Patent ID: 7697030

Claim:
A control device for carrying out a predetermined process in response to a trigger signal from a sensor, comprising: a signal input unit connected to the sensor and configured to receive a trigger signal; a detector connected to an image capturing unit and configured to receive continuous images from the image capturing unit, said detector being configured to analyze images obtained from said image capturing unit for at least a period of time beginning at a time of a trigger signal and ending a predetermined amount of time after the trigger signal, said detector being configured to determine whether or not a change occurs in such images during said period of time; a determining unit which determines whether or not a trigger signal is a valid signal, said determining unit being configured to determine, based on analysis by said detector, that the trigger signal is valid in the case that said detector does not detect a change in the images during said period of time; and a controller, responsive to said determining unit, which is configured to carry out a predetermined process in the case that said determining unit determines that a trigger signal is a valid signal.