Accident detection device

Abstract

The present invention provides an accident determination device that determines whether an accident has occurred based on the impact on a moving object, and that can make an appropriate determination according to the attributes of the area in which the moving object is located. [Solution] An accident determination device for determining whether an accident has occurred to a moving body based on an impact that occurs to the moving body, comprising: an impact detection unit for detecting an impact that occurs to the moving body; an accident determination unit for determining whether an accident has occurred to the moving body by comparing the impact value of the impact detected by the impact detection unit with a determination threshold; and a threshold setting unit for setting the determination threshold according to the region attributes of the region in which the moving body is located.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an accident determination device.

Background Art

[0002] When an accident occurs in a moving body such as a vehicle, an accident reporting system that automatically notifies a server device of the occurrence of the accident has been proposed. In such an accident reporting system, for example, a terminal device mounted on a vehicle detects an impact generated in the vehicle, and determines whether an accident has occurred based on the magnitude of the detected impact (impact value). When it is determined that an accident has occurred, the terminal device reports the fact of the accident occurrence and the location of the accident to an external server device by wireless communication (for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the above-described conventional technology, when an impact having a magnitude equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold is detected, it is determined that an accident has occurred and reported. However, in reality, even during normal driving, an impact occurs in the moving body, and its magnitude varies depending on the unevenness of the road surface, curves, inclination conditions, etc. For this reason, there is a problem that it may be difficult to determine whether an accident has occurred depending on the area where the moving body is located. In particular, in a parking lot, since an accident with a relatively small impact occurs, there is a problem that the accident cannot be detected when the same threshold as on the road is used.

[0005] One example of a problem that the present invention aims to solve is the difficulty in making an appropriate determination in an accident determination device that determines whether an accident has occurred based on the impact on a moving object, according to the attributes of the area in which the moving object is located. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The invention described in claim 1 is an accident determination device for determining whether an accident has occurred to a moving body based on an impact that occurs to the moving body, comprising: an impact detection unit for detecting an impact that occurs to the moving body; an accident determination unit for determining whether an accident has occurred to the moving body by comparing the impact value of the impact detected by the impact detection unit with a determination threshold; and a threshold setting unit for setting the determination threshold according to the region attributes of the region in which the moving body is located. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of the accident detection device and server device in Example 1. [Figure 2] This is a flowchart showing the processing operation of the accident determination process in Example 1. [Figure 3] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of the accident detection device in Example 2. [Figure 4] This flowchart shows the processing operation of the accident determination process in Example 2. [Figure 5] This figure schematically shows the threshold table for Example 3. [Figure 6] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of the accident detection device and server device in Example 4. [Figure 7] This figure schematically shows the threshold table for Example 4. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following descriptions and accompanying drawings of each embodiment, substantially identical or equivalent parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. [Examples]

[0009] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the accident notification system in Example 1. The accident notification system consists of a server device 20 and a plurality of accident determination devices 10-1 to 10-n (where n is an integer of 2 or more).

[0010] Accident detection devices 10-1 to 10-n are navigation devices mounted on a mobile device such as a vehicle (hereinafter simply referred to as a vehicle), and communicate wirelessly with the server device 20. Since accident detection devices 10-1 to 10-n have a similar configuration, in the following description they will be generalized as accident detection device 10, and their configuration and operation will be described.

[0011] The accident determination device 10 includes a communication unit 11, a location information acquisition unit 12, an impact detection unit 13, a threshold setting unit 14, a sound collection unit 15, an image acquisition unit 16, and an accident determination unit 17.

[0012] The communication unit 11 transmits and receives information with the server device 20. For example, the communication unit 11 transmits location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 12 and receives threshold information used by the accident determination unit 17 for accident determination. The communication unit 11 may also transmit image information of the surrounding image of the moving object acquired by the image acquisition unit 16 to the server device 20.

[0013] The location information acquisition unit 12 is composed of, for example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) sensor and acquires location information indicating the vehicle's current position. For example, the location information acquisition unit 12 receives radio waves transmitted from multiple GPS satellites and acquires location information by calculating the distance from each GPS satellite based on the received radio waves.

[0014] The impact detection unit 13 is composed of, for example, an acceleration sensor, and detects the magnitude of the impact that occurred on the vehicle as an impact value G (hereinafter simply referred to as the impact value) based on the change in the vehicle's acceleration.

[0015] The threshold setting unit 14 sets the thresholds used by the accident determination unit 17 for accident determination based on the threshold information acquired by the communication unit 11. The thresholds used by the accident determination unit 17 for accident determination include a threshold for the magnitude of the impact value (impact threshold) and a threshold for the volume of the impact sound (volume threshold). In this embodiment, the volume threshold is set to a constant value, and the threshold setting unit 14 changes only the impact threshold based on the threshold information transmitted from the server device 20. Therefore, in the following description, the impact threshold set by the threshold setting unit 14 (i.e., the impact threshold used by the accident determination unit 17 for determination) will be referred to as the "determination threshold". In this embodiment, the impact threshold assuming that the moving object is on the road is set as the determination threshold in the initial state (state before change).

[0016] The sound-collecting unit 15 consists of a sound-collecting device such as a microphone. The sound-collecting unit 15 collects the impact sound when an impact is detected by the impact detection unit 13.

[0017] The image acquisition unit 16 is composed of an imaging device such as an in-vehicle camera. The image acquisition unit 16 acquires images of the surrounding area of ​​the moving object when an impact is detected by the impact detection unit 13. The image acquisition unit 16 also performs image recognition of the surrounding image. As a result, if there are obstacles around the moving object, those obstacles are recognized in the image. Also, if the area where the moving object is located is a parking lot, signs and text installed at the entrance of the parking lot, etc., are recognized in the image. Therefore, by transmitting the image information of the surrounding image to the server device 20 via the communication unit 11, the server device 20 can determine the area attributes based on the image information.

[0018] The accident determination unit 17 determines whether an accident has occurred to the moving body based on the impact value of the impact detected by the impact detection unit 13, the impact sound picked up by the sound collection unit 15, and the surrounding image acquired by the image acquisition unit 16. Specifically, the accident determination unit 17 determines whether the detected impact value is greater than or equal to the determination threshold value (impact threshold value) set by the threshold setting unit 14. Also, the accident determination unit 17 determines whether the volume of the impact sound is greater than or equal to the volume threshold value. Further, the accident determination unit 17 determines whether there were obstacles such as vehicles, people, and ground objects around the moving body at the time of impact detection based on the image recognition result of the surrounding image by the image acquisition unit 16.

[0019] The accident determination unit 17 can determine whether an accident has occurred to the moving body by using any one of the determination based on these impact values, the determination based on the impact sound, and the determination based on the image information. Also, the determination may be made by combining these. For example, when the impact value is greater than or equal to the determination threshold value and the volume of the impact sound is greater than or equal to the volume threshold value, or when the impact value is greater than or equal to the determination threshold value and the presence of an obstacle is confirmed around the moving body, the accident determination unit 17 determines that an accident has occurred to the moving body.

[0020] The server device 20 includes a communication unit 21, a storage unit 22, a map information collation unit 23, a region attribute determination unit 24, and a threshold information acquisition unit 25.

[0021] The communication unit 21 transmits and receives information to and from the accident determination device 10. For example, the communication unit 21 receives the position information of the moving body from the accident determination device 10 and transmits the threshold information to the accident determination device 10. Also, the communication unit 21 may receive the image information of the surrounding image of the moving body from the accident determination device 10.

[0022] The memory unit 22 stores map information, including the locations of roads and parking lots. The memory unit 22 also stores impact threshold information, which is set according to the area attributes. Generally, the speed of moving objects in a parking lot is lower than the speed of moving objects on a road, so accidents are more likely to occur with small impacts. Therefore, in the threshold information, the impact threshold for parking lots is set to a lower value than the impact threshold for roads (i.e., detection sensitivity is higher in parking lots).

[0023] The map information matching unit 23 reads the map information stored in the storage unit 22 and compares the read map information with the location information received by the communication unit 21. This identifies the location of the moving object on the map.

[0024] The area attribute determination unit 24 determines the attributes of the area where the moving object is located (area attribute) based on the matching results from the map information matching unit 23. Specifically, in this embodiment, the area attribute determination unit 24 determines whether the moving object is located on a road or within a parking lot.

[0025] Furthermore, when the communication unit 21 receives image information of the surrounding image of the moving object, the area attribute determination unit 24 can determine whether the moving object is located in the parking lot based on the image information.

[0026] The threshold information acquisition unit 25 reads the corresponding threshold information from the storage unit 22 based on the region attribute determined by the region attribute determination unit 24 and supplies it to the communication unit 21.

[0027] Next, an example of the operation of the accident determination process performed by the accident determination device 10 and the server device 20 will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 2. Here, an example of the operation will be described in which the server device 20 determines the area attribute based on the result of matching the location information of the moving object received from the accident determination device 10 with map information, and the accident determination unit 17 performs accident determination by a combination of determination based on impact value, determination based on impact sound, and determination based on image information.

[0028] The location information acquisition unit 12 of the accident determination device 10 detects the position of the moving object and acquires location information (step S101). The communication unit 11 transmits the location information to the server device 20 (step S102).

[0029] The communication unit 21 of the server device 20 receives location information of the moving object from the accident determination device 10. The map information matching unit 23 reads the map information stored in the storage unit 22 and compares it with the location information received by the communication unit 21 (step S103).

[0030] The area attribute determination unit 24 determines the area attribute (road or parking lot) of the area where the moving object is located based on the matching result from the map information matching unit 23 (step S104).

[0031] The threshold information acquisition unit 25 reads and acquires threshold information corresponding to the region attribute determined by the region attribute determination unit 24 from the storage unit 22. The communication unit 21 transmits the threshold information acquired by the threshold information acquisition unit 25 to the fault determination device 10 (step S105).

[0032] The communication unit 11 of the accident determination device 10 receives threshold information from the server device 20. The threshold setting unit 14 sets (changes) the determination threshold for the accident determination unit 17 to perform accident determination based on the received threshold information (step S106). In this embodiment, the threshold setting unit 14 sets the impact threshold indicated in the threshold information as the determination threshold.

[0033] The accident determination unit 17 determines whether the impact detection unit 13 has detected an impact with an impact value equal to or greater than the determination threshold (step S107). If no impact is detected (step S107: No), the unit waits for the impact detection unit 13 to detect an impact.

[0034] If it is determined that an impact exceeding the threshold has been detected (Step S107: Yes), the accident determination unit 17 determines whether the sound collection unit 15 has detected an impact sound exceeding the volume threshold or whether the image acquisition unit 16 has detected an obstacle in the surrounding image (Step S108). If neither detection is made (Step S108: No), the process returns to Step S107 and waits again for the impact detection unit 13 to detect an impact.

[0035] If the accident determination unit 17 determines that either an impact sound exceeding a volume threshold has been detected or an obstacle has been detected (Step S108: Yes), it determines that an accident has occurred to the mobile object. The communication unit 11 sends an accident notification to the server device 20 indicating that an accident has been determined to have occurred to the mobile object, and reports the accident (Step S109).

[0036] Based on the above processing operations, the accident detection device 10 and the server device 20 perform accident detection processing.

[0037] In the accident notification system of this embodiment, the accident determination device 10 transmits location information of a moving object or image information of the area surrounding the moving object to the server device 20, and receives threshold information from the server device 20 according to the area attributes of the region where the moving object is located to perform an accident determination. Therefore, according to the accident notification system of this embodiment, it is possible to perform an accident determination appropriately according to the area attributes of the region where the moving object is located.

[0038] Furthermore, in addition to determining whether the impact value is above a certain threshold, the accident notification system of this embodiment can also determine whether an impact sound above a certain volume threshold has been detected and whether an obstacle has been detected around the moving object to perform an accident determination. Therefore, the accident notification system of this embodiment makes it possible to perform an accident determination while reducing the possibility of false determinations. [Examples]

[0039] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the fault detection device 30 of Embodiment 2. The fault detection device 30 of this embodiment differs from the fault detection device 10 of Embodiment 1 in that, when performing fault detection, it does not acquire threshold information each time by communicating with a server device, but rather performs fault detection based on threshold information stored in its own memory.

[0040] The accident determination device 30 includes a storage unit 31, a region attribute determination unit 32, an impact detection unit 33, a threshold setting unit 34, a sound collection unit 35, an image acquisition unit 36, an accident determination unit 37, a location information acquisition unit 38, and a map information matching unit 39.

[0041] The memory unit 31 stores information on impact thresholds set according to the area attributes as threshold information. Similar to Embodiment 1, the impact threshold in the parking lot is set to a lower value than the impact threshold in the road. The memory unit 31 also stores map information including the locations of the road and the parking lot.

[0042] The area attribute determination unit 32 determines whether the area where the moving object is located is a road or a parking lot based on the image recognition results of the surrounding image performed by the image acquisition unit 36. For example, if the image recognition recognizes signs or text installed at the entrance of a parking lot, the area attribute determination unit 32 determines that the area where the moving object is located is a parking lot. Alternatively, the area attribute determination unit 32 may also determine whether the area where the moving object is located is a road or a parking lot based on the matching results of the location information and map information performed by the map information matching unit 39.

[0043] The impact detection unit 33 consists of an acceleration sensor and the like, and detects the impact value of an impact that occurred on the vehicle based on the change in the vehicle's acceleration.

[0044] The threshold setting unit 34 reads the threshold information stored in the storage unit 31 based on the area attribute determined by the area attribute determination unit 32, and sets the impact threshold corresponding to the read threshold information as the determination threshold. In this embodiment, the volume threshold is set to a constant value. In this embodiment, the impact threshold assuming that the moving object is on the road is set as the determination threshold for the initial state (state before change).

[0045] The sound-collecting unit 35 is composed of a sound-collecting device such as a microphone, and collects the impact sound when an impact is detected by the impact detection unit 33.

[0046] The image acquisition unit 36 ​​is composed of an imaging device such as an in-vehicle camera and acquires images of the surrounding area of ​​the moving object when an impact is detected by the impact detection unit 33. The image acquisition unit 36 ​​also performs image recognition of the surrounding image. Based on the results of this image recognition, the accident determination unit 37 determines whether or not there are obstacles around the moving object. In addition, the area attribute determination unit 32 determines the area attributes of the area where the moving object is located.

[0047] The accident determination unit 37 determines whether an accident has occurred to the moving object based on the impact value detected by the impact detection unit 33, the impact sound picked up by the sound pickup unit 35, and the surrounding image acquired by the image acquisition unit 36. The accident determination unit 37 may make the determination using any one of the image information of the impact value, impact sound, and surrounding image, or it may make the determination using a combination of these. For example, the accident determination unit 37 determines that an accident has occurred to the moving object if the detected impact value is equal to or greater than a determination threshold (impact threshold) and the volume of the impact sound is equal to or greater than a volume threshold, or if the impact value is equal to or greater than a determination threshold and the presence of an obstacle around the moving object is recognized by image recognition.

[0048] The location information acquisition unit 38 acquires location information indicating the current position of the moving object, similar to the location information acquisition unit 12 in Embodiment 1.

[0049] The map information matching unit 39 reads the map information stored in the storage unit 31 and identifies the location of the moving object on the map by comparing the read map information with the location information acquisition unit 38.

[0050] Next, the operation of the accident determination process performed by the accident determination device 30 will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 4. Here, we will describe an example of the processing operation when the accident determination device 30 determines the region attribute based on the surrounding image of the moving object, and the accident determination unit 37 performs accident determination by a combination of determination based on impact value, determination based on impact sound, and determination based on image information.

[0051] The image acquisition unit 36 ​​acquires an image of the surrounding area of ​​the moving object (step S201). Based on the image recognition results of the acquired surrounding image, the region attribute determination unit 32 determines whether or not the region where the moving object is located is a road (step S202).

[0052] If the system determines that the area where the moving object is located is a road (step S202: Yes), the threshold setting unit 34 does not change the determination threshold and maintains the previous determination threshold (step S203).

[0053] The accident determination unit 37 determines whether or not an impact exceeding the determination threshold has been detected by the impact detection unit 33 (step S204). If it is determined that no impact exceeding the determination threshold has been detected (step S204: No), the unit waits for an impact to be detected by the impact detection unit 33.

[0054] If it is determined that an impact exceeding the threshold has been detected (Step S204: Yes), the accident determination unit 37 determines whether the sound collection unit 35 has detected an impact sound exceeding the volume threshold or whether the image acquisition unit 36 ​​has detected an obstacle in the surrounding image (Step S205). If neither detection is made (Step S205: No), the process returns to Step S204 and waits again for the impact detection unit 33 to detect an impact.

[0055] If the system determines that either an impact sound exceeding a sound level threshold or an obstacle has been detected (Step S205: Yes), the accident determination unit 37 determines that an accident has occurred involving a moving object on the road and reports the accident (Step S206).

[0056] On the other hand, if step S202 determines that the area where the moving object is located is not a road (step S202: No), the area attribute determination unit 32 determines whether the area where the moving object is located is a parking lot or not (step S207).

[0057] If the system determines that the area where the moving object is located is a parking lot (Step S207: Yes), the threshold setting unit 34 reads the threshold information corresponding to the case where the moving object is in a parking lot from the storage unit 31 and changes the preset determination threshold to the impact threshold corresponding to the parking lot (Step S208).

[0058] The accident determination unit 37 determines whether or not an impact exceeding a determination threshold has been detected by the impact detection unit 33 (step S209). If it is determined that no impact was detected (step S209: No), the unit waits for the impact detection unit 33 to detect an impact.

[0059] If it is determined that an impact exceeding the threshold has been detected (Step S209: Yes), the accident determination unit 37 determines whether the sound collection unit 35 has detected an impact sound exceeding the volume threshold or whether the image acquisition unit 36 ​​has detected an obstacle in the surrounding image (Step S210). If neither detection is made (Step S210: No), the process returns to Step S209 and waits again for the impact detection unit 33 to detect an impact.

[0060] If the system determines that either an impact sound exceeding a sound level threshold or an obstacle has been detected (Step S210: Yes), the accident determination unit 37 determines that an accident has occurred involving a moving object in the parking lot and reports the accident (Step S211).

[0061] Based on the above processing operations, the accident determination device 30 performs accident determination processing.

[0062] The accident detection device 30 of this embodiment stores impact thresholds corresponding to region attributes, determines the attributes of the region where the moving object is located through image recognition, and sets the corresponding impact threshold as the determination threshold. Therefore, according to the accident detection device 30 of this embodiment, it is possible to select an appropriate determination threshold according to the attributes of the region where the moving object is located and perform accident detection. [Examples]

[0063] The accident notification system of this embodiment has the same configuration as the accident notification system of Embodiment 1, but differs from the accident notification system of Embodiment 1 in the threshold information stored in the storage unit 22 of the server device 20 and the type of area attribute determined by the area attribute determination unit 24.

[0064] The area attribute determination unit 24 determines the primary and secondary attributes of the area where the moving object is located based on the results of the map information matching unit 23. For example, the area attribute determination unit 24 determines whether the area where the moving object is located is a road or a non-road area as a primary attribute of the area. Then, for roads, the area attribute determination unit 24 determines whether the road is an unpaved road, a highway, a slow-speed road such as Zone 30, or another type of road (referred to as a general road) as a secondary attribute. The area attribute determination unit 24 may also determine, as secondary attributes of roads, whether the area is a bump on the road, a point where there is a step between the road and the sidewalk, an intersection, a store entrance, a sharp curve, or a point that is both a slope and a curve. Furthermore, for non-road areas, the area attribute determination unit 24 determines whether the area is a parking lot, a ferry terminal, or another type of area as a secondary attribute.

[0065] The memory unit 22 stores map information including locations such as slow roads, general roads, expressways, unpaved roads, parking lots, ferry terminals, road bumps, points where there is a difference in elevation between the road and the sidewalk, intersections, store entrances, sharp curves, and points where there are both slopes and curves. The memory unit 22 also stores threshold values ​​used by the accident determination device 10 for accident determination based on impact values ​​as threshold information corresponding to the area attributes.

[0066] Figure 5 is a threshold table showing an example of impact thresholds for each area attribute stored in the memory unit 22. Here, impact thresholds corresponding to slow roads, general roads, expressways, unpaved roads, parking lots, ferry terminals, and other non-road areas are extracted and shown from the above-mentioned multiple locations (area attributes). Threshold A is stored in the memory unit 22 as the impact threshold corresponding to each area attribute for slow roads, threshold B for general roads, threshold C for expressways, threshold D for unpaved roads, threshold E for parking lots, threshold F for ferry terminals, and threshold G for other non-road areas.

[0067] The speed of moving objects is lower on slow roads than on general roads, and higher on highways than on general roads. Therefore, on slow roads, the impact threshold is set to a lower value than the impact threshold for general roads (i.e., to increase detection sensitivity), and on highways, the impact threshold is set to a higher value than the impact threshold for general roads (i.e., to decrease detection sensitivity) (threshold A < threshold B < threshold C). Also, since unpaved roads have rougher surfaces than general roads, it is expected that there will be more false detections. Therefore, to prevent false detections, the impact threshold on unpaved roads is set to a higher value than the impact threshold for general roads (i.e., to decrease detection sensitivity) (threshold D > threshold B). Also, in parking lots, the speed of moving objects is lower than on roads. Therefore, in parking lots, the impact threshold is set to a lower value than the impact threshold for roads (i.e., to increase detection sensitivity) (threshold E < threshold B). Also, at ferry terminals, the impact on moving objects during boarding and disembarking ferries is large, and it is expected that there will be more false detections. Therefore, to prevent false positives, the impact threshold at the ferry terminal is set higher than the impact threshold for the road (i.e., the detection sensitivity is lower) (threshold F > threshold B).

[0068] The threshold information acquisition unit 25 acquires threshold information indicating the impact threshold for the corresponding area attribute from the threshold information stored in the storage unit 22, according to the area attribute determined by the area attribute determination unit 24. The communication unit 21 transmits the threshold information acquired by the threshold information acquisition unit 25 to the accident determination device 10.

[0069] The threshold setting unit 14 of the accident detection device 10 sets (changes) the determination threshold based on the threshold information received from the server device 20 via the communication unit 11. The accident detection unit 17 performs an accident determination based on the set determination threshold.

[0070] In this embodiment of the accident reporting system, the system determines not only whether the area where the moving object is located is a road or a parking lot, but also more detailed area attributes, and sets thresholds accordingly. Therefore, since it is possible to select a detailed impact threshold and set a judgment threshold, it becomes possible to perform accident judgment more appropriately depending on the area where the moving object is located.

[0071] Furthermore, this embodiment can also be applied to an accident determination device having the same configuration as in Embodiment 2. For example, the storage unit 31 of the accident determination device 30 stores map information including locations such as slow roads, general roads, expressways, unpaved roads, parking lots, ferry terminals, bumps on the road, points where there is a step between the road and the sidewalk, intersections, store entrances, sharp curves, and points on slopes and curves, and threshold information corresponding to these locations. The area attribute determination unit 32 determines the area attribute based on the matching result of the location information and the map information, and the threshold setting unit 34 sets the threshold corresponding to the area attribute as the determination threshold. In this way, the accident determination device 30 of Embodiment 2 can perform accident determination according to the area attributes classified in detail as in this embodiment. [Examples]

[0072] Figure 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the accident notification system of Example 4. Similar to Example 1, the accident notification system of this example consists of a server device 20 and a plurality of accident determination devices 10-1 to 10-n (accident determination device 10). The accident notification system of this example differs from the accident notification system of Example 1 in that the server device 20 has a traffic congestion information acquisition unit 26 and a weather information acquisition unit 27, and in the content of the threshold information stored in the storage unit 22 of the server device 20.

[0073] Furthermore, the accident notification system of this embodiment differs from the accident notification system of Embodiment 1 in that the accident determination unit 17 of the accident determination device 10 changes the sound volume threshold in addition to the impact threshold as a determination threshold according to the area attribute.

[0074] The traffic congestion information acquisition unit 26 of the server device 20 acquires real-time traffic congestion information for each road link for roads included in the map information stored in the storage unit 22 from an external device (not shown) via the communication unit 21.

[0075] The weather information acquisition unit 27 acquires real-time weather information for each area from an external device via the communication unit 21. The weather information includes information on the intensity of wind and rain and whether or not there is snow cover.

[0076] The area attribute determination unit 24 determines the primary and secondary attributes of the area where the moving object is located, based on the results of the map information and location information matching by the map information matching unit 23, the traffic congestion information acquired by the traffic congestion information acquisition unit 26, and the weather information acquired by the weather information acquisition unit 27.

[0077] Specifically, the area attribute determination unit 24 determines whether the area where the moving object is located is a road or a parking lot as the primary attribute of the area attribute. The area attribute determination unit 24 also determines whether the road where the moving object is located is congested as one of the secondary attributes of the area attribute, namely the congestion attribute. The area attribute determination unit 24 also determines whether the area where the moving object is located is covered in snow as one of the secondary attributes of the area attribute, namely the road surface attribute. The area attribute determination unit 24 also determines the intensity of wind and rain in the area where the moving object is located as one of the secondary attributes of the area attribute, namely the weather attribute.

[0078] The memory unit 22 stores the impact threshold used by the accident determination device 10 for accident determination as threshold information corresponding to area attributes, including main attributes, congestion attributes, road surface attributes, and weather attributes.

[0079] Figure 7(a) is a threshold table showing examples of impact thresholds for each area attribute stored in the memory unit 22. Threshold H is stored as the impact threshold when there is traffic congestion on the road. Also, for impact thresholds when there is snow on the road (snowy road), threshold I is stored for light wind and rain, threshold J is stored for moderate wind and rain, and threshold K is stored for strong wind and rain. Also, for impact thresholds when there is no snow on the road (non-snowy road), threshold L is stored for light wind and rain, threshold M is stored for moderate wind and rain, and threshold N is stored for strong wind and rain. Also, for impact thresholds when there is snow in the parking lot (snowy parking lot), threshold O is stored for light wind and rain, threshold P is stored for moderate wind and rain, and threshold Q is stored for strong wind and rain. Also, for impact thresholds when there is no snow in the parking lot (non-snowy parking lot), threshold R is stored for light wind and rain, threshold S is stored for moderate wind and rain, and threshold T is stored for strong wind and rain.

[0080] During traffic congestion, the movement speed of moving objects is low, making accidents from small impacts more likely. Therefore, in the threshold table, the impact threshold for congested roads is set to a lower value than the impact threshold for uncongested roads (i.e., to increase detection sensitivity). Also, during snowfall, the road surface is rougher than during non-snowfall conditions, so a higher rate of false detections is expected. Therefore, to prevent false detections, the impact threshold for snowy roads is set to a higher value than the impact threshold for non-snowfall roads (i.e., to decrease detection sensitivity). Similarly, in snowy parking lots, the impact threshold is set to a higher value than the impact threshold for non-snowfall parking lots. Furthermore, during strong winds and rain, the movement speed of moving objects is lower than during light winds and rain, making accidents from small impacts more likely. Therefore, the impact threshold for strong winds and rain is set to a lower value than the impact threshold for light winds and rain (threshold I > threshold J > threshold K, threshold L > threshold M > threshold N, threshold O > threshold P > threshold Q, threshold R > threshold S > threshold T).

[0081] Furthermore, the memory unit 22 stores the volume threshold used by the accident determination device 10 for accident determination as threshold information corresponding to the weather attribute, which is one of the sub-attributes of the area attribute.

[0082] Figure 7(b) is a threshold table showing examples of volume thresholds for each weather attribute stored in the memory unit 22. Threshold (1) is stored as the volume threshold for light wind and rain, threshold (2) as the volume threshold for moderate wind and rain, and threshold (3) as the volume threshold for strong wind and rain. When the wind and rain are strong, the sound collection unit 15 picks up more noise, so it is expected that there will be many false detections. Therefore, in order to prevent false detections, the volume thresholds are set to be larger as the wind and rain are stronger (i.e., the sensitivity of detection decreases) (i.e., threshold (1) < threshold (2) < threshold (3)).

[0083] The threshold information acquisition unit 25 acquires threshold information indicating the impact threshold and sound volume threshold for the corresponding area attribute from the threshold information stored in the storage unit 22, in accordance with the determination of the area attribute determination unit 24. For example, if the area where the moving object is located is a snow-covered road and there is strong wind and rain, threshold information indicating threshold K as the impact threshold and threshold (3) as the sound volume threshold is acquired. The communication unit 21 transmits the threshold information acquired by the threshold information acquisition unit 25 to the accident determination device 10.

[0084] The threshold setting unit 14 of the accident determination device 10 sets (changes) the impact threshold and volume threshold as determination thresholds based on the threshold information acquired by the communication unit 11. The threshold setting unit 14 can independently change the impact threshold and the volume threshold. The accident determination unit 17 performs accident determination based on the set impact threshold and volume threshold.

[0085] In this embodiment of the accident reporting system, the determination threshold is set based on a primary attribute indicating whether the area where the moving object is located is a road or a parking lot, as well as a congestion attribute indicating whether or not there is congestion, a road surface attribute indicating whether or not there is snow, and a weather attribute indicating the intensity of wind and rain. Furthermore, it is possible to change not only the impact threshold but also the sound volume threshold depending on the area attribute. Therefore, it is possible to select a threshold according to the situation in which the moving object is located and to perform an appropriate accident determination.

[0086] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to those shown in Examples 1 to 4 above. For example, in Examples 1, 3 and 4 above, a configuration was described in which the accident determination device 10 receives threshold information from the server device 20 and sets a determination threshold based on the received threshold information. However, the accident determination device 10 may also be configured to store multiple threshold information in a storage unit in advance, receive area attribute information instead of threshold information from the server device 20, and set a determination threshold based on the threshold information stored in its own storage unit.

[0087] Furthermore, in the above embodiment 4, a configuration was described in which the volume threshold of impact sound is changed according to weather attributes indicating the strength of wind and rain. However, a configuration in which the volume threshold is changed according to area attributes other than weather attributes (for example, whether it is a road or a parking lot) is also acceptable. In that case, the impact threshold and volume threshold, which are used as judgment thresholds, can be changed independently.

[0088] Furthermore, in the above embodiment 3, a configuration was described in which the judgment threshold is changed by determining the road surface condition and congestion status as area attributes of the area in which the moving object is located. However, it is also possible to further acquire speed information of the moving object and change the threshold according to the combination of area attributes and speed information. Speed ​​information can be obtained, for example, by equipping the accident judgment device with a vehicle speed sensor and obtaining a vehicle speed pulse signal from the ECU (Engine Control Unit) of the vehicle as the moving object to calculate the vehicle speed.

[0089] Furthermore, the above embodiments can be used in combination as appropriate. For example, Embodiments 3 and 4 can be combined to determine area attributes in more detail and set thresholds.

[0090] Furthermore, the series of processes described in each of the above embodiments can be carried out by computer processing according to a program stored on a recording medium such as ROM. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0091] 10. Accident detection device 11 Communications Department 12,38 Location information acquisition unit 13,33 Impact detection unit 14,34 Threshold setting section 15,35 Sound collection section 16,36 Image acquisition unit 17,37 Accident Judgment Department 20 Server Devices 21 Communications Department 22 Memory section 23 Map Information Matching Unit 24 Area attribute determination section 25. Threshold Information Acquisition Unit 26 Traffic Congestion Information Acquisition Unit 27 Weather information acquisition department 31 Storage section 32 Area attribute determination section 39 Map Information Verification Unit

Claims

[Claim 1] An accident determination device that determines whether an accident has occurred to a moving object based on the impact that occurred to the moving object, An impact detection unit for detecting an impact generated on the moving body, An accident determination unit compares the impact value detected by the impact detection unit with a determination threshold to determine whether an accident has occurred to the moving object, A threshold setting unit sets the determination threshold according to the region attributes of the region where the moving object is located, An accident determination device characterized by being equipped with the following features.

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