Information processing apparatus

Abstract

The invention provides an information processing apparatus. This information processing device (10) is mounted on a vehicle, and is provided with: an imaging unit (17) that captures an image of a scenery outside the vehicle; an input unit (13) that receives an imaging operation by a user; and a control unit (11) that performs control such that a still image is captured by the imaging unit (17) when a first imaging operation is detected, and a moving image is captured by the imaging unit (17) when a second imaging operation is detected, the first imaging operation being a short-press operation, and the second imaging operation being a long-press operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a technique has been disclosed in which a vehicle-mounted camera of a driving recorder captures an image in front of a vehicle according to an operation of a steering switch (for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Prior Art Documents

[0004] Patent Documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2013-143723 Summary of the Invention

[0006] Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] Although in conventional driving recorders, it is possible to capture not only moving images but also still images, the switching of the shooting mode between moving images and still images can only be performed from a setting screen, so the convenience is not necessarily high. Thus, there is room for improvement in the control technology of the imaging unit of a vehicle.

[0008] An object of the present disclosure completed in view of the relevant actual situation is to improve the control technology of the imaging unit of a vehicle.

[0009] Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] An information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is an information processing apparatus mounted on a vehicle, and includes: an imaging unit that captures an image of the scenery outside the vehicle; an input unit that receives a shooting operation of a user; and a control unit that controls the imaging unit to capture a still image when a first shooting operation is detected and to capture a moving image when a second shooting operation is detected, where the first shooting operation is a short press operation and the second shooting operation is a long press operation.

[0011] Advantages of the Invention

[0012] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the control technology of the imaging unit of a vehicle is improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 FIG. is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0014] Figure 2 FIG. is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the information processing apparatus.

[0015] Figure 3A flowchart showing the operations of the information processing device.

[0016] Figure 4 A diagram showing an example of the user interface.

[0017] Figure 5 A diagram showing another example of the user interface. Detailed implementation

[0018] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described.

[0019] (Summary of the embodiment)

[0020] Refer to Figure 1 to describe the summary of the technology related to the embodiments of the present disclosure. The technology related to the embodiments of the present disclosure includes a vehicle 1 and an information processing device 10 mounted on the vehicle 1.

[0021] Although the vehicle 1 is, for example, an automobile, it is not limited thereto, and any vehicle may be used. Although an automobile is, for example, a gasoline vehicle, an electric vehicle (EV), a hybrid vehicle (HV), a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHV), or a fuel cell vehicle (FCV), etc., it is not limited to these forms.

[0022] The information processing device 10 is any device used by the occupants of the vehicle 1. For example, a dedicated in-vehicle device such as a dash cam can be used as the information processing device 10.

[0023] First, the summary of the present embodiment will be described, and the detailed content will be described later. The information processing device 10 captures an image of the scenery outside the vehicle with a camera unit. In addition, the information processing device 10 accepts a shooting operation by the user. In addition, when the information processing device 10 detects a first shooting operation, the camera unit captures a still image, and when the information processing device 10 detects a second shooting operation, the camera unit captures a moving image. Here, the first shooting operation is a short press operation, and the second shooting operation is a long press operation.

[0024] In this way, according to the present embodiment, the control technology of the camera unit of the vehicle is improved in that the switching between the still image and the moving image implemented by the camera unit can be performed by the first shooting operation (short press operation) or the second shooting operation (long press operation).

[0025] (Structure of the information processing device)

[0026] Next, each structure of the information processing apparatus 10 will be described in detail. The information processing apparatus 10 is an arbitrary apparatus used by a user.

[0027] As Figure 2 shown, the information processing apparatus 10 includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, an input unit 13, a display unit 14, a communication unit 15, a positioning unit 16, and a imaging unit 17.

[0028] The control unit 11 includes at least one processor, at least one dedicated circuit, or a combination thereof. The processor is a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (central processing unit) or a GPU (graphics processing unit), or a dedicated processor dedicated to specific processing. The dedicated circuit is, for example, an FPGA (field-programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit). While controlling each unit of the information processing apparatus 10, the control unit 11 executes processing related to the operation of the information processing apparatus 10.

[0029] The storage unit 12 includes at least one semiconductor memory, at least one magnetic memory, at least one optical memory, or a combination of at least two of them. The semiconductor memory is, for example, a RAM (random access memory) or a ROM (read only memory). The RAM is, for example, an SRAM (static random access memory) or a DRAM (dynamic random access memory). The ROM is, for example, an EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read only memory). The storage unit 12 functions as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. In the storage unit 12, data used in the operation of the information processing apparatus 10 and data obtained through the operation of the information processing apparatus 10 are stored.

[0030] The input unit 13 includes at least one input interface. The input interface is, for example, a physical button, a capacitive button, a pointing device, or a touch screen integrated with the display. In addition, the input interface may also be, for example, a sound sensor that accepts voice input, or a camera that accepts gesture input. The input unit 13 accepts an operation of inputting data used in the operation of the information processing device 10. For the input unit 13, instead of being provided on the information processing device 10, it may be connected to the information processing device 10 as an external input device. As a connection method, for example, any method such as USB (Universal Serial Bus), HDMI (registered trademark) (High-Definition Multimedia Interface), or Bluetooth (registered trademark) can be used.

[0031] The display unit 14 includes at least one display output interface. The display output interface is, for example, a display that displays the front view of the vehicle 1 and the like. The display is, for example, an LCD (liquid crystal display) or an organic EL (electro luminescence) display. The display unit 14 performs display output of data obtained through the operation of the information processing device 10. For the display unit 14, instead of being provided on the information processing device 10, it may be connected to the information processing device 10 as an external output device. As a connection method, for example, any method such as USB, HDMI (registered trademark), or Bluetooth (registered trademark) can be used.

[0032] The communication unit 15 is equipped with a communication interface connected to a network. For example, the communication unit 15 may be equipped with a communication interface connected to a CAN. Although the communication interface connected to the network corresponds to a mobile communication standard or the like, it is not limited thereto, and any communication standard can be used. In the present embodiment, the information processing device 10 of a certain mobile body is wirelessly connected to the information processing device of another mobile body via the communication unit 15 and the network. The communication unit 15 receives data used in the operation of the information processing device 10 and transmits data obtained through the operation of the information processing device 10.

[0033] The positioning unit 16 includes one or more devices that acquire the position information of the information processing device 10 (i.e., the position information of the vehicle 1). Specifically, although the positioning unit 16 includes, for example, a receiver corresponding to GPS, it is not limited thereto, and it may include a receiver corresponding to any satellite positioning system.

[0034] The imaging unit 17 includes in-vehicle cameras that generate still images and moving images (hereinafter collectively referred to as images) of the out-of-vehicle scenery in front of the vehicle 1. The in-vehicle cameras included in the imaging unit 17 can be monocular cameras or stereo cameras. The imaging unit 17 is provided on the vehicle 1 so as to be able to image the out-of-vehicle scenery in front of the vehicle 1. By causing the imaging unit 17 to image the out-of-vehicle scenery in front of the vehicle 1, the control unit 11 can cause the display unit 14 to display the front images.

[0035] The functions of the information processing device 10 are realized by a processor equivalent to the information processing device 10 executing the program according to this embodiment. That is, the functions of the information processing device 10 are realized by software. The program causes a computer to execute the operations of the information processing device 10, thereby causing the computer to function as the information processing device 10. That is, the computer functions as the information processing device 10 by executing the operations of the information processing device 10 in accordance with the program.

[0036] In this embodiment, the program can be pre-stored in a recording medium readable by a computer. The recording medium readable by a computer includes non-transitory computer-readable media, such as magnetic recording devices, optical discs, magneto-optical recording media, or semiconductor memories. The distribution of the program is implemented, for example, by selling, transferring, or lending a removable recording medium such as a DVD (digital versatile disc) or a CD-ROM (compact disc read only memory) that records the program. In addition, the distribution of the program can also be implemented by pre-storing the program in a storage of an external server and sending the program from the external server to other computers. In addition, the program can also be provided as a program product.

[0037] Part or all of the functions of the information processing device 10 can also be realized by a dedicated circuit equivalent to the control unit 11. That is, part or all of the functions of the information processing device 10 can also be realized by hardware.

[0038] (Operations of the Information Processing Device)

[0039] Refer to Figure 3 to describe the operations of the information processing device 10 according to this embodiment.

[0040] Step S100: The control unit 11 of the information processing apparatus 10 accepts a shooting operation by the user. Any method can be adopted in accepting the shooting operation. For example, the shooting operation can be an operation performed on an object of a shutter button included in the user interface displayed by the display unit 14. In this case, the control unit 11 can detect the operation on the object of the shutter button involved to accept the shooting operation. In addition, for example, the shooting operation can be an operation performed on a switch provided on the steering wheel, and the control unit 11 can also accept the shooting operation based on the operation of the switch provided on the steering wheel involved. Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, an example of accepting the shooting operation based on the operation on the object of the shutter button will be described. In Figure 4 FIG. shows an example of the user interface 100 displayed by the display unit 14. As Figure 4 shown, the user interface 100 includes an object 110 of a shutter button. The acceptance of the shooting operation is implemented through this object 110.

[0041] Step S200: The control unit 11 determines the accepted shooting operation. Specifically, the control unit 11 determines whether the accepted shooting operation is a first shooting operation or a second shooting operation. Here, the first shooting operation is a short press operation. In addition, the second shooting operation is a long press operation. In other words, the first shooting operation is a press operation, a touch operation, or a click operation, etc. that is less than a predetermined time. In addition, the second shooting operation is a press operation, a touch operation, or a click operation, etc. that is equal to or more than the predetermined time. When the first shooting operation is detected, the process proceeds to step S300. When the second shooting operation is detected, the process proceeds to step S400.

[0042] Step S300: When the first shooting operation is detected in step S200, the control unit 11 captures a still image by the imaging unit 17.

[0043] Step S400: When the second shooting operation is detected in step S200, the control unit 11 captures a moving image by the imaging unit 17. In Figure 5 FIG. shows the user interface 200 displayed by the display unit 14 during the moving image shooting. As Figure 5 shown, the user interface 200 includes an icon 210 indicating the situation of being in the moving image shooting. In other words, the icon of the user interface is switched so that the user can know that the switching between the moving image and the still image has been performed through the second shooting operation (here, the long press operation on the object 110).

[0044] As described above, the information processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment improves the control technology of the imaging unit 17 of the vehicle in that the switching between still images and moving images performed by the imaging unit 17 can be carried out by the first shooting operation (short press operation) or the second shooting operation (long press operation). In addition, the shooting mode of the moving image or the still image can be switched by this simple operation, thereby improving convenience.

[0045] Although the present disclosure has been described based on the accompanying drawings and embodiments, it should be noted that those skilled in the art can also implement various deformations and changes based on the present disclosure. Therefore, please note that these deformations and changes are all included in the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the functions and the like included in each structural part or each step can be reconfigured in a theoretically non-contradictory manner, and a plurality of structural parts or steps can be combined into one or divided.

[0046] For example, the control unit 11 may also change the setting of the imaging unit 17 according to the vehicle speed. The setting of the imaging unit 17 includes the shutter speed, and the control unit 11 may also be set such that the higher the vehicle speed, the higher the shutter speed. In addition, the setting may also include the frame rate. In this case, the control unit 11 may also be set such that the higher the vehicle speed, the higher the frame rate. By adopting such a method, the moving images and still images captured by the imaging unit 17 can be optimized in a manner that matches the speed.

[0047] In addition, the control unit 11 may also be set to determine whether to accept the shooting operation based on the position information of the vehicle 1. For example, the control unit 11 may be set to allow the acceptance of the shooting operation when the position information of the vehicle 1 is in a predetermined area. The predetermined area may be, for example, a place with a good view.

Claims

1. An information processing device, which is mounted on a vehicle and comprises: A camera unit for taking pictures of the scenery outside the vehicle; An input unit that accepts a user's shooting operation; a control unit configured to control the image pickup unit to pick up a still image when a first shooting operation is detected, and to pick up a moving image when a second shooting operation is detected, The first photographing operation is a short pressing operation, and the second photographing operation is a long pressing operation.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein: The control unit changes the setting of the imaging unit according to the vehicle speed.

3. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein: The setting includes a shutter speed, and the control unit increases the shutter speed as the vehicle speed increases.

4. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein: The setting includes a frame rate, and the control unit increases the frame rate as the vehicle speed increases.

5. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein: The control unit determines whether to accept a photographing operation based on position information of the vehicle.

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