Patent ID: 7446801
Filing Date: 2008-11-04
Classification: G03B,H04N

Abstract:
1. An information collection system comprising: an information collection apparatus; a plurality of information acquisition apparatuses equipped with communication means; and a photographing apparatus equipped with communication means, wherein the information collection apparatus includes first information collecting means, information-acquisition-apparatus selecting means, and second information collecting means, the first information collecting means being configured to collect, via the communication means, position information of the information acquisition apparatuses, position information of the photographing apparatus, photographing information including a photographing direction of the photographing apparatus, and image information obtained as a result of a photographing operation, the information-acquisition-apparatus selecting means being configured to select the information acquisition apparatus located closest to a center of a photographic image on the basis of the information obtained by the first information collecting means, the second information collecting means being configured to communicate with the information acquisition apparatus selected by the information-acquisition-apparatus selecting means so as to collect information about a specific position, wherein each information acquisition apparatus has a control unit, a communication unit, and a sensor that does not operate in a sleep mode and each information acquisition apparatus is in a sleep mode in an initial state thereof, wherein the information acquisition apparatus performs an information acquisition operation only for a predetermined time period or until receiving a sleep signal from the information collection apparatus in a wake-up mode after the information acquisition apparatus receives a wake-up signal from the information collection apparatus in the sleep mode, and wherein, in the wake-up mode, the power for the information acquisition apparatus is distributed to all units of the information acquisition apparatus, and, in the sleep-mode, the power is not distributed to all but only the control unit and the communication unit.