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

• US 9,237,267 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2014
• Issued: 01/12/2016
• 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:
  US14/335,583
• Publication Number:
  US 20140327791A1
• Time in Patent Office: 543 Days
• Field of Search: 348/211.4
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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, wherein the management server stores a table indicating a correspondence between one or more wireless tag IDs, one or more photographic targets, and a plurality of single movable bodies, wherein each single movable body is assigned to monitor at least one of the one or more photographic targets prior to receiving an imaging request; and

a single movable body of the plurality of single movable bodies capable of moving in one or more dimensions configured to communicate with the management server,

wherein the management server comprises;

an imaging instruction unit configured to;

refer to the table when the imaging request designating a photographic target is received from a user terminal;

identify the one or more wireless tag IDs corresponding to the photographic target;

identify the single movable body assigned to the photographic target using identification information corresponding to the photographic target; and

transmit the one or more wireless tag IDs to the single movable body; and

an image providing unit configured to associate and store the one or more wireless tag IDs and an image of the photographic target received from the single movable body;

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 estimate a position of the photographic target based on a radio field intensity of wireless communication with the wireless tag having the wireless tag ID of the photographic target;

an imaging unit configured to take the image of the photographic target; and

a movement control unit configured to control movement of the single movable body in one or more dimensions based on inputs from the position estimating unit.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more wireless tag IDs correspond to a unique photographic target.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more single movable bodies is assigned to monitor the photographic target.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the image providing unit is configured to store the image on at least one of the single movable body, the management server, or a remote computing device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the movement control unit is configured to identify a location and position for the single movable body to image the photographic target responsive to image analysis of the image.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the movement control unit is configured to move the single movable body to a particular location based on a corresponding point identified in the image.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the movement control unit is configured to move the single movable body at random or in accordance with a predetermined route when a destination is not set.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the movement control unit is configured to move the single movable body to an estimated position of the photographic target based on the radio field intensity.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the imaging instruction unit is configured to identify that at least one of the one or more photographic targets has a pre-determined relationship to the single movable body.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising an imaging control unit communicatively coupled to the imaging unit, wherein the imaging control unit is configured to control a direction of the imaging unit based on an image analysis of a previous image.

11. An imaging method comprising:

receiving, by a management device, an imaging request designating a photographic target is received from a user terminal;

identifying, by the management device, one or more wireless tag IDs corresponding to the photographic target in a table, wherein the table comprises a correspondence between the one or more wireless tag IDs, one or more photographic targets and a plurality of single movable bodies, wherein each single movable body is assigned to monitor at least one of the one or more photographic targets prior to receiving the imaging request;

identifying, by the management device, a single movable body of the plurality of single movable bodies, assigned to the photographic target, using identification information corresponding to the photographic target;

transmitting, by the management device, the one or more wireless tag IDs to the single movable body;

reading, by the single movable body, a wireless tag ID from a wireless tag through wireless communication;

estimating, by the single movable body, a position of the photographic target based on a radio field intensity of wireless communication with the wireless tag having the wireless tag ID of the photographic target;

moving, by a movement control unit executing on the single movable body, the single movable body in one or more dimensions based on inputs from the position estimating unit;

imaging, by the single movable body, the photographic target;

associating, by the management device, the one or more wireless tag IDs and the image received from the single movable body; and

storing, by the management device, the one or more wireless tag IDs and the image received from the single movable body.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein each of the one or more wireless tag IDs correspond to a unique photographic target.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the one or more single movable bodies is assigned to monitor the photographic target.

14. The method according to claim 11, further comprising storing, by the management device, the image on at least one of:

the single movable body, the management device, or a remote computing device.

15. The method according to claim 11, further comprising moving, by the movement control unit, the single movable body responsive to image analysis of the image.

16. The method according to claim 11, further comprising moving, by the movement control unit, the single movable body to a particular location based on a corresponding point identified in the image.

17. The method according to claim 11, further comprising moving, by the movement control unit, the single movable body at random or in accordance with a predetermined route when a destination is not set.

18. The method according to claim 11, further comprising moving, by the movement control unit, the single movable body to an estimated position of the photographic target based on the radio field intensity.

19. The method according to claim 11, further comprising identifying, by the management device, that at least one of the one or more photographic targets has a pre-determined relationship to the single movable body.

20. The method according to claim 11, further comprising controlling, by an imaging control unit communicatively coupled to the imaging unit, a direction of the imaging unit based on an image analysis of a previous image.