INFORMATION CONTROL APPARATUS, DATA ANALYZING APPARATUS, SIGNAL, SERVER, INFORMATION CONTROL SYSTEM, SIGNAL CONTROL APPARATUS, AND PROGRAM

• US 20120033123A1
• Filed: 08/04/2011
• Published: 02/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: INOUE, Hideya, Yamagaki, Koji
• Application Number:
  US13/198,676
• Publication Number:
  US 20120033123A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/333.13
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/04 using optical or ultrasonic detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/07 Controlling traffic signals
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/08 according to detected number or speed of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/188 Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253

Abstract

An information control apparatus comprises: a determination unit that determines at least an attribute of an object to be analyzed on the basis of captured image data acquired by an imaging apparatus fixed to a signal; and an output unit that outputs determination result information of the determination unit to a data analyzing unit that generates analysis result information on the basis of at least the attribute of the object to be analyzed.

Claims

1. An information control apparatus comprising:

a determination unit that determines at least an attribute of an object to be analyzed on the basis of captured image data acquired by an imaging apparatus fixed to a signal; and

an output unit that outputs determination result information of the determination unit to a data analyzing unit that generates analysis result information on the basis of at least the attribute of the object to be analyzed.

2. The information control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an image processing unit that calculates a moving speed of the object to be analyzed on the basis of the captured image data.

3. The information control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein types of the object to be analyzed are a vehicle and a person, and

the attributes of the object to be analyzed comprises at least one of a vehicle type, a vehicle'"'"'s license plate number, a vehicle body color, a sex of the person, an age of the person, and a height of the person.

4. The information control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the output unit transmits the analysis result information to the object to be analyzed.

5. The information control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the output unit transmits the captured image data to the object to be analyzed on the basis of the analysis result information.

6. The information control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the data analyzing unit calculates an incidence rate of sudden braking of the vehicle, which is the object to be analyzed, by statistical processing on the basis of the determination result information and acquires the calculated incidence rate of sudden braking as the analysis result information.

7. The information control apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein the data analyzing unit calculates the incidence rate of sudden braking by statistical processing for each area on the basis of a position corresponding to signal identification information for identifying the signal and acquires the calculated incidence rate of sudden braking as the analysis result information.

8. The information control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the data analyzing unit detects at least two vehicles, each of which is the object to be analyzed and entering an intersection from different directions, on the basis of the determination result information, calculates a possibility of collision of the vehicles at the intersection on the basis of the moving speeds of the vehicles, and acquire the possibility of collision as the analysis result information.

9. The information control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the data analyzing unit generates information regarding road congestion caused by vehicles and acquires the information as the analysis result information, based on the determination result information.

10. The information control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the data analyzing unit acquires information regarding a vehicle that has violated a traffic rules, among vehicles which are the objects to be analyzed, as the analysis result information on the basis of the determination result information.

11. The information control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the data analyzing unit acquires information, which can be used in marketing analysis of an area where the signal is placed, as the analysis result information on the basis of the number or attribute of the objects to be analyzed based on the determination result information.

12. The information control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the data analyzing unit bills a user of a vehicle to which the analysis result information is transmitted.

13. The information control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

the data analyzing unit.

15. A signal comprising the information control apparatus according to claim 1.

16. A server comprising the information control apparatus according to claim 1.

17. An information control system comprising:

a plurality of signals each comprises the information control apparatus according to claim 1; and

a server that comprises the data analyzing apparatus according to claim 14 and communicates with the plurality of signals.

14. A data analyzing apparatus comprising:

a data analyzing unit that is connected to an output unit, which outputs determination result information indicating a result determined by a determination unit that determines at least one of types, attributes, and numbers of objects to be analyzed on the basis of captured image data acquired by an imaging apparatus fixed to a signal, with corresponding signal identification information for identifying the signal, and that generates analysis result information on the basis of the attribute of the object to be analyzed based on the determination result information.

18. A program causing a computer to function as:

determination means for determining at least one of types, attributes, and numbers of objects to be analyzed on the basis of a captured image data acquired by an imaging apparatus fixed to a signal; and

output means for outputting a determination result information, which indicates a result determined by the determination means, to data analysis means for generating an analysis result information on the basis of the attributes of the object to be analyzed based on the determination result information.

19. A signal control apparatus comprising:

a control unit that changes a display state of a signal display unit fixed to a signal on the basis of an image captured by an imaging unit; and

a battery unit that supplies electric power to each component of the signal control apparatus.

20. The signal control apparatus according to claim 19,

wherein the control unit comprises:

a detection section which detects a volume of traffic on the basis of the captured image; and

a display control section which changes the display state of the signal display unit on the basis of the detected volume of traffic.

21. The signal control apparatus according to claim 20,

wherein the detection section detects a volume of traffic in each of the plurality of lanes on the basis of an image of the plurality of lanes captured by the imaging unit, and

the display control section changes the display state of the signal display unit on the basis of a result of comparison of the detected volume of traffic in each of the plurality of lanes.

22. The signal control apparatus according to claim 21,

wherein the display control section changes the display state of the signal display unit on the basis of a result of comparison of the detected volume of traffic in each of the plurality of lanes so that vehicles traveling in a lane with a high volume of traffic can move with priority over vehicles traveling in a lane with a low volume of traffic.

25. The signal control apparatus according to claim 19,

wherein when a vehicle changes a course so as to cross an opposite lane to a lane in which the vehicle has traveled until now, the control unit changes the display state of the signal display unit on the basis of an image captured by the imaging unit so that priority is given to the vehicle which changes course.

26. The signal control apparatus according to claim 19,

wherein when a vehicle changes a course so as to cross an opposite lane to a lane in which the vehicle has traveled until now, the control unit changes the display state of the signal display unit so that a period of movable time for the vehicle which changes the course is adjusted.

27. The signal control apparatus according to claim 19,

wherein when an electric power is supplied to each component provided in the signal control apparatus by the battery unit, the control unit changes the display state of the signal display unit on the basis of an image captured by the imaging unit.

28. The signal control apparatus according to claim 19,

wherein in the signal display unit, each light emitting section corresponding to one signal comprises a plurality of light emitting elements, and

when making the light emitting section light, the control unit makes some of the plurality of light emitting elements provided in the light emitting section emit light or extinguished while making the plurality of light emitting elements emit light such that a position of a place of the emission or the extinguishing in the light emitting section changes.

29. The signal control apparatus according to claim 28,

wherein when making the light emitting section light, the control unit makes some of the plurality of light emitting elements provided in the light emitting section emit light or extinguished while making the plurality of light emitting elements emit light such that a place of the emission or the extinguishing rotates, moves, enlarges, or is reduced in the light emitting section.

30. The signal control apparatus according to claim 28,

wherein when making the light emitting section light, the control unit changes a brightness of the extinguished light emitting element, which is the light emitting element provided in the light emitting section that lights.

31. The signal control apparatus according to claim 19,

wherein the imaging unit is fixed to the signal.

32. The signal control apparatus according to claim 19,

wherein the imaging unit is an imaging apparatus which performs imaging in the azimuth of 360°

.

33. The signal control apparatus according to claim 19,

wherein the imaging unit is fixed to the signal so as to image a lane in which traffic is controlled by the display state of the signal display unit.

34. A signal comprising the signal control apparatus according to claim 19.

35. The signal according to claim 34,

wherein the signal is a temporary signal for construction.

23. The signal control apparatus according to claim,

wherein the detection section detects a type of a vehicle on the basis of the captured image, and

the display control section changes the display state of the signal display unit so that an emergency vehicle is movable when the detected type of the vehicle is the emergency vehicle.

24. The signal control apparatus according to claim 23, further comprising:

a sound pickup unit that picks up a sound,

wherein when detecting a type of a vehicle on the basis of the captured image, the detection section detects the type of the vehicle on the basis of the captured image and the sound picked up by the sound pickup unit.

36. A program causing a program to execute control procedures for changing a display state of a signal display unit, which is fixed to a signal, on the basis of an image captured by an imaging unit.