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

• US 20080002027A1
• Filed: 08/30/2007
• Published: 01/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kondo, Tetsujiro, Takeda, Naoki, Kobayashi, Naoki, Fujimori, Yasuhiro, Takahashi, Yasuaki, Ohta, Koji
• Granted Patent: US 7,605,841 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/148
• 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 object detection apparatus comprising:

a first sensor that detects an object;

a second sensor that determines whether the object is coming close to or going away from the second sensor;

a third sensor including a video camera, a microphone, or a combination thereof;

power supply means for supplying power to the first sensor, the second sensor, and the third sensor; and

power supply control means for supplying power to the first sensor without supplying power to the second sensor under a normal condition and for supplying power to the second sensor when an abnormality is detected by the first sensor,

wherein the power supply control means controls power supply to the third sensor to be started when the second sensor has detected that the object is coming close to the second sensor, and controls power supply to the third sensor to be prevented when the object is going away from the second sensor.

2. The object detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the consumption power becomes increased in ascending order of the first sensor, the second sensor, and the third sensor.

3. The object detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first sensor is an infrared sensor, and the second sensor is a microwave sensor.

4. The object detection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising transmission means for transmitting an output of the third sensor wirelessly.

5. The object detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, after power is supplied to the third sensor since the second sensor has detected that the objects is coming close to the second sensor, the power supply control means stops supplying power to the second sensor, and

when an abnormality is no longer detected by the first sensor, the power supply control means stops supplying power to the third sensor.

6. An object detection method for an object detection apparatus that comprises:

a first sensor that detects an object;

a second sensor that determines whether the object is coming close to or going away from the second sensor;

a third sensor including a video camera, a microphone, or a combination thereof; and

power supply means for supplying power to the first sensor, the second sensor, and the third sensor,

wherein power supply is controlled such that power is supplied to the first sensor without supplying power to the second sensor under a normal condition and power is supplied to the second sensor when an abnormality is detected by the first sensor, and such that power supply to the third sensor is started when the second sensor has detected that the object is coming close to the second sensor and power supply to the third sensor is prevented when the object is going away from the second sensor.