Search system, image-capturing apparatus, data storage apparatus, information processing apparatus, captured-image processing method, information processing method, and program

• US 20070206834A1
• Filed: 03/02/2007
• Published: 09/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Shinkai, Mitsutoshi, Kashiwa, Kotaro
• Application Number:
  US11/713,769
• Publication Number:
  US 20070206834A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/103
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A search system includes a plurality of image-capturing apparatuses that are fixedly installed at different places; a data storage apparatus; and an information processing apparatus. Each of the image-capturing apparatuses includes an image capturer, a recording and reproduction section, a feature data generator, a transmission data generator, and a transmitter. The data storage apparatus includes a database and a register. The information processing apparatus includes a condition input section, an obtaining section, a classification and extraction section, and a display processor.

Claims

1. A search system comprising:

a plurality of image-capturing apparatuses that are fixedly installed at different places;

a data storage apparatus; and

an information processing apparatus,

wherein each of the image-capturing apparatuses includes

an image capturer configured to obtain image data by performing image capturing,

a recording and reproduction section configured to record the image data obtained by the image capturer on a recording medium,

a feature data generator configured to analyze the image data obtained by the image capturer and generate feature data of a subject,

a transmission data generator configured to generate, as transmission data, a feature data unit containing at least the feature data and image-capturing apparatus identification information given to individual image-capturing apparatuses, and

a transmitter configured to transmit the feature data unit generated by the transmission data generator to the data storage apparatus,

wherein the data storage apparatus includes

a database, and

a register configured to register the feature data units transmitted from the image-capturing apparatuses in the database so as to be stored, and

wherein the information processing apparatus includes

a condition input section configured to accept, as an input conditions, an input for specifying plural image-capturing apparatuses among the plurality of image-capturing apparatuses,

an obtaining section configured to obtain the feature data units associated with the image-capturing apparatuses specified by the process of the condition input section from the database,

a classification and extraction section configured to classify each feature data unit obtained by the obtaining section on the basis of the feature data contained in the feature data unit and configured to extract a plurality of feature data units having identical or similar feature data as a feature data group, and

a display processor configured to display and output information on the feature data group extracted by the classification and extraction section.

2. The search system according to claim 1, wherein the transmission data generator of the image-capturing apparatus further generates a feature data unit containing date and time information indicating image-capturing date and time of image data associated with the feature data,

the condition input section of the information processing apparatus accepts, as input conditions, the specifying of a plurality of image-capturing apparatuses and also the specifying of date and time for each specified image-capturing apparatus, and

the obtaining section of the information processing apparatus obtains the feature data unit corresponding to the date and time specified by each specified image-capturing apparatus from the database.

3. An image-capturing apparatus that is installed at a predetermined place and that is capable of communicating with at least an external data storage apparatus, the image-capturing apparatus comprising:

an image capturer configured to obtain image data by performing image capturing;

a recording and reproduction section configured to record the image data obtained by the image capturer on a recording medium;

a feature data generator configured to analyze the image data obtained by the image capturer and generate feature data of a subject;

a transmission data generator configured to generate, as transmission data, a feature data unit containing at least the feature data and image-capturing apparatus identification information given to individual image-capturing apparatuses; and

a transmitter configured to transmit the feature data unit generated by the transmission data generator to the data storage apparatus.

4. The image-capturing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the recording and reproduction section records the image data obtained by the image capturer, together with date and time information indicating image-capturing date and time, on a recording medium.

5. The image-capturing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the transmission data generator generates a feature data unit containing date and time information indicating image-capturing date and time of image data related to the feature data.

6. The image-capturing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the transmission data generator further generates a feature data unit containing image data related to the feature data.

7. The image-capturing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the feature data generator extracts image data corresponding to a person as a subject of the image data obtained by the image capturer and generates feature data regarding the person on the basis of the extracted image data.

8. The image-capturing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a sensor configured to detect information regarding a subject captured by the image capturer,

wherein the feature data generator generates the feature data on the basis of the detection information obtained by the sensor.

9. The image-capturing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising an image transmission controller configured to, in response to image request information received from an external information processing apparatus, allow the recording and reproduction section to read image data specified by the image request information and allow the communication section to transmit the image data to the information processing apparatus.

10. The image-capturing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a search process controller configured to perform

a process for setting feature data contained in the search request information as an object to be searched for in response to search request information received from an external information processing apparatus;

and

a process for determining whether or not the feature data generated by the feature data generator matches the feature data that is set as an object to be searched for and for making a notification to the information processing apparatus when the feature data match.

11. The image-capturing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising an amount-of-data-reduction process controller configured to allow the recording and reproduction section to perform an amount-of-stored-data-reduction process for reducing the amount of image data for which a predetermined period of time has passed from the time of recording from within the image data recorded on the recording medium.

12. A data storage apparatus capable of communicating with a plurality of image-capturing apparatuses that are fixedly installed at different places, the data storage apparatus comprising:

a database; and

a register configured to register feature data units transmitted from the image-capturing apparatuses in the database so as to be stored.

13. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a condition input section configured to accept, as input conditions, an input for specifying plural image-capturing apparatus among a plurality of image-capturing apparatuses that are fixedly installed at different places;

an obtaining section configured to obtain a feature data unit related to each image-capturing apparatus specified by the process of the condition input section from a database in which feature data units that are generated by the plurality of image-capturing apparatuses and that contain the feature data of subjects are registered;

a classification and extraction section configured to classify each feature data unit obtained by the obtaining section on the basis of the feature data contained in the feature data unit and configured to extract a plurality of feature data units having identical or similar feature data as a feature data group; and

a display processor configured to display and output information on the feature data group extracted by the classification and extraction section.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 13,

wherein the condition input section accepts, as input conditions, the specifying of a plurality of image-capturing apparatuses and also the specifying of date and time for each image-capturing apparatus, and

the obtaining section obtains the feature data unit corresponding to the date and time specified by each specified image-capturing apparatus from the database.

15. The information processing apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising an image request transmitter configured to transmit image request information for making a request for an image corresponding to a feature data unit contained in the feature data group extracted by the classification and extraction section to the image-capturing apparatus that has generated the feature data unit,

wherein the display processor displays and outputs the image data transmitted from the image-capturing apparatus in response to the image request information.

16. The information processing apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising a search request transmitter configured to generate search request information containing the feature data in the feature data unit and transmit the search request information to each of the image-capturing apparatuses.

17. A captured-image processing method for use with an image-capturing apparatus that is installed at a predetermined place and that is capable of communicating with at least an external data storage apparatus, the captured-image processing method comprising the steps of:

obtaining image data by performing image capturing;

recording the image data obtained in the image capturing on a recording medium;

analyzing the image data obtained in the image capturing and generating feature data of a subject;

generating, as transmission data, a feature data unit containing at least the feature data and image-capturing apparatus identification information given to individual image-capturing apparatuses; and

transmitting the feature data unit generated in the transmission data generation to the data storage apparatus.

18. An information processing method comprising the steps of:

accepting, as input conditions, an input for specifying plural image-capturing apparatus among a plurality of image-capturing apparatuses that are fixedly installed at different places;

obtaining a feature data unit related to each image-capturing apparatus specified in the condition input from a database in which feature data units that are generated by the plurality of image-capturing apparatuses and that contain the feature data of subjects are registered;

classifying each feature data unit obtained in the obtainment on the basis of the feature data contained in the feature data unit and extracting a plurality of feature data units having identical or similar feature data as a feature data group; and

displaying and outputting information on the feature data group extracted in the classification and extraction.

19. A program for enabling an image-capturing apparatus that is installed at a predetermined place and that is capable of communicating with at least an external data storage apparatus to perform a method comprising the steps of:

obtaining image data by performing image capturing;

recording the image data obtained in the image capturing on a recording medium;

analyzing the image data obtained in the image capturing and generating feature data of a subject;

generating, as transmission data, a feature data unit containing at least the feature data and image-capturing apparatus identification information given to individual image-capturing apparatuses; and

transmitting the feature data unit generated in the transmission data generation to the data storage apparatus

20. A program for enabling an information processing apparatus to perform a method comprising the steps of:

accepting, as input conditions, an input for specifying plural image-capturing apparatus among a plurality of image-capturing apparatuses that are fixedly installed at different places;

obtaining a feature data unit related to each image-capturing apparatus specified in the condition input from a database in which feature data units that are generated by the plurality of image-capturing apparatuses and that contain the feature data of subjects are registered;

classifying each feature data unit obtained in the obtainment on the basis of the feature data contained in the feature data unit and extracting a plurality of feature data units having identical or similar feature data as a feature data group; and

displaying and outputting information on the feature data group extracted in the classification and extraction.