

a communication unit facilitating communication with the plurality of information-acquisition apparatuses and the photographing apparatus;

an information collection unit configured to selectively collect information including position information from each of the information-acquisition apparatuses, and position information and photographing parameter information from the photographing apparatus; and

a selection unit configured to select at least one of the information-acquisition apparatuses based on the information collected by the information collection unit, and to collect information about a predetermined position from the selected information-acquisition apparatus via the communication unit.

2. The information collection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selection unit selects the at least one information-acquisition apparatus by determining the information-acquisition apparatus nearest to a center of a photographing image obtained by the photographing apparatus, and wherein the information about the predetermined position is position information of a photographing subject.

3. The information collection apparatus according claim 1, further comprising a first storage unit configured to store the position information of each information-acquisition apparatus and the position information of the photographing apparatus.

4. The information collection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second storage unit configured to store the photographing parameter information, including photographing information indicating a photographing direction and a focus distance of the photographing apparatus.

5. The information collection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selection unit selects the at least one information-acquisition apparatus by calculating, for each information-acquisition apparatus, a linear distance between a focus point of the photographing apparatus and the position of the information-acquisition apparatus on a rectangular coordinate system based on the collected information and selecting the information-acquisition apparatus having a shortest linear distance.

6. The information collection apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the selection unit selects the information-acquisition apparatuses in which the calculated linear distance is substantially less than or equal to a threshold value of the linear distance.

7. The information collection apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the selection unit selects a number of selected information-acquisition apparatuses substantially equivalent to or less than a threshold number of selected information-acquisition apparatuses.

8. An information collection system comprising:

a plurality of information-acquisition apparatuses;

a photographing apparatus; and

an information collection apparatus including;

a communication unit facilitating communication with the plurality of information-acquisition apparatuses and the photographing apparatus;

a first information collection unit configured to selectively collect information including position information from each information-acquisition apparatus, and position information and photographing parameter information from the photographing apparatus;

a selection unit configured to select at least one information-acquisition apparatus based on the information collected by the first information collection unit; and

a second information collection unit configured to collect information about a predetermined position from the selected information-acquisition apparatus via the communication unit.

9. The information collection system according to claim 8, wherein the information collection apparatus includes a recording medium, wherein at least one of the plurality of information-acquisition apparatuses and the photographing apparatus is provided at predetermined positions, wherein the information collection apparatus prestores the information about the predetermined position in the recording medium, and wherein the first information collection unit collects the photographing parameter information including photographing-direction information and image information obtained by the photographing apparatus.

10. The information collection system according to claim 8, wherein at least one of the plurality of information-acquisition apparatuses and the first photographing apparatus includes a second communication unit and a position detection unit configured to detect its position, and wherein the at least one of the plurality of information-acquisition apparatuses and the first photographing apparatus communicates information on the detected position to the information collection apparatus via the first and second communication units.

11. The information collection system according to claim 8, wherein the information collection apparatus includes a storage unit configured to correlate the image information collected by the first information collection unit with the information about a predetermined position collected by the second information collection unit, and to store the correlated information.

12. The information collection system according to claim 8, wherein at least one of the first and second communication units includes a wireless communication unit.

13. The information collection system according to claim 12, wherein the wireless communication unit communicates via electromagnetic waves.

14. The information collection system according to claim 8, wherein the photographing apparatus and the information collection apparatus are integrated with each other.

15. The information collection system according to claim 8, wherein each of the information-acquisition apparatuses includes a sleep state and an operation state, wherein each information-acquisition apparatus is in the sleep state responsive to receiving a sleep signal from the information collection apparatus, and wherein each information-acquisition apparatus is in the operation state responsive to receiving a wake-up signal from the information collection apparatus.

16. The information collection system according to claim 8, wherein each information-acquisition apparatus includes a power source.

17. The information collection system according to claim 8, wherein each information-acquisition apparatus includes a power-reception device configured to rectify and store an electromagnetic wave transmitted from the information collection apparatus.

18. The information collection system according to claim 8, wherein each information-acquisition apparatus includes a sensor configured to obtain at least one of physical, chemical, and biochemical information.

19. The information collection system according to claim 8, wherein each information-acquisition apparatus includes a microphone configured to obtain speech information.

20. The information collection system according to claim 8, wherein at least one of the information-acquisition apparatuses includes a second photographing apparatus.

21. An information collection method comprising the following steps:

providing a plurality of information-acquisition apparatuses and a photographing apparatus;

collecting position information on the information-acquisition apparatuses;

collecting position information and photographing parameter information on the photographing apparatus;

selecting at least one of the information-acquisition apparatuses based on the information collected on the plurality of information-acquisition apparatuses and the photographing apparatus; and

determining information about a predetermined position based on the selected information-acquisition-apparatus.

22. A program stored on a recording medium and executable by a computer for performing steps of the information collection method according to claim 21.

23. A recording medium storing a computer program that can be read by a computer, the recording medium storing the computer program for performing the information collection method according to claim 21.