Information processing device, information processing method, and computer program product

Abstract

The invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a computer program product. The technical problem of the present disclosure is to improve convenience in a monitoring system using a vehicle. A designation of a first period is accepted from a user, and on the basis of a travel history of one or more vehicles having actual performance of traveling in a predetermined region within the first period, one or more icons indicating the position of the vehicle are displayed on a map for each time. When any one of the one or more icons is selected, data requesting transmission of the image captured at the corresponding time is transmitted to the corresponding vehicle or the in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to information processing apparatus, information processing method, and computer program products. Background Technology

[0002] There are technologies for surveillance using mobile devices equipped with cameras. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system that manages the driving location history of vehicles via a server device to identify vehicles equipped with dashcams located near the person making the alarm.

[0003] Existing technical documents

[0004] Patent documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-019792 Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this disclosure is to improve convenience in monitoring systems that utilize vehicles.

[0007] One aspect of this disclosure is an information processing apparatus having a control unit that performs the following actions: receiving a designation for a first period from a user; displaying one or more icons representing the locations of vehicles on a map at each time interval based on the driving history of one or more vehicles, wherein the vehicles have a track record of driving within a specified area during the first period; and, upon selection of any of the one or more icons, sending data requesting the transmission of an image captured at the corresponding time interval to the corresponding vehicle or an onboard device mounted on the vehicle.

[0008] One aspect of this disclosure is an information processing method executed by an information processing device, comprising: receiving a designation of a first period from a user; displaying one or more icons representing the locations of vehicles on a map at each time interval based on the driving history of one or more vehicles, wherein the vehicles have a track record of driving within a specified area during the first period; and, upon selection of any one of the one or more icons, sending data requesting the transmission of an image captured at the corresponding time interval to the corresponding vehicle or an onboard device mounted on the vehicle.

[0009] Alternatively, examples include a program for causing a computer to perform the above methods, or a computer-readable storage medium that non-temporarily stores the program.

[0010] Invention Effects

[0011] According to this disclosure, convenience can be improved in monitoring systems that use vehicles. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the monitoring system according to the first embodiment.

[0013] Figure 2 This is a diagram showing the configuration of the various devices included in the system.

[0014] Figure 3 This is an example of vehicle data, a vehicle data table, or a vehicle list.

[0015] Figure 4 This is an example of a screen displayed on a terminal device in the first embodiment.

[0016] Figure 5 This is a sequence diagram of the server device collecting vehicle data and providing a vehicle list.

[0017] Figure 6 This is a sequence diagram of the processing for playing in-vehicle images.

[0018] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0019] 1: Vehicle-mounted device; 2: Server device; 3: Terminal device; 11, 21, 31: Control unit; 12, 22, 32: Storage unit; 13, 23, 33: Communication unit; 14: Location information acquisition unit; 15: Camera; 34: Input / output unit. Detailed Implementation

[0020] In recent years, the connectivity of automobiles has been continuously developing, and the number of vehicles with communication functions has increased. In addition, the number of vehicles equipped with in-vehicle cameras has also increased.

[0021] Relatedly, the ability to retrieve footage captured by cameras (dashcams, etc.) mounted on vehicles from designated agencies can aid in the initial response to incidents and accidents.

[0022] For example, in the event of a 110 or 119 emergency call, dashcam footage can be obtained from vehicles traveling near the location before and after the incident, allowing relevant authorities to quickly ascertain the situation at the scene.

[0023] As a system for this purpose, there are known systems that map icons representing the driving positions of multiple vehicles at a specified past time onto a map and present them to an operator.

[0024] In this system, for example, the operator initially specifies the object area and time. The object area is, for example, the area containing the location of the alarm.

[0025] The system acquires the location information of vehicles traveling in a specified area at a specified time, maps them onto a map, and outputs the data. When the operator selects any vehicle on the map, the system requests the vehicle to send the dashcam footage captured at the corresponding time. This allows the operator to view and hear dashcam footage that may have been captured at the scene of the alarm.

[0026] However, it is impossible to accurately determine when the event the operator wants to confirm (such as a traffic accident) occurred based on the alarm content. That is, the operator needs to perform multiple searches while changing the time to find the vehicle that captured the event. The information processing apparatus in this disclosure solves this problem.

[0027] One aspect of the information processing apparatus disclosed herein includes a control unit that performs the following actions: receiving a designation for a first period from a user; displaying one or more icons representing the location of a vehicle on a map at each time interval based on the driving history of one or more vehicles, wherein the vehicles have a track record of driving within a specified area during the first period; and, if any of the one or more icons is selected, sending data requesting the transmission of an image captured at the corresponding time interval to the corresponding vehicle or an onboard device mounted on the vehicle.

[0028] The control unit, for example, extracts vehicles with driving records within a specified area during a first period from the vehicle's driving history stored in the storage device, and displays their positions on a map using icons. The first period is preferably a period sufficient to extract multiple vehicles that could potentially be involved in an incident. For example, in the case of a traffic accident alarm, the first period can be set as a period of time that traces back a specified time from the time of the alarm. For example, when the alarm time is 18:00, the traceback time can be set to 5 minutes, and the period from 17:55 to 18:00 can be set as the first period. This allows the extraction of multiple vehicles that passed near the scene and could potentially be involved in an incident.

[0029] Alternatively, the control unit may accept the designation of a specified area on the map and display the icon within that specified area.

[0030] This configuration allows for the zoom-out of icon display even when there are many vehicles traveling within the map's display area. This improves the user experience and conserves computer resources.

[0031] In addition, the control unit may also output a first user interface for specifying a reference time and a second user interface for selecting a time width traced back from the reference time from multiple options, and may also determine the first period based on the specified reference time and the selected time width.

[0032] The first user interface can be implemented, for example, through a time selector. Furthermore, as a second user interface, for example, a user interface that allows selection of multiple time widths such as 1 minute, 3 minutes, or 5 minutes can be output. Thus, the operator of the device can quickly set the first period.

[0033] Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described based on the accompanying drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the hardware structures, module structures, functional structures, etc., described in each embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosed technology.

[0034] (First Implementation)

[0035] [System Overview]

[0036] Reference Figure 1 An overview of the monitoring system according to the first embodiment will be described. The monitoring system according to this embodiment is configured to include multiple vehicles 10, a server device 2, and a terminal device 3. The vehicles 10 are networked vehicles capable of accessing wireless communication networks. The vehicles 10 can communicate with the server device 2 via a wireless communication network (e.g., a cellular communication network).

[0037] Vehicle 10 is equipped with an on-board unit 1. The on-board unit 1 functions as a driving recorder and a wireless communication device. The on-board unit 1 has the function of acquiring and storing video images (hereinafter referred to as "images" or "on-board images") of the area in front of the vehicle via an on-board camera, and the function of providing the stored images to an external device (e.g., server device 2) in response to a request. Additionally, vehicle 10 has the function of periodically sending location information to server device 2.

[0038] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the vehicle-mounted device 1 has wireless communication functionality, but the vehicle 10 may also have a structure with a data communication module (DCM) for connecting the vehicle's components to a network. That is, the vehicle-mounted device and the wireless communication device can also be separate.

[0039] Server device 2 is configured to communicate with multiple vehicles 10 via a network. Server device 2 periodically obtains location information from the multiple vehicles 10 under its management and stores it in a database. By referring to the database managed by server device 2, the past locations and times of travel of the multiple vehicles 10 under the system's management can be determined.

[0040] Based on the information obtained from the server device 2, the terminal device 3 determines the vehicle 10 that is presumed to have the desired in-vehicle image, and acquires the in-vehicle image from the vehicle 10.

[0041] Specifically, terminal device 3 queries server device 2 to obtain a list of vehicles traveling within a specified range at a specified time. Additionally, terminal device 3 maps the corresponding vehicles onto a map, allowing the operator to select a vehicle. Furthermore, terminal device 3 requests the transmission of onboard images from the selected vehicle 10. Thus, the operator of terminal device 3 can confirm the images captured by the target vehicle.

[0042] Terminal device 3 is configured in an organization that utilizes images captured by vehicle 10. Examples of such organizations include police agencies and fire departments. For instance, in the case of a fire department using terminal device 3, triggered by a 119 alarm, the operator identifies vehicle 10 traveling near the alarm scene before and after the alarm time and acquires in-vehicle images from that vehicle 10.

[0043] Next, the hardware and software structures of each device constituting the system will be described.

[0044] Figure 2 This diagram schematically illustrates the structure of the vehicle-mounted device 1, the server device 2, and the terminal device 3 operated by the operator, all mounted on the vehicle 10.

[0045] The vehicle-mounted device 1 can be configured as a computer with a processor (CPU, GPU, etc.), main storage (RAM, ROM, etc.), and auxiliary storage (EPROM, hard disk drive, removable media, etc.). The auxiliary storage stores the operating system (OS), various programs, various tables, etc. By executing the programs stored therein, various functions (software modules) that meet the specified purpose can be achieved, as described later. However, some or all of the functions can also be implemented as hardware modules using hardware circuits such as ASICs or FPGAs.

[0046] The vehicle-mounted device 1 is configured to include a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, a communication unit 13, a location information acquisition unit 14, and a camera 15.

[0047] The control unit 11 is a computing unit that executes a predetermined program to realize various functions of the vehicle-mounted device 1. The control unit 11 can be implemented, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU. Alternatively, the control unit 11 may be configured to include RAM, ROM (Read Only Memory), cache memory, etc.

[0048] In this embodiment, the control unit 11 of the vehicle-mounted device 1 is configured with three software modules: a camera unit 111, a notification unit 112, and a provision unit 113. Each software module can also be implemented by the control unit 11 (CPU, etc.) executing a program stored in the storage unit 12. Furthermore, the information processing performed by the software modules is the same as the information processing performed by the control unit 11 (CPU, etc.).

[0049] The camera unit 111 captures video (vehicle-mounted images) using the camera 15 during the operation of the device, and saves the obtained data in the storage unit 12. The camera unit 111 continuously captures video by receiving power from the vehicle, and records the obtained video data in the storage unit 12.

[0050] The video data consists of multiple video files. There is an upper limit to the length of a video file corresponding to a single file; if this limit is exceeded, a new video file is generated. In this embodiment, a video file is generated every minute. Furthermore, in the event of insufficient storage capacity, the shooting unit 111 continues shooting while ensuring available storage space by deleting the oldest video file. In this embodiment, each video file is associated with an identifier (datetime ID) used to identify the date and time of video file generation (i.e., the date and time when shooting began). The datetime ID can also uniquely identify the year, month, day, hour, minute, and second.

[0051] The vehicle-mounted device 1 functions as a dashcam by performing actions through the camera unit 111.

[0052] The notification unit 112 periodically generates data related to the driving of the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as vehicle data) and sends it to the server device 2. In this embodiment, the vehicle data includes the location information of the vehicle 10, the driving direction of the vehicle 10, and a date and time ID indicating the date and time of obtaining the location information. Figure 3 (A) shows an example of vehicle data.

[0053] In this embodiment, the vehicle data is configured to include a unique identifier (vehicle ID) representing the vehicle 10, the date and time the vehicle data was generated, a unique identifier (date and time ID) representing that date and time, location information, and information indicating the direction of travel. The location information and direction of travel can be obtained from the location information acquisition unit 14, which will be described later.

[0054] Vehicle data is generated and transmitted at a predetermined period. This predetermined period can be measured independently or linked to the camera unit 111. For example, the notification unit 112 can generate vehicle data at the same time (e.g., at a 1-minute interval) when the camera unit 111 generates a new video file. In this case, the date and time displayed in the vehicle data are the same as the date and time of the newly generated video file.

[0055] Based on a request (video file provision request) sent from the terminal device 3, the providing unit 113 provides the terminal device 3 with a video file captured at a specified time. For example, if the providing unit 113 receives a provision request including a date and time ID from the terminal device 3, it retrieves the video file corresponding to the date and time ID from the storage unit 22 and sends it to the terminal device 3.

[0056] The storage unit 12 is a unit for storing information and is composed of storage media such as RAM, disk, and flash memory. The storage unit 12 stores the program executed by the control unit 11 and the data used by the program.

[0057] The communication unit 13 is a wireless communication interface for connecting the vehicle-mounted device 1 to an external network. The communication unit 13 is configured, for example, to communicate with the server device 2 via a cellular communication network such as wireless LAN, 3G, 4G or 5G.

[0058] The location information acquisition unit 14 acquires the location information of the vehicle 10. The location information acquisition unit 14 includes a GPS antenna and a positioning module for locating the location information. The GPS antenna is an antenna that receives positioning signals transmitted from positioning satellites (also known as GNSS satellites). The positioning module is a module that calculates the location information based on the signals received through the GPS antenna. Furthermore, the location information acquisition unit 14 can also determine the direction of travel of the vehicle 10 based on the shift of the location information.

[0059] Camera 15 is an optical unit that includes an image sensor for acquiring images. Camera 15 is mounted, for example, facing forward of vehicle 10.

[0060] Next, server device 2 will be described.

[0061] Similar to vehicle-mounted device 1, server device 2 can be configured as a computer having a processor (CPU, GPU, etc.), main storage device (RAM, ROM, etc.), and auxiliary storage device (EPROM, hard disk drive, removable media, etc.).

[0062] The server device 2 is configured to include a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, and a communication unit 23.

[0063] The control unit 21 is a computing unit that executes prescribed programs to implement various functions of the server device 2. The control unit 21 can be implemented, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU. Alternatively, the control unit 21 may be configured to include RAM, ROM (Read Only Memory), cache memory, etc.

[0064] In this embodiment, the control unit 21 of the server device 2 is configured with two software modules: a data update unit 211 and an information provision unit 212. Each software module can also be implemented by the control unit 11 (CPU, etc.) executing a program stored in the storage unit 22. Furthermore, the information processing performed by the software modules is the same as the information processing performed by the control unit 21 (CPU, etc.).

[0065] The data update unit 211 receives vehicle data from multiple vehicles 10 (vehicle-mounted devices 1) and stores it in the storage unit 22. For example, the data update unit 211 can store vehicle data received from multiple vehicles 10 in a storage unit such as... Figure 3 The table shown in (B) is called the vehicle data table.

[0066] The information providing unit 212 provides information to the terminal device 3 based on the information stored in the storage unit 22. Specifically, the information providing unit 212 performs the following two processes.

[0067] (1) Information related to the vehicle's location

[0068] The vehicle data table stores the location information of the vehicle 10 equipped with an onboard device 1 that functions as a dashcam, in a state associated with date and time information. By referring to the vehicle data table, it is possible to extract vehicles that have a track record of driving within a specified area over a specified time span.

[0069] When a request is received from the terminal device 3, the information providing unit 212 retrieves vehicles that have traveled within a specified area over a specified time span and sends a pair of location information and date / time information to the terminal device 3. This allows mapping to a map to be performed on the terminal device 3. The location information may also include information indicating the direction of travel.

[0070] (2) Relay of vehicle-mounted images

[0071] If a vehicle is selected as the target vehicle for a video feed via terminal device 3, information providing unit 212 receives a video playback request from terminal device 3. The video playback request includes information about the target vehicle and the date and time of identification. Based on this information, information providing unit 212 transmits the video playback request to the target vehicle. Additionally, information providing unit 212 transmits the video file (or video stream) of the video feed sent from the target vehicle to terminal device 3.

[0072] The storage unit 22 is a unit for storing information and is composed of storage media such as RAM, disk, and flash memory. The storage unit 22 stores the program executed by the control unit 21 and the data used by the program.

[0073] In addition, the storage unit 22 stores a table (vehicle data table) that stores the data received from the vehicle-mounted device 1.

[0074] The communication unit 23 is a communication interface for connecting the server device 2 to a network. The communication unit 23 is configured to communicate with the network, for example, via Ethernet (registered trademark), wireless LAN, cellular communication network, etc.

[0075] Next, terminal device 3 will be described.

[0076] Similar to vehicle-mounted device 1 and server device 2, terminal device 3 can be configured as a computer having a processor (CPU, GPU, etc.), main storage device (RAM, ROM, etc.), and auxiliary storage device (EPROM, hard disk drive, removable media, etc.).

[0077] The terminal device 3 is configured to include a control unit 31, a storage unit 32, a communication unit 33, and an input / output unit 34.

[0078] The control unit 31 is a computing unit that executes a predetermined program to implement various functions of the terminal device 3. The control unit 31 can be implemented, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU. Alternatively, the control unit 31 may be configured to include RAM, ROM (Read Only Memory), cache memory, etc.

[0079] In this embodiment, the control unit 31 of the terminal device 3 is configured to have two software modules: a display control unit 311 and an image acquisition unit 312. Each software module can also be implemented by the control unit 11 (CPU, etc.) executing a program stored in the storage unit 32. Furthermore, the information processing performed by the software modules is the same as the information processing performed by the control unit 31 (CPU, etc.).

[0080] The display control unit 311 generates a user interface (GUI) for requesting the acquisition of vehicle-mounted images and outputs it via the input / output unit 34, described later. In this embodiment, the display control unit 311 generates and outputs a user interface containing road map images based on stored or previously acquired road map data. This user interface includes a user interface component for specifying a target period ("first period" in this disclosure).

[0081] In addition, the display control unit 311 requests a "list of vehicles traveling within the display range of the map during the target period" from the server device 2 based on the operation performed by the operator, and maps icons representing the positions of the vehicles onto the map based on the response.

[0082] For example, if the operator specifies a period such as "from 17:00 to 17:03 today", the display control unit 311 requests the server device 2 "a list of vehicles traveling within the map's display area from 17:00 to 17:03 today". Furthermore, the display control unit 311 maps icons based on the received list of vehicles.

[0083] When the operator selects any of the mapped icons, the image acquisition unit 312 sends a playback request for the in-vehicle image to the corresponding vehicle 10. Furthermore, it plays a video file or video stream sent from the vehicle 10. In the following description, the playback request is assumed to be sent to the vehicle 10 via the server device 2. Additionally, the video file or video stream is received via the server device 2.

[0084] The storage unit 32 is a unit for storing information and is composed of storage media such as RAM, disk, and flash memory. The storage unit 32 stores the program executed by the control unit 31 and the data used by the program.

[0085] The communication unit 33 is a wireless communication interface for connecting the terminal device 3 to an external network. The communication unit 33 is configured, for example, to communicate with the server device 2 via a cellular communication network such as a wireless LAN, 3G, 4G, or 5G.

[0086] The input / output unit 34 is a unit that receives input from the operator of the device and presents information to the operator. Specifically, the input / output unit 34 consists of a touch panel and its control unit, and a liquid crystal display and its control unit. In this embodiment, the touch panel and the liquid crystal display are combined into a single touch panel display.

[0087] also, Figure 2 The structure shown is an example; all or part of the functions illustrated can also be executed using specially designed circuitry. Alternatively, programs can be stored or executed using a combination of main and auxiliary storage devices, other than those shown in the diagram.

[0088] [Processing Details]

[0089] Next, specific examples are given to illustrate the operations performed by the operator via terminal device 3 and the processes executed therefrom.

[0090] Figure 4 (A) is an example of a screen provided to the operator of terminal device 3.

[0091] The display control unit 311 of the terminal device 3 generates a user interface containing a road map centered on a specified location and outputs it to the input / output unit 34. The user interface includes a component (reference numeral 401) for specifying the time (reference time) used as a reference, a component (reference numeral 402) for specifying the time width traced back from the reference time, and a button (reference numeral 403) for performing a search.

[0092] Reference numeral 401 is a user interface component used to specify a reference time. The operator uses this user interface component to specify the reference time. The reference time, for example, is the time of a 119 alarm.

[0093] Reference numeral 402 is a user interface component for specifying the time width traced back from a reference time. The time width can be selected from multiple options. For example, multiple options such as "1 minute ago", "3 minutes ago", and "5 minutes ago" are provided, and the operator selects or specifies the desired time width. For example, here, when the operator specifies "3 minutes ago", "from 3 minutes ago to the reference time" becomes the period to be retrieved (the "first period" in this disclosure).

[0094] When the operator presses the search button (reference numeral 403), the terminal device 3 sends data to the server device 2 requesting a list of vehicles with a track record of driving within a specified area during a set period (e.g., from 16:57 to 17:00). This request may include, for example, information for determining the specified area, information indicating the target period, etc.

[0095] The designated area can be the entire area corresponding to the map displayed, or it can be a portion of the area defined on the map.

[0096] The server device 2 (information providing unit 212) responds to the request, generates a corresponding list of vehicles (vehicle list), and replies to the terminal device 3. Figure 3 (C) is an example of a replying vehicle list. Furthermore, while referred to herein as a "vehicle list," the records contained in the list may also contain the same vehicle. For example, there may be cases where the same vehicle sends vehicle data multiple times within a set period within a displayed map area. In this case, multiple records with the same vehicle ID are included in the vehicle list.

[0097] The terminal device 3 (display control unit 311) that receives the vehicle list maps vehicle icons to the corresponding locations on the map. The icons can also be configured taking into account the vehicle's direction of travel.

[0098] An icon is generated for each record in the vehicle list. That is, there may be cases where the same vehicle is displayed by more than one icon. However, the differences between the vehicles are not important to the operator, so in this embodiment, the information used to identify the vehicle is not displayed on the screen.

[0099] If the operator makes a selection (e.g., clicks) on any icon, the process of acquiring and playing the in-vehicle image from the vehicle corresponding to that icon will begin.

[0100] In addition, if an icon is specified, image acquisition can begin immediately from the vehicle of the object, but the date and time corresponding to the selected icon (i.e., the date and time when the corresponding vehicle was traveling at the object location) can also be displayed, and the operator who confirms the date and time can then re-instruct the image acquisition.

[0101] For example, when an operator clicks an icon, the date and time corresponding to that icon can be overlaid and displayed near the icon. The date and time corresponding to the selected icon can be obtained from the vehicle list received from server device 2. Thus, even if multiple icons exist near the desired location (e.g., the alarm location), the operator can grasp the temporal relationship.

[0102] In this case, video playback can also begin if the operator, having confirmed the date and time corresponding to the icon, clicks the corresponding icon again.

[0103] When an operator requests the playback of an image, a request for playback of the in-vehicle image (hereinafter, a playback request) is sent from the terminal device 3 to the server device 2. The playback request includes a vehicle ID for specifying the vehicle and a date / time ID for specifying the date and time. Upon receiving the playback request, the server device 2 determines the target vehicle and transmits the playback request to the corresponding in-vehicle device 1.

[0104] Upon receiving a playback request, the in-vehicle device 1 extracts the video file corresponding to the specified date and time ID and sends it to the server device 2. Furthermore, the recipient can be either a video file from the in-vehicle system or a video stream. The sent video file (or video stream) is relayed to the terminal device 3 via the server device 2, where it is played. Figure 4 (B) is an example of a playback screen in terminal device 3.

[0105] Furthermore, in this example, since video files are generated in 1-minute increments, playback is also in 1-minute increments. To play the preceding or following video file, the operator presses the button indicating forward / backward movement (reference numeral 404). When this button is pressed, a playback request for the corresponding video file is generated and sent to the vehicle-mounted device 1 through the same process. Thus, the operator of the terminal device 3 can play the vehicle-mounted video for the specified date and time.

[0106] [Processing Sequence]

[0107] Next, the steps performed by each device and the flow of data transmitted and received between the devices will be explained.

[0108] Figure 5 This is a sequence diagram of the process of sending vehicle data from the vehicle-mounted device 1 to the server device 2, and sending information for mapping the vehicle's location information from the server device 2 to the terminal device 3, while the terminal device 3 draws a map.

[0109] First, the process of sending vehicle data from the vehicle-mounted device 1 to the server device 2 (steps S11 to S13) will be described. This process is performed at a predetermined cycle. The predetermined cycle can be determined by the notification unit 112, or it can be determined by the notification unit 112 in response to a notification from the camera unit 111. For example, a notification can be sent from the camera unit 111 to the notification unit 112 each time a video file is switched (e.g., every minute), and in response, the notification unit 112 starts the process illustrated.

[0110] First, in step S11, the vehicle-mounted device 1 (notification unit 112) acquires vehicle data. In this embodiment, the notification unit 112 acquires the vehicle's location information and direction of travel from the location information acquisition unit 14, and combines the vehicle's identifier and date and time information to generate vehicle data. The generated vehicle data is then sent to the server device 2 (step S12).

[0111] In step S13, the server device 2 (data update unit 211) receives the vehicle data and stores the vehicle data in the vehicle data table in the storage unit 22.

[0112] By performing the processes described above on multiple vehicles 10, server device 2 can collect and manage the past location information of the multiple vehicles under its management. Furthermore, by referring to the vehicle data table stored in server device 2, vehicles traveling at a specified location on a specified date and time can be retrieved. Since each vehicle is capturing onboard images while driving, it is possible to identify vehicles with a high probability of capturing specific events (e.g., traffic accidents or other alarm-related events) through the images.

[0113] Next, the processing of outputting a road map with vehicle location information from the terminal device 3 (steps S21 to S23) will be described. This processing begins, for example, when a road map is displayed on the terminal device 3 (display control unit 311).

[0114] First, in step S21, the terminal device 3 (display control unit 311) determines whether the icon needs to be redrawn. For example, this step becomes an affirmative determination if the road map is displayed for the first time, if the display range of the road map is changed, or if the target period is changed. For example, if the operator of the terminal device 3 performs the operation of displaying the road map and specifies the target period, the icon needs to be redrawn.

[0115] If the determination in this step is affirmative, terminal device 3 generates a vehicle list generation request and sends it to server device 2. The vehicle list generation request includes information indicating the display range of the map and information indicating the period of the objects specified by the operator.

[0116] In step S22, the server device 2 (information providing unit 212) generates a vehicle list based on the received request. Specifically, it extracts records of vehicles that have traveled within the map's display area during a specified period from the vehicle data table stored in the storage unit 22, and generates a vehicle list consisting of the extracted records. The generated vehicle list is then sent to the terminal device 3.

[0117] In step S23, the terminal device 3 (display control unit 311) draws a map based on the acquired vehicle list and maps icons to the corresponding locations on the map.

[0118] When the processing in step S23 is completed, as follows: Figure 4 As shown in (A), in terminal device 3, multiple icons are mapped onto the map. These icons represent the positions of vehicles traveling within a specified period of time.

[0119] Figure 6 This is a sequence diagram illustrating the image processing provided by the vehicle-mounted device 1 to the terminal device 3 based on a request from the terminal device 3. The processing illustrated begins when an icon on the map is specified by the operator.

[0120] First, the terminal device 3 (image acquisition unit 312) generates a playback request (step S31). The playback request is data used to request the provision of vehicle images from the vehicle-mounted device 1, including the identifier (vehicle ID) of the vehicle-mounted device 1 (vehicle 10) and the identifier (date and time ID) of the date and time when the vehicle image was captured. The vehicle ID and date and time ID are contained in the vehicle list received by the terminal device 3 from the server device 2. When the operator selects an icon on the map, the terminal device 3 can determine the corresponding vehicle ID and date and time ID.

[0121] A playback request is sent from terminal device 3 to server device 2 and relayed from server device 2 to the target vehicle device 1. At this time, server device 2 can also read the vehicle ID contained in the playback request to identify the vehicle device 1 that relayed the playback request. Therefore, it is preferable to store data in server device 2 that associates the vehicle ID with the corresponding connection destination (e.g., network address) of the vehicle device 1. The playback request relayed by server device 2 is received by the corresponding vehicle device 1.

[0122] Upon receiving the playback request, the vehicle-mounted device 1 (providing unit 113) extracts the video file specified by the date and time ID from the stored video data (step S32).

[0123] The extracted video file is sent to terminal device 3 via server device 2. Terminal device 3 generates a file as follows: Figure 4 The playback screen shown in (B) begins playing the received video file. Furthermore, if an operation to specify a different video file was performed (e.g., when the button shown by reference numeral 404 was pressed), the process is repeated... Figure 6 The process is shown, and a new playback request is generated.

[0124] Furthermore, in this example, a video file is used as the object to be sent, but the object to be sent could also be an image stream, etc.

[0125] As explained above, in the monitoring system of this embodiment, the terminal device 3 maps the vehicle's driving performance onto a map based on the vehicle data stored in the server device 2. The operator of the terminal device 3 can retrieve video files from a vehicle by specifying it on the displayed map. Thus, the operator of the terminal device 3 can confirm the in-vehicle images captured by a vehicle traveling at a desired location at a desired time.

[0126] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the period for vehicle extraction can be set on the user interface. Therefore, compared to specifying an extraction time using a single moment, it is possible to efficiently extract multiple vehicles whose events may be captured.

[0127] (Modified Example)

[0128] The above-described implementation is merely an example, and this disclosure can be implemented with appropriate modifications without departing from its spirit.

[0129] For example, the processes and units described in this disclosure can be freely combined and implemented as long as they do not create technical contradictions.

[0130] In addition, the embodiment shows a vehicle equipped with an in-vehicle device, but any mobile body other than a vehicle can be used as long as it can capture images.

[0131] In addition, in this embodiment, the terminal device 3 generates and outputs a user interface containing a road map based on the information received from the server device 2, but the road map can also be generated by the server device 2. In this case, the server device 2 can generate a vehicle list and send it to the terminal device 3 instead of generating it, while the server device 2 performs the drawing of the road map and the mapping of icons. In this case, the user interface screen containing the road map generated by the server device 2 can also be sent to the terminal device 3, and the terminal device 3 outputs it. That is, the server device 2 (information providing unit 212) can also have the functions of the terminal device 3 (display control unit 311) described in this embodiment. The information processing apparatus disclosed herein can be implemented as either the server device 2 or the terminal device 3. When the server device 2 draws the user interface screen, the server device 2 outputs the location information for placing icons on the map and the time information corresponding to the icons. Furthermore, the output is not limited to output to external devices, but also includes information exchange between elements possessed by the server device 2.

[0132] In addition, in this embodiment, vehicles are extracted from an area displaying a map, but the area from which vehicles are extracted can be set separately. For example, a graphic can be drawn on the map, and vehicles can be extracted from within that graphic. The graphic can be drawn automatically by the system or based on operations performed by the device operator. In this case, information for identifying the set area is sent from the terminal device 3 to the server device 2, and the server device 2 generates a vehicle list based on this information.

[0133] Furthermore, a process described as being performed by one device can also be executed by multiple devices. Alternatively, a process described as being performed by different devices can also be executed by a single device. In a computer system, it is possible to flexibly change the hardware architecture (server architecture) used to implement various functions.

[0134] This disclosure can also be implemented by providing a computer program that implements the functions described in the above embodiments to a computer, which has one or more processors that read and execute the program. Such a computer program can be provided to the computer either via a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium connectable to the computer's system bus or via a network. Non-transitory computer-readable storage media include, for example, any type of disk such as a hard disk (floppy disk, hard disk drive (HDD)), an optical disk (CD-ROM, DVD, Blu-ray disc, etc.), read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), EPROM, EEPROM, magnetic cards, flash memory, optical cards, and any type of medium suitable for storing electronic commands.

Claims

1.An information processing apparatus having a control section that performs the following actions: accepting designation of a first period from a user; Based on the travel histories of one or more vehicles, one or more icons representing the positions of the vehicles are displayed on a map at each time, wherein the vehicle has a record of traveling in a prescribed area during the first period; and in a case where any one of the one or more icons is selected, transmitting data that requests transmission of an image captured at a corresponding time to the corresponding vehicle or a vehicle-mounted device mounted on the vehicle. 2.The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control section outputs a first user interface for designating a reference time and a second user interface that enables selection of a time width to trace back from the reference time from among a plurality of options, and determines the first period based on the designated reference time and the selected time width. 3.The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control section accepts designation of a prescribed area on the map, and the display of the icons is performed within the prescribed area. 4.An information processing method performed by an information processing apparatus, comprising: accepting designation of a first period from a user; based on a travel history of one or more vehicles, displaying one or more icons representing the positions of the vehicles on a map for each time, wherein the vehicle has a record of traveling in a prescribed area during the first period; and in a case where any one of the one or more icons is selected, transmitting data that requests transmission of an image captured at a corresponding time to the corresponding vehicle or a vehicle-mounted device mounted on the vehicle. 5.A computer program product comprising a program for causing a computer to execute the information processing method according to claim 4.

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