Information processing apparatus and information processing method

Abstract

To provide an information processing apparatus and an information processing method for reducing redundancy of video information generated by a communication terminal / imaging unit held by a mobile body.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus 1 includes: a determination unit 4 which determines whether video information 17a corresponding to a predetermined time space 21 can be acquired based on a predetermined determination condition 4a, on the basis of the number of communication terminals 11 existing in the predetermined time space 21 including areas 22 and time zones 23, using the video information 17a generated based on movement of a mobile body 12 holding the communication terminal 11 that acquires time information 16b and position information 16a; and a notification unit 5 which notifies an external apparatus 13 of a time space 21 that falls under denial, as video-missing time space information 5a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device and an information processing method for video information obtained from a moving object. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a traffic information center and the like for providing drivers of vehicles with information about traffic congestion on roads in a visual format. The traffic information center determines the congestion expected area as an image data collection range, determines candidates for regular buses scheduled to pass through that range, and transmits an information collection command to the candidate regular buses. When the regular bus approaches the image data collection range indicated by the information collection command, it transmits probe information including image data captured by an on-board camera and vehicle position information to the traffic information center. Based on the received probe information, the traffic information center creates road condition confirmation information that allows visual confirmation of road conditions in real time, and provides it to a network accessible from the information using vehicle.

[0003] In addition, video of the surroundings of a vehicle has been recorded by a drive recorder or the like for some time. The recorded video is tagged with location information, time information, etc., triggered by the occurrence of an abnormality such as an acceleration abnormality. The video information can be extracted using the tag as a marker. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-221537 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Generally, moving objects including people and vehicles often have communication terminals that transmit location information and time information.Moving objects also have imaging devices (e.g., drive recorders) that capture images of the surroundings of the moving object at a certain rate.For this reason, moving objects generate a large amount of video data every day.

[0006] For example, based on time and location information (probe data) obtained from each vehicle, it is possible to estimate the location of a traffic jam and identify the time and area that should be recorded by a drive recorder (see Patent Document 1).

[0007] However, much of the generated video data is not being used effectively. For example, video generated by a drive recorder tends to be concentrated in a specific time and area. This makes it difficult to use the data appropriately for events that are unpredictable, such as theft, children getting lost, wandering around, and robbery.

[0008] Therefore, in one aspect, an object of the present specification is to provide an information processing device and an information processing method that reduce duplication of video information generated by a communication terminal / image capture unit held by a mobile object. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] (1) An information processing device according to one embodiment of the present invention is an information processing device that uses video information generated based on the movement of a mobile body carrying a communication terminal that acquires time information and location information, and is characterized in that it is equipped with a determination unit that determines whether or not the video information corresponding to a specified time-space consisting of an area and a time period can be acquired based on specified conditions, based on the number of the communication terminals present in the specified time-space, and a notification unit that notifies an external device of the time-space corresponding to the no-acquisition as video-deficient space-time information.

[0010] "Location information" is information that indicates the current location of a moving object. "Location information" is, for example, information expressed as latitude and longitude. "Location information" may also be information expressed with altitude added. "Location information" may also be information expressed as another index value that can be converted to, for example, latitude, longitude, and altitude.

[0011] "Time information" is information indicating the time when the location information was identified. The "time information" may be a time in Japan, a time overseas, or the passage of time relative to a reference time. The "time information" may be information expressed as, for example, a time or another index value that can be converted into the passage of time relative to a reference time.

[0012] "Local information" refers to information that is identified by location information and time information.

[0013] "Video information" refers to information consisting of an image, a video, or a combination of an image and a video. "Video information" may also be information expressed as an index value that can be converted into an image, a video, or a combination of an image and a video.

[0014] "Space-time" is expressed in terms of area and time period. "Spatial-temporal information" is information consisting of an area and a time period. For example, an area may be represented by multiple location information, or may be represented by a specific radius centered on one location. An area may also be an area defined by identifying three or more locations and connecting those points. A time period is represented by multiple pieces of time information. "Spatial-temporal information" may also be information represented by another index value that can be converted to "area, time period".

[0015] "Video-deficient spatio-temporal information" is spatio-temporal information that does not have video information determined based on a predetermined condition.

[0016] (2) In such an information processing device, it is preferable that the notification unit notifies the communication terminal, which is the external device located in the area corresponding to the video deficient spatial information / in its vicinity, based on the location information.

[0017] (3) It is also preferable that the notification unit notifies route information regarding a route to the area corresponding to the video deficient spatiotemporal information, and reward information regarding a reward to be obtained by providing the video information of the area corresponding to the video deficient spatiotemporal information.

[0018] "Route information" refers to information about a route that passes through an area corresponding to the video-deficient spatial-temporal information. It may be information that digitizes text, images, videos, audio, etc. that shows the contents of the route, or may be information that combines multiple texts, images, videos, audio, etc.

[0019] "Reward information" is information about rewards. It may be electronic information such as text, images, videos, and audio that indicates the content of the reward, or a combination of multiple texts, images, videos, and audio. Rewards may be cash, electronic money, virtual currency, tokens (cryptocurrency), or points that can be used to purchase a service / product. It may also be the service itself, so long as it is a consideration. Rewards may be expressed, for example, as cash, electronic money, virtual currency, tokens, points, or another index that can be converted into a service.

[0020] (4) It is preferable that the notification unit notifies change request information regarding a request to change an existing route of the moving object to a route that passes through the area corresponding to the video deficient time space information.

[0021] "Change request information" is information about a request for a route change, including information about the area to be passed through. For example, it is information such as text, audio, image, video, etc., that indicates a change request, and is information consisting of a combination of multiple items. In addition, "change request information" may be information expressed by another index that can be converted into, for example, audio, image, video, or a combination of multiple items.

[0022] (5) It is also preferable that the moving object has a photographing device that photographs its surroundings and generates the video information, and that the external device is a management device that manages the operation of the moving object.

[0023] (6) It is also preferable that the judgment unit makes a judgment based on an index value obtained by multiplying the number of passes of a vehicle as the moving body traveling a specified route in the area per specified time by the rate at which valid images can be acquired.

[0024] (7) It is preferable that the determination unit makes the determination based on a second index value obtained by dividing the index value by the number of lanes of the route.

[0025] (8) Another aspect of a method for use in an information processing device of the present invention is a method for use in an information processing device that uses video information generated based on the movement of a mobile body carrying a communication terminal that acquires time information and location information, characterized in that, based on the number of communication terminals present in a specified time-space consisting of an area and a time period, it is determined whether or not the video information corresponding to the time-space can be properly acquired, and the time-space corresponding to the determination of no is notified to an external device as video-deficient time-space information. Effect of the Invention

[0026] The information processing device and the information processing method can effectively utilize video information. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0027] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of a system using an information processing device. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating an embodiment of an information processing device. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a road map. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a data structure of a map information database. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an information processing device. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a communication terminal. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a process flow of an information processing device. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a data structure of a mobile object information database. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a data structure of a local information database. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of a tally information database. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a map screen displayed on the terminal. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0028] [1. Overview] (Introduction) A system including an information processing device according to this embodiment encourages the allocation of vehicles from time periods and locations (hereinafter referred to as space-time) with high vehicle traffic to sparse space-time in a specified area in which services are provided, avoiding duplication of video information generated from a shooting unit (e.g., a drive recorder) and encouraging the video information to be generated in a distributed manner over a wide space-time. Distributing video information is expected to enable effective use of the information in the event of unpredictable occurrences, such as theft, loss of a child, wandering, and robbery. The allocation of video information is performed by identifying a time-space with little video information (video-deficient time-space information) from the information on the traffic volume of vehicles in a specific time-space, and notifying / publishing the video-deficient time-space information to an external device (mobile body / information disclosure server). For example, by disclosing the video-deficient time-space information in the area in advance to drivers and people who enjoy walking / running / cycling, it is possible to encourage them to select and move in a time-space with little video information for themselves, for crime prevention / safety within the area. At that time, they are notified of a route change to a sparse time-space in exchange for a reward.

[0029] [2.Each configuration] (System 10) First, the system will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 shows a system 10. In the system 10, an information processing device 1, a mobile object 12 having a communication terminal 11, and an external device 13 are communicably connected via a communication network 14. As shown in the figure, the information processing device 1 of the system 10 prompts the vehicle / person 12 to move to a road indicated by the symbol L41 on which the mobile object 12 is not traveling.

[0030] (Information processing device 1) A detailed description will now be given with the addition of FIG. 2. FIG. 2 shows one embodiment of a functional block diagram of the system 10. In this embodiment, the communication terminal 11 corresponds to the external device 13. The information processing device 1 shown in FIG. 2 utilizes video information 17a generated based on the movement of a moving object 12. The moving object 12 in the figure is present on a road of a preset length range identified by a reference character L and a number. The set road corresponds to an area 22, and is called a link. The link will be described in detail later.

[0031] The information processing device 1 mainly includes, for example, a determination unit 4 and a notification unit 5. In this embodiment, the information processing device 1 further includes a local information acquisition unit 2 and a counting unit 3. In this embodiment, the information processing device 1 further includes a confirmation unit 7, a route creation unit 8, and a settlement unit 9.

[0032] (Local Information Acquisition Unit 2) The local information acquisition unit 2 acquires location information 16a and time information 16b of the communication terminal 11 held in the mobile object 12 as local information 16. The local information acquisition unit 2 may acquire publicly known probe data from an external organization. An example of the external organization is an automobile manufacturer.

[0033] (Counting unit 3, space-time 21, area 22, time period 23) The counting unit 3 counts the number of communication terminals 11 present in a predetermined time space 21 (see FIG. 9) consisting of an area 22 and a time period 23.

[0034] (Judgment part 4) The determination unit 4 determines whether or not video information 17a corresponding to a given time-space 21 can be acquired, based on the number of communication terminals 11 present in the time-space 21. The judgment takes into consideration, for example, that even if there are a large number of communication terminals 11, there is a certain percentage of moving objects that do not have an image capturing unit 17. Furthermore, for example, the possibility that the video information 17a is not clear due to weather, time, some kind of malfunction, etc. is taken into consideration. As a result of the determination, information of the space-time 21 where the video information 17a is lacking is set as video-lacking space-time information 5a. The video-lacking space-time information 5a is represented by an area 22 and a time period .

[0035] (Road Map 24) FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a road map. The road map 24 shown in FIG. 3 is an area A in which the system 10 provides services. In the road map 24, the circular frames indicated with the symbol ND are nodes. Each node is assigned an identification number ID (see FIG. 4), such as ND1, ND2, for example. In this embodiment, the nodes correspond to the positions where traffic lights are installed. Note that the positions of intersections may also be regarded as nodes. An arrowed line indicated by the symbol L between two nodes is a link. Each link is assigned an identification number ID (see FIG. 4), such as L1 and L2. The arrow indicates the direction of travel of the vehicle. Link L is distinguished by two lanes, up and down. In FIG. 3, for ease of visibility, wide road widths are shown as two links L, L. On the other hand, narrow road widths are shown as one link L for ease of visibility, and are omitted. In the case of a one-way street, there is only one link L, but in this embodiment, in order to improve visibility, no distinction is made between the link abbreviated to one and the one-way link. Link L corresponds to area 22. In this embodiment, the time periods 23 (see FIG. 10) are time periods divided into one-hour intervals. They may be divided into other lengths. Also, time periods with heavy traffic may be divided into shorter intervals, and time periods with light traffic (for example, late night) may be divided into longer intervals.

[0036] (Map Information Database 25) 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the data structure of a map information database (hereinafter referred to as map information DB). The map information database 25 shown in FIG. The node information 26 is composed of a node ID 26a and coordinate information 26b. In this embodiment, the coordinate information 26b is composed of longitude and latitude, but any value that can be converted thereto may be used. The link information 27 includes a link ID 27a, a starting point 27b, an ending point 27c, a number of lanes 27d, a road type 27e, and a road name 27f. Other items may be included in the link information 27. The direction indicated by the link arrow corresponds to the direction from the starting point 27b to the ending point 27c. The number of lanes 27d indicates the number of lanes. The road type 27e indicates the type of road, such as a national road, a city road, or a private road. The road name 27f indicates the number / name of the national road, city road, or the like.

[0037] (Notification section 5) Returning to FIG. 2, the notification unit 5 notifies the communication terminal 11 (external device 13) of the video-deficient space-time information 5a regarding the space-time 21 corresponding to the negative determination. In this embodiment, when there is video-deficient spatial-temporal information 5a, the notification unit 5 checks whether a moving object 12 is present near the area 22 corresponding to the video-deficient spatial-temporal information 5a. Then, the notification unit 5 notifies the moving object 12 present nearby.

[0038] (Verification Section 7) The confirmation unit 7 confirms whether the moving object 12 has passed through the link ID 27a (see FIG. 4) corresponding to the notified video deficient time-space information 5a. The confirmation is performed based on the local information 16 of the moving object 12. Note that in addition to the local information 16, video information 17a may also be acquired for confirmation.

[0039] (Route Creation Section 8) The route creation unit 8 creates a route from the current location 6a of the mobile object 12 to the end point 27c of the link via the link ID 27a corresponding to the video deficient time space information 5a, and further creates a route 6d (see FIG. 11) returning from the end point 27c to the existing route 6b, and transmits them as route information 29a to the communication terminal 11. The communication terminal 11 displays the created route on the display unit 19.

[0040] (Payment Department 9) The settlement unit 9 pays the reward after confirming the passage of the link ID 27a (see FIG. 4) corresponding to the video-deficient time space information 5a of the moving object 12. The reward is paid by transmitting information for settlement (not shown) to the settlement server.

[0041] (Communication terminal 11) The communication terminal 11 includes a position detection unit 15, an image capture unit 17, a meta information generation unit 18, a display unit 19, and a storage unit 31 of the communication terminal. In this embodiment, the communication terminal 11 is, for example, a smartphone. However, the communication terminal 11 may be a mobile phone, a tablet terminal, a personal computer, or the like. The communication terminal 11 may also be a drive recorder or a navigation device. Furthermore, the communication terminal 11 may operate in cooperation with a drive recorder or a navigation device.

[0042] (Mobile 12) A communication terminal 11 is mounted on a mobile object 12. The mobile object 12 may be any vehicle that can travel on public roads, such as a car, a motorcycle, a bicycle, an electric kickboard, etc. The mobile object 12 may also be a person carrying the communication terminal 11.

[0043] (External device 13) The external device 13 may be a communication terminal 11 held by the mobile body 12, a server for publishing the video-deficient spatial information 5a on the Internet, or a server (operation management device) of an operating company that manages the operation of buses / taxi.

[0044] (Communications Network 14) The communication network 14 is, for example, a communication network of the Internet, and is also constructed by a mobile phone network, a wireless communication path, Ethernet (registered trademark), and the like.

[0045] (Position detection unit 15) The position detection unit 15 of the communication terminal 11 has a function of acquiring local information 16 consisting of position information 16a and time information 16b of the communication terminal 11. For example, the position detection unit 15 acquires the position information using a GPS (Global Positioning System) sensor. Note that a positioning method other than the GPS sensor, such as WiFi positioning or beacon positioning, may also be used.

[0046] (Photography Section 17) The photographing unit 17 is a conventionally known device equipped with a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor, a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor, or the like. The photographing unit 17 photographs the front, rear, sides, and a combination of these of the vehicle, and generates video information 17a. The photographing unit 17 may be incorporated and integrated into the communication terminal 11, or may be separate from the communication terminal 11. The photographing unit 17 may be equipped with a sound collecting device (not shown) such as a microphone. The video information 17a generated by the photographing unit 17 is stored in the storage unit 31.

[0047] (Meta information generator 18, video information 17a) The meta information generating unit 18 is triggered by the occurrence of an abnormality such as an impact to the vehicle body 12 or an abnormal acceleration, and also at predetermined time intervals, and attaches a tag consisting of the position information 16a and / or the time information 16b to the video information 17a generated by the shooting unit 17. Note that instead of storing all the video information 17a in the storage unit 31, the tagged video information 17a may be stored. The video information 17a is a moving image. Note that a large number of still images may be used instead.

[0048] (Display section 19) As the display unit 19, for example, a device that displays a screen, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP), or an organic electroluminescence (EL) display, is used.

[0049] [3. Hardware configuration] Next, the hardware configurations of the information processing device 1 and the communication terminal 11 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0050] (Hardware configuration of information processing device 1) FIG. 5 shows a hardware configuration of the information processing device 1. As shown in FIG. 5, the information processing device 1 of the present embodiment uses, for example, a computer. The information processing device 1 includes a CPU (or GPU) 30. The CPU 30 is connected to, for example, a memory (hereinafter referred to as a storage unit) 31, a connection port 33 for connecting / reading a recording device 32, and a communication circuit 34 for communicating with the outside via a network, via a bus line 35. The storage unit 31 stores a program 36 for processing the system 10. A browser program 37 and an OS 38 (operating system) may also be stored. The program 36 is installed in the server 11 by the recording device 32. The storage unit 31 also stores a map information DB 25, a mobile object information database (hereinafter referred to as a mobile object information DB) 40, a local information database (hereinafter referred to as a local information DB) 41, and a compilation information database (a compilation information DB) 42. The storage unit 31 also stores various conditions 4a, 5b, and 5c.

[0051] (Hardware configuration of communication terminal 11) Fig. 6 shows the hardware configuration of the communication terminal 11. As shown in Fig. 6, in the communication terminal 11 of this embodiment, a display unit 19 is connected to a bus line 35 of the communication terminal 11. A terminal program 39 for processing the system 10 is stored in a storage unit 31 of the computer of the communication terminal 11. A browser program 37 and an OS 38 (operating system) may also be stored. The program 39 is installed in the communication terminal 11 by a recording device 32.

[0052] In this embodiment, the program 36 and the terminal program 39 may operate in cooperation with each other by utilizing the functions of the OS 38 and the browser program 37, respectively. Note that the program 36 and the terminal program 39 may operate independently without utilizing the browser program 37 and the OS 38, respectively.

[0053] In the hardware configuration of the above-mentioned program 36 and terminal program 39, the functions shown in the functional block diagram of FIG. 2 are realized, for example, by using a CPU 30, program 36, and terminal program 39, but some or all of them may be sequence-controlled using a logic circuit such as a microcomputer, or a PLC (programmable logic controller).

[0054] [4. Program] (Flowchart showing the process of the information processing device 1) 7 is a flow chart showing an embodiment of the processing of the program 36 used in the information processing device 1 of the system 10. The flow chart shows an information processing method 20.

[0055] (Preparation process: User registration) In this embodiment, the user of the communication terminal 11 is registered when using the system 10. Note that the system 10 may be used without user registration.

[0056] (T1) An unregistered user who wishes to use the system 10 performs user registration via the information processing device 1 or an external preregistered login server (hereinafter referred to as the information processing device, etc.). The user requests the information processing device, etc. to transmit a registration form for user registration via the communication terminal 11 or another terminal owned by the user (hereinafter referred to as the communication terminal, etc.). For example, in this embodiment, the function of a WEB browser is used.

[0057] (T2) The information processing device or the like transmits a registration form. In the registration form, a user name and password used for logging in to the system 10, a handle name used in the system 10, and the like are entered (not shown). Furthermore, information to be stored in the mobile object information DB 40 described later is entered.

[0058] (T3) An unregistered user inputs information for registration into the entry field. The communication terminal or the like transmits the input information to the information processing device or the like.

[0059] (T4) The information processing device or the like sets the ID 40a for identifying the communication terminal 11, and registers necessary information in the mobile unit information DB 40.

[0060] (Mobile Information Database 40) 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the data structure of the mobile object information DB 40. The mobile object information DB 40 shown in the figure is a compilation of mobile object information 28 of the mobile object 12. The mobile object information DB 40 includes, for example, an ID 40a which is an identification number of the mobile object 12, an address 40b, and a type of the mobile object 40c. Other information may also be registered.

[0061] The ID 40 a is a number assigned to each communication terminal 11 . The address 40b is the address of the user who owns the communication terminal 11. The type of moving object 40c indicates the type of the moving object 12, such as a vehicle, a bicycle, a person, etc. If the smart phone is used for both a vehicle and a bicycle, it is sufficient to register both or either one of them. In this embodiment, the user can register items other than the ID 40a at his / her discretion. It is preferable that the user does not register information that he / she does not want to make public. It is also possible to specify the range of information that can be made public.

[0062] Furthermore, if a reward is to be received, the registration form is filled with information necessary to receive the reward. Necessary information is, for example, all information necessary to actually receive the reward. Necessary information includes, for example, bank account information, such as the bank name (bank code), branch name (branch number), account number, account name, and information that can be converted thereto. If the reward is electronic money, points, virtual currency, tokens (cryptocurrency), etc., all information necessary to receive the electronic money, points, virtual currency, tokens (cryptocurrency), etc. is entered. All necessary information may be at least the minimum information necessary to receive the reward. These registration items may be registered all at once, or may be registered each time.

[0063] (S1: Acquisition of local information 16) Returning to Fig. 7, the CPU 30 (see Fig. 5) of the information processing device 1 acquires the local information 16. The local information 16 is acquired at predetermined time intervals. The acquired local information 16 is organized in a local information DB 41 in the storage unit 31 of the information processing device 1. At that time, necessary information is also acquired from the mobile object information DB 40.

[0064] (Local Information Database 41) 9 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the data structure of the local information DB 41. The local information DB 41 shown in the figure is composed of, for example, an ID 40a for identifying the moving object 12, and local information 16. The local information 16 includes position information 16a and time information 16b. Note that other information may also be registered.

[0065] (S2: Compile 16 local information) The local information 16 is aggregated. The aggregated local information 16 is organized in an aggregate information DB 42 in the storage unit 31 of the information processing device 1. In this embodiment, it is confirmed from a plurality of pieces of local information 16 acquired at predetermined time intervals that the moving object 12 has passed through a specific link from the start point 27b to the end point 27c. The number of confirmed moving objects 12 is then aggregated.

[0066] (Aggregated Information Database 42) FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the data structure of the tally information DB 42. The tally information DB 42 shown in the figure includes, for example, a link ID 27a and the number of passing communication terminals 42a in a specific time period 23. For example, 2 o'clock in the time period 23 in the figure indicates the number of passings 42a in the 2 o'clock hour. In the figure, for example, the number of passings 42a of the moving object 12 in the link L41 in the 2 o'clock hour is 0 (see the thick rectangular frame at the bottom). Furthermore, for example, the number of passings 42a of the moving object 12 in the link L31(1) in the 2 o'clock hour is 10 (see the thick rectangular frame at the top). Here, the number in parentheses of L31(1) indicates the lane number. The lane numbers are assigned in ascending order from the right to the left as seen by the driver. Note that when there is one lane, no number in parentheses is assigned.

[0067] (S3: Judge) It is determined whether or not video information 17a can be acquired based on judgment condition 4a. In this embodiment, judgment is made as to whether or not video information 17a can be acquired when judgment condition 4a is not satisfied if passage number 42a is equal to or greater than a predetermined number.

[0068] (Other Judgment Method 1) As another example of the judgment condition 4a, the judgment may be made by calculation using the number of passes 42. For example, the judgment is made based on an index value obtained by multiplying the number of passes 42a by the rate at which valid images can be acquired. The rate at which valid images can be acquired is the rate at which images can be visually recognized as images and the rate at which the moving objects 12 are equipped with the imaging unit 17 such as a drive recorder. In this embodiment, for example, 25% is adopted.

[0069] (Other Judgment Method 2) As yet another example of the judgment condition 4a, the judgment may be made based on a second index value obtained by dividing the above-mentioned index value by the number of lanes 27d of the corresponding link. For example, the number of passing vehicles in the 2 o'clock hour for link ID L31 is 10. Also, the number of lanes for link ID L31 is 2 (see FIG. 4). Therefore, the second index value is determined to be approximately 0.83, which is obtained by multiplying 10 vehicles by 0.25 (25%) and dividing by 2 (the number of lanes). In this embodiment, if the second index value is less than 1, a negative determination is made.

[0070] (S4: Check for the presence of image-deficient spatiotemporal information 5a) The presence or absence of the image-deficient spatio-temporal information 5a is confirmed. In this embodiment, the area 22 corresponding to the image-deficient spatio-temporal information 5a is shown as a link ID 27a (see FIG. 4). If there is no link ID corresponding to the image-deficient spatio-temporal information 5a, the program 36 is terminated, and if there is, the program proceeds to step S5.

[0071] (S5: Check if there is a moving object nearby) If there is video-deficient time-space information 5a, it is checked based on search conditions 5b whether a moving object 12 exists near the link ID 27a corresponding to the video-deficient time-space information 5a. For example, it obtains location information 16a obtained from the communication terminal 11 and checks whether it exists nearby. If there is no video-deficient time-space information 5a, the program 36 is terminated, and if there is, it proceeds to step S6. In this embodiment, for example, the search condition 5b is to search for a nearby moving object that exists within a predetermined radius centered on the start point 27b of the link ID. If multiple moving objects 12 exist within the predetermined radius, the closest moving object 12 is selected.

[0072] (S6: Obtain route information and / or reward information) Route information 29a is obtained that is related to a route via link ID 27a corresponding to video deficient time space information 5a. Route information 29a is a route from position information 16a of nearby moving body 12 obtained in the above-mentioned step S5, via start point 27b of link ID 27a, to end point 27c. Moreover, the reward information 29b is acquired based on the reward condition 5c. As the reward condition 5c, for example, the reward increases according to the distance between the moving body 12 and the starting point 27b. Also, the smaller the number of passes 42a (see FIG. 10), the larger the reward. Note that other reward conditions 5c may be adopted.

[0073] (S7: Notify) The route information 29a and / or reward information 29b are notified to the moving object 12 existing near the above-mentioned link ID 27a. In this embodiment, for example, text information 6e stating "10 points will be awarded if you shoot a video via the displayed route" is notified (see FIG. 11).

[0074] (Display on communication terminal) 11 shows the screen display 6 of the display unit 19 of the communication terminal 11. Reference numeral 6a denotes the current location of the mobile unit 12. The thick line indicated by reference numeral 6b denotes an existing route already set for the mobile unit 12. The shaded area indicated by reference numeral 6c corresponds to the link L41 corresponding to the image-deficient space-time information 5a. The dotted line indicated by reference numeral 6d denotes a route returning from the end point 27c of the link ID 27a to the existing route 6b. The dashed line indicated by reference numeral 29a denotes a route 6e from the current location to the end point 27c via the start point 27b. For the return route 6d, the route may be searched for by the communication terminal 11, or the route may be searched for by the information processing terminal 1 and transmitted to the communication terminal 11. When searching for a route by the information processing terminal 1, existing route information 29c (see FIG. 2) relating to the existing route 6b of the mobile object 12 is acquired from the communication terminal 11. The existing route information 29c is made up of, for example, position information of the destination point of the mobile object 12 and the link IDs to be passed through. Note that any index value that can be converted into the existing route 6b may be used.

[0075] (Confirmation of successful request and payment of reward) The passage of the link ID 27a of the requesting mobile unit 12 and / or the acquisition of the video information 17a are confirmed. The passage of the link ID 27a is confirmed by the local information 16. After confirmation, the payment of the fee is processed. The payment of the reward may be made, for example, by transmitting necessary information such as a QR code (registered trademark) for receiving the payment to the communication terminal 11, or by requesting payment of the reward from an external settlement server (see FIG. 2).

[0076] 5. Other embodiments Next, a description will be given of other embodiments of the system 10. The modifications and other embodiments described below are substantially similar to the above-described system 10, so the same parts are given the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0077] (Variation 1) A description will be given of a modification of the system 10. In the modification 1, the aggregated information DB 42 is acquired from another server of the information processing device 1 or from an external organization. Therefore, steps S1 and S2 are not provided.

[0078] (Variation 2) In the second modification, if there is video-deficient spatio-temporal information 5a in step S4 (see FIG. 7), the video-deficient spatio-temporal information 5a is notified to the external device 13. Steps S5 and S6 are not passed through. Note that in step S4, regardless of the presence or absence of video-deficient spatio-temporal information 5a, the information organized in the aggregated information DB 42 may be notified to the mobile body 12 or transmitted to a server for information disclosure and made public on a website or SNS.

[0079] (Variation 3) In the third modification, if there is video deficient space-time information in step S4, the process proceeds to step S6 of acquiring route information / reward information without checking whether a moving object 12 is present nearby (S5).

[0080] (Variation 4) In the fourth modification, notification (S7) is made without acquiring route information 29a and / or remuneration information 29b.

[0081] (Variation 5) In the fifth modification, in step S5, a communication terminal 11 whose address 40b (see FIG. 8) is close to the start point 27b of the link ID is selected. This is because even if the communication terminal 11 is not nearby now, it is easy to go to the link ID 27a corresponding to the video deficient time space information 5a later. In this case, the route information 29a notified in step S6 is the route from the position information 16a of the address 40a via the start point 27b of the link ID 27a to the end point 27c.

[0082] Second embodiment Next, another embodiment of the system 10 will be described. Returning to FIG. 1, in the system 10a according to the second embodiment, as a result of the determination in step S3 (see FIG. 7), the image-deficient space-time information 5a is notified to a traffic management device that manages the operation of the mobile body 12 as an external device 13. The traffic management device 13a (see FIG. 1) is, for example, a device that manages the operation of a bus, a taxi, a home delivery service, etc. The traffic management device 13a changes the operation route so that it passes through a link ID 27a corresponding to the image-deficient space-time information 5a, within a range where the arrival time increases by a predetermined amount.

[0083] (Variation 6) A modification of the system 10a will be described below. In the modification 6, change request information 43 (see FIG. 2) regarding a request to change the route to one that passes through the link ID 27a corresponding to the video deficient time space information 5a is transmitted to the traffic management device 13a.

[0084] [6.Other] The above-described embodiment, the modified example, and the second embodiment can be used in appropriate combination. A part of the functions of the information processing device 1 may be distributed to another external server. When a route to a destination point of the moving body 12 has already been set, the route may be set to pass through a link ID 27a corresponding to the image deficiency spatial information 5a so that the arrival time is increased within a predetermined time, for example, within 10%. In step S5 (see FIG. 7), when searching for a moving object 12, a search condition 5b may be set that the moving object 12 is not only located near the link ID 27a, but also that the moving object 12 is located in the same or close time zone as the time zone 23 of the video deficient time space information 5a.

[0085] [7. Summary] (1) The information processing device 1 (information processing method 20) is an information processing device 1 that utilizes video information 17a generated based on the movement of a mobile body 12 carrying a communication terminal 11 that acquires time information 16b and location information 16a, and is characterized in that it is equipped with a judgment unit 4 that judges whether or not video information 17a corresponding to a specified time space 21 consisting of an area 22 and a time period 23 can be acquired based on a predetermined judgment condition 4a, based on the number of communication terminals 11 present in the said space-time, and a notification unit 5 that notifies an external device 13 of the space-time 21 corresponding to the no-acquisition result as video-deficient space-time information 5a.

[0086] For this reason, in a given area A where the service is provided, a space-time with little video information 17a (video-deficient space-time information 5a) is specified from information on the traffic volume of vehicles 12 in a specific space-time 21, and the video-deficient space-time information 5a is notified / disclosed to an external device 13 (a mobile body / server for information disclosure). For example, it is expected that drivers and people who enjoy walking / running / cycling in the area A will choose their own route for crime prevention / safety in the area, and the video-deficient space-time information 5a is disclosed to residents in the area A in advance. Therefore, in the area A, it is possible to encourage the allocation of the mobile body 12 from a space-time 21 with a high traffic volume to a space-time 21 with a low traffic volume, avoid duplication of video information generated by the shooting unit, and encourage the generation of video information 17a distributed in a wide space-time 21. This makes it possible to effectively utilize the video information 17a for events that cannot be predicted when and where they will occur, such as theft, getting lost, wandering, and robbery.

[0087] (2) In such an information processing device 1, the notification unit 5 notifies the communication terminal 11, which is an external device 13 located within / near the area 22 corresponding to the video-deficient space-time information 5a, based on the location information 16a, thereby encouraging the allocation of the moving body 12 to the sparse space-time 21, and effectively encouraging the generation of video information 17a in the video-deficient space-time information 5a.

[0088] (3) Furthermore, the notification unit 5 notifies route information 29a regarding the route to the area 22 corresponding to the image-deficient spatiotemporal information 5a, and reward information 29b regarding the reward to be obtained by providing image information 17a of the area 22 corresponding to the image-deficient spatiotemporal information 5a. This provides an incentive to drivers and people who enjoy walking / running / cycling within the area A, and more effectively encourages the generation of image information 17a in the image-deficient spatiotemporal information 5a.

[0089] (4) In addition, the notification unit 5 notifies change request information 43 regarding a request to change the existing route 6b of the moving body 12 to a route that passes through the area 22 corresponding to the video-deficient spatiotemporal information 5a, thereby more effectively promoting the generation of video information 17a in the video-deficient spatiotemporal information 5a.

[0090] (5) Furthermore, since the external device 13 is the operation management device 13a that manages the operation of the mobile object 12, it is possible to promote the generation of the video information 17a in the video-deficient space-time information 5a by using transportation such as a bus or a taxi.

[0091] (6) Furthermore, the judgment unit 4 makes a judgment based on an index value obtained by multiplying the number of passes per specified time 42a of a vehicle as a moving body 12 that has traveled along a route corresponding to the area 22 by the rate at which valid images can be acquired, so that the image deficiency time spatial information 5a can be effectively grasped.

[0092] (7) The determination unit 4 makes a determination based on the second index value obtained by dividing the index value by the number of lanes of the route, so that the video deficiency time spatial information 5a can be grasped more effectively. [Explanation of symbols]

[0093] 1. Information processing device 2 Local Information Acquisition Department 3. Counting section 4 Judgment section 4a Judgment conditions 5 Notification section 5a Deficient image spatiotemporal information 5b Search conditions 5c Compensation conditions 6 screen display 6a Current location 6b Existing Routes 6c Link ID corresponding to missing video spatiotemporal information 6d Return route 6e Route to the end 7. Verification Section 8 Route Creation Section 9. Payment Department 10. System 10a Other embodiments 10b Other embodiments 11. Communications terminals 12 Mobile 13 External equipment 13a Traffic control device 14. Communications Networks 15 Position detection unit 16 Local Information 16a Location information 16b Time information 17. Photography Department 17a Video information 18 Meta information generation unit 19 Display section 20. Information Processing Methods 21 Time and Space 22 Area 23 Time Zone 24 Road Map 25 Map information database (Map information DB) 26 Node Information 26a Node ID 27 Link Information 27a Link ID 27b Starting point 27c End 27d Number of lanes 27e Road type 27f Road name 28 Mobile Information 29a Route Information 29b Remuneration Information 29c Existing Route Information 30 CPU 31 Memory 32 Recording Devices 33 Connection Ports 34 Communication Circuits 35 Bus Line 36 Programs 36a Program 37 Browser Programs 38 OS 39 Terminal Programs 40 Mobile Information Database (Mobile Information DB) 40a Identification ID 40b Presence or absence of a photography section 40c Type of vehicle 41 Local Information Database (Local Information DB) 42 Aggregated Information Database (Aggregated Information DB) 42a Number of passes 43 Change Request Information Area A

Claims

1. An information processing device that uses video information generated based on movement of a mobile object that has a communication terminal that acquires time information and location information, a determination unit that determines whether or not the video information corresponding to a predetermined time-space can be acquired based on the number of the communication terminals present in the predetermined time-space formed by an area and a time zone and on a predetermined condition; and a notification unit that notifies an external device of the time-space corresponding to the non-existence as video-deficient time-space information.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the notification unit notifies the communication terminal, which is the external device, that exists in the area corresponding to the video deficient spatial information or in the vicinity thereof, based on the position information.

3. The information processing device according to claim 2 , wherein the notification unit notifies route information regarding a route passing through the area corresponding to the video-deficient spatio-temporal information and reward information regarding a reward to be obtained by providing the video information of the area corresponding to the video-deficient spatio-temporal information.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the notification unit notifies change request information regarding a request to change an existing route of the moving object to a route that passes through the area corresponding to the video deficient time space information.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the external device is a traffic management device that manages the traffic of the mobile object.

6. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the determination unit makes a determination based on an index value obtained by multiplying the number of passes of a vehicle body as the moving body traveling a predetermined route in the area per predetermined time by the rate at which valid images can be acquired.

7. The information processing device according to claim 6 , wherein the determination unit makes the determination based on a second index value obtained by dividing the index value by the number of lanes of the route.

8. A method for use in an information processing device that uses video information generated based on movement of a mobile object having a communication terminal that acquires time information and location information, comprising: determining whether the video information corresponding to a predetermined time-space formed by an area and a time zone can be appropriately acquired based on the number of the communication terminals present in the time-space; A method for use in an information processing device, which notifies an external device of video deficiency spatiotemporal information regarding the space-time corresponding to the determination of no or not.

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