Information Collection System

Abstract

To collect information related to an event when a specific event such as an incident occurs in a city.SOLUTION: An information collection system 100 includes a plurality of vehicle 2 and a server 1. When an event occurrence notification to notify of occurrence of a specific event together with an event occurrence place is received, the server 1 selects at least one vehicle to be moved to the event occurrence place among the vehicles 2 as an information collection vehicle, and transmits an information collection instruction notification to the information collection vehicle. When the information collection instruction notification is received, the vehicles 2 move to the event occurrence place and also collect images photographed by a camera during the movement as event-related information related to the event.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information collection system. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a traffic violation vehicle identification system that includes a vehicle configured to transmit an evidential image of the traffic violation and characteristic information of the traffic violating vehicle (color, model, etc.) to a server when a traffic violating vehicle is detected based on an image from an on-board camera, and a server configured to identify the traffic violating vehicle based on the characteristic information of the traffic violating vehicle received from the vehicle, and to transmit identification information of the identified traffic violating vehicle (number, etc.) and the evidential image of the traffic violation to a client (police, etc.). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-61079 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in order to detect a traffic violation using the conventional traffic violation vehicle identification system described above, a vehicle capable of detecting a traffic violation vehicle must happen to be present at the location where the traffic violation occurs at the exact moment the traffic violation occurs. When an incident (specific event) occurs in a city, collecting information related to the incident, such as people and vehicles that are thought to have been at or near the incident scene, after the fact may be useful in identifying, for example, the perpetrator or witnesses, and is also important for solving the incident.

[0005] The present invention has been made in response to such problems, and has as its object to collect information related to a specific event, such as an incident, after the event has occurred in a city. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, an information collection system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of vehicles that are equipped with a camera for capturing images outside the vehicle and that perform autonomous driving, and a server configured to be able to communicate with each of the plurality of vehicles. When the server receives an event occurrence notification that notifies the occurrence of a specific event together with at least the location of the event, the server is configured to select at least one vehicle from the plurality of vehicles as an information collection vehicle to be moved toward the location of the event, and to transmit an information collection instruction notification to the information collection vehicle. When the server receives the information collection instruction notification, the plurality of vehicles are configured to move toward the location of the event, and to collect images captured by the camera during the movement as event-related information related to the event.

[0007] According to an aspect of the present invention, a server includes a communication unit that communicates with a plurality of autonomously traveling vehicles equipped with a camera that captures images outside the vehicle, and a control unit. When the control unit receives an event occurrence notification that notifies the occurrence of a specific event together with at least the location of the event, the control unit is configured to select at least one vehicle from the plurality of vehicles as an information collection vehicle to move toward the location of the event while capturing images of the outside of the vehicle with the camera, and to transmit an information collection instruction notification to the information collection vehicle.

[0008] Furthermore, a vehicle according to one aspect of the present invention is an autonomous vehicle equipped with a camera that photographs the area outside the vehicle and a communication device that communicates with a server, and is configured to move toward a location where a specific event has occurred based on instructions from the server, and to collect images taken by the camera during movement as event-related information related to the event. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to these aspects of the present invention, when a specific event such as an incident occurs in a city, information related to the event can be collected after the fact by a vehicle equipped with a camera. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of an information collecting system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of the vehicle. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of an information gathering process for gathering event-related information according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for selecting an information collection vehicle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, like components are designated by like reference numerals.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an information collection system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] The information collection system 100 according to this embodiment includes a server 1, a plurality of vehicles 2, and an alert transmission device 3.

[0014] The alert transmitting device 3 has a wireless communication function, and is configured to be able to transmit a notification notifying the occurrence of a specific event (hereinafter referred to as an "event occurrence notification") to the server 1. In this embodiment, the alert transmitting device 3 is configured to be able to access a wireless base station (not shown) connected to the network 4 via a gateway or the like. As a result, the alert transmitting device 3 is connected to the network 4 via the wireless base station, and is able to communicate with the server 1 via the network 4.

[0015] Specific events include, for example, unauthorized entry into a residence or building, theft, injury, fire, traffic accidents, and other types of incidents, and the event occurrence notification includes, for example, information regarding the content of the event that occurred, the time the event occurred, and the location where the event occurred.

[0016] The alert transmission device 3 may be configured to automatically detect the occurrence of a specific event and transmit an event occurrence notification to the server 1, or may be configured to transmit an event occurrence notification to the server 1 in response to a human operation to transmit an event occurrence notification. An example of the former type of alert transmission device 3 is a security device that is installed in a residence or building to detect unauthorized intrusion, fire, etc. An example of the latter type of alert transmission device 3 is a security buzzer (which may be a built-in device or a portable device) that transmits an event occurrence notification when a button is pressed, or a mobile terminal on which an event occurrence notification transmission app is installed.

[0017] The vehicle 2 is an autonomous vehicle capable of autonomous driving, and is used to provide various mobility services such as transportation, logistics, and sales. In this embodiment, the information collection system 100 is configured using a vehicle (autonomous driving bus) that provides a mobility service that travels along a predetermined route at a specified time and, upon receiving a boarding request from a person wishing to board via an app or the like, stops at a predetermined location on the travel route or a location designated by the person wishing to board and allows the person wishing to board.

[0018] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of the vehicle 2. As shown in FIG.

[0019] 2, the vehicle 2 includes a surrounding information detection device 21, an actuator 22, a GPS receiver 23, a communication device 24, a map database 25, an information collection camera 26, and an electronic control unit 20, and is configured to automatically perform driving operations related to acceleration, steering, and braking. The surrounding information detection device 21, the actuator 22, the GPS receiver 23, the communication device 24, the map database 25, and the information collection camera 26 are communicatively connected to the electronic control unit 20 via an in-vehicle network 27 that complies with standards such as CAN (Controller Area Network).

[0020] The surrounding information detection device 21 detects surrounding information of the vehicle 2. The surrounding information includes various information necessary for autonomous driving, such as white lines on the road, other vehicles, pedestrians, bicycles, buildings, signs, traffic lights, and obstacles. Examples of the surrounding information detection device 21 include a camera, a millimeter wave radar, a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), and an ultrasonic sensor. The surrounding information detection device 21 may be configured by any one of these, or a combination of these. An output of the surrounding information detection device 21 is transmitted to the electronic control unit 20.

[0021] The actuators 22 are various control components that are driven by the electronic control unit 20 to perform automatic driving. Examples of the actuators include a drive device (e.g., at least one of an internal combustion engine and a motor) required for accelerating the vehicle 2, a braking device (e.g., a brake actuator) required for braking the vehicle 2, and a steering device (e.g., a steering motor) required for steering the vehicle 2.

[0022] The GPS receiver 23 receives radio waves from artificial satellites to identify the latitude and longitude of the vehicle 2 and detects the current position of the vehicle 2 .

[0023] The communication device 24 is an in-vehicle terminal having a wireless communication function. The communication device 24 is connected to the network 4 (see FIG. 1) via a wireless base station by accessing the wireless base station connected to the network 4 via a gateway or the like. This allows mutual communication with the server 1.

[0024] The map database 25 stores map information. The electronic control unit 20 acquires the map information from the map database 25.

[0025] The information gathering camera 26 is, for example, a spherical camera mounted on the roof of the vehicle 2, which periodically captures images of road scenery along the driving route while the vehicle 2 is traveling, and generates "event-related information" that links the captured road scenery images (images including people and cars on the road) with information relating to the location and time when the road scenery images were obtained (i.e., information relating to the location and time when the road scenery images were captured).

[0026] In this embodiment, the event-related information generated in this manner is temporarily stored in the vehicle storage unit 202 of the electronic control unit 20, and when the amount of event-related information stored in the vehicle storage unit 202 reaches or exceeds a predetermined amount, the event-related information is transmitted to the server 1 via the communication device 24. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the generated event-related information may be transmitted directly to the server 1 via the communication device 24, or may be transmitted to an external client that requires the event-related information (for example, an administrative agency such as the police).

[0027] The type, number, and mounting position of the information gathering camera 26 are not particularly limited as long as they are configured to capture road scenery along the travel route. Also, if the surrounding information detection device 21 includes a camera, that camera may be used as a substitute for a camera for information gathering, and it is not necessarily necessary to provide a dedicated camera for information gathering as in this embodiment.

[0028] The electronic control unit 20 includes an in-vehicle communication interface 201, a vehicle memory unit 202, and a vehicle processing unit 203. The in-vehicle communication interface 201, the vehicle memory unit 202, and the vehicle processing unit 203 are connected to each other via signal lines.

[0029] The communication interface 41 is a communication interface circuit for connecting the electronic control unit 20 to the in-vehicle network 27 .

[0030] The vehicle storage unit 202 has a storage medium such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an optical recording medium, or a semiconductor memory, and stores various computer programs and data used for processing in the vehicle processing unit 203.

[0031] The vehicle processing unit 203 has one or more CPUs (Central Processing Units) and their peripheral circuits. The vehicle processing unit 203 executes various computer programs stored in the vehicle storage unit 202 to perform various processes, and is, for example, a processor.

[0032] Returning to FIG. 1, the server 1 includes a server communication unit 11, a server storage unit 12, and a server processing unit 13.

[0033] The server communication unit 11 has a communication interface circuit for connecting the server 1 to the network 4 via, for example, a gateway or the like, and is configured to be able to communicate with the alert transmitting device 3 and the vehicle 2.

[0034] The server storage unit 12 has a storage medium such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an optical recording medium, or a semiconductor memory, and stores various computer programs and data used for processing by the server processing unit 13. For example, in this embodiment, the server storage unit 12 stores the identification number and operation information (operation route and operation time) of each vehicle 2 (autonomous driving bus) providing a mobility service. The server storage unit 12 also stores, for example, map information as information necessary for setting an information collection route described later.

[0035] The server processing unit 13 has one or more CPUs (Central Processing Units) and their peripheral circuits. The server processing unit 13 executes various computer programs stored in the server storage unit 12 and centrally controls the overall operation of the server 1, and is, for example, a processor.

[0036] As mentioned above, when some kind of incident (specific event) occurs in a city, collecting information related to the incident after the fact, such as information on people and vehicles that are believed to have been at or near the scene of the incident, may be useful in identifying, for example, the perpetrator or witnesses, and is also important for solving the incident.

[0037] Therefore, the server 1 according to this embodiment is configured to, upon receiving an event occurrence notification from the alert transmitting device 3, direct an appropriate vehicle 2 selected from among a plurality of vehicles 2 to the location where the event is occurring. Then, the vehicle 2 directed to the location where the event is occurring photographs road scenery along the route to the location where the event is occurring, and the vehicle 2 collects information (hereinafter referred to as "event-related information") related to the situation around the event immediately after the event occurs, such as information on people, vehicles, etc. that are thought to have been at or around the location where the event occurred.

[0038] Fig. 3 is a sequence diagram showing an example of information collection processing for collecting event-related information. In the sequence diagram shown in Fig. 3, communication between the alert transmission device 3 and the server 1, and communication between the server 1 and the vehicle 2 are each performed via a network 4.

[0039] In step S1, the alert transmission device 3 that automatically detects the occurrence of an event, or the alert transmission device 3 that has been manually operated to transmit an event occurrence notification, transmits an event occurrence notification to the server 1. As described above, the event occurrence notification includes information regarding the content of the event that has occurred, the time when the event occurred, and the location where the event occurred.

[0040] In step S2, the server 1 that receives the event occurrence notification selects at least one vehicle (hereinafter referred to as an "information collection vehicle") that can be used to collect event-related information from among multiple vehicles 2 (autonomous driving buses) providing mobility services.

[0041] In this embodiment, the server 1 first extracts vehicles 2 for which no passengers have requested boarding from among a plurality of vehicles 2 providing mobility services, and then divides a circular area with a radius of several hundred meters to several kilometers centered on the location where the event has occurred into four areas, east, west, north and south, as shown in Figure 4. Then, from among the vehicles 2 for which no passengers have requested boarding that are present in each area, the vehicle 2 that is closest to the location where the event has occurred is selected as the "information collection vehicle."

[0042] This makes it possible to prevent multiple vehicles 2 from heading to the event occurrence location as information collection vehicles from the same direction, and to have the information collection vehicles head to the event occurrence location from multiple directions. This makes it possible to comprehensively collect information about the surrounding area, with the event occurrence location at the center.

[0043] In this embodiment, the information collection vehicle is selected in this manner, but it is possible to simply select the vehicle 2 that is closest to the event occurrence location among the vehicles 2 for which there are no boarding requests from passengers wishing to board as the information collection vehicle. The number of divisions of the circular area is not limited to four.

[0044] In step S3, the server 1 sets a driving route (hereinafter referred to as "information collection route") to the event occurrence location for each information collection vehicle. The information collection route can be, for example, the shortest route to the event occurrence location. In addition, depending on the content of the event, a driving route that is likely to be selected as an escape route by the perpetrator of each crime, such as unauthorized entry, theft, or injury, who is a party to the event, can be set as the information collection route. Examples of such driving routes include a driving route connecting the event occurrence location and the nearest station, and a driving route that can reach the event occurrence location by detouring a police station or police box if one is present on the shortest route.

[0045] In step S4, the server 1 transmits an information collection instruction notice to each information collection vehicle to instruct the vehicle to head to the event occurrence location. The information collection instruction notice includes an information collection route.

[0046] In step S5, the vehicle 2 that has received the information collection instruction notification moves toward the event occurrence location along the information collection route, and collects event-related information by photographing road scenery along the information collection route. As described above, the event-related information according to this embodiment is information that links a photographed road scenery image with information about the place and time when the road scenery image was acquired (i.e., information about the photographing place and photographing time of the road scenery image).

[0047] In step S6, the vehicle 2 transmits the event-related information to the server 1. The timing for transmitting the event-related information to the server 1 is not particularly limited, and for example, the event-related information may be transmitted when the amount of data of the event-related information temporarily stored in the vehicle storage unit 202 reaches or exceeds a predetermined amount, or the event-related information may be transmitted directly to the server 1 without being stored in the vehicle storage unit 202. In addition, the target to which the event-related information is transmitted is also not particularly limited, and the event-related information may be transmitted to an external client that requires the event-related information (for example, an administrative agency such as the police).

[0048] The information collection system 100 according to the present embodiment described above comprises a plurality of vehicles 2 that are equipped with an information collection camera 26 (exterior camera) that captures images outside the vehicle and drive autonomously, and a server 1 configured to be able to communicate with each of the plurality of vehicles 2.

[0049] The server 1 is configured, when receiving an event occurrence notification notifying that a specific event has occurred together with at least the location of the event, to select at least one vehicle from the plurality of vehicles 2 as an information collection vehicle to be moved toward the location of the event, and to transmit an information collection instruction notification to the information collection vehicle. When receiving the information collection instruction notification, the plurality of vehicles 2 are configured to move toward the location of the event, and to collect images captured by the information collection camera 26 during the movement as event-related information related to the event.

[0050] As a result, according to this embodiment, when a specific event such as an incident occurs in a city, information related to the event, such as people and vehicles that are thought to have been at or near the scene of the event, can be collected after the fact. For example, when a person involved in the event (the criminal of the incident) leaves the scene of the incident to flee, the person leaving the scene of the incident may be captured (photographed) by an information gathering vehicle heading to the scene of the incident. In addition, witnesses to the incident who were near the scene of the incident may also be captured by the information gathering vehicle heading to the scene of the incident.

[0051] In this way, according to the present embodiment, by collecting information on people, vehicles, etc. who are thought to have been at or near the scene of an event after the fact, it is possible to collect information that contributes to identifying people involved in the event, witnesses to the event, etc. Therefore, the collected information can be used to solve the case.

[0052] In this embodiment, the multiple vehicles 2 are vehicles for a mobile service that travel a predetermined route on a regular basis to pick up passengers wishing to board, and when selecting an information collection vehicle, the server 1 can be configured to select an information collection vehicle, for example, from among the multiple vehicles 2 that have no passengers wishing to board.

[0053] This allows effective use of the vehicles 2 that are not able to provide mobility services.

[0054] In addition, when selecting an information collection vehicle, the server 1 can be configured to select, for example, from among the multiple vehicles 2 with no passengers wishing to ride, the vehicle closest to the location where the event is occurring as the information collection vehicle.

[0055] This makes it easier for information gathering vehicles to capture people and vehicles that are likely to have been at or near the scene of an event, making it easier to collect information that will help identify people involved in the event or witnesses to the event.

[0056] In addition, when selecting an information gathering vehicle, the server 1 can be configured, for example, to divide a specified area centered on the location where the event occurs into multiple zones, and select an information gathering vehicle for each zone from among the multiple vehicles 2 present in each zone that have no passengers wishing to board.

[0057] This makes it possible to prevent multiple vehicles 2 from heading to the event occurrence location as information collection vehicles from the same direction, and to have the information collection vehicles head to the event occurrence location from multiple directions. This makes it possible to comprehensively collect information about the surrounding area, with the event occurrence location at the center.

[0058] In this embodiment, the server 1 is configured to set an information collection route (driving route) for moving the information collection vehicle toward the event occurrence location, and the information collection route is a driving route that is assumed to be traveled by the parties involved in the event when they leave the event occurrence location. Examples of such information collection routes include the shortest route connecting the event occurrence location to the nearest station, and a route that leaves the event occurrence location while bypassing specific points such as a police station or a police box.

[0059] This makes it easier for information gathering vehicles to capture event participants who are moving away from the event location, particularly with the intent of escaping.

[0060] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the above embodiment merely shows a part of the application example of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the specific configuration of the above embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, the server 1 sets the route for information collection, but the information collection vehicle may set the route for information collection. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 1 Server 11 Server communication section (communication section) 13 Server processing unit (control unit) 2 Vehicles 24 Communication Equipment 26 Intelligence Gathering Camera (Camera) 100 Information Gathering System

Claims

1. A plurality of vehicles that are equipped with cameras for capturing images of the outside of the vehicle and perform autonomous driving; A server configured to be able to communicate with each of the plurality of vehicles; An information collection system comprising: The server, When receiving an event occurrence notification informing the user of the occurrence of a specific event together with at least a location where the event has occurred, select at least one vehicle from the plurality of vehicles as an information gathering vehicle to be moved toward the location where the event has occurred; An information collection instruction notification is transmitted to the information collection vehicle, The plurality of vehicles include configured to, when receiving the information collection instruction notice, move toward a location where the event is occurring and collect images captured by the camera during the movement as event-related information related to the event; The server further comprises: a predetermined area centered on a location where the event occurs is divided into a plurality of zones, and the information collection vehicle is selected for each zone from among the plurality of vehicles present in each zone that have no passengers wishing to board the vehicle. Information gathering system.

2. the plurality of vehicles are vehicles for a transportation service that periodically travels along a predetermined travel route to pick up passengers who wish to board the vehicle, The server, and selecting the information collection vehicle from among the plurality of vehicles in which there is no passenger wishing to board. The information gathering system according to claim 1 .

3. The server, a vehicle having no passengers wishing to board the vehicle among the plurality of vehicles and having a closest distance to a location where the event is occurring is selected as the information gathering vehicle; The information collecting system according to claim 2.

4. The server, A driving route is set when the information collection vehicle is moved toward a location where the event occurs, The travel route is a travel route that is estimated to be traveled by the person involved in the event when leaving the location where the event occurs. The information collecting system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The travel route is the shortest route connecting the location where the event occurs and the nearest station.

5. The information gathering system according to claim 4.

6. A plurality of vehicles that are equipped with a camera for capturing images of the outside of the vehicle and that perform autonomous driving; A server configured to be able to communicate with each of the plurality of vehicles; An information collection system comprising: The server, When receiving an event occurrence notification informing the user of the occurrence of a specific event together with at least a location where the event has occurred, select at least one vehicle from the plurality of vehicles as an information gathering vehicle to be moved toward the location where the event has occurred; An information collection instruction notification is transmitted to the information collection vehicle, The plurality of vehicles include configured to, when receiving the information collection instruction notice, move toward a location where the event is occurring and collect images captured by the camera during the movement as event-related information related to the event; The server further comprises: A driving route is set when the information collection vehicle is moved toward a location where the event occurs, The travel route is a travel route that is estimated to be traveled by a person involved in the event when the person involved in the event leaves the location where the event occurs, and is a route that leaves the location where the event occurs while detouring specific points. Information gathering system.

7. The specific point is a police station or a police box. The information gathering system according to claim 6.

8. A communication unit that communicates with a plurality of vehicles that are equipped with a camera for capturing images of the outside of the vehicle and that are autonomously traveling; A control unit; A server comprising: The control unit is When an event occurrence notification is received that notifies the occurrence of a specific event together with at least a location where the event has occurred, at least one vehicle is selected from the plurality of vehicles as an information gathering vehicle to be moved toward the location where the event has occurred while photographing an outside of the vehicle with the camera; Transmitting an information collection instruction notice to the information collection vehicle; a predetermined area centered on a location where the event occurs is divided into a plurality of zones, and the information collection vehicle is selected for each zone from among the plurality of vehicles present in each zone that have no passengers wishing to board the vehicle. server.

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