Recording control device and recording control method

Abstract

To provide a recording control device and a recording control method that can record a useful content for grasping a situation of traffic trouble while suppressing an amount of recorded data.SOLUTION: A recording control device 100 includes a shooting data acquisition unit 110 that acquires shooting data from an imaging device 200, an event detection unit 130 that detects occurrence of an event, a shooting data analysis unit 120 that analyzes the shooting data and detects a predetermined object reflected in the shooting data, and a recording control unit 140 that stores first shooting data which is shooting data including a time point when the event occurs and second shooting data which is shooting data including a detection time point of the object within a predetermined range from the time point of event occurrence in association with each other, as event recording data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a recording control device and a recording control method. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a technology for recording an image of an event as an event image, such as a drive recorder. In such a technology, when an event such as a traffic accident occurs, an image of a time period before and after the event occurrence is recorded. A predetermined fixed value is generally used as the period of this time period. However, there are cases where useful information for understanding the situation of a traffic accident or other traffic trouble cannot be obtained from an image having a period limited by a fixed value.

[0003] In this regard, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which a period in which there is movement in an image captured by a camera is analyzed by an image analysis processing means, and the period is determined as a time zone of an event image. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2003-69987 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] According to the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, the period of the event video to be recorded can be dynamically set. However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 sets the period of the event video as the period of the video in which there is movement, so that appropriate event video cannot be recorded in a dynamic environment such as on a road. That is, in a dynamic environment in which there is traffic of cars and people, and the swaying of objects such as trees by the wind, appropriate event video cannot be obtained, and content useful for grasping the situation of a traffic trouble cannot be recorded. For this reason, there is a demand for technology that can record content useful for grasping the situation of a traffic trouble. In addition, there is a demand for efficient use of limited storage capacity in recording events.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a recording control device and a recording control method that can record information that is useful for understanding the situation of a traffic trouble while suppressing the amount of data to be recorded. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A recording control device according to a first aspect includes: an imaging data acquisition unit that acquires imaging data from an imaging device; an event detection unit that detects the occurrence of an event; an imaging data analysis unit that analyzes the imaging data and detects a predetermined object captured in the imaging data; a recording control unit that associates the first photographing data, which is the photographing data including a time point when the event occurs, with the second photographing data, which is the photographing data including a time point when the object is detected within a predetermined range from the time point when the event occurs, and stores the first photographing data as event record data; has.

[0008] In the recording control method according to the second aspect, Acquire photographic data from an imaging device; Detects the occurrence of an event, Analyzing the photographic data to detect a predetermined object captured in the photographic data; The first shooting data, which is the shooting data including the time point at which the event occurred, and the second shooting data, which is the shooting data including the time point at which the object was detected within a predetermined range from the time point at which the event occurred, are associated with each other and saved as event record data. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a recording control device and a recording control method that can record content that is useful for understanding the situation of a traffic trouble while suppressing the amount of data recorded. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a recording system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a recording control device according to an embodiment; [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating an event recording according to a comparative example. [Figure 4] 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating storage of event record data in the embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 5] 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating storage of event record data in the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the recording control device according to the embodiment; [Figure 7] 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating storage of event record data in the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 8] 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating storage of event record data in the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 9] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the recording control device according to the embodiment; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that, for clarity of explanation, the following description and drawings are omitted and simplified as appropriate. In addition, in each drawing, the same elements are given the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations are omitted as necessary.

[0012] <Embodiment 1> 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a recording system 10 according to an embodiment. The recording system 10 includes a recording control device 100, an imaging device 200, a recording section 300, and an acceleration sensor 400.

[0013] In this embodiment, the recording system 10 is, for example, a system mounted on a vehicle. In this case, the recording system 10 is also called a drive recorder. Note that the vehicle is, for example, an automobile that runs on four or more wheels, but may also be a motorcycle.

[0014] The imaging device 200 is, for example, a camera. The imaging device 200 captures the periphery of the vehicle and generates imaging data, which is data of the captured image. The imaging device 200 may be, for example, a camera that captures the front of the vehicle, a camera that captures the rear of the vehicle, or a camera that captures the side of the vehicle. A plurality of imaging devices 200 may be provided. A single imaging device 200 may capture images in all directions of the vehicle. The imaging device 200 outputs the imaging data to the recording control device 100.

[0015] The recording unit 300 is a storage device that stores the captured image data. The recording unit 300 is a storage device that is configured with, for example, a memory card including a flash memory, a non-volatile memory such as a solid state drive (SSD) or a hard disk drive (HDD), and a volatile memory such as a double-data-rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR). The recording unit 300 records the captured image data under the control of the recording control device 100. The recording unit 300 may record audio data of audio collected by a microphone (not shown) provided in the recording system 10 together with the captured image data. In this embodiment, the recording unit 300 is mounted on the vehicle together with the recording control device 100, but the recording unit 300 may be a device that is connected to the recording control device 100 by wireless communication. For example, the recording unit 300 may be a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, or an external server.

[0016] The recording unit 300 has a normal recording unit 310 and an event recording unit 320. The normal recording unit 310 is composed of a non-volatile memory and a volatile memory, and temporarily stores data in the volatile memory and then records the data in the non-volatile memory. The normal recording unit 310 records the photographed data in an overwritable manner. That is, when the normal recording unit 310 runs out of storage capacity, the normal recording unit 310 may delete data, for example, starting from the oldest photographed data, and store new photographed data in the resulting free storage area. The event recording unit 320 is composed of a non-volatile memory. The event recording unit 320 records the photographed data as event recording data. The event recording data is photographed data related to a detected event, and is data that is prohibited from being overwritten. That is, the event recording data is not deleted even after time has passed, unless the user intentionally performs a deletion operation or the like. The normal recording unit 310 may be a recording area that is predetermined as an overwritable storage area, and the event recording unit 320 may be a recording area that is predetermined as a storage area that is prohibited from being overwritten. However, such a determination may not be made in advance for the storage area. For data that should not be overwritten, a flag indicating that overwriting is prohibited may be added and stored to prohibit overwriting. In this case, the recording unit 300 may share the non-volatile memory of the normal recording unit 310 and the non-volatile memory of the event recording unit 320.

[0017] The acceleration sensor 400 is, for example, a three-axis acceleration sensor that detects the acceleration of the vehicle. The acceleration sensor 400 is installed at an arbitrary location on the vehicle. The acceleration sensor 400 may be built into the recording control device 100. The acceleration sensor 400 detects the acceleration applied to the acceleration sensor 400 and supplies the detected acceleration to the event detection unit 130 of the recording control device 100. Note that the acceleration sensor 400 may be a one-axis or two-axis acceleration sensor instead of a three-axis acceleration sensor.

[0018] The recording control device 100 has an imaging data acquisition section 110, an imaging data analysis section 120, an event detection section 130, and a recording control section 140. The processing of each component of the recording control device 100 may be realized, for example, by executing a program. In this case, the recording control device 100 has, for example, a hardware configuration as shown in Fig. 2, and the processor 150 reads and executes software (computer program) from memory 151 to perform processing of the imaging data acquisition section 110, the imaging data analysis section 120, the event detection section 130, and the recording control section 140.

[0019] The memory 151 is configured, for example, by a combination of volatile memory and non-volatile memory. The memory 151 is used to store software (computer programs) including one or more instructions executed by the processor 150, data used for various processes of the recording control device 100, and the like.

[0020] The processor 150 may be, for example, a microprocessor, a microprocessor unit (MPU), a central processing unit (CPU), etc. The processor 150 may include multiple processors.

[0021] 2, the recording control device 100 may include a network interface 152 for communicating with other devices. The network interface 152 may include, for example, a network interface card (NIC).

[0022] In this way, the recording control device 100 may have the functionality of a computer. The above-mentioned program can be stored and provided to a computer using various types of non-transitory computer readable media. The non-transitory computer readable medium includes various types of tangible storage media. Examples of the non-transitory computer readable medium include magnetic recording media (e.g., flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical recording media (e.g., magneto-optical disks), CD-ROM (Read Only Memory), CD-R, CD-R / W, and semiconductor memory (e.g., mask ROM, PROM (Programmable ROM), EPROM (Erasable PROM), flash ROM, RAM (Random Access Memory)). The program may be provided to a computer by various types of transitory computer readable media. Examples of the transitory computer readable medium include electric signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. The transitory computer readable medium can provide the program to a computer via a wired communication path such as an electric wire and an optical fiber, or via a wireless communication path.

[0023] The processes performed by the imaging data acquisition unit 110, imaging data analysis unit 120, event detection unit 130, and recording control unit 140 will be described below.

[0024] The imaging data acquisition section 110 acquires imaging data from the imaging device 200. That is, the imaging data acquisition section 110 acquires imaging data that is data of a video image captured by the imaging device 200.

[0025] The event detection unit 130 detects the occurrence of an event. In this embodiment, the event specifically refers to a traffic trouble. Traffic trouble includes not only traffic accidents but also dangerous driving such as sudden stops and sudden starts. In this embodiment, the event detection unit 130 obtains the acceleration of the vehicle in which the recording control device 100 is mounted from the acceleration sensor 400, and detects whether or not an event has occurred based on the obtained acceleration. Specifically, the event detection unit 130 determines that an event has occurred when an acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold is detected.

[0026] The event detection unit 130 may detect the occurrence of an event by other methods. For example, it may be determined that an event has occurred when a switch (not shown) provided on the recording control device 100 or the like is operated. In this case, the user operates the switch when a traffic accident occurs. In this case, the recording system 10 may not be equipped with the acceleration sensor 400. Also, instead of using the acceleration sensor 400, the occurrence of an event may be detected based on vehicle control information such as sudden braking and sudden steering.

[0027] When the event detection unit 130 detects the occurrence of an event, it outputs an event recording instruction signal that instructs the recording control unit 140 to store the captured data as event recording data. Note that the event recording instruction signal may include the time when the occurrence of the event was detected.

[0028] In order to save a scene in which a predetermined object is captured as event record data, the image capture data analysis unit 120 analyzes the image capture data to detect the predetermined object captured in the image capture data. When there are multiple image capture devices 200, the image capture data analysis unit 120 analyzes the image capture data of each image capture device 200. When the image capture data analysis unit 120 detects the predetermined object, it notifies the recording control unit 140 of time information indicating at what point in time the object was captured in the video. When multiple predetermined objects are detected, the image capture data analysis unit 120 may notify the recording control unit 140 of time information indicating at what point in time the object was captured in the video for each object.

[0029] In this embodiment, the predetermined object is the license plate of a vehicle. In this embodiment, not only the video at the time of the event occurrence but also the video showing the license plate of the vehicle is saved as event record data. This vehicle may be a vehicle in which a witness to the traffic trouble is riding, or a vehicle in which the other party in the traffic trouble is riding. Therefore, by saving the video showing such a vehicle as event record data, it is possible to obtain clues to identify the witness to the traffic trouble or the party involved in the traffic trouble. In other words, it is possible to record content that is useful for understanding the situation of the traffic trouble.

[0030] The photographing data analysis unit 120 uses a known image recognition process to analyze the photographing data and detects the license plate of the vehicle captured in the photographing data. The photographing data analysis unit 120 may detect a license plate that is captured in a video with a size equal to or larger than a predetermined size. Here, the predetermined size refers to, for example, a size at which the license plate can be recognized by the photographing data analysis unit 120. When a license plate is captured with a size equal to or larger than a predetermined size, the vehicle with the license plate is a vehicle that exists within a certain distance from the imaging device 200. For this reason, it is considered that such a vehicle is relatively likely to be a vehicle in which a party involved in a traffic trouble or a witness is riding. For this reason, by detecting a license plate captured with a size equal to or larger than a predetermined size, it is possible to record content that is more useful in understanding the situation of the traffic trouble.

[0031] The shooting data analysis unit 120 may analyze shooting data of a video shot before the occurrence of an event, or may analyze shooting data of a video shot after the occurrence of an event, or may analyze both. In this embodiment, the event recording instruction signal is also output to the photographing data analysis unit 120, and when the photographing data analysis unit 120 receives the event recording instruction signal, it analyzes the photographing data around the time when the event was detected. For example, the photographing data analysis unit 120 analyzes the photographing data for a predetermined analysis target period (e.g., 10 minutes) starting from the event detection timing. This analysis target period is set to a value longer than a normal period (e.g., 30 seconds) of the event recording data. It is not necessary to set the analysis target period. However, in this case, the event recording data in which a vehicle photographed at a time significantly away from the event detection timing is captured may be saved. In other words, the event recording data in which a vehicle that is unlikely to be a vehicle in which a witness to the traffic trouble or a person involved in the traffic trouble is riding may be saved.

[0032] The recording control unit 140 controls so that the imaging data of the video captured by the imaging device 200 is recorded in the recording unit 300. When multiple imaging devices 200 are present, the recording control unit 140 records the imaging data of each imaging device 200.

[0033] When an event recording instruction signal is not output from the event detection unit 130, the recording control unit 140 continues to record the photographed data in the normal recording unit 310. That is, when an event is not detected, the recording control unit 140 records the photographed data acquired by the photographed data acquisition unit 110 in the normal recording unit 310 in an overwritable manner. Such continuous recording of the photographed data in an overwritable manner is called loop recording or normal recording. Then, when an event recording instruction signal is output from the event detection unit 130, the recording control unit 140 records the photographed data in the event recording unit 320. That is, when an event is detected, the recording control unit 140 saves the photographed data including the video at the time of the event occurrence as event recording data. For example, the recording control unit 140 continues to perform normal recording, that is, loop recording, of the photographed data regardless of the presence or absence of the event recording instruction signal, and when an event is detected, the recording control unit 140 copies the photographed data for the period to be saved as event recording data out of the photographed data stored in the normal recording unit 310 to the event recording unit 320, thereby saving the event recording data. At this time, copying may be performed from the volatile memory of normal recording unit 310 to event recording unit 320, or copying may be performed from the non-volatile memory of normal recording unit 310 to event recording unit 320. Note that saving the video as event record data is referred to as event recording.

[0034] When recording an event, the recording control unit 140 adjusts the period of the video to be stored as the event record data so that the period includes the time point when the image data analysis unit 120 detects a predetermined object. For example, when the image data analysis unit 120 detects a license plate that is larger than a predetermined size in the video, the recording control unit 140 adjusts the period of the video to be stored as the event record data so that the period includes the time point when the license plate is detected that is larger than the predetermined size. The recording control unit 140 determines the time range of the video to be stored as the event record data based on the time information notified by the image data analysis unit 120, i.e., the time information indicating at what point in time the predetermined object was captured in the video.

[0035] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an event recording according to a comparative example. E In this case, in the event recording according to the comparative example, an event is detected at time t P1 From time t P2 The photographed data from the time t P1 is the time t when the event was detected. E The time is a predetermined time P1 back from the time t P2 is the time t when the event was detected. E This is the time when a predetermined time P2 has elapsed from the time P1. Here, the predetermined times P1 and P2 are, for example, several tens of seconds. When such an event recording is performed, the photographed data for a certain period, i.e., the period defined as the sum of P1 and P2, is saved as the event recording data. However, the photographed data within this period does not necessarily contain content that is useful for understanding the situation of the traffic trouble.

[0036] In contrast, as described above, in this embodiment, the recording control unit 140 adjusts the period of the video to be saved as the event record data so that the period includes the time point at which a specific object such as a license plate was detected. This makes it possible to save the event record data including content that is useful for understanding the situation of the traffic trouble.

[0037] For example, when a specific object is detected by analyzing the shooting data of a video shot before the occurrence of an event, as shown in Fig. 4, the recording control unit 140 makes the period of the video saved as the event record data include the time point of detection of the object that was shot before the occurrence of the event. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining the saving of the event record data in this embodiment. In the example shown in Fig. 4, E In other words, while the recording control unit 140 is performing normal recording, i.e., loop recording, the event detection unit 130 detects an event at time t EAssume also that an object is detected in the video at time t1, which is a time before the event occurs, by the analysis of the photographic data analysis unit 120. In this case, the recording control unit 140 detects an object in the video at time t2, which is a time before the event occurs, for example. P2 The captured image data from the event record data period is stored as event record data. That is, the start point of the image of the event record data is time t1, and the end point is time t P2 The recording control unit 140 may set the start point to a time point a predetermined time before time t1. In FIG. 4, the time t1 at which the object is detected is set to a time t P1 but before time t P1 It may be the same as or later than that.

[0038] By adjusting the start point, the period of the video is adjusted to include the time when a specific object was detected, so that event record data including content useful for understanding the situation of the traffic trouble can be saved. In particular, for example, by saving the event record data to include the time when a vehicle captured before the occurrence of the event was detected, it is possible to save evidence video for identifying the cause of the occurrence of the traffic trouble.

[0039] Furthermore, when a specific object is detected by analyzing the shooting data of a video shot after the occurrence of an event, as shown in Fig. 5, the recording control unit 140 makes the period of the video saved as the event record data include the time point at which the object was detected after the occurrence of the event. Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the saving of the event record data in this embodiment. In the example shown in Fig. 5, E In other words, while the recording control unit 140 is performing normal recording, i.e., loop recording, the event detection unit 130 detects an event at time t E Assume also that an object is detected in the video at time t2, which is a time after the event occurs, through the analysis by the photographic data analysis unit 120. In this case, the recording control unit 140 may, for example, P1The photographed data from time t1 to time t2 is stored as event record data. That is, the start point of the video of the event record data is set to time t P1 The end point is set to time t2. The recording control unit 140 may set the end point to a point in time a predetermined time later than time t2. In FIG. 5, the time t2 at which the object is detected is set to time t P2 but at time t P2 It may be the same as or may precede it.

[0040] By adjusting the end point, the period of the video is adjusted to include the time when a specific object was detected, so that event record data including content useful for understanding the situation of a traffic accident can be saved. In particular, by saving the event record data to include the time when a vehicle captured after the occurrence of the event was detected, it is possible to save a video that identifies a vehicle that escaped after the traffic accident. It is also useful for finding people who witnessed a situation such as a dispute between parties that occurred after the event was detected.

[0041] The recording control unit 140 may store the event record data so as to include both the detection time of an object captured before the occurrence of the event and the detection time of an object captured after the occurrence of the event. That is, for example, the event record data including the video from time t1 to time t2 described above may be stored.

[0042] Next, an example of the operation of the recording control device 100 will be described. Figure 6 is a flow chart showing an example of the operation of the recording control device 100. Below, an example of the operation of the recording control device 100 will be described with reference to Figure 6.

[0043] In step S100, the recording control unit 140 of the recording control device 100 starts normal recording. Normal recording is started when the engine or power of the vehicle equipped with the recording control device 100 is turned on. In other words, the recording control unit 140 continues to record the shooting data acquired by the shooting data acquisition unit 110 in the normal recording unit 310 while the vehicle is operating.

[0044] Then, in step S101, the recording control unit 140 determines whether or not an event has been detected by the event detection unit 130. If an event has been detected, the process proceeds to step S102, and if an event has not been detected, the process proceeds to step S106.

[0045] In step S102, the imaging data analysis unit 120 analyzes imaging data around the time when the event was detected. As described above, the imaging data analysis unit 120 may analyze video images from a period preceding the event detection timing, or from a period following the event detection timing, or may analyze both of them.

[0046] In step S103, the recording control unit 140 determines whether or not the imaging data analysis unit 120 has detected a predetermined object. That is, the recording control unit 140 determines whether or not the time at which the predetermined object appears in the video has been identified by the imaging data analysis unit 120. If the time at which the predetermined object appears in the video has been identified, the process proceeds to step S104; if not, the process proceeds to step S105.

[0047] In step S104, the recording control unit 140 adjusts the start point or end point of the video of the event record data according to the detection result by the shooting data analysis unit 120. That is, as described above, the recording control unit 140 adjusts the start point or end point so that the period of the video saved as the event record data includes the time point at which the object was detected. After step S104, the process proceeds to step S105.

[0048] In step S105, the recording control unit 140 stores the event record data in the event recording unit 320. If the start point or end point is adjusted in step S104, the recording control unit 140 uses the adjusted start point or end point to determine the period of the video of the event record data. On the other hand, if the process of step S104 is skipped, that is, if the answer is No in step S103, the recording control unit 140 uses the start point and end point specified by the above-mentioned predetermined times P1 and P2 to determine the period of the video of the event record data. After step S105, the process proceeds to step S106.

[0049] In step S106, the recording control unit 140 determines whether an operation to end normal recording, such as turning off the vehicle engine or power, has been performed. If normal recording is not to be ended, the process returns to S101. On the other hand, if an operation to end normal recording has been performed, the recording control unit 140 ends normal recording.

[0050] The first embodiment has been described above. According to this embodiment, the recording control unit 140 saves not only the video at the time of the event occurrence, but also the video showing the license plate of the vehicle as event recording data. Therefore, it is possible to record the video of the vehicle in which the witness of the traffic trouble is riding, or the vehicle in which the other party in the traffic trouble is riding. Therefore, it is possible to record content that is useful for understanding the situation of the traffic trouble.

[0051] In the above embodiment, the license plate of the vehicle is detected as the predetermined object, but the vehicle itself may be detected as the predetermined object by analysis using image recognition processing. Also, a characteristic part other than the license plate of the vehicle may be detected.

[0052] <Embodiment 2> Next, a description will be given of embodiment 2. Below, differences from embodiment 1 will be described, and descriptions of similar configurations and processes will be omitted as appropriate. This embodiment differs from embodiment 1 in that the shooting data analysis unit 120 detects a person as a predetermined object.

[0053] That is, in this embodiment, the photographed data analysis unit 120 uses a known image recognition process to analyze the photographed data and detect a person captured in the photographed data. As a result, in this embodiment, not only the video at the time of the event occurrence but also the video in which the person is captured is saved as event record data. This person may be a witness to the traffic trouble or the other party in the traffic trouble. Therefore, by saving the video in which such a person is captured as event record data, a clue can be obtained to identify the witness to the traffic trouble or the party in the traffic trouble. In other words, it is possible to record content that is useful for understanding the situation of the traffic trouble.

[0054] The photographed data analysis unit 120 may detect the face of a person. By detecting the face of a person, it becomes easier to identify the person in the image, and more useful information can be obtained in understanding the situation of the traffic trouble.

[0055] The second embodiment has been described above. According to this embodiment, the recording control unit 140 saves not only the video at the time of the event occurrence but also the video in which a person is captured as event recording data. This makes it possible to record content that is useful for understanding the situation of a traffic trouble. It is also possible to combine the first and second embodiments. That is, a person and a vehicle license plate may be detected as a predetermined object.

[0056] Although the first and second embodiments have been described above, the following modifications are possible for these embodiments.

[0057] For example, when the photographing data analysis unit 120 detects a plurality of predetermined objects and notifies the recording control unit 140 of time information indicating at what point in time each of the objects was captured in the video, the recording control unit 140 may control as follows. That is, in this case, the recording control unit 140 may adjust the period of the video stored as the event recording data so that the video contains a predetermined number of objects or more. Here, this predetermined number is a number of 2 or more that can be set arbitrarily. In this way, the video containing a plurality of objects can be stored as the event recording data. For example, when finding a witness to a traffic trouble from the video of the event recording data, it is preferable that the number of objects corresponding to the number of candidates for the witness or the license plate of the vehicle in which the witness may be riding is large. As described above, by storing the video containing a plurality of objects, a video that is more useful for understanding the situation of the traffic trouble can be obtained.

[0058] <Embodiment 3> In the above-described embodiment, the recording control unit 140 stores a series of shooting data for a series of images including both the occurrence time of the event and the detection time of the object as event recording data. In contrast, in the present embodiment, the recording control unit 140 adjusts the period of the images stored as event recording data so that the period includes the detection time of the object as follows. In the present embodiment, the recording control unit 140 associates the first shooting data, which is shooting data including the occurrence time of the event, with the second shooting data, which is shooting data including the detection time of the object within a predetermined range from the occurrence time of the event, and stores them as event recording data. Here, the predetermined range is, for example, the time from the occurrence time of the event to the detection of the object or a distance to be described later. In the present embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, the recording control unit 140 associates the shooting data 20 of a first predetermined period including the occurrence time of the event with the shooting data 21 of a second predetermined period including the detection time of the object, and stores them as event recording data. Here, the shooting data 20 corresponds to the above-described first shooting data, and the shooting data 21 corresponds to the above-described second shooting data.

[0059] In the example shown in FIG. E Assume that an event is detected at time t. Assume also that an object is detected in the video at time t. In this case, the recording control unit 140 P1 From time t P2 The photographed data from the period up to time t P3 From time t P4 The photographed data from the time t P1 is the time t when the event was detected. E The time is a predetermined time P1 back from the time t P2 is the time t when the event was detected. E This is the time when a predetermined time P2 has elapsed since the time t P3 is a time that is a predetermined time P3 back from time t1. P4 is the time when a predetermined time P4 has elapsed from time t1. By creating the event record data in this way, it is possible to store both the video at the time of the event occurrence and the video at the time of the object detection, and to record the video at the time t P4 From time t P1 It is possible to omit storing the photographed data for the period up to the occurrence of the event. This makes it possible to suppress consumption of storage capacity. That is, according to this embodiment, it is possible to record content that is useful for understanding the situation of a traffic trouble while suppressing the amount of data to be recorded. Note that while FIG. 7 shows an example of detection of an object before the occurrence of an event, the same applies to detection of an object after the occurrence of an event.

[0060] In FIG. 7, an example in which one object is detected is shown, but in the case where multiple objects are detected, multiple pieces of second photographing data corresponding to the detected objects may be associated with the first photographing data and stored as event record data. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of storing event record data in the case where multiple objects are detected. In the example shown in FIG. 8, from time t EAn event is detected at time t1, and objects are detected at times t1, t2, and t3. In this case, the recording control unit 140 associates the shooting data 21a corresponding to the object detected at time t1, the shooting data 21b corresponding to the object detected at time t2, and the shooting data 21c corresponding to the object detected at time t3 with the shooting data 20 corresponding to the time point when the event occurred, and stores them as one event record data. In this way, when a plurality of objects are detected, the recording control unit 140 may associate each of the second shooting data corresponding to the detected objects with the first shooting data and store them as event record data.

[0061] In the example shown in FIG. 8, all the second shooting data corresponding to the detected object are associated with the first shooting data, but not all the second shooting data may be associated with the first shooting data. In this case, the second shooting data to be associated with the first shooting data may be selected according to a priority order. That is, when a plurality of objects are detected, the recording control unit 140 may associate a predetermined number of second shooting data selected according to a priority order from among the plurality of second shooting data corresponding to the detected object with the first shooting data and store them as event recording data. For example, the recording control unit 140 may give a higher priority order to the second shooting data corresponding to the object detected at a time closer to the occurrence time of the event. That is, the recording control unit 140 may determine the priority order according to the time of detection of the object. In this way, a person who is more likely to have witnessed the event or a vehicle in which such a person is riding can be preferentially recorded. Also, for example, the recording control unit 140 may give a higher priority order to the second shooting data corresponding to the closer object. In this case, for example, the photographing data analysis unit 120 detects the object and further determines the distance to the object. Also, when the detected object is a person's face, the recording control unit 140 may determine the priority according to the direction of the detected face. In this case, for example, the photographing data analysis unit 120 detects the face and further determines the direction of the detected face. Then, the recording control unit 140 refers to this determination result. For example, the recording control unit 140 may assign a higher priority to the second photographing data at the time of detection of the face, the more the detected face faces forward. When the face faces forward with respect to the imaging device 200, it is highly likely that the face is looking toward the vehicle in which the imaging device 200 is mounted. Therefore, a person who is more likely to have witnessed the event can be preferentially recorded. Also, when the detected face is a forward-facing face, there is an advantage that the person of the detected face is easily identified.

[0062] Incidentally, in order to suppress consumption of storage capacity, the second shooting data may be the following data. For example, the second shooting data may be a still image at the time of detection of the object. That is, a still image of a video in which the object is detected may be stored as event recording data. Also, for example, the second shooting data may be a video having a lower frame rate than the first shooting data, or a video compressed at a higher compression rate than the first shooting data. In this way, the recording control unit 140 may store a still image, a video having a lower frame rate than the first shooting data, or a video compressed at a higher compression rate than the first shooting data as the second shooting data.

[0063] Next, an example of the operation of the recording control device 100 of this embodiment will be described. Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the recording control device 100 according to this embodiment. The flowchart shown in Fig. 9 differs from the flowchart shown in Fig. 6 mainly in that step S104 is replaced by step S114. The differences from the flowchart shown in Fig. 6 will be described below.

[0064] In the flowchart shown in FIG. 9, when the imaging data analysis section 120 detects a predetermined object (Yes in step S103), the process proceeds to step S114.

[0065] In step S114, the recording control unit 140 extracts, from the series of shooting data, the first shooting data, which is shooting data including the time when the event occurred, and the second shooting data, which is shooting data including the time when the object was detected. After step S114, the process proceeds to step S105.

[0066] When the process proceeds from step S114 to step S105, in step S105, the recording control unit 140 associates the first shooting data and the second shooting data extracted in step S114, and stores them as one event recording data in the event recording unit 320. The shooting data may be associated by giving each shooting data a file name including a common name, or may be stored in the same folder as the shooting data to be associated. Data captured close to the time of the first shooting data may be associated and stored as the second shooting data.

[0067] On the other hand, if the process of step S114 is skipped, that is, if the answer is No in step S103, then in step S105, the recording control section 140 stores only the first captured data in the event recording section 320 as event record data.

[0068] The above describes the third embodiment. According to this embodiment, the recording control unit 140 generates one event record data by associating the photographed data at the time of occurrence of the event with the photographed data at the time of detection of the object, which is separate data. Therefore, it is possible to record contents that are useful for understanding the situation of the traffic trouble while suppressing the amount of data to be recorded.

[0069] Although the first to third embodiments have been described above, the following modifications are possible for these embodiments.

[0070] In the above-described embodiment, the detection range of the object stored as the event record data was a predetermined period (for example, 10 minutes) starting from the event detection timing. That is, the detection range was a uniform time. However, this detection range may be defined by a distance starting from the position of the vehicle at the event detection timing. For example, the recording control unit 140 may store, as the event record data, a video in which an object existing within a predetermined distance (for example, 100 m) from the point where the event occurred. That is, the recording control unit 140 may store the event record data based on an object detected from the shooting data during the period from the time when the vehicle exists at a position a predetermined distance away from the position of the vehicle at the time when the event occurred to the time when the event occurred. Hereinafter, the "time when the vehicle exists at a position a predetermined distance away from the position of the vehicle at the time when the event occurred" will be referred to as the "range definition time point." The above-described range definition time point is, for example, a time point before the event occurs, but may also be a time point after the event occurs. When the range definition time is a time before the event occurs, for example, a video of an object detected from the shooting data while the vehicle moves from a point 100 m before the event occurrence point to the event occurrence point can be saved as the event record data. Similarly, when the range definition time is a time after the event occurs, for example, a video of an object detected from the shooting data while the vehicle moves from the event occurrence point to 100 m ahead can be saved as the event record data. Here, the specification of the range definition time will be described. For example, when time series data indicating the position information of the vehicle at each time exists, such as when the vehicle is equipped with a GPS (Global Positioning System) in addition to the recording system 10, the recording control unit 140 specifies the range definition time as follows. In this case, the recording control unit 140 specifies the range definition time by referring to this time series data and specifying the time when the vehicle was present at a position a predetermined distance away from the position of the vehicle at the event occurrence point. The range definition time may also be specified by other methods. For example, the recording control unit 140 may specify the range definition time by using the speed information of the vehicle at the time of the event occurrence.In this case, the recording control unit 140 may specify the range definition time by estimating the time when the vehicle was present at a position a predetermined distance away from the position of the vehicle at the time when the event occurred, using the vehicle's speed at the time when the event occurred and the above-mentioned predetermined distance. In this way, by storing the event record data based on the object detected from the shooting data during the period from the range definition time to the time when the event occurred, it is possible to create event record data that focuses on the object around the event occurrence point.

[0071] In the above embodiment, the imaging data analysis unit 120 detects an event and then analyzes the imaging data around the time when the event occurred, but the imaging data analysis unit 120 may continue to analyze the imaging data in real time. In this case, for example, each time an object is detected, the imaging data analysis unit 120 notifies the recording control unit 140 of time information indicating at what point in time the object was captured in the video. Then, when an event is detected, the recording control unit 140 determines the period of the video of the event record data based on the time information from the imaging data analysis unit 120.

[0072] In the above embodiment, the recording system 10 has been described as a system mounted on a vehicle, but the recording system 10 does not have to be mounted on a vehicle. For example, a surveillance camera that captures an image of a road such as an intersection may be used as the imaging device 200. In this case, the acceleration sensor 400 is not necessary in the recording system 10, and instead, the event detection unit 130 detects the occurrence of an event by analyzing the captured data using image recognition processing, for example. For example, the captured data may be analyzed to detect the occurrence of an event by detecting a collision between objects such as vehicles. Alternatively, the event detection unit 130 may analyze sounds near the road that is the subject of the image capture by the imaging device 200, and detect the occurrence of an event. For example, the occurrence of an event may be detected by detecting a collision sound of a predetermined volume or more.

[0073] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and the above-described modified examples thereof, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0074] A part or all of the above-described embodiments can be described as, but is not limited to, the following supplementary notes. (Appendix 1) an imaging data acquisition unit that acquires imaging data from an imaging device; an event detection unit that detects the occurrence of an event; an imaging data analysis unit that analyzes the imaging data and detects a predetermined object captured in the imaging data; a recording control unit that associates the first photographing data, which is the photographing data including a time point when the event occurs, with the second photographing data, which is the photographing data including a time point when the object is detected within a predetermined range from the time point when the event occurs, and stores the first photographing data as event record data; A recording control device having the above configuration. (Appendix 2) When a plurality of the objects are detected, the recording control unit associates the second photographing data and the first photographing data corresponding to the detected objects with each other and stores them as the event recording data. 2. A recording control device as described in appendix 1. (Appendix 3) When a plurality of the objects are detected, the recording control unit associates a predetermined number of the second photographing data selected according to a priority order from the plurality of second photographing data corresponding to the detected objects with the first photographing data, and stores the associated data as the event recording data. 2. A recording control device as described in appendix 1. (Appendix 4) The recording control unit stores, as the second photographic data, a still image, a moving image having a lower frame rate than the first photographic data, or a moving image compressed at a higher compression rate than the first photographic data. 4. A recording control device according to claim 1 , (Appendix 5) The recording control unit stores the event record data based on the object detected from the photographed data during a period from when the vehicle enters within a predetermined distance range from the position of the vehicle at the time when the event occurs to when the event occurs. 5. A recording control device according to claim 1 . (Appendix 6) Acquire photographic data from an imaging device; Detects the occurrence of an event, Analyzing the photographic data to detect a predetermined object captured in the photographic data; The first photographing data, which is the photographing data including the time point when the event occurred, and the second photographing data, which is the photographing data including the time point when the object was detected within a predetermined range from the time point when the event occurred, are associated with each other and stored as event record data. Recording control method. (Appendix 7) An imaging data acquisition step of acquiring imaging data from an imaging device; an event detection step of detecting an occurrence of an event; an imaging data analysis step of analyzing the imaging data to detect a predetermined object captured in the imaging data; a recording control step of associating the first photographing data, which is the photographing data including the time point at which the event occurred, with the second photographing data, which is the photographing data including the time point at which the object was detected within a predetermined range from the time point at which the event occurred, as event record data; A program that causes a computer to execute the following. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 10. Recording System 20 Shooting data 21 Shooting data 100 Recording control device 110 Shooting data acquisition unit 120 Shooting Data Analysis Section 130 Event detection unit 140 Recording control section 150 processors 151 Memory 152 Network Interface 200 Imaging device 300 Recording Department 310 Normal Recording Section 320 Event Recording Department 400 Accelerometer

Claims

1. an imaging data acquisition unit that acquires imaging data from an imaging device; an event detection unit that detects the occurrence of an event; an imaging data analysis unit that analyzes the imaging data and detects a predetermined object captured in the imaging data; a recording control unit that associates first photographing data, which is the photographing data including a time point at which the event occurs, with second photographing data, which is the photographing data including a time point at which the object is detected within a predetermined range from the time point at which the event occurs and is data that is not consecutive to the first photographing data, and stores the first photographing data as event record data; A recording control device having the above configuration.

2. When a plurality of the objects are detected, the recording control unit associates the second photographing data and the first photographing data corresponding to the detected objects with each other and stores them as the event record data. The recording control device according to claim 1 .

3. When a plurality of the objects are detected, the recording control unit associates a predetermined number of the second photographing data selected according to a priority order from the plurality of second photographing data corresponding to the detected objects with the first photographing data, and stores the associated data as the event recording data. The recording control device according to claim 1 .

4. The recording control unit stores, as the second photographic data, a still image, a moving image having a lower frame rate than the first photographic data, or a moving image compressed at a higher compression rate than the first photographic data. The recording control device according to claim 1 .

5. Acquire photographic data from an imaging device; Detects the occurrence of an event, Analyzing the photographic data to detect a predetermined object captured in the photographic data; The first photographing data, which is the photographing data including the time point at which the event occurred, and the second photographing data, which is the photographing data including the time point at which the object was detected within a predetermined range from the time point at which the event occurred and is not consecutive to the first photographing data, are associated with each other and stored as event record data. Recording control method.

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