Information collection device, information collection method, and program

Abstract

To provide an information collection device and the like capable of increasing the possibility of collecting information when an object is not an object installed in advance.SOLUTION: In one general aspect, the techniques disclosed here feature an information collection apparatus including a receiver that receives a captured image from a terminal, and a provider that provides an incentive to a sender of the captured image when the captured image indicates that an object included in the captured image is not an object set in advance.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information collection device, an information collection method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] A technology for collecting road information is disclosed in Reference 1.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a road measurement device that acquires image data of a road surface and the shooting location, determines the degree of deterioration of the road surface using the image data, and generates a map that maps the degree of deterioration for each shooting location and the amount of remuneration offered according to the degree of deterioration. The road measurement device of Patent Document 1 outputs the generated map to a user, and when it acquires image data and the shooting location photographed by the user, it determines the actual amount of remuneration to the user based on the degree of deterioration and the offered value of the shooting location and the judgment result of the image data. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-79166 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In order to obtain information on the status of road signs, billboards, guardrails, and other objects, it is necessary to collect information at the locations where these objects are installed. However, managers of these objects lack the resources to visit all locations where these objects are installed and collect information.

[0006] The technology of Patent Document 1 makes it easier to collect information about roads with a high degree of surface deterioration. However, the information collected by the technology of Patent Document 1 is information about the road, not information about objects installed on the road, such as signs, billboards, and guardrails. The technology of Patent Document 1 does not provide information about objects that are not installed in advance. Therefore, the technology of Patent Document 1 cannot collect information about objects that are not installed in advance.

[0007] One of the objectives of the present disclosure is to provide an information collection device, an information collection method, and a program that can increase the possibility of collecting information when an object is not a pre-installed object. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] An information collection device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a receiving means for receiving an image from a terminal device, and an awarding means for awarding an incentive to the sender of the image if the object shown in the image is not a pre-installed object.

[0009] An information collection method according to one aspect of the present disclosure receives an image from a terminal device, and if the image indicates that an object shown in the image is not a pre-installed object, provides an incentive to the sender of the image.

[0010] A program according to one aspect of the present disclosure causes a computer to execute a receiving process for receiving an image from a terminal device, and an awarding process for awarding an incentive to the sender of the image if the object shown in the image indicates that it is not a pre-installed object. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] The present disclosure has an effect of increasing the possibility of collecting information when the object is not a pre-installed object. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an information collection device according to the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the information collection device according to the present disclosure. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an information collection device according to the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the information collection device according to the present disclosure when collecting information. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the information collection device according to the present disclosure when outputting collected information. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an information collection device according to the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a computer that can realize an information collection device according to the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that in the drawings relating to the present disclosure, components connected by lines represent components that exchange information. However, the components that exchange information are not limited to components connected by lines. Information may also be exchanged between components that are not connected by lines.

[0014] First Embodiment First, a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0015] <Configuration> First, the configuration of the first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an information collection device according to the present disclosure.

[0017] An example of the configuration of the information collection device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to FIG.

[0018] In the example shown in FIG. 1, the information collection device 10 includes a receiving unit 120 and an assigning unit 140.

[0019] The receiving unit 120 receives the captured image from the terminal.

[0020] If the object shown in the captured image is not a pre-installed object, the granting unit 140 grants an incentive to the sender of the captured image.

[0021] In this disclosure, a "pre-installed object" is an object that is installed and managed by a particular entity. The object may be, for example, a roadside attachment, as described below.

[0022] In this embodiment, an object installed on a road or roadside, etc., that is installed or managed by a specific organization, will be referred to as a road accessory. Specifically, a road accessory is, for example, a facility installed on a road or roadside, etc., that is installed and managed by a specific organization, such as a road sign, a billboard, a mirror, a guardrail, a median strip, and a fence. A signboard may include a guide sign. A road accessory may include a linear guidepost that is installed at a curved portion of the road and warns pedestrians that the road is curved. A road accessory may include a caution reflector that is installed at the edge of a median strip or an impassable portion of the road and warns pedestrians of impassable portions. A road accessory may include a visual guidepost that is installed at the side of the road, etc., and that improves the visibility of the roadside and road alignments. A road accessory may include a lane divider such as a pole cone. Road accessory is not limited to these examples. A road accessory may not include at least some of these examples.

[0023] "Cases where an object shown in a captured image is not a pre-installed object" includes, for example, a case where an object not installed or managed by a specific organization is detected at the location where the image was taken. "Cases where an object shown in a captured image is not a pre-installed object" includes a case where an object managed by a specific organization is detected but installed at a location different from the location where the image was taken. "Cases where an object shown in a captured image is not a pre-installed object" includes a case where an object similar to an object installed or managed by a specific organization at the location where the image was taken, but has a different appearance. A different appearance may be, for example, a case where the appearance is different from the original object, for example, due to deterioration, damage, being obscured by an obstacle, etc.

[0024] The incentives in this embodiment, such as the basic incentives and additional incentives described below, are, for example, at least one of points, coupons, and merchandise. The incentives may be cash such as rewards or gift certificates. The points are used in any point service, which can be exchanged for merchandise such as goods and services with a set number of points. The points may be one of the existing points. The points do not have to be one of the existing points.

[0025] The incentive may be determined as appropriate. The incentive may be determined for an object (e.g., road accessories). The amount of the incentive may be expressed, for example, by the number of points, the discount amount of a coupon, the price of a product, or the amount of a gift certificate.

[0026] <Operation> Next, the operation of the first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the information collection device according to the present disclosure.

[0028] An example of the operation of the information collection device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to FIG.

[0029] 2, the receiving unit 120 receives a captured image from a terminal device (step S11). If the object shown in the captured image is not a pre-installed object (NO in step S12), the granting unit 140 grants an incentive to the sender of the captured image (step S13). If the object shown in the captured image is a pre-installed object (YES in step S12), the information collection device 10 of this embodiment ends the operation shown in FIG. 2.

[0030] The present embodiment described above has the effect of increasing the possibility of collecting information when the object is not a pre-installed object.

[0031] The reason is that when the granting unit 140 indicates that the object shown in the captured image is not a pre-installed object, an incentive is granted to the sender of the captured image.

[0032] <Second embodiment> Next, a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0033] <Configuration> First, the configuration of the second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.

[0034] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an information collection device according to the present disclosure.

[0035] An example of the configuration of the information collection device according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to FIG.

[0036] In the example shown in FIG. 3, the information collection device 100 includes an output unit 110, a receiving unit 120, an extracting unit 130, an assigning unit 140, an updating unit 150, an information storage unit 160, a receiving unit 170, and an output target extracting unit 180.

[0037] <Output unit 110> The output unit 110 outputs output information including information on road accessories, which are structures installed on roads and have been registered in advance, and a basic incentive, which is an incentive for the set road accessories.

[0038] As described above, the output unit 110 may output as output information a map of an area including the installation location of a road accessory, on which a display showing the pre-registered road accessory and the basic incentive for the road accessory is superimposed at a position corresponding to the pre-registered installation location of the road accessory.

[0039] The output unit 110 outputs the latest information on road accessories extracted by the output target extraction unit 180, which will be described in detail later.The output of the latest information on road accessories extracted by the output target extraction unit 180, which will be described in detail later.

[0040] <Receiving section 120> The receiving unit 120 receives transmission information including an image of the installation location of the roadside accessory. The receiving unit 120 receives the transmission information from a terminal device of the sender. The terminal device of the sender is, for example, a terminal device such as a smartphone that has an imaging device, a position measurement function, a direction measurement function, and a communication function. The terminal device can generate transmission information and transmit the generated transmission information to the information collection device 100.

[0041] The transmission information includes the captured image, which is an image captured by an imaging device, and imaging information. The imaging information includes, for example, information on the position (e.g., latitude and longitude) where the captured image was captured, information on the direction where the captured image was captured (the direction of the imaging device), and information on the imaging device. The direction of the imaging device is, for example, the orientation of the optical axis of the imaging device when the captured image was captured. The imaging device information is, for example, camera parameters such as focal length and pixel pitch. The imaging device information may include, for example, the angle of view, the number of pixels, the size of the image sensor, etc. The imaging information may also include other information about the imaging device. Hereinafter, the position where the captured image was captured will also be referred to as the imaging position. Furthermore, the direction where the captured image was captured will also be referred to as the imaging direction. The imaging information may further include, for example, information indicating the light intensity at the time of capturing, and information indicating the color temperature of the light at the time of capturing, estimated by the imaging device. The transmission information may also include sender identification information that is appropriately set to identify the sender. The sender identification information is, for example, information that is unique to at least registered senders. The registered senders are, for example, senders whose incentive information is stored in the information storage unit 160 described below.

[0042] <Extraction part 130> The extraction unit 130 extracts information about road ancillary objects from the transmitted information.

[0043] The information on road accessories is one or more types of information, such as the position of the road accessory, the direction of the road accessory, the type of road accessory, and the state of the road accessory. The type of information on road accessories that is the target of extraction extracted by the extraction unit 130 is referred to as a target item. One or more types of information on road accessories is referred to as information on a target item. The target items include the position of the road accessory, the direction of the road accessory, the type of road accessory, and the state of the road accessory. The state of the road accessory may be represented by multiple target items, such as the shape state, the surface state (e.g., color, etc.), and the state of occlusion. Of the target items, the type of information extracted from the transmitted information is also referred to as an extracted item.

[0044] The position of a road appendage is the position of the road appendage in three-dimensional space, represented by, for example, latitude and longitude. Note that the extraction unit 130 does not need to extract the height (i.e., altitude) of the sign. The position of a road appendage is the position of a point predetermined on the road appendage. If the road appendage is realized by a pole installed on the road and a part attached to the pole, the extraction unit 130 may estimate the position of the center of the pole as the position of the road appendage. If the road appendage is realized by multiple posts and parts attached to the posts, such as a fence and a guardrail, the extraction unit 130 may estimate the position of the center of a predetermined post as the position of the road appendage. The predetermined post may be an end post. The predetermined post may be all posts whose images are included in the captured image. The position of a road appendage is not limited to these examples.

[0045] The type of road accessory is information indicating whether the road accessory is a sign, a convex mirror, a guardrail, a fence, etc. The type of road accessory is not limited to these examples. The type of road accessory may also indicate the type of sign.

[0046] If the road accessory is a sign or the like that displays some information, the information of the road accessory may include the content of the information displayed by the road accessory (also referred to as the display content of the road accessory). The direction of the road accessory indicates the direction in which the road accessory is facing.

[0047] The direction of a road accessory may be determined as appropriate for each type of road accessory. For example, if the road accessory is a sign, the direction in which the sign is facing can be considered the direction of the road accessory. However, this is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the direction of the surface on which the sign content is displayed may be, for example, the direction of the normal vector facing the side where the sign content is visible, out of two normal vectors of the surface on which the sign content is displayed (a normal vector facing the side where the sign content is not visible and a normal vector facing the side where the sign content is visible). The normal vector facing the side where the sign content is visible of the surface on which the sign content is displayed is a normal vector pointing from a point on the surface on which the sign content is displayed to a position where the sign is visible. The normal vector facing the side where the sign content is not visible of the surface on which the sign content is displayed is a normal vector pointing from a point on the surface on which the sign content is displayed to a position where the sign is not visible (a position where the back side of the surface on which the sign content is displayed is visible). In other words, a normal vector pointing toward the side of the surface on which the content of the sign is displayed where the content of the sign is visible is, for example, a vector representing the component perpendicular to the surface on which the content of the sign is displayed of a vector from any point on the surface on which the content of the sign is displayed to any position in three-dimensional space where the sign can be viewed. A normal vector pointing toward the side of the surface on which the content of the sign is displayed where the content of the sign is not visible is a vector in the opposite direction with respect to the surface on which the content of the sign is displayed of the normal vector pointing toward the side of the surface on which the content of the sign is displayed where the content of the sign is visible.

[0048] Furthermore, if the road feature is a convex mirror, the direction in which the convex mirror is facing may be defined as the direction of the road feature. However, without being limited to this, the direction of the road feature may also be defined as the direction of the normal vector of the plane including the edge of the reflective surface of the convex mirror, in which the reflective surface is facing. A reflective surface is one of the two surfaces of the mirror portion of a convex mirror that reflects light (the surface used to check vehicles, pedestrians, etc.). Generally, the shape of the reflective surface of a convex mirror is the shape of a portion of a sphere. Specifically, the shape of the reflective surface is generally the shape of the portion with the smaller surface area (i.e., the portion of the sphere) of the two portions generated by cutting a sphere with a plane. In this case, the edge of the reflective surface is a circle contained in the plane (in other words, a circle within that plane). The normal vector of the plane including the edge of the reflective surface, in the direction in which the reflective surface is facing, is the normal vector pointing from a point on the plane including the edge of the reflective surface to a position where the reflective surface can be seen. Furthermore, the direction in which the center of the reflective surface faces may be defined as the direction of the road feature. The center of the reflecting surface is, for example, the center of gravity of the reflecting surface. The direction in which the center of the reflecting surface faces is the direction of the normal vector of the center of the reflecting surface that faces the reflecting surface. In the present disclosure, the normal vector of the direction in which the reflecting surface faces at a point on the reflecting surface is the normal vector at that point on the reflecting surface that faces from the point on the reflecting surface to a position where the reflecting surface can be seen. As mentioned above, if the shape of the reflecting surface is the shape of the part with the smaller surface area of ​​the two parts generated by cutting a sphere with a plane, the center of the reflecting surface is the intersection of the reflecting surface and the perpendicular line to the plane containing the edge of the reflecting surface, which passes through the center of the circle that is the edge of the reflecting surface. In this case, the direction in which the center of the reflecting surface faces is the same as the direction of the normal vector of the plane containing the edge of the reflecting surface of the convex mirror mentioned above, in which the reflecting surface faces.

[0049] When the road accessory is a fence, a guardrail, or the like, the direction of the road accessory may be the direction of the normal vector of the surface when the fence or the like is approximated by a surface.

[0050] The extraction unit 130 calculates the direction of the road-related object from the captured image and the imaging information including the camera parameters and the imaging position. The above-mentioned directions of road-related objects such as signs and convex mirrors are represented by three-dimensional vectors. The vectors representing the directions of such road-related objects are not necessarily parallel to the horizontal plane. For example, if the two-dimensional direction of the road-related object on the map (i.e., the direction in the horizontal plane) is stored in the information storage unit 160 as the direction of the road-related object, the extraction unit 130 calculates the direction of the road-related object in three-dimensional space. Then, the extraction unit 130 further calculates the horizontal component of the direction of the road-related object in three-dimensional space as the direction of the road-related object.

[0051] The state of the road belongings is, for example, the state of deterioration of the road belongings.

[0052] <Example of extraction method> The extraction unit 130 estimates the position and orientation of the road appendage from the captured image and imaging information included in the transmitted information. Specifically, the extraction unit 130 estimates the latitude and longitude of the point where the road appendage is installed as the position of the road appendage using the imaging position, imaging direction, camera parameters, and the pixel position of the point where the road appendage is installed in the captured image, which are included in the imaging information. The extraction unit 130 may estimate the position of the road appendage using appropriately determined preconditions (in other words, assumptions), such as that the height from the road surface to the imaging device when the captured image is captured is a predetermined height, or that the road surface is a predetermined flat surface (e.g., a horizontal plane). The extraction unit 130 further estimates the orientation of the road appendage from the captured image and the imaging direction. Specifically, the extraction unit 130 estimates the relative orientation of the road appendage with respect to the imaging device from the captured image. The extraction unit 130 further estimates the orientation of the road appendage with respect to the imaging device from the captured image.

[0053] Furthermore, the extraction unit 130 estimates the type of road object from the captured image using a pattern recognition technique. If the road object is a sign, the extraction unit 130 estimates the content of the road object (i.e., the content of information indicated by at least one of characters and figures on the road object that is a sign) using a pattern recognition technique including a character recognition technique and a figure recognition technique.

[0054] The state of the road appendage may include, for example, the state of the road appendage itself and the state of the environment of the road appendage. The state of the road appendage is the degree of deterioration of the road appendage. The extraction unit 130 estimates the degree of deterioration of the road appendage from the captured image included in the transmitted information. The criteria for determining the degree of deterioration may be determined in advance as appropriate depending on the type of deterioration.

[0055] The condition of the main body of a road accessory is, for example, the state of deterioration (in other words, damage) of the road accessory due to the application of external forces such as impacts or changes over time. Deterioration of a road accessory includes damage accompanied by a change in shape, such as dents, creases, bending, deformation, tilting, and collapse. Damage to a road accessory further includes damage accompanied by a change in the surface condition, such as peeling paint, fading, staining by graffiti, and clouding and corrosion of the reflective surface of a mirror.

[0056] Environmental degradation of road accessories is a change in the environment where road accessories are installed (hereinafter referred to as the installation location) that affects the function of road accessories.

[0057] For example, if the road accessory is a sign, the function of the road accessory is to allow the content of the sign to be visually recognized by an object to which the content of the sign is to be presented (for example, a driver of a vehicle traveling on the road, a pedestrian walking on the road, etc.). In this case, a change in the environment of the installation location that affects the function of the road accessory may be, for example, a state in which at least a portion of the surface of the sign of the road accessory is blocked by a grown tree, a constructed artificial object, an installed artificial object, etc. A change in the environment of the installation location that affects the function of the road accessory may be, for example, a state in which natural light and illumination light that are irradiated onto at least a portion of the sign of the road accessory is blocked by a grown tree, a constructed artificial object, an installed artificial object, etc.

[0058] For example, if the road accessory is a convex mirror, the function of the road accessory is to allow the object of the convex mirror (for example, drivers of vehicles traveling on the road, pedestrians walking on the road, etc.) to see the reflection. In this case, an environmental change at the installation location that affects the function of the road accessory is, for example, a state in which at least a part of the reflective surface of the convex mirror is blocked by a growing tree, a constructed artificial object, an installed artificial object, etc.

[0059] The extraction unit 130 estimates the state of the road appendage from the captured image included in the transmitted information. Specifically, the extraction unit 130 may estimate the state of the road appendage from the captured image and image information included in the transmitted information and information on the type of road appendage using image processing technology. The extraction unit 130 may also estimate the state of the road appendage using information on the content of the road appendage. In this case, information on the road appendage that is not deteriorated may be stored in advance in, for example, the information storage unit 160. The information on the road appendage may include information on the shape of the road appendage and information on the surface color distribution of the road appendage. In this case, the extraction unit 130 extracts information on the shape and surface color distribution of the road appendage from the captured image. The extraction unit 130 compares the extracted shape and surface color distribution of the road appendage with the shape and surface color distribution of the road appendage that is not deteriorated stored in the information storage unit 160. The extraction unit 130 determines the state of the road appendage, for example, the degree of deterioration of the road appendage, from the comparison result. The extraction unit 130 may determine the degree of deterioration of the road appendage for each part of the road appendage. The criteria for determining the degree of deterioration of the road appendage may be determined in advance as appropriate.

[0060] For example, the degree of deterioration of the surface condition of the display portion of a sign (i.e., the surface on which the information displayed by the sign is written) may be expressed by the magnitude of color change from a non-faded state, and the ratio of the area of ​​the portion with at least one of peeling and soiling to the entire area of ​​the display portion. Furthermore, the degree of deterioration of the surface of the mirror portion of a convex mirror may be expressed by the ratio of the portion that is no longer mirror-like due to clouding or corrosion of the mirror surface. The degree of deterioration of the surface of a reflector of road accessories that includes a reflector may be expressed by the ratio of the area of ​​the damaged portion of the reflector. The degree of deterioration of the surface of road accessories such as signs and mirrors, poles or posts, guardrails, and fences may be expressed by the ratio of the surface area of ​​the portion with peeling or soiling of the paint.

[0061] The degree of change in shape of each part of a roadside object may be represented by the magnitude of change from a state without any change in shape. The extraction unit 130 may estimate the magnitude of the change in shape (i.e., the degree of change) for each part of the roadside object. The magnitude of the change in shape may be represented by the magnitude of change expressed by one or more indicators. An indicator of the magnitude of change in a pole or post may be represented, for example, by the angle of bending of the pole or post. The angle of bending may be an angle centered on the part where the bending occurred. If the part where the bending occurred is at the base, the angle of bending may be the angle between the pole or post (specifically, the center line of the pole or post) and a vertical line. The degree of change in shape of the display part of a sign and the mirror part of a convex mirror may be represented, for example, by the ratio of the area of ​​the part where the shape has changed, such as a dent or bend, to the area of ​​the entire display part or mirror part. Note that if a defect has occurred in a roadside object, the extraction unit 130 may estimate the degree of deterioration of the shape of the roadside object to be the maximum degree. The extraction unit 130 may calculate the degree of change in the shape of each part of the road appendage from the captured image, the image capture information, and information representing the three-dimensional shape of the road appendage.

[0062] The extraction unit 130 may estimate the state of the road appendage using an estimation model that receives as input a captured image, imaging information, and information on the type of road appendage, estimates the state of the road appendage, and outputs the estimated state of the road appendage. The estimation model is a model that is trained in advance using learning data to receive as input a captured image, imaging information, and information on the type of road appendage, estimate the state of the road appendage, and output the estimated state of the road appendage. The learning data is data that is prepared in advance and includes captured images and imaging information of the road appendage, information on the type of road appendage, and the state of the road appendage.

[0063] Among the target items, types of information about road accessories that do not change, such as the type of road accessory, the location where the road accessory is known to be installed, and the direction of the road accessory, are referred to as basic items. If the road accessory is a sign, the display content of the road accessory sign is one of the basic items. The existence of the road accessory (in other words, information about whether the road accessory exists or not) is also one of the basic items. Information about basic items is stored in advance in the information storage unit 160. Among the target items, items that can change due to the application of external forces or the passage of time are also referred to as variable items. A target item may include multiple variable items. Variable items include, for example, shape information, the surface condition of the visible part, the surface condition of the support part, and the environmental condition. The surface condition of the visible part may be represented by multiple variable items, such as the state of paint peeling, the state of paint fading, and the state of dirt. The surface condition of the support part may be represented by multiple variable items, such as the state of paint peeling and the state of dirt.

[0064] The visible portion is the portion of the road accessory that is visible to pedestrians and drivers. For example, if the road accessory is a sign, the visible portion is the surface on which the information indicated by the sign is displayed. For example, if the road accessory is a curved mirror, the visible portion is the mirror portion. If equipment including a reflector such as a delineator is installed on a guardrail or fence, the visible portion is the reflector. Guardrails and fences do not have to include a visible portion. If the road accessory is equipment including a reflector such as a linear delineator or delineator, the visible portion is the reflector. The support portion is the portion of the road accessory other than the visible portion (for example, a pole, support, guardrail, fence, etc.).

[0065] <Extraction of change information> The extraction unit 130 further extracts information on changes in the information on road ancillary features.

[0066] Specifically, the extraction unit 130 first identifies the road appendage whose information has been extracted from the transmitted information. The extraction unit 130 determines that the road appendage whose information has been extracted from the transmitted information is, for example, a road appendage of the same type as the type extracted from the transmitted information, whose location within a predetermined distance from the location extracted from the transmitted information is stored as part of the registered information in the information storage unit 160. In the present disclosure, the registered information is information about the road appendage that is stored in advance in the information storage unit 160.

[0067] In the present disclosure, the latest information on road accessories stored in the information storage unit 160 is also referred to as latest stored information. The latest stored information on road accessories includes the latest information on each target item of the road accessories. In other words, the time when the latest information on the target items included in the latest stored information on road accessories was obtained does not need to be the same. If information on a target item of a road accessory has not been extracted from previously received transmission information, the latest information on the target item of the road accessory is the information on that target item of the road accessory included in the registration information. The time when the information on that target item of the road accessory included in the registration information was obtained may be appropriately set to be older than the time when information extracted from previously received transmission information was obtained. The time when the information on that target item of the road accessory included in the registration information was obtained may be set to an appropriately determined date and time before the registration information was stored in the information storage unit 160. Note that the registration information on road accessories is, for example, information on target items of road accessories previously stored in the information storage unit 160 (in other words, information on basic items that do not change over time and information on variable items that do change over time in an undegraded state). Examples of basic items that do not change over time include the position, direction, and type of road accessories. If the road accessory is a sign, the basic items that do not change over time are the content represented by the road accessory, which is a sign. Examples of variable items that do change over time include the paint color of each part, the distribution of the paint color on the surface, and the proportion of the area of ​​the unobstructed part. The paint color of each part changes due to fading. The distribution of the paint color on the surface changes due to paint peeling, rust, etc. The proportion of the area of ​​the unobstructed part changes due to tree growth, the installation of buildings, etc. Basic items are not limited to the examples above.

[0068] The extraction unit 130 compares extracted information, which is information extracted from the transmitted information, with the latest stored information stored in the information storage unit 160. More specifically, the extraction unit 130 compares information on an item (i.e., referred to as an extracted item) extracted from the received transmitted information among a plurality of types of information (i.e., target items) with the latest stored information on the extracted item.

[0069] The extraction unit 130 extracts information representing changes in the extraction information of each of the extraction items of the road appendages from the latest stored information. The extraction unit 130 may extract information representing the magnitude of change in the state indicated by the extraction information of each of the extraction items of the road appendages from the state indicated by the latest stored information as the information representing the change. When the extraction items of the road appendages are variable items, the state indicated by the extraction information of the extraction items of the road appendages and the state indicated by the latest stored information represent the state of change of the road appendages. The state of change of the road appendages can also be said to represent the state of progression of deterioration of the road appendages.

[0070] The extraction unit 130 may determine whether the extracted state of the road appendage, which is the state of the road appendage extracted from the transmission information, is a state that affects safety. The criteria for determining whether the extracted state of the road appendage is a state that affects safety may be determined appropriately in advance.

[0071] When the road feature is a sign, a state affecting safety includes, for example, a state in which at least a portion of the display content of the road feature that is a sign is less visible to pedestrians or drivers (hereinafter referred to as a "reduced visibility state"). A reduced visibility state of a sign can also be described as a state in which the display content of the sign is difficult to see. Examples of a reduced visibility state of a sign include a state in which at least a portion of the paint on the display portion is faded, a state in which at least a portion of the paint on the display portion is peeled off, and a state in which at least a portion of the paint on the display portion is soiled. Examples of a reduced visibility state of a sign include a state in which at least a portion of the display portion of the road feature is blocked by a tree or an artificial object, and a state in which light to at least a portion of the display portion of the road feature is blocked by a tree or an artificial object. The display portion of a sign is the surface on which the content indicated by the sign is depicted. A reduced visibility state of a sign may also include a state in which at least a portion of the display portion of the sign is damaged. The reduced sign visibility state may include a state in which the sign's display portion is tilted due to damage to the sign's pole (i.e., support). The reduced sign visibility state may include a state in which the sign's display portion is facing a different direction due to damage to the sign. The reduced sign visibility state may include a state in which the sign's pole (i.e., support) is damaged and the sign collapses.

[0072] If the road feature is a convex mirror, a state affecting safety includes, for example, a state in which at least a portion of the mirror cannot be seen by pedestrians or drivers (i.e., a state of reduced visibility). A state of reduced visibility for a convex mirror may include a state in which a predetermined percentage or more of the mirror is blocked from at least one of pedestrians and drivers by trees or artificial objects. A state of reduced visibility for a convex mirror may also include a state in which a predetermined percentage or more of the mirror is no longer a mirror due to corrosion, fogging, etc. A state of reduced visibility for a convex mirror may also be a state in which the direction in which the mirror is facing has changed due to damage to the convex mirror.

[0073] When the road appendage is a guardrail or a fence, the condition affecting safety may be, for example, a condition in which the road appendage is damaged.

[0074] The conditions that affect safety are not limited to the above examples, and the conditions that affect safety do not necessarily include at least one of the above examples.

[0075] <Given unit 140> The granting unit 140 grants to the sender of the captured image a grant incentive including a basic incentive for the road appendage whose installation location is captured in the captured image. Specifically, when information on the road appendage is extracted from the transmitted information, the granting unit 140 grants to the sender a grant incentive including an additional incentive and a basic incentive according to the extracted information.

[0076] <Basic Incentive> More specifically, when information on road appendages is extracted from the transmitted information, the granting unit 140 determines a basic incentive according to the extracted information. The granting unit 140 identifies extracted items, which are items whose information is included in extracted information, which is extracted information on road appendages, from among target items, which are one or more predetermined items. The granting unit 140 determines the sum of element incentives determined for the extracted items from among the element incentives determined for each target item, as the basic incentive. An element incentive may be determined for each target item. The element incentives do not need to be the same for each target item. The element incentives are determined by the updating unit 150. The method for determining element incentives will be described later.

[0077] <Additional incentives> The granting unit 140 further determines an additional incentive according to the magnitude of the difference (in other words, change) between the extracted information of the road appendage and the latest information (i.e., latest stored information) of the road appendage stored in the information storage unit 160. For example, the granting unit 140 may determine the additional incentive so that the larger the difference between the extracted information of the road appendage and the latest stored information, the larger the additional incentive.

[0078] As described above, the latest information on road accessories stored in the information storage unit 160 is also referred to as the latest stored information. The latest stored information on road accessories includes the latest information on each target item of the road accessories. In other words, the latest information on the target items included in the latest stored information on road accessories does not have to be obtained at the same time. Note that the information on the target items of road accessories is included in the registration information previously stored in the information storage unit 160. If the information on the target item of a road accessory has not been extracted from previously received transmission information, the information on the target item of that road accessory has not been newly stored in the information storage unit 160. In other words, the only information on the target items of road accessories stored in the information storage unit 160 that has not been extracted from previously received transmission information is the registration information previously stored in the information storage unit 160. Therefore, if the information on the target item of a road accessory has not been extracted from previously received transmission information, the latest information on the target item of that road accessory is the information on that target item of that road accessory included in the registration information. The registration information of road accessories is, for example, information on the target items of road accessories that is stored in advance in the information storage unit 160 (in other words, information on basic items that do not change over time and information on variable items that do change over time in an undegraded state).

[0079] For example, the granting unit 140 first determines an additional incentive (also referred to as a difference incentive in this disclosure) for each extracted item from the difference from the latest stored information for each extracted item (hereinafter also referred to as the difference of the extracted item). Then, the granting unit 140 determines the additional incentive from the additional incentive for each extracted item (i.e., the difference incentive). The granting unit 140 determines the additional incentive to be, for example, the sum of the difference incentives for the extracted items or the weighted sum of the difference incentives for the extracted items. The weighted sum of the difference incentives for the extracted items is the sum of the products of the additional incentives for the extracted items and the predetermined weights of the extracted items. The weights of the target items may be predetermined for each target item.

[0080] When an extracted item is a basic item, the information for the basic item usually does not change, so the latest stored information for the extracted item, which is a basic item, is usually the registration information for that extracted item, which is a basic item. If there is a difference between the information for the extracted item, which is a basic item, extracted from the transmitted information and the latest stored information, which is the registration information for that extracted item, the registration information for the extracted item may be incorrect. Note that in this case, the information for that extracted item extracted from the transmitted information may also be incorrect. As described below, the significance of the existence of a difference in a basic item (also referred to as the significance of a difference in a basic item) may be set to be greater than the significance of a difference in a variable item. Significance will be described later. As described below, if the relationship between significance and variance incentive is set so that the greater the significance, the greater the variance incentive, the variance incentive when a difference exists in a basic item will be greater than the variance incentive when a difference exists in only one of the variable items.

[0081] The basic items may include information on the presence or absence of road features. In this case, the presence of a road feature may be indicated by a combination of its location and type (or, if the road feature is a sign, its location, type, and sign content).

[0082] If the extracted item is a position among the basic items, the difference in the extracted item may indicate an error in the position information of the registered road appendage. If the extracted item is a direction among the basic items, the difference in the extracted item may indicate an error in the directional information of the registered road appendage or a deformation of the road appendage. If the extracted item is a variable item, the difference in the extracted item may indicate deterioration of the road appendage.

[0083] If the magnitude of the difference between the extracted items satisfies a predetermined criterion, the granting unit 140 may determine the difference incentive for the extracted item to be a predetermined difference incentive set for the extracted item. The predetermined criterion may be, for example, that the magnitude of the difference between the extracted items is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value for the magnitude of the difference between the extracted items.

[0084] The granting unit 140 may determine the variance incentive so that the greater the difference between the extracted items, the greater the variance incentive. The granting unit 140 may calculate the variance incentive from the magnitude of the difference using a function that represents the relationship between the magnitude of the difference and the variance incentive, and that does not reverse the relationship between the magnitude of two different differences and the magnitude of the two variance incentives calculated from the magnitude of those two differences. Maximum and minimum variance incentives for the extracted items may be determined for each extracted item. In this case, if the magnitude of the difference between the extracted items is equal to or greater than a predetermined first threshold, the granting unit 140 may set the variance incentive for the extracted items to the maximum variance incentive value. If the magnitude of the difference between the extracted items is equal to or less than a predetermined second threshold that is smaller than the first threshold, the granting unit 140 may set the variance incentive for the extracted items to the minimum variance incentive value. If the magnitude of the difference between the extracted items is between the first threshold and the second threshold, the granting unit 140 may determine the variance incentive using the above function. The above function may be defined so that the difference incentive determined by the above function when the magnitude of the difference between the extracted items is a first threshold value is the maximum value of the difference incentive between the extracted items.Furthermore, the above function may be defined so that the difference incentive determined by the above function when the magnitude of the difference between the extracted items is a second threshold value is the minimum value of the difference incentive between the extracted items.

[0085] Furthermore, the granting unit 140 may determine the difference incentive for a target item when a difference exists such that the greater the significance of the existence of a difference defined for the target item, the greater the difference incentive for the target item. The significance of the existence of a difference for a target item is, for example, a value that is predetermined as a value representing the degree of necessity or urgency of a response when there is a difference between the information for the target item registered as the registration information and the information for the target item extracted from the transmitted information.

[0086] For example, the significance of the existence of a difference in a basic item (also referred to as the significance of a difference in a basic item) may be set to be greater than the significance of a difference in a variable item. Furthermore, the significance of the existence of a difference in a basic item may be predetermined for each type of difference in a basic item. Differences in basic items include, for example, existence differences, position differences, and direction differences. The significance of an existence difference may be set to be the greatest among the significances of differences in target items.

[0087] An example of a difference in existence is when information about a road accessory extracted from the transmitted information is not included in the registered information. In other words, an existence difference is when information about a road accessory extracted from the transmitted information (i.e., a road accessory present in the transmitted information) is not included in the registered information. For example, if information about a road accessory of the type extracted from the transmitted information (if the road accessory is a sign, the type and the display content) that is located within the maximum distance difference from the location of the road accessory extracted from the transmitted information is not included in the registered information, the extraction unit 130 may determine that a difference in existence of the road accessory exists. The maximum distance difference is a distance defined as the maximum difference in distance between the location of the road accessory included in the registered information and the location of the road accessory extracted from the transmitted information. Note that if the distance between the location of the road accessory included in the registered information and the location of the road accessory extracted from the transmitted information is greater than the maximum distance difference, the extraction unit 130 may consider these two road accessories to be different road accessories.

[0088] Furthermore, the maximum distance difference for road accessories whose information is registered in the registration information may be determined for each road accessory whose information is registered in the registration information. For example, if a road accessory is unique, the two road accessories are not considered to be different road accessories regardless of the distance between the location of the road accessory whose information is included in the registration information and the location of the road accessory whose information is extracted from the transmitted information. A unique road accessory is one for which there are no more than two identical road accessories, such as a road guide sign that provides guidance on the distance to at least one other road and other location at a specific location. A value representing infinity may be set as the maximum distance difference for such road accessories. Furthermore, signs with the same shape and content, such as a "stop" sign and a speed limit sign installed on the same road, may be installed in multiple different locations. Furthermore, road accessories with the same shape, such as a convex mirror, may be installed in multiple different locations. The maximum distance difference for such road accessories may be determined appropriately, for example, so that a road accessory whose information is extracted from the transmitted information is not considered to be another road accessory with the same shape as the road accessory. The maximum distance difference of such a road appendage may be set, for example, to be less than half the distance to the nearest other road appendage of the same shape.

[0089] The extraction unit 130 may determine that there is a difference in the presence of a road appendage when the road appendage is not detected from a captured image of an area within a range within the maximum distance difference from the position of the road appendage registered in the registration information. When the road appendage is in a state where it cannot be detected due to damage to the road appendage, it may be determined that there is a difference in the presence of the road appendage.

[0090] The granting unit 140 determines the additional incentive to be a predetermined additional incentive when there is a difference in existence.

[0091] The significance of a location difference may be determined to be the second most significant (i.e., next to the significance of the existence of a difference in a basic item) among the significance of differences in target items. The location difference is represented by the distance between the location of a road appendage whose information is included in the registration information and the location of that road appendage whose information is extracted from the transmitted information. The extraction unit 130 may determine that a location difference exists when the distance between the location of a road appendage whose information is included in the registration information and the location of that road appendage whose information is extracted from the transmitted information is equal to or greater than the minimum distance difference and within the maximum distance difference. The minimum distance difference is a distance determined as the minimum value of the distance difference between the location of a road appendage whose information is included in the registration information and the location of that road appendage whose information is extracted from the transmitted information. The extraction unit 130 may detect a location difference of the road appendage when the distance between the location of a road appendage whose information is included in the registration information and the location of that road appendage whose information is extracted from the transmitted information is equal to or greater than the minimum distance difference and within the maximum distance difference. If the distance between the position of a road appendage whose information is included in the registration information and the position of that road appendage whose information is extracted from the transmitted information is less than the minimum distance difference, the extraction unit 130 may consider that the position of the road appendage whose information is included in the registration information and the position of that road appendage whose information is extracted from the transmitted information are the same. In other words, if the distance between the position of a road appendage whose information is included in the registration information and the position of that road appendage whose information is extracted from the transmitted information is less than the minimum distance difference, the extraction unit 130 may consider that the distance is a distance caused by an error when the position of that road appendage is extracted from the transmitted information.

[0092] The granting unit 140 determines the additional incentive when a difference in location exists so that it is smaller than the additional incentive when a difference in presence exists. The additional incentive when a difference in location exists may be a predetermined incentive. The granting unit 140 may determine the additional incentive when a difference in location exists so that the larger the magnitude of the difference in location, the larger the additional incentive. In this case, the granting unit 140 determines the additional incentive so that the maximum value of the additional incentive when a difference in location exists (for example, the additional incentive when the difference in location is the maximum distance difference) is smaller than the additional incentive when a difference in presence exists.

[0093] The significance of the difference in direction may be determined to be the third most significant (i.e., next to the significance of the difference in position) among the significance of differences of the target item. The difference in direction is represented by the angle between a direction vector representing the direction of a road feature included in the registration information and a direction vector representing the direction of the road feature extracted from the transmitted information. The extraction unit 130 may determine that a difference in direction exists when the angle between the direction vector representing the direction of a road feature included in the registration information and a direction vector representing the direction of the road feature extracted from the transmitted information is greater than the maximum error angle.

[0094] The granting unit 140 determines the additional incentive when a difference in direction exists so that it is smaller than the additional incentive when a difference in position exists. The additional incentive when a difference in direction exists may be a predetermined incentive. The granting unit 140 may determine the additional incentive when a difference in direction exists so that the larger the magnitude of the difference in direction, the larger the additional incentive. In this case, the granting unit 140 determines the additional incentive so that the maximum value of the additional incentive when a difference in direction exists (for example, the additional incentive when the difference in direction is 180 degrees) is smaller than the minimum value of the additional incentive when a difference in position exists. The minimum value of the additional incentive when a difference in position exists is, for example, the additional incentive when the magnitude of the difference in position is the minimum distance difference.

[0095] The granting unit 140 may consider a difference in direction as a change in shape. As described below, shape is included in, for example, a variable item whose difference affects safety. In other words, the significance of a difference in direction may be set to be the same as the significance of a difference in a variable item whose difference affects safety. In this case, the granting unit 140 determines the additional incentive when there is a difference in direction as an additional incentive for one of the variable items whose difference affects safety, as described below.

[0096] The significance of the difference in a variable whose difference affects safety may be set to be greater than the significance of the difference in a variable whose difference does not affect safety.

[0097] Variable items whose differences affect safety and variable items whose differences do not affect safety may be determined in advance. In this case, the variable items whose differences affect safety are extracted items, which are variable items whose information was used to determine that the extracted state of the road appendage is a state that affects safety. Specifically, variable items whose differences affect safety include, for example, extracted items that indicate changes (i.e., deterioration) in the surface of the functional part of the road appendage, extracted items that indicate changes in the shape of the road appendage, and extracted items that indicate changes in the environment that affect the visibility of the functional part of the road appendage. A variable item whose differences affect safety is, for example, a change in the surface of a support part of the road appendage.

[0098] The variable item whose difference affects safety may be a variable item among the extracted items representing the extracted state of the road accessory determined to be in a state that affects safety when the extraction unit 130 determines that the extracted state of the road accessory is in a state that affects safety. As described above, the extraction state of the road accessory is the state of the road accessory extracted from the transmitted information. When the extraction unit 130 determines that the extracted state of the road accessory is in a state that affects safety, the assigning unit 140 may determine a variable item among the extracted items representing the extracted state of the road accessory determined to be in a state that affects safety as a variable item whose difference affects safety. The variable item whose difference does not affect safety is a variable item among the extracted items other than a variable item whose difference affects safety. The assigning unit 140 may determine a variable item among the extracted items other than a variable item whose difference affects safety as a variable item whose difference does not affect safety.

[0099] The granting unit 140 determines the additional incentive when there is a difference in a variable item whose difference affects safety so that it is smaller than the additional incentive when there is a difference in a target item whose variable item whose difference affects safety has a severity set greater than the severity of the difference. The granting unit 140 determines the additional incentive when there is a difference in a variable item whose difference does not affect safety so that it is smaller than the additional incentive when there is a difference in a variable item whose difference affects safety.

[0100] The additional incentive when there is a difference in a variable item whose difference affects safety may be a predetermined incentive. The additional incentive when there is a difference in a variable item whose difference does not affect safety may be a predetermined incentive. The additional incentive when there is a difference in a variable item whose difference affects safety may not be the same incentive. The additional incentive when there is a difference in a variable item whose difference does not affect safety may also not be the same incentive. The additional incentive when there is a difference in a variable item whose difference affects safety and the additional incentive when there is a difference in a variable item whose difference does not affect safety may be determined for each variable item.

[0101] The granting unit 140 may determine the additional incentive when a difference exists in a variable item, within a range between the minimum value and the maximum value of the additional incentive, so that the larger the difference between the variable items, the larger the additional incentive. In this case, the minimum and maximum values ​​of the additional incentive are determined as follows: The maximum value of the additional incentive when a difference exists in a variable item whose difference affects safety is predetermined to be smaller than the additional incentive when a difference exists in a target item whose severity is set to be greater than the severity of the difference in a variable item whose difference affects safety. The minimum value of the additional incentive when a difference exists in a variable item whose difference does not affect safety is predetermined to be larger than the maximum value of the additional incentive when a difference exists in a variable item whose difference does not affect safety. The maximum value of the additional incentive when a difference exists in a variable item whose difference does not affect safety is predetermined to be smaller than the minimum value of the additional incentive when a difference exists in a variable item whose difference affects safety. Note that the minimum and maximum values ​​of the additional incentive when a difference exists in a variable item may be determined for each variable item.

[0102] The granting unit 140 further determines the additional incentive to be granted to the sender of the transmission information from the additional incentive for each extracted item. The granting unit 140 may determine the sum of the additional incentives for each extracted item as the additional incentive to be granted to the sender of the transmission information. The granting unit 140 may determine the weighted sum of the additional incentives for each extracted item as the additional incentive to be granted to the sender of the transmission information. As described above, the weighted sum of the additional incentives for each extracted item is the sum of the products of the additional incentives for the extracted items and the predetermined weights of the extracted items. The weights of the target items may be predetermined for each target item. The granting unit 140 determines the additional incentive to be granted to the sender of the transmission information using the weights of the extracted items among the weights of the target items.

[0103] The granting unit 140 then determines the sum of the calculated basic incentive and additional incentive as the granted incentive to be granted to the sender of the transmitted information. The granting unit 140 grants the granted incentive to the sender. Specifically, the granting unit 140 adds the newly determined granted incentive to the value of the granted incentive granted to the sender, which is stored in the information storage unit 160.

[0104] <Updated section 150> The update unit 150 updates the basic incentive for road-related objects in accordance with the need that has changed due to the transmitted information. This need is the need to obtain information on road-related objects.

[0105] The necessity of obtaining information about road accessories may be determined by the length of time that has elapsed since the last time information about the road accessories was obtained. The length of time that has elapsed since the last time information about the road accessories was obtained may represent the necessity of obtaining information about the road accessories.

[0106] First, if information on a road appendage is extracted from the transmitted information, the updating unit 150 sets the time when the transmitted information was received as the time when information on the road appendage was last obtained. Then, the updating unit 150 updates the time when information on the road appendage was last obtained, which is stored in the information storage unit 160, to the newly determined time when information on the road appendage was last obtained. If information on the road appendage is not extracted from the transmitted information, the updating unit 150 does not change the time when information on the road appendage was last obtained.

[0107] The updating unit 150 also determines the necessity of acquiring information about road-related objects based on the length of time that has elapsed since the information about the road-related object was last obtained. Specifically, the updating unit 150 may determine the necessity of acquiring information about road-related objects such that the longer the length of time that has elapsed since the information about the road-related object was last obtained, the higher the necessity. The updating unit 150 may determine the necessity of acquiring information about road-related objects to a value proportional to the length of time that has elapsed since the information about the road-related object was last obtained. The updating unit 150 may determine the necessity of acquiring information about road-related objects using a monotonically increasing function that determines the degree of necessity based on the length of time that has elapsed since the information about the road-related object was last obtained. The updating unit 150 may set the length of time that has elapsed since the information about the road-related object was last obtained as a value representing the necessity of acquiring information about the road-related object. The maximum value representing the degree of necessity may be predetermined. In this case, if the degree of necessity based on the time that has elapsed since the information about the road-related object was last obtained exceeds the maximum value of the degree of necessity, the updating unit 150 determines the degree of necessity to be the maximum value of the degree of necessity.

[0108] As described above, if information on a road appendage target item has not been extracted from previously received transmission information, the latest information on the road appendage target item is the information on that road appendage target item included in the registration information. In this case, the information indicating the need for information on the road appendage target item included in the registration information needs to specify the length of time that has elapsed since the information on that road appendage target item was obtained. Therefore, it is necessary to determine in advance the time at which the information indicating the need for information on the road appendage target item included in the registration information was obtained. It is desirable that the time at which the information on the road appendage target item included in the registration information previously stored in the information storage unit 160 was obtained is earlier than the time at which the information on the road appendage target item extracted from the transmission information is first obtained after the information collection device 100 starts operating. Therefore, the time at which the information on the road appendage target item included in the registration information was obtained may be appropriately set to be older than the time at which information extracted from previously received transmission information was obtained. The time at which the information on the road appendage target item included in the registration information was obtained is later than the time at which the registration information was stored in the information storage unit 160. The time at which the information on the target item of the road accessory contained in the registration information was obtained may be set to an appropriately determined date and time before the time at which the registration information was stored in the information storage unit 160.

[0109] The update unit 150 then uses the relationship between the value representing the necessity of obtaining information about the road appendage and the basic incentive to determine the basic incentive for that road appendage from the value representing the necessity of obtaining information about that road appendage. The relationship between the value representing the necessity of obtaining information about the road appendage and the basic incentive is predetermined. The update unit 150 changes the value of the basic incentive for the road appendage stored in the information storage unit 160 to the newly determined basic incentive value for the road appendage. Note that the basic incentive for a road appendage for which information has not been obtained may be set to the basic incentive when the necessity for information about the road appendage is greatest (in other words, the maximum value of the basic incentive). The update unit 150 updates the basic incentive for each road appendage whose information is stored in the information storage unit 160.

[0110] In this way, when transmission information is received, the update unit 150 updates the time when information on the road accessory from which information was extracted from the transmission information was last obtained and updates the basic incentive of that road accessory.

[0111] The update unit 150 may further update the basic incentive for each road appendage according to a predetermined schedule. The update unit 150 may update the basic incentive for each road appendage, for example, at predetermined time intervals. In this case, the update unit 150 updates the basic incentive for each road appendage, the information of which is stored in the information storage unit 160.

[0112] The updating unit 150 may update the basic incentive for road accessories for each target item.

[0113] In this case, first, the updating unit 150 changes the time when the information of the extracted item was last obtained to the time when the transmission information from which the information of the extracted item was extracted was received. For example, the updating unit 150 changes the time when the information of the extracted item, which is stored in the information storage unit 160, was last obtained to the time when the transmission information from which the information of the extracted item was extracted was received. The updating unit 150 does not change the time when items that are not extracted items among the target items (i.e., target items whose information was not extracted from the transmission information) were last obtained.

[0114] Furthermore, the updating unit 150 determines the necessity of the information of the target item according to the time elapsed since the information of the target item was last obtained. The relationship between the time elapsed since the information of the target item was last obtained and the necessity of the information of the target item may be predetermined. The updating unit 150 may determine a value representing the necessity of the information of the target item from the time elapsed since the information of the target item was last obtained, using the relationship between the time elapsed since the information of the target item was last obtained and the necessity of the information of the target item. The value representing the necessity of the information of the target item may be represented by the time elapsed since the information of the target item was last obtained. A maximum value representing the degree of necessity of the information of the target item may be predetermined. In this case, if the degree of necessity according to the time elapsed since the information of the target item was last obtained exceeds the maximum value of the degree of necessity, the updating unit 150 determines the degree of necessity to be the maximum value of the degree of necessity.

[0115] The updating unit 150 then determines the element incentive for the target item from the value representing the necessity of obtaining information on the target item, using the relationship between the value representing the necessity of obtaining information on the target item and the element incentive for the target item. The relationship between the value representing the necessity of obtaining information on the target item and the element incentive for the target item may be determined in advance. The relationship between the value representing the necessity of obtaining information on the target item and the element incentive for the target item may be determined in advance for each target item. The updating unit 150 determines the element incentive for the target item stored in the information storage unit 160 as the newly determined element incentive for the target item.

[0116] In this way, when transmission information is received, the update unit 150 updates the time when information on the extracted item of the road appendage, information of which has been extracted from the transmission information, was last obtained and updates the element incentives of the extracted item of the road appendage. When transmission information is received, the update unit 150 may update the time when information on the extracted item of the road appendage, information of which has been extracted from the transmission information, was last obtained and updates the element incentives of all target items of the road appendage.

[0117] The update unit 150 may further determine, according to a predetermined schedule, the element incentives for each target item of road appendages whose information is stored in the information storage unit 160. The update unit 150 may determine, for example, at predetermined time intervals, the element incentives for each target item of road appendages whose information is stored in the information storage unit 160.

[0118] The updating unit 150 updates the basic incentive of the road appendage for which the element incentive of the target item has been updated. Specifically, the updating unit 150 sets the basic incentive of the road appendage for which the element incentive of the target item has been updated to the sum of the element incentives of the target items of the road appendage after the update. The updating unit 150 changes the basic incentive of the road appendage for which the element incentive of the target item has been updated, which is stored in the information storage unit 160, to the sum of the element incentives of the target items of the road appendage after the update.

[0119] The update unit 150 further updates the latest information stored in the information storage unit 160 for a road appendage, the information of which has been extracted from the transmitted information, to the information for that road appendage extracted from the transmitted information. Specifically, the update unit 150 updates the latest information for an extracted item stored in the information storage unit 160 for a road appendage, the information for which any target item has been extracted from the transmitted information, to the information for that extracted item for that road appendage extracted from the transmitted information. As described above, the extracted item is an item among the target items, the information for which information has been extracted from the transmitted information. Note that, if information for a road appendage whose information is not stored in the information storage unit 160 is extracted from the transmitted information, the update unit 150 may assign new identification information for identifying the road appendage to the road appendage, the information for which information has been extracted from the transmitted information. The update unit 150 then stores the information for the road appendage extracted from the transmitted information and the identification information for the road appendage associated with the extracted information in the information storage unit 160 as the latest information for the road appendage. It should be noted that the extracting unit 130, rather than the updating unit 150, may update the information on road ancillary features stored in the information storage unit 160 to the latest information.

[0120] <Information storage unit 160> The information storage unit 160 stores information about road accessories. The information about road accessories stored in the information storage unit 160 includes, for example, the type of road accessory, the location where the road accessory is believed to be installed, the direction in which the road accessory is believed to be oriented, the shape of the road accessory in an undeteriorated state, and the distribution of surface color. If the road accessory is a sign, the information about the road accessory stored in the information storage unit 160 includes information about the content of the display of the road accessory that is a sign.

[0121] As described above, the types of information on road accessories that do not change, such as the type of road accessory, the location where the road accessory is believed to be installed, and the direction of the road accessory, are referred to as basic items. When the road accessory is a sign, the content of the display of the road accessory that is a sign is one of the basic items. The information on the basic items is stored in advance in the information storage unit 160.

[0122] The information storage unit 160 stores the latest state information of road appendages. In addition to the latest state information of road appendages, the information storage unit 160 may also store captured images from which the state information has been extracted. In addition to the latest state information of road appendages, the information storage unit 160 may also store transmitted information from which the state information has been extracted.

[0123] The latest status information of a road appendage is information of the road appendage extracted from the most recent transmission information among the transmission information from which information of the road appendage has been extracted. The most recent transmission information is the transmission information most recently received by the receiving unit 120. The latest status information of a road appendage does not have to be information of the road appendage extracted from the transmission information most recently received by the receiving unit 120 among the transmission information from which all of the latest status information of the road appendage has been extracted. The latest status information of a road appendage is, for example, the latest information for each target item of the road appendage. The latest information of a target item of a road appendage is information of that target item of that road appendage extracted from the most recent transmission information among the transmission information from which information of that target item of that road appendage has been extracted.

[0124] The information storage unit 160 stores information on the total amount of incentives granted to the sender. Specifically, the information storage unit 160 stores sender identification information that identifies the sender and information on the total amount of incentives granted to the sender that is associated with the sender identification information of the sender.

[0125] <Reception Section 170> The receiving unit 170 receives a request for collected information from any of the input devices of the information collection device 100, such as a keyboard, a mouse, or a touch panel, or from another information processing device communicatively connected to the information collection device 100. The request for collected information may include information indicating conditions for the road appendage for which the latest information is to be output. The conditions may be determined as appropriate. For example, the condition is that the road appendage is a designated road appendage. The designated road appendage may be a specific road appendage. The designated road appendage may be a specific type of road appendage. The designated road appendage may be a road appendage for which a difference in road appendage information exists that is equal to or greater than a predetermined significance. A road appendage for which a difference in road appendage information exists that is equal to or greater than a specified significance is a road appendage for which a difference exists between registered information and latest information in at least one of the target items for which the significance of the existence of the difference is equal to or greater than a specified significance. The conditions may be expressed by a combination of multiple conditions.

[0126] <Output target extraction unit 180> When the receiving unit 170 receives a request for collected information, the output target extraction unit 180 reads the latest information on road appendages from the information storage unit 160. When the request for collected information includes information indicating conditions for road appendages, the output target extraction unit 180 reads the latest information on road appendages that satisfy the conditions from the information storage unit 160. The output target extraction unit 180 outputs the read latest information on road appendages via the output unit 110.

[0127] The output unit 110 outputs the latest information on the road appendages that has been read. When the reception unit 170 receives a request for collected information from an input device of the information collection device 100, the output unit 110 outputs the latest information on the road appendages that has been read to an output device, such as a display, of the information collection device 100. When the reception unit 170 receives a request for collected information from an information processing device connected to the information collection device 100, the output unit 110 outputs the latest information on the road appendages that has been read to the information processing device.

[0128] The latest information on a road accessory is, for example, the latest information on each target item of the road accessory. If information on a target item of a road accessory has been extracted from transmitted information at least once, the latest information on that target item of the road accessory is the information on that target item of the road accessory extracted from the most recently received transmitted information from which information on that target item of the road accessory was extracted. If information on a target item of a road accessory has never been extracted from transmitted information, the latest information on that target item of the road accessory is the information on that target item of the road accessory that was previously registered.

[0129] The output target extraction unit 180 may be configured to read out the latest information on road appendages that satisfy predetermined conditions from the information storage unit 160 at a predetermined timing. The output target extraction unit 180 outputs the read out latest information on road appendages via the output unit 110. In this case, the output destination of the latest information on road appendages is, for example, a predetermined device. The predetermined device is, for example, an output device of the information collection device 100, a storage device connected to the information collection device 100, or a user's information processing device connected to the information collection device 100. The user is, for example, a manager of the road appendages.

[0130] The predetermined timing may be, for example, a predetermined regular date and time. The predetermined timing may be, for example, the timing at which a difference between the registered information and the latest information of a target item whose significance of the existence of the difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined significance is determined. In this case, as the latest information of the road appendage is updated, the output target extraction unit 180 compares the latest information of the target item of the updated road appendage with the information in the registered information of the target item of the road appendage.

[0131] The predetermined condition may be, for example, that there is a difference between the registered information and the latest information for a target item for which the significance of the existence of the difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined significance. In this case, the output target extraction unit 180 may determine whether there is a difference between the registered information and the latest information for each target item of road accessories. The predetermined condition is that the road accessories are pre-defined as road accessories for which information is to be output. In this case, the information storage unit 160 pre-stores information indicating road accessories pre-defined as road accessories for which information is to be output. The predetermined condition is that the road accessories are pre-defined as important road accessories. In this case, the information storage unit 160 pre-stores information indicating road accessories pre-defined as important road accessories. The predetermined condition is, for example, that the latest information has not been output. In this case, the output target extraction unit 180 adds information indicating that the latest information has been output to the latest information of the road accessories output by the output unit 110. The output target extraction unit 180 reads the latest information on road accessories that does not have information indicating that it has been output from the information storage unit 160 as the latest information on road accessories that satisfy the conditions. The predetermined conditions may be a combination of the above example conditions. The predetermined conditions are not limited to the above example.

[0132] The output target extraction unit 180 may sort the read latest information on road appendages according to predetermined sorting conditions. The output target extraction unit 180 outputs the sorted latest information on road appendages via the output unit 110. The output unit 110 receives the sorted latest information on road appendages and outputs the received sorted latest information on road appendages. The sorting conditions may be, for example, in order of the significance of the difference in the information on road appendages. The significance of the difference in the information on road appendages may be, for example, the greatest significance among the significances of the existence of differences between the latest information on road appendages and the information on road appendages in the registered information for target items in which there is a difference between the latest information on road appendages and the information on road appendages in the registered information. The sorting conditions may be, for example, in order of the most recent time when the latest information on road appendages was obtained. The time when the latest information on road appendages was obtained may be, for example, the time when the transmitted information from which the latest information on road appendages was extracted was received. The time when the latest information on road appendages was obtained may be, for example, the time when the captured image included in the transmitted information from which the latest information on road appendages was extracted was captured. In this case, the transmitted information is configured to include information on the time when the captured image was captured. The sorting conditions may be other conditions, such as sorting in descending order of time when the latest information on road appendages was obtained. The sorting conditions may be a combination of multiple sorting conditions that have been ranked. In this case, the output target extraction unit 180 sorts the latest information on road appendages according to the first sorting condition. The output target extraction unit 180 sorts the latest information on road appendages that have the same ranking in the latest information on road appendages sorted according to the next sorting condition. The output target extraction unit 180 performs a process of sorting the latest information on road appendages that have the same ranking in the latest information on road appendages sorted according to the sorting conditions according to the next sorting condition, for all of the multiple ranked sorting conditions. The sorting conditions are not limited to the above examples.

[0133] <Operation> Next, the operation of the second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0134] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the information collection device according to the present disclosure when collecting information.

[0135] Hereinafter, the operation of the information collection device according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure at the time of information collection will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

[0136] In the example shown in FIG. 4, the output unit 110 outputs output information including information on road appendages and a basic incentive according to the need for the information on road appendages (step S101). Next, the receiving unit 120 receives transmitted information including image information on the road appendages (step S102). Next, the extracting unit 130 extracts the information on the road appendages from the transmitted information (step S103). Next, the granting unit 140 grants a granted incentive including an additional incentive and a basic incentive according to the extracted information to the sender of the transmitted information (step S104). The additional incentive and the basic incentive are determined by the granting unit 140. Then, the updating unit 150 updates the basic incentive for the road appendage according to the need changed by the transmitted information (step S105).

[0137] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the information collection device according to the present disclosure when outputting collected information.

[0138] Hereinafter, the operation of the information collection device according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure when outputting collected information will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

[0139] 5, first, the receiving unit 170 receives a request for collected information (step S111). Next, the output target extraction unit 180 extracts the latest information on road appendages in response to the request for collected information (step S112). Then, the output unit 110 outputs the latest information on the extracted road appendages (step S113).

[0140] <Effects> The present embodiment described above has the same effect as the first embodiment. That is, the present embodiment has the effect of increasing the possibility of collecting information about objects that are not pre-installed. The reason for this effect is the same as that of the first embodiment. That is, when the granting unit 140 indicates that an object shown in a captured image is not a pre-installed object, an incentive is granted to the sender of the captured image. As described above, in order to obtain information about the status of objects such as road signs, billboards, and guardrails, it is necessary to collect information at the locations where these objects are installed. In particular, it is necessary to collect information about objects that are not pre-installed. Examples of objects that are not pre-installed include, for example, when an unmanaged object is detected at the location where the image was taken, when a managed object is detected but installed at a location different from the location where the image was taken, and when an object resembles an object managed at the location where the image was taken but has a different appearance. A different appearance can occur, for example, due to deterioration, damage, or being covered by an obstacle. The managers of these objects lack the resources to visit all locations where these objects are installed and collect information. However, if an object shown in a captured image is not a pre-installed object, the possibility of collecting information on the case where the object is not a pre-installed object can be increased by providing an incentive to the sender of the captured image.

[0141] <First Modification of the Second Embodiment> The extraction unit 130 may determine the image quality of the captured image included in the transmission information. The method for determining the image quality may be any of the existing methods for determining image quality. The method for determining the image quality may be, for example, a method for determining the degree of out-of-focus.

[0142] The granting unit 140 may determine an additional incentive corresponding to the determined high image quality (hereinafter also referred to as an image quality additional incentive) using a predetermined relationship between the high image quality and the image quality additional incentive. The granting unit 140 determines the image quality additional incentive such that the higher the determined image quality, the greater the image quality additional incentive. The relationship between the high image quality and the image quality additional incentive is predetermined such that the higher the image quality, the greater the image quality additional incentive. The granting unit 140 may determine the additional incentive including the determined image quality additional incentive as the additional incentive to be granted to the sender of the transmission information. The granting unit 140 may determine the sum of the additional incentive including the image quality additional incentive and the basic incentive as the granted incentive to be granted to the sender of the transmission information.

[0143] If the receiving unit 120 receives transmission information from the same sender multiple times within a predetermined time period, the extracting unit 130 may determine the highest image quality among the captured images included in the received transmission information. In this case, the granting unit 140 determines the image quality additional incentive corresponding to the highest image quality among the captured images included in the received transmission information as the image quality additional incentive included in the additional incentive.

[0144] <Second Modification of the Second Embodiment> Next, a second modified example of the second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0145] FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an information collection device according to the present disclosure.

[0146] An example of the configuration of the information collection device according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to FIG.

[0147] 6, the information collection device 101 includes an output unit 110, a receiving unit 120, an extracting unit 130, an assigning unit 140, an updating unit 150, an information storage unit 160, a receiving unit 170, an output target extraction unit 180, and an authentication unit 190. The information collection device 101 shown in FIG. 6 is the same as the information collection device 100 shown in FIG. 3, except for the differences described below. The output unit 110, the receiving unit 120, the extracting unit 130, the assigning unit 140, the updating unit 150, the information storage unit 160, the receiving unit 170, and the output target extraction unit 180 are the same as the output unit 110, the receiving unit 120, the extracting unit 130, the assigning unit 140, the updating unit 150, the information storage unit 160, the receiving unit 170, and the output target extraction unit 180 shown in FIG. 3, except for the differences described below.

[0148] As described above, information collection device 101 further includes authentication unit 190 compared to information collection device 100 shown in FIG.

[0149] <Captured image> In this modification, when capturing an image of a pre-installed object (e.g., a roadside object), the sender captures an image of the sender's authentication part along with the object. In other words, the captured image includes an authentication part area, which is the area of ​​the authentication part (i.e., the sender's authentication part). The authentication part is a part used for biometric authentication. The authentication part is, for example, a fingerprint. The authentication part may also be a face.

[0150] <Information storage unit 160> The information storage unit 160 stores information (e.g., features extracted from an authentication part) used for biometric authentication of a sender, which is associated with sender identification information in advance. In the following description, information used for biometric authentication will be referred to as authentication information. The authentication information is, for example, features extracted from an image of an authentication part. Specifically, the authentication information is, for example, features extracted from a fingerprint image. The authentication information may also be, for example, features extracted from a facial image. The authentication information stored in the information storage unit 160 will be referred to as registered authentication information. In the following description, a sender whose registered authentication information is stored in the information storage unit 160 will be referred to as a registered sender.

[0151] <Authentication Unit 190> The authentication unit 190 detects an authentication part area (for example, a fingerprint area or a face area) from the captured image included in the transmission information. When the authentication part area is detected from the captured image, the authentication unit 190 performs biometric authentication of the sender of the captured image using the image of the authentication part area (for example, a fingerprint image or a face image).

[0152] Specifically, when an authentication portion area is detected from the captured image, the authentication unit 190 extracts authentication information (e.g., feature amounts) from the image of the authentication portion area. The authentication information extracted from the image of the authentication portion area in the captured image is referred to as extracted authentication information. The authentication unit 190 compares the extracted authentication information with the registered authentication information stored in the information storage unit 160 to determine whether the extracted authentication information and the registered authentication information are authentication information extracted from the same authentication portion image.

[0153] For example, if the transmitted information includes sender identification information, the authentication unit 190 compares the extracted authentication information with the registered authentication information associated with the sender identification information included in the transmitted information. If the similarity between the extracted authentication information and the registered authentication information is greater than a predetermined similarity criterion, the authentication unit 190 determines that the extracted authentication information and the registered authentication information are authentication information extracted from an image of the same authentication part.

[0154] If it is determined that the extracted authentication information and the registered authentication information are authentication information extracted from the image of the same authentication part, the authentication unit 190 determines that the sender who captured the captured image is the registered sender of the registered authentication information. The registered sender of the authentication information is the sender for whom the authentication information extracted from the image of the authentication part is stored in the information storage unit 160 as the registered authentication information.

[0155] If the similarity between the extracted authentication information and the registered authentication information does not exceed a predetermined similarity standard, the authentication unit 190 determines that the extracted authentication information and the registered authentication information are not authentication information extracted from an image of the same authentication part. In this case, the authentication unit 190 determines that the sender who sent the captured image is not a registered sender.

[0156] The authentication unit 190 may compare the extracted authentication information with all of the registered authentication information stored in the information storage unit 160. The authentication unit 190 may determine that the sender who sent the captured image is the registered sender of the registered authentication information that is most similar to the extracted authentication information, among the registered authentication information that indicates that the similarity with the extracted authentication information is higher than a predetermined similarity criterion.

[0157] If there is no registered authentication information that indicates that the similarity with the extracted authentication information is closer than a predetermined similarity standard, the authentication unit 190 determines that the sender who sent the captured image is not a registered sender.

[0158] <Given unit 140> The granting unit 140 grants the determined incentive to the registered sender who is determined to be the sender of the captured image. If the sender who sent the captured image is determined to be not a registered sender, the granting unit 140 does not grant the incentive.

[0159] <Other embodiments> The information collection device according to the present disclosure can be realized by a computer including a memory into which a program read from a storage medium is loaded and a processor that executes the program. The information collection device according to the present disclosure can also be realized by dedicated hardware. The information collection device according to the present disclosure can also be realized by a combination of the computer and dedicated hardware.

[0160] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a computer 1000 that can realize an information collection device according to the present disclosure. In the example illustrated in FIG. 7, the computer 1000 includes a processor 1001, a memory 1002, a storage device 1003, and an I / O (Input / Output) interface 1004. The computer 1000 can also access a storage medium 1005. The memory 1002 and the storage device 1003 are, for example, storage devices such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and a hard disk. The storage medium 1005 is, for example, a storage device such as RAM or a hard disk, a ROM (Read Only Memory), or a portable storage medium. The storage device 1003 may also be the storage medium 1005. The processor 1001 can read and write data and programs from and to the memory 1002 and the storage device 1003. The processor 1001 can access, for example, another information processing device via the I / O interface 1004. The processor 1001 can also access the storage medium 1005. The storage medium 1005 stores a program that causes the computer 1000 to operate as an information collection device according to the present disclosure.

[0161] Processor 1001 loads a program stored in storage medium 1005, which causes computer 1000 to operate as an information collection device according to the present disclosure, into memory 1002. Then, processor 1001 executes the program loaded into memory 1002, causing computer 1000 to operate as an information collection device according to the present disclosure.

[0162] The output unit 110, receiving unit 120, extraction unit 130, assignment unit 140, update unit 150, acceptance unit 170, and output target extraction unit 180 can be realized, for example, by a processor 1001 that executes a program loaded into memory 1002. The information storage unit 160 can be realized by the memory 1002 or a storage device 1003 such as a hard disk drive included in the computer 1000. Some or all of the output unit 110, receiving unit 120, extraction unit 130, assignment unit 140, update unit 150, information storage unit 160, acceptance unit 170, and output target extraction unit 180 can be realized by dedicated circuits that realize the functions of each unit.

[0163] Furthermore, some or all of the above-described embodiments can be described as, but are not limited to, the following supplementary notes.

[0164] (Appendix 1) receiving means for receiving a captured image from a terminal device; a granting means for granting an incentive to a sender of the captured image when the object shown in the captured image is not a pre-installed object; An information collection device comprising:

[0165] (Appendix 2) an output means for outputting output information including information on the object registered in advance and a basic incentive, which is an incentive for the object set in accordance with the need to obtain the information on the object; an updating means for updating the basic incentive of the object in accordance with the need that has changed due to information about the object extracted from the captured image; 2. The information collection device according to claim 1, comprising:

[0166] (Appendix 3) The output means outputs, as the output information, a map of an area including the installation location of the object, on which a display showing the pre-registered object and the basic incentive for the object is superimposed at a position corresponding to the pre-registered installation location of the object. 10. The information collection device of claim 2.

[0167] (Appendix 4) the receiving means receives transmission information including the captured image from the terminal device; The update means sets, as the basic incentive of the object, an incentive according to the time that has elapsed since the update time, which is the time when the transmission information of the object was last received. 4. The information collection device according to claim 2 or 3.

[0168] (Appendix 5) extracting means for extracting information about the object from the transmitted information; the granting means grants to the sender, when the information about the object is extracted from the transmitted information, a grant incentive including an additional incentive and the basic incentive according to the extracted information; When the information about the object is extracted from the received transmission information, the updating means updates the basic incentive after setting the time when the transmission information was received as the update time, and when the information about the object is not extracted from the received transmission information, the updating means updates the basic incentive without setting the time when the transmission information was received as the update time. 5. The information collection device of claim 4.

[0169] (Appendix 6) The granting means identifies extracted items, which are items whose information is included in extracted information, which is the extracted information of the object, from among target items, which are one or more predetermined items, and grants the grant incentive to the sender, which includes, as the basic incentive, the sum of the element incentives defined for the extracted items from among the element incentives defined for each of the target items; The updating means updates the element incentive of the target item as the basic incentive to an incentive according to the time elapsed since the transmission information from which the information of the target item was last extracted was received. 6. The information collection device of claim 5.

[0170] (Appendix 7) When the transmission information of the object is received multiple times from the same sender within a predetermined time period, the granting means grants the sender the granted incentive, which includes, as the basic incentive, the sum of the element incentives determined for the extracted items of the target items whose information is included in the extracted information extracted from the transmitted information of the object received multiple times. 7. The information gathering device of claim 6.

[0171] (Appendix 8) The extraction means extracts a difference between extracted information, which is the extracted information of a target item, which is one or more predetermined items, and registered information, which is information that has been registered in advance; The granting means determines the additional incentive including a difference incentive, which is an incentive according to the detected difference, as the additional incentive for the difference item, which is an item among the target items in which the difference is detected, and grants the granted incentive, which includes the basic incentive and the additional incentive, to the sender. 6. The information collection device of claim 5.

[0172] (Appendix 9) The granting means determines the difference incentive such that the greater the significance of the existence of a difference determined for the target item, the greater the difference incentive for the target item. 9. The information collection device of claim 8.

[0173] (Appendix 10) When the difference is detected for the target item, the extraction means determines the magnitude of the difference and sets an incentive according to the magnitude of the difference as the difference incentive for the target item. 9. The information collection device of claim 8.

[0174] (Appendix 11) the receiving means receives the transmission information including imaging information including an imaging position where the image of the object was captured, an imaging direction where the image was captured, and information about an imaging device that captured the image; The extraction means extracts, from the transmitted information, information including information on the existence of the object, information on the position of the object, information on the orientation of the object, information on the type of the object, and information on the state of the object as information on the target item. 7. The information gathering device of claim 6.

[0175] (Appendix 12) The granting means does not grant the basic incentive to a sender who previously transmitted an image of the object if the captured image of the object is transmitted from the sender within a predetermined period of time from the previous transmission of the image of the object. 4. The information collection device according to claim 2 or 3.

[0176] (Appendix 13) The object is a road accessory, which is a structure installed on a road. 3. The information collection device according to claim 1 or 2.

[0177] (Appendix 14) When a fingerprint area is extracted from the captured image, an authentication means performs fingerprint authentication using extracted features extracted from a fingerprint image, which is an image of the fingerprint area included in the captured image, and registered features, which are fingerprint features of the sender that have been registered in advance. Equipped with The granting means grants the incentive to the sender when the fingerprint of the fingerprint image included in the captured image is authenticated as a pre-registered fingerprint through the fingerprint authentication. 3. The information collection device according to claim 1 or 2.

[0178] (Appendix 15) receiving a captured image from a terminal device; If the object shown in the captured image is not a pre-installed object, an incentive is given to the sender of the captured image. How information is collected.

[0179] (Appendix 16) outputting output information including information on the object that has been registered in advance and a basic incentive that is an incentive for the object that is set in accordance with the need to acquire information on the object; updating the basic incentive of the object in accordance with the need that has changed due to information about the object extracted from the captured image; Information collection methods as described in Appendix 15.

[0180] (Appendix 17) A map of an area including the installation location of the object is output as the output information, on which a display showing the pre-registered object and the basic incentive for the object is superimposed at a position corresponding to the pre-registered installation location of the object. Information collection methods as described in Appendix 16.

[0181] (Appendix 18) receiving transmission information including the captured image from the terminal device; As the basic incentive for the object, an incentive according to the time elapsed since the update time, which is the time when the transmission information of the object was last received, is set as the basic incentive for the object. The information collection method described in Appendix 16 or 17.

[0182] (Appendix 19) extracting information about the object from the transmitted information; When the information about the object is extracted from the transmitted information, a given incentive including an additional incentive and the basic incentive according to the extracted information is granted to the sender; If the information about the object is extracted from the received transmission information, the time when the transmission information was received is set as the update time, and the basic incentive is updated; if the information about the object is not extracted from the received transmission information, the time when the transmission information was received is not set as the update time, and the basic incentive is updated. Information collection methods as described in Appendix 18.

[0183] (Appendix 20) Identifying extracted items, which are items whose information is included in extracted information, which is the extracted information of the object, from among target items, which are one or more predetermined items, and granting the grant incentive to the sender, which includes, as the basic incentive, the sum of the element incentives defined for the extracted items from among the element incentives defined for each of the target items; As the basic incentive, the element incentive of the target item is updated to an incentive according to the time elapsed since the transmission information from which the information of the target item was last extracted was received. Information collection methods as described in Appendix 19.

[0184] (Appendix 21) When the transmission information of the object is received multiple times from the same sender within a predetermined time, the given incentive including, as the basic incentive, the sum of the element incentives determined for the extracted items of the target items whose information is included in the extracted information extracted from the transmission information of the object received multiple times is given to the sender. Information collection methods as described in Appendix 20.

[0185] (Appendix 22) extracting differences between extracted information, which is the extracted information of a target item that is one or more predetermined items, and registered information, which is information that has been registered in advance; As the additional incentive for a difference item, which is an item in which the difference is detected among the target items, the additional incentive including a difference incentive, which is an incentive according to the detected difference, is determined, and the granted incentive including the basic incentive and the additional incentive is granted to the sender. Information collection methods as described in Appendix 19.

[0186] (Appendix 23) determining the variance incentive such that the greater the significance of the existence of a variance defined for the target item, the greater the variance incentive for the target item; Information collection methods as described in Appendix 22.

[0187] (Appendix 24) When the difference is detected for the target item, the magnitude of the difference is determined, and an incentive according to the magnitude of the difference is set as the difference incentive for the target item. Information collection methods as described in Appendix 22.

[0188] (Appendix 25) receiving the transmission information, which includes imaging information including an imaging position where the captured image of the object was captured, an imaging direction where the captured image was captured, and information about an imaging device that captured the captured image; extracting information including information on the existence of the object, information on the position of the object, information on the orientation of the object, information on the type of the object, and information on the state of the object from the transmitted information as information on the target item; Information collection methods as described in Appendix 20.

[0189] (Appendix 26) If the captured image of the object is transmitted from a sender who previously transmitted the image of the object within a predetermined period of time from the previous transmission of the image of the object, the basic incentive will not be awarded to the sender. The information collection method described in Appendix 16 or 17.

[0190] (Appendix 27) The object is a road accessory, which is a structure installed on a road. The information collection method described in Appendix 15 or 16.

[0191] (Appendix 28) When a fingerprint area is extracted from the captured image, fingerprint authentication is performed using extracted features extracted from a fingerprint image, which is an image of the fingerprint area included in the captured image, and registered features, which are fingerprint features of the sender that have been registered in advance; The incentive is given to the sender when the fingerprint of the fingerprint image included in the captured image is authenticated as a pre-registered fingerprint through the fingerprint authentication. The information collection method described in Appendix 15 or 16.

[0192] (Appendix 29) a receiving process for receiving a captured image from a terminal device; an incentive awarding process for awarding an incentive to a sender of the captured image when the object shown in the captured image is not a pre-installed object; A program that causes a computer to execute the following.

[0193] (Appendix 30) an output process for outputting output information including information on the object registered in advance and a basic incentive, which is an incentive for the object set in accordance with the need to obtain information on the object; an update process for updating the basic incentive of the object in accordance with the need that has changed due to information about the object extracted from the captured image; 29. The program according to claim 29, which causes a computer to execute the above.

[0194] (Appendix 31) The output process outputs, as the output information, a map of an area including the installation location of the object, on which a display showing the pre-registered object and the basic incentive for the object is superimposed at a position corresponding to the pre-registered installation location of the object. 30. The program described in Appendix 30.

[0195] (Appendix 32) the receiving process receives transmission information including the captured image from the terminal device; The update process sets, as the basic incentive of the object, an incentive according to the time elapsed since the update time, which is the time when the transmission information of the object was last received. 32. The program according to claim 30 or 31.

[0196] (Appendix 33) causing a computer to execute an extraction process to extract information about the object from the transmitted information; the granting process grants, when the information about the object is extracted from the transmitted information, a grant incentive including an additional incentive and the basic incentive according to the extracted information to the sender; In the update process, if the information about the object is extracted from the received transmission information, the time when the transmission information was received is set as the update time, and then the basic incentive is updated; and if the information about the object is not extracted from the received transmission information, the time when the transmission information was received is not set as the update time, and the basic incentive is updated. 32. The program of claim 32.

[0197] (Appendix 34) The granting process identifies extracted items, which are items whose information is included in extracted information, which is the extracted information of the object, from among target items, which are one or more predetermined items, and grants the grant incentive to the sender, which includes, as the basic incentive, the sum of the element incentives defined for the extracted items from among the element incentives defined for each of the target items; The updating process updates the element incentive of the target item as the basic incentive to an incentive according to the time elapsed since the transmission information from which the information of the target item was last extracted was received. 33. The program described in Appendix 33.

[0198] (Appendix 35) In the granting process, when the transmission information of the object is received multiple times from the same sender within a predetermined time period, the granting process grants the sender the granted incentive, which includes, as the basic incentive, the sum of the element incentives determined for the extracted items of the target items whose information is included in the extracted information extracted from the transmission information of the object received multiple times. 34. The program described in Appendix 34.

[0199] (Appendix 36) The extraction process extracts differences between extracted information, which is information extracted for a target item that is one or more predetermined items, and registered information, which is information that has been registered in advance; The granting process determines the additional incentive for the difference item, which is an item among the target items in which the difference is detected, including a difference incentive that is an incentive according to the detected difference, and grants the granted incentive, which includes the basic incentive and the additional incentive, to the sender. 33. The program described in Appendix 33.

[0200] (Appendix 37) The awarding process determines the differential incentive such that the greater the significance of the existence of a differential defined for the target item, the greater the differential incentive for the target item. 36. The program described in Appendix 36.

[0201] (Appendix 38) When the difference is detected for the target item, the extraction process determines the magnitude of the difference and sets an incentive according to the magnitude of the difference as the difference incentive for the target item. 36. The program described in Appendix 36.

[0202] (Appendix 39) the receiving process includes receiving the transmission information including imaging information including an imaging position where the captured image of the object was captured, an imaging direction where the captured image was captured, and information about an imaging device that captured the captured image; The extraction process extracts, from the transmitted information, information including information on the existence of the object, information on the position of the object, information on the orientation of the object, information on the type of the object, and information on the state of the object as information on the target item. 34. The program described in Appendix 34.

[0203] (Appendix 40) The granting process may include not granting the basic incentive to a sender who previously transmitted an image of the object if the captured image of the object is transmitted from the sender within a predetermined period of time from the previous transmission of the image of the object. 32. The program according to claim 30 or 31.

[0204] (Appendix 41) The object is a road accessory, which is a structure installed on a road. 31. The program according to claim 29 or 30.

[0205] (Appendix 42) When a fingerprint area is extracted from the captured image, an authentication process is performed to perform fingerprint authentication using extracted features extracted from a fingerprint image, which is an image of the fingerprint area included in the captured image, and registered features, which are features of the sender's fingerprint that have been registered in advance. on the computer, The granting process grants the incentive to the sender who has been authenticated by the fingerprint authentication that the fingerprint of the fingerprint image included in the captured image is a pre-registered fingerprint. 31. The program according to claim 29 or 30.

[0206] Although the present disclosure has been described above with reference to the embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments. Various modifications that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present disclosure within the scope of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0207] 10 Information gathering device 100 Information Gathering Device 110 Output section 120 Receiving section 130 Extraction part 140 Granting Department 150 Update section 160 Information storage section 170 Reception 180 Output target extraction section 1000 computers 1001 processor 1002 memory 1003 Storage device 1004 I / O interface 1005 Storage medium

Claims

1. receiving means for receiving a captured image from a terminal device; a granting means for granting an incentive to a sender of the captured image when the object shown in the captured image is not a pre-installed object; An information collection device comprising:

2. an output means for outputting output information including information on the object registered in advance and a basic incentive, which is an incentive for the object set in accordance with the need to obtain the information on the object; an updating means for updating the basic incentive of the object in accordance with the need that has changed due to information about the object extracted from the captured image; The information collection device according to claim 1 , comprising:

3. The output means outputs, as the output information, a map of an area including the installation location of the object, on which a display showing the pre-registered object and the basic incentive for the object is superimposed at a position corresponding to the pre-registered installation location of the object. The information collection device according to claim 2 .

4. the receiving means receives transmission information including the captured image from the terminal device; The update means sets, as the basic incentive of the object, an incentive according to the time that has elapsed since the update time, which is the time when the transmission information of the object was last received.

4. The information collection device according to claim 2 or 3.

5. extracting means for extracting information about the object from the transmitted information; the granting means grants to the sender, when the information about the object is extracted from the transmitted information, a grant incentive including an additional incentive and the basic incentive according to the extracted information; When the information about the object is extracted from the received transmission information, the updating means updates the basic incentive after setting the time when the transmission information was received as the update time, and when the information about the object is not extracted from the received transmission information, the updating means updates the basic incentive without setting the time when the transmission information was received as the update time. The information collection device according to claim 4.

6. The granting means identifies extracted items, which are items whose information is included in extracted information, which is the extracted information of the object, from among target items, which are one or more predetermined items, and grants the grant incentive to the sender, which includes, as the basic incentive, the sum of the element incentives defined for the extracted items from among the element incentives defined for each of the target items; The updating means updates the element incentive of the target item as the basic incentive to an incentive according to the time elapsed since the transmission information from which the information of the target item was last extracted was received. The information collection device according to claim 5 .

7. The extraction means extracts a difference between extracted information, which is the extracted information of a target item, which is one or more predetermined items, and registered information, which is information registered in advance; The granting means determines the additional incentive including a difference incentive, which is an incentive according to the detected difference, as the additional incentive for the difference item, which is an item among the target items in which the difference is detected, and grants the granted incentive, which includes the basic incentive and the additional incentive, to the sender. The information collection device according to claim 5 .

8. The granting means determines the difference incentive such that the greater the significance of the existence of a difference determined for the target item, the greater the difference incentive for the target item. The information collection device according to claim 7.

9. receiving a captured image from a terminal device; If the object shown in the captured image is not a pre-installed object, an incentive is given to the sender of the captured image. How information is collected.

10. a receiving process for receiving a captured image from a terminal device; an incentive awarding process for awarding an incentive to a sender of the captured image when the object shown in the captured image is not a pre-installed object; A program that causes a computer to execute the following.

Images