Identification apparatus, control apparatus, identification method, program, and identification system

• US 9,953,128 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2012
• Issued: 04/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Maruyama, Takao, Yajima, Masakazu, Fukuyama, Munekatsu, Fukuma, Yohei
• Primary Examiner(s): Kundu, Sujoy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dinh, Lynda
• Application Number:
  US13/670,559
• Publication Number:
  US 20130124120A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,994 Days
• Field of Search: 702 60, 702 61, 702 63
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0214 of power generation or supply
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0242 adapted to measure environmental factors, e.g. temperature, pollution
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/167 Personality evaluation
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 21/00 Arrangements for measuring electric power or power factor G01R7/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

Disclosed is an identification apparatus including an acquisition unit configured to acquire power generation information from a power generation unit; and an identification unit configured to identify a behavior characteristic in accordance with the power generation information.

Claims

1. An identification apparatus comprising:

a processing unit and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processing unit, are configured to;

acquire power generation information of a user from a plurality of power generation units operating on different principles of power generation, wherein the plurality of power generation units are associated with the user and wherein the power generation information of the user is representative of power generated by the plurality of power generation units associated with the user;

identify a behavior characteristic of the user in accordance with said power generation information;

change an attribute of a video game character of a video game based on the identified behavior characteristic of the user; and

control the video game character in the video game based on the changed attribute of the video game character.

2. The identification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said behavior characteristic is reflected in a virtual object.

3. The identification apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said virtual object is generated or an attribute of said virtual object is changed in accordance with said behavior characteristic.

4. The identification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the appearance of said identification apparatus is changed in accordance with said behavior characteristic.

5. The identification apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a communication unit.

6. The identification apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said communication unit transmits said behavior characteristic to the outside.

7. The identification apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said communication unit acquires said power generation information from the outside.

8. The identification apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said communication unit acquires the behavior characteristic of another user from the outside.

9. The identification apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the processing unit and the memory are further configured to rewrite said behavior characteristic of the user stored in a storage unit with the behavior characteristic of the other user.

10. The identification apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the processing unit and the memory are further configured to inform the user that the behavior characteristic of the other user coincides with or approximates said behavior characteristic of the user stored in said storage unit.

11. An identification system comprising a plurality of the identification apparatus claimed in claim 1 and a server, the server configured to:

acquire power generation information from each of said identification apparatus, and

identify behavior characteristics on a group basis according to said power generation information.

12. The identification system according to claim 11, wherein the behavior characteristic of each of said groups is reflected in a virtual object of each group.

13. A control apparatus comprising:

a processing unit and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processing unit, are configured to;

acquire power generation information of a user from a plurality of power generation units operating on different principles of power generation, wherein the plurality of power generation units are associated with the user and wherein the power generation information of the user is representative of power generated by the plurality of power generation units associated with the user;

reflect said power generation information in an attribute of a virtual object of a video game; and

control the virtual object in the video game based on the attribute of the virtual object.

14. An identification method comprising:

acquiring, by an identification apparatus, power generation information of a user from a plurality of power generation units operating on different principles of power generation, wherein the plurality of power generation units are associated with the user and wherein the power generation information of the user is representative of power generated by the plurality of power generation units associated with the user;

identifying a behavior characteristic of the user in accordance with said power generation information;

changing an attribute of a video game character of a video game based on the identified behavior characteristic of the user; and

controlling the video game character in the video game based on the changed attribute of the video game character.

15. A computer-readable storage device storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform an identification method comprising:

acquiring power generation information of a user from a plurality of power generation units operating on different principles of power generation, wherein the plurality of power generation units are associated with the user and wherein the power generation information of the user is representative of power generated by the plurality of power generation units associated with the user;

identifying a behavior characteristic of the user in accordance with said power generation information;

changing an attribute of a video game character of a video game based on the identified behavior characteristic of the user; and

controlling the video game character in the video game based on the changed attribute of the video game character.