Information processing apparatus

Abstract

An information processing device that controls transmission from a vehicle to a predetermined device of imaging data captured by an in-vehicle camera mounted on the vehicle includes a control unit that performs processing of transmitting the imaging data when the imaging data is transmitted while the vehicle is parked. The timing at which transmission of imaging data to a predetermined device is stopped is determined on the basis of the remaining power of a drive battery mounted in a vehicle.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] A large number of vehicle monitoring technologies are known. In this regard, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-16138 discloses a unit in which a user can select a monitoring function for normal recording when the vehicle is parked, a function for starting monitoring when an impact is detected, and a function for stopping monitoring. Summary of the invention

[0003] An object of the present disclosure is to suppress consumption of vehicle battery power in vehicle monitoring while the vehicle is parked.

[0004] An information processing device involved in one aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure controls the sending of video data captured by a vehicle-mounted camera mounted on the vehicle from a vehicle to a specified device. The information processing device has a control unit, and the control unit performs the following processing: when the video data is sent while the vehicle is parked, the timing of stopping the sending of the video data to the specified device is determined based on the remaining power of a driving battery mounted on the vehicle.

[0005] Furthermore, as another aspect, there may be mentioned a method executed by the above-mentioned apparatus, a program for causing a computer to execute the method, or a computer-readable storage medium storing the program non-transitorily.

[0006] According to the present disclosure, in monitoring a vehicle while the vehicle is parked, power consumption of a vehicle battery can be suppressed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals represent like elements, and in which:

[0008] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing an overview of processing executed by a server device according to the embodiment.

[0009] Figure 2 It is a diagram for explaining the components of a system including a server device according to an embodiment.

[0010] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of a process executed by a control unit of a server device according to an embodiment.

[0011] Figure 4 This is a sequence diagram of processing executed by the system according to the embodiment.

[0012] Figure 5 This is a flowchart of a process of stopping data transmission executed by a control unit of a server device according to an embodiment.

[0013] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of a process of increasing a first time length or a first data amount, which is executed by a control unit of a server device according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] A system for monitoring a vehicle is known.

[0015] For example, consider a system that sends images from a vehicle-mounted camera that monitors a vehicle to a user terminal. First, the system receives a request from the user terminal to view the images from the vehicle-mounted camera. Then, the system sends the images from the vehicle-mounted camera to a device such as the user terminal. At this time, the communication device and control device that send the images from the vehicle-mounted camera operate using the power of a driving battery installed in the vehicle.

[0016] However, the remaining power of the driving battery mounted on the vehicle is not always sufficient. Furthermore, if the image of the vehicle-mounted camera is provided to the user terminal without restriction, a large amount of power of the driving battery will be consumed, which may affect the subsequent driving of the vehicle. In order to deal with this problem, the system preferably uses the power of the driving battery to send the image of the vehicle-mounted camera to the user terminal within a range that does not affect the driving of the vehicle. The information processing device in this embodiment can solve the above-mentioned problem.

[0017] An information processing device involved in one aspect of the present disclosure controls the sending of video data captured by a vehicle-mounted camera installed in the vehicle from a vehicle to a specified device. The information processing device has a control unit, and the control unit performs the following processing: when the video data is sent while the vehicle is parked, the timing of stopping the sending of the video data to the specified device is determined based on the remaining power of a driving battery installed in the vehicle.

[0018] Typically, a vehicle-mounted camera is a camera that captures images for recording in a driving recorder mounted on a vehicle. A vehicle may be equipped with multiple vehicle-mounted cameras.

[0019] The driving battery is a storage battery that provides the power necessary for the vehicle to travel. The driving battery can be a battery installed in an electric vehicle (EV) and has a capacity that can meet all the driving needs of the vehicle, or a battery installed in a conventional vehicle and has a capacity that can meet the partial control required for the vehicle to travel.

[0020] The control unit determines the timing to stop sending the image data to the predetermined device according to the remaining power of the driving battery. Therefore, the control unit can stop sending the image data to the predetermined device so that the power consumption falls within the available power range.

[0021] Therefore, when a user uses the vehicle-mounted camera to monitor the vehicle, the information processing device involved in the present disclosure can avoid consuming a large amount of power from the driving battery, thereby avoiding affecting the driving of the vehicle.

[0022] Furthermore, the control unit may further instruct the vehicle to transmit the video data to the specified device according to a viewing request for the video data of the vehicle-mounted camera transmitted from a user terminal. Furthermore, when the transmission duration or the transmission data volume of the video data in response to the viewing request reaches a first time length or a first data volume specified based on the remaining power of the driving battery, the control unit stops the transmission of the video data to the specified device and notifies the user terminal of the end of viewing.

[0023] Thus, the information processing device according to the present disclosure can stop transmission according to the actual transmission duration or the amount of transmitted data, thereby ending the transmission of image data to a predetermined device and ensuring that power consumption falls within an available power range.

[0024] Furthermore, the control unit may determine the first time length or the first data amount based on an amount of power allocated to the transmission of the image data, out of the remaining power of the driving battery.

[0025] Thus, the information processing device according to the present disclosure can appropriately determine the first time length or the first data amount.

[0026] Furthermore, 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 a case where the predetermined event is not detected.

[0027] The predetermined event refers to an event that occurs when, for example, a vehicle detects an impact or a suspicious person, etc. In this case, in order to relax restrictions on viewing time, etc., it is preferable to increase the first time length or the first data amount.

[0028] Therefore, the information processing device involved in the present disclosure can appropriately provide images to the user in a scene where it is necessary to view the image data captured by the vehicle-mounted camera.

[0029] Furthermore, when the sending duration or the sending data volume when sending the video data to the specified device reaches a second time length shorter than the first time length or a second data volume smaller than the first data volume, the control unit may notify the user terminal that the viewing is about to end.

[0030] As a result, the information processing device according to the present disclosure can notify the user in advance that the viewing has ended.

[0031] The following will describe specific embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the hardware structure, module structure, functional structure, etc. described in each embodiment are not intended to limit the technical scope of the disclosure to these contents.

[0032] (Implementation Method)

[0033] refer to Figure 1 An overview of processing performed by the server device according to the embodiment will be described. Figure 1 1 is a diagram showing an overview of processing performed by a server device 100 according to an 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 enables the communication unit 12 of the vehicle 10 to transmit the image data captured by the vehicle-mounted camera 11 to the information terminal 200 associated with the user. The server device 100 is configured to be able to communicate with the vehicle 10.

[0034] First, the user transmits a viewing request from the information terminal 200 to the server device 100 . Then, upon receiving the viewing request from the information terminal 200 , the server device 100 issues a transmission instruction to the control unit 13 of the vehicle 10 .

[0035] When the control unit 13 of the vehicle 10 receives the transmission instruction, it transmits the image data captured by the vehicle-mounted camera 11 to the information terminal 200. The vehicle 10 may transmit the image data directly to the information terminal 200 or transmit the image data via the server device 100.

[0036] After sending the transmission instruction to the vehicle 10, the server device 100 obtains the remaining power of the driving battery 14 mounted on the vehicle 10. Then, the server device 100 sends a stop instruction to the control unit 13 of the vehicle 10 at a timing determined based on the obtained remaining power. When the control unit 13 of the vehicle 10 receives the stop instruction, it stops sending the image data captured by the vehicle-mounted camera 11 to the information terminal 200.

[0037] In this way, the server device 100 stops the vehicle 10 from sending the image data of the vehicle-mounted camera 11 to the information terminal 200 according to the remaining power of the driving battery 14. As a result, the server device 100 can avoid a large amount of power consumption of the driving battery 14 when using the vehicle-mounted camera 11 to monitor the vehicle, thereby avoiding affecting the driving of the vehicle.

[0038] According to this configuration, the server device 100 can suppress the power consumption of the vehicle battery while monitoring the vehicle while the vehicle is parked.

[0039] Next, each element constituting the system will be described in detail. Figure 2 1 is a diagram for explaining components of a system according to an embodiment. The system includes a server device 100 , an information terminal 200 , and a vehicle 10 .

[0040] The server device 100 according to the present embodiment includes a control unit 110 , a storage unit 120 , and a communication unit 130 .

[0041] The control unit 110 is implemented by a processor such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a graphics processing unit (GPU) and a 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 can be implemented by executing a program by the control unit 110.

[0042] The acquisition unit 111 acquires a viewing request transmitted from the information terminal 200. The viewing request is information transmitted from the information terminal 200 in order for the user to request the server device 100 to browse the image data captured by the vehicle-mounted camera 11.

[0043] The determination unit 112 issues a transmission instruction to the vehicle-mounted camera 11 and the control unit 13 of the vehicle 10 , instructing them to transmit the image of the vehicle-mounted camera 11 to the information terminal 200 .

[0044] Furthermore, the decision unit 112 determines the timing to stop sending the image data to the specified device based on the remaining power of the driving battery 14 mounted on the vehicle 10. Specifically, when the duration of sending the image data or the amount of sent data reaches a first time length or a first data amount determined based on the remaining power of the driving battery 14, the decision unit 112 may decide to stop sending the image data to the specified device. The decision unit 112 may also determine the value of the first time length or the first data amount based on the remaining power of the driving battery 14.

[0045] When the decision unit 112 decides to stop sending the image data to the predetermined device, the decision unit 112 sends a stop instruction to the vehicle-mounted camera 11 of the vehicle 10 and the control unit 13 to stop sending the image of the vehicle-mounted camera 11 to the information terminal 200 .

[0046] Furthermore, when a predetermined event is detected, the decision unit 112 may increase the first time length or the first data amount by a predetermined amount compared to a case where the predetermined event is not detected.

[0047] The notification unit 113 notifies the information terminal 200 of the end of viewing when the decision unit 112 decides to stop sending the video data to the specified device. Furthermore, when the sending duration or the amount of data sent when sending the video data to the specified device reaches a second time length or a second data amount, the notification unit 113 notifies the information terminal 200 of the end of viewing. Here, the second time length is shorter than the first time length, and the second data amount is smaller than the first data amount.

[0048] The storage unit 120 is a main storage device such as RAM or ROM, an auxiliary storage device such as EPROM, a hard disk drive, and a removable medium. The auxiliary storage device stores an operating system (OS), various programs, various tables, etc., and by executing the programs stored therein, various functions consistent with the prescribed purpose of each part of the control unit 110 can be realized. However, some or all of the functions can be realized by hardware circuits such as ASIC or FPGA.

[0049] The storage unit 120 stores data and the like used or generated in the process by the control unit 110 . In addition, the storage unit 120 can temporarily store a viewing request received from the information terminal 200 .

[0050] The communication unit 130 is composed of a communication circuit for performing wireless communication. The communication unit 130 may be, for example, a communication circuit for performing wireless communication using the 4th Generation (4G) or a communication circuit for performing wireless communication using the 5th Generation (5G). Furthermore, the communication unit 130 may be a communication circuit for performing wireless communication using Long Term Evolution (LTE) or a communication circuit for performing communication based on Low Power Wide Area (LPWA). Furthermore, the communication unit 130 may be a communication circuit for performing wireless communication using Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

[0051] Next, devices other than the server device 100 will be described.

[0052] The information terminal 200 is a terminal for a user to send a viewing request and receive images from the vehicle-mounted camera 11 for viewing. The information terminal 200 is a specific example of a user terminal. The information terminal 200 can be, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a personal computer. The information terminal 200 includes a control unit 210, a storage unit 220, a communication unit 230, and a display unit 240.

[0053] The control unit 210 controls the image request processing and image reception processing performed by the information terminal 200. The control unit 210 includes a viewing request unit 211 and a reception unit 212 as software modules.

[0054] The viewing request unit 211 sends a viewing request to the server device 100. Here, the viewing request is information requesting viewing of the video of the vehicle-mounted camera 11. The viewing request unit 211 communicates with the server device 100 via the communication unit 230 and sends the viewing request to the server device 100.

[0055] The receiving unit 212 receives the image captured by the onboard camera 11 from the onboard camera 11 of the vehicle 10. The receiving unit 212 communicates with the onboard camera 11 of the vehicle 10 via the communication unit 230 and receives the image.

[0056] The storage unit 220 is a main storage device such as RAM or ROM, an auxiliary storage device such as EPROM, a hard disk drive, and a removable medium. The auxiliary storage device stores an operating system (OS), various programs, various tables, etc., and by executing the programs stored therein, various functions consistent with the prescribed purpose of each part of the control unit 110 can be realized. However, some or all of the functions can be realized by hardware circuits such as ASIC or FPGA.

[0057] The storage unit 220 stores data and the like used or generated in processing by the control unit 210 . In addition, the storage unit 220 can temporarily store images received from the vehicle-mounted camera 11 .

[0058] The communication unit 230 is composed of a communication circuit that performs wireless communication. The communication unit 230 may be, for example, a communication circuit that performs wireless communication using 4G, or a communication circuit that performs wireless communication using 5G. Furthermore, the communication unit 230 may be a communication circuit that performs wireless communication using LTE, or a communication circuit that performs communication based on LPWA. Furthermore, the communication unit 230 may also be a communication circuit that performs wireless communication using Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

[0059] The display unit 240 is a display that displays the image received by the receiving unit 212. The display unit 240 may be, for example, a touch panel display, a liquid crystal display, an organic electroluminescence (EL) display, or the like.

[0060] The vehicle 10 is, for example, a car, etc. The vehicle 10 may be a conventional vehicle, an electric vehicle (EV), or a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV).

[0061] The vehicle 10 includes an onboard camera 11 , a communication unit 12 , a control unit 13 , a driving battery 14 , an ECU 15 , and a driving unit 16 .

[0062] The vehicle-mounted camera 11 is a camera mounted on the vehicle 10 and is used to capture still images or moving images. A plurality of vehicle-mounted cameras 11 may be mounted on the vehicle 10. The vehicle-mounted camera 11 may be a camera mounted on a driving recorder, for example.

[0063] The communication unit 12 is composed 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. Furthermore, the communication unit 12 may be a communication circuit that performs wireless communication using LTE, or a communication circuit that performs communication based on LPWA. Furthermore, the communication unit 12 may also be a communication circuit that performs wireless communication using Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

[0064] The control unit 13 controls the electronic control unit (ECU) 15 and the like mounted on the vehicle 10. The control unit 13 is implemented by a processor such as a CPU or a GPU and a memory. The control unit 13 can control the vehicle-mounted camera 11, the communication unit 12, the driving battery 14, the ECU 15 and the driving unit 16 by executing a program. If the control unit 13 receives a sending instruction, the camera data captured by the vehicle-mounted camera 11 is sent to the information terminal 200. Furthermore, if the control unit 13 receives a stop instruction, the camera data captured by the vehicle-mounted camera 11 is stopped from being sent to the information terminal 200.

[0065] The driving battery 14 is a storage battery mounted on the vehicle 10. The driving battery 14 may be a lithium-ion battery, a lead-acid battery, a nickel-hydrogen battery, or an all-solid-state battery. The driving battery 14 may satisfy all the power required when the vehicle 10 is driven by electricity alone, or may satisfy a portion of the power required for the control of the vehicle 10 when it is driven by fuel such as gasoline.

[0066] The ECU 15 is a computer or an electronic control unit for realizing various functions required for the vehicle 10 to travel. A plurality of ECUs 15 may be mounted. For example, the ECU 15 may obtain the remaining power of the driving battery 14 and send it to the server device 100. In addition, the ECU 15 may also obtain information detected by sensors mounted on the vehicle 10 and send it to the server device 100.

[0067] The drive unit 16 is a means for driving the vehicle 10 . The drive unit 16 may include, for example, a motor for driving wheels, an inverter, a brake, and a steering mechanism. The drive unit 16 may be operated by the power supplied by the driving battery 14 .

[0068] The vehicle-mounted terminal 17 is a terminal that displays the image of the vehicle-mounted camera 11 on the display unit of the vehicle-mounted terminal 17 or transmits the image of the vehicle-mounted camera 11 to the outside. The vehicle-mounted terminal 17 can receive operations from the user of the vehicle 10 and display the image of the vehicle-mounted camera 11, a road map, or a route guide, etc. The vehicle-mounted terminal 17 can be a device such as a car navigation system.

[0069] Next, the specific content of the processing performed by the server device 100 is described. Figure 3 This is a flowchart of a process executed by the control unit 110 of the server device 100 according to the embodiment.

[0070] For example, the server device 100 may start when the ignition switch of the vehicle 10 is turned off. Figure 3 Processing shown.

[0071] First, in 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 sent by the viewing request unit 211.

[0072] Next, in S11, the decision unit 112 issues a transmission instruction to the control unit 13 of the vehicle 10. Here, the transmission instruction is information for instructing the control unit 13 of the vehicle 10 and the onboard camera 11 to transmit the video of the onboard camera 11 to the information terminal 200 in response to the viewing request.

[0073] Next, in S12, the decision unit 112 decides the timing to stop transmitting the image of the vehicle-mounted camera 11 to the information terminal 200 according to the remaining power of the driving battery 14. The decision unit 112 may receive information on the remaining power of the driving battery 14 from the ECU 15 and decide the timing to stop transmitting.

[0074] Specifically, the decision unit 112 may determine a first time length or a first data amount as the duration of image transmission or the amount of data transmission of the vehicle-mounted camera 11, based on the amount of remaining power of the driving battery 14 allocated to the image transmission of the vehicle-mounted camera 11. Then, it may be determined that when the duration of image transmission or the amount of data transmission of the vehicle-mounted camera 11 reaches the first time length or the first data amount, the transmission of the image of the vehicle-mounted camera 11 is stopped.

[0075] Next, in S13, the decision unit 112 sends a stop instruction corresponding to the timing determined in S12 to the control unit 13 of the vehicle 10 and the onboard camera 11. Here, the stop instruction is information that instructs the control unit 13 of the vehicle 10 and the onboard camera 11 to stop sending the image of the onboard camera 11 to the information terminal 200 at a specified timing.

[0076] Thus, the server device 100 can determine the timing at which the vehicle 10 stops sending the image data of the vehicle-mounted camera 11 to the information terminal 200 according to the remaining power of the driving battery 14. That is, the server device 100 can send the image data of the vehicle-mounted camera 11 to the information terminal 200 using only the power within the permitted range of the capacity of the driving battery 14. Therefore, when the server device 100 uses the vehicle-mounted camera 11 to monitor the vehicle 10, it can avoid a large amount of power consumption of the driving battery 14, thereby avoiding affecting the driving of the vehicle 10.

[0077] Next, a process executed by the system including the server device 100 will be described. Figure 4 This is a sequence diagram of processing executed by the system according to the embodiment.

[0078] First, the information terminal 200 and the ECU 15 are in a power-off state. For example, the vehicle-mounted terminal 17 and the ECU 15 are in a state where the main power is cut off. Here, the vehicle-mounted terminal 17 refers to a terminal mounted on the vehicle 10, which is used to display or send images from the vehicle-mounted camera 11. And, here, the ECU 15 refers to a computer that electronically controls the driving of the vehicle 10, that is, an electronic control unit.

[0079] Next, in S21, the information terminal 200 receives an operation for starting browsing by the user. For example, the information terminal 200 detects that an icon for starting browsing displayed on the display unit 240 provided in the information terminal 200 is pressed.

[0080] Next, in S22, the information terminal 200 sends a viewing request to the server device 100. Here, the viewing request refers to a signal that causes the server device 100 to send a start trigger of a process performed by the server device 100 to the control unit 13 mounted on the vehicle 10. Here, the vehicle 10 can typically receive the viewing request via the DCM, that is, the communication unit 12. The information terminal 200 can communicate with the server device 100 via a wide area network such as the Internet.

[0081] Next, in S23, the information terminal 200 displays a screen indicating that the vehicle-mounted terminal 17 is being activated on the display unit 240. The screen indicating that the vehicle-mounted terminal 17 is being activated includes a screen indicating that the vehicle-mounted terminal 17 is in a standby activation state.

[0082] Next, in S24, the server device 100 transmits a signal for activating the vehicle-mounted terminal 17 (and the vehicle-mounted camera 11) to the control unit 13. This signal may be transmitted by push notification based on a predetermined application programming interface (API).

[0083] Next, in S25, the control unit 13 sends a wakeup signal in the Controller Area Network (CAN) communication protocol to the ECU 15. The wakeup signal may be sent by a Network Management (NM) module.

[0084] Next, in S26, the ECU 15 sends a start request to the vehicle terminal 17. Here, the start request is a signal for the vehicle terminal 17 to start its own device. In addition, the ECU 15 simultaneously starts the DC-DC converter of the vehicle 10 and starts to supply power to the vehicle terminal 17 and the vehicle camera 11.

[0085] The vehicle-mounted terminal 17 that has received the activation request starts activation in S27. Thus, the vehicle-mounted terminal 17 is in a power-on state.

[0086] Next, in S28, the vehicle-mounted terminal 17 receives the service request from the ECU 15. Here, the service request is an instruction to the vehicle-mounted terminal 17 to acquire the image data captured by the vehicle-mounted camera 11 and transmit the acquired image data to the server device 100.

[0087] Next, in S29 , the vehicle-mounted terminal 17 determines whether the service provided by the vehicle-mounted terminal 17 can be started. Here, the service provided by the vehicle-mounted terminal 17 includes acquiring the image data taken by the vehicle-mounted camera 11 and transmitting the image data taken by the vehicle-mounted camera 11 to the server device 100 .

[0088] Next, in S30, the vehicle-mounted terminal 17 sends the real-time image (hereinafter referred to as the real-time image) taken by the vehicle-mounted camera 11 to the server device 100, and the server device 100 provides the real-time image to the information terminal 200. Specifically, the vehicle-mounted terminal 17 can send the real-time image to the ECU 15 on the CAN network, and the ECU 15 sends the real-time image to the server device 100 via the communication unit 12 through an external wide area network or the like.

[0089] The information terminal 200 that has received the real-time video displays a service provision screen in S31. Specifically, the information terminal 200 outputs an interface that displays the real-time video acquired from the server device 100.

[0090] In addition, if the operation of ending the acquisition of real-time images is performed on the information terminal 200, the information terminal 200 sends an instruction for ending the transmission of real-time images to the server device 100. Then, based on this, the server device 100 sends an instruction for ending the transmission of real-time images to the ECU 15 via the control unit 13. The ECU 15 that receives the instruction for ending the transmission of real-time images sends an instruction to stop working to the vehicle terminal 17. The vehicle terminal 17 that receives the instruction to stop working stops working and becomes a power-off state. Similarly, the DC-DC converter that receives the instruction to stop working from the ECU 15 stops working.

[0091] Next, a description will be given of a process in which the notification unit 113 of the control unit 110 of the server device 100 notifies the information terminal 200 of the end of viewing. Figure 5 This is a flowchart of a process of stopping data transmission executed by the control unit 110 of the server device 100 according to the embodiment. Figure 5 The processing described in Figure 3 The processing of S12 and S13 described in detail.

[0092] First, in S40, the decision unit 112 determines whether the data transmission time or the data volume of the image of the vehicle-mounted camera 11 corresponding to the viewing request to the information terminal 200 has reached the first time length or the first data volume. In this step, when the decision unit 112 determines that the data transmission time or the data volume of the image of the vehicle-mounted camera 11 corresponding to the viewing request to the information terminal 200 has reached the first time length or the first data volume, it is a positive determination.

[0093] When an affirmative determination is made in this step, the process moves to S41.

[0094] If a negative determination is made in this step, the process will again proceed to S40.

[0095] When the process proceeds to S41 , the determination unit 112 transmits a stop instruction, which is information for stopping the transmission of the image to the information terminal 200 , to the control unit 13 of the vehicle 10 .

[0096] Next, in S42, the notification unit 113 notifies the information terminal 200 of the end of viewing. In addition, the determination unit 112 may send a stop instruction to the control unit 13 of the vehicle 10 and the vehicle-mounted camera 11.

[0097] At this time, the information terminal 200 that has received the notification of the end of viewing may display on the display unit 240 a message notifying the user that the viewing of the image of the vehicle-mounted camera 11 has ended.

[0098] Thus, the server device 100 can stop the transmission of the image by the vehicle-mounted camera 11 according to the remaining power of the driving battery 14 , and notify the user of the suspension of the transmission of the image via the information terminal 200 .

[0099] Next, a description will be given of a process in which the determination unit 112 of the control unit 110 of the server device 100 increases the first time length or the first data amount when a predetermined event occurs. Figure 6 This is a flowchart of a process of increasing a first time length or a first data amount, which is executed by the control unit 110 of the server device 100 according to the embodiment. Figure 6 The processing described in Figure 3 An example of processing of the first time length or the length or size of the first data amount determined in S12 described in the above is described.

[0100] First, in S50, the decision unit 112 determines whether a predetermined event is detected. For example, the decision unit 112 determines whether various sensors or cameras provided in the vehicle 10 detect a predetermined event such as an impact or a suspicious person approaching. When the decision unit 112 determines that a predetermined event is detected, this step is a positive determination.

[0101] When an affirmative determination is made in this step, the process moves to S51.

[0102] If a negative determination is made in this step, the process will again proceed to S50 .

[0103] When the process proceeds to S51 , the decision unit 112 increases the first time length or the first data amount by a predetermined amount compared to a case where the predetermined event is not detected.

[0104] Thus, the server device 100 can increase the transmission time or data volume of the image from the vehicle camera 11 when more detailed monitoring of the vehicle 10 is required, such as when a collision with the vehicle 10 or a suspicious person approaching the vehicle 10 is detected.

[0105] Next, the process of notifying the information terminal 200 of the end of viewing by the notification unit 113 of the control unit 110 of the server device 100 will be described. Figure 5 Executed before S40 described in the description.

[0106] When the transmission duration or the transmission data volume of the image of the vehicle-mounted camera 11 transmitted to the information terminal 200 reaches the second time length or the second data volume, the notification unit 113 notifies the information terminal 200 that the viewing is about to end. Here, the second time length or the second data volume is a time length shorter than the first time length or a data volume less than the first data volume.

[0107] Thus, the server device 100 can inform the user of the end of viewing of the video from the vehicle-mounted camera 11 before the user actually ends viewing the video.

[0108] (Variation Example)

[0109] The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and the present disclosure can be implemented with appropriate modifications within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0110] For example, the processes and apparatuses described in the present disclosure may be freely combined and implemented without causing any technical conflict.

[0111] Furthermore, a process that is executed by one device may be shared and executed by multiple devices. Alternatively, a process that is executed by different devices may be executed by one device. In a computer system, the hardware structure (server structure) by which each function is implemented can be flexibly changed.

[0112] The present disclosure can also be implemented by supplying a computer program that installs the functions described in the above embodiments to a computer, and one or more processors of the computer read out and execute the program. Such a computer program can be provided to the computer via a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium that can be connected to the system bus of the computer, or it can be provided to the computer via a network. Non-temporary computer-readable storage media include, for example, any type of disk (floppy disk (registered trademark), hard disk drive (HDD)), optical disk (CD-ROM, DVD optical disk, Blu-ray disk, etc.), read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), EPROM, EEPROM, magnetic card, flash memory, optical card, and any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions.

Claims

1. An information processing device that controls the transmission of image data captured by a vehicle-mounted camera mounted on the vehicle from a vehicle to a predetermined device, characterized in that: The information processing device includes a control unit that executes a process for determining a timing to stop transmitting the image data to the predetermined device according to a remaining amount of power of a driving battery mounted on the vehicle when transmitting the image data while the vehicle is parked.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that The control unit is further configured to execute the following processing: instructing the vehicle to transmit the image data to the predetermined device in response to a request for viewing the image data of the vehicle-mounted camera transmitted from a user terminal, and The control unit is configured to stop sending the video data to the specified device and notify the user terminal of the end of viewing when the sending duration or the sending data volume of the video data in response to the viewing request reaches a first time length or a first data volume specified based on the remaining power of the driving battery.

3. The information processing device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The control unit is configured to determine the first time length or the first data amount based on the amount of power allocated to the transmission of the image data, out of the remaining power of the driving battery.

4. The information processing device according to claim 2, characterized in that The control unit is configured to increase the first time length or the first data amount by a predetermined amount when a predetermined event is detected, compared to a case where the predetermined event is not detected.

5. The information processing device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The control unit is configured to notify the user terminal that viewing is about to end when the transmission duration or the transmission data amount when the camera data is transmitted to the specified device reaches a second time length shorter than the first time length or a second data amount smaller than the first data amount.

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