Information processing device

Abstract

Reduce unnecessary communication. [Solution] If there is any accident information that has not been transmitted when the system starts up, confirmation information including information on whether to send information about that accident information will be output.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] When an accident occurs in a vehicle, there is a technology in which devices (for example, a drive recorder and a smartphone) attached to the vehicle transmit information related to the accident (accident information) to an external device (for example, Patent Document 1). Conventionally, in such devices, when the transmission of accident information is interrupted due to a sudden shutdown, the accident information is retransmitted at the next startup.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, for example, when time has passed from shutdown to the next startup, the urgency may be lost. In such a case, retransmission of accident information is not always necessary.

[0005] As an example of the problems to be solved by the present invention, reduction of unnecessary communication can be cited.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the invention according to claim 1 includes an accident information transmission processing unit that transmits accident information including information related to the accident to the outside when an accident occurs in a moving body, and at startup, if there is accident information for which transmission by the accident information transmission processing unit has not been completed, a confirmation information output processing unit that outputs confirmation information including information regarding confirmation of whether to transmit information related to the accident information.

[0007] The invention described in claim 9 is an information processing method performed by a computer, comprising: an accident information transmission processing step of transmitting accident information, including information relating to an accident, to an external party when an accident occurs involving a moving object; and a confirmation information output processing step of outputting confirmation information, including information relating to confirming whether to transmit information relating to an accident, if there is any accident information that has not been transmitted in the accident information transmission processing step when the computer starts up.

[0008] The invention described in claim 10 is an information processing device program that causes a computer to execute the information processing method described in claim 9.

[0009] The invention described in claim 11 stores the information processing program described in claim 10. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This figure shows an information processing device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This diagram illustrates the relationship between the information processing device 100 and the mobile device M. [Figure 3] This is a diagram showing the control unit 110. [Figure 4] This diagram illustrates how the call processing unit 114 initiates a call. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of processing operations performed by the control unit 110 when the information processing device 100 is started up. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] An information processing device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an accident information transmission processing unit that transmits accident information, including information about an accident, to an external device when an accident occurs involving a moving object, and a confirmation information output processing unit that outputs confirmation information, including information for confirming whether to transmit the accident information, if there is accident information that has not been transmitted by the accident information transmission processing unit at startup. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to confirm with the user whether to transmit the accident information, and it is possible to transmit the accident information only when the user wishes to transmit it. As a result, it is possible to reduce unnecessary communication.

[0012] It is preferable that the accident information that the accident information transmission processing unit failed to transmit is the same accident information that was not transmitted incomplete during the previous shutdown. This allows the user to confirm whether they want to transmit information about accidents that were interrupted and not transmitted incomplete due to the shutdown.

[0013] The system further includes a response information acquisition processing unit that acquires information regarding the response to the aforementioned confirmation, and the accident information transmission processing unit may transmit the accident information to an external party if the response to the confirmation includes a predetermined response. In this way, the accident information will only be transmitted when the user wishes to transmit it.

[0014] It is preferable that the information regarding the accident information transmitted by the accident information transmission processing unit be accident information that has not yet been transmitted by the accident information transmission processing unit. This makes it possible to transmit accident information that has not yet been transmitted.

[0015] The accident information transmission processing unit may configure the accident information to be information about an accident that was newly created after the startup. In this way, it becomes possible to transmit not only accident information that has not yet been transmitted, but also information that was created after the startup.

[0016] The confirmation information output processing unit may, at startup, refrain from outputting the confirmation information if the mobile body is in motion, even if there is accident information that has not yet been transmitted by the accident information transmission processing unit. The confirmation information output processing unit may also refrain from outputting the confirmation information if the distance between the position of the mobile body at startup and the position of the mobile body when the accident occurs is greater than or equal to a predetermined distance, even if there is accident information that has not yet been transmitted by the accident information transmission processing unit. The confirmation information output processing unit may also refrain from outputting the confirmation information if the time between the time of startup and the time when the accident occurred is greater than or equal to a predetermined time. By doing so, it is possible to prevent unnecessary confirmations from being requested from the user.

[0017] Furthermore, an information processing method according to one embodiment of the present invention is an information processing method performed by a computer, comprising: an accident information transmission processing step that transmits accident information, including information about the accident, to an external party when an accident occurs involving a moving object; and a confirmation information output processing step that, at startup, outputs confirmation information including information about confirming whether to transmit the accident information if there is accident information that has not been transmitted in the accident information transmission processing step. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to confirm with the user whether to transmit the accident information, and it is possible to transmit the accident information only when the user wishes to transmit it. As a result, it is possible to reduce unnecessary communication.

[0018] Furthermore, an information processing program according to one embodiment of the present invention causes a computer to execute the above-described information processing method. In this way, it becomes possible to use a computer to confirm with the user whether or not to transmit information related to accidents.

[0019] Also, a computer-readable storage medium according to an embodiment of the present invention stores the above information processing program. By doing so, the above information processing program can be distributed independently in addition to being incorporated into a device, and version updates and the like can be easily performed.

Example

[0020] <Information processing apparatus 100> FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an information processing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The information processing apparatus 100 includes a control unit 110, a communication unit 120, an input unit 130, an output unit 140, a call unit 150, a position information acquisition unit 160, and a storage unit 170.

[0021] The control unit 110 is constituted by, for example, a computer. The communication unit 120 is a communication device for transmitting and receiving information to and from other devices. The input unit 130 is an input device for receiving input of information such as switches, keyboards, touch panels, microphones, cameras, etc. The output unit 140 is an output device for outputting information such as displays and speakers. The call unit 150 is a device for making calls via a telephone network. The position information acquisition unit 160 is a device for acquiring position information such as an antenna that receives signals transmitted from satellites constituting GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) including GPS (Global Positioning System). The storage unit 170 is a storage device for storing information such as hard disks and memories.

[0022] The information processing device 100 may be a device attached to a mobile body M such as a vehicle (for example, a drive recorder or a smartphone), as shown in Figure 2(A), or it may be a server device installed outside the mobile body M that communicates with the device O attached to the mobile body M, as shown in Figure 2(B). If the information processing device 100 is a server device installed outside the mobile body that communicates with the device attached to the mobile body, the information processing device 100 does not need to have an output unit 140, an input unit 130, a call unit 150, or a location information acquisition unit 160.

[0023] Figure 3 shows the control unit 110. The control unit 110 includes an accident information transmission processing unit 111, a confirmation information output processing unit 112, and a response information acquisition processing unit 113.

[0024] The accident information transmission processing unit 111 transmits accident information, including information about the accident, to an external device when an accident occurs with a moving object. The accident information includes, for example, image data before and after the accident, as well as information such as the location, speed, and acceleration of the moving object.

[0025] The accident information transmission processing unit 111 determines that an accident has occurred, for example, when the magnitude of the acceleration of the moving object exceeds a predetermined value. Alternatively, the accident information transmission processing unit 111 may determine that an accident has occurred when it receives an instruction to transmit accident information. For example, if the information processing device 100 is a device attached to the moving object, the instruction to transmit accident information is received from the input unit 130. If the information processing device 100 is a server device installed outside the moving object that communicates with the device attached to the moving object, it receives the instruction from the input device of the device attached to the moving object (for example, a switch, keyboard, touch panel, microphone, or camera) by communicating using the communication unit 120.

[0026] The confirmation information output processing unit 112 checks, when the information processing device 100 is started, whether there is any accident information that has been interrupted and not completed by the accident information transmission processing unit 111. Furthermore, if the information processing device 100 is a server device located outside the mobile device that communicates with equipment attached to the mobile device, the confirmation information output processing unit 112 may also check, when the equipment attached to the mobile device is started, whether there is any accident information that has been interrupted and not completed by the accident information transmission processing unit 111.

[0027] Whether or not the transmission of accident information has been completed can be determined, for example, by whether or not a response indicating receipt of accident information has been received from an external device after an accident has occurred in the moving object (after it has been detected that the magnitude of the acceleration of the moving object has exceeded a predetermined value, or after an instruction to transmit accident information has been received). At this time, the accident information transmission processing unit 111 should manage the status of the transmission of accident information. The status of the transmission of accident information can include, for example, 1) Accident information creation pending (waiting for completion of accident video recording), 2) Accident information being created, 3) Waiting for accident information transmission, 4) Accident information being transmitted, 5) Waiting for accident information reception response, and 6) Accident information reception response reception completed. The confirmation information output processing unit 112 should, for example, determine that there is accident information whose transmission status is not "6) Accident information reception response reception completed" and that there is accident information whose transmission by the accident information transmission processing unit 111 has been interrupted and is not yet completed.

[0028] Furthermore, the accident information transmission processing unit 111 may store the created accident information in the storage unit 170 after the accident information has been created, and delete the accident information from the storage unit 170 when the transmission of the accident information is complete. In this way, by checking whether or not accident information is stored in the storage unit 170 when the information processing device 100 is started, it becomes possible to determine whether or not the transmission of the accident information has been completed. At this time, the confirmation information output processing unit 112 may determine that there is accident information that has been interrupted and not completed by the accident information transmission processing unit 111 when accident information is stored in the storage unit 170.

[0029] Then, if there is any accident information that has been interrupted and not completed by the accident information transmission processing unit 111, the confirmation information output processing unit 112 outputs confirmation information that includes information regarding whether to transmit information about this accident information. In this case, if the information processing device 100 is a device attached to a mobile device, the confirmation information output processing unit 112 outputs the confirmation information, for example, by the output unit 140. On the other hand, if the information processing device 100 is a server device installed outside the mobile device that communicates with the device attached to the mobile device, the confirmation information output processing unit 112 outputs the confirmation information, for example, by communicating using the communication unit 120, through the output device of the device attached to the mobile device (for example, a display or speaker).

[0030] Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to confirm with the user whether or not to send information regarding an accident, and to send such information only when the user wishes to do so. As a result, it is possible to reduce unnecessary communication.

[0031] The response information acquisition processing unit 113 acquires response information that includes information regarding the response to the confirmation of whether to transmit information regarding an accident. In this case, if the information processing device 100 is a device attached to a mobile body, the response information acquisition processing unit 113 acquires response information input by, for example, the input unit 130. On the other hand, if the information processing device 100 is a server device installed outside the mobile body that communicates with the device attached to the mobile body, the response information acquisition processing unit 113 acquires response information input by, for example, the input device of the device attached to the mobile body (e.g., a switch, keyboard, touch panel, microphone, camera) by performing communication using, for example, the communication unit 120.

[0032] The accident information transmission processing unit 111 then transmits information about the accident to an external device if the response includes a predetermined response. For example, if the response includes the response "transmit accident information," the accident information transmission processing unit 111 transmits information about the accident to an external device. If the response includes the response "do not transmit accident information," the accident information transmission processing unit 111 does not transmit information about the accident to an external device.

[0033] Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to transmit accident information only when the user wishes to do so. As a result, unnecessary communication can be reduced.

[0034] The accident information transmission processing unit 111 should, for example, transmit accident information that has been interrupted and not yet completed by the accident information transmission processing unit. This makes it possible to transmit accident information that has not yet been completed.

[0035] Furthermore, the accident information transmission processing unit 111 may create new accident-related information after the information processing device 100 (or equipment attached to the mobile device) has been started up, and transmit this created information as accident information. In this way, it becomes possible to transmit information triggered by the input of a response to the confirmation of whether to transmit accident information after startup. At this time, the accident information transmission processing unit 111 may create new information after startup, including information such as image data after the information processing device 100 (or equipment attached to the mobile device) has been started up, as accident information. Alternatively, the accident information transmission processing unit 111 may create new information as accident information, adding the contents of accident information that has been interrupted and not yet completed by the accident information transmission processing unit to the information after startup. In this way, it becomes possible to transmit not only the information after startup, but also the contents of accident information that has not yet been transmitted. Alternatively, when the accident information transmission processing unit 111 transmits newly created accident information after startup, it may also transmit accident information that has been interrupted and not yet completed by the accident information transmission processing unit. In this case, it is advisable to add information indicating that the transmission was incomplete to the accident information transmission that was interrupted and not completed by the accident information transmission processing unit. By doing so, it becomes possible to identify that the accident was caused by an interruption in transmission, rather than by multiple different accidents occurring.

[0036] The information processing device 100 may further include a call processing device 114. If the response includes a predetermined response, the call processing device 114 will make a call to a connecting organization such as a call center using the call unit of the device attached to the mobile body where the impact occurred. For example, if the response includes the response "I will call the call center," the call processing device 114 will make a call to the call center. If the information processing device 100 is a device attached to the mobile body, the notification processing device 114 will make a call to the call center using the call unit 150, as shown in Figure 4(A). On the other hand, for example, if the information processing device 100 is a server device installed outside the mobile body that communicates with the device O attached to the mobile body M, the call processing device 114 will make a call to the call center using the call unit of the device O attached to the mobile body M by performing communication using the communication unit 120, as shown in Figure 4(B). This makes it possible for the driver of the mobile body to talk to an operator at the call center.

[0037] <Cases where verification information is not required> If the mobile object is in motion when the information processing device 100 is started, it is highly likely that the mobile object is capable of continuing to move and that there is no need to transmit accident information, and therefore confirmation of whether to transmit information related to accident information is unnecessary. In this case, the confirmation information output processing unit 112 should not output confirmation information if the mobile object is in motion when the information processing device 100 is started, even if there is accident information that has not yet been transmitted by the accident information transmission processing unit 111. This prevents unnecessary confirmations from being requested from the user.

[0038] Furthermore, if the position of the mobile object when the information processing device 100 is started is far from the position of the mobile object when the accident occurred, there is a high possibility that the mobile object is still able to move, or that the processing of the accident involving the mobile object has been completed, and therefore it is unlikely that accident information transmission is necessary, and confirmation of whether or not to transmit information about the accident is unnecessary. Therefore, if the distance between the position of the mobile object when the information processing device 100 is started and the position of the mobile object when the accident occurred is greater than or equal to a predetermined distance, the confirmation information output processing unit 112 should not output confirmation information even if there is accident information that has not been transmitted by the accident information transmission processing unit 111. This also prevents unnecessary confirmations from being requested from the user.

[0039] Furthermore, if the time of the mobile object when the information processing device 100 is started is considerably longer than the time the accident occurred, it is possible that the processing of the mobile object's accident has already been completed, and therefore it is highly likely that transmission of accident information is not necessary, and confirmation of whether or not to transmit information regarding the accident is unnecessary. In this case, the confirmation information output processing unit 112 should not output confirmation information if the time between the time the information processing device 100 is started and the time the accident occurred is longer than a predetermined time, even if there is accident information that has not yet been transmitted by the accident information transmission processing unit 111. This also prevents unnecessary confirmations from being requested from the user.

[0040] <Processing operations in the control unit 110> Figure 5 shows an example of processing operations performed in the control unit 110 when the information processing device 100 is started up. The confirmation information output processing unit 112 checks whether there is any accident information that has been interrupted and not completed by the accident information transmission processing unit 111 (step S501). If there is no accident information that has been interrupted and not completed by the accident information transmission processing unit 111 (step S501, NO), the processing is terminated.

[0041] If there is any accident information that has been interrupted and not completed by the accident information transmission processing unit 111 (step S501, YES), the confirmation information output processing unit 112 checks whether the moving object is in motion or not (step S502). If the moving object is in motion (step S502, YES), the process ends.

[0042] If the moving object is not in motion (step S502, NO), the confirmation information output processing unit 112 checks whether the distance between the position of the moving object at the time the information processing device 100 is started and the position of the moving object at the time the accident occurs is greater than or equal to a predetermined distance (step S503). If the distance between the position of the moving object at the time the information processing device 100 is started and the position of the moving object at the time the accident occurs is greater than or equal to a predetermined distance (step S503, YES), the process is terminated.

[0043] If the distance between the position of the moving object at the time the information processing device 100 is started and the position of the moving object at the time the accident occurs is not greater than or equal to a predetermined distance (step S503, NO), the confirmation information output processing unit 112 checks whether the time between the time the information processing device 100 is started and the time the accident occurs is greater than or equal to a predetermined time (step S504). If the time between the time the information processing device 100 is started and the time the accident occurs is greater than or equal to a predetermined time (step S504, YES), the process is terminated.

[0044] If the time between the startup time of the information processing device 100 and the time when the accident occurred is not greater than or equal to a predetermined time (step S504, NO), the confirmation information output processing unit 112 outputs confirmation information including information regarding whether to transmit information about the accident that has been interrupted and not completed by the accident information transmission processing unit 111 (step S505).

[0045] Subsequently, if the response information acquisition processing unit 113 acquires response information containing information regarding the response to the confirmation of whether to transmit information regarding accident information that has been interrupted and not completed by the accident information transmission processing unit 111 (step S506, YES), the accident information transmission processing unit 111 checks whether the response is a predetermined response (step S507). If the response contains a predetermined response (step S507, YES), the accident information transmission processing unit 111 transmits information regarding accident information that has been interrupted and not completed by the accident information transmission processing unit 111 to an external device (step S508). If the response is not a predetermined response (step S507, NO), the process ends.

[0046] If the response information acquisition processing unit 113 does not acquire response information, including information regarding the response to the confirmation of whether to transmit information about an accident that has been interrupted and not yet completed by the accident information transmission processing unit 111, within a predetermined period (step S506, NO), the process terminates.

[0047] In the processing operation shown in Figure 5, the process is terminated in step S506 if the response information acquisition processing unit 113 does not acquire the response information within a predetermined period. However, if the response information acquisition processing unit 113 does not acquire the response information within a predetermined period, the accident information transmission processing unit 111 may transmit information regarding the accident information that has been interrupted and not yet completed by the accident information transmission processing unit 111 to an external device. Alternatively, if the response information acquisition processing unit 113 does not acquire the response information within a predetermined period, the accident information transmission processing unit 111 may transmit information to an external device indicating that a response has been received.

[0048] The present invention has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments. Although the present invention has been described with reference to specific examples, various modifications and changes can be made to these examples without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as described in the claims. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0049] 100 Information Processing Devices 110 Control Unit 111 Accident Information Transmission Processing Unit 112 Confirmation Information Output Processing Unit 113 Response Information Acquisition Processing Unit 114 Call Processing Unit 120 Communications Department 130 Output section 140 Input section 150 Telephone section 160 Location information acquisition unit 170 Storage section

Claims

[Claim 1] When an accident occurs involving a moving object, an accident information transmission processing unit transmits accident information, including information about the accident, to an external party. An information processing device having: a confirmation information output processing unit that outputs confirmation information including information regarding whether to transmit information about the accident information if there is accident information that has not been transmitted by the accident information transmission processing unit when the device is started up.

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