# US 11,308,356 B2 · Information management apparatus, information processing apparatus, and control method thereof > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,308,356 B2 - Document ID: US11308356B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/892,190 - Filed: 2020-06-03 - Published: 2020-12-10 - Granted: 2022-04-19 - Earliest claimed: 2019-06-04 - Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Shunji Fujita - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11308356B2 ## CPC - G06N 3/08: Learning methods - G06F 18/214: Generating training patterns; Bootstrap methods, e.g. bagging or boosting - G06F 18/2178: {based on feedback of a supervisor} - G06F 18/23: Clustering techniques - G06N 3/045: Combinations of networks - G06N 3/0464: Convolutional networks [CNN, ConvNet] - G06N 3/09: Supervised learning - G06V 10/762: using clustering, e.g. of similar faces in social networks - G06V 10/774: Generating sets of training patterns; Bootstrap methods, e.g. bagging or boosting - G06V 10/776: Validation; Performance evaluation - G06N 3/063: using electronic means - G06N: COMPUTING ARRANGEMENTS BASED ON SPECIFIC COMPUTATIONAL MODELS - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING ## Abstract An information management apparatus comprises a communication unit configured to communicate with a plurality of external apparatuses having learning functions, and a control unit configured to control the communication with the plurality of external apparatuses performed by the communication unit. The control unit, if supervisory data generated when a predetermined external apparatus executes a learning function is received from the predetermined external apparatus via the communication unit, selects, from among the plurality of external apparatuses, an external apparatus, other than the predetermined external apparatus, with which the supervisory data is to be shared, and performs control so that the supervisory data is transmitted to the selected external apparatus. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An information management apparatus comprising at least one processor or circuit configured to perform operations of the following units: a communication unit configured to communicate with a plurality of image capture apparatuses each of which has a learning function; and a control unit configured to control the communication with the plurality of image capture apparatuses performed by the communication unit, wherein the control unit, if supervisory data generated when a first image capture apparatus executed a learning function is received from the first image capture apparatus via the communication unit, selects, from among the plurality of image capture apparatuses, a second image capture apparatus, other than the first predetermined external image capture apparatus, with which the supervisory data used for the learning function of the first image capture apparatus is to be shared, and performs control so that the supervisory data used for the learning function of the first image capture apparatus is transmitted to the second image capture apparatus. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the learning function is a function for recognizing a predetermined subject using a captured image and the supervisory data, and the supervisory data includes supervisory image data of the predetermined subject and label information indicating the predetermined subject. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit manages the plurality of image capture apparatuses so that apparatuses having a learning-target subject in common are managed as belonging to the same group, and selects an image capture apparatus belonging to the same group as the first image capture apparatus as an image capture apparatus with which the supervisory data used for the learning function of the first image capture apparatus is to be shared. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit has a table in which the number of times the supervisory data is received is recorded for each of the plurality of image capture apparatuses, and newly adds, as a learning-target subject common to a group to which the first capture apparatus belongs, a subject for which the number of times the supervisory data is received exceeds a predetermined reference, among label information of subjects of the plurality of image capture apparatuses recorded in the table. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the control unit processes the supervisory data used for the learning function of the first image capture apparatus so that the supervisory data has a format that can be used in the second image capture apparatus. ### Claim 6 An image capture apparatus having a learning function, comprising: at least one processor or circuit configured to perform operations of the following units: a communication unit configured to communicate with an information management apparatus that manages supervisory data generated when the image capture apparatus executed the learning function; and a control unit configured to transmit the supervisory data used for the learning function of the image capture apparatus and to be shared with other image capture apparatus having a learning function, to the information management apparatus via the communication unit. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the learning function is a function for recognizing a predetermined subject using a captured image and the supervisory data, and the supervisory data includes supervisory image data of the predetermined subject and label information indicating the predetermined subject. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the learning function includes a first learning mode for executing learning using supervisory image data generated from a captured image and a second learning mode for executing learning in response to a learning request from the information management apparatus using the supervisory image data included in the supervisory data received from the information management apparatus. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the learning function is capable of disabling the second learning mode, and the control unit does not execute learning in the second learning mode if the second learning mode is disabled. ### Claim 10 An image capture apparatus having a learning function, comprising at least one processor or circuit configured to perform operations of the following units: a communication unit configured to communicate with other image capture apparatus having a learning function; and a control unit configured to control the communication with the other image capture apparatus performed via the communication unit, wherein the control unit selects, from among a plurality of image capture apparatuses, a second image capture apparatus with which supervisory data generated when the image capture apparatus executed the learning function is to be shared, and performs control so that the supervisory data used for the learning function of the image capture apparatus is transmitted to the second image capture apparatus via the communication unit. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the learning function is a function for recognizing a predetermined subject using a captured image and the supervisory data, and the supervisory data includes supervisory image data of the predetermined subject and label information indicating the predetermined subject. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the control unit manages image capture apparatuses having a learning-target subject in common with the image capture apparatus as belonging to the same group, and selects an image capture apparatus belonging to the same group as the image capture apparatus as the second image capture apparatus with which the supervisory data is to be shared. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the control unit processes the supervisory data used for the learning function of the image capture apparatus so that the supervisory data has a format that can be used in the second image capture apparatus. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the control unit receives supervisory data generated when the other image capture apparatus executed the learning function from the other image capture apparatus via the communication unit, and the learning function includes a function for executing learning using supervisory image data generated from a captured image and a function for executing learning using supervisory image data included in the supervisory data received from the other image capture apparatus. ### Claim 15 A method of controlling an information management apparatus that includes a communication unit configured to communicate with a plurality of image capture apparatuses each of which has a learning function and that controls the communication with the plurality of image capture apparatuses performed by the communication unit, the method comprising: if supervisory data generated when a first image capture apparatus executed a learning function is received from the first image capture apparatus via the communication unit, selecting, from among the plurality of image capture apparatuses, a second image capture apparatus, other than the first image capture apparatus, with which the supervisory data used for the learning function of the first image capture apparatus is to be shared; and transmitting the supervisory data used for the learning function of the first image capture apparatus to the second image capture apparatus. ### Claim 16 A method of controlling an image capture apparatus having a learning function, comprising: communicating with an information management apparatus that manages supervisory data generated when the image capture apparatus executed the learning function; and transmitting the supervisory data used for the learning function of the image capture apparatus and to be shared with other image capture apparatus having a learning function, to the information management apparatus. ### Claim 17 A method of controlling an image capture apparatus having a learning function, a communication unit configured to communicate with other image capture apparatus having a learning function, and a control unit configured to control the communication with the other image capture apparatus performed via the communication unit, the method comprising: selecting, from among a plurality of image capture apparatuses, a second image capture apparatus with which supervisory data generated when the image capture apparatus executed the learning function is to be shared; and transmitting the supervisory data used for the learning function of the image capture apparatus to the second image capture apparatus via the communication unit. ### Claim 18 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a method of controlling an information management apparatus that includes a communication unit configured to communicate with a plurality of image capture apparatuses each of which has a learning function and that controls the communication with the plurality of image capture apparatuses performed by the communication unit, the method comprising: if supervisory data generated when a first image capture apparatus executed a learning function is received from the first image capture apparatus via the communication unit, selecting, from among the plurality of image capture apparatuses, a second image capture apparatus, other than the first image capture apparatus, with which the supervisory data used for the learning function of the first image capture apparatus is to be shared; and transmitting the supervisory data used for the learning function of the first image capture apparatus to the second image capture apparatus. ### Claim 19 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a method of controlling an image capture apparatus having a learning function, comprising: communicating with an information management apparatus that manages supervisory data generated when the image capture apparatus executed the learning function; and transmitting the supervisory data used for the learning function of the image capture apparatus and to be shared with other image capture apparatus having a learning function, to the information management apparatus. ### Claim 20 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a method of controlling an image capture apparatus having a learning function, a communication unit configured to communicate with other image capture apparatus having a learning function, and a control unit configured to control the communication with the other image capture apparatus performed via the communication unit, the method comprising: selecting, from among a plurality of image capture apparatuses, a second image capture apparatus with which supervisory data generated when the image capture apparatus executed the learning function is to be shared; and transmitting the supervisory data used for the learning function of the image capture apparatus to the second image capture apparatus via the communication unit.