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

• US 7,830,410 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2007
• Issued: 11/09/2010
• 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: Takahashi, Yasuaki, Ohta, Koji, Kondo, Tetsujiro, Takeda, Naoki, Kobayashi, Naoki, Fujimori, Yasuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): WONG, ALLEN C
• Application Number:
  US11/763,931
• Publication Number:
  US 20070242903A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,243 Days
• Field of Search: 348/143, 348/151, 348/152, 348/153, 348/148, 725/105, 709/231
• 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 information processing system, comprising:

a first information processing apparatus including;

storage means for storing determination parameters;

parameter control means for updating the determination parameters; and

determination means for determining when a surveillance event has occurred based on a comparison of the determination parameters to surveilled features extracted by a feature extracting means; and

a second information processing apparatus including;

reception means for receiving, from the first information processing apparatus, remote-controller display data including event display data for reporting an occurrence of the surveillance event, the event display data being supplied when the determination means determines the surveillance event has occurred;

display means for displaying the remote-controller display data received by said reception means;

input reception means for receiving an input of a user decision based on an indication of said display means; and

transmission means for transmitting a decision signal based on the user decision received by said input reception means to said first information processing apparatus, wherein the parameter control means updates the determination parameters based on the transmitted user decision.

2. The information processing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the parameter control means modifies at least one of a plurality of determination parameters based on the user decision.

3. The information processing system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a multi-sensor camera unit including a plurality of sensor units.

4. The information processing system as claimed in claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of sensor units included in the multi-sensor camera can be switched ON or OFF based on the determination parameters, the determination parameters being updated by the parameter control means based on the transmitted user decision.

5. The information processing system as claimed in claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of sensor units included in the multi-sensor camera remains ON until a number of user decision inputs exceed a predetermined number.

6. A method for processing information in an image capturing system including first and second information processing devices, comprising:

storing, at a storage device of the first information processing device, determination parameters;

updating, at a parameter control unit of the first information processing device, the determination parameters;

determining, at a determination means of the first information processing device, when a surveillance event has occurred based on a comparison of the determination parameters to surveilled features extracted by a feature extracting unit;

receiving, at a receiver of the second information processing device, from the first information processing device, remote-controller display data including event display data for reporting an occurrence of the surveillance event, the event display data being supplied when the determination means of the first information processing device determines that the surveillance event has occurred;

displaying, at a display device of the second information processing apparatus, the remote-controller display data received;

receiving, at an input reception device of the second information processing apparatus, an input of a user decision based on the indication of said display device; and

transmitting, at a transmitter of the second information processing apparatus, a decision signal based on the user decision received to the first information processing device, wherein the parameter control unit of the first information processing device updates the determination parameters based on the transmitted user decision.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with computer executable instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to execute a method comprising:

storing, at a first information processing apparatus, determination parameters;

updating, at the first information processing apparatus, the determination parameters;

determining, at the first information processing apparatus, when a surveillance event has occurred based on a comparison of the determination parameters to surveilled features extracted by a feature extracting unit;

receiving, at a second information processing apparatus from the first information processing apparatus, remote-controller display data including event display data for reporting an occurrence of the surveillance event, the event display data being supplied when determining, at the first information processing apparatus, that the surveillance event has occurred;

displaying, on a display device at the second information processing apparatus, the remote-controller display data received;

receiving, at a second information processing apparatus, an input of a user decision based on an indication of the display device; and

transmitting a decision signal based on the user decision received to said first information processing apparatus, wherein the determination parameters are updated based on the transmitted user decision.

8. An information processing apparatus for processing information, comprising:

a first information processing apparatus including;

a storage unit configured to store determination parameters;

a parameter control unit configured to update the determination parameters; and

a determination unit configured to determine when a surveillance event has occurred based on a comparison of the determination parameters to surveilled features extracted by a feature extracting unit; and

a second information processing apparatus including;

a receiver configured to receive, from the first information processing apparatus, remote-controller display data including event display data for reporting an occurrence of the surveillance event, the event display data being supplied when the determination unit determines the surveillance event has occurred;

a display unit configured to display the remote-controller display data received by said receiver;

an input reception unit configured to receive an input of a user decision based on an indication of said display; and

a transmitter configured to transmit a decision signal based on the user decision received by said input reception unit to said first information processing apparatus, wherein the parameter control unit updates the determination parameters based on the transmitted user decision.