Information processing apparatus and storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9832325-B2
Application number	US-201615069090-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2016
Priority date	Mar 18, 2015
Publication date	Nov 28, 2017
Grant date	Nov 28, 2017

Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes a plurality of human body detecting sensors that detect a user, each of the human body detecting sensors having a detection area for detecting the presence of the user; an operation part that receives an operation by the user; and an erroneous detection determination part that determines an erroneous detection if the operation part does not receive the operation by the user within a predetermined time after one of the human body detecting sensors detects the presence of the user. If a number of erroneous detections of the one of the human body detecting sensors is equal to or more than a first threshold, the erroneous detection determination part sends an instruction to reduce the detection area to the one of the human body detecting sensors and sends an instruction to increase the detection area to another one of the human body detecting sensors.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:
a plurality of human body detecting sensors to detect a presence of a user, wherein each of the plurality of human body detecting sensors form a detection area for detecting the presence of the user; and
at least one controller configured to
receive an operation by the user, and
determine an erroneous detection upon the at least one controller failing to receive the operation by the user within a time period beginning after one of the plurality of human body detecting sensors detects the presence of the user, wherein in response to a plurality of erroneous detections being determined for the one of the plurality of human body detecting sensors and in response to a number of the plurality of erroneous detections being equal to or more than a first threshold, the at least one controller being configured to send an instruction to relatively reduce a size of the detection area of the one of the plurality of human body detecting sensors and being configured to send an instruction to relatively increase a size of the detection area of another one of the plurality of human body detecting sensors, to thereby vary relative size of the detection areas of the plurality of human body detecting sensors in an effort to reduce erroneous detections.

2. The information processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one controller is configured to send an instruction to relatively increase the detection area of the another one of the plurality of human body detecting sensors to compensate for the relatively reduced detection area of the one of the plurality of human body detecting sensors.

3. The information processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one controller is configured to compensate for the relatively reduced detection area of the one of the plurality of human body detecting sensors by adjusting a distance and a direction of detecting the human body in the another one of the plurality of human body detecting sensors.

4. The information processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one controller is configured to send an instruction to relatively increase the detection area to the another one of the human body detecting sensors in response to a number of the plurality of erroneous detections of the another one of the human body detecting sensors being less than a second threshold, the second threshold being relatively smaller than the first threshold.

5. The information processing apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the at least one controller is configured to compare the number of the plurality of erroneous detections in a time period with the first threshold and with the second threshold.

6. The information processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one controller is configured to send an instruction to relatively increase a detection angle and to maintain a detection distance to the another one of the human body detecting sensors in response to a number of the plurality of erroneous detections of the another one of the human body detecting sensors being equal to or more than a second threshold, the second threshold being relatively smaller than the first threshold.

7. The information processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one controller is configured to send an instruction to relatively increase the detection area to the one of the human body detecting sensors in response to the number of the plurality of erroneous detections of the one of the human body detecting sensors being less than a second threshold, the second threshold being relatively smaller than the first threshold.

8. The information processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one controller is configured to determine a reduction width of the detection area of the one of the human body detecting sensors in accordance with a difference between the number of the plurality of erroneous detections of the one of the human body detecting sensors and the first threshold, and the at least one controller is configured to determine a relative increase width of the detection area of the other one of the human body detecting sensors in accordance with the reduction width of the detection area of the one of the human body detecting sensors.

9. The information processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one controller is configured to send the instructions to relatively increase and decrease respective sizes of the detection areas to avoid substantial overlap between detection areas formed by the plurality of human body detecting sensors.

10. The information processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one controller is configured to send the instructions, to relatively increase and decrease respective sizes, in a plurality of steps.

11. An information processing method comprising:
detecting a presence of a user via a plurality of human body detecting sensors, each of the plurality of human body detecting sensors forming a detection area for detecting the presence of the user;
determining an erroneous detection upon at least one controller failing to receive an operation by the user within a time period beginning after detecting, via one of the plurality of human body detecting sensors, a presence of the user; and
sending an instruction to relatively reduce a size of the detection area of the one of the plurality of human body detecting sensors and sending an instruction to relatively increase a size of the detection area of another one of the plurality of human body detecting sensors, in response to the determining of a plurality of erroneous detections for the one of the plurality of human body detecting sensors and in response to a number of the plurality of determined erroneous detections being equal to or more than a first threshold, to thereby vary relative size of the detection areas of the plurality of human body detecting sensors in an effort to reduce erroneous detections.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer-readable program to, when executed by an information processing apparatus, causes the information processing apparatus to implement the method of claim 11 .

13. The information processing method of claim 11 , wherein the sending includes sending an instruction to relatively increase the detection area to the another one of the human body detecting sensors in response to a number of the plurality of erroneous detections of the another one of the human body detecting sensors being less than a second threshold, the second threshold being relatively smaller than the first threshold.

14. The information processing method of claim 11 , wherein the sending includes sending an instruction to relatively increase a detection angle and to maintain a detection distance to the another one of the human body detecting sensors in response to a number of the plurality of erroneous detections of the another one of the human body detecting sensors being equal to or more than a second threshold, the second threshold being relatively smaller than the first threshold.

15. The information processing method of claim 11 , wherein the sending includes sending an instruction to relatively increase the detection area to the one of the human body detecting sensors in response to the number of the plurality of erroneous detections of the one of the human body detecting sensors being less than a second threshold, the second threshold being relatively smaller than the first threshold.

16. The information processing method of claim 15 , further comprising comparing the number of the plurality of e

Assignees

• Nagasawa Yuichi
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Nagasawa Yuichi

Classifications

• H04N1/00084 Primary

  Recovery or repair, e.g. self-repair · CPC title

• H04N1/00037

  Detecting, i.e. determining the occurrence of a predetermined state (H04N1/00031 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04N2201/0094

  Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception · CPC title

• H04N1/00896

  using a low-power mode, e.g. standby · CPC title

• H04N1/00127

  Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture · CPC title