Monitoring control apparatus, monitoring system, monitoring method, wireless communication apparatus and wireless communication system

• US 20060209176A1
• Filed: 02/28/2006
• Published: 09/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Inventors: Nakamura, Akihiko, Hayashi, Jun, Ombe, Takaaki, Hayakawa, Noriaki
• Granted Patent: US 7,650,144 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/14.10
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2827 Reporting to a device within the home network; wherein the reception of the information reported automatically triggers the execution of a home appliance functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A main controller used in a security system having a sensor or a camera performs wireless communication with the sensor or the camera so as to control the sensor or the camera. The main controller has a plurality of communication sections that perform wireless communication by using communication systems having different communication speeds. The camera transmits and receives information by performing wireless communication with the main controller. The camera is provided with a first camera communication section and a second camera communication section that perform wireless communication by using communication systems having different communication speeds, and a camera communication control section for selecting the first camera communication section and the second camera communication section according to the information to be transmitted and received, as a communication section to perform communication.

Claims

1. A monitoring control apparatus used in a monitoring system having at least one information acquiring device for acquiring information related to a state of an environment of a peripheral region of the information acquiring device, the monitoring control apparatus comprising:

a plurality of communication sections for performing wireless communication by using communication systems having different communication speeds,

wherein the monitoring control apparatus controls the information acquiring device to acquire the information by performing the wireless communication, and

the plurality of communication sections includes a first communication section for performing wireless communication by using a first communication system, and a second communication section for performing wireless communication by using a second communication system having a communication speed higher than that of the first communication system.

2. The monitoring control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the first communication system is a specified low-power radio communication, and

the second communication system is a wireless LAN (local area network).

3. The monitoring control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a transmission request sending section for sending a transmission request of specific data to the information acquiring device through the first communication section; and

a specific data receiving section for receiving the specific data from the information acquiring device through the second communication section.

4. The monitoring control apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

a second communication section activating section for activating the second communication section when the transmission request sending section sends the transmission request, the second communication section being in a standby state in which the communication is continuously possible by the second communication system.

5. The monitoring control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the specific data has a data amount equal to or larger than a threshold value.

6. The monitoring control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the specific data requires time equal to or more than a threshold value to be sent from the information acquiring device to the monitoring control apparatus when the specific data is sent by the first communication system.

7. The monitoring control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said at least one information acquiring device includes an imaging device for imaging the state of the environment of the peripheral region of the imaging device, and

the specific data is image data that is imaged by the imaging device.

8. The monitoring control apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

an external communication section for performing communication with a portable terminal through an external network; and

a specific data transfer section for sending the specific data to the portable terminal by the external communication section, the specific data being received from the information acquiring device.

9. A monitoring system comprising:

at least one information acquiring device for acquiring information related to a state of an environment of a peripheral region of the information acquiring device; and

the monitoring control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the monitoring control apparatus monitors the region by using the information acquired by the information acquiring device.

10. A monitoring method used in a monitoring system having at least one information acquiring device for acquiring information related to a state of an environment of a peripheral region of the information acquiring device, the monitoring control method comprising:

performing wireless communication with said at least one information acquiring device by using communication systems having different communication speeds; and

controlling the information acquiring device to acquire the information,

wherein the wireless communication is performed by using a first communication system, and a second communication system having a communication speed higher than that of the first communication system.

11. The monitoring control apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising:

sending a transmission request of specific data to the information acquiring device by using the first communication system; and

receiving the specific data from the information acquiring device by using the second communication system.

12. A wireless communication apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of communication sections for performing wireless communication by using communication systems having different communication speeds; and

a selecting section for selecting the communication section to be used in communication according to information to be sent and received,

wherein the plurality of communication sections includes a first communication section for performing wireless communication by using a first communication system, and a second communication section for performing wireless communication by using a second communication system having a communication speed higher than that of the first communication system.

13. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein the first communication system is a specified low-power radio communication, and

the second communication system is a wireless LAN (local area network).

14. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 12, wherein

the selecting section selects the second communication section in a case where specific data having a data amount equal to or larger than a threshold value is sent, and

the selecting section selects the first communication section in a case where data other than the specific data is sent.

15. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising:

a transmission request receiving section for receiving a transmission request of the specific data through the first communication section; and

a second communication section activating section for activating the second communication section when the transmission request receiving section receives the transmission request.

16. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising:

a data identification information storage for storing data identification information corresponding to the specific data,

wherein the selecting section selects the first communication section or the second communication section based on whether data identification information extracted from transmission data is stored in the data identification information storage.

17. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising:

an information acquiring section for acquiring information related to a state of an environment of a peripheral region of the wireless communication apparatus.

18. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the information acquiring section is an imaging section for imaging the peripheral region, and

the specific data is image data that is imaged by the imaging section.

19. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising:

a detecting section for detecting an abnormality in the state of the environment; and

an activating section for activating the second communication section and sending an instruction to the imaging section to start imaging when the detecting section detects the abnormality,

wherein the selecting section sends the image data according to the instruction from the activating section through the second communication section.

20. A wireless communication system comprising:

the wireless communication apparatus according to claim 15;

and

a controlling apparatus which sends the transmission request of the specific data to the wireless communication apparatus, and acquires the specific data from the wireless communication apparatus.