Imaging systems, moving bodies, and imaging control methods for remote monitoring of a moving target

• US 8,817,118 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2009
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Inventors: Hatanaka, Hidekazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Velez, Roberto
• Assistant Examiner(s): Segura, Cynthia
• Application Number:
  US12/641,115
• Publication Number:
  US 20110013032A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,713 Days
• Field of Search: 348/211.4
• US Class Current: 348/211.4
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00339 with an electronic or magnetic storage medium I/O device RFID or the like H04N1/00342
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00342 with a radio frequency tag transmitter or receiver storage of additional information in an RFID tag attached to an image bearing paper sheet H04N1/32138
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2112 using still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0039 Connection via a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0049 By wire, cable or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0055 By radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0075 by a user operated remote control device, e.g. receiving instructions from a user via a computer terminal or mobile telephone handset
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0464 Self-propelled scanners, e.g. robotic scanners, means for propulsion integrated in the scanner carriage
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/64 Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices

Abstract

To provide a new framework that can flexibly take images of a moving target in remote monitoring without the need to arrange a plurality of network cameras, an autonomously movable moving body is used to take an image of a photographic target in accordance with a request from a user terminal, and the photographic image is provided to the user terminal. The moving body includes: a position estimating unit that acquires, from a wireless tag reader, a radio field intensity of wireless communication with a wireless tag held by the photographic target to estimate a position of the photographic target based on the acquired radio field intensity; a movement control unit that controls the movement of the moving body so that the moving body moves to the estimated position as a destination; and an imaging unit that takes an image of the photographic target when the moving body is located near the destination, associates the photographic image with a wireless tag ID designated by the request, and transmits the photographic image to an apparatus outside the moving body.

Claims

1. An imaging system comprising:

a management server; and

a single movable body configured to communicate with the management server,

the management server comprising;

a table configured to store a correspondence relationship between a photographic target, a wireless tag ID of a wireless tag held by the photographic target, and the single movable body assigned to a plurality of photographic targets;

an imaging instructing unit configured to refer to the table when an imaging request designating one of the photographic targets is received from a user terminal having a pre-determined relationship to the designated photographic target to identify a wireless tag ID and the single movable body corresponding to the designated photographic target and further configured to transmit an imaging instruction designating the identified wireless tag to the identified single movable body; and

an image providing unit configured to;

associate and store the wireless tag ID and a photographic image when the wireless tag ID and the photographic image are received from the single movable body,

refer to the table when an image acquisition request designating the photographic target is received from the user terminal to identify the wireless tag ID corresponding to the designated photographic target, to read out the image corresponding to the identified wireless tag ID, and to transmit the image to the user terminal that has transmitted the image acquisition request,

wherein the single movable body comprises;

at least one wireless tag reader configured to read a wireless tag ID from a wireless tag through wireless communication;

a position estimating unit configured to acquire, from the wireless tag reader, a radio field intensity of wireless communication with the wireless tag storing the wireless tag ID designated by the imaging instruction when the imaging instruction is received from the management server to estimate a position of the photographic target based on the acquired radio field intensity;

a movement control unit configured to control the movement of the single movable body so that the single movable body moves to the estimated position as a destination;

an imaging unit configured to take an image of the photographic target when the single movable body is located near the destination, associate the photographic image with the wireless tag ID designated by the imaging instruction, and transmit the photographic image and the wireless tag ID to the management server; and

an imaging control unit configured to control he direction of the imaging unit based on a result of an image recognition process.

2. The imaging system according to claim 1, wherein the imaging instructing unit is configured to receive instructions for the single movable body to take images of the photographic target from a user terminal.

3. The imaging system according to claim 1, wherein the position estimating unit is configured to estimate the position of the photographic target based on the magnitude of the radio field intensity.

4. The imaging system according to claim 1, wherein the management server is configured to provide the requested images to the user via the user terminal.

5. The imaging system according to claim 1, wherein the movement control unit of the single movable body is configured to control movement of the single movable body to within a certain distance of the estimated position as a destination by traversing a surface.

6. An imaging system comprising:

a single movable body comprising;

a position estimating unit configured to estimate a position of a photographic target based on a signal of a wireless tag held by the photographic target, the signal acquired from a wireless tag reader, the single movable body assigned to a plurality of photographic targets;

a movement control unit configured to control movement of the single movable body to locate the single movable body within a certain distance from the estimated position;

an imaging unit configured to take an image of the photographic target when the single movable body is located within the certain distance;

an imaging control unit configured to control the direction of the imaging unit based on a result of an image recognition process; and

a communications unit configured to receive instructions, via a server, to take images of the photographic target responsive to a request from a user terminal; and

a management server configured to be able to communicate with the single movable body, the management server comprising an image providing unit that is configured to;

associate and store a wireless tag ID and a photographic image when the wireless tag ID and the photographic image are received from the single movable body,

when an image acquisition request designating one of the photographic targets is received from the user terminal having a pre-determined relationship to the designated photographic target, identify the wireless tag ID corresponding to the designated photographic target to read out the image corresponding to the identified wireless tag ID, and to transmit the image to the user terminal that has transmitted the image acquisition request.

7. The single movable body according to claim 6, further comprising at least one wireless tag reader.

8. The single movable body according to claim 6, wherein the position estimating unit is further configured to acquire a signal of the wireless tag held by the photographic target from the at least one wireless to reader fixed outside the single movable body.

9. The single movable body according to claim 6, wherein the position estimating unit is further configured to estimate the position of the photographic target based on a radio field intensity of wireless communication with the wireless tag held by the photographic target.

10. The single movable body according to claim 9, wherein the movement control unit is further configured to control the movement of the single movable body so that the acquired radio field intensity becomes smaller than a predetermined value when the single movable body is located near the destination.

11. The single movable body according to claim 6, wherein the movement control unit is further configured to control the movement of the single movable body so that the single movable body moves at random or in accordance with a predetermined route when the destination is not set.

12. The single movable body according to claim 6, wherein the imaging unit is configured to transmit an image of the photographic target, via a server, to the user terminal.

13. The single movable body according to claim 6, wherein the position estimating unit is configured to estimate the position of the photographic target based on the magnitude of the radio field intensity.

14. The single movable body according to claim 6, wherein the movement control unit is configured to control movement of the single movable body to within a certain distance of the estimated position as a destination by traversing a surface.

15. An imaging control method using a single movable body including an imaging unit and a management server configured to communicate with the single movable body, the imaging control method comprising:

the management server receiving an imaging request designating identification information of a photographic target from a user terminal;

the management server referring to a table storing a correspondence relationship between the photographic target, a wireless tag ID of a wireless tag held by the photographic target, and the single movable body assigned to a plurality of photographic targets, when the imaging request designating one of the photographic targets is received from the user terminal having a pre-determined relationship to the designated photographic target to identify a wireless tag ID and the single movable body corresponding to the designated photographic target and to transmit an imaging instruction designating the identified wireless tag to the identified single movable body;

the single movable body acquiring, from at least one wireless tag reader, a radio field intensity of wireless communication with the wireless tag storing the wireless tag ID designated by the imaging instruction when the imaging instruction is received from the management server to estimate a position of the photographic target based on the acquired radio field intensity;

the single movable body moving to the estimated position as a destination;

the single movable body taking an image of the photographic target when the single movable body is located near the destination, wherein an imaging control unit is configured to control the direction of the single movable body based on a result of an image recognition process, associating the photographic image with the wireless tag ID designated by the imaging instruction, and transmitting the photographic image the wireless tag ID to the management server;

the management server associating and storing the wireless tag ID and the photographic image when the wireless tag ID and the photographic image are received from the single movable body; and

the management server referring to the table when an image acquisition request designating the photographic target is received from the user terminal to identify the wireless tag ID corresponding to the designated photographic target, to read out the image corresponding to the identified wireless tag ID, and to transmit the image to the user terminal that has transmitted the image acquisition request.

16. The imaging control method according to claim 15, further comprising:

an imaging instructing unit of the moving body receiving instructions for the single movable body to take images of the photographic target from the user terminal.

17. The imaging control method according to claim 15, further comprising:

a position estimating unit of the single movable body estimating the position of the photographic target based on the magnitude of the radio field intensity.

18. The imaging control method according to claim 15, further comprising:

the management server providing the requested ages to the user via the user terminal.