Information processing device

Abstract

To reduce the power consumption of a vehicle battery during monitoring of a parked vehicle.SOLUTION: An information processor controls transmission of image data captured by an on-board camera 11 mounted on a vehicle 10 from the vehicle 10 to a predetermined device. The information processor has a control unit 110 that performs determining the timing of stopping the transmission of the captured image data to the predetermined device according to the amount of remaining power in a drive battery 14 installed in the vehicle 10 when the transmission of the captured image data is being performed while the vehicle 10 is parked.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[[Technical Field]]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to vehicle monitoring. [[Background Art]]

[0002] Many vehicle monitoring technologies are known. In this regard, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a unit that allows a user to select a monitoring function for normal recording when the vehicle is parked, a function for starting monitoring when an impact is detected, and stopping the monitoring function. [[Prior Art Documents]] [[Patent Documents]]

[0003] [[Patent Document 1]] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-16138 [[Summary of the Invention]] [[Problem to be Solved by the Invention]]

[0004] An object of the present disclosure is to suppress power consumption of the vehicle battery in vehicle monitoring during parking. [[Means for Solving the Problem]]

[0005] One aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure is An information processing apparatus that controls transmission of captured data captured by an on-vehicle camera mounted on a vehicle from the vehicle to a predetermined apparatus, wherein when the captured data is being transmitted while the vehicle is parked, the information processing apparatus includes a control unit that determines timing to stop transmission of the captured data to the predetermined apparatus in accordance with a remaining power amount of a driving battery mounted on the vehicle. which is an information processing apparatus.

[0006] In addition, as other aspects, there are provided a method executed by the above apparatus, a program for causing a computer to execute the method, and a computer-readable storage medium that non-transitorily stores the program. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to this disclosure, it is possible to reduce the power consumption of the vehicle's battery when monitoring a parked vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] A diagram showing an overview of the processes performed by the server device according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] A diagram illustrating the components of a system including a server device according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] A flowchart of the process executed by the control unit of the server device according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] A sequence diagram of the processes executed by the system according to this embodiment. [Figure 5] A flowchart of the process for stopping data transmission executed by the control unit of the server device according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] A flowchart of a process performed by the control unit of a server device according to an embodiment to increase a first time length or a first data amount. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] A system for monitoring vehicles is known.

[0010] For example, consider a system that transmits video from an in-vehicle camera to a user terminal. First, the system receives a request from the user terminal to view the in-vehicle camera's video. Then, the system transmits the in-vehicle camera's video to the user terminal or other device. At this time, the communication equipment and control device that transmit the in-vehicle camera's video operate using power from the vehicle's drive battery.

[0011] However, the remaining power of the vehicle's drive battery is not always sufficient. Furthermore, providing unlimited video feeds from the in-vehicle camera to the user's terminal would consume a significant amount of power from the drive battery, potentially affecting the vehicle's subsequent operation. To address these challenges, it is preferable that the system utilizes the power of the drive battery, within limits that do not affect the vehicle's operation, to transmit video from the in-vehicle camera to the user terminal. The information processing device in this embodiment solves the above problems.

[0012] An information processing device relating to one aspect of this disclosure is: An information processing device that controls the transmission of image data captured by an on-board camera mounted on a vehicle from the vehicle to a predetermined device, and includes a control unit that, when the transmission of the image data is taking place while the vehicle is parked, determines the timing for stopping the transmission of the image data to the predetermined device according to the remaining power of the drive battery mounted on the vehicle.

[0013] A vehicle-mounted camera is typically a camera that captures video footage for recording to a dashcam installed in the vehicle. Multiple vehicle-mounted cameras may be installed in a vehicle.

[0014] A drive battery is a storage battery that supplies the power necessary for a vehicle to run. A drive battery may be a battery with enough capacity to power the entire vehicle, such as those installed in EVs (Electric Vehicles), or it may be a battery with enough capacity to power some of the control systems necessary for the vehicle's operation, such as those installed in conventional vehicles.

[0015] The control unit determines the timing for stopping the transmission of imaging data to a predetermined device based on the remaining power of the drive battery. Therefore, the control unit can cut off the transmission of imaging data to the predetermined device so that power consumption remains within the range of available power.

[0016] Accordingly, the information processing apparatus according to the present disclosure can prevent a large amount of power from being consumed from the driving battery, which would affect the traveling of the vehicle, when a user monitors the vehicle using an on-board camera.

[0017] Further, the control unit may further instruct the vehicle to transmit the imaging data to the predetermined device in response to a viewing request for the imaging data of the on-board camera transmitted from a user terminal, and when a transmission duration of the imaging data or a transmission data amount for the viewing request reaches a first time length or a first data amount determined based on the remaining power of the driving battery, the control unit may stop the transmission of the imaging data to the predetermined device and notify the user terminal that the viewing has ended.

[0018] Accordingly, by stopping the transmission according to the actual transmission duration or transmission data amount, the information processing apparatus according to the present disclosure can round off the transmission of the imaging data to the predetermined device such that power consumption is reliably kept within the range of available power.

[0019] Further, the control unit may select from the remaining power of the driving battery the power for transmission of the imaging data and determine the first time length or the first data amount based on the power amount allocated to the transmission.

[0020] Accordingly, the information processing apparatus according to the present disclosure can appropriately determine the first time length or the first data amount.

[0021] Further, when a predetermined event is detected, the control unit may increase the first time length or the first data amount by a predetermined amount compared to when the predetermined event is not detected.

[0022] The predetermined event is, for example, an event that occurs when the vehicle detects an impact, a suspicious person, or the like. In such a case, it is preferable to increase the first time length or the first data amount to relax restrictions such as viewing time. As a result, the information processing device relating to this disclosure can appropriately provide images to the user in situations where it is necessary to view the image data captured by the in-vehicle camera.

[0023] Furthermore, the control unit may notify the user terminal that viewing is nearing its end when the transmission duration or the amount of data transmitted in the transmission of the imaging data to the predetermined device reaches a second time length that is shorter than the first time length, or a second data amount that is smaller than the first data amount.

[0024] As a result, the information processing device relating to this disclosure can notify the user in advance when viewing has ended.

[0025] The following describes specific embodiments of this disclosure with reference to the drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the hardware configurations, module configurations, functional configurations, etc., described in each embodiment are not intended to limit the technical scope of the disclosure to those configurations alone.

[0026] (Embodiment) An overview of the processing performed by the server device according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 1. Figure 1 is a diagram showing an overview of the processing performed by the server device 100 according to the embodiment. Here, the server device 100 is an example of an information processing device according to the present disclosure. The server device 100 is a device that causes the communication unit 12 of the vehicle 10 to transmit the image data captured by the in-vehicle camera 11 to an information terminal 200 associated with the user. The server device 100 is configured to communicate with the vehicle 10.

[0027] First, the user sends a viewing request from the information terminal 200 to the server device 100. When the server device 100 receives the viewing request from the information terminal 200, it sends a transmission instruction to the control unit 13 of the vehicle 10.

[0028] When the control unit 13 of the vehicle 10 receives a transmission instruction, it transmits the image data captured by the on-board camera 11 to the information terminal 200. The vehicle 10 may transmit the image data directly to the information terminal 200, or it may transmit the image data via the server device 100.

[0029] Furthermore, after sending a transmission instruction to the vehicle 10, the server device 100 acquires the remaining power of the drive battery 14 installed in the vehicle 10. Then, at a timing determined based on the acquired remaining power, the server device 100 sends a stop instruction to the control unit 13 of the vehicle 10. Upon receiving the stop instruction, the control unit 13 of the vehicle 10 stops transmitting the image data captured by the on-board camera 11 to the information terminal 200.

[0030] In this way, the server device 100 stops transmitting the image data captured by the on-board camera 11 to the information terminal 200 depending on the remaining power of the drive battery 14. This allows the server device 100 to avoid a situation where a large amount of power is consumed from the drive battery 14 when monitoring the vehicle using the on-board camera 11, which could affect the vehicle's operation.

[0031] With this configuration, the server device 100 can suppress the power consumption of the vehicle's battery when monitoring a parked vehicle.

[0032] Next, we will describe in detail each element that constitutes the system. Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the components of a system according to an embodiment. The system consists of a server device 100, an information terminal 200, and a vehicle 10.

[0033] The server device 100 according to this embodiment includes a control unit 110, a storage unit 120, and a communication unit 130.

[0034] The control unit 110 is implemented using a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) and memory. The control unit 110 includes an acquisition unit 111, a determination unit 112, and a notification unit 113 as functional modules. These functional modules may be implemented by executing a program using the control unit 110.

[0035] The acquisition unit 111 acquires viewing requests transmitted from the information terminal 200. A viewing request is information transmitted from the information terminal 200 by the user to request the server device 100 to allow viewing of the image data captured by the in-vehicle camera 11.

[0036] The decision unit 112 sends a transmission instruction to the vehicle's onboard camera 11 and control unit 13 to transmit the video from the onboard camera 11 to the information terminal 200.

[0037] Furthermore, the determination unit 112 determines the timing for stopping the transmission of imaging data to a predetermined device, according to the remaining power of the drive battery 14 mounted on the vehicle 10. Specifically, the determination unit 112 may decide to stop transmitting imaging data to a predetermined device when the transmission duration or the amount of transmitted imaging data reaches a first time length or a first data amount determined based on the remaining power of the drive battery 14. The determination unit 112 may also determine the value of the first time length or first data amount based on the remaining power of the drive battery 14.

[0038] If the decision unit 112 decides to stop transmitting the image data to a predetermined device, the decision unit 112 sends a stop instruction to the vehicle's onboard camera 11 and control unit 13 to stop transmitting the video from the onboard camera 11 to the information terminal 200.

[0039] Furthermore, the determination unit 112 may increase the first time length or the first data amount by a predetermined amount when a predetermined event is detected, compared to when the predetermined event is not detected.

[0040] The notification unit 113 notifies the information terminal 200 of the end of viewing when the decision unit 112 decides to stop transmitting the imaging data to a predetermined device. The notification unit 113 also notifies the information terminal 200 that viewing is nearing its end when the transmission duration or the amount of data transmitted in the transmission of imaging data to the predetermined device reaches a second time length or a second data amount. Here, the second time length is shorter than the first time length, and the second data amount is less than the first data amount.

[0041] The memory unit 120 is a main memory device such as RAM or ROM, an EPROM, a hard disk drive, and an auxiliary memory device such as removable media. The auxiliary memory device stores the operating system (OS), various programs, various tables, etc., and by executing the programs stored therein, each function that matches the predetermined purpose of each part of the control unit 110 can be realized. However, some or all of the functions may be realized by hardware circuits such as ASICs or FPGAs.

[0042] The storage unit 120 stores data used or generated in the processing performed by the control unit 110. The storage unit 120 may also temporarily store viewing requests received from the information terminal 200.

[0043] The communication unit 130 is composed of a communication circuit that performs wireless communication. The communication unit 130 may be, for example, a communication circuit that performs wireless communication using 4G (4th Generation), or a communication circuit that performs wireless communication using 5G (5th Generation). Alternatively, the communication unit 130 may be a communication circuit that performs wireless communication using LTE (Long Term Evolution), or LPWA (Low Power Wide Area). The communication circuit may perform communication using Area. Alternatively, the communication unit 130 may be a communication circuit that performs wireless communication using Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

[0044] Next, we will describe devices other than the server device 100. The information terminal 200 is a terminal used by the user to send a viewing request and to receive and view video from the in-vehicle camera 11. The information terminal 200 is a specific example of a user terminal. The information terminal 200 may be, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a personal computer. The information terminal 200 comprises a control unit 210, a storage unit 220, a communication unit 230, and a display unit 240.

[0045] The control unit 210 controls the video request processing and video reception processing performed by the information terminal 200. The control unit 210 includes a viewing request unit 211 and a receiving unit 212 as software modules. The viewing request unit 211 transmits a viewing request to the server device 100. Here, the viewing request is information requesting to view the video from the in-vehicle camera 11. The viewing request unit 211 communicates with the server device 100 via the communication unit 230 and transmits the viewing request to the server device 100.

[0046] The receiving unit 212 receives video footage captured by the on-board camera 11 of the vehicle 10. The receiving unit 212 communicates with the on-board camera 11 of the vehicle 10 via the communication unit 230 and receives the video footage.

[0047] The memory unit 220 is a main memory device such as RAM or ROM, an EPROM, a hard disk drive, and an auxiliary memory device such as removable media. The auxiliary memory device stores the operating system (OS), various programs, various tables, etc., and by executing the programs stored therein, each function of the control unit 110 that matches the predetermined purpose can be realized. However, some or all of the functions may be realized by hardware circuits such as ASICs or FPGAs.

[0048] The storage unit 220 stores data used or generated in the processing performed by the control unit 210. The storage unit 220 may also temporarily store video footage received from the in-vehicle camera 11.

[0049] The communication unit 230 consists of a communication circuit that performs wireless communication. The communication unit 230 is, for example, 4 The communication circuit may perform wireless communication using G, or it may perform wireless communication using 5G. Furthermore, the communication unit 230 may be a communication circuit that performs wireless communication using LTE, or it may be a communication circuit that performs communication using LPWA. Also, the communication unit 230 may be a communication circuit that performs wireless communication using Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

[0050] The display unit 240 is a display that shows the video received by the receiving unit 212. The display unit 240 may be, for example, a touch panel display, a liquid crystal display, an organic EL (electro-luminescence) display, etc. Vehicle 10 is, for example, a passenger car. Vehicle 10 may be a conventional car, an EV (Electric Vehicle), or a hybrid car.

[0051] The vehicle 10 is comprised of an on-board camera 11, a communication unit 12, a control unit 13, a drive battery 14, an ECU 15, and a drive unit 16.

[0052] The in-vehicle camera 11 is a camera mounted on the vehicle 10 that captures still or moving images. Multiple in-vehicle cameras 11 may be mounted on the vehicle 10. The in-vehicle camera 11 may be, for example, a camera mounted on a dashcam.

[0053] The communication unit 12 consists of a communication circuit that performs wireless communication. The communication unit 12 may be, for example, a communication circuit that performs wireless communication using 4G, or a communication circuit that performs wireless communication using 5G. Alternatively, the communication unit 12 may be a communication circuit that performs wireless communication using LTE, or a communication circuit that performs communication using LPWA. Furthermore, the communication unit 12 may be a communication circuit that performs wireless communication using Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

[0054] The control unit 13 controls the ECU (Electronic Control Unit) mounted on the vehicle 10. The control unit 13 controls the Unit 15, etc. The control unit 13 is implemented with a processor such as a CPU or GPU and memory. The control unit 13 may control the in-vehicle camera 11, communication unit 12, drive battery 14, ECU 15, and drive unit 16 by executing a program. When the control unit 13 receives a transmit command, it transmits the image data captured by the in-vehicle camera 11 to the information terminal 200. Also, when the control unit 13 receives a stop command, it stops transmitting the image data captured by the in-vehicle camera 11 to the information terminal 200.

[0055] The drive battery 14 is a storage battery mounted on the vehicle 10. The drive battery 14 may be a lithium-ion battery, a lead-acid battery, a nickel-metal hydride battery, or a solid-state battery. The drive battery 14 may supply all the power required when the vehicle 10 is driven solely by electricity, or it may supply some of the power used for control necessary for the operation of the vehicle 10 when it is driven by fuel such as gasoline.

[0056] The ECU 15 is an electronic control unit, which is a computer that implements various functions necessary for the operation of the vehicle 10. Multiple ECUs 15 may be installed. For example, the ECU 15 may acquire the remaining power of the drive battery 14 and transmit it to the server device 100. The ECU 15 may also acquire information detected by sensors installed on the vehicle 10 and transmit it to the server device 100.

[0057] The drive unit 16 is a means for moving the vehicle 10. The drive unit 16 may consist of, for example, a motor and inverter for driving the wheels, brakes, and a steering mechanism. The drive unit 16 may be powered by electricity supplied from the drive battery 14. The in-vehicle terminal 17 is a terminal that displays the video from the in-vehicle camera 11 on its display unit and transmits the video from the in-vehicle camera 11 to an external device. The in-vehicle terminal 17 receives information from the user of the vehicle 10. The system may accept input and display video from the in-vehicle camera 11, or a road map or route guidance, etc. The in-vehicle terminal 17 may be, for example, a car navigation system.

[0058] Next, we will explain the specific details of the processing performed by the server device 100. Figure 3 is a flowchart of the processing performed by the control unit 110 of the server device 100 according to this embodiment.

[0059] For example, the server device 100 may start the process shown in Figure 3 when the ignition switch of the vehicle 10 is turned off.

[0060] First, in step S10, the acquisition unit 111 acquires a viewing request from the viewing request unit 211 of the information terminal 200. The acquisition unit 111 communicates with the communication unit 230 of the information terminal 200 via the communication unit 130 and acquires the viewing request transmitted by the viewing request unit 211.

[0061] Next, in step S11, the decision unit 112 sends a transmission instruction to the control unit 13 of the vehicle 10. Here, the transmission instruction is information that instructs the control unit 13 of the vehicle 10 and the in-vehicle camera 11 to transmit the video from the in-vehicle camera 11 to the information terminal 200 in response to the viewing request.

[0062] Next, in step S12, the determination unit 112 determines the timing for stopping the transmission of the video from the in-vehicle camera 11 to the information terminal 200, according to the remaining power of the drive battery 14. The determination unit 112 may also determine the timing for stopping transmission by receiving information regarding the remaining power of the drive battery 14 from the ECU 15.

[0063] Specifically, the determination unit 112 may determine a first time length or first data amount, which is the transmission duration or data amount of the in-vehicle camera 11, according to the amount of remaining power in the drive battery 14 allocated for the transmission of the in-vehicle camera 11's video. The determination unit 112 may then decide to stop transmitting the video from the in-vehicle camera 11 when the transmission duration or data amount of the in-vehicle camera 11 reaches the first time length or first data amount.

[0064] Next, in step S13, the decision unit 112 transmits a stop instruction to the control unit 13 of the vehicle 10 and the onboard camera 11, according to the timing determined in step S12. Here, the stop instruction is information that instructs the control unit 13 of the vehicle 10 and the onboard camera 11 to stop transmitting the video from the onboard camera 11 to the information terminal 200 at a predetermined timing.

[0065] This allows the server device 100 to determine when the vehicle 10 should stop transmitting the image data captured by the on-board camera 11 to the information terminal 200, depending on the remaining power of the drive battery 14. In other words, the server device 100 can transmit the image data captured by the on-board camera 11 to the information terminal 200 using only the power within the allowable range of the drive battery 14's capacity. Therefore, the server device 100 can avoid excessive power consumption of the drive battery 14 during vehicle 10 monitoring using the on-board camera 11, which could affect the vehicle's operation.

[0066] Next, the processes performed by the system including the server device 100 will be described. Figure 4 is a sequence diagram of the processes performed by the system according to the embodiment.

[0067] First, the information terminal 200 and ECU 15 are powered off. For example, the in-vehicle terminal 17 and ECU 15 have their main power switched off. Here, the in-vehicle terminal 17 is a terminal mounted on the vehicle 10 that displays and transmits images from the in-vehicle camera 11. Also, the ECU 15 is a computer that electronically controls the driving of the vehicle 10. It is an electronic control unit.

[0068] Next, in step S21, the information terminal 200 receives an operation from the user to start browsing. For example, the information terminal 200 detects that the icon for starting browsing, displayed on the display unit 240 of the information terminal 200, has been pressed.

[0069] Next, in step S22, the information terminal 200 sends a viewing request to the server device 100. Here, a viewing request is a signal that causes the server device 100 to send a trigger to the control unit 13 installed in the vehicle 10 to start the processing to be performed by the server device 100. Here, the vehicle 10 may receive the viewing request via the communication unit 12, which is typically a DCM. The information terminal 200 may communicate with the server device 100 via a wide-area network such as the Internet.

[0070] Next, in step S23, the information terminal 200 displays a screen on the display unit 240 indicating that the in-vehicle terminal 17 is starting up. The screen indicating that the in-vehicle terminal 17 is starting up includes a screen that shows the state of waiting until the in-vehicle terminal 17 starts up.

[0071] Next, in step S24, the server device 100 sends a signal to the control unit 13 to activate the in-vehicle terminal 17 (and the in-vehicle camera 11). This signal may be sent via push notification using a predetermined API (Application Programming Interface).

[0072] Next, in step S25, the control unit 13 sends a CAN(Controller) message to the ECU 15. This transmits a wakeup signal in the Area Network (AAR) communication protocol. The wakeup signal may also be transmitted by the NM (Network Management) module.

[0073] Next, in step S26, the ECU 15 sends a startup request to the in-vehicle terminal 17. Here, a startup request is a signal to the in-vehicle terminal 17 to start its own device. At the same time, the ECU 15 also starts the DC-DC converter in the vehicle 10 and starts supplying power to the in-vehicle terminal 17 and the in-vehicle camera 11.

[0074] Upon receiving the startup request, the in-vehicle terminal 17 begins to power up in step S27. As a result, the in-vehicle terminal 17 is powered on.

[0075] Next, in step S28, the in-vehicle terminal 17 receives a service request from the ECU 15. Here, the service request is an instruction to the in-vehicle terminal 17 to acquire the image data captured by the in-vehicle camera 11 and to transmit the acquired image data to the server device 100.

[0076] Next, in step S29, the in-vehicle terminal 17 determines whether or not to start the services it provides. Here, the services provided by the in-vehicle terminal 17 include acquiring image data captured by the in-vehicle camera 11 and transmitting the image data captured by the in-vehicle camera 11 to the server device 100.

[0077] Next, in step S30, the in-vehicle terminal 17 transmits the real-time video captured by the in-vehicle camera 11 (hereinafter referred to as "real-time video") to the server device 100, and the server device 100 provides it to the information terminal 200. Specifically, even if the in-vehicle terminal 17 transmits the real-time video to the ECU 15 over the CAN network, and the ECU 15 transmits the real-time video to the server device 100 via the communication unit 12 over an external wide-area network, etc. good.

[0078] Upon receiving the real-time video, the information terminal 200 displays a service provision screen in step S31. Specifically, the information terminal 200 outputs an interface that displays the real-time video acquired from the server device 100.

[0079] When the information terminal 200 performs an operation to terminate the acquisition of real-time video, the information terminal 200 sends an instruction to the server device 100 to terminate the transmission of real-time video. Based on this, the server device 100 sends an instruction to the ECU 15 via the control unit 13 to terminate the transmission of real-time video. Upon receiving the instruction to terminate the transmission of real-time video, the ECU 15 sends an instruction to the in-vehicle terminal 17 to stop operation. Upon receiving the instruction to stop operation, the in-vehicle terminal 17 stops operation and its power is turned off. Similarly, the DC-DC converter, upon receiving an instruction to stop operation from the ECU 15, also stops operation.

[0080] Next, we will describe the process by which the notification unit 113 of the control unit 110 of the server device 100 notifies the information terminal 200 that viewing has ended. Figure 5 is a flowchart of the process of stopping data transmission executed by the control unit 110 of the server device 100 according to this embodiment. The process described in Figure 5 is a detailed explanation of the processes of steps S12 and S13 described in Figure 3.

[0081] First, in step S40, the determination unit 112 determines whether the data transmission time or the amount of data transmitted to the information terminal 200 of the video from the in-vehicle camera 11 in response to the viewing request has reached a first time length or a first data amount. In this step, if the determination unit 112 determines that the data transmission time or the amount of data transmitted to the information terminal 200 of the video from the in-vehicle camera 11 in response to the viewing request has reached a first time length or a first data amount, it makes an affirmative determination.

[0082] If the result in this step is positive, the process proceeds to step S41.

[0083] If the result in this step is negative, the process will proceed back to step S40.

[0084] If the process proceeds to step S41, the decision unit 112 sends a stop instruction, which is information to stop the transmission of the video to the information terminal 200, to the control unit 13 of the vehicle 10.

[0085] Next, in step S42, the notification unit 113 notifies the information terminal 200 that viewing has ended. The decision unit 112 may also send a stop command to the control unit 13 and the on-board camera 11 of the vehicle 10.

[0086] At this time, the information terminal 200, upon receiving notification that viewing has ended, may display a notification on its display unit 240 informing the user that viewing of the video from the in-vehicle camera 11 has ended.

[0087] As a result, the server device 100 can stop transmitting video from the in-vehicle camera 11 according to the remaining power of the drive battery 14, and notify the user via the information terminal 200 that the video transmission has been stopped.

[0088] Next, we will describe the process by which the determination unit 112 of the control unit 110 of the server device 100 increases the first time length or first data amount when a predetermined event occurs. Figure 6 is a flowchart of the process by which the control unit 110 of the server device 100 increases the first time length or first data amount executed according to the embodiment. The process described in Figure 6 is the length of the first time length or first data amount determined in step S12 as described in Figure 3. Alternatively, it describes an example of a process for determining size.

[0089] First, in step S50, the determination unit 112 determines whether a predetermined event has been detected. For example, the determination unit 112 determines whether any of the sensors or cameras installed in the vehicle 10 have detected a predetermined event such as an impact or the approach of a suspicious person. If the determination unit 112 determines that a predetermined event has been detected, this step results in an affirmative determination.

[0090] If the result in this step is positive, the process proceeds to step S51.

[0091] If the result in this step is negative, the process will return to step S50.

[0092] If the process transitions to step S51, the determination unit 112 increases the first time length or the first data amount by a predetermined amount compared to the case where no predetermined event is detected.

[0093] This allows the server device 100 to increase the transmission time or data volume of the video from the in-vehicle camera 11 when more thorough monitoring of the vehicle 10 is required, such as when it detects an impact on the vehicle 10 or when a suspicious person approaches the vehicle 10.

[0094] Next, we will describe the process by which the notification unit 113 of the control unit 110 of the server device 100 notifies the information terminal 200 that viewing has ended. Here, the process described may be performed before step S40 as described in Figure 5.

[0095] The notification unit 113 notifies the information terminal 200 that viewing is nearing its end when the duration of transmission of video from the in-vehicle camera 11 to the information terminal 200 or the amount of data transmitted reaches a second duration or a second data volume. Here, the second duration or second data volume is shorter than the first duration or less than the first data volume.

[0096] This allows the server device 100 to notify the user that viewing of the video from the in-vehicle camera 11 has ended before actually finishing viewing the video.

[0097] (modified version) The embodiments described above are merely examples, and this disclosure may be modified as appropriate without departing from its essence.

[0098] For example, the processes and means described in this disclosure can be freely combined and implemented, as long as no technical inconsistencies arise.

[0099] Furthermore, a process described as being performed by a single device may be divided and executed by multiple devices. Conversely, a process described as being performed by different devices may be executed by a single device. In a computer system, the hardware configuration (server configuration) by which each function is implemented can be flexibly changed.

[0100] This disclosure can also be realized by supplying a computer program implementing the functions described in the above embodiments to a computer, and having one or more processors in the computer read and execute the program. Such a computer program may be provided to the computer by a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium that can be connected to the computer's system bus, or it may be provided to the computer via a network. The non-temporary computer-readable storage medium may be any type of disk, such as a magnetic disk (floppy disk, hard disk drive (HDD), etc.), an optical disk (CD-ROM, DVD disk, Blu-ray disk, etc.), or a read-only disk. This includes MORI (ROM), Random Access Memory (RAM), EPROM, EEPROM, magnetic cards, flash memory, optical cards, and any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0101] 10.. Vehicles 11. In-car camera 12, 130, 230... Communications Department 13, 110, 210... Control Unit 14. Drive battery 15. ECU 16. Drive unit 100... Server device 111...Acquisition part 112...Decision Section 113... Notification Department 120, 220...Storage section 200... Information terminal 211...Viewing Request Department 212... Receiver 240...Display section

Claims

1. An information processing device that controls the transmission of image data captured by an in-vehicle camera mounted on a vehicle from the vehicle to a predetermined device, When the transmission of the imaging data is performed while the vehicle is parked, the timing of stopping the transmission of the imaging data to the predetermined device is determined according to the remaining power of the drive battery installed in the vehicle. It has a control unit that performs the execution, The control unit, In response to a request from a user terminal to view the image data of the in-vehicle camera, the system further instructs the vehicle to transmit the image data to the predetermined device. When the amount of data transmitted for the viewing request reaches a first data amount determined based on the remaining power of the drive battery, the transmission of the imaging data to the predetermined device is stopped, and the user terminal is notified that viewing has ended. When a predetermined event is detected, the amount of the first data is increased by a predetermined amount compared to when the predetermined event is not detected. Information processing device.

2. The control unit, The first data volume is determined based on the amount of power allocated to the transmission of the imaging data from the remaining power of the drive battery. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The control unit, When the amount of data transmitted to the predetermined device during the transmission of the imaging data reaches a second data amount that is smaller than the first data amount, the user terminal is notified that viewing is nearing its end. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

Images