Object detecting apparatus and method, program and recording medium used therewith, monitoring system and method, information processing apparatus and method, and recording medium and program used therewith

• US 7,626,608 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2004
• Issued: 12/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kondo, Tetsujiro, Tanaka, Tsuyoshi, Takeda, Naoki, Watanabe, Yoshinori, Kobayashi, Naoki, Fujimori, Yasuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): SENFI, BEHROOZ M
• Application Number:
  US10/885,637
• Publication Number:
  US 20050073580A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,972 Days
• Field of Search: 348/155, 348/170, 348/150, 348/169, 348/143, 348/142, 348/144, 348/145, 348/146, 348/147, 348/149, 348/151, 348/152, 348/153, 348/154, 348/156, 348/157, 348/158, 348/159, 348/160, 348/161, 348/162, 348/163, 348/164, 348/165, 348/166, 348/167, 342/27, 342/28, 342/127, 342/109, 342/113, 342/114, 342/99, 342/100, 340/541, 340/552, 340/554
• US Class Current: 348/143
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19697 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors generate an alarm themselves
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2494 by interference with electro-magnetic field distribution combined with other electrical sensor means, e.g. microwave detectors combined with other sensor means
• 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 object detecting apparatus and method accurately detect an event while reducing power consumption. A photosensor is used to detect an object entering a monitoring region, and a microwave sensor is used to detect the object, which enters another monitoring region. State data representing the state of the object is generated based on detection information obtained by both sensors.

Claims

1. An object detecting apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of photosensors which detect a direction in which an object moves and which output a detection signal representing the direction of the object move;

a microwave sensor which performs object detection and which outputs a discrimination signal representing approach or departure of the object, the microwave sensor being configured to transmit waves toward the object, to measure Doppler shift of the waves reflected from the object, and to calculate a speed of the object based on the measured Doppler shift;

an acquiring unit which acquires information concerning the object;

a control unit configured to, based on the detection signal output from said plurality of photosensors and the discrimination signal output from said microwave sensor, generate state data representing the state of the object, and based on the state data, control activation of said acquiring unit; and

a state description unit configured to calculate a normalized ratio of number of approach responses to a total number of responses from the microwave sensor and a normalized ratio of number of departure responses to the total number of responses from the microwave sensor, and to control the activation of the acquiring unit based on the normalized ratio of number of approach responses and the normalized ratio of number of departure responses.

2. The object detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the state data is detection information representing movement of the object.

3. The object detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of photosensors output a plurality of detection signals, respectively; and

said control unit specifies, based on the detection signals output from the plurality of photosensors, a direction in which the object moves, and generates the state data by identifying, based on the discrimination signal output from said second sensor, the approach or departure of the object.

4. The object detecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a transmitting unit configured to transmit the information acquired by said acquiring unit to an information processing apparatus,

wherein

based on a user'"'"'s instruction, said control unit determines whether the information acquired by said acquiring unit needs to be transmitted, and

when said control unit determines that the information acquired by said acquiring unit needs to be transmitted, said control unit controls said acquiring unit to be driven within a preset time, and when said control unit determines that the information acquired by said acquiring unit does not need to be transmitted, said control unit stops driving of said acquiring unit.

7. The object detecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a power supply unit configured to receive power from a battery, and to supply power from the battery to a selected unit included in the object detecting apparatus,

wherein the control unit is further configured to select the selected unit and to command the power supply unit to supply power to the selected unit.

8. The object detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the state description unit does not activate the acquiring unit when the normalized ratio of the number of approach responses and the normalized ratio of number of departure responses are both less than 0.2.

5. An object detecting method performed by an object detector including a plurality of photosensors and an acquiring unit, the method comprising:

detecting light emitted from an object by at least one of the plurality of photosensors;

determining whether the plurality of photosensors configured to detect a direction in which an object moves and configured to output a detection signal representing the direction of the object move, have detected the light in the detecting;

emitting a wave from a microwave sensor;

determining whether the microwave sensor configured to perform object detection and to output a discrimination signal representing approach or departure of the object, has detected a response to the wave emitted in the emitting;

calculating a speed of the object by transmitting waves toward the object and measuring Doppler shift of waves reflected from the object by the microwave sensor;

generating state data representing the state of the object based on the detection signal, the discrimination signal, and the speed calculated in the calculating;

activating an acquiring unit based the generated state data;

acquiring information concerning the object based on the state data generated in the generating state data;

calculating a normalized ratio of number of approach responses to a total number of responses from the microwave sensor and a normalized ratio of number of departure responses to the total number of responses from the microwave sensor; and

controlling the activation of the acquiring unit based on the normalized ratio of number of approach responses and the normalized ratio of number of departure responses.

6. A computer-readable recording medium having stored thereon a computer-readable program, wherein the program, when executed on a processor causes the processor to perform a method comprising:

determining whether a plurality of photosensors configured to detect a direction in which an object moves and configured to output a detection signal representing the direction of the object move, have responded;

determining whether a microwave sensor configured to perform object detection and to output a discrimination signal representing approach or departure of the object, has responded;

calculating a speed of the object by transmitting waves toward the object and measuring Doppler shift of the waves reflected from the object by the microwave sensor;

generating state data representing the state of the object based on the detection signal, the discrimination signal, and the speed calculated in the calculating;

activating an acquiring unit based the generated state data;

acquiring information concerning the object based on the state data generated in the generating state data;

calculating a normalized ratio of number of approach responses to a total number of responses from the microwave sensor and a normalized ratio of number of departure responses to the total number of responses from the microwave sensor; and

controlling the activation of the acquiring unit based on the normalized ratio of number of approach responses and the normalized ratio of number of departure responses.