Information processing system and method, information processing apparatus, image-capturing device and method, recording medium, and program

• US 7,605,841 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2007
• Issued: 10/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): WONG, ALLEN C
• Application Number:
  US11/847,642
• Publication Number:
  US 20080002027A1
• Time in Patent Office: 782 Days
• Field of Search: 348/143, 348/148, 340/461, 370/445, 280/735, 455/115.1
• US Class Current: 348/143
• 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 configured to detect an object;

a second sensor configured to determine 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, in which the first sensor detects that the object is not present and for supplying power to the second sensor when the first sensor detects that the object is present,

wherein the power supply control means controls a 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 the power supply to the third sensor to be prevented when the second sensor determines that the object is going away from the second sensor.

2. The object detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first sensor consumes less power than the second sensor, and the second sensor consumes less power than the third sensor, when the power supply control means supplies the power to 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,

when power is supplied to the third sensor after the second sensor has detected that the object is coming close to the second sensor, the power supply control means stops supplying power to the second sensor, and

when the first sensor no longer detects that the object is present, the power supply control means stops supplying power to the third sensor.

6. An object detection method, comprising:

detecting an object with a first sensor;

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

supplying power, by a power supply control unit, to the first sensor without supplying power to the second sensor, under a normal condition in which the first sensor detects that the object is not present;

supplying power, by the power supply control unit, to the second sensor, when the first sensor detects that the object is present;

starting a power supply, by the power supply control unit, to a third sensor, when the second sensor has detected that the object is coming close to the second sensor, the third sensor including a video camera, a microphone, or a combination thereof; and

preventing the power supply, by the power supply control unit, to the third sensor, when the second sensor determines that the object is going away from the second sensor.

7. The object detection method according to claim 6, wherein the first sensor consumes less power than the second sensor, and the second sensor consumes less power than the third sensor, when the first sensor, the second sensor, and the third sensor are supplied the power.

8. The object detection method according to claim 6, wherein,

the first sensor is an infrared sensor, and

the second sensor is a microwave sensor.

9. The object detection method according to claim 6, further comprising:

wirelessly transmitting an output of the third sensor.

10. The object detection method according to claim 6, further comprising:

stopping the power supply to the second sensor, when the power supply to the third sensor is started after the second sensor has detected that the object is coming close to the second sensor; and

stopping the power supply to the third sensor, when the first sensor no longer detects that the object is present.

11. A computer-readable medium encoded with computer executable instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method, comprising:

detecting an object with a first sensor;

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

supplying power, by a power supply control unit, to the first sensor without supplying power to the second sensor, under a normal condition in which the first sensor detects that the objection is not present;

supplying power, by the power supply control unit, to the second sensor, when the first sensor detects that the object is present;

starting a power supply, by the power supply control unit, to a third sensor, when the second sensor has detected that the object is coming close to the second sensor, the third sensor including a video camera, a microphone, or a combination thereof; and

preventing the power supply, by the power supply control unit, to the third sensor, when the second sensor determines that the object is going away from the second sensor.

12. The computer-readable medium according to claim 11, wherein the first sensor consumes less power than the second sensor, and the second sensor consumes less power than the third sensor, when the first sensor, the second sensor, and the third sensor are supplied the power.

13. The computer-readable medium according to claim 11, wherein,

the first sensor is an infrared sensor, and

the second sensor is a microwave sensor.

14. The computer-readable medium according to claim 11, the method further comprising:

wirelessly transmitting an output of the third sensor.

15. The computer-readable medium according to claim 11, the method further comprising:

stopping the power supply to the second sensor, when the power supply to the third sensor is started after the second sensor has detected that the object is coming close to the second sensor; and

stopping the power supply to the third sensor, when the first sensor no longer detects that the object is present.

16. An object detection apparatus, comprising:

a first sensor configured to detect an object;

a second sensor configured to determine 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;

a power supply unit configured to supply power to the first sensor, the second sensor, and the third sensor; and

a power supply control unit configured to supply power to the first sensor without supplying power to the second sensor under a normal condition in which the first sensor detects that the object is not present, to supply power to the second sensor when the first sensor detects that the object is present, to control a 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 to control the power supply to the third sensor to be prevented when the second sensor determines that the object is going away from the second sensor.

17. The object detection apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the first sensor consumes less power than the second sensor, and the second sensor consumes less power than the third sensor, when the power supply unit supplies the power to the first sensor, the second sensor, and the third sensor.

18. The object detection apparatus according to claim 16, wherein,

the first sensor is an infrared sensor, and

the second sensor is a microwave sensor.

19. The object detection apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising:

a transmission unit configured to transmit an output of the third sensor wirelessly.

20. The object detection apparatus according to claim 16, wherein,

the power supply control unit is configured to stop supplying power to the second sensor, when power is supplied to the third sensor after the second sensor has detected that the object is coming close to the second sensor, and

the power supply control unit is configured to stop supplying power to the third sensor, when the first sensor no longer detects that the object is present.