Information processing device, uploading system, and information processing method

Abstract

To collect information related to earthquakes of more spots without causing congestion in a network.SOLUTION: A drive recorder 11 mounted to a vehicle comprises: a plurality of imaging parts 21 for imaging a video of the surroundings of a vehicle; a position information acquiring part 23 for acquiring positional information of the vehicle; a detection part 32 for detecting earthquake occurrence; a distance calculating part 34 for calculating a distance between the imaging parts 21 and an object in the video imaged by the imaging parts 21; and an upload controlling part 35 for uploading a server with recording information including the video imaged by the imaging parts 21 and the positional information acquired by the position information acquiring part 23, in the case that an earthquake has been detected by the detection part 32. The upload controlling part 35 uploads the server with a video imaged by an imaging part 21 having the longest distance between the imaging part 21 and an object calculated by the distance calculating part 34, out of the videos imaged by the plurality of imaging parts 21.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, an upload system, and an information processing method. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an emergency earthquake warning system that effectively obtains earthquake observation information by combining information from privately installed seismometers with emergency earthquake warnings in order to deal with locations where there are no earthquake observation points used by the Japan Meteorological Agency.

[0003] With this configuration, earthquake information can be obtained even in places where there are no observation points used by the Japan Meteorological Agency.

[0004] Patent document 2 also discloses an information collection system in which a drive recorder equipped with an on-board camera device is connected to a wireless communication network, and when an earthquake is detected due to an impact, the acquired video information, driving information, etc. is transmitted to a server. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-115629 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-127091 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 mentioned above has the problem that the cost of installing seismometers in places where no observation points exist limits the widespread use of the system. Also, with the technology disclosed in Patent Document 2, for example, when a large earthquake occurs, many drive recorders that detect the earthquake as an impact may simultaneously send data to a server, causing network congestion.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and its purpose is to provide an information processing device, an upload system, and an information processing method that can collect information about earthquakes from more locations without congesting the network. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] An information processing device according to one aspect of the present invention is an information processing device mounted on a vehicle, and includes a plurality of imaging units that capture images of the area around the vehicle, a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information of the vehicle, a detection unit that detects the occurrence of an earthquake, a distance calculation unit that calculates the distance between the imaging units and an object in the image captured by the imaging units when the vehicle is parked, and an upload control unit that, when the detection unit detects the occurrence of an earthquake, uploads recorded information including the image captured by the imaging units and the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit to a server via a network, and the upload control unit uploads, of the images captured by the plurality of imaging units, the image captured by the imaging unit that has the longest distance between the imaging unit and the object as calculated by the distance calculation unit to the server.

[0009] An upload system according to one aspect of the present invention is an upload system comprising an information processing device mounted on a plurality of vehicles and a server, wherein the information processing device comprises a plurality of imaging units that capture images of the area around the mounted vehicle, a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information of the vehicle, a detection unit that detects the occurrence of an earthquake, a distance calculation unit that calculates the distance between the imaging unit and an object in the image captured by the imaging unit when the vehicle is parked, and an upload control unit that, when the detection unit detects the occurrence of an earthquake, uploads recorded information including the image captured by the imaging unit and the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit to the server via a network, wherein the upload control unit uploads, among the images captured by the plurality of imaging units, the image captured by the imaging unit that has the longest distance between the imaging unit and the object as calculated by the distance calculation unit, and the server comprises a recorded information receiving unit that receives recorded information transmitted from the information processing devices mounted on the plurality of vehicles.

[0010] An information processing method according to one aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of imaging steps of capturing images of the surroundings of a vehicle using a plurality of imaging units, a position information acquisition step of acquiring position information of the vehicle, a detection step of detecting the occurrence of an earthquake, a distance calculation step of calculating the distance between the imaging units and an object in the images captured by the imaging units when the vehicle is parked, and an upload control step of uploading, when an earthquake is detected by the detection step, recorded information including the images captured in the imaging steps and the position information acquired in the position information acquisition step to a server via a network, wherein the upload control step uploads to the server, among the images captured in the plurality of imaging steps, the image captured by the imaging unit with the longest distance between the imaging unit and the object as calculated in the distance calculation step. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, information about earthquakes at more locations can be collected without causing network congestion. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an upload system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the drive recorder 11. As shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the server 12. As shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the upload process by the drive recorder 11. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the video selection process performed by the drive recorder 11. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the video selection process of the drive recorder 11 based on a specific example. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing uploading by the server 12. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the upload control process of the drive recorder 11 and the upload control process of the server 12 based on a specific example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] [One embodiment] (Configuration example of upload system 1) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an upload system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] The upload system 1 is configured to include drive recorders 11-1 and 11-2 (hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between them) as multiple information processing devices, and a server 12. In the upload system 1, when the drive recorder 11 detects the occurrence of an earthquake, video images captured around the time the earthquake was detected are uploaded from the drive recorder 11 to the server 12 and stored therein. Note that while two drive recorders 11 are shown in FIG. 1, in reality, more than two drive recorders 11 can constitute the upload system 1 and communicate with the server 12.

[0015] Each drive recorder 11 is mounted on each vehicle. The drive recorder 11 stores, in a storage unit 27 (FIG. 2), images of the surroundings of the vehicle captured by a plurality of imaging units 21 (FIG. 2) and location information indicating the locations where the images were captured (hereinafter, these pieces of information will be collectively referred to as recording information as appropriate). The recording information stored in the storage unit 27 is overwritten as appropriate.

[0016] The drive recorder 11 is connected to a server 12 via a network N for mobile wireless communication.

[0017] For example, when the drive recorder 11 detects an earthquake, it uploads the recording information to the server via the network N. The process of the drive recorder 11 will be described in detail later.

[0018] The server 12 receives and stores the video recording information uploaded from the drive recorder 11. The user can view the video stored in the server. Details of the processing by the server 12 will be described later.

[0019] (Configuration example of drive recorder 11) 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the drive recorder 11. The drive recorder 11 includes imaging units 21-1 and 21-2, an impact sensor 22, a position information acquisition unit 23, a distance sensor 24, a control unit 25, a communication unit 26, and a storage unit 27.

[0020] The imaging units 21-1 and 21-2 (hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between them, they will be simply referred to as imaging unit 21) are, for example, cameras, and are a front camera that captures images in front of the vehicle and a rear camera that captures images behind the vehicle. The number of imaging units 21 is not limited to two, and more than two imaging units 21 may be provided. The imaging units 21 supply the captured images to the control unit 25.

[0021] The impact sensor 22 is a sensor that detects an impact that occurs to the vehicle. The impact sensor 22 supplies a measurement value of the detected impact to the control unit 25. The impact sensor 22 is a sensor that detects an impact in, for example, three axial directions. The three axial directions are the front-rear direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction of the vehicle.

[0022] The location information acquisition unit 23 acquires location information of the vehicle based on, for example, a signal received from a GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite, which is an example of a satellite positioning system GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), and supplies the location information to the control unit 25. The location information is, for example, information indicating the location of the drive recorder 11 by latitude and longitude.

[0023] The distance sensor 24 is a sensor that measures the distance to an object. The distance sensor 24 measures the distance to an object present within a predetermined range, similar to a general LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) device that measures distance using a TOF (Time of Flight) method. In this embodiment, the predetermined range is preferably the same as the imaging range of each imaging unit 21. The measurement values ​​measured by the distance sensor 24 are stored in the storage unit 27 in association with the recording information.

[0024] The control unit 25 includes an arithmetic circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory circuit such as a RAM (Random Access Memory). The control unit 25 reads and executes an information processing program stored in the memory unit 27, thereby functioning as a recording control unit 31, a detection unit 32, an earthquake information acquisition unit 33, a distance calculation unit 34, and an upload control unit 35, as shown in FIG.

[0025] The recording control unit 31 stores, as recording information, in the storage unit 27, the video captured by the imaging unit 21 and the location information of the drive recorder 11 at the time the video was captured by the imaging unit 21, which information is acquired by the location information acquisition unit 23. The recording information stored in the storage unit 27 is overwritten as appropriate.

[0026] The recording control unit 31 stores the distance to the object measured by the distance sensor 24 in the storage unit 27 in association with the video captured by the imaging unit 21. The recording information stored in the storage unit 27 is overwritten as appropriate.

[0027] The detection unit 32 detects the occurrence of an earthquake based on the magnitude of the impact received by the vehicle. For example, the detection unit 32 determines that an earthquake has been detected when the measurement value of the impact sensor 22 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold and this state continues for a predetermined time.

[0028] Furthermore, for example, the detection unit 32 may obtain an earthquake early warning sent by the Japan Meteorological Agency from an external device to detect the occurrence of an earthquake at the location of the drive recorder 11. The earthquake early warning includes information indicating, for example, the date and time of the earthquake occurrence, the epicenter, the predicted arrival time of the main vibrations (S waves), the area where the earthquake is predicted to occur, and the predicted seismic intensity for each earthquake occurrence area.

[0029] When an earthquake is detected by the detection unit 32, the earthquake information acquisition unit 33 transmits earthquake information to the server 12 via the communication unit 26. The earthquake information includes the impact measurement value detected by the impact sensor 22 at the time the detection unit 32 detects the earthquake, the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 23 at the same time, and vehicle type information of the vehicle in which the drive recorder 11 is installed. In other words, the earthquake information includes location information indicating the magnitude of the impact received by the vehicle and the location of the vehicle at the time the detection unit 32 detects the occurrence of the earthquake, as well as vehicle type information. Note that the vehicle type information includes information indicating the vehicle name (model) and the vehicle model name (sedan, wagon, minivan, sports type, truck, etc.). The vehicle type information can be acquired from the vehicle's CAN (Controller Area Network) data, etc.

[0030] Based on the measurement results of the distance sensor 24, the distance calculation unit 34 calculates the distance between the imaging unit 21 and an object captured in the video captured by the imaging unit 21. The object is one of the objects captured in the video captured by the imaging unit 21, and in this embodiment, the object refers to the object that is farthest from the imaging unit 21 among the objects captured in the video captured by the imaging unit 21.

[0031] When the distance sensor 24 and the imaging unit 21 are positioned apart, the distance calculation unit 34 calculates the distance between the imaging unit 21 and the object in the image captured by the imaging unit 21, taking into account the distance between the distance sensor 24 and the imaging unit 21.

[0032] The upload control unit 35 performs a video selection process when an upload request is made from the server 12 to the drive recorder 11 based on earthquake information transmitted from the earthquake information acquisition unit 33 when an earthquake is detected by the detection unit 32. The upload control unit 35 then uploads the video of the predetermined playback time selected in the video selection process and recording information including the location information of the drive recorder 11 when the video was captured by the imaging unit 21, acquired by the location information acquisition unit 23, to the server 12 via the communication unit 26. The video selection process is a process of selecting, from the videos captured by the multiple imaging units 21, the video captured by the imaging unit 21 with the longest distance between the imaging unit 21 and the object as calculated by the distance calculation unit 34.

[0033] The communication unit 26 communicates with the server 12 via the network N under the control of the control unit 25.

[0034] The storage unit 27 is an information recording device configured with a magnetic recording medium (e.g., a flexible disk, a magnetic tape, a hard disk drive), a magneto-optical recording medium (e.g., a magneto-optical disk), a semiconductor memory (e.g., an EPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), a flash ROM, a RAM), etc. The storage unit 27 stores various programs for controlling the overall operation of the drive recorder 11 and various data acquired by the drive recorder 11.

[0035] (Server 12 configuration example) 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the server 12. The server 12 includes a control unit 41, a communication unit 42, and a storage unit 43.

[0036] The control unit 41 includes an arithmetic circuit such as a CPU and a memory circuit such as a RAM. The control unit 41 reads and executes the information processing program stored in the memory unit 43, thereby functioning as an earthquake information receiving unit 51, an identifying unit 52, and a recording information receiving unit 53, as shown in FIG.

[0037] The earthquake information receiving unit 51 receives earthquake information transmitted from the drive recorder 11 via the communication unit 42. As described above, the earthquake information includes the magnitude of the impact the vehicle received at the time the detection unit 32 detected the occurrence of an earthquake, location information indicating the location of the vehicle, and vehicle model information.

[0038] The identification unit 52 identifies the drive recorder (hereinafter referred to as the upload request drive recorder) that requests the upload of recorded information from the drive recorder 11 that has transmitted the earthquake information, and requests the drive recorder 11 identified as the upload request drive recorder to upload the recorded information via the communication unit 42.

[0039] Specifically, first, the identification unit 52 determines whether the earthquake information receiving unit 51 has received earthquake information that satisfies an upload restriction condition. The upload restriction condition is a condition under which the network N may become congested if the drive recorder 11 that has transmitted the earthquake information uploads recorded information.

[0040] For example, the identifying unit 52 may determine that the received earthquake information satisfies the upload restriction condition when earthquake information is received from 200 or more drive recorders 11 within, for example, three minutes and when there are 100 or more drive recorders 11 (hereinafter referred to as upload request candidate drive recorders) that have detected a measurement value of an impact of a predetermined magnitude or greater within an area of ​​10 km in diameter. The upload restriction condition may be stored in the storage unit 43 in advance or may be set by the user.

[0041] If it is determined that earthquake information that satisfies the upload restriction conditions has been received, the identification unit 52 identifies, based on the vehicle model information from the earthquake information received by the earthquake information receiving unit 51, the drive recorder 11 installed in a specified vehicle model from among the upload request candidate drive recorders 11, as the upload request drive recorder.

[0042] If it is determined that earthquake information that satisfies the upload restriction condition has not been received, the identifying unit 52 identifies all drive recorders 11 that have transmitted the earthquake information as upload request drive recorders 11.

[0043] The recording information receiving unit 53 receives the recording information uploaded from the drive recorder 11 for which uploading is requested via the communication unit 42 and stores it in the storage unit 43.

[0044] The communication unit 42 communicates with the drive recorder 11 via the network N under the control of the control unit 41.

[0045] The storage unit 43 is an information recording device configured with a magnetic recording medium (e.g., a flexible disk, a magnetic tape, a hard disk drive), a magneto-optical recording medium (e.g., a magneto-optical disk), a semiconductor memory (e.g., an EPROM, a flash ROM, a RAM), etc. The storage unit 43 saves recording information uploaded from the drive recorder 11. The storage unit 43 also stores various programs for controlling the overall operation of the server 12 and various data acquired by the server 12.

[0046] The recording information stored in the storage unit 43 can be output to an external device such as a PC (Personal Computer) or a smartphone via a communication interface having, for example, a communication IC (Integrated Circuit) and a communication connector, and the user can view the video of the recording information stored in the storage unit 43. This allows the server 12 to share the collected information with the user.

[0047] Furthermore, the server 12 may share the collected information with the user by transmitting the information stored in the storage unit 43 to the drive recorder 11, a user terminal, or the like.

[0048] (Upload control process for drive recorder 11) 4 is a flowchart showing the upload process by the drive recorder 11. The upload control process starts when the vehicle is parked (for example, when the power supply to an accessory of the vehicle is turned off).

[0049] In step S11, the recording control unit 31 starts storing the recording information in the storage unit 27. The recording information stored in the storage unit 27 is overwritten as appropriate.

[0050] In step S12, the detection unit 32 determines whether or not an earthquake has been detected. If it is determined that an earthquake has not been detected, step S12 is repeated. If it is determined that an earthquake has been detected, the process proceeds to step S13.

[0051] In step S13, the earthquake information acquisition unit 33 acquires the measured value of the impact when the earthquake is detected, the position information, and the vehicle type information, and transmits them to the server 12 as earthquake information.

[0052] In step S14, the upload control unit 35 determines whether or not a request to upload the recording information has been received from the server 12 within a predetermined time. If it is determined that a request has not been received, the process returns to step S12. If it is determined that a request has been received, the process proceeds to step S15.

[0053] In step S15, the distance calculation unit 34 and the upload control unit 35 perform a video selection process to select a video of a predetermined playback time captured by the multiple imaging units 21 to be uploaded to the server 12. The video selection process will be described later. The predetermined playback time is, for example, the time from when the detection unit 32 detects the occurrence of an earthquake until a predetermined time (for example, one minute) has elapsed.

[0054] In step S16, the upload control unit 35 uploads to the server 12 the video of the specified playback time selected in the video selection process and the recording information including the location information of the drive recorder 11 when the video was captured by the imaging unit 21, which was acquired by the location information acquisition unit 23.

[0055] Thereafter, the process returns to step S12, and the same process is executed again. The process ends, for example, when the accessory power of the vehicle is turned on. ((Video selection process))

[0056] Next, the video selection process in step S15 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

[0057] When the upload control unit 35 receives a request to upload recorded information from the server 12, the distance calculation unit 34 acquires from the storage unit 27 the video captured by each imaging unit 21 for a predetermined playback time in step S21.

[0058] In step S22, the distance calculation unit 34 acquires from the memory unit 27 information on the distance to the object measured by the distance sensor 24 that is associated with the recording information of the video of a specified playback time captured by each imaging unit 21.

[0059] In step S23, the distance calculation unit 34 identifies the object (target object) that is farthest from the imaging unit 21 for each video of a predetermined playback time captured by each imaging unit 21, and calculates the distance from the imaging unit 21 to the target object.

[0060] In step S24, the upload control unit 35 selects, as the image to be uploaded to the server 12, the image in which the distance between the imaging unit 21 and the object is the longest, from among the images captured by each imaging unit 21 for a predetermined playback time.

[0061] ((Example of video selection process)) With reference to FIG. 6, the video selection process of the drive recorder 11 will be described based on a specific example.

[0062] The drive recorder 11 has a front camera 21-1 that captures an image in front of the vehicle and a rear camera 21-2 that captures an image behind the vehicle.

[0063] The distance calculation unit 34 of the drive recorder 11 acquires the image A captured by the front camera 21-1 and the image B captured by the rear camera 21-2 (step S21).

[0064] The images are associated with the distances from the imaging unit 21 to objects in the images. For example, image A is associated with a distance α from the front camera 21-1 to a tree O and a distance β from the front camera 21-1 to a curved mirror P. Image B is associated with a distance γ from the rear camera 21-2 to a wall Q and a distance δ from the rear camera 21-2 to another vehicle R. It is assumed that the relationship α>β>γ>δ holds true for the lengths of the distances. The distance calculation unit 34 acquires information on these distances (step S22).

[0065] Distance calculation unit 34 identifies the object (target object) in image A that is farthest from front camera 21-1 as tree O, and calculates the distance from front camera 21-1 to the target object as α. Distance calculation unit 34 also identifies the object (target object) in image B that is farthest from rear camera 21-2 as wall Q, and calculates the distance from rear camera 21-2 to the target object as γ (step S23).

[0066] Then, the upload control unit 35 selects, from the image A captured by the front camera 21-1 and the image B captured by the rear camera 21-2, image A, which has a long distance between the imaging unit 21 and the object and a good view, as the image to be uploaded to the server 12.

[0067] (Server 12 upload control process) Next, the upload control process by the server 12 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0068] In step S31, the earthquake information receiving unit 51 starts receiving earthquake information from the drive recorder 11.

[0069] In step S32, the earthquake information receiving unit 51 determines whether or not earthquake information that satisfies the upload restriction conditions has been received.

[0070] If it is determined in step S32 that earthquake information satisfying the upload restriction condition has been received, in step S33, the identifying unit 52 identifies the drive recorder 11 mounted on a predetermined vehicle type (for example, a truck) from among the upload request candidate drive recorders as the upload request drive recorder, and then proceeds to step S35.

[0071] If it is determined in step S32 that the earthquake information has not been received, in step S34 the identifying unit 52 identifies the drive recorder 11 that has transmitted the earthquake information as the upload request drive recorder, and then the process proceeds to step S35.

[0072] In step S35, the identification unit 52 requests the drive recorder 11 identified as the upload request drive recorder to perform an upload.

[0073] In step S36, the recording information receiving unit 53 receives the recording information uploaded from the drive recorder 11 for which uploading has been requested, and stores it in the storage unit 43.

[0074] Thereafter, the process returns to step S32, and the same process is executed.

[0075] In this way, when the upload restriction condition is satisfied, for example, when there are a predetermined number or more of drive recorders 11 that have detected measurement values ​​of an impact of a predetermined magnitude or greater within an area of ​​10 km diameter and earthquake information is transmitted from a predetermined number or more of drive recorders 11, and when there are many upload request candidate drive recorders, the server 12 limits the upload request drive recorders to drive recorders installed in vehicles of a predetermined model. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of data in transmitting and receiving recorded information and prevent congestion on the network N.

[0076] On the other hand, if the upload restriction condition is not satisfied, that is, if there are few upload request candidate drive recorders, the amount of data sent and received is not large, so the server 12 does not restrict the upload request drive recorders.

[0077] (Example of upload control process) Referring to FIG. 8, the upload control process of the drive recorder 11 and the upload control process of the server 12 will be described based on a specific example.

[0078] In this example, the drive recorders 11-1 to 11-3 are located in area A where the earthquake occurred, and the earthquake information transmitted from the drive recorders 11-1 to 11-3 satisfies the upload restriction condition (step S32: Yes). Also, the drive recorders 11-1 to 11-3 are upload request candidate drive recorders. The predetermined vehicle type is a truck.

[0079] Since the drive recorders 11-1 to 11-3 have detected an earthquake (step S12: Yes), they transmit earthquake information to the server 12 (step S13). Then, the server 12 identifies the drive recorders 11-1 and 11-2 mounted on the trucks as upload request drive recorders (step S33). Furthermore, the server 12 requests the drive recorders 11-1 and 11-2 identified as the upload request drive recorders to upload (step S35), so the drive recorders 11-1 and 11-2 receive the upload request (step S14: Yes). Therefore, the drive recorders 11-1 and 11-2 upload recording information including the video selected in the video selection process to the server 12 (steps S15 and S16).

[0080] On the other hand, since the drive recorder 11-3 is installed in a sedan, the server 12 does not identify the drive recorder 11-3 as the upload request drive recorder, and the drive recorder 11-3 does not receive the upload request (step S14: No). Therefore, the drive recorder 11-3 does not upload the recording information to the server 12.

[0081] It is assumed that the earthquake information transmitted from the drive recorder 11-4 located in another area B where the earthquake occurred does not satisfy the upload restriction condition (step S32: No).

[0082] In this case, the drive recorder 11-4 detects an earthquake (step S12: Yes), and therefore transmits earthquake information to the server 12 (step S13). The server 12 then identifies the drive recorder 11-4 as the upload request drive recorder, regardless of the type of vehicle in which the drive recorder 11-4 is installed (step S34). The server 12 then requests the drive recorder 11-4 identified as the upload request drive recorder to upload (step S35), and the drive recorder 11-4 receives the upload request (step S14: Yes). Therefore, the drive recorder 11-4 uploads recording information including the video selected in the video selection process to the server 12 (steps S15 and S16).

[0083] Due to the upload control process of the drive recorder 11 and the upload control process of the server 12, when the drive recorder 11 detects the occurrence of an earthquake, it transmits recorded information to the server 12, so that even in places where there are no observation points, it is possible to transmit video of the occurrence of an earthquake to the server 12. In addition, since the impact measurement value of the impact sensor 22 of the drive recorder 11 is also received as earthquake information, the server 12 can also obtain information on the magnitude of the shaking caused by the earthquake.

[0084] When multiple drive recorders 11 detect the occurrence of an earthquake, they upload the recorded information to the server 12, so that the server 12 can collect multiple images showing the occurrence of the earthquake and can also obtain information about the trends of earthquakes and how they spread.

[0085] Furthermore, since the multiple drive recorders 11 upload recording information to the server 12 only when an earthquake is detected, the amount of data required for transmitting recording information can be reduced compared to when the recording information is constantly uploaded. Furthermore, since the multiple drive recorders 11 wait for a request from the server 12 before uploading recording information to the server 12, the amount of data required for transmitting recording information can be further reduced. By reducing the amount of data, congestion on the network N can be prevented.

[0086] Furthermore, when the server 12 receives earthquake information that satisfies the upload restriction conditions, i.e., when there is a possibility that the network N will become congested if the drive recorder 11 that sent the earthquake information uploads recorded information, the server 12 requests uploading only from the drive recorder 11 installed in a vehicle of a specified model. This makes it possible to restrict uploading and receive images captured from a vehicle of a specified model, i.e., images that are easy to compare under the same conditions.

[0087] In addition, the drive recorder 11 includes multiple image capturing units 21, and the upload control unit 35 uploads to the server 12 the image captured by the multiple image capturing units 21 that has the longest distance between the image capturing unit 21 and the object, i.e., the image with the best view, so the drive recorder 11 can upload to the server 12 an image that more clearly shows the occurrence of an earthquake.

[0088] [Other Examples] (Another example of upload control processing) In the above-described embodiment, the drive recorder 11 uses the distance sensor 24 to calculate the distance between the imaging unit 21 and the object in the video captured by the imaging unit 21.

[0089] However, the drive recorder 11 may calculate the distance between the imaging unit 21 and the object in the video captured by the imaging unit 21 without using the distance sensor 24.

[0090] For example, the drive recorder 11 can use triangulation. Specifically, the distance from the imaging unit 21 to the object can be calculated based on the focal length of the imaging unit 21 and the size of the object. In this case, the size of the object is required, so the object needs to be an object whose size is defined by JIS standards or the like.

[0091] (Use of devices other than drive recorder 11) In the above-described embodiment, the information processing device is described as the drive recorder 11, but the information processing device is not limited to the drive recorder 11 as long as it includes a similar configuration. Furthermore, each configuration may be provided as an independent device within the vehicle.

[0092] Furthermore, a plurality of drive recorders 11 may be installed in each vehicle.

[0093] (Another example of the imaging unit 21) In the above-described embodiment, it has been described that there are multiple imaging units 21, but this is not limited to this. An imaging unit 21 capable of capturing 360-degree images around the vehicle may be used to cut out a range of the image, and within the cut-out range of the image, the distance between the imaging unit 21 and the object may be calculated, and the image with the longest distance may be uploaded to the server.

[0094] [Supplementary explanation of the embodiment] The above-described embodiments each show a preferred specific example of the present invention. The numerical values, components, arrangement and connection order of the components, processing order in the flowcharts, etc. shown in the embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. Furthermore, the drawings are not necessarily strict illustrations.

[0095] The above-described series of processes can be executed by hardware or software. When the series of processes is executed by software, the program constituting the software is installed from a program recording medium into a computer incorporated in dedicated hardware, or into, for example, a general-purpose personal computer that can execute various functions by installing various programs.

[0096] The program executed by the computer may be a program that processes in chronological order according to the order described in this specification, or may be a program that processes in parallel or at the required timing, such as when called.

[0097] [Note] The contents of the above-described embodiments can be understood, for example, as follows.

[0098] (1) Prioritize the image from the farther side among the images from multiple cameras. The above-mentioned drive recorder 11 A drive recorder 11 mounted on a vehicle, A plurality of imaging units 21 that capture images of the surroundings of the vehicle; a location information acquisition unit 23 that acquires vehicle location information; a detection unit 32 that detects the occurrence of an earthquake; a distance calculation unit 34 that calculates a distance between the imaging unit 21 and an object in an image captured by the imaging unit 21 when the vehicle is parked (step S23); an upload control unit 35 that uploads recorded information including the video captured by the imaging unit 21 and the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 23 to the server 12 via the network N when the detection unit 32 detects the occurrence of an earthquake (step S16); Equipped with The upload control unit 35 uploads to the server 12 the video captured by the imaging unit 21 having the longest distance between the imaging unit 21 and the object as calculated by the distance calculation unit 34, among the videos captured by the multiple imaging units 21 (step S24).

[0099] With this configuration, when the drive recorder 11 detects the occurrence of an earthquake, it transmits recording information to the server 12, so that even in places where there are no observation points, it is possible to transmit video footage of the occurrence of an earthquake to the server 12.

[0100] Furthermore, the drive recorder 11 uploads the recording information to the server 12 only when it detects an earthquake, which reduces the amount of data required to send the recording information compared to when the information is constantly uploaded, thereby preventing network congestion.

[0101] In addition, the drive recorder 11 includes multiple image capturing units 21, and the upload control unit 35 uploads to the server 12 the image captured by the multiple image capturing units 21 that has the longest distance between the image capturing unit 21 and the object, i.e., the image with the best view, so the drive recorder 11 can upload to the server 12 an image that more clearly shows the occurrence of an earthquake.

[0102] (2) Upload System An upload system 1 including a drive recorder 11 mounted on a plurality of vehicles and a server 12, Drive Recorder 11 is A plurality of imaging units 21 that capture images of the surroundings of the vehicle on which they are mounted; a location information acquisition unit 23 that acquires vehicle location information; a detection unit 32 that detects the occurrence of an earthquake; a distance calculation unit 34 that calculates a distance between the imaging unit 21 and an object in an image captured by the imaging unit 21 when the vehicle is parked; an upload control unit 35 that uploads recorded information including the video captured by the imaging unit 21 and the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 23 to the server 12 via the network N when the detection unit 32 detects the occurrence of an earthquake (step S16); Equipped with The upload control unit 35 uploads to the server 12 the image captured by the plurality of image capturing units 21, the image in which the distance between the image capturing unit 21 and the object calculated by the distance calculation unit 34 is the longest, The server 12 includes a recording information receiving unit 53 that receives recording information uploaded from the drive recorders 11 installed in a plurality of vehicles.

[0103] With this configuration, when multiple drive recorders 11 detect the occurrence of an earthquake, they upload recorded information to the server 12, allowing the server 12 to collect multiple videos showing the occurrence of the earthquake and also obtain information about the trends of earthquakes and how they spread.

[0104] (3) Upload restrictions: Vehicles of the same model An upload system 1, The drive recorder 11 further includes an earthquake information acquisition unit 33 that, when the detection unit 32 detects the occurrence of an earthquake, transmits earthquake information including vehicle type information of the vehicle in which the drive recorder 11 is installed to the server 12; Server 12: an earthquake information receiving unit 51 that receives earthquake information; an identification unit (52) that identifies a drive recorder (11) installed in a predetermined vehicle model based on vehicle model information included in the earthquake information and requests the identified drive recorder (11) to upload recorded information; Equipped with When an upload is requested by the specifying unit 52, the upload control unit 35 uploads the recording information to the server 12.

[0105] Video footage captured from a specific vehicle model is likely to be easier to compare because it is captured from vehicles with the same weight and external shape. In other words, with this configuration, it is possible to request the upload of recorded information that includes footage of the earthquake occurrence, which is easier to compare.

[0106] Furthermore, for example, it is possible to request uploading from a drive recorder 11 mounted on a truck, in which the imaging unit 21 is located at a higher position than in a passenger car and is therefore able to capture more distant scenery.

[0107] (4) Conditions for restricting uploads The detection unit 32 detects the occurrence of an earthquake based on the magnitude of the impact received by the vehicle, The earthquake information includes location information indicating the magnitude of the impact the vehicle received and the location of the vehicle at the time the detection unit 32 detected the occurrence of the earthquake, as well as vehicle model information. The identification unit 52 determines whether or not there is a possibility that the network N will become congested if the drive recorder 11 that has transmitted the earthquake information uploads recorded information, and if it determines that there is a possibility that the network N will become congested, it can identify the drive recorder 11 installed in a specified vehicle model based on the vehicle model information and request the identified drive recorder 11 to upload recorded information.

[0108] In this way, when the upload restriction condition is met, i.e., when there is a possibility that the network N will become congested if the drive recorder 11 that transmitted the earthquake information uploads recorded information, the server 12 transmits an upload request to the drive recorder 11 mounted on a vehicle of a specified model, thereby restricting uploading and making it possible to receive images captured from a vehicle of a specified model, i.e., images that are easy to compare. [Explanation of symbols]

[0109] 1. Upload System 11 Drive recorder 12 Servers 21 Imaging unit 22 Impact sensor 23 Location information acquisition unit 24 Distance Sensor 25 Control Unit 26 Communications Department 27 Memory section 31 Recording control unit 32 Detection unit 33 Earthquake Information Acquisition Department 34 Distance calculation unit 35 Upload control section 41 Control Unit 42 Communications Department 43 Storage section 51 Earthquake Information Receiving Unit 52 Specific part 53 Recording information receiving unit

Claims

1. An information processing device mounted on a vehicle, a plurality of imaging units that capture images of the surroundings of the vehicle; a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information of the vehicle; a detection unit that detects the occurrence of an earthquake; a distance calculation unit that calculates a distance between the imaging unit and an object in the image captured by the imaging unit when the vehicle is parked; an upload control unit that, when the occurrence of an earthquake is detected by the detection unit, uploads the video captured by the imaging unit and recording information including the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit to a server via a network; Equipped with The upload control unit uploads to the server, among the images captured by the plurality of imaging units, the image captured by the imaging unit having the longest distance between the imaging unit and the object as calculated by the distance calculation unit.

1. An information processing device comprising:

2. An upload system including an information processing device mounted on a plurality of vehicles and a server, The information processing device includes: A plurality of imaging units mounted on the vehicle for capturing images of the surroundings of the vehicle; a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information of the vehicle; a detection unit that detects the occurrence of an earthquake; a distance calculation unit that calculates a distance between the imaging unit and an object in the image captured by the imaging unit when the vehicle is parked; an upload control unit that, when the occurrence of an earthquake is detected by the detection unit, uploads recorded information including the video captured by the imaging unit and the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit to the server via a network; Equipped with the upload control unit uploads to the server, among the images captured by the plurality of imaging units, the image captured by the imaging unit having the longest distance between the imaging unit and the object as calculated by the distance calculation unit; The server includes a recording information receiving unit that receives the recording information transmitted from the information processing devices mounted on the plurality of vehicles. An upload system characterized by:

3. 3. The upload system according to claim 2, the information processing device further includes an earthquake information acquisition unit that, when the detection unit detects the occurrence of an earthquake, transmits earthquake information including vehicle type information of the vehicle in which the information processing device is installed to the server; The server an earthquake information receiving unit that receives the earthquake information; an identification unit that identifies the information processing device installed in a predetermined vehicle model based on the vehicle model information included in the earthquake information, and requests the identified information processing device to upload the recording information; Equipped with The upload control unit of the information processing device uploads the recording information to the server when an upload is requested by the specifying unit of the server. An upload system characterized by:

4. 4. The upload system according to claim 3, the detection unit detects the occurrence of an earthquake based on the magnitude of an impact received by the vehicle, the earthquake information includes location information indicating a magnitude of an impact received by the vehicle and a location of the vehicle at the time when the detection unit detected the occurrence of the earthquake, and the vehicle type information of the vehicle; The identification unit determines whether or not there is a possibility that the network will be congested if the information processing device that has transmitted the earthquake information uploads the recorded information, and, if it determines that there is a possibility that the network will be congested, identifies the information processing device installed in the specified vehicle model based on the vehicle model information, and requests the identified information processing device to upload the recorded information. An upload system characterized by:

5. a plurality of imaging steps of capturing images of the surroundings of the vehicle by a plurality of imaging units; a position information acquisition step of acquiring position information of the vehicle; a detection step of detecting an occurrence of an earthquake; a distance calculation step of calculating a distance between the imaging unit and an object in the image captured by the imaging unit while the vehicle is parked; an upload control step of uploading, when the occurrence of an earthquake is detected in the detection step, recorded information including the video captured in the imaging step and the location information acquired in the location information acquisition step to a server via a network; Including, The upload control step uploads to the server, among the plurality of images captured in the imaging steps, the image captured by the imaging unit having the longest distance between the imaging unit and the object calculated in the distance calculation step. An information processing method comprising:

Images