On-vehicle electronic apparatus, server and client terminal

Abstract

To solve a problem that, when detecting the occurrence of an event in a vehicle and transmitting information indicating the presence or absence of the event and moving image data to a server, the number of events may become too many.SOLUTION: Processing means generates moving image data on the basis of a moving image captured by imaging means mounted on a vehicle, detects the occurrence of an event on the basis of determination conditions for determining the occurrence of the event in a vehicle, and generates vehicle information including the presence or absence of the occurrence of the event. The processing means transmits transmission data including the vehicle information and the moving image data to a server on a network through wireless communication means. The processing means, when receiving an update command for the determination conditions from the server, updates the determination conditions and detects the occurrence of an event on the basis of the updated determination conditions.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an in-vehicle electronic device, a server, a client terminal, and the like. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose inventions relating to drive recorders. The drive recorder disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a data collection unit that collects driving status data of a vehicle, a storage unit that stores the driving status data in a non-volatile manner, a communication unit that performs wired or wireless communication with a mobile phone terminal, and a control unit that comprehensively controls these functional units. When the control unit determines that a predetermined trigger condition is satisfied, it controls the communication unit to transmit the driving status data to the mobile phone terminal.

[0003] The drive recorder disclosed in Patent Document 2 includes a video data generating means for generating video data from a video signal capturing at least an image of the outside of the vehicle, and an image data transmitting means for transmitting image data including the video data to an external device when an event occurrence is detected. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5561847 [Patent Document 2] JP 2009-93255 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Conventional in-vehicle electronic devices such as drive recorders transmit driving status data and video data to the outside when a predetermined trigger condition is satisfied, when an event occurs, etc. Data when the predetermined trigger condition is not satisfied or when no event occurs is not transmitted to the outside. For example, if data is transmitted continuously, not only when a predetermined trigger condition is satisfied, there is a concern that the amount of communication traffic will increase. Furthermore, when detecting the occurrence of an event in a vehicle and transmitting information indicating the occurrence of the event and video data to a server, the number of events may become too large.

[0006] The purpose of the present invention is not limited to this, and the applicant intends to obtain rights for configurations that aim to obtain effects from parts of the configurations disclosed in this specification and drawings, etc., through divisional applications, amendments, etc. For example, this specification discloses a problem in which the part described as "can be" in this specification is read as "the problem is to be." The problems are described as independent, and the applicant intends to obtain rights for the configurations for solving these problems alone through divisional applications, amendments, etc. Even if the problem is implicitly understood from the description in the specification, the applicant intends to include part of the configurations described in this specification in the scope of the patent claim by amendment or divisional application. Problems that combine these independent problems are also disclosed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] (1) It is preferable that the in-vehicle electronic device has a processing means having a function of generating first video data and second video data having a smaller data volume than the first video data based on moving images captured by an imaging means mounted on the vehicle, recording the first video data in a storage means, and transmitting the second video data to a server on a network via wireless communication means.

[0008] Since the amount of the second video data to be transmitted is smaller than the amount of the first video data to be recorded in the storage means, the amount of data to be transmitted can be reduced compared to the case of transmitting the first video data. When the second video data is constantly transmitted without being limited to a specific time point such as an event occurrence, a remarkable effect of suppressing an increase in the amount of transmitted data can be obtained. For example, a corporation may install an on-board electronic device in multiple vehicles that it wishes to manage, and collect the second video data from the multiple vehicles under management in a server.

[0009] The imaging means mounted on the vehicle may be, for example, a camera that captures an image of the area in front of the vehicle to obtain a moving image. The imaging means may capture images of all directions of the vehicle, the interior of the vehicle, etc. The second video data may have a lower resolution and a lower frame rate than the first video data, so that the amount of data of the second video data is less than the amount of data of the first video data. For example, the resolution of the first video data may be equivalent to full high definition (1920 x 1080 pixels) and the frame rate may be 30 fps, etc., while the resolution of the second video data may be equivalent to VGA (640 x 480 pixels) and the frame rate may be 5 to 10 fps, etc.

[0010] As the storage means, for example, a removable medium such as an SD card may be used. By removing the removable medium from the in-vehicle electronic device and attaching it to an external electronic device such as a personal computer or tablet terminal, the first video data recorded on the removable medium can be played on the external electronic device. It may be difficult for a removable medium such as an SD card to satisfy the required specifications in terms of reliability. For example, a failure may occur that makes it impossible to read the video data that should have been recorded. By transmitting the second video data to a server, even if a failure occurs that makes it impossible to read the first video data that should have been recorded on the removable medium, it is possible to read the second video data from the server.

[0011] As the storage unit, a storage device built in the in-vehicle electronic device may be used instead of the removable medium. When the built-in storage device is used as the storage unit, the first video data may be transferred to an external device via a wireless LAN or the like.

[0012] A communication module conforming to a mobile wireless communication standard such as LTE or 4G may be used as the wireless communication means for transmitting the second video data. This makes it possible to transmit the second video data to a server when the vehicle is located within a service area of ​​the mobile wireless communication. An upload communication speed of, for example, 512 kbps may be ensured.

[0013] The server may have a function of storing the received second moving image data, and a function of distributing the stored second moving image data via the network in response to a request from the client terminal.

[0014] (2) When the processing means executes the function of transmitting the second video data to the server, the in-vehicle electronic device may transmit the second video data to the server regardless of whether or not an external impact is applied to the vehicle.

[0015] The second video data is transmitted to the server not only when the vehicle is impacted but also during normal driving, for example. The server can obtain more information than when video data is transmitted only when an impact occurs. It is preferable to provide the server with a function to use the information for various purposes, such as live distribution, on-demand distribution, and machine learning.

[0016] For example, the processing means may be configured to constantly transmit the second video data to the server while the accessory switch of the vehicle is on.

[0017] (3) The function of the processing means to transmit the second video data to the server may be an in-vehicle electronic device that includes a function to transmit the second video data to the server in real time.

[0018] If the server is given the ability to live-stream the second video data, the user of the client terminal (vehicle manager) receiving the live-streamed second video data will be able to check the video captured by the imaging means installed in the vehicle under management in almost real time.

[0019] It is preferable to generate video data by adding vehicle information in association with each frame of a video image captured by an imaging means, and to transcode the video data to generate first and second video data. When the frame rates of the original video data and the newly generated first and second video data are not changed, the vehicle information added in association with each frame may be directly associated with each frame of the newly generated first and second video data.

[0020] For example, if the frame rate of the second video data, which has a small amount of data, is made lower than the frame rate of the original video data and the vehicle information is directly associated with each frame of the second video data, a loss of vehicle information will occur in the second video data. In order to prevent a loss of vehicle information, a process of changing the association between the vehicle information and the frames may be performed in the generation process of the second video data. For example, a process of associating the vehicle information associated with multiple frames of the original video data with one frame of the second video data may be performed.

[0021] (4) The processing means may be an in-vehicle electronic device that generates third video data and fourth video data having a smaller data volume than the third video data based on moving images captured by the imaging means, generates the first video data by adding vehicle information of the vehicle in association with each frame of the third video data, and generates the second video data by adding the vehicle information in association with each frame of the fourth video data.

[0022] Even if the frame rates of the first video data and the second video data are different, the vehicle information can be added in association with each frame according to the frame rate. The video data playback device may have a function of extracting vehicle information from the first video data or the second video data at the time when the image of the currently displayed frame was acquired when playing back the first video data or the second video data. Since the vehicle information is added in association with each frame, the vehicle information associated with the frame can be easily extracted from the first video data or the second video data.

[0023] The vehicle information may be added to a frame header of the first video data or the second video data, etc. The vehicle information may include, for example, GPS data, time information of a real-time clock, acceleration information in the forward / rearward / upper limit / left / right directions, terminal identification information (terminal ID), etc. The GPS data may include, for example, current time information, current position information (latitude and longitude), traveling speed information, traveling direction information, current altitude information, valid / invalid information, etc. The time information of the real-time clock may be periodically calibrated based on the current time information included in the GPS data. The acceleration information may be acquired by an acceleration sensor mounted on the vehicle or an acceleration sensor built into the on-board electronic device, etc.

[0024] As the terminal identification information, for example, the ID number of the SIM card may be used. In this case, the terminal identification information is unique to the in-vehicle electronic device. As the terminal identification information, instead of the ID number of the SIM card, an ID number or the like given to each of the multiple in-vehicle electronic devices may be used. In addition, when multiple drivers may drive one vehicle and video data is to be managed for each driver, the video data may be associated with the driver using driver identification information for identifying the driver currently driving in addition to the terminal identification information. For example, before the vehicle is driven, the in-vehicle electronic device may read the driver ID information recorded on the ID card held by the driver. As the ID card, an IC driver's license, a non-contact IC card such as FeriCa, a contact IC card such as an SD card, or the like may be used.

[0025] (5) The processing means may be an in-vehicle electronic device that detects the occurrence of an event based on a determination condition for determining that an event has occurred in the vehicle, and that registers the presence or absence of an event as part of the vehicle information.

[0026] The server that receives the second video data including the vehicle information may have a function of reading the vehicle information, judging whether an event has occurred in the vehicle, and executing a specific process according to the judgment result. The server having the function of judging whether an event has occurred may perform a specific process on the second video data when an event occurs. For example, the server may perform the specific process instead of the in-vehicle electronic device when an event occurs, without the in-vehicle electronic device performing the specific process. For example, the server may have a function (event recording function) of recording video images before and after the event occurrence in a storage area separate from the storage area for continuous recording when an event occurs. If the server has the event recording function, the in-vehicle electronic device may not perform event recording.

[0027] Examples of events that occur in a vehicle include sudden steering, sudden braking, and the occurrence of impact. The occurrence of these events may be detected by an acceleration sensor mounted on the vehicle or an acceleration sensor built into the on-board electronic device. For example, the determination condition may be that the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor exceeds a predetermined determination threshold. An event flag indicating whether an event has occurred may be used as vehicle information indicating whether an event has occurred. It is further preferable to provide an event flag for each type of event, such as sudden steering, sudden braking, and the occurrence of impact.

[0028] (6) The processing means may be an in-vehicle electronic device that updates the judgment conditions upon receiving an update command for the judgment conditions from the server, and detects the occurrence of an event based on the updated judgment conditions.

[0029] The vehicle manager can update the judgment conditions via the server without directly operating the on-board electronic device installed in the vehicle. For example, if too many events are detected, the detection sensitivity can be reduced by increasing the judgment threshold for acceleration. Conversely, if events that should be detected are being overlooked, the detection sensitivity can be increased by decreasing the judgment threshold for acceleration.

[0030] The processing means may immediately update the judgment conditions upon receiving a command to update the judgment conditions. The vehicle manager can fine-tune the judgment conditions while checking the event detection results based on the updated judgment conditions to find optimal judgment conditions.

[0031] (7) The processing means may be an in-vehicle electronic device that has a function of blanking the image portion of the second video data and transmitting the second video data with the vehicle information added to the server when it receives an instruction to stop transmitting video images from the server.

[0032] The amount of data can be reduced by blanking the image portion of the second video data. For example, the image portion can be blanked by setting all pixels to a single color such as black. Even if the transmission of the video image is stopped, the second video data is transmitted, so the transmission of the vehicle information to the server continues. Although the transmission of the vehicle information continues, the amount of data to be transmitted is also reduced because the amount of data of the second video data is small. The second video data can be compressed using a video compression technology such as the H.264 standard.

[0033] (8) The processing means may be an in-vehicle electronic device having a function of determining whether or not to transmit the second video data based on the state of radio waves used by the wireless communication means, and if it is determined that transmission is not to be performed, recording the second video data in a storage means instead of transmitting it to the server.

[0034] When the radio wave conditions are such that communication is not possible or a communication speed sufficient for transmitting the second video data is not secured, it is preferable to determine not to transmit the second video data. The processing means is preferable to detect that the radio wave conditions are not suitable for transmitting the second video data before performing the transmission process. This makes it possible to eliminate unnecessary retries of the transmission process of the second video data.

[0035] By recording the second video data in the storage means, the processing means may be provided with a function to transmit the second video data currently being acquired to the server after the radio wave condition is recovered, and to read out the second video data recorded in the storage means and transmit it to the server. In this way, it is possible to prevent the second video data transmitted to the server from being lost. In the case where a transfer speed or processing capacity sufficient to transmit both the current second video data and the second video data recorded in the storage means is not ensured, it is possible to provide the processing means with a function to transmit the second video data recorded in the storage means to the server after the vehicle stops operating (for example, after the accessory switch is turned off). In this way, even if a transfer speed or processing capacity sufficient to transmit the second video data is not ensured, it is possible to transmit the second video data to the server.

[0036] (9) The processing means may be an in-vehicle electronic device having a function of outputting the contents of the message from an output means by an image or sound when the processing means receives a message from the server via the wireless communication means.

[0037] The client terminal may have a function of transmitting a message from the client terminal to the in-vehicle electronic device via the server by the vehicle manager operating the client terminal of the server. In this way, the vehicle manager can transmit a message to the driver of the vehicle by operating the client terminal. The driver who notices the message can reflect the content of the message in the driving operation, etc. The content of the message may be, for example, a content that warns the driver to avoid speeding, frequent sudden steering, and frequent sudden braking. In addition, the message may be a general business notice that needs to be notified to the driver. The output of the message content from the output means may wait until the vehicle stops at a traffic light, etc., so as not to interfere with the driving operation, and may be output after the vehicle has stopped. For example, it may be determined that the vehicle has stopped when the driving speed becomes 0.

[0038] A message notifying the occurrence of an emergency such as a traffic accident may be transmitted from the on-board electronic device to the administrator via the server. For example, the on-board electronic device may be provided with a switch such as a button for notifying the occurrence of an emergency, and when the driver operates this switch, the processing means may transmit a message notifying the occurrence of the emergency. The administrator can be informed of the occurrence of an emergency in the vehicle via the server.

[0039] It is preferable for the server to have a processing means that receives video data from each vehicle, including video images captured by an imaging means mounted on each of a plurality of managed vehicles and vehicle information associated with each frame of the video images, and stores the video data in a storage means.

[0040] When a device that reads and processes stored video data of a specific vehicle processes a specific frame, the device can easily access vehicle information of the vehicle associated with the currently processed frame. The processing means of the server may be provided with a function for reading and processing the stored video data. The device that reads and processes the video data may be provided with a function for extracting vehicle information associated with a frame from the video data while processing a specific frame, for example, processing to display an image on a display means.

[0041] It is preferable for the server to have a processing means that has a function of extracting vehicle information from video data including video images captured by an imaging means mounted on each of a plurality of managed vehicles and vehicle information associated with each frame of the video images, and storing the vehicle information in the storage means separately from the video data.

[0042] By extracting vehicle information from the video data and storing it in the storage means separately from the video data, a device that accesses the stored vehicle information can easily extract the necessary vehicle information without, for example, reading out the video data in chronological order. It is preferable that the processing means of the server has a function for accessing the stored vehicle information.

[0043] (10) The server should have a processing means having a function of receiving video data from each of a plurality of managed vehicles, the video data including video images captured by an imaging means mounted on each of the vehicles and vehicle information associated with each frame of the video images, storing the video data in a storage means, and extracting the vehicle information from the video data and storing it in the storage means separately from the video data.

[0044] When a device that reads and processes accumulated video data of a specific vehicle processes a specific frame, it can easily access vehicle information for that vehicle associated with the frame currently being processed, and can easily retrieve the required vehicle information from the storage means, for example, without having to read out the video data in chronological order.

[0045] The processing means of the server may have a function for reading and processing the stored video data, and a function for accessing the stored vehicle information.

[0046] The video data may be transmitted from an in-vehicle electronic device such as a drive recorder, etc. The processing means of the server may group the video data, vehicle information, etc. transmitted from the vehicle by terminal ID, store them, and manage them.

[0047] The vehicle information stored separately from the video data should be organized into a database so that it can be searched using various search keys. Search keys can be, for example, vehicle identification information, driver identification information, date and time information, information indicating whether an event has occurred, etc. Vehicle managers can easily access this database to find the vehicle information they need.

[0048] (11) The processing means may be a server having a function of, when a client terminal identifies a vehicle and requests live streaming, live streaming of the video data received from the identified vehicle to the client terminal that requested the live streaming, and a function of, when a client terminal identifies a vehicle and requests on-demand streaming, reading out the video data of the identified vehicle from the storage means and streaming it on-demand to the client terminal that requested the on-demand streaming.

[0049] The manager of the vehicle can check the video images captured in the specific vehicle live by operating the client terminal and requesting live distribution. Furthermore, the manager of the vehicle can check the video images captured in the specific vehicle in the past by specifying the specific vehicle and a specific date and time and requesting on-demand distribution.

[0050] When a live streaming request is made for a vehicle for which video transmission is currently stopped, the processing means of the server may send a command to the target vehicle to start transmitting video. The in-vehicle electronic device may have a function of starting video transmission when it receives a command to start transmitting video. When video transmission is started from the in-vehicle electronic device installed in the target vehicle for which a live streaming request has been made, the processing means of the server may live stream the video to the client terminal. The manager of the vehicle may operate the client terminal to check the current video from the target vehicle.

[0051] (12) The vehicle information includes location data indicating a current location of the corresponding vehicle, The processing means may be a server having a function of, when a client terminal identifies a vehicle and requests live streaming of the video data, transmitting location data indicating the current location of at least one vehicle other than the vehicle to be live streamed to the client terminal that requested the live streaming.

[0052] It is preferable to provide a client terminal with a function for extracting position data of a specific vehicle from video data of the specific vehicle being live-streamed. A vehicle manager can know the current position of the specific vehicle by operating a client terminal having this function. Furthermore, the vehicle manager can know the current positions of vehicles other than the specific vehicle by operating a client terminal having a function for receiving position data indicating the current positions of vehicles other than the vehicle being live-streamed.

[0053] The position data of vehicles other than the vehicle that is the subject of live streaming may be transmitted to the client terminal only when requested by the client terminal. In addition, the position data of vehicles other than the vehicle that is the subject of live streaming may be constantly transmitted to the client terminal that is the live streaming destination. The position data of vehicles other than the vehicle that is the subject of live streaming may also be transmitted to the client terminal while maintaining immediacy. The position data of vehicles other than the vehicle that is the subject of live streaming may be transmitted at a time interval longer than the frame interval of the video during live streaming. For example, when the frame interval of the video is about 0.1 seconds, the transmission interval of the position data of vehicles other than the vehicle that is the subject of live streaming may be about 1 to 5 seconds.

[0054] (13) The vehicle information includes an event flag indicating whether an event has occurred in the corresponding vehicle, The processing means may be a server having a function of determining whether or not an event has occurred in a vehicle based on the event flag contained in the video data received from multiple managed vehicles, and if it is determined that an event has occurred in a vehicle, storing in the storage means, as event recording data, the video data received from the vehicle in which it has been determined that an event has occurred, for a certain period before and after the time the event occurred, separately from the process of storing the video data in the storage means regardless of the occurrence of an event.

[0055] The processing means may have a function of managing the event recording data separately from the video data (continuously recorded data) received without interruption from the vehicle and stored in the storage means. The time span before and after the occurrence of the event to be stored as the event recording data may be, for example, one minute before and after the occurrence of the event, and it is more preferable that the time span can be set arbitrarily by the manager of the vehicle. In addition, it is preferable that this time span can be set for each type of event.

[0056] The processing means may have a function to delete (erase) the continuous recording data under set conditions for each terminal (drive recorder) or for each group. The deletion conditions for the continuous recording data may be set, for example, by a client terminal (for example, a PC application installed on a personal computer) operated by a user. For example, the processing means may delete the continuous recording data when a certain period of time has passed since the video data was acquired. The processing means may leave the event recording data even after deleting the continuous recording data. By deleting the continuous recording data, the storage capacity of the storage means occupied by the continuous recording data can be reduced. Even after the continuous recording data is deleted, the manager of the vehicle, etc., can check the contents of the event recording data that is of high importance, such as when an accident occurs. The processing means may have a function to delete the event recording data under conditions different from those for deleting the continuous recording data. The processing means of the server and the client terminal may have a function that allows the manager of the vehicle to operate the client terminal and set the deletion conditions for the event recording data. For example, the processing means may request approval for the deletion from the user (the manager of the vehicle) via the client terminal before deleting the event recording data. After the manager of the vehicle operates the client terminal to approve the deletion, the processing means may delete the event video data. In this way, it is possible to prevent the event recording data from being deleted without the manager of the vehicle realizing it.

[0057] The event flag check and event recording data storage process may be performed in real time when video data is received. In this way, the vehicle manager can immediately access the event recording data in the server after an event occurs. The event flag check and event recording data storage may be performed periodically or as a batch process upon command from the vehicle manager.

[0058] When checking the event flag and storing the event recording data in a batch process, it is advisable to check the event flag before deleting the continuous recording data, and when an event that has not been stored as event recording data is found, to inquire of the vehicle manager whether or not to store the event recording data before and after the event occurrence. In this way, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a situation in which important video data at the time of the event occurrence is deleted.

[0059] When the processing means of the server detects the occurrence of an event, it is preferable to send an email to a registered email address to notify the occurrence of the event. As the destination email address, for example, an email address that can receive emails on a terminal operated by the vehicle manager may be registered. Instead of sending an email, a push notification may be sent to a mobile terminal such as a tablet terminal operated by the vehicle manager. In this way, the vehicle manager can immediately become aware that an event has occurred in a vehicle under his / her management.

[0060] (14) The processing means may be a server having a function of accumulating the data communication volume for each managed vehicle and for each unit period, and transmitting the data communication volume for each vehicle to the client terminal in association with the vehicle.

[0061] The vehicle manager can grasp the data communication volume for each vehicle by operating a client terminal having a function of receiving and displaying the data communication volume transmitted from the server. The unit period for accumulating the data communication volume may be a period that is the basis for calculating the communication fee, for example, one month. The processing means may also transmit the total value of the data communication volume of all the vehicles under management to the client terminal. When the communication fee is determined based on the total value of the data communication volume, the vehicle manager can easily predict the communication fee from the total value of the data communication volume. The processing means may total the data communication volume for each vehicle for a period longer than the unit period, for example, one year, and transmit the total value to the client terminal.

[0062] The processing means may have a function of sending an e-mail to a registered e-mail address when the communication fee for each vehicle or the total communication volume exceeds a set upper limit, notifying the user that the communication volume has exceeded the set upper limit. The registered e-mail address may be an e-mail address that the manager of the vehicle can receive. Alternatively, instead of sending an e-mail, a push notification may be sent to a tablet terminal or the like that the manager can operate. In this way, when the manager realizes that the communication volume has exceeded the expected value, the manager can stop sending the video data, thereby preventing the communication fee from exceeding the expected amount.

[0063] (15) The processing means may be a server having a function of, upon receiving a request from a client terminal to identify a vehicle and transmit a message thereto, transmitting the contents of the message to the identified vehicle.

[0064] A vehicle manager can operate the client terminal to send a message to the vehicle via the server. Examples of messages include a message encouraging the driver to avoid dangerous driving, a simple business notice, and the like. When the server receives a message from the vehicle's on-board electronic device, it is preferable to transmit the message to the client terminal. This allows messages to be exchanged between the client terminal (PC application) and the on-board electronic device (e.g., a drive recorder).

[0065] (16) The processing means may be a server having a function of transmitting a command to stop transmitting video images to the vehicle for which the transmission of video images is to be stopped when a command to stop transmitting video images captured by a specific vehicle among the vehicles under management is received from a client terminal.

[0066] The manager of the vehicle can stop the transmission of video from a specific vehicle via the server by operating the client terminal. For example, the manager of the vehicle can stop the transmission of video from a specific vehicle when the communication fee exceeds an expected upper limit.

[0067] (17) The processing means may be a server having a function of performing machine learning based on the video data received from a plurality of managed vehicles and using the results of the machine learning to predict the risk of an accident occurring for the video data newly received from the managed vehicles.

[0068] The processing means performs machine learning by associating the moving images included in the video data with the vehicle information, thereby deriving a learning result that is more useful than machine learning based only on the vehicle information or machine learning based only on the moving images. Measures to prevent accidents from occurring can be taken by utilizing the predicted results of the risk of accidents. For example, locations where caution is required when driving can be extracted based on information such as locations where accidents are likely to occur and locations where sudden braking or steering is frequently performed.

[0069] Furthermore, by analyzing the moving images included in the video data, the occurrence frequency of situations in which an accident did not occur but the risk of an accident was high can be calculated for each vehicle or each driver. For example, the occurrence of a situation in which a vehicle abnormally approaches a pedestrian or bicycle but does not make contact, or a violation of a stop sign cannot be detected from the measurement value of an acceleration sensor. The occurrence of such a situation can be detected by analyzing the moving images of the video data. Furthermore, by associating the moving images with vehicle information, the traveling speed when passing a pedestrian or bicycle can be associated with the distance to the pedestrian or bicycle when passing, and the degree of risk can be calculated.

[0070] (18) The client terminal may have a processing means having a function of receiving video data from a server, the video data including video images captured by an imaging means mounted on each of a plurality of vehicles to be managed and vehicle information of the vehicle associated with each frame of the video images, displaying the video images included in the video data on a display means, extracting the vehicle information included in the video data, and displaying the vehicle information in association with the video images to be displayed on the display means.

[0071] Since the vehicle information is added in association with each frame of the video, the processing means of the client terminal can easily associate the frame images of the currently displayed video with the vehicle information. The vehicle information may include the current position information of the vehicle, acceleration information, running speed information, whether an event has occurred, etc. In this way, the processing means may have a function of extracting from the video data the position information, acceleration information, running speed information, whether an event has occurred, etc. at the time when the frame images of the video currently displayed on the display means were acquired. For example, the processing means may display the position information, acceleration information, running speed information, whether an event has occurred, etc. on the display means together with the video, in synchronization with the video being played.

[0072] The client terminal may have a function of displaying a list of vehicles to be managed. When a vehicle manager selects one vehicle from the displayed list of vehicles, the processing means may receive video data related to the selected vehicle from the server and display the video image.

[0073] When new (unconfirmed) event recording data exists for a vehicle displayed in the list, the display means may display information (event indicator) notifying the existence of unconfirmed event recording data for each vehicle. When the administrator checks the event recording data, the event indicator may not be displayed. For example, the processing means may display a "Confirm" button together with the event indicator, and clicking or tapping the "Confirm" button may indicate that confirmation of the event recording data has been completed.

[0074] A "Data" button may be displayed for each vehicle on the screen displaying a list of vehicles, and when the "Data" button is clicked or tapped, the screen may transition to a vehicle data screen in which video images and vehicle information contained in video data relating to the vehicle are displayed on the display means. Furthermore, a "Map" button may be displayed for each vehicle, and when the "Map" button is clicked or tapped, the screen may transition to a map display screen in which a map and the position of the selected vehicle on the map are displayed. When transitioning to the map display screen, the map may be displayed so that the current position of the vehicle displayed on the previous vehicle data screen is positioned at the center of the map. By clicking or tapping a "Managed Vehicle List" button displayed on the vehicle data screen or the map display screen, the screen may return to a vehicle list screen displaying a list of managed vehicles.

[0075] (19) Further, the device has a storage means for storing data, The function of the processing means to display the moving images contained in the moving image data on the display means is realized by streaming playback of the moving images contained in the moving image data, and the processing means may be a client terminal having a function of storing the moving image data used for streaming playback in the storage means.

[0076] Once streaming playback is performed, the streamed video data can be stored in the client terminal without needing to be downloaded again. The video data stored in the client terminal can be played back without accessing the server. For example, even if the video data stored in the server is deleted after the storage period has expired, if the video data is stored in the client terminal, it can be played back as needed. When streaming playback is performed, the processing means may inquire of the vehicle manager as to whether or not to store the streamed video data in the client terminal.

[0077] "Storing the moving image data to be used for streaming playback in the storage means" means storing the moving image data in the storage means in a manner that allows the moving image data to be read out from the storage means and played back even after streaming playback has been terminated.

[0078] Streaming playback of video images included in video data includes playback of video images distributed live from a server and playback of video images distributed on demand. When video data is distributed live from a server, the client terminal can grasp the situation around the vehicle in real time. The processing means of the client terminal may display information on the display means that can distinguish whether the video image currently being played is distributed live, distributed on demand, or stored in the client terminal. It is further preferable to have a function of downloading video data from the server to the client terminal without streaming playback.

[0079] (20) The processing means may be a client terminal having a function of reading out the video data stored in the memory means and displaying on the display means the video images contained in the video data, and a function of displaying on the display means information that enables identification as to whether the video images displayed on the display means are based on the video data received from the server or based on the video data read out from the memory means.

[0080] The manager of the vehicle who operates the client terminal can easily know from the information displayed on the display means whether the video currently being played is based on video data stored in the server or on video data stored in the client terminal. For example, when the manager determines that there is a possibility that a video image included in video data stored in the server may be played back even after it has been deleted from the server while the video image is being played back, the manager can recognize that it is necessary to download the video data from the server to the client terminal.

[0081] It is preferable to use a character string, a color, or the like as information that can identify whether the video being played is based on video data received from the server or based on video data stored in the client terminal. For example, when video data is being received from the server, the character string "Video from server" can be displayed on the video display screen, and when video data stored in the client terminal is being read, the character string "Video from terminal" can be displayed on the video display screen. Alternatively, the two can be distinguished by changing the color of the video playback indicator.

[0082] (21) The device further includes a reading means for reading data from the attached removable medium, The processing means may be a client terminal having a function, when it receives a date and time registration command input by an operator during the period in which the moving image included in the video data is being displayed on the display means, to extract the imaging date and time data of the frame of the moving image being displayed on the display means at the time when the date and time registration command was received as the command date and time, extract the frame at the time based on the command date and time from the moving image recorded on the removable media attached to the reading means, and display it on the display means.

[0083] The removable medium may be one that records video data obtained by capturing images of the surroundings of the vehicle using an on-board electronic device such as a drive recorder mounted on the vehicle. The removable medium may record video data with a higher resolution and frame rate than the video data transmitted from the vehicle to the server. When a situation arises where a higher resolution video is desired to be viewed while playing back video on the client terminal, the vehicle manager may input a date and time registration command to the client terminal. By removing the removable medium from the on-board electronic device of the vehicle and attaching it to the client terminal, the video included in the video data in the removable medium can be easily played back from the beginning at the date and time specified by the date and time registration command. This allows the surroundings of the vehicle to be confirmed using video with a higher resolution than the video included in the video data received from the server.

[0084] When the date and time registration command is input, the processing means of the client terminal may transmit, via the server, to the vehicle's on-board electronic device, a message urging the driver to bring the removable medium to the vehicle manager. The on-board electronic device may output this message to the driver after the engine is stopped. If the driver notices this message and brings the removable medium to the vehicle manager, the manager can immediately play back the video images contained in the video data in the removable medium.

[0085] After the vehicle that is the target of the input date and time registration command returns to the depot, the on-board electronic device may transmit high-resolution, high-frame-rate video data to the server by short-distance wireless communication such as WiFi. This eliminates the need to remove the removable media from the on-board electronic device and bring it to the manager.

[0086] (22) The processing means may be a client terminal having a function of identifying at least one of a plurality of managed vehicles, and when a command to change the operating conditions of the identified vehicle's on-board electronic devices is input, if it is necessary to stop acquisition of video from the imaging means when changing the operating conditions of the target to be changed, notifying an operator that acquisition of video needs to be stopped before sending a command to change the operating conditions to the server.

[0087] The manager of the vehicle can change the operating conditions of the on-board electronic device without going to the vehicle in which the on-board electronic device is installed. When it is necessary to stop the acquisition of video images in order to change the operating conditions, the manager who operates the client terminal can notice that the acquisition of video images will be stopped in order to change the operating conditions. For example, a message such as "Recording will be stopped for XX seconds in order to change the operating conditions. Are you sure you want to change the operating conditions?" may be displayed on the display means of the client terminal. The manager can decide whether or not to change the operating conditions, taking into consideration the priority between changing the operating conditions and acquiring video images.

[0088] The operating conditions include, for example, the sensitivity with which the in-vehicle electronic device detects the occurrence of an event, the resolution and frame rate of the video data that the in-vehicle electronic device transmits to the server, the on / off setting of the overwrite mode, the on / off of the beep sound when an event occurs, the initialization of the removable media, and firmware updates. The sensitivity to detect the occurrence of an event is expressed, for example, by a threshold value of the acceleration applied to the vehicle. When the overwrite mode is on and there is insufficient free space on the removable media, the old video is erased and overwritten with a new video. When the overwrite mode is off and there is insufficient free space on the removable media, the old video is left and no new video is recorded. When a command to initialize the removable media is issued, the in-vehicle electronic device initializes the removable media and then resumes recording of the video data. When initializing the removable media or updating the firmware, it is necessary to stop recording of the video data.

[0089] The in-vehicle electronic device that has received the command to change the operating conditions may notify the driver of the execution of the operating condition change process. For example, the display means of the in-vehicle electronic device may display a message saying, "The operating condition settings are being changed. Do not turn off the engine until the changes are complete."

[0090] (23) The vehicle information includes position data indicating a position of the vehicle when an image of a frame of the video data associated with the vehicle information was acquired, The processing means may be a client terminal having a function of receiving the video data being live-streamed from the server, displaying a map on the display means based on location data associated with each frame of the received video data, and displaying a symbol indicating the vehicle corresponding to the received video data at the position on the map indicated by the location data.

[0091] An administrator who operates the client terminal can view the video around a specific vehicle under management and easily grasp the position of the vehicle on a map. Since the position data is associated with frames of the video data, the processing means of the client terminal can easily associate the current frame image of the video being played with the position of the vehicle at that time.

[0092] (24) The processing means may be a client terminal that receives from the server location data indicating the current locations of at least some of the multiple vehicles under management, and displays on the map displayed on the display means, in addition to the current location of the vehicle associated with the video data being received, a symbol indicating a vehicle at a position on the map corresponding to the current location of other vehicles.

[0093] The manager who operates the client terminal can easily grasp the current positions of the multiple vehicles under management. For vehicles other than the vehicle associated with the video data being received, it is preferable to transmit and receive position data and the like without transmitting and receiving video data. In this way, the amount of data transmitted and received can be reduced.

[0094] It is preferable that the server shown in (10) above has a function of transmitting vehicle information of a specific vehicle requested by the client terminal to the client terminal, and a function of transmitting vehicle information of vehicles under management other than the specific vehicle to the client terminal.

[0095] When displaying the positions of the vehicle associated with the video data being received and other vehicles on a map, it is preferable to display the map full screen without displaying the video of the video data. In this way, the current positions of multiple vehicles can be confirmed in detail on a large map. It is preferable that the administrator can switch between a mode in which the video of the video data is displayed and a mode in which the map is displayed large. Even in the mode in which the map is displayed large, video data is continuously received for the specific vehicle of interest, so when the mode is switched to the mode in which the video of the video data is displayed, the video can be displayed immediately.

[0096] When a symbol indicating a vehicle displayed on the map is selected by clicking or tapping, the processing means of the client terminal may transition the screen displayed on the display means from the map display screen to a vehicle data screen for the selected vehicle.

[0097] (25) It is preferable that the in-vehicle electronic device has a processing means having a function of recording in a storage means video data based on moving images captured by an imaging means mounted on the vehicle, location information indicating the location of the vehicle, and time information indicating the date and time in association with each other, and transmitting the location information and the time information to a server in association with a vehicle ID that identifies the vehicle.

[0098] (26) The server should have a processing means having a function of receiving from the in-vehicle electronic device time information indicating the date and time when the video was captured, location information indicating the location where the video was captured, and a vehicle ID identifying the vehicle in which the in-vehicle electronic device that captured the video is installed, and creating a database configured so that the vehicle ID can be searched for using the time information and location information as a search key.

[0099] (27) The server may have a function whereby, when the processing means of the server receives a request from a client terminal to search a database by specifying the location information and the time information, the processing means searches the database using the specified location information and the time information as search keys and returns the search results to the client terminal.

[0100] (28) It is preferable that the client terminal has a processing means having a function of having a user input information (time information and location information) specifying the date, time and location of the image to be confirmed, a function of requesting a database search from the server by specifying the input time information and location information, and a function of receiving the search results from the server and displaying them on the display means.

[0101] The amount of data transmitted can be reduced compared to when video data is transmitted from the in-vehicle electronic device to the server in addition to location information and time information, thereby reducing the cost of data transfer. In addition, since video data is not transmitted to the server, it is possible to prevent a third party from reading the video data on the server without the consent of the owner of the in-vehicle electronic device, thereby protecting privacy.

[0102] It is preferable to register in the server a vehicle ID that identifies the vehicle in which the on-board electronic device is installed and information (account) that identifies the owner of the on-board electronic device in association with each other. The processing means of the server may return the account of the owner of the on-board electronic device to the client terminal together with the search results of the database. It is even more preferable to return account attributes together with the owner's account. The returned account attributes may include, for example, the name or title of the owner. The processing means of the client terminal may cause the display means to display the owner's account or account attributes together with the search results of the database. In this way, the user of the client terminal can finally know the owner of the on-board electronic device installed in the vehicle identified by the vehicle ID.

[0103] The user of the client terminal can view the search results returned from the server and request the owner of the in-vehicle electronic device to provide video data by specifying the date, time and location. When video data is provided by the owner of the in-vehicle electronic device, video images of the specified date, time and location can be played from the provided video data. This video data can be used as evidence of accidents, crimes, etc. By utilizing this evidence in criminal investigations, mistaken arrests can be prevented. Furthermore, if it becomes socially recognized that video images captured by the in-vehicle electronic device of a third party's vehicle who happens to be at the scene of a crime can be used in criminal investigations, it will have the effect of deterring crime.

[0104] For transmitting the position information and time information from the in-vehicle electronic device to the server, wireless communication such as WiFi standard or LTE standard may be used. The processing means of the in-vehicle electronic device may transmit (upload) the position information and time information to the server periodically at a predetermined time interval. The processing means of the in-vehicle electronic device may have a function of automatically uploading without requiring operation by the owner of the in-vehicle electronic device or the driver of the vehicle. If the processing means of the in-vehicle electronic device has an automatic upload function, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a situation in which the position information and time information are not uploaded due to an operation error (forgetting to operate).

[0105] Instead of wirelessly transmitting location information and time information from the in-vehicle electronic device to the server, an external electronic device that reads video data recorded on a removable medium and plays back the video images may have a function of transmitting (uploading) location information and time information of the route traveled up to the present time to the server. In this case, it is not necessary to provide the in-vehicle electronic device with a wireless communication function.

[0106] Examples of external electronic devices having this function include personal computers, tablet terminals, and smartphones. This function may be realized by a PC viewer installed on a personal computer, or an application program (smartphone app) installed on a tablet terminal or smartphone. This external electronic device may further have a function for managing whether or not the location information and time information included in the video data recorded on the removable medium have already been uploaded to the server. When the removable medium is attached, the external electronic device may extract unuploaded location information and time information from the video data and upload the unuploaded location information and time information. In this way, it is possible to avoid uploading the same information multiple times.

[0107] The processing means of the server may include, in the search results returned to the client terminal, location information and time information of the vehicle found by the search for a certain period of time before and after the specified time. The processing means of the client terminal may have a function of displaying a map on the display means in such a manner that the vehicle's travel route can be identified based on the returned search results. The user of the client terminal can view the vehicle's travel route and extract owners of in-vehicle electronic devices that may have useful video data.

[0108] For example, a drive recorder may be used as the in-vehicle electronic device. The vehicle's location information may be obtained from a GPS receiver mounted on the vehicle. It is even more preferable to incorporate a GPS receiver in the in-vehicle electronic device. The time information may be obtained from the GPS receiver or a built-in clock of the in-vehicle electronic device. The "time information" may include, for example, "year, month, and date" information and "hour, minute, and second" information. As a storage means for recording the video data, a removable medium such as an SD card may be used. In this way, the removable medium can be removed from the in-vehicle electronic device and the video data recorded on the removable medium can be read out and the video image can be played back on another external electronic device such as a personal computer or tablet terminal.

[0109] (29) The processing means of the client terminal may have a function of accepting a request for provision of video images by specifying an owner of an on-board electronic device installed in a vehicle that traveled to a specified location at a specified date and time, and a function of sending a message requesting the provision of video data.

[0110] (30) When the processing means of the server receives a message from the client terminal identifying the account of the owner to whom the provision of video data is requested, the processing means may have a function of storing the account of the owner identified in the received message, and when the processing means detects that the external electronic device has logged in using the account of the owner to whom the provision of video data is requested, notifying the external electronic device that there is a request for the provision of video data.

[0111] (31) The processing means of the external electronic device may have a function of transmitting the logged-in owner's account to the server when the owner of the in-vehicle electronic device logs in by entering an account, and when notified by the server that there is a request for the provision of video data, outputting information notifying that the provision of video data has been requested from the output means.

[0112] The user of the client terminal can operate the client terminal to request the owner of the client terminal to provide the desired video image. The owner of the in-vehicle electronic device notices the information displayed on the output means of the external electronic device and knows that a request for the video data stored by the owner has been made.

[0113] The processing means of the client terminal, when displaying on the display means the results of a search by the server based on the specified time information and location information, may display a list of account attributes, such as names or appellations, of the owners of the in-vehicle electronic devices found in the search.The processing means of the client terminal may have a function that allows some or all of the owners to be selected from the list of owners displayed on the display means by an operation of the user of the client terminal.When the user of the client terminal selects from the list of owners an owner from whom the provision of video data is desired to be requested, the processing means of the client terminal may have a function of requesting the provision of video data from the selected owner.

[0114] The processing means of the external electronic device may have a function that allows the owner of the in-vehicle electronic device to choose whether to accept or decline the request to provide video data. If the owner of the in-vehicle electronic device chooses to accept the request to provide video data, the processing means of the external electronic device may have a function that reads the video data from the removable medium and uploads it to the server. It is even more preferable that the video data to be uploaded can be specified by the shooting date and time. In this way, the owner of the in-vehicle electronic device can exclude video data that he or she does not want to provide and select and upload only video data that he or she is willing to provide.

[0115] The server may notify the external electronic device of the request for provision of the video data, or may instead send an e-mail to the owner of the requested video data. The owner's e-mail address may be registered in the server as one of the account attributes.

[0116] In the inventions described in (25) to (31) above, the video data is not transmitted from the in-vehicle electronic device to the server, but the video data may be transmitted from the in-vehicle electronic device to the server as in the inventions described in (1) and (24) above. In this way, when the server receives a request for providing video data from a client terminal, as in the invention described in (30) above, it can immediately transmit the video data to the client terminal after obtaining the consent of the owner who is the recipient of the request to provide the video data.

[0117] The inventions shown in (1) to (24) above can be combined in any manner. For example, at least a portion of the configuration of at least one of the inventions from (2) onward may be added to all or a portion of the configuration of the invention shown in (1). In particular, it is preferable to add at least a portion of the configuration of at least one of the inventions from (2) onward to the invention shown in (1). In addition, any configuration may be extracted from the inventions shown in (1) to (24) and the extracted configurations may be combined. The applicant of this application intends to obtain rights to inventions including these configurations.

[0118] The inventions shown in (25) to (31) above can be combined in any manner. For example, at least a portion of the configuration of at least one of the inventions from (26) onwards may be added to all or a portion of the configuration of the invention shown in (25). In particular, it is preferable to add at least a portion of the configuration of at least one of the inventions from (26) onwards to the invention shown in (25). In addition, any configuration may be extracted from the inventions shown in (25) to (31) and the extracted configurations may be combined. The applicant of this application intends to obtain rights to inventions including these configurations.

[0119] The specific aspects of the present invention described above are merely examples, and some aspects may be expanded or limited.

[0120] The effects of the invention of this application are not limited to this, and effects obtained from the configuration disclosed in the specification and drawings, etc. are also disclosed, and the intention is to obtain rights to the configuration that achieves the effects by divisional applications, amendments, etc. For example, in this specification, the phrase "can" is a description that clearly indicates the effect that is achieved, and there are also parts that show the effect even without the phrase "can." Also, there are effects that can be understood from the configuration even without such a description. Effect of the Invention

[0121] When detecting that an event has occurred in a vehicle and transmitting information indicating the presence or absence of the event and video data to a server, it is possible to suppress the number of events from becoming too large.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0122] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a block diagram of an in-vehicle electronic device, a server, and a client terminal of a vehicle management system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] Figure 2 is a flowchart of processing executed by a processing unit of the in-vehicle electronic device according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] Figure 3 is a diagram showing an outline of the frame configuration of high-resolution video data and low-resolution video data. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a flowchart of the shutdown processing in step SA7. [Diagram 5] Figure 5A is a diagram showing an example of a menu screen displayed on a display by a processing unit of a client terminal (Figure 1), and Figure 5B is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the display of the client terminal. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a diagram showing the frame configuration of data transmitted from an in-vehicle electronic device that has stopped continuously transmitting low-resolution video data to a server. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a flowchart of processing executed by a processing unit of an in-vehicle electronic device according to a third embodiment. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a flowchart executed by a server of a vehicle management system according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 9] Figure 9A is a diagram showing a menu screen displayed on a display of a client terminal of a vehicle management system according to a fifth embodiment, and Figure 9B is a diagram showing a managed vehicle list screen displayed on the display. [Figure 10] Figure 10 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle data display screen displayed on a display. [Figure 11] Figure 11 is a diagram showing an example of a map screen displayed on a display. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle data display screen displayed on a client terminal of the vehicle management system according to the sixth embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a signal transmission / reception sequence of the vehicle management system when the “Date and Time Registration” button is clicked or tapped. [Figure 14] FIG. 14A is a diagram showing a menu screen displayed on the display of a client terminal of a vehicle management system according to the seventh embodiment, and FIG. 14B is a diagram showing a menu screen for realizing a function of playing video. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a transmission / reception sequence of various messages transmitted and received among the client terminal, server, and on-vehicle electronic device of the vehicle management system according to the eighth embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 16A is a diagram showing a menu screen displayed on a display of a client terminal of a vehicle management system according to a ninth embodiment, and FIG. 16B is a diagram showing an image displayed on the display when a processing unit executes an event detection threshold change process. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a signal transmission / reception sequence between the on-vehicle electronic device, the server, and the client terminal of the vehicle management system according to the tenth embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a sequence of message transmission and reception between the on-board electronic device and the server of the vehicle management system according to the twelfth embodiment. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a signal transmission / reception sequence of the vehicle search system according to the thirteenth embodiment. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of an input screen for a position and a date and time displayed on a client terminal of a vehicle search system according to the thirteenth embodiment. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for allowing a user to select an owner, which is displayed on a client terminal of the vehicle search system according to the thirteenth embodiment. [Figure 22]FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed after login on an external electronic device (personal computer) of the vehicle search system according to the thirteenth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0123] [First Example] A vehicle management system according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 4. This vehicle management system includes an on-vehicle electronic device, a server, and a client terminal.

[0124] 1 is a block diagram of an on-vehicle electronic device 20, a server 40, and a client terminal 50 of a vehicle management system according to a first embodiment. First, the configuration of the on-vehicle electronic device 20 will be described.

[0125] The on-board electronic device 20 operates while mounted on a vehicle. The camera 22 captures the surroundings of the vehicle, for example, the front. The moving images obtained by the camera 22 are input to the processing unit 21. The GPS receiver 23 receives radio waves from GPS satellites and calculates the current position information (latitude and longitude) of the vehicle, current altitude information, and current time information. The calculation results are input to the processing unit 21.

[0126] The direction sensor 24 detects the direction of the vehicle. The acceleration sensor 26 detects the acceleration of the vehicle in the forward / backward, left / right, and up / down directions. The detection results of the direction sensor 24 and the acceleration sensor 26 are input to the processing unit 21.

[0127] The clock 27 provides current time information to the processing unit 21. The processing unit 21 periodically calibrates the clock 27 based on the current time information obtained from the GPS receiver 23.

[0128] The display 28 displays an image in response to a command from the processing unit 21. The speaker 29 outputs a sound or voice in response to a command from the processing unit 21. An SD card 32 is attached to the SD card reader 30. The processing unit 21 reads data from the SD card 32 attached to the SD card reader 30 and writes data to the SD card 32. The LTE module 31 receives a data transmission / reception command from the processing unit 21 and transmits / receives data to / from the server 40 via the network 60.

[0129] Various information related to the vehicle is input from the ECU 35 of the vehicle to the processing unit 21. The vehicle information obtained from the ECU 35 includes, for example, engine coolant temperature, engine RPM, speed information, and the like.

[0130] The processing unit 21 transmits video data generated from the video images captured by the camera 22 and various vehicle information to the server 40 via the LTE module 31. The transmission process of these data will be described later with reference to FIG.

[0131] The server 40 includes a processing unit 41 and a storage device 42. The processing unit 41 transmits and receives data to and from the in-vehicle electronic device 20 and the client terminal 50 via the network 60. The processing unit 41 processes various data received from the in-vehicle electronic device 20, and stores the processing results in the storage device 42.

[0132] The client terminal 50 includes a processing unit 51, a storage device 52, a display 53, and an input device 54. The vehicle manager operates the input device 54 to input commands to the server 40 or the in-vehicle electronic device 20. The processing unit 51 performs data processing and data communication based on the input commands, and causes the display 53 to display the processing results.

[0133] 2 is a flowchart of the process executed by the processing unit 21 (FIG. 1) of the on-vehicle electronic device 20. The function of the processing unit 21 is realized by executing a program stored in advance in a storage device.

[0134] When the accessory switch of the vehicle equipped with the in-vehicle electronic device 20 is turned on, the processing unit 21 starts the operation of collecting, storing, and transmitting video data. First, the processing unit 21 captures a predetermined number of frames of video image data (original video data) from the camera 22 (step SA1). Furthermore, the processing unit 21 acquires vehicle information from the GPS receiver 23, the direction sensor 24, the acceleration sensor 26, and the ECU 35 (step SA2). The vehicle information includes GPS data, current time information obtained from the clock 27, acceleration information obtained from the acceleration sensor 26, a terminal ID, and an event flag. The GPS data includes information indicating the position, time, speed, traveling direction, and altitude, as well as each valid / invalid information.

[0135] The terminal ID is identification information for identifying each of the multiple on-vehicle electronic devices 20, and is recorded in a non-volatile memory in the processing unit 21 of each of the on-vehicle electronic devices 20, for example.

[0136] The event flag is a flag for notifying that a predetermined event (such as an impact, sudden acceleration, sudden braking, or sudden steering) has occurred in the vehicle. The event flag includes flags for each type of event, such as an impact detection flag, a sudden acceleration detection flag, a sudden braking detection flag, and a sudden steering detection flag. The processing unit 21 detects whether or not these events have occurred based on the detection result by the acceleration sensor 26, and when it detects the occurrence of an event, it sets the event flag corresponding to that event. The processing unit 21 determines that an event has occurred when the acceleration values ​​in the forward / backward, left / right, and up / down directions measured by the acceleration sensor 26 exceed predetermined thresholds.

[0137] The processing unit 21 generates high-resolution video data and low-resolution video data based on the original video data (step SA3). For example, the frame rate of the high-resolution video data is 28 fps and the resolution is full HD, and the frame rate of the low-resolution video data is 5 to 10 fps and the resolution is VGA. Each frame of the high-resolution video data and the low-resolution video data is composed of a frame header and an image data section that stores image data of the frame. The processing unit 21 stores vehicle information at the time when the image of the frame was acquired in the frame header of each frame.

[0138] Typically, the update cycle of the vehicle information does not coincide with the update cycle of the frame. The measurement value of the acceleration sensor 26 is updated at a time interval (e.g., 10 ms) shorter than the update cycle of the frame. The processing unit 21 stores, in the frame header of one frame, the measurement value of the acceleration collected from the acquisition time of the immediately preceding frame to the acquisition time of the current frame. For example, when the frame rate is 10 fps and the update cycle of the acceleration data is 100 Hz, the processing unit 21 stores, in the frame header of one frame, the measurement value of the acceleration for 10 cycles.

[0139] 3 is a diagram showing an outline of the frame structure of high-resolution video data and low-resolution video data. The processing unit 21 generates high-resolution video data and low-resolution video data by compressing original video data using a codec conforming to the H.264 standard. The high-resolution video data and low-resolution video data are composed of a plurality of I frames that hold all information about the image of the frame, and a plurality of P frames that hold only information about the differences from the image of the I frames. Both the I frames and the P frames have a frame header and an image data section. The image data section stores image data of each frame that is generated by compressing the video using a predetermined codec.

[0140] After generating the high-resolution video data and the low-resolution video data, the processing unit 21 records the high-resolution video data on the SD card 32 (FIG. 1) (step SA4). Furthermore, the processing unit 21 transmits the low-resolution video data to the server 40 (FIG. 1) (step SA5).

[0141] After performing the process of transmitting the low-resolution video data to the server 40, the processing unit 21 determines whether or not to end the process (step SA6). For example, if the accessory switch of the vehicle is turned off, the processing unit 21 executes a shutdown process (step SA7) and then ends the process. If the accessory switch of the vehicle remains on, the processing unit 21 repeats the process from step SA1.

[0142] 4 is a flowchart of the shutdown process of step SA7. When the processing unit 21 detects that the accessory switch of the vehicle has been turned off, it transmits a shutdown command to the LTE module 31 (FIG. 1) (step SB1). After that, the processing unit 21 terminates the recording of high-resolution video data to the SD card 32 (step SB2). Furthermore, the processing unit 21 waits until it receives a shutdown completion notification from the LTE module 31 (step SB3). When it receives the shutdown completion notification from the LTE module 31, the processing unit 21 transmits a signal notifying the server 40 of the shutdown completion (step SB4).

[0143] When the server 40 (FIG. 1) receives low-resolution video data from the in-vehicle electronic device 20, it stores the data in the storage device 42 for each terminal ID. The vehicle information remains stored in each frame header of the stored low-resolution video data. When a request for video data delivery is made by the client terminal 50, the server 40 delivers the low-resolution video data to the client terminal 50.

[0144] [Effects of the first embodiment] Next, the excellent effects of the vehicle management system according to the first embodiment will be described. The amount of low-resolution video data transmitted from the in-vehicle electronic device 20 to the server 40 is smaller than the amount of high-resolution video data recorded on the SD card 32. Therefore, the amount of data to be transmitted can be reduced compared to the case where high-resolution video data is transmitted to the server 40. In particular, when video images captured by the camera 22 are constantly transmitted, a significant effect of reducing the amount of data can be obtained.

[0145] The frame header of the video data stores vehicle information at the time the frame was acquired. It is preferable that the client terminal 50 that plays back the video data has a function for extracting vehicle information from the frame header of the video data. A client terminal 50 with this function can immediately read out vehicle information at the time of playback while playing back a video. By reading out the vehicle information, the client terminal 50 can display vehicle information such as the vehicle's position and whether or not an event has occurred on the display 53, and provide this vehicle information to the vehicle manager.

[0146] Generally, the downlink from the network to the terminal is congested, and the uplink from the terminal to the network is less congested than the downlink. The method of the first embodiment for transmitting low-resolution video data from the in-vehicle electronic device 20 to the server 40 has the effect of making effective use of the uplink, which is generally less congested.

[0147] Furthermore, the video data recorded on the SD card 32 is likely to become unable to be played back due to the occurrence of some abnormality. In the first embodiment, even if a situation occurs in which the high-resolution video data recorded on the SD card 32 cannot be played back, the low-resolution video data transmitted to the server 40 and accumulated in the server 40 can be delivered to the client terminal 50, and streaming playback can be performed on the client terminal 50.

[0148] In the first embodiment, the in-vehicle electronic device 20 transmits low-resolution video data to the server 40 regardless of the presence or absence of an event, such as an impact to the vehicle. Transmitting video data regardless of the presence or absence of an event is sometimes referred to as "constant transmission." In the first embodiment, the server 40 accumulates video images of the surroundings of the vehicle during normal driving as well as when an event occurs. The manager of the vehicle can view the video images of the surroundings of the vehicle during normal driving.

[0149] The on-board electronic device 20 transmits low-resolution video data to the server 40 in almost real time, allowing the manager of the vehicle to view video images of the surroundings of the vehicle in almost real time.

[0150] [Modification of the first embodiment] Next, a modification of the first embodiment will be described. In the first embodiment, the terminal ID is recorded in the non-volatile memory of the processing unit 21, but the terminal ID may be specified by other methods. For example, the ID number of the SIM card inserted in the LTE module 31 may be used as the terminal ID. Also, for example, the terminal ID may be recorded in the SD card 32. In this case, the driver carries the SD card 32 and inserts the SD card 32 into the in-vehicle electronic device 20 before starting driving, so that the terminal ID can be associated with the driver. Instead of the SD card 32, a driver's license with an embedded IC chip, a contactless IC card carried by the driver, or the like may be used as a medium for recording the terminal ID. In this case, a reader for the driver's license with an embedded IC chip, a contactless IC card, or the like may be mounted in the in-vehicle electronic device 20.

[0151] [Second Example] Next, a vehicle management system according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 5A, 5B, and 6. The vehicle management system according to the second embodiment has the functions of the vehicle management system according to the first embodiment, and further has a function of stopping continuous transmission of low-resolution video data from the in-vehicle electronic device 20 to the server 40.

[0152] 5A is a diagram showing an example of a menu screen displayed on the display 53 of the client terminal 50 (FIG. 1) of the vehicle management system according to the second embodiment. "Continuous transmission start / stop" is displayed as a selectable menu item. When the administrator selects the "Continuous transmission start / stop" item, the processing unit 51 of the client terminal 50 displays on the display 53 a screen for inputting commands to start and stop continuous transmission.

[0153] 5B is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the display 53 of the client terminal 50. The processing unit 51 (FIG. 1) of the client terminal 50 displays, in the form of a list, on the display 53, for each managed vehicle, information indicating whether the vehicle is constantly transmitting low-resolution video data or has stopped transmitting (video data transmission state), as well as the data communication volume for each vehicle within a predetermined period and the total data communication volume for all vehicles. In the example shown in FIG. 5B, vehicles 1 to 3 and vehicle 5 are constantly transmitting low-resolution video data to the server 40, and vehicle 4 has stopped transmitting. The administrator can display information about managed vehicles other than vehicles 1 to 5 by operating a slider displayed on the right edge of the screen.

[0154] When the administrator modifies the contents of the list displayed on the display 53 and selects the "Change" button, the client terminal 50 specifies the terminal ID of the vehicle to be changed and transmits a command to the server 40 to instruct it to start or stop transmitting video data. When the server 40 receives this command, it transmits a command to the in-vehicle electronic device 20 of the vehicle to be changed to instruct it to start or stop transmitting video data. The in-vehicle electronic device 20 that has received the command to stop transmission stops the continuous transmission of low-resolution video data. The in-vehicle electronic device 20 that has received the command to start transmission starts the continuous transmission of low-resolution video data.

[0155] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of a frame of data transmitted from in-vehicle electronic device 20 that has stopped constantly transmitting low-resolution video data to server 40. Similar to the case of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the data transmitted to server 40 includes I frames and P frames. Each frame includes a frame header and an image data section. When constantly transmitting low-resolution video data has stopped, in-vehicle electronic device 20 makes the image data section of all frames blank. For example, the image stored in the image data section is made a single color such as black. At this time, the size of the image data section becomes smaller than the size when transmitting low-resolution video data. Even during a period when transmission of low-resolution video data has stopped, in-vehicle electronic device 20 stores data such as vehicle information similar to when constantly transmitting low-resolution video data in the frame header.

[0156] [Effects of the Second Embodiment] Next, the excellent effects of the vehicle management system according to the second embodiment will be described. During a period when transmission of low-resolution video data has stopped, since a blank image is stored in the image data section, the amount of data to be transmitted becomes less compared to the case of transmitting low-resolution video data. Therefore, it is possible to reduce communication costs.

[0157] The administrator can easily grasp the vehicles that are constantly transmitting low-resolution video data and the vehicles for which constant transmission has stopped from the content displayed in FIG. 5B. Furthermore, the administrator can grasp the data communication volume for each vehicle. When the total data communication volume of all vehicles within a predetermined period exceeds the assumed upper limit value, it is possible to avoid the data communication volume from becoming excessive by stopping the transmission of low-resolution video data. Also, the administrator can set priorities for the vehicles to be managed and can sequentially stop the constant transmission of low-resolution video data starting from the vehicles with lower priorities.

[0158] [Modifications of the Second Embodiment] In the second embodiment, the administrator monitors the data traffic, and when the total data traffic within a predetermined period exceeds an expected upper limit, the administrator stops the continuous transmission of low-resolution video data. The server 40 or the client terminal 50 may periodically monitor the data traffic on behalf of the administrator. The administrator may predetermine an upper limit for the data traffic and set it in the server 40 or the client terminal 50. When the server 40 or the client terminal 50 detects that the total data traffic exceeds the upper limit, the server 40 or the client terminal 50 transmits a command to each vehicle to stop the continuous transmission of low-resolution video data. In this way, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the data traffic becomes excessive without the administrator periodically monitoring the data traffic. Alternatively, when the server 40 or the client terminal 50 detects that the total data traffic exceeds the set upper limit, the server 40 or the client terminal 50 may transmit an email to the administrator's registered email address to notify that the data traffic has exceeded the set upper limit.

[0159] The video data transmission status of the in-vehicle electronic device 20 may be inquired of by the server 40 to the in-vehicle electronic device 20 as necessary. For example, the server 40 may transmit an inquiry command to the in-vehicle electronic device 20 and receive a response message from the in-vehicle electronic device 20 notifying the video data transmission status, thereby determining the video data transmission status.

[0160] As another method, the server 40 may store the video data transmission status for each vehicle. For example, if the image data portion of each frame of video data transmitted from the in-vehicle electronic device 20 is blank, the server 40 may determine that the vehicle in which the in-vehicle electronic device 20 is mounted is constantly in a state of transmission stop. Alternatively, information notifying the video data transmission status may be included in the frame header of the video data. In this way, the server 40 can know the video data transmission status of the vehicle without sending a query command to the in-vehicle electronic device 20 every time it becomes necessary to know the video data transmission status of the vehicle.

[0161] In the second embodiment, the data communication amount for each vehicle and the total data communication amount are displayed on the display 53, but the display mode may be changed depending on the contract conditions for calculating the communication fee. In the case of a contract in which the communication fee is calculated based on the communication amount for each vehicle, the data communication amount for each vehicle may be displayed, and the total data communication amount may not be displayed. In the case of a contract in which the communication fee is calculated based on the data communication amount for all contracted vehicles, the data communication amount for each vehicle may not be displayed, and only the total data communication amount may be displayed. Alternatively, the administrator may be allowed to select one of a mode in which both the data communication amount for each vehicle and the total data communication amount are displayed, a mode in which only the data communication amount for each vehicle is displayed, and a mode in which only the total data communication amount is displayed. The processing unit 51 may display a screen (FIG. 5B) of a list of managed vehicles on the display 53 in the selected mode.

[0162] In the second embodiment, the data communication volume within the period that is the unit for calculating the communication fee is displayed, but it is preferable to switch the screen to display the history of the past data communication volume. For example, it is preferable to display the monthly data communication volume for the past year and the total data communication volume for the past year for each vehicle.

[0163] [Third Example] Next, a vehicle management system according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 7. The vehicle management system according to the third embodiment has the functions of the vehicle management systems according to the first and second embodiments, and further has a function of determining whether or not the in-vehicle electronic device 20 is capable of transmitting low-resolution video data.

[0164] In the first embodiment, the in-vehicle electronic device 20 constantly transmits low-resolution video data to the server 40, but there are cases where the low-resolution video data cannot be transmitted when the vehicle enters a tunnel, etc. In the third embodiment, the process for the case where the low-resolution video data cannot be transmitted is clarified as described below.

[0165] 7 is a flowchart of the process executed by the processing unit 21 of the in-vehicle electronic device 20 according to the third embodiment. The differences from the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2 will be described below.

[0166] After recording the high-resolution video data on the SD card 32 (step SA4), the processing unit 21 determines whether data transmission via the LTE module 31 is possible based on the radio wave state (step SA41). If data transmission is possible, the processing unit 21 transmits the low-resolution video data to the server 40 via the LTE module 31 (step SA5) in the same manner as in the first embodiment. If data transmission is not possible, the processing unit 21 records the low-resolution video data on the SD card 32 without transmitting it to the server 40 (step SA51). After step SA5 or step SA51, the processing unit 21 determines whether to end the video data transmission process in the same manner as in the first embodiment (step SA6).

[0167] If the transmission process is not to be ended, the processing unit 21 repeats the process from step SA1. If the transmission process is to be ended, for example, if the accessory switch is turned off, the processing unit 21 determines whether or not there is low-resolution video data remaining in the SD card 32 that has not been transmitted (step SA61).

[0168] If untransmitted low-resolution video data remains, the processing unit 21 reads the low-resolution video data from the SD card 32 and transmits it to the server 40 via the LTE module 31 (step SA62). When transmission of all the low-resolution video data is completed, the processing unit 21 erases the low-resolution video data in the SD card 32 (step SA63). Thereafter, a shutdown process is performed (step SA7).

[0169] If it is determined in step SA61 that there is no untransmitted low-resolution video data remaining, the processing unit 21 executes a shutdown process (step SA7).

[0170] [Effects of the third embodiment] Next, the advantageous effects of the vehicle management system according to the third embodiment will be described.

[0171] In the third embodiment, even if the low-resolution video data cannot be transmitted while traveling, the low-resolution video data can be recorded in the SD card 32 without being discarded. After the driver stops the engine and turns off the accessory switch, the low-resolution video data is transmitted to the server 40 (step SA62), so that the low-resolution video data acquired while traveling can be accumulated in the server 40.

[0172] [Modification of the third embodiment] Next, a modified example of the third embodiment will be described. In the third embodiment, after the accessory switch of the vehicle is turned off, the low-resolution video data in the SD card 32 is transmitted to the server 40. In a first modified example of the third embodiment, when the radio wave condition is recovered while traveling, both the low-resolution video data currently being acquired and the low-resolution video data in the SD card 32 are transmitted to the server 40. When the communication speed of the data communication using the LTE module 31 is sufficiently fast, the low-resolution video data currently being acquired and the low-resolution video data read from the SD card 32 can be transmitted in parallel in this way.

[0173] In the third embodiment, low-resolution video data was recorded on the SD card 32 during the time period when video data could not be transmitted, but in the second modified example of the third embodiment, the low-resolution video data is discarded and the time period when the low-resolution video data could not be transmitted is stored. After the accessory switch is turned off, high-resolution video data in the SD card 32 during the time period when the low-resolution video data could not be transmitted is read, converted into low-resolution video data, and transmitted to the server 40. This method requires the processing unit 21 to have a function of converting high-resolution video data into low-resolution video data, but the storage capacity of the SD card 32 is not consumed by the low-resolution video data.

[0174] In the third embodiment, the low-resolution video data and the high-resolution video data are recorded on the same SD card 32. In a third modification of the third embodiment, the low-resolution video data is recorded on a recording medium different from the SD card 32 on which the high-resolution video data is recorded. For example, two SD cards may be attached to the in-vehicle electronic device 20, one of which may be used for recording high-resolution video data and the other for recording low-resolution video data. In this modification, a part of the area for recording high-resolution video data is not consumed by the low-resolution video data. In this case, after all of the low-resolution video data is transmitted to the server 40, the SD card for recording low-resolution video data may be automatically formatted. This prevents the occurrence of a situation in which the low-resolution video data cannot be recorded on the SD card due to forgetting to format. Alternatively, after the server 40 receives all of the low-resolution video data, the server 40 may transmit a command to the in-vehicle electronic device 20 to instruct the formatting of the SD card for recording low-resolution video data.

[0175] In the third embodiment, when data transmission is impossible, low-resolution video data is recorded on the SD card 32 without transmitting it to the server 40. In the fourth modified example of the third embodiment, not only when data transmission is completely impossible, but also when the radio wave conditions are poor and it is assumed that a sufficient communication speed cannot be ensured, the processing unit 21 records low-resolution video data on the SD card 32 without transmitting it to the server 40. In this way, it is possible to eliminate unnecessary transmission retry processing.

[0176] [Fourth Example] Next, a vehicle management system according to a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 8. The vehicle management system according to the fourth embodiment has a function in which the server 40 records events, in addition to the functions of the vehicle management systems according to the first to third embodiments.

[0177] 8 is a flowchart executed by the server 40 of the vehicle management system according to the fourth embodiment. The processing unit 41 of the server 40 (FIG. 1) stores the low-resolution video data received from each of the multiple on-vehicle electronic devices 20 in the storage device 42 (FIG. 1) in association with the vehicle ID (step SE1). When storing the low-resolution video data in the storage device 42, the processing unit 41 of the server 40 determines whether an event flag in the frame header is set (step SE2).

[0178] If the event flag is set, the processing unit 41 notifies the vehicle manager that an event has occurred (step SE3). In this embodiment, the manager's email address is registered in the server 40, and the processing unit 41 notifies the manager of the vehicle of the vehicle ID, the event content, the time of occurrence, the location of occurrence, etc. by sending an email to the registered email address.

[0179] Thereafter, the processing unit 41 of the server 40 extracts low-resolution video data around the time when the event occurred from the constantly transmitted low-resolution video data, and stores the extracted data as event recording data in the storage device 42 (step SE4). The processing from step SE1 to step SE4 is repeated until the server 40 is shut down (step SE5).

[0180] [Effects of the Fourth Example] Next, the advantageous effects of the vehicle management system according to the fourth embodiment will be described. In the fourth embodiment, event recording data when an event occurs can be managed separately from low-resolution video data constantly transmitted from the vehicle. For example, when the server 40 has a function to automatically delete the low-resolution video data constantly transmitted when the accumulated amount of the data exceeds an upper limit, the event recording data can be left without being deleted. For example, the event recording data can be stored semi-permanently by the server 40 until the administrator deletes the data.

[0181] By checking the email sent from the server 40, the manager of the vehicle can immediately learn that an event such as an accident has occurred in the vehicle under his / her management.

[0182] [Modification of the Fourth Example] Next, various modifications of the fourth embodiment will be described. In the first modified example of the fourth embodiment, the server 40 has a function of storing event occurrence times in a list for each vehicle ID in addition to the functions of the server 40 according to the fourth embodiment. In this way, when searching for an event occurrence time, it is possible to quickly find the event occurrence time from the already stored list without reading out low-resolution video data in chronological order.

[0183] In the fourth embodiment, when the server 40 receives low-resolution video data that is constantly transmitted, it determines whether an event has occurred in almost real time. In a second modification of the fourth embodiment, it does not determine whether an event has occurred when the low-resolution video data that is constantly transmitted is stored in the storage device 42. Before deleting the low-resolution video data stored in the storage device 42, the processing unit 41 reads the stored low-resolution video data and detects the occurrence of an event.

[0184] When the occurrence of an event is detected, the processing unit 41 stores low-resolution video data around the time of the event occurrence as event recording data in the storage device 42. In this way, the event recording data can be retained even after the low-resolution video data that has been constantly transmitted is deleted. Triggers for deleting the low-resolution video data that has been constantly transmitted include when the low-resolution video data stored in the storage device 42 exceeds a preset capacity, or when the administrator performs a deletion operation.

[0185] In the third modification of the fourth embodiment, similarly to the second modification, the presence or absence of an event is not judged when constantly transmitted low-resolution video data is stored in the storage device 42, but the presence or absence of an event is judged periodically by batch processing. This batch processing may be started, for example, at night when the amount of video data received is expected to be small.

[0186] In the fourth embodiment, the occurrence of an event is notified to the administrator by sending an email. In a fourth modification of the fourth embodiment, the server 40 notifies the administrator of the occurrence of an event by sending a push notification to an application program installed on the information terminal of the administrator. This method also allows the administrator to immediately know that an event has occurred in a vehicle under management.

[0187] In the fifth modification of the fourth embodiment, the server 40 has a function of statistically analyzing the event contents, vehicle ID, location information, etc., at the time of the event occurrence. By performing the statistical analysis, it is preferable to generate driving support information such as points where driving should be especially careful. For example, from an analysis result showing that the number of occurrences of sudden braking is high at a specific point on a map, driving support information is obtained that driving should be especially careful at that point.

[0188] [Fifth Example] Next, a vehicle management system according to a fifth embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 9A to 11. In addition to the functions of the vehicle management systems according to the first to fourth embodiments, the vehicle management system according to the fifth embodiment has a function of providing an administrator with information for a client terminal 50 to manage vehicles based on data stored in server 40, as described below.

[0189] 9A is a diagram showing a menu screen displayed on the display 53 of the client terminal 50. When the administrator selects the item “Vehicle Management” from the menu screen, the processing unit 51 of the client terminal 50 receives information from the server 40 and causes the display 53 to display a managed vehicle list screen.

[0190] FIG. 9B is a diagram showing the managed vehicle list screen displayed on the display 53. Based on the information received from the server 40, the processing unit 51 displays in list form the managed vehicle IDs, the communication volume for each vehicle, and the date and time information of new events that have occurred in the vehicles. If the information of all managed vehicles cannot be displayed on the screen, a slider is displayed on the right edge of the list. The administrator can check the information of all managed vehicles by operating the slider to scroll the screen display. Furthermore, the managed vehicle list screen displays a "Vehicle Data" button for transitioning to the vehicle data screen, a "Map" button for transitioning to the map screen, and check boxes for each vehicle.

[0191] A "Confirm" button is displayed corresponding to the date and time information of the occurrence of a new event. When the administrator selects the "Confirm" button, the processing unit 51 displays the contents of the event and a "Back" button on the display 53. When the administrator confirms the contents of the event and selects the "Back" button, the processing unit 51 displays the managed vehicle list screen on the display 53. The date and time information of the occurrence of an event that has been confirmed is not displayed on the managed vehicle list screen.

[0192] When the administrator checks the check box of the vehicle for which he or she wants to check detailed information and selects the "Vehicle Data" button, the processing unit 51 queries the server 40 for information about the checked vehicle and causes the display 53 to display a vehicle data display screen.

[0193] 10 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle data display screen displayed on the display 53. The display area of ​​the display 53 is divided into a video display area 71, a date and time input area 72, an event indicator area 73, a map display area 74, a driving speed display area 75, a vehicle position display area 76, and an acceleration display area 77. The contents that the processing unit 51 causes to be displayed in each display area will be described below.

[0194] Video display area 71 displays video images based on low-resolution video data received by server 40 from a vehicle (hereinafter referred to as the vehicle of interest) specified on the managed vehicle list screen (Figure 9B) and live-streamed by server 40 to client terminal 50.

[0195] Indicators indicating the time point at which an event occurred and the period during which low-resolution video data was constantly transmitted are displayed in the event indicator area 73. For example, the vertical axis of the event indicator area 73 represents elapsed time, and an event occurrence mark (e.g., a red dot) is displayed at a position corresponding to the time point at which the event occurred. Furthermore, a constant transmission mark (e.g., a green vertical line) indicating constant transmission is displayed at a position corresponding to the period during which low-resolution video data was constantly transmitted.

[0196] A calendar display button, a "+" button, and a "-" button are displayed in the date and time input area 72. The administrator can select the calendar display button to display a calendar and input acquisition date and time information of the video to be displayed. By operating the "+" button and the "-" button, the scale of the vertical axis of the event indicator area 73 can be changed.

[0197] A map including the current position of the vehicle of interest is displayed in the map display area 74, and latitude and longitude information of the current position of the vehicle of interest is displayed numerically in the vehicle position display area 76. The current position information of the vehicle of interest is acquired from vehicle information stored in the frame header of the low-resolution video data distributed from the server 40. A mark (icon) indicating the vehicle of interest is displayed at the current position of the vehicle of interest on the map displayed in the map display area 74. When the current position of the vehicle of interest moves, the map displayed in the map display area 74 is automatically scrolled up, down, left, and right so that the current position of the vehicle of interest is located approximately in the center of the map display area 74.

[0198] The current traveling speed of the target vehicle is displayed numerically in the traveling speed display area 75. The current traveling speed information of the target vehicle is acquired from the vehicle information stored in the frame header of the low-resolution video data distributed from the server 40.

[0199] The acceleration display area 77 displays a graph of the change over time in acceleration in the forward / backward, left / right, and up / down directions acting on the vehicle of interest. The horizontal axis represents the elapsed time, and the vertical axis represents the magnitude of acceleration. The forward / backward, left / right, and up / down accelerations are displayed, for example, as broken lines in different colors.

[0200] Furthermore, a plurality of transition buttons 78 are displayed on the display screen of the display 53. The plurality of transition buttons 78 include a "Managed Vehicle List" button, a "Map" button, a "Current Image" button, and a "Past Image" button.

[0201] When the administrator selects the “Managed Vehicle List” button, the processing unit 51 causes the display 53 to display a managed vehicle list screen (FIG. 9B).

[0202] When the administrator selects the "Past Images" button, the processing unit 51 specifies the date and time entered in the date and time input area 72 and transmits a command to the server 40 requesting the delivery of low-resolution video data. Upon receiving this command, the server 40 reads out the low-resolution video data of the vehicle of interest for the date and time specified in the date and time information, and delivers it as a streaming video (on-demand delivery) to the client terminal 50. During on-demand delivery, live delivery is interrupted. The client terminal 50 displays moving images in the video display area 71 based on the low-resolution video data being delivered on-demand.

[0203] The administrator can also specify the date and time when the video data to be distributed on demand was acquired by clicking or tapping the event occurrence mark or the constant transmission mark displayed in the event indicator area 73. Furthermore, the administrator can play back the video image of the desired date and time by operating marks such as fast forward, rewind, and slider for viewing the video.

[0204] When the administrator selects the "Current Image" button, the processing unit 51 transmits a command requesting live distribution to the server 40. Upon receiving this command, the server 40 live-distributes low-resolution video data that is constantly being transmitted from the vehicle of interest to the client terminal 50. The client terminal 50 displays a moving image in the video display area 71 based on the live-distributed low-resolution video data. Note that during live distribution, the "Current Image" button is grayed out and cannot be selected.

[0205] 11 is a diagram showing an example of a map screen displayed on the display 53. The contents that the processing unit 51 causes the display 53 to display will be described below.

[0206] The map is displayed so that the current position of the vehicle of interest is coincident with approximately the center of the display area of ​​the display 53. Furthermore, a plurality of transition buttons 78, such as a "Managed Vehicle List" button and a "Vehicle Data" button, are displayed on the display 53.

[0207] An icon showing the current location of the target vehicle is displayed on this map. Furthermore, if other vehicles to be managed exist within the area shown on the displayed map, icons showing the current locations of the other vehicles are displayed on the map. Vehicle 1, whose icon is displayed in Fig. 11, corresponds to the target vehicle, and vehicles 2 and 3 correspond to the other vehicles to be managed.

[0208] Next, the process performed by the server 40 to display the map screen will be described. When the server 40 receives low-resolution video data from multiple managed vehicles, the server 40 associates the vehicle ID in the frame header of the video data with the current position information and stores it as vehicle position information separately from the video data. When the map screen is displayed, the server 40 transmits low-resolution video data of the target vehicle and position information of other managed vehicles to the client terminal 50. It does not transmit video data of vehicles other than the target vehicle.

[0209] When the accessory switch of the vehicle is turned off and the in-vehicle electronic device 20 is shut down, the server 40 stores the current location information in the frame header of the most recently received video data as the location information of the vehicle. If continuous transmission of video data is not being performed and the driving speed in the frame header of the most recently received video data is 0, the server 40 stores the current location information in the frame header of the most recently received video data as the location information of the vehicle. If continuous transmission of video data is not being performed and the driving speed in the frame header of the most recently received video data is not 0, it is considered that the transmission and reception of video data has become impossible due to entering a tunnel, etc. In this case, the current location of the vehicle becomes uncertain.

[0210] Next, a description will be given of the processing performed by the client terminal 50. When the vehicle of interest moves, the map is scrolled up, down, left and right so that the current position of the vehicle of interest is positioned approximately in the center of the display screen of the display 53.

[0211] When the administrator selects the "Managed Vehicle List" button, the processing unit 51 displays a managed vehicle list screen (FIG. 9B) on the display 53. When the administrator selects the "Vehicle Data" button, the processing unit 51 displays a vehicle data display screen (FIG. 10) on the display 53.

[0212] [Effects of the Fifth Example] Next, the advantageous effects of the vehicle management system according to the fifth embodiment will be described. By displaying the vehicle data display screen (FIG. 10) on the display 53, the administrator can view video images based on video data distributed live from the server 40 or video data distributed on demand. The administrator can select any vehicle from among the managed vehicles from the managed vehicle list screen and display the vehicle data display screen (FIG. 10). In addition, the administrator can know the current positions of not only the target vehicle but also other managed vehicles from the map screen (FIG. 11).

[0213] Even when the map screen (FIG. 11) is displayed on the display 53, low-resolution video data of the vehicle of interest is live-streamed to the client terminal 50, so that when the vehicle data display screen is displayed on the display 53, information about the vehicle of interest can be displayed immediately.

[0214] [Modification of the fifth embodiment] Next, a modified example of the fifth embodiment will be described. In the modified example, when the client terminal 50 is displaying a video based on low-resolution video data that is being distributed live, the client terminal 50 displays information in a corner of the video display area 71 to inform the administrator that live distribution is in progress, for example, the character string "LIVE". When the client terminal 50 is displaying a video based on low-resolution video data that is being distributed on demand, the client terminal 50 displays information in a corner of the video display area 71 to inform the administrator that past video is being played back, for example, the character string "PAST VIDEO". The administrator can easily tell whether the video currently being viewed is being distributed live or past video.

[0215] During live distribution, the bottom end of the vertical axis of the event indicator area 73 may correspond to the current date and time, and information for a predetermined period going back from the current time may be displayed in the area between the top and bottom ends. Alternatively, the event indicator area 73 may be left blank during live distribution.

[0216] When a map screen (FIG. 11) is displayed on the display 53, a specific point may be fixed at the center of the display area, and the current position of the vehicle may be moved on the map. Immediately after the map screen is displayed, it is preferable to display the map so that the current position of the vehicle of interest is located at the center of the display area of ​​the display 53.

[0217] When a map screen (FIG. 11) is displayed on the display 53, the position information of vehicles other than the vehicle of interest may be transmitted not at frame intervals of video data but at time intervals longer than the frame interval, for example, at intervals of 1 second, 5 seconds, etc. Also, the position information of vehicles other than the vehicle of interest may be transmitted only when a transmission request is made from the client terminal 50 to the server 40. This makes it possible to suppress an increase in the amount of data communication.

[0218] In the fifth embodiment, the ID of the vehicle to be managed is displayed on the managed vehicle list screen (FIG. 9B), but it is preferable to display the name of the driver who drives the vehicle together with the vehicle ID. The driver's name should be associated with the vehicle ID. This association should be stored in at least one of the server 40 and the client terminal 50.

[0219] [Sixth Example] Next, a vehicle management system according to a sixth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 12 and Fig. 13. The vehicle management system according to the sixth embodiment has a function of playing back high-resolution video data recorded on a specified date and time on the SD card 32 (Fig. 1), in addition to the functions of the vehicle management systems according to the first to fifth embodiments.

[0220] Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle data display screen displayed on a client terminal 50 of a vehicle management system according to Example 6. In Example 6, a "Date and Time Registration" button 79 is further displayed on the vehicle data display screen (Fig. 10) displayed on a client terminal 50 of a vehicle management system according to Example 5.

[0221] The administrator can register the date and time of the video to be played back by clicking or tapping the "register date and time" button 79 while the video is being played back.

[0222] 13 is a diagram showing a signal transmission / reception sequence of the vehicle management system when the "Date and Time Registration" button 79 is clicked or tapped. When the processing unit 51 detects that the "Date and Time Registration" button 79 (FIG. 12) has been clicked or tapped by the administrator while a moving image is being played back (step SG1), the client terminal 50 transmits a command to the server 40 to instruct the server 40 to submit the SD card. The server 40 transfers the command to instruct the server 40 to submit the SD card to the in-vehicle electronic device 20.

[0223] The in-vehicle electronic device 20 that has received the command to instruct the user to submit the SD card stores the fact that this command has been received. When the vehicle engine is stopped (step SG2), the processing unit 21 of the in-vehicle electronic device 20 displays on the display 28 a message urging the user to submit the SD card to the administrator (step SG3). A sound may be output from the speaker 29.

[0224] When the driver of the vehicle notices this message, he or she removes the SD card 32 from the in-vehicle electronic device 20 (step SG4) and submits it to the administrator. The administrator receives the SD card from the driver and inserts it into the client terminal 50 (step SG5). When the administrator performs an operation to read the video data from the SD card 32, the processing unit 51 of the client terminal 50 plays back the video from the registered date and time based on the high-resolution video data recorded on the SD card 32.

[0225] [Effects of the Sixth Example] Next, the advantageous effects of the vehicle management system according to the sixth embodiment will be described. When the manager finds something that concerns him while playing back a video based on low-resolution video data being distributed live and wants to check the video in high resolution, he or she can click or tap the "Date and Time Registration" button 79 (FIG. 12). This will then send a message to the driver of the vehicle requesting that the SD card 32 be submitted, allowing the manager to obtain the SD card 32 from the driver.

[0226] The manager can insert the SD card 32 inserted or removed by the driver into the client terminal 50 and play back the video based on the high-resolution video data from the date and time when the point of concern occurred. This eliminates the need to manually cue up the video. It becomes possible to check the details that were difficult to check from the low-resolution video from the high-resolution video.

[0227] [Modification of the sixth embodiment] Next, a vehicle management system according to a modification of the sixth embodiment will be described. In the sixth embodiment, the driver of the vehicle submits the SD card 32 to the administrator, but in this modification, the high-resolution video data in the SD card 32 is transmitted to the server 40 as described below.

[0228] The client terminal 50 transmits a command to the in-vehicle electronic device 20 via the server 40, requesting transmission of high-resolution video data. After the in-vehicle electronic device 20 receives this command and returns to the vehicle depot and the engine is stopped, it transmits the high-resolution video data in the SD card 32 to the server 40. This video data can be transmitted using an LTE module 31 (FIG. 1), or more preferably, a communication module conforming to a short-range wireless communication standard such as WiFi. To achieve this function, the in-vehicle electronic device 20 can be equipped with a built-in battery, and more preferably, the in-vehicle electronic device 20 can be powered from the vehicle's battery even after the accessory switch is turned off.

[0229] In this modification, the driver can be saved from the trouble of removing the SD card 32 from the in-vehicle electronic device 20 and submitting it to the administrator. It is preferable that the high-resolution video data transmitted to the server 40 is only video data for a predetermined period before and after the registered date and time. In this way, the amount of data to be transmitted can be reduced.

[0230] [Seventh Example] Next, a vehicle management system according to a seventh embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 14A and 14B. In addition to the functions of the client terminals 50 of the vehicle management systems according to the first to sixth embodiments, the client terminal 50 of the vehicle management system according to the seventh embodiment has a function of streaming video data distributed live or on-demand from the server 40 and storing it in a storage device 52. The frame header of the video data stored in the client terminal 50 is the same as the frame header of the video data accumulated in the server 40, and vehicle information is stored in the frame header.

[0231] 14A is a diagram showing a menu screen displayed on the display 53 of the client terminal 50. "Video playback" is displayed as one of the menu items. When the administrator selects the "Video playback" item, the client terminal 50 executes a video playback process.

[0232] 14B is a diagram showing a menu screen for implementing a video playback function. As video playback menu items, "live playback," "server-stored video playback," "terminal-stored video playback," and "SD card-stored video playback" are displayed. When the administrator selects any of the menu items, the client terminal 50 plays the video corresponding to the selected menu item.

[0233] When the administrator selects the "live playback" option, the client terminal 50 inquires of the administrator about the vehicle ID of the vehicle to be played back live. When the administrator enters the vehicle ID, the client terminal 50 identifies the vehicle ID to the server 40 and transmits a command requesting live streaming. When the server 40 live-streams a video of the vehicle, the client terminal 50 plays the live-streamed video. Furthermore, the live-streamed video data is stored in the storage device 52.

[0234] When the administrator selects the "Play video stored on server" option, the client terminal 50 inquires of the administrator about the vehicle ID and date and time for which the video is to be played. When the administrator inputs the vehicle ID and date and time information, the client terminal 50 transmits a command to the server 40, specifying the vehicle ID and date and time, and requesting on-demand distribution. When the server 40 distributes on-demand video from the specified date and time for that vehicle, the client terminal 50 streams the on-demand distributed video. Furthermore, the on-demand distributed video data is stored in the storage device 52.

[0235] When the administrator selects the item "Playback of video stored in terminal", the client terminal 50 inquires the administrator of the vehicle ID and the date and time for which the video is to be played. When the administrator inputs the vehicle ID and the date and time information, the processing unit 51 reads the corresponding video data from the storage device 52 and plays the video.

[0236] When the administrator selects the option "Play video stored on SD card," the client terminal 50 reads high-resolution video data from the SD card inserted therein and plays back the video.

[0237] [Effects of the Seventh Example] Next, the advantageous effects of the vehicle management system according to the seventh embodiment will be described. In the seventh embodiment, video data stored in the server 40 can be stored in the client terminal 50. For example, even if the video data stored in the server 40 has a capacity limit or a storage period limit, the video data can be stored in the client terminal 50 without being restricted by the capacity limit or storage period limit of the server 40.

[0238] [Modification of the Seventh Example] When the client terminal 50 plays back a video image that is being distributed live or on demand, it is preferable to inquire of the administrator as to whether or not to save the video data in the storage device 52 of the client terminal 50. The processing unit 51 saves the video data in the storage device 52 only when the administrator inputs an instruction to save the video data. This makes it possible to prevent video data that does not need to be kept from being saved in the storage device 52 of the client terminal 50.

[0239] The color or shape of the constant transmission mark displayed in the event indicator area 73 (FIG. 10) may be different when a video is being played back by receiving on-demand delivery of video data stored in the server 40 and when a video is being played back by reading out video data stored in the client terminal 50. For example, the constant transmission mark may be a thin vertical line when a video is being played back by receiving on-demand delivery from the server 40, and a thick vertical line when a video is being played back by reading out video data stored in the client terminal 50. In this way, the administrator can easily know whether the video data of the video currently being played back is stored in the client terminal 50 or not.

[0240] [Eighth Example] Next, a vehicle management system according to an eighth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 15. The vehicle management system according to the eighth embodiment has a function of transmitting and receiving various messages between the client terminal 50, the server 40, and the in-vehicle electronic device 20, in addition to the functions of the vehicle management systems according to the first to seventh embodiments.

[0241] 15 is a diagram showing a transmission / reception sequence of various messages transmitted and received among the client terminal 50, the server 40, and the in-vehicle electronic device 20. When the server 40 detects an abnormality by analyzing vehicle information embedded in a frame header of low-resolution video data constantly transmitted from the in-vehicle electronic device 20 (step SJ1), the server 40 transmits a warning message to the in-vehicle electronic device 20. For example, the abnormality to be detected may include excessive driving speed.

[0242] When the processing unit 21 of the in-vehicle electronic device 20 receives the warning message, it displays the content of the received message on the display 28 (FIG. 1) and outputs a warning sound from the speaker 29 (FIG. 1) (step SJ2). The driver of the vehicle notices the warning message and is urged to drive safely.

[0243] When an incident occurs in which some kind of rescue is required in the vehicle, such as a traffic accident, the vehicle-mounted electronic device 20 is provided with a function that allows the driver to request rescue by operating the vehicle-mounted electronic device 20. For example, the vehicle-mounted electronic device 20 is provided with a help button or the like, and the driver can request rescue by pressing the help button.

[0244] When the driver operates the in-vehicle electronic device 20 to request a rescue (step SJ3), the processing unit 21 of the in-vehicle electronic device 20 transmits a message requesting the rescue to the server 40. The server 40 transfers this message to the client terminal 50. When the client terminal 50 receives the rescue request message, it displays the contents of the rescue request message on the display 53 (FIG. 1) (step SJ4). When the manager notices the rescue request message, he or she can take appropriate measures, such as contacting the police, contacting an insurance company, and dispatching necessary personnel to the scene.

[0245] When the administrator operates the client terminal 50 to input a general message (step SJ5), the client terminal 50 transmits the general message to the in-vehicle electronic device 20 via the server 40. The processing unit 21 of the in-vehicle electronic device 20 displays the content of the received general message on the display 28 (step SJ6).

[0246] When the driver operates the in-vehicle electronic device 20 to input a general message (step SJ7), the in-vehicle electronic device 20 transmits the general message to the client terminal 50 via the server 40. When the processing unit 51 of the client terminal 50 receives the general message, it displays the contents of the message on the display 53 (step SJ8).

[0247] By enabling the sending and receiving of general messages in this way, communication can be achieved between the manager of the vehicle and the driver. When the in-vehicle electronic device 20 receives a general message, it is preferable that the display of the contents of the general message is made available until the vehicle stops, such as at a traffic light. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving operations while traveling.

[0248] [Ninth Example] Next, a vehicle management system according to a ninth embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 16A and 16B. The vehicle management system according to the ninth embodiment has a function of allowing the client terminal 50 to change the threshold value (event detection threshold value) by which the in-vehicle electronic device 20 detects the occurrence of an event, in addition to the functions of the vehicle management systems according to the first to eighth embodiments.

[0249] 16A is a diagram showing a menu screen displayed on the display 53 of the client terminal 50. "Change event detection threshold" is displayed as one of the menu items. When the administrator selects the item "Change event detection threshold", the client terminal 50 prompts the administrator to input the vehicle ID of the vehicle to be changed, and when the vehicle ID is input, the client terminal 50 executes the process of changing the event detection threshold.

[0250] FIG. 16B is a diagram showing an image displayed on the display 53 when the processing unit 51 executes the event detection threshold change process. The processing unit 51 displays in a graph format the measured values ​​of acceleration in the forward / backward direction (x direction), left / right direction (y direction), and up / down direction (z direction) of the vehicle ID to be changed during a period immediately preceding the present time. This graph is generated based on the vehicle information in the frame header of the low-resolution video data constantly transmitted from the in-vehicle electronic device 20 to the server 40, and is updated in real time. Furthermore, the graph displays the thresholds Tx, Ty, and Tz of the acceleration in the x, y, and z directions for detecting the occurrence of an event as dashed lines. The absolute values ​​of the positive threshold and the negative threshold are the same.

[0251] The administrator operates the mouse to move the dashed line indicating the threshold to a position corresponding to the new threshold. This operation is realized, for example, by a drag-and-drop operation. When one of the dashed lines indicating the positive threshold and the dashed line indicating the negative threshold is moved, the other dashed line also moves automatically.

[0252] The processing unit 51 obtains the magnitude of the threshold value corresponding to the position after the movement of the dashed line indicating the threshold value, and sends a command to change the threshold value to the in-vehicle electronic device 20 via the server 40. The in-vehicle electronic device 20 that receives this command immediately changes the threshold value for event detection, and determines whether or not an event has occurred based on the changed threshold value.

[0253] [Effects of the ninth embodiment] Next, the excellent effects of the vehicle management system according to the ninth embodiment will be described. In the ninth embodiment, the administrator can change the event detection threshold of the in-vehicle electronic device 20 without going to the vehicle. In addition, the administrator can change the threshold while checking the time change of the measured value of the acceleration applied to the vehicle to be changed in real time on a graph. Therefore, the administrator can intuitively find the optimal threshold.

[0254] [Modification of the ninth embodiment] In the ninth embodiment, the vehicle ID of the vehicle for which the threshold is to be changed is specified, and the event detection threshold of the on-board electronic device 20 installed in that vehicle is changed, but the client terminal 50 may have a function to change the event detection threshold of other managed vehicles to the same value after changing the event detection threshold of a specific vehicle. In this way, it is not necessary to change the event detection threshold for each managed vehicle, and therefore the administrator's work can be saved.

[0255] In the ninth embodiment, the administrator moves the dashed line indicating the threshold displayed on the graph to specify the changed threshold. Alternatively, the threshold may be input as a numerical value.

[0256] In the ninth embodiment, the event detection threshold is the object to be changed by remote control, but other setting items of the in-vehicle electronic device 20 may be changed by remote control. Depending on the item to be changed, it may not be preferable to change it immediately at the time when a command to change it is received. Such setting items may be changed, for example, when the in-vehicle electronic device 20 is started. For items to be changed when the in-vehicle electronic device 20 is started, the processing unit 51 may store new setting values ​​in a buffer area, and when the in-vehicle electronic device 20 is started, the new setting values ​​may be read from the buffer area. For example, firmware updates may be performed when the in-vehicle electronic device 20 is started.

[0257] In cases where the acquisition of moving images must be stopped in order to change a setting item of the in-vehicle electronic device 20, the processing unit 51 may inform the administrator that the acquisition of moving images must be temporarily stopped after the administrator operates the client terminal 50. The administrator may determine whether to change the setting item or to cancel the change in consideration of this notification. For example, the client terminal 50 may display an inquiry message on the display 53 saying, "The acquisition of moving images will be stopped for XX seconds in order to change the setting. Do you want to stop the acquisition of moving images and change the setting?"

[0258] The in-vehicle electronic device 20 may notify the driver of the change to the setting item before changing the setting item. For example, the processing unit 21 may display a message on the display 28 saying, "The setting will be changed. Do not turn off the engine until the change is complete."

[0259] In addition to the event detection threshold, the setting items of the in-vehicle electronic device 20 include, for example, the resolution of high-resolution and low-resolution video data, the frame rate, and the like.

[0260] [Tenth Example] Next, a vehicle management system according to a tenth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 17. The vehicle management system according to the tenth embodiment has a function of transmitting high-resolution video data from the in-vehicle electronic device 20 to the server 40 when a predetermined condition is satisfied, in addition to the functions of the vehicle management systems according to the first to ninth embodiments.

[0261] 17 is a diagram showing a signal transmission / reception sequence between the in-vehicle electronic device 20, the server 40, and the client terminal 50. Low-resolution video data is constantly transmitted from the in-vehicle electronic device 20 to the server 40. When the server 40 detects that an event flag is set in the frame header of the low-resolution video data, the server 40 transmits a command to the in-vehicle electronic device 20 that transmitted the video data with the event flag set, specifying the date and time of the event occurrence, and instructing the transmission of high-resolution video data. Furthermore, the server 40 transmits a message to the client terminal 50 notifying that the occurrence of the event has been detected.

[0262] The processing unit 51 of the client terminal 50 that receives this message causes the display 53 to display a message informing the administrator that an event has occurred (step SK2). Furthermore, the processing unit 51 causes the display 53 to display a message inquiring of the administrator as to whether or not to play back high-resolution video (step SK3). The administrator instructs the client terminal 50 as to whether or not to play back high-resolution video.

[0263] When the in-vehicle electronic device 20 receives the command to transmit high-resolution video data, it transmits high-resolution video data around the event occurrence date and time to the server 40. Note that the constant transmission of low-resolution video data continues.

[0264] When the server 40 receives the high-resolution video data, it distributes it to the client terminal 50. When an instruction to play back a high-resolution video has been issued, the client terminal 50 performs streaming playback of the video based on the distributed high-resolution video data (step SK4).

[0265] [Effects of the 10th embodiment] Next, the advantageous effects of the vehicle management system according to the tenth embodiment will be described. When an event such as an accident occurs to a vehicle, the administrator can view high-resolution video images of the time before and after the event, allowing the administrator to learn in detail about the situation around the vehicle before and after the event.

[0266] [Modification of the 10th embodiment] In the tenth embodiment, when the server 40 detects the occurrence of an event, it transmits a command to the in-vehicle electronic device 20 to instruct the transmission of high-resolution video data regardless of the type of event. As a modification of the tenth embodiment, it is preferable to limit the type of event that triggers the instruction to transmit high-resolution video data. It is preferable that the administrator can input the limited event type by operating the client terminal 50. This prevents the transmission of high-resolution video data when an event of low importance occurs, thereby suppressing an increase in the amount of data communication.

[0267] [Eleventh Example] Next, a vehicle management system according to the 11th embodiment will be described. In addition to the functions of the vehicle management systems according to the first to tenth embodiments, the vehicle management system according to the 11th embodiment has a function in which the server 40 performs machine learning based on the moving images included in the video data and the vehicle information included in the frame headers of the video data.

[0268] For example, the server 40 can find out locations where traffic accidents are likely to occur, locations where sudden braking is likely, and situations where sudden braking is required, based on the video and vehicle information. Furthermore, it can find out situations where no accident has occurred but the risk of an accident has increased from the video, and perform machine learning by associating these situations with the vehicle information. For example, it can find out situations where a pedestrian was nearly hit, but a pedestrian was not hit, from the video.

[0269] By applying machine learning to low-resolution video data collected from multiple vehicles, situations where the risk of an accident has increased can be identified and stored in a database. In addition, the causes of the increased risk can be classified into speeding, violation of stop signs, approaching pedestrians or bicycles, etc., and stored in a database.

[0270] The server 40 may apply the learning results to the currently received low-resolution video data to evaluate whether the current driving is driving that has a high risk of causing an accident or not. The evaluation result may be transmitted to the client terminal 50 to inform the administrator.

[0271] Since video images and vehicle information are embedded in the low-resolution video data, machine learning can be easily performed to associate the two.

[0272] [Twelfth Example] Next, a vehicle management system according to a twelfth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 18. In addition to the functions of the vehicle management systems according to the first to eleventh embodiments, the vehicle management system according to the twelfth embodiment clarifies a means for ensuring communication when the IP address of the in-vehicle electronic device 20 is changed.

[0273] During the period when the on-board electronic device 20 is constantly transmitting low-resolution video data to the server 40, the IP address of the on-board electronic device 20 is constantly notified to the server 40. Therefore, when the IP address of the on-board electronic device 20 changes, the server 40 can immediately know that the IP address of the on-board electronic device 20 has changed. The server 40 can simply transmit various messages to the latest IP address of the on-board electronic device 20.

[0274] Next, a procedure in which the server 40 learns the latest IP address of the on-vehicle electronic device 20 when no signal is being transmitted from the on-vehicle electronic device 20 will be described.

[0275] 18 is a diagram showing a sequence of message transmission and reception between the in-vehicle electronic device 20 and the server 40. The IP address of the server 40 is fixed, for example, 200.200.200.1. The IP address of the in-vehicle electronic device 20 changes dynamically. The initial IP address of the in-vehicle electronic device 20 is, for example, 100.100.100.1. Messages #001 and #002 are stored in the message queue 90 of the server 40 and are waiting to be sent.

[0276] The in-vehicle electronic device 20 periodically transmits an inquiry message to the server 40. The inquiry message includes a terminal ID and an IP address of the in-vehicle electronic device 20. The server 40 can know the current IP address of the in-vehicle electronic device 20 by receiving the inquiry message SS1. The server 40 transmits a response message SS2 including a message #001 to the IP address included in the inquiry message SS1 from the in-vehicle electronic device 20. When the server 40 receives a message SS3 from the in-vehicle electronic device 20 acknowledging receipt of the message #001, it deletes the message #001 from the message queue 90.

[0277] The on-vehicle electronic device 20 again transmits the inquiry message SS4. In response to the inquiry message SS4 from the on-vehicle electronic device 20, the server 40 transmits a response message SS5 including the message #002 to the IP address included in the inquiry message. An example will be described in which the IP address of the on-vehicle electronic device 20 changes to 100.100.100.2 immediately after the on-vehicle electronic device 20 transmits the inquiry message.

[0278] Because the IP address of the on-vehicle electronic device 20 has changed, the response message SS5 sent from the server 40 to the old IP address does not reach the on-vehicle electronic device 20. The message queue 90 stores the message #002 and the state continues.

[0279] The on-board electronic device 20 again sends an inquiry message SS6. This inquiry message SS6 includes the new IP address of the on-board electronic device 20. When the server 40 receives this inquiry message SS6, it sends a response message SS7 including a message #002 to the new IP address. When the server 40 receives a message SS8 from the on-board electronic device 20 confirming receipt of the message #002, it deletes the message #002 from the message queue 90. This frees up the message queue 90.

[0280] Thereafter, when the on-board electronic device 20 transmits an inquiry message SS9, the server 40 transmits a response message SS10 to the IP address included in the inquiry message SS9, notifying the server 40 that there are no unsent messages. The on-board electronic device 20 transmits a receipt confirmation message SS11 to the server 40 notifying the server 40 that it has received the response message SS10 notifying the server 40 that there are no unsent messages.

[0281] In the twelfth embodiment, the in-vehicle electronic device 20 periodically transmits an inquiry message to the server 40, so that when the IP address of the in-vehicle electronic device 20 changes, the server 40 can know the change in the IP address. This ensures communication from the server 40 to the in-vehicle electronic device 20.

[0282] [Thirteenth Example] Next, a vehicle search system according to a 13th embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 19 to Fig. 22. The vehicle management systems according to the first to 12th embodiments are intended to support vehicle management by vehicle managers, but the vehicle search system according to the 13th embodiment searches for vehicles based on position information and time information, and supports receiving video images captured by an on-board electronic device installed in the searched vehicle.

[0283] In the first to twelfth embodiments, the in-vehicle electronic device 20 transmits low-resolution video data to the server 40 (FIG. 1) and records high-resolution video data on the SD card 32, but in the thirteenth embodiment, the low-resolution video data is not transmitted, and the high-resolution video data is recorded on the SD card 32. Instead of the low-resolution video data, the in-vehicle electronic device 20 transmits the current position information and time information of the vehicle together with the vehicle ID to the server 40. Also, in the first to twelfth embodiments, the user of the client terminal was the manager of the vehicle, but in the thirteenth embodiment, the user of the client terminal is a third party that has no relationship with the owner or manager of the vehicle.

[0284] 19 is a diagram showing a sequence of signal transmission and reception among the on-board electronic device 20, the server 40, the client terminal 50, and the personal computer 80 of the vehicle search system according to the thirteenth embodiment. A plurality of on-board electronic devices 20 mounted on a plurality of vehicles periodically transmits vehicle position information and time information together with the vehicle ID to the server 40.

[0285] The server 40 accumulates the information received from the on-vehicle electronic device 20 in a database 45 that can search for a vehicle ID using the location information and time information as search keys. Furthermore, the server 40 registers the vehicle ID and the account of the owner of the on-vehicle electronic device 20 installed in the vehicle in association with each other.

[0286] When a user of the client terminal 50 operates the client terminal to input search conditions, the client terminal 50 transmits a search request message to the server 40 specifying the search conditions.

[0287] FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for a user of the client terminal 50 to input search conditions. The display screen of the client terminal 50 is divided into a map area 55 and a search condition input area 56. A map is displayed in the map area 55. Items that are search conditions are displayed in the search condition input area 56. The items that are search conditions include "location," "date and time," "range," and "purpose of use." A "start search" button is also displayed in the search condition input area 56.

[0288] The user of the client terminal 50 scrolls the map displayed in the map area 55 to specify a location (position) on the map where the user wishes to check the video. When a position is specified on the map, the specified position is displayed in the search condition input area 56 with latitude and longitude.

[0289] Furthermore, the user selects the "Date and Time" item in the search condition input area 56 to specify the date and time at which the user wants to check the video. For example, a period with a time span can be specified by entering a start date and time and an end date and time. The date and time can be input, for example, by selecting it from a pull-down menu.

[0290] Furthermore, the user selects the "Range" item to specify the range of the search target. The range of the search target is specified by the radius centered on the position specified by the location information. The value of this radius is entered, for example, by selecting it from a pull-down menu.

[0291] Furthermore, the user inputs the purpose of use of the video image, such as collecting information about an accident, investigating a crime, collecting information about damage, etc. The purpose of use is input by selecting it from a pull-down menu, for example.

[0292] When the user selects the "Start Search" button by clicking or tapping it, the client terminal 50 transmits a search request message to the server 40, specifying the location information (including the range conditions) and time information.

[0293] The server 40 (FIG. 19) that receives the search request message searches the database 45 using the specified location information and time information as search keys, and extracts the vehicle ID. For example, the server 40 extracts the vehicle ID of a vehicle that was traveling within the range specified by the location information during the time period specified by the time information. The server 40 returns the search results to the client terminal 50. The search results include the vehicle ID and the account attributes (e.g., name or title) of the owner of the in-vehicle electronic device 20 specified by the vehicle ID. When the client terminal 50 receives the search results, it displays the search results on the screen.

[0294] 21 is a diagram showing an example of a screen of the client terminal 50 on which the search results are displayed. The screen of the client terminal 50 is divided into a map area 55 and a search result display area 57. The processing means of the client terminal 50 displays the name or title of the owner corresponding to the vehicle ID extracted by the search, and a check box, in the search result display area 57. Furthermore, a "Request" button is displayed in the search result display area 57.

[0295] The map area 55 displays a map and the driving routes of the vehicles extracted by the search. When multiple vehicles are extracted, the owners of the on-board electronic devices installed in the vehicles are displayed in a manner that correlates the driving routes. For example, when three vehicles are extracted, the owners of each vehicle are displayed in a list, and a circled number symbol is displayed in association with each owner, and the corresponding circled number symbol is added to the driving route.

[0296] When the user checks the checkbox of the owner of the in-vehicle electronic device 20 to which the user wishes to request the provision of video data and selects the "Request" button, the client terminal 50 identifies the requested owner and transmits a video data provision request message to the server 40. The server 40 registers the account of the requested owner in a list of recipients of video data provision requests.

[0297] When the owner of the in-vehicle electronic device 20 starts up the PC viewer of the personal computer 80 (FIG. 19) and logs in, the personal computer 80 notifies the server 40 of the login information. If the account of the logged-in owner is registered in the list of recipients of requests to provide video data, the personal computer 80 is notified that there is a request to provide video data. When the personal computer 80 receives this notification, it notifies the owner that there is a request to provide video data.

[0298] 22 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed after login to the PC 80 that has been notified of a request to provide video data. For example, the processing means stage of the PC 80 displays on the display screen a message saying "You have received a request to share information from Mr. XX," along with a "Do not allow" button and a "Next" button.

[0299] If the owner selects the "Do not allow" button, the video data recorded on the SD card, for example, is read and a process of playing the moving image is executed without transmitting the video data to the server 40. If the owner selects the "Next" button, the personal computer 80 transitions to a screen for executing a process of uploading the video data.

[0300] On the processing screen for uploading video data, the user performs an operation to extract video data that may be uploaded from the video data recorded on the SD card. In addition, the user confirms whether or not it is acceptable to upload data such as the driving speed, images of the inside of the vehicle, and audio data. The personal computer 80 uploads to the server 40 the video data and other data that the owner has permitted to be uploaded.

[0301] The server 40 transfers the uploaded video data to the client terminal 50. A user of the client terminal 50 can operate the client terminal 50 to read out the transferred video data and play back the video images.

[0302] [Effects of the 13th embodiment] Next, the excellent effects of the vehicle search system according to the thirteenth embodiment will be described. In the thirteenth embodiment, provision of video data is postponed, and only GPS logs such as location information and time information are uploaded to the server 40. Since video data is not transmitted from the in-vehicle electronic device 20 to the server 40, the amount of transmitted data can be reduced. This can reduce the cost of data transfer. Furthermore, since video data is not constantly transmitted to the server 40, it is possible to prevent the video data on the server 40 from being read by a third party without the consent of the owner of the in-vehicle electronic device 20, thereby protecting privacy.

[0303] Video data provided by the owner of the in-vehicle electronic device 20 can be used as useful information for accident investigations and can also be used as evidence of crimes, etc. By utilizing such evidence in criminal investigations, it is possible to prevent erroneous arrests. Furthermore, if it becomes socially recognized that video images captured by the in-vehicle electronic device 20 of a third party's vehicle who happens to be at the scene of a crime can be used in criminal investigations, it will have the effect of deterring crimes.

[0304] In the thirteenth embodiment, the provider of the video data can extract only the video data that is acceptable to be provided from the entire captured video data and provide it. Furthermore, information that is not desired to be provided to a third party, such as the driving speed, audio data, and images of the inside of the vehicle, can be prevented from being uploaded to the server 40. This can protect privacy and prevent the information provider from suffering any loss.

[0305] [Modification of the 13th embodiment] Next, a vehicle search system according to a modified example of the thirteenth embodiment will be described. In the thirteenth embodiment, the position information and time information are wirelessly transmitted from the in-vehicle electronic device to the server, but an external electronic device such as a personal computer 80 may have a function of transmitting (uploading) the position information and time information of the route traveled up to the present time to the server 40. In this case, it is not necessary to provide the in-vehicle electronic device 20 with a wireless communication function.

[0306] For example, the owner of the in-vehicle electronic device 20 can insert the SD card 32 (Figure 1) containing the video data into a personal computer 80 with a PC viewer installed, and have the personal computer 80 read out the location information and time information contained in the video data recorded on the SD card 32 and upload it to the server 40.

[0307] In the thirteenth embodiment, it is not necessary to distinguish between the client terminal 50 and the personal computer 80. By adding the functions of the client terminal 50 according to the thirteenth embodiment to the PC viewer of the personal computer 80, the personal computer 80 in which the PC viewer is installed can be used as the client terminal 50. In this case, the owner of the in-vehicle electronic device 20 can be a provider of video data, and can also be a user who receives video data provided by others. In this case, providing video data to a third party can be considered as sharing the video data with the third party.

[0308] The server 40 may manage the owner of the in-vehicle electronic device 20 using an account with a password. This ensures that the provider of the video data is the owner of the in-vehicle electronic device 20. If the video data becomes necessary later as evidence, the video data can be treated as valid.

[0309] The scope of the present invention is not limited to the configurations expressly described in the specification, but includes combinations of various aspects of the present invention disclosed herein. The configurations of the present invention that are sought to be patented are specified in the appended claims, but it is the intention of the present inventors to claim configurations disclosed in this specification that are not currently specified in the claims.

[0310] The present invention is not limited to the configurations described in the above-mentioned embodiments. The components of each of the above-mentioned embodiments and modifications may be arbitrarily selected and combined. Any component of each of the embodiments and modifications may be arbitrarily combined with any component described in the Summary for Solving the Problems of the Invention or any component that embodies any component described in the Summary for Solving the Problems of the Invention. We intend to obtain rights to these as well through amendments to this application or divisional applications, etc.

[0311] In addition, we intend to obtain rights to the overall design or partial design by filing a conversion application to a design application. The drawings show the entire device in solid lines, but they include not only the overall design but also partial designs claimed for a portion of the device. For example, it is of course possible to make a portion of the device a partial design, and it is of course possible to make a portion of the device a partial design regardless of the portion. A portion of the device may be a portion of the device, or it may be a part of that portion. We intend to obtain rights to the overall design as well as partial designs in which any portion of the solid line portion of the drawings is made into a dashed line portion. [Explanation of symbols]

[0312] 20 Automotive electronic equipment 21 Processing unit for on-board electronic devices 22 Camera 23 GPS receiver 24 Orientation Sensor 26 Acceleration Sensor 27 Clock 28 Display 29 Speaker 30 SD card reader 31 LTE module 32 SD card 35 ECU 40 Servers 41 Server Processing Unit 42 Storage device 50 client terminals 51 Processing unit of the client terminal 52 Storage device 53 Display 54 Input Devices 55 Map Area 56 Search criteria input area 57 Search result display area 60 Network 71 Video display area 72 Date and time input area 73 Event Indicator Area 74 Map display area 75 Running speed display area 76 Position display area 77 Acceleration display area 78 Transition Button 79 Date and time registration button 80 PC 90 Message Queue

Claims

1. A function of accepting input of at least location information and time information from a client terminal as search conditions for searching for a vehicle; a function of transmitting, when receiving the input of the position information and the time information, information for selecting a specific vehicle from among a plurality of vehicles corresponding to the position information and the time information to the client terminal, to the client terminal; a function of transmitting data corresponding to the specific vehicle to the client terminal when the specific vehicle is selected on the client terminal; A server comprising:

2. The function of transmitting data corresponding to the specific vehicle to the client terminal is a function of transmitting data corresponding to the specific vehicle to the client terminal when the specific vehicle is selected on the client terminal and permission is obtained from a terminal of an owner of the specific vehicle. The server according to claim 1 .

3. The function of transmitting data corresponding to the specific vehicle to the client terminal is a function of transmitting data selected from a terminal of an owner of the specific vehicle to the client terminal when the specific vehicle is selected on the client terminal. The server according to claim 1 .

4. The information for displaying, on the client terminal, information for selecting the specific vehicle from among a plurality of vehicles corresponding to the position information and the time information includes information for displaying travel routes of the plurality of vehicles on a map.

4. The server according to claim 1, wherein the first and second storage units are connected to the server.

5. The information for displaying, on the client terminal, information for selecting the specific vehicle from among a plurality of vehicles corresponding to the location information and the time information includes information for displaying owners of the plurality of vehicles.

5. The server according to claim 1, wherein the first and second storage units are connected to the server.

6. A program for causing a computer to realize the functions of the server according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

Images