INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM AND METHOD, INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, IMAGE-CAPTURING DEVICE AND METHOD, RECORDING MEDIUM, AND PROGRAM

• US 20070239286A1
• Filed: 06/15/2007
• Published: 10/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: KOBAYASHI, Naoki, FUJIMORI, Yasuhiro, KONDO, Tetsujiro, OHTA, Koji, TAKAHASHI, Yasuaki, TAKEDA, Naoki
• Granted Patent: US 7,840,284 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/002 specially adapted for covering the peripheral part of the vehicle, e.g. for viewing tyres, bumpers or the like integrated in the windows B60R1/001; combined with rear-view mirrors B60R1/08
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/382 Arrangements for monitoring battery or accumulator variables, e.g. SoC
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19647 Systems specially adapted for intrusion detection in or around a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19652 Systems using zones in a single scene defined for different treatment, e.g. outer zone gives pre-alarm, inner zone gives alarm
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1966 Wireless systems, other than telephone systems, used to communicate with a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19663 Surveillance related processing done local to the camera
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19669 Event triggers storage or change of storage policy
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1968 Interfaces for setting up or customising the system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19695 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors start video recording or forwarding but do not generate an alarm themselves
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A feature extracting unit obtains sensor data from a plurality of sensors to calculate each feature. When an event determining unit determines the occurrence of an event based on each feature, a display data constructor generates remote-controller display data for displaying the event, and controls a remote-controller display device to display the remote-controller display data. When a user decision is input from a user input IF based on this display, a control unit controls the sensors to be turned ON or OFF. When an infrared sensor detects an abnormality, a microwave sensor whose power consumption is small after the infrared sensor is turned ON. When the microwave sensor detects an abnormality, a video camera and a microphone are turned ON, and the microwave sensor is turned OFF. A communication unit wirelessly transmits an image signal captured by the video camera and an audio signal processed by the microphone. Then, if the infrared sensor does not detect an abnormality, the video camera and the microphone are turned OFF. With this arrangement, power consumption can be suppressed. The present invention is applied to, for example, a security system, for example, for monitoring outside a vehicle by a video camera disposed in the vehicle when the vehicle is parked.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus for performing monitor processing based on sensor data, comprising:

sensor means for obtaining a plurality of items of said sensor data by using a plurality of sensors, wherein said sensor means turns ON or OFF the plurality of sensors according to a decision signal based on an instruction transmitted from a first information processing apparatus.

2. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

feature extracting means for extracting a feature of an object based on the sensor data obtained by said sensor means;

event determining means for obtaining the feature extracted by said feature extracting means so as to determine whether an event has occurred based on determination parameters;

transmission means for transmitting, when the occurrence of the event is determined by said event determining means, message data for reporting the occurrence of the event to said first information processing apparatus;

reception means for receiving the decision signal transmitted from said first information processing apparatus; and

control means for performing control processing based on the decision signal received by said reception means.

3. An information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said control means updates the determination parameters for determining whether the event has occurred by said event determining means, and controls the extraction processing of the feature by said feature extracting means and controls the obtaining processing of the sensor data by said sensor means.

4. An information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein wireless communication is performed in said transmission means and in said reception means.

5. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said information processing apparatus is driven by a battery.

6. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors comprise at least one of a camera, a microphone, and an infrared sensor.

7. An information processing method for an information processing apparatus which comprises sensor means for obtaining a plurality of items of sensor data by using a plurality of sensors so as to perform monitor processing based on the sensor data, said information processing method, comprising:

turning ON or OFF the plurality of sensors according to a decision signal based on an instruction transmitted from a first information processing apparatus.

8. An information processing apparatus for performing monitor processing, comprising display-data generating means for generating, in case of the occurrence of an event, display data by inserting event data for reporting the occurrence of the event into data based on a predetermined signal, wherein, when an event has not occurred, said display-data generating means generates the data based on the predetermined signal as the display data.

9. An information processing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising display means for displaying the display data generated by said display-data generating means.

10. An information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said display-data generating means further generates remote-controller display data including the event data for reporting the occurrence of the event to a first information processing apparatus which remote-controls said information processing apparatus.

11. An information processing apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising:

event-message reception means for receiving message data for reporting the occurrence of the event from a second information processing apparatus;

display-data transmission means for transmitting the remote-controller display data to said first information processing apparatus;

decision signal reception means for receiving a decision signal based on the remote-controller display data from said first information processing apparatus; and

decision signal transmission means for transmitting the decision signal received by said decision signal reception means to said second information processing apparatus,

wherein said display-data generating means performs processing based on the message data.

12. An information processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein wireless communication is performed in said event-message reception means and in said decision signal transmission means.

13. An information processing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

feature extracting means for extracting a feature of an object based on sensor data;

event determining means for obtaining the feature extracted by said feature extracting means so as to determine whether an event has occurred based on determination parameters;

reception means for receiving a decision signal based on the display data from a first information processing apparatus; and

control means for performing control processing based on the decision signal received by said reception means,

wherein said display-data generating means generates the display data based on a determination result of said event determining means.

14. An information processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said control means updates the determination parameters for determining whether the event has occurred by said event determining means, controls the extraction processing of the feature by said feature extracting means, and transmits a signal for controlling the obtaining processing of the sensor data by said first information processing apparatus to said first information processing apparatus.

15. An information processing apparatus according to claim 13, said control means transmits a signal for turning ON or OFF a plurality of sensors provided for said first information processing apparatus.

16. An information processing apparatus for performing monitor processing based on sensor data, comprising:

a sensor mechanism configured to obtain a plurality of items of said sensor data by using a plurality of sensors, wherein said sensor mechanism turns ON or OFF the plurality of sensors according to a decision signal based on an instruction transmitted from a first information processing apparatus.

17. An information processing apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising:

a feature extracting mechanism configured to extract a feature of an object based on the sensor data obtained by said sensor;

an event determining mechanism configured to obtain the feature extracted by said feature extracting mechanism so as to determine whether an event has occurred based on determination parameters;

a transmission mechanism configured to transmit, when the occurrence of the event is determined by said event determining mechanism, message data for reporting the occurrence of the event to said first information processing apparatus;

a reception mechanism configured to receive the decision signal transmitted from said first information processing apparatus; and

a controller mechanism configured to perform control processing based on the decision signal received by said reception mechanism.

18. An information processing apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said control mechanism updates the determination parameters for determining whether the event has occurred by said event determining mechanism, and controls the extraction processing of the feature by said feature extracting mechanism and controls the obtaining processing of the sensor data by said sensor;

19. An information processing apparatus according to claim 17, wherein wireless communication is performed in said transmission mechanism and in said reception mechanism.

20. An information processing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said information processing apparatus is driven by a battery.

21. An information processing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the plurality of sensors comprise at least one of a camera, a microphone, and an infrared sensor.

22. An information processing method for an information processing apparatus which comprises a sensor mechanism configured to obtain a plurality of items of sensor data by using a plurality of sensors so as to perform monitor processing based on the sensor data, said information processing method, comprising:

turning ON or OFF the plurality of sensors according to a decision signal based on an instruction transmitted from a first information processing apparatus.

23. An information processing apparatus for performing monitor processing, comprising a display-data generating mechanism configured to generate, in case of the occurrence of an event, display data by inserting event data for reporting the occurrence of the event into data based on a predetermined signal, wherein, when an event has not occurred, said display-data generating mechanism is configured to generate the data based on the predetermined signal as the display data.

24. An information processing apparatus according to claim 23, further comprising:

a display for displaying the display data generated by said display-data generating mechanism.

25. An information processing apparatus according to claim 23, wherein said display-data generating mechanism is further configured to generate remote-controller display data including event data for reporting the occurrence of the event to a first information processing apparatus which remote-controls said information processing apparatus.

26. An information processing apparatus according to claim 25, further comprising:

an event-message reception mechanism configured to receive message data for reporting the occurrence of the event from a second information processing apparatus;

a display-data transmission mechanism configured to transmit the remote-controller display data to said first information processing apparatus;

a decision signal reception mechanism configured to receive a decision signal based on the remote-controller display data from said first information processing apparatus; and

a decision signal transmission mechanism configured to transmit the decision signal received by said decision signal reception mechanism to said second information processing apparatus;

wherein said display-data generating mechanism is configured to perform processing based on the message data.

27. An information processing apparatus according to claim 26, wherein wireless communication is performed in said event-message reception means and in said decision signal transmission mechanism.

28. An information processing apparatus according to claim 23, further comprising:

a feature extracting mechanism configured to extract a feature of an object based on sensor data;

an event determining mechanism configured to obtain the feature extracted by said feature extracting mechanism so as to determine whether an event has occurred based on determination parameters;

a reception mechanism configured to receive a decision signal based on the display data from a first information processing apparatus; and

a controller configured to perform control processing based on the decision signal received by said reception mechanism,

wherein said display-data generating mechanism is configured to generate the display data based on a determination result of said event determining mechanism.

29. An information processing apparatus according to claim 28, wherein said controller updates the determination parameters for determining whether the event has occurred by said event determining mechanism, controls the extraction processing of the feature by said feature extracting mechanism, and transmits a signal for controlling the obtaining processing of the sensor data by said first information processing apparatus to said first information processing apparatus.

30. An information processing apparatus according to claim 28, said controller transmits a signal for turning ON or OFF a plurality of sensors provided for said first information processing apparatus.