Image management device and information provision device

Abstract

To provide a technique for properly grasping the situation of a monitor target object when a disaster is happening.SOLUTION: A server device 10 includes: a server-side disaster detection unit 101 for detecting the generation of a disaster; a selection information acquisition unit 105 for acquiring selection information including the position of a monitor target object, the angle of view of an imaging unit provided in each vehicle, an imaging direction, and an imaging position in a case where the generation of a disaster is detected; a selection unit 106 for selecting a vehicle which acquires an image taken by the imaging unit; and an image acquisition unit 108 for acquiring the image from the selected vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to image management technology and information provision technology. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 describes an image management system that, when it detects the occurrence of an event, selects from among multiple vehicles a vehicle that will have priority in acquiring images captured by the imaging means of the multiple vehicles within a specified distance range from the location where the event occurred, based on imaging information regarding the status of the imaging means of each of the multiple vehicles, and acquires images from the selected vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-149318 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When a disaster occurs, it is necessary to grasp the status of monitored objects such as roads and bridges. However, for example, in the conventional technology described in Patent Document 1, the vehicle that acquires the image is not selected based on the angle of view or the installation position, and the monitored object may not be sufficiently included in the image transmitted from the vehicle, so that it may be difficult to properly grasp the status of the monitored object.

[0005] In view of the above problems, the present disclosure aims to provide a technology that makes it easier to appropriately grasp the status of a monitored object when a disaster occurs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, an image management device of one aspect of the present disclosure includes a disaster detection unit that detects the occurrence of a disaster, a selection information acquisition unit that acquires selection information including the position of the monitored object and the angle of view, shooting direction and position of the shooting unit provided in each vehicle when the occurrence of the disaster is detected, a selection unit that selects a vehicle from which to acquire images captured by the shooting unit based on the selection information, and an image acquisition unit that acquires the images from the selected vehicle.

[0007] An information provision device of one aspect of the present disclosure comprises an imaging unit that captures images of the area around the vehicle, a disaster detection unit that detects the occurrence of a disaster, an imaging status transmission unit that transmits the angle of view, imaging direction, and position of the imaging unit to an image management device that manages images when the occurrence of a disaster is detected, and an image transmission unit that transmits the images to the image management device in response to receiving an image request from the image management device, and the image management device selects a vehicle from which to obtain images captured by the imaging unit based on the angle of view, the imaging direction, the position, and the position of the monitored object, and transmits the image request to the selected vehicle.

[0008] Another aspect of an information providing device of the present disclosure includes an imaging unit that captures images of the area around the vehicle, a disaster detection unit that detects the occurrence of a disaster, a decision unit that, when the occurrence of a disaster is detected, decides whether or not to send images captured by the imaging unit to an image management device that manages images based on the position of the monitored object and the angle of view, imaging direction, and position of the imaging unit, and an image transmission unit that transmits the images to the image management device when it is determined that the images should be transmitted.

[0009] Any combination of the above components, and conversion of the present disclosure into a method, device, system, recording medium, computer program, etc. are also valid aspects of the present disclosure. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a technology that makes it easier to appropriately grasp the status of a monitored object when a disaster occurs. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an image management system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of a server-side processing unit according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a vehicle-side processing unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing processing between the server device and the vehicle recording device according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a vehicle and a monitored object viewed from a vertical direction. [Figure 6] FIG. 6(a) is a diagram of the vehicle 20 and the monitored object 50 viewed from the vertical direction, and FIG. 6(b) is a diagram of the vehicle 20 and the monitored object 50 viewed from the horizontal direction. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a monitored object in an image. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a functional block diagram of a server-side processing unit according to the third embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing the processing between the server device and the vehicle recording device according to the third embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a functional block diagram of a server-side processing unit according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a functional block diagram of a vehicle-side processing unit according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram showing the processing between the server device and the vehicle recording device according to the fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] First embodiment 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an image management system 1 according to a first embodiment. The image management system 1 of this embodiment includes a server device 10 and a plurality of vehicles 20. The server device 10 and the vehicle recording devices of the plurality of vehicles 20 are connected to each other via a network NW so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0013] The server device 10 is located, for example, on the Internet or on a cloud. The server device 10 includes a server side communication unit 11, a server side processing unit 12, and a server side storage unit 13. The server device 10 of the present embodiment is an example of an image management device.

[0014] The server-side communication unit 11 controls communication with other devices. The server-side communication unit 11 communicates by any communication method, such as wired or wireless. The server-side communication unit 11 communicates with a vehicle-side communication unit 31 (described later) via a network NW.

[0015] The server-side storage unit 13 stores programs, data, etc. used by the server-side processing unit 12. The server-side storage unit 13 may be a semiconductor memory, a hard disk, etc. When the server-side storage unit 13 receives disaster information, such as an emergency earthquake alert issued by the Japan Meteorological Agency, via the server-side communication unit 11, the server-side storage unit 13 stores the received disaster information. The server-side storage unit 13 of this embodiment stores in advance monitoring objects that are predefined for each type of disaster. The server-side storage unit 13 of this embodiment stores three-dimensional map data including the monitoring objects. The three-dimensional map data here includes three-dimensional position data of the monitoring objects, such as the installation location, height, or shape of the monitoring objects. The monitoring objects will be described later.

[0016] The server-side processing unit 12 is, for example, a calculation processing unit. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the server-side processing unit 12 of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the server-side processing unit 12 includes a server-side disaster detection unit 101, a disaster occurrence location identification unit 102, an image collection area setting unit 103, a shooting state request transmission unit 104, a selection information acquisition unit 105, a selection unit 106, an image request transmission unit 107, an image acquisition unit 108, an analysis unit 109, and a notification information transmission unit 110. Each component shown in FIG. 2 and the following figures is realized in hardware by a CPU, memory, other LSI, etc. of any computer, and in software by a program loaded in memory, etc., but here, a functional block realized by their cooperation is depicted. Therefore, it is understood by those skilled in the art that these functional blocks can be realized in various forms, such as hardware only or a combination of hardware and software.

[0017] The server-side disaster detection unit 101 detects the occurrence of a disaster based on disaster information. For example, when the server-side disaster detection unit 101 receives an emergency earthquake alert issued by the Japan Meteorological Agency as disaster information via the server-side communication unit 11, the server-side disaster detection unit 101 detects the occurrence of a disaster (i.e., an earthquake). The disaster information is not limited to an emergency earthquake alert, and may be disaster prevention information announced and provided by the country, local governments, etc., or information transmitted via a social networking service (SNS). Types of disasters may include, in addition to earthquakes, landslides, river flooding, floods, tsunamis, power outages, traffic disruptions, fires, traffic accidents, typhoons, volcanic eruptions, and the like. The occurrence of a disaster here includes not only a state in which a disaster has actually occurred, but also a state in which the occurrence of a disaster is imminent.

[0018] The disaster occurrence location identification unit 102 identifies the location of the disaster occurrence. For example, the disaster occurrence location identification unit 102 reads the latest disaster information stored in the server-side storage unit 13, and identifies the location of the disaster occurrence based on the disaster information. For example, when the disaster information is an emergency earthquake warning issued by the Japan Meteorological Agency, the disaster occurrence location identification unit 102 determines the epicenter in the emergency earthquake warning as the location of the disaster occurrence. The disaster occurrence location identification unit 102 identifies the location of the disaster occurrence using a known method.

[0019] The image collection area setting unit 103 sets an area for image collection (hereinafter referred to as an image collection area) based on the location of the disaster identified by the disaster occurrence location identifying unit 102. For example, the image collection area setting unit 103 sets an area determined in advance according to the location of the disaster as the image collection area. For example, the image collection area setting unit 103 may set an area within a predetermined distance range from the location of the disaster as the image collection area, or may set an area with a risk of disaster (such as a coast or around a river) to which the location of the disaster belongs as the image collection area. Setting an image collection area according to the location of the disaster prevents data from being collected about vehicles that are less related to the disaster.

[0020] The image capture state request transmission unit 104 transmits an image capture state request to the vehicles 20 within the set image collection area.

[0021] The selection information acquisition unit 105 acquires selection information for selecting a vehicle 20 from which to acquire an image captured by a photographing unit 34 of a vehicular recording device 30 described later. The selection information includes the position of a monitored object and the angle of view, photographing direction, and position of the photographing unit 34 described later. For example, the selection information acquisition unit 105 receives the angle of view, photographing direction, and position of the photographing unit 34 of a vehicular recording device 30 described later, transmitted from each vehicle 20 in an image collection area in response to a photographing state request.

[0022] Also, for example, the selection information acquisition unit 105 reads out the latest disaster information stored in the server-side storage unit 13, identifies the type of disaster based on the disaster information, and reads out and acquires the position of the monitored object corresponding to the identified type of disaster from the server-side storage unit 13. For example, when the selection information acquisition unit 105 identifies the type of disaster as an earthquake, it reads out and acquires the position of the monitored object corresponding to the earthquake.

[0023] The monitored object will be described. The monitored object here is a structure (road, building, bridge, etc.) or a natural object (river, coast, etc.) that is to be monitored intensively when a disaster occurs. For example, the monitored object is set in advance according to the type of disaster for each area at risk of disaster. For example, when the selection information acquisition unit 105 identifies the type of disaster as flood, it sets a river as the monitored object in an area where flooding due to flooding is expected. For example, when the selection information acquisition unit 105 identifies the type of disaster as tsunami, it sets a coast as the monitored object in an area where flooding due to tsunami is expected. For example, when the selection information acquisition unit 105 identifies the type of disaster as earthquake, it sets important facilities (roads, utility poles, traffic lights, hospitals, police, fire stations, high-rise buildings, densely populated residential areas, evacuation sites, etc.) as the monitored object. By setting the monitored object according to the type of disaster in this way, it becomes possible to monitor the monitored object suitable for the type of disaster.

[0024] Based on the acquired selection information, the selection unit 106 selects, from among the vehicles 20 in the image collection area, a vehicle 20 from which an image captured by the image capturing unit 34 (described later) is to be acquired. A method for selecting a vehicle by the selection unit 106 will be described later.

[0025] The image request sending unit 107 sends an image request to the vehicle 20 selected by the selection unit 106 .

[0026] The image acquisition unit 108 acquires an image from the image capturing unit 34 from the vehicle 20 selected by the selection unit 106. The acquired image is stored in the server-side storage unit 13.

[0027] The analysis unit 109 analyzes the state of the monitored object due to a disaster based on the images stored in the server-side storage unit 13. For example, the analysis unit 109 reads images before and after the occurrence of the disaster from the server-side storage unit 13, and performs image recognition on the images before and after the occurrence of the disaster to analyze the state of the monitored object, such as cracks in roads, the risk of building collapse, the presence or absence of power outages (traffic lights), the presence or absence and risk of river flooding, etc. A publicly known method can be used as a method for analyzing the state of the monitored object by image recognition.

[0028] The notification information transmission unit 110 generates notification information for notifying the driver of the vehicle 20 of the analysis result of the situation of the monitored object, and transmits the notification information to the vehicle recording device 30. In addition, when damage such as cracks in the road, collapse of a building, power outage of a traffic light, or flooding of a river has occurred or is likely to occur in the monitored object, the notification information transmission unit 110 may generate notification information to urge the driver to move away from the monitored object or not to proceed, or to urge the driver to get out of the car and evacuate.

[0029] Returning to FIG. 1, the vehicle 20 of this embodiment includes a vehicle recording device 30. The vehicle recording device 30 of this embodiment is a drive recorder. The vehicle recording device 30 includes a vehicle-side communication unit 31, a vehicle-side processing unit 32, a vehicle-side storage unit 33, and a photographing unit 34. The vehicle recording device 30 may be a portable device that can be used in the vehicle, in addition to being installed in the vehicle. The vehicle recording device 30 may be realized by including the functions or configurations of a device previously installed in the vehicle 20, a navigation device, etc. The vehicle recording device 30 of this embodiment is an example of an information providing device.

[0030] The vehicle-side communication unit 31 controls communication with other devices. The vehicle-side communication unit 31 communicates by any communication method, such as wired or wireless. The vehicle-side communication unit 31 communicates with the server-side communication unit 11 via the network NW.

[0031] The vehicle-side storage unit 33 stores programs, data, etc. used by the vehicle-side processing unit 32. The vehicle-side storage unit 33 may be a semiconductor memory, a hard disk, etc. The vehicle-side storage unit 33 records video data captured by the imaging unit 34. The vehicle-side storage unit 33 also stores in advance specification information on the angle of view (horizontal angle of view and vertical angle of view) of the camera lens of the imaging unit 34.

[0032] The photographing unit 34 is a camera that photographs the periphery of the vehicle 20. In this embodiment, the photographing unit 34 is described as a camera that photographs the front of the vehicle 20, but it may include multiple cameras such as a camera that photographs the rear of the vehicle 20 and a camera that photographs the side of the vehicle 20, or it may be a 360-degree camera (omnidirectional camera) that has an ultra-wide-angle lens and can photograph in all directions related to the vehicle 20. The photographing unit 34 outputs the photographed video data to the vehicle-side storage unit 33. The video data is a moving image composed of images at, for example, 30 frames per second. The video data may include audio in addition to the video photographed by the photographing unit 34.

[0033] The vehicle-side processing unit 32 is, for example, an arithmetic processing unit. Fig. 3 is a functional block diagram of the vehicle-side processing unit 32 of the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, the vehicle-side processing unit 32 of the first embodiment includes a request receiving unit 201, a vehicle-side disaster detection unit 202, an image capturing state acquisition unit 203, an image capturing state transmission unit 204, an image transmission unit 205, and a notification unit 206.

[0034] The request receiving unit 201 receives a shooting state request and an image request from the server device 10 via the vehicle side communication unit 31.

[0035] The vehicle-side disaster detection unit 202 detects the occurrence of a disaster in response to the reception of an image capture state request.

[0036] The image capturing state acquisition unit 203 acquires an image capturing state in response to an image capturing state request received from the server device 10. The image capturing state information includes the angle of view, the image capturing direction, and the position of the image capturing unit 34. For example, the image capturing state acquisition unit 203 acquires the position of the vehicle calculated by a known method based on radio waves from a GPS satellite (not shown) received by a GPS device (not shown) mounted on the vehicle 20 as the position of the image capturing unit 34. For example, the image capturing state acquisition unit 203 detects the traveling direction of the vehicle 20 based on a change in the position of the vehicle 20 over time, and calculates and acquires the image capturing direction of the image capturing unit 34 based on the traveling direction of the vehicle 20 and the direction in which the image capturing unit 34 faces (forward, backward, sideways, 360 degrees). The traveling direction of the vehicle 20 may be detected using an acceleration sensor provided in the vehicle 20. The image capturing state acquisition unit 203 reads and acquires specification information on the angle of view of the image capturing unit 34 from the vehicle side storage unit 33.

[0037] In response to a shooting state request received from the server device 10, the shooting state transmission unit 204 transmits the acquired angle of view and shooting direction of the shooting unit 34 and the vehicle position to the server device 10 via the vehicle-side communication unit 31.

[0038] In response to an image request received from the server device 10, the image transmission unit 205 transmits the image captured by the image capture unit 34. The image transmission unit 205 may directly transmit the image capture result of the image capture unit 34, or may read and transmit an image stored in the vehicle-side storage unit 33. The image here may be a still image or a moving image. After receiving the image request, the image transmission unit 205 may transmit the image to the server device 10 periodically.

[0039] The notification unit 206 notifies the status of the monitored object based on the received notification information. For example, the notification unit 206 may display the status of the monitored object via a display installed in advance in the vehicle 20, or may output the status of the monitored object as audio via a speaker installed in advance in the vehicle 20.

[0040] 4 is a sequence diagram showing a process S100 performed between the server device 10 and the vehicle recording device 30 in the first embodiment. It is assumed that the vehicle 20 or the vehicle recording device 30 periodically transmits the position of the vehicle 20 to the server device 10.

[0041] In step S101, the server-side disaster detection unit 101 of the server device 10 judges whether a disaster has been detected. For example, the server-side disaster detection unit 101 judges that a disaster has been detected when disaster information is received. If a disaster has not been detected (N in step S101), the process S100 returns to step S101. If a disaster has been detected (Y in step S101), the process S100 proceeds to step S102.

[0042] In step S102, the disaster occurrence location identification unit 102 of the server device 10 identifies the disaster occurrence location based on the disaster information.

[0043] In step S103, the image collection area setting unit 103 of the server device 10 sets an image collection area based on the identified location of the disaster occurrence.

[0044] In step S104, the image capture state request transmission unit 104 of the server device 10 transmits an image capture state request to the vehicle recording device 30 of the vehicle 20 located in the image collection area. For example, the image capture state request transmission unit 104 identifies the vehicle 20 located in the image collection area based on the latest position of the vehicle 20 periodically transmitted from the vehicle 20 or the vehicle recording device 30.

[0045] In step S105, the vehicle-side disaster detection unit 202 of the vehicle recorder 30 detects the occurrence of a disaster in response to the reception of the shooting state request.

[0046] In step S106, in response to the detection of the occurrence of a disaster, the shooting state acquisition unit 203 of the vehicle recorder 30 acquires the shooting state.

[0047] In step S107, the image capturing state transmitting unit 204 of the vehicle recorder 30 transmits the image capturing state to the server device 10.

[0048] In step S108, the selection information acquisition unit 105 of the server device 10 acquires the selection information. The selection information acquisition unit 105 receives the shooting state from the vehicle recording device 30 and acquires the selection information by reading the position of the monitored object corresponding to the type of disaster from the server-side storage unit 13.

[0049] In step S109, the selection unit 106 of the server device 10 selects, from among the vehicles 20 in the image collection area, a vehicle 20 from which an image captured by the photographing unit 34 is to be acquired, based on the acquired selection information. The selection unit 106 of this embodiment selects a vehicle 20 whose image is estimated to include a monitored object, based on the acquired angle of view, photographing direction, position, and position of the monitored object.

[0050] A method for selecting a vehicle 20 by the selection unit 106 will be described with reference to Fig. 5(a) and Fig. 5(b). Fig. 5(a) and Fig. 5(b) are views of the vehicle 20 and the monitored object 50 viewed from the vertical direction. Fig. 5(a) shows a case where the monitored object is included in the image, and Fig. 5(b) shows a case where the monitored object is not included in the image. In Fig. 5(a) and Fig. 5(b), A indicates the angle of view of the imaging unit 34, D indicates the imaging direction of the imaging unit 34, R indicates the imaging range of the imaging unit 34, Pc indicates the position of the imaging unit 34, and Po indicates the position of the monitored object 50.

[0051] In this embodiment, the selection unit 106 determines the imaging range R of the imaging unit 34 based on the angle of view A, the imaging direction D, and the position Pc of the imaging unit 34, and determines whether the monitored object 50 is included in the imaging range R based on the position Po of the monitored object. The selection unit 106 estimates that the monitored object is included in the image when the monitored object 50 is included in the imaging range R as shown in FIG. 5(a). The selection unit 106 estimates that the monitored object is not included in the image when the monitored object 50 is not included in the imaging range R as shown in FIG. 5(b). The imaging range R is determined, for example, within a range of ±A / 2 with respect to the imaging direction D based on the position Pc of the imaging unit 34. Note that, for simplification, in FIG. 5, only the horizontal angle of view is shown as the angle of view A, but in this embodiment, the imaging range R is determined taking into consideration the vertical angle of view as well. Similarly, the position Po of the monitored object is determined taking into consideration not only the horizontal position but also the height direction.

[0052] Returning to FIG. 4, in step S110, the image request sending unit 107 of the server device 10 sends an image request to the selected vehicle 20.

[0053] In step S111, the image transmitting unit 205 of the vehicle-mounted recording device 30 transmits to the server device 10 images taken by the image taking unit 34 before and after the occurrence of the disaster.

[0054] In step S112, the analysis unit 109 of the server device 10 analyzes the state of the monitored object based on the received image.

[0055] In step S113, the notification information transmitting unit 110 of the server device 10 generates notification information based on the analysis result of the status of the monitored object, and transmits it to the vehicle recording device 30. Note that the notification information transmitting unit 110 may transmit notification information to the vehicle recording devices 30 of vehicles 20 not selected by the selection unit 106 (e.g., vehicles 20 within the image collection area, etc.) in addition to the vehicles 20 selected by the selection unit 106. After step S113, the process S100 in the server device 10 ends.

[0056] In step S114, the notification unit 206 of the vehicle-mounted recording device 30 notifies the status of the monitored object based on the received notification information. After step S114, the process S100 in the vehicle-mounted recording device 30 ends.

[0057] In the first embodiment, when the occurrence of a disaster is detected, the server device 10 acquires selection information including the position of the monitored object and the angle of view, shooting direction and position of the shooting unit 34 provided in each vehicle, selects a vehicle 20 from which to acquire images captured by the shooting unit based on the selection information, and acquires the images from the selected vehicle. With this configuration, the monitored object is more likely to be included in the image, making it easier to properly grasp the status of the monitored object when a disaster occurs.

[0058] In the first embodiment, when the occurrence of a disaster is detected, the vehicular recording device 30 transmits the angle of view, shooting direction and position of the photographing unit 34 provided in the vehicle 20 to the server device 10, and transmits an image to the server device 10 in response to receiving an image request from the server device 10. The server device 10 selects a vehicle from which to acquire an image based on the position of the monitored object and the angle of view, shooting direction and position of the photographing unit 34, and transmits an image request to the selected vehicle. With this configuration, the monitored object is more likely to be included in the image, making it easier to properly grasp the status of the monitored object when a disaster occurs.

[0059] A modification of the first embodiment will now be described.

[0060] In the first embodiment, the monitored objects are set according to the type of disaster, but the present invention is not limited to this and does not have to be set according to the type of disaster.

[0061] The image collection area setting unit 103 may set an area determined in advance according to the type of disaster as the image collection area in addition to the location where the disaster occurred. For example, when a landslide, river flood disaster, flood disaster, or tsunami disaster is detected, the image collection area setting unit 103 may set the image collection area to areas expected to be flooded, areas expected to be flooded by rainwater, areas under landslide warning, areas expected to be flooded by high tides, areas expected to be flooded by tsunamis, etc., which are listed on a hazard map or the like in the location where the disaster occurred, and areas that are not designated as such areas or not listed on a hazard map or the like but are considered to be at risk of disaster (along small and medium-sized rivers, local lowlands, mountain foothills, etc.).

[0062] The image collection area does not need to be set. For example, the vehicle 20 from which the image is to be acquired may be selected from among all the vehicles 20 that can communicate with the server-side communication unit 11.

[0063] In the first embodiment, the vehicle-side disaster detection unit 202 detects the occurrence of a disaster in response to the reception of a shooting state request, but is not limited to this. The vehicle-side disaster detection unit 202 may detect the occurrence of a disaster when receiving disaster information, similar to the server-side disaster detection unit 101.

[0064] In the first embodiment, the horizontal angle of view and the vertical angle of view are used as the angle of view, but the present invention is not limited to this, and at least one of the horizontal angle of view and the vertical angle of view may be used.

[0065] The selection unit 106 may further select a vehicle according to the type of disaster and the monitored object from the vehicles selected based on the selection information. For example, when the type of disaster is a fire, tsunami, river flooding, or landslide, and the monitored object is a building, a coast, a river, or a mountain, it is safe to take a wide-angle shot from a distance and the overall situation is easy to grasp. Therefore, the selection unit 106 may select a vehicle in which the distance between the vehicle 20 and the monitored object is greater than a predetermined first distance. Also, for example, when the type of disaster is an earthquake and the monitored object is a building or a utility pole, the collapse of the building or utility pole due to the earthquake can be grasped in a wide range at once by taking a wide-angle shot from a short distance. Therefore, the selection unit 106 may select a vehicle in which the distance between the vehicle 20 and the monitored object is less than a predetermined second distance (second distance<first distance). Also, for example, when the type of disaster is an earthquake and the monitored object is a road, the cracks, sinking, falling objects, etc. on the road due to the earthquake can be grasped in detail by taking a wide-angle shot from close up. Therefore, the selection unit 106 may select a vehicle in which the distance between the vehicle 20 and the monitored object is smaller than a predetermined third distance (third distance<second distance). Furthermore, for example, when the type of disaster is a tsunami, the selection unit 106 may select a vehicle that is located on high ground and equipped with a 360-degree camera.

[0066] Second embodiment A second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below. In the drawings and description of the second embodiment, components that are the same as or equivalent to those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals. Explanations that overlap with the first embodiment will be omitted as appropriate, and the description will focus on configurations that differ from the first embodiment.

[0067] The selection unit 106 of the second embodiment selects a vehicle in which the ratio of the monitored object to the image is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value, based on the selection information. For example, the predetermined reference value is 50%.

[0068] An example of a method for calculating the ratio of the monitored object 50 in an image will be described with reference to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7. FIG. 6(a) is a diagram of the vehicle 20 and the monitored object 50 viewed from the vertical direction, and FIG. 6(b) is a diagram of the vehicle 20 and the monitored object 50 viewed from the horizontal direction. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the monitored object 50 in an image I. As shown in FIG. 6(a), the horizontal length of the imaging range R when the monitored object 50 is viewed from the front of the vehicle 20 is h1, and the horizontal length of the monitored object 50 in the imaging range R when viewed from the front is h2. As shown in FIG. 6(b), the height direction length of the imaging range R when the monitored object 50 is viewed from the front of the vehicle 20 is v1, and the height direction length of the monitored object 50 in the imaging range R when viewed from the front is v2. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, the selection unit 106 calculates the ratio of the monitored object 50 in the image I to be (h2×v2) / (h1×v1). 6 and 7, the ratio (h2×v2) / (h1×v1) is equal to or greater than the reference value of 50%, so the selection unit 106 selects this vehicle 20 as the vehicle from which an image is to be acquired. Note that the method of calculating the ratio of the monitored object to the image is not limited to this, and any known method can be used.

[0069] According to the second embodiment, an image can be acquired from a vehicle in which the proportion of the monitored object in the image is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value, making it easier to grasp the status of the monitored object more appropriately when a disaster occurs.

[0070] In the second embodiment, the reference value is set to 50%, but is not limited to this and can be set to any value.

[0071] The reference value of the ratio may be set according to the type of the monitored object. For example, if the monitored object is a forest, an ocean, or a river, the reference value of the ratio may be 30%. For example, if the monitored object is a road, the reference value of the ratio may be 90%. For example, if the monitored object is a building, the reference value of the ratio may be 60%.

[0072] Third embodiment The third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below. In the drawings and description of the third embodiment, the same or equivalent components as those in the second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. Explanations that overlap with the second embodiment will be omitted as appropriate, and the configurations that differ from the second embodiment will be described in detail.

[0073] Fig. 8 is a functional block diagram of the server-side processing unit 12 of the third embodiment. As shown in Fig. 8, the server-side processing unit 12 of the present embodiment further includes an instruction transmission unit 111. When the ratio of the monitored object to the image is less than a predetermined reference value for images acquired from all vehicles 20, the instruction transmission unit 111 transmits to the autonomously driven vehicle 60 a movement instruction to move the autonomously driven vehicle 60 to a position where the ratio of the monitored object to the image is equal to or greater than the predetermined reference value. The autonomously driven vehicle 60 includes a vehicle recording device 30.

[0074] Fig. 9 is a sequence diagram showing a process S300 performed between the server device 10 and the vehicle recording device 30 in the third embodiment. Steps S201 to S208 and S214 to S219 in Fig. 9 are similar to steps S101 to S114 in Fig. 4, respectively, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0075] In step S209, the selection unit 106 judges whether the ratio of the monitored object to the image is less than a predetermined reference value for the images acquired from all vehicles 20. If it is not less than the predetermined reference value (N in step S209), the process S200 proceeds to step S214. In step S214, a vehicle 20 in which the ratio of the monitored object to the image is not less than the predetermined reference value is selected as a vehicle from which an image is acquired. If it is less than the predetermined reference value (Y in step S209), the process S200 proceeds to step S210.

[0076] In step S210, the selection unit 106 selects the autonomously driven vehicle 60 as a vehicle from which images are to be acquired.

[0077] In step S211, the instruction transmission unit 111 transmits a movement instruction to the autonomously driven vehicle 60. This movement instruction includes destination information specifying a position (destination) where the proportion of the monitored object in the image is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value, and an image request requesting that an image be provided when the autonomously driven vehicle arrives at the destination.

[0078] In step S212, the autonomous vehicle 60 moves according to the destination information in the movement instruction.

[0079] After arriving at the destination, in step S213, the autonomously driven vehicle 60 transmits an image to the server device 10. After step S213, the process S200 proceeds to step S217.

[0080] According to the third embodiment, even if the ratio of the monitored object to the image is less than a predetermined reference value for images acquired from all vehicles 20, it is possible to acquire an image in which the ratio of the monitored object to the image is equal to or greater than the predetermined reference value by moving the autonomously driven vehicle 60 to an appropriate position. This makes it easier to grasp the status of the monitored object.

[0081] The vehicle 20 or the vehicle recording device 30 may periodically transmit, in addition to the location of the vehicle 20, for example, the type of the vehicle 20 (model, drive system such as four-wheel drive, etc.) and the amount of remaining fuel to the server device 10. In this case, the instruction transmission unit 111 may transmit instructions to an autonomous vehicle with an amount of remaining fuel greater than a predetermined amount or an autonomous vehicle with a four-wheel drive system.

[0082] Fourth embodiment Hereinafter, a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. In the drawings and description of the fourth embodiment, components that are the same as or equivalent to those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals. Explanations that overlap with the first embodiment will be omitted as appropriate, and the description will focus on configurations that differ from the first embodiment.

[0083] Fig. 10 is a functional block diagram of the server-side processing unit 12 of the fourth embodiment. As shown in Fig. 10, the server-side processing unit 12 of the fourth embodiment includes a server-side disaster detection unit 101, a disaster occurrence location identification unit, an image collection area setting unit 103, an image request transmission unit 107, an image acquisition unit 108, an analysis unit 109, and a notification information transmission unit 110.

[0084] Fig. 11 is a functional block diagram of the vehicle-side processing unit 32 of the fourth embodiment. As shown in Fig. 11, the vehicle-side processing unit 32 of the fourth embodiment includes a request receiving unit 201, a vehicle-side disaster detection unit 202, a decision information acquisition unit 207, a decision unit 208, an image transmission unit 205, and a notification unit 206.

[0085] The vehicle-side storage unit 33 of the fourth embodiment stores in advance monitoring objects that are determined in advance for each type of disaster. The vehicle-side storage unit 33 of the fourth embodiment stores three-dimensional map data including the monitoring objects.

[0086] The decision information acquisition unit 207 of the vehicle-side processing unit 32 acquires decision information including the position of the monitored object and the angle of view, shooting direction and position of the shooting unit 34. For example, the decision information acquisition unit 207 acquires the position of the monitored object by reading out the position of the monitored object from the vehicle-side storage unit 33. The decision information is similar to the above-mentioned selection information, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0087] The determination unit 208 determines whether or not to transmit the image to the server device based on the acquired determination information. For example, the determination unit 208 judges whether or not the monitored object is included in the image based on the acquired angle of view, shooting direction, position of the vehicle 20, and position of the monitored object based on the determination information. The determination unit 208 determines to transmit the image to the server device when it is determined that the monitored object is included in the image, and determines not to transmit the image to the server device when it is determined that the monitored object is not included in the image.

[0088] Fig. 12 is a sequence diagram showing a process S300 performed between the server device 10 and the vehicle recording device 30 in the fourth embodiment. Steps S301 to S303 and S308 to S311 in Fig. 12 are similar to steps S101 to S103 and S111 to S114 in Fig. 4, respectively, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0089] In step S304, the image request sending unit 107 of the server device 10 sends an image request to the vehicle recording device 30.

[0090] In step S305, the vehicle-side disaster detection unit 202 of the vehicle-mounted recording device 30 detects the occurrence of a disaster based on the reception of the image request.

[0091] In step S306, the determination information acquisition unit 207 of the vehicle recording device 30 acquires the determination information.

[0092] In step S307, the decision unit 208 decides whether or not to transmit the image to the server device 10 based on the decision information. If the image is to be transmitted (Y in step S307), the process S300 proceeds to step S308. In step S308, the image is transmitted to the server device 10, and the analysis result is notified (steps S309 to S311). If the image is not to be transmitted (N in step S307), the process S300 in the vehicle recording device 30 ends.

[0093] In the fourth embodiment, when the occurrence of a disaster is detected, the vehicle recording device 30 determines whether or not to transmit an image to the server device 10 based on the position of the monitored object and the angle of view, shooting direction, and position of the shooting unit 34, and transmits the image to the server device 10 when it is determined to transmit the image. According to this configuration, the monitored object is more likely to be included in the image, so that the situation of the monitored object can be more easily grasped appropriately when a disaster occurs. In addition, since high-load processing such as image recognition is not required, it is possible to determine whether or not to transmit an image without using a CPU with high processing power in the vehicle recording device 30. Furthermore, since the server device 10 does not need to select a vehicle from which to acquire an image, the processing load on the server device 10 is reduced.

[0094] The present disclosure has been described above based on the embodiments. The embodiments are merely examples, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications are possible in the combination of each component and each processing step, and that such modifications are also within the scope of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0095] 1 image management system, 10 server device, 11 server side communication unit, 12 server side processing unit, 13 server side memory unit, 20 vehicle, 30 vehicle recording device, 31 vehicle side communication unit, 32 vehicle side processing unit, 33 vehicle side memory unit, 101 server side disaster detection unit, 102 disaster occurrence location identification unit, 103 image collection area setting unit, 104 shooting status request transmission unit, 105 selection information acquisition unit, 106 selection unit, 107 image request transmission unit, 108 image acquisition unit, 109 analysis unit, 110 notification information transmission unit, 111 instruction transmission unit, 201 request reception unit, 202 vehicle side disaster detection unit, 203 shooting status acquisition unit, 204 shooting status transmission unit, 205 image transmission unit, 206 notification unit, 207 decision information acquisition unit, 208 decision unit.

Claims

1. A disaster detection unit that detects the occurrence of a disaster; a selection information acquisition unit that acquires selection information including a position of a monitored object and an angle of view, a photographing direction, and a position of a photographing unit provided in each vehicle when the occurrence of the disaster is detected; a selection unit that selects a vehicle from which an image captured by the image capturing unit is to be acquired based on the selection information; an image acquisition unit that acquires the image from the selected vehicle; An image management device comprising:

2. The image management device according to claim 1 , wherein the selection unit selects the vehicle that captures the image in which the proportion of the monitored object in the image is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value, based on the selection information.

3. an instruction sending unit that, when the ratio in the image is less than a predetermined reference value for the images acquired from all of the vehicles, sends to the autonomously driven vehicle a movement instruction to move the autonomously driven vehicle to a position where the ratio of the images acquired from the vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value; The selection unit selects the autonomous vehicle as a vehicle to acquire the image when the ratio in the image is less than a predetermined reference value for the images acquired from all vehicles, The image management device according to claim 2 , wherein the image acquisition unit acquires the images from the autonomous driving vehicle.

4. an imaging unit that images the surroundings of the vehicle; A disaster detection unit that detects the occurrence of a disaster; a photographing status transmission unit that transmits the angle of view, the photographing direction, and the position of the photographing unit to an image management device that manages images when the occurrence of the disaster is detected; an image transmission unit that transmits the image to the image management device in response to receiving an image request from the image management device; Equipped with An information providing device in which the image management device selects a vehicle that will acquire images captured by the photographing unit based on the angle of view, the shooting direction, the position, and the position of the monitored object, and the image request is sent to the selected vehicle.

5. an imaging unit that images the surroundings of the vehicle; A disaster detection unit that detects the occurrence of a disaster; a decision unit that decides whether or not to transmit the image captured by the image capture unit to an image management device that manages images, based on the position of the monitored object and the angle of view, image capture direction, and position of the image capture unit, when the occurrence of the disaster is detected; an image transmission unit that transmits the image to the image management device when it is determined that the image is to be transmitted; An information providing device comprising:

Images