Image processing apparatus, disaster prevention support system, image processing method, and program

Abstract

Provided is a mechanism for providing on-vehicle camera images to a third party while taking privacy into consideration. In the present invention: an acquisition unit (11) acquires on-vehicle camera images captured by an on-vehicle camera installed in a vehicle; a processing unit (12) processes the acquired on-vehicle camera images by obscuring the same except for a first portion; an output unit (13) outputs the processed on-vehicle camera images; and after a disaster has occurred within a monitored region, the processing unit (12) processes the acquired on-vehicle camera images by obscuring the same except for a second portion that is broader than the first portion.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a video processing apparatus, a disaster prevention support system, a video processing method, and a recording medium, and more particularly to a video processing apparatus, a disaster prevention support system, a video processing method, and a recording medium for processing in-vehicle camera video captured by an in-vehicle camera.

Background Art

[0002] When large-scale natural disasters such as earthquakes and heavy rain occur, disasters such as river flooding, landslides, road flooding, subsidence, and cracks may occur over a wide area. At monitoring centers such as civil engineering offices and management offices, the occurrence of disasters in the monitored area is monitored based on the monitoring video captured by monitoring cameras installed around the river.

[0003] With only fixed monitoring cameras, it may not be possible to fully grasp the disaster situation in the monitored area. For example, when urban areas are flooded due to inland flooding caused by heavy rain, monitoring cameras installed around the river cannot capture the urban areas.

[0004] In related technologies, video captured by in-vehicle cameras such as dashcams and rear cameras is diverted to uses different from the original uses such as recording accidents.

[0005] Patent Document 1 discloses an in-vehicle camera system that provides video obtained from an in-vehicle camera (hereinafter referred to as in-vehicle camera video) for identifying the actual situation of traffic accidents and for crime prevention. According to the related technology described in Patent Document 1, if the in-vehicle camera video can be provided to a monitoring center that monitors the occurrence of disasters, the monitoring center can use the in-vehicle camera video to investigate the disaster situation in the monitored area.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

[0007] In-vehicle camera images may accidentally include ordinary passersby. If the in-vehicle camera images are provided to a monitoring center as they are using the related technology described in Patent Document 1, there is a risk of infringing on the privacy of others. There is a need for a technology that can provide in-vehicle camera images to a third party such as a monitoring center while taking privacy into consideration.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a mechanism for providing in-vehicle camera images to a third party while taking privacy into consideration. [Means for Solving the Problems]

[0009] An image processing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes an acquisition unit that acquires an in-vehicle camera image captured by an in-vehicle camera mounted on a vehicle, and when no disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is located, while obscurely processing the in-vehicle camera image excluding a first portion, when a disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is located, in the acquired in-vehicle camera image, an obscure processing unit that obscurely processes the image excluding a second portion wider than the first portion, and an output unit that outputs the processed in-vehicle camera image.

[0010] In the video processing method according to one aspect of the present invention, an in-vehicle camera video captured by an in-vehicle camera mounted on a vehicle is acquired. When no disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is located, while processing the acquired in-vehicle camera video in an unclear manner except for a first part, when a disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is located, in the acquired in-vehicle camera video, except for a second part wider than the first part, it is processed in an unclear manner, and the processed in-vehicle camera video is output.

[0011] A recording medium according to one aspect of the present invention stores a program for causing a computer to execute acquiring an in-vehicle camera video captured by an in-vehicle camera mounted on a vehicle, when no disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is located, while processing the acquired in-vehicle camera video in an unclear manner except for a first part, when a disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is located, in the acquired in-vehicle camera video, except for a second part wider than the first part, processing it in an unclear manner, and outputting the processed in-vehicle camera video.

[0012] A disaster prevention support system according to one aspect of the present invention includes an acquisition means for acquiring an in-vehicle camera video captured by an in-vehicle camera mounted on a vehicle, a processing means for, when no disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is located, processing the acquired in-vehicle camera video in an unclear manner except for a first part, and when a disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is located, in the acquired in-vehicle camera video, except for a second part wider than the first part, processing it in an unclear manner, and an output means for outputting the processed in-vehicle camera video, and a recording device for storing the processed in-vehicle camera video.

Effects of the Invention

[0013] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide the in-vehicle camera video to a third party while taking privacy into consideration.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014]

Figure 1

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Figure 8

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0015] Some embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0016] (Disaster Prevention Support System 1) Referring to FIG. 1, an example of the configuration of a disaster prevention support system 1 including any one of the video processing apparatuses 10, 20, and 30 according to Embodiments 1 to 3 described later will be first explained. In FIG. 1, “video processing apparatus 10(20, 30)” represents any one of the video processing apparatuses 10, 20, and 30 according to Embodiments 1 to 3.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, the disaster prevention support system 1 includes a drive recorder 100, a monitoring center 200, and a recording device 300. Each component of the disaster prevention support system 1 may be plural.

[0018] The drive recorder 100 is installed in vehicles owned by government agencies and local governments. The vehicle patrols within a predetermined surveillance target area. The surveillance target area is designated based on administrative divisions such as prefectures, cities, towns, and villages, for example. The vehicle is, for example, a patrol car or a publicity vehicle. The vehicle may also be an emergency vehicle such as a fire truck or a special vehicle such as a road sweeper.

[0019] The drive recorder 100 is equipped with an in-vehicle camera 100A, a sensor device 100B, and a measuring device 100C. The in-vehicle camera 100A usually captures the road on which the vehicle is traveling and its surroundings. The data of the in-vehicle camera video obtained by the in-vehicle camera 100A is transmitted from the drive recorder 100 to the video processing device 10(20,30) through the Internet. In one example, the in-vehicle camera 100A may be a general video camera or an IoT camera.

[0020] The sensor device 100B detects the state of the environment around the vehicle. The sensor device 100B may be one commonly installed in vehicles, such as a millimeter-wave sensor, an acceleration sensor, a GPS (Geographical Positioning System) sensor, or an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit). Furthermore, the sensor device 100B may include, for example, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a snow accumulation sensor, a light sensor, a water level sensor, a radiation sensor, or a gas detector, etc., which are necessary for local governments and others to analyze the disaster situation during a disaster.

[0021] The measuring device 100C is for measuring the state of a vehicle, such as a speedometer, a tachometer, and a fuel gauge. The measuring device 100C outputs an index (parameter) indicating the state of the vehicle based on the physical data obtained from the sensor device 100B. Specifically, the measuring device 100C measures the driving state of the vehicle (i.e., whether the vehicle is running). Note that the disaster prevention support system 1 may not include the sensor device 100B and the measuring device 100C. In this case, the disaster prevention support system 1 is composed of the drive recorder 100, the monitoring center 200 described later, and the recording device 300 described later.

[0022] The monitoring center 200 is a facility for monitoring the occurrence of disasters within the monitoring target area, such as a civil engineering office or a management office. A video monitor and an alarm device (both not shown) are arranged in the monitoring center 200. Processed in-vehicle camera images are transferred to the monitoring center 200 from the video processing device 10(20,30). The processed in-vehicle camera images are those obtained by performing processing on the in-vehicle camera images to protect the privacy of ordinary people and the like accidentally captured in the in-vehicle camera images.

[0023] In the monitoring center 200, a monitor operator monitors the disaster risk areas (i.e., rivers, forest roads, etc.) shown in the monitoring video while looking at the video monitor. Also, the processed in-vehicle camera images received from the video processing device 10(20,30) are displayed on the video monitor of the monitoring center 200.

[0024] The recording device 300 outputs the in-vehicle camera images received by the video processing device 10(20,30) from the drive recorder 100. Also, the recording device 300 outputs the in-vehicle camera images processed for the purpose of privacy protection by the video processing device 10(20,30). During a disaster, the in-vehicle camera images processed by the video processing device 10(20,30) are provided to a third party such as the monitoring center 200.

[0025] In addition, in order to more reliably protect privacy, the destination of the provided processed in-vehicle camera video may be limited to only reliable third parties (for example, local governments or administrative agencies). The video processing device 10 (20, 30) refers to a pre-prepared list and provides the processed in-vehicle camera video to the third parties listed in the list.

[0026] The recording device 300 can be replaced by a cloud-based file server. In this case, the disaster prevention support system 1 may not include the recording device 300.

[0027] The video processing devices 10, 20, and 30 will be described in Embodiments 1 to 3 described later.

[0028] 〔Embodiment 1〕 Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 3.

[0029] (Video processing device 10) With reference to FIG. 2, the configuration of the video processing device 10 according to the present Embodiment 1 will be described. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the video processing device 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the video processing device 10 includes an acquisition unit 11, a processing unit 12, and an output unit 13.

[0030] The acquisition unit 11 acquires the in-vehicle camera video captured by the in-vehicle camera 100A (FIG. 1) mounted on the vehicle. The acquisition unit 11 is an example of acquisition means.

[0031] In one example, the acquisition unit 11 acquires the in-vehicle camera video captured by the in-vehicle camera 100A from the drive recorder 100 (FIG. 1) mounted on the vehicle through the Internet.

[0032] In another example, the acquisition unit 11 searches for vehicles located within a monitoring target area, which is an area monitored by the monitoring center 200 (FIG. 1) for the occurrence of disasters. Then, the acquisition unit 11 acquires in-vehicle camera images captured by the vehicles found within the monitoring target area from the drive recorder 100 mounted on the vehicle. The acquisition unit 11 outputs the in-vehicle camera images acquired from the drive recorder 100 to the processing unit 12.

[0033] When no disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is present, the processing unit 12 obscurely processes the acquired in-vehicle camera images except for the first portion, while when a disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is present, the processing unit 12 obscurely processes the acquired in-vehicle camera images except for the second portion that is wider than the first portion. The processing unit 12 is an example of a processing means. The case where a disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is present is, for example, when the area is included in the announcement area of a weather warning or an earthquake early warning.

[0034] In one example, the processing unit 12 receives in-vehicle camera images captured by the in-vehicle camera 100A from the acquisition unit 11. The processing unit 12 processes the received in-vehicle camera images.

[0035] First, the processing unit 12 determines the area where the vehicle is present. For example, the processing unit 12 acquires the position information of the vehicle. Then, the processing unit 12 determines the area where the vehicle is present based on the acquired position information of the vehicle. Alternatively, the processing unit 12 may determine whether a disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is present based on the sensor data acquired from the sensor device 100B attached to the vehicle.

[0036] Also, the processing unit 12 determines whether a disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is present. For example, the processing unit 12 acquires disaster prevention weather information. Then, the processing unit 12 determines whether a disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is present based on the acquired disaster prevention weather information. The disaster prevention weather information is forecasts and information regarding weather, earthquakes, volcanoes, etc., and is, for example, a weather warning, a weather caution, or an earthquake early warning.

[0037] After that, when no disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is present, the processing unit 12 performs unclear processing on the in-vehicle camera image excluding the first part. In one example, the first part includes at least a part of the area where the road on which the vehicle travels is shown in the in-vehicle camera image.

[0038] On the other hand, when a disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is present, the processing unit 12 performs unclear processing on the acquired in-vehicle camera image excluding the second part that is wider than the first part. In one example, the second part includes at least a part of the area where the road on which the vehicle travels is shown in the in-vehicle camera image and an area wider than that. More comprehensively speaking, the processing unit 12 changes the area to be processed in the in-vehicle camera image between normal times and disaster times. Also, in the above-described example, the fact that the second part is "wider" than the first part is not limited to the meaning that the area corresponding to the second part in the processed in-vehicle camera image is wider than the area corresponding to the first part. In the processed in-vehicle camera image, it is sufficient that the width of the area corresponding to the second part (FIG. 5) is longer than the width of the area corresponding to the first part (FIG. 4), or the height of the area corresponding to the second part (FIG. 5) is higher than the height of the area corresponding to the first part (FIG. 4). That is, "wider" here may also mean comparing one-dimensional lengths.

[0039] In addition, the processing unit 12 may detect areas such as the license plate of other vehicles and the nameplate of a house from the in-vehicle camera image and perform unclear processing on those areas. Further, the processing unit 12 may change the width of the second part stepwise or continuously according to the magnitude of the damage caused by the disaster occurring within the area where the vehicle is present and the speed of the vehicle (Embodiment 3).

[0040] In normal times, that is, when no disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is present, the processing unit 12 outputs the in-vehicle camera video that has been processed in an unclear manner except for the first part to the output unit 13. On the other hand, during a disaster, that is, when a disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is present, the processing unit 12 outputs the in-vehicle camera video that has been processed in an unclear manner except for the second part to the output unit 13.

[0041] The output unit 13 outputs the processed in-vehicle camera video. The output unit 13 is an example of output means.

[0042] In one example, the output unit 13 receives from the processing unit 12 the in-vehicle camera video that has been processed in an unclear manner except for the first part or the second part. In normal times, that is, when no disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is present, the output unit 13 outputs the in-vehicle camera video that has been processed in an unclear manner except for the first part to the recording device 300 (Fig. 1). On the other hand, during a disaster, that is, when a disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is present, the output unit 13 outputs the in-vehicle camera video that has been processed in an unclear manner except for the second part to the recording device 300.

[0043] In normal times, the recording device 300 stores the in-vehicle camera video that has been processed in an unclear manner except for the first part. During a disaster, the recording device 300 stores the in-vehicle camera video that has been processed in an unclear manner except for the second part. The in-vehicle camera video that has been processed in an unclear manner except for the second part and is stored in the recording device 300 may be provided to a third party such as a local government conducting rescue activities as needed.

[0044] The output unit 13 may output the processed in-vehicle camera video to a subsequent processing function (not shown) that performs image analysis. The subsequent processing function diagnoses the state of the road shown in the processed in-vehicle camera video by performing image analysis on the processed in-vehicle camera video. For example, the subsequent processing function investigates cracks, depressions, or unevenness on the road surface.

[0045] (Operation of the video processing device 10) Referring to FIG. 3, the operation of the video processing apparatus 10 according to Embodiment 1 will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing executed by each part of the video processing apparatus 10.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 3, the acquisition unit 11 acquires an in-vehicle camera video captured by the in-vehicle camera 100A mounted on the vehicle from the drive recorder 100 (S1). The acquisition unit 11 outputs the in-vehicle camera video acquired from the drive recorder 100 to the processing unit 12.

[0047] The processing unit 12 determines whether a disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is located based on disaster prevention weather information, etc. (S2). If no disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is located (No in S2), the processing unit 12 obscurely processes the in-vehicle camera video acquired from the acquisition unit 11, excluding the first part (S3A). Then, the processing unit 12 outputs the in-vehicle camera video obscurely processed excluding the first part to the output unit 13.

[0048] On the other hand, if a disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is located (Yes in S2), the processing unit 12 obscurely processes the acquired in-vehicle camera video, excluding the second part that is wider than the first part (S3B). Then, the processing unit 12 outputs the in-vehicle camera video obscurely processed excluding the second part to the output unit 13.

[0049] The output unit 13 outputs the in-vehicle camera video obscurely processed excluding the first part or the second part to a recording device 300 or the like (S4).

[0050] Thus, the operation of the video processing apparatus 10 according to Embodiment 1 ends.

[0051] (An example of the processed in-vehicle camera video) Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, an example of the processed in-vehicle camera video will be described.

[0052] FIG. 4 schematically shows an example of an in-vehicle camera that is obscurely processed except for the first part. As shown in FIG. 4, the first part is the central part on the lower side of the in-vehicle camera image. The first part corresponds to the area where the front of the road on which the vehicle travels is reflected. Except for the first part, the in-vehicle camera image is obscurely processed. The obscure processing includes, for example, in addition to mosaic processing, making the pixel values of adjacent pixels the same (blurring) or reducing the sharpness of the pixels (darkening).

[0053] FIG. 5 schematically shows an example of an in-vehicle camera that is obscurely processed except for the second part. Comparing FIG. 5 with FIG. 4, the second part shown in FIG. 5 is wider than the first part shown in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 5, the second part extends from the central part on the lower side of the in-vehicle camera image to the peripheral part on the lower side of the in-vehicle camera image. The second part includes not only the area where the front of the road on which the vehicle travels is reflected but also the area around the road on which the vehicle travels. Here, only the case where the width of the area corresponding to the second part (FIG. 5) in the processed in-vehicle camera image is longer than the width of the area corresponding to the first part (FIG. 4) is exemplified. However, in the processed in-vehicle camera image, the height of the area corresponding to the second part may be higher than the height of the area corresponding to the first part. Also, necessarily, in the processed in-vehicle camera image, the area of the area corresponding to the second part (FIG. 5) does not have to be larger than the area of the area corresponding to the first part (FIG. 4).

[0054] For example, when the vehicle is traveling on a road having a plurality of vehicle lanes, the first part corresponds to the area of the vehicle lane on which the vehicle travels, while the second part corresponds to the areas of the vehicle lane on which the vehicle travels and the adjacent vehicle lanes. Alternatively, when the vehicle is traveling on a two-lane road, the first part corresponds to the area of the lane on which the vehicle travels, while the second part corresponds to the areas of the lane on which the vehicle travels and the opposite lane.

[0055] During normal times, the image processing device 10 outputs an in-vehicle camera image (Fig. 4) that is blurred except for the central part of the lower side of the in-vehicle camera image. This can well protect the privacy of ordinary people (e.g., pedestrians) accidentally captured in the in-vehicle camera image.

[0056] During a disaster, the image processing device 10 outputs an in-vehicle camera image (Fig. 5) that is blurred except for the central part and the peripheral part of the lower side of the in-vehicle camera image. This protects the privacy of ordinary people while allowing a third party (e.g., a local government) carrying out restoration activities to easily visually recognize the damaged situation of roads, etc. from the processed in-vehicle camera image, and also easily discover overflow from drainage ditches and manholes, fallen objects, etc.

[0057] (Effects of this Embodiment) According to the configuration of this embodiment, the acquisition unit 11 acquires an in-vehicle camera image captured by an in-vehicle camera mounted on the vehicle. When no disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is located, the processing unit 12 blurs the acquired in-vehicle camera image except for a first part. When a disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is located, the processing unit 12 blurs the acquired in-vehicle camera image except for a second part that is wider than the first part. The output unit 13 outputs the processed in-vehicle camera image. The second part is wider than the first part. The fact that the blurred part is narrow means, conversely, that the clear part is wide. During a disaster, a processed in-vehicle camera image with a narrower blurred part and a wider clear part than during normal times is output. This allows the in-vehicle camera image obtained from the in-vehicle camera to be provided to a third party while taking privacy into consideration.

[0058] 〔Embodiment 2〕 Referring to Fig. 6, Embodiment 2 will be described.

[0059] (Image Processing Device 20) Referring to FIG. 6, the configuration of the video processing apparatus 20 according to the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the video processing apparatus 20. As shown in FIG. 6, the video processing apparatus 20 includes an acquisition unit 11, a processing unit 12, and an output unit 13. The video processing apparatus 20 further includes a providing unit 24.

[0060] The providing unit 24 provides the processed in-vehicle camera video to a monitoring center 200 (FIG. 1) that monitors the occurrence of disasters. The providing unit 24 is an example of providing means.

[0061] In one example, the providing unit 24 receives the in-vehicle camera video that has been processed in an unclear manner except for the second part from the processing unit 12. The providing unit 24 transmits the processed in-vehicle camera video to the monitoring center 200 via the Internet.

[0062] In another example, the providing unit 24 is requested by the monitoring center 200 to provide the processed in-vehicle camera video. In response to the request of the monitoring center 200, the providing unit 24 acquires the in-vehicle camera video that has been processed in an unclear manner except for the second part from a recording device 300 (FIG. 1). The providing unit 24 transmits the processed in-vehicle camera video to the monitoring center 200 via the Internet.

[0063] Note that the providing unit 24 may also provide the in-vehicle camera video that has been processed in an unclear manner except for the first part to the monitoring center 200 in response to a request from the monitoring center 200.

[0064] At the monitoring center 200, the processed in-vehicle camera video provided from the providing unit 24 of the video processing apparatus 20 is displayed on a video monitor (not shown). The monitoring operator monitors the processed in-vehicle camera video while looking at the video monitor.

[0065] (Operation of the video processing apparatus 20) The operation of the video processing apparatus 20 according to the second embodiment is common to the operation of the video processing apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment (FIG. 3). In the second embodiment, the description of the operation of the video processing apparatus 20 is omitted by citing the description in the first embodiment.

[0066] (Effects of this embodiment) According to the configuration of this embodiment, the acquisition unit 11 acquires the in-vehicle camera video captured by the in-vehicle camera mounted on the vehicle. When no disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is located, the processing unit 12 obscurely processes the acquired in-vehicle camera video except for the first part, while when a disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is located, the processing unit 12 obscurely processes the acquired in-vehicle camera video except for the second part that is wider than the first part. The output unit 13 outputs the processed in-vehicle camera video. The second part is wider than the first part. That the obscure part is narrow means, conversely, that the clear part is wide. During a disaster, a processed in-vehicle camera video with a narrower obscure part and a wider clear part than in normal times is output. Thereby, while taking privacy into consideration, the in-vehicle camera video obtained from the in-vehicle camera can be provided to a third party.

[0067] Furthermore, according to the configuration of this embodiment, the providing unit 24 provides the in-vehicle camera video obscurely processed except for the second part to the monitoring center 200 that monitors the occurrence of disasters. In the monitoring center 200, the processed in-vehicle camera video is displayed. The monitoring operator monitors the disaster situation of the processed in-vehicle camera video while looking at the video monitor. The in-vehicle camera video obscurely processed except for the second part can provide information for grasping the state of roads and the like to the monitoring operator while protecting the privacy of the general public and the like.

[0068] 〔Embodiment 3〕 Referring to FIG. 7, Embodiment 3 will be described. In this Embodiment 3, components that execute the same processing as the components described in the above Embodiment 1 or the above Embodiment 2 are given the same reference numerals as in the above Embodiment 1 or the above Embodiment 2, and the description of those components is omitted.

[0069] In this Embodiment 3, a configuration for changing the width of the second part in the processed in-vehicle camera video step by step or continuously will be described.

[0070] (Image processing device 30) With reference to FIG. 7, the configuration of the image processing device 30 according to Embodiment 3 will be described. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the image processing device 30. As shown in FIG. 7, the image processing device 30 includes an acquisition unit 11, a processing unit 12', and an output unit 13. The processing unit 12' of the image processing device 30 is partially different from the processing unit 12 of the image processing devices 10 and 20 according to Embodiments 1 and 2 in the content of the processing it executes. Hereinafter, the processing executed by the acquisition unit 11 will be described.

[0071] When no disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is present, the processing unit 12' blurs the acquired in-vehicle camera image except for the first part. On the other hand, when a disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is present, the processing unit 12' blurs the acquired in-vehicle camera image except for the second part, which is wider than the first part.

[0072] In the latter case, that is, when a disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is present, the processing unit 12' further determines the magnitude of the damage caused by the disaster occurring in the area where the vehicle is present based on the disaster prevention weather information. Then, the processing unit 12' widens the second part as the damage caused by the disaster is greater. In other words, the processing unit 12' narrows the area to be blurred in the in-vehicle camera image as the damage caused by the disaster is greater. Thereby, the damaged condition of the road is clearly reflected in the processed in-vehicle camera image.

[0073] Alternatively, in the latter case, the acquisition unit 11 acquires driving information indicating the driving state of the vehicle from the measuring device 100C mounted on the vehicle together with the in-vehicle camera image. The driving information includes information indicating the speed of the vehicle. The acquisition unit 11 outputs the driving information indicating the driving state of the vehicle to the processing unit 12' together with the in-vehicle camera image.

[0074] The processing unit 12' obscurely processes the acquired in-vehicle camera image, excluding a second portion that is wider than the first portion. At this time, the processing unit 12' determines the speed of the vehicle based on the driving information received from the acquisition unit 11. Then, the higher the speed of the vehicle, the wider the processing unit 12' makes the second portion. In other words, the higher the speed of the vehicle, the narrower the region that is obscurely processed in the in-vehicle camera image. When the vehicle speed is high, it is highly likely that the vehicle is traveling on a wide road. Therefore, the region to be obscurely processed should be narrowed so that the overall disaster situation of the wide road can be clearly reflected in the processed in-vehicle camera image.

[0075] Conversely, the lower the speed of the vehicle, the processing unit 12' may make the second portion narrower. In particular, when the vehicle stops, the processing unit 12' may make the second portion coincide with the first portion. As long as the vehicle is stopped, no new information about the disaster situation of the road can be obtained from the processed in-vehicle camera image, while the possibility of infringing on the privacy of ordinary pedestrians increases, no matter how wide the second portion that is not obscurely processed is.

[0076] (Operation of the video processing device 30) The operation of the video processing device 30 according to the third embodiment is common to the operation of the video processing device 10 according to the first embodiment (Fig. 3). In the third embodiment, the description of the operation of the video processing device 30 is omitted by citing the description in the first embodiment.

[0077] (Effect of this embodiment) According to the configuration of this embodiment, the acquisition unit 11 acquires in-vehicle camera images captured by an in-vehicle camera mounted on the vehicle. When no disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is located, the processing unit 12' obscurely processes the acquired in-vehicle camera images except for a first portion, while when a disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is located, the processing unit 12' obscurely processes the acquired in-vehicle camera images except for a second portion that is wider than the first portion. The output unit 13 outputs the processed in-vehicle camera images. The second portion is wider than the first portion. The fact that the obscure portion is narrow, conversely, means that the clear portion is wide. During a disaster, a processed in-vehicle camera image is output in which the obscure portion is narrower and the clear portion is wider than in normal times. Thereby, while taking privacy into consideration, the in-vehicle camera images obtained from the in-vehicle camera can be provided to a third party.

[0078] Furthermore, according to the configuration of this embodiment, the processing unit 12' further determines the magnitude of the damage caused by a disaster occurring in the area where the vehicle is located based on disaster prevention weather information, and the greater the damage caused by the disaster, the wider the second portion.

[0079] Alternatively, the acquisition unit 11 acquires driving information indicating the driving state of the vehicle from a measuring device 100C mounted on the vehicle together with the in-vehicle camera images. The processing unit 12' determines the speed of the vehicle based on the driving information, and the higher the speed of the vehicle, the wider the second portion. Thereby, while protecting privacy, a third party such as a local government can obtain information necessary for restoration and rescue activities from the processed in-vehicle camera images.

[0080] (Regarding the hardware configuration) Each component of the video processing apparatuses 10, 20, and 30 described in the first to third embodiments represents a block of a functional unit. Some or all of these components are realized by an information processing apparatus 900 as shown in FIG. 8, for example. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing apparatus 900.

[0081] As shown in FIG. 8, information processing apparatus 900 includes, as an example, the following configuration.

[0082] ·CPU (Central Processing Unit) 901 ·ROM (Read Only Memory) 902 ·RAM (Random Access Memory) 903 ·Program 904 loaded into RAM 903 ·Storage device 905 that stores program 904 ·Drive device 907 that reads and writes recording medium 906 ·Communication interface 908 that connects to communication network 909 ·Input / output interface 910 that performs input / output of data ·Bus 911 that connects each component Each component of the video processing apparatuses 10, 20, and 30 described in the first to third embodiments is realized by the CPU 901 reading and executing a program 904 that realizes these functions. The program 904 that realizes the functions of each component is stored, for example, in advance in the storage device 905 or the ROM 902, and is loaded into the RAM 903 and executed by the CPU 901 as necessary. Note that the program 904 may be supplied to the CPU 901 via the communication network 909, or may be stored in advance in the recording medium 906, and the drive device 907 may read the program and supply it to the CPU 901.

[0083] According to the above configuration, the video processing apparatuses 10, 20, and 30 described in the first to third embodiments are realized as hardware. Therefore, the same effects as those described in any of the first to third embodiments can be achieved.

[0084] 〔Supplementary Note〕 One aspect of the present invention can also be described as in the following supplementary note, but is not limited thereto.

[0085] (Supplementary Note 1) An acquisition means for acquiring an in-vehicle camera image captured by an in-vehicle camera mounted on a vehicle; When no disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is located, while obscurely processing the in-vehicle camera image obtained except for a first portion, when a disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is located, in the obtained in-vehicle camera image, an obscuring process is performed except for a second portion wider than the first portion; a processing means; An output means for outputting the processed in-vehicle camera image; and An image processing apparatus.

[0086] (Appendix 2) The processing means acquires position information of the vehicle, and based on the acquired position information of the vehicle, determines the area where the vehicle is located. The image processing apparatus according to Appendix 1, characterized in that.

[0087] (Appendix 3) The processing means acquires disaster prevention weather information, and based on the acquired disaster prevention weather information, determines whether a disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is located. The image processing apparatus according to Appendix 1, characterized in that.

[0088] (Appendix 4) The processing means Based on the disaster prevention weather information, further determines the magnitude of damage caused by a disaster occurring in the area where the vehicle is located, The greater the damage caused by the disaster, the wider the second portion. The image processing apparatus according to Appendix 3, characterized in that.

[0089] (Appendix 5) The image processing apparatus according to Appendix 1, further comprising a providing means for providing the in-vehicle camera image obscurely processed except for the second portion to a monitoring center for monitoring the occurrence of disasters. The image processing apparatus according to Appendix 1, characterized in that.

[0090] (Appendix 6) The acquisition means Search for vehicles located within the area to be monitored, which is the area monitored for the occurrence of disasters by the monitoring center, Obtain the in-vehicle camera images captured by the vehicles discovered within the area to be monitored The video processing apparatus according to appended note 5, characterized by the above.

[0091] (Appended note 7) The acquisition means acquires sensor data from sensor devices attached to the vehicle, together with the in-vehicle camera images, Based on the sensor data acquired from the sensor devices attached to the vehicle, the processing means determines whether a disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is present The video processing apparatus according to appended note 1, characterized by the above.

[0092] (Appended note 8) The acquisition means acquires driving information indicating the driving state of the vehicle from measurement devices mounted on the vehicle, together with the in-vehicle camera images, Based on the driving information, the processing means determines the speed of the vehicle, and the higher the speed of the vehicle, the wider the second part is made The video processing apparatus according to appended note 1, characterized by the above.

[0093] (Appended note 9) The first part includes at least a part of the area where the road on which the vehicle travels is reflected in the in-vehicle camera images, The second part includes at least a part of the area where the road on which the vehicle travels is reflected in the in-vehicle camera images and includes an area wider than that The video processing apparatus according to appended note 1, characterized by the above.

[0094] (Appended note 10) Obtain in-vehicle camera images captured by an in-vehicle camera mounted on a vehicle, When no disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is located, obscurely process the acquired in-vehicle camera video except for a first portion thereof, while when a disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is located, obscurely process the acquired in-vehicle camera video except for a second portion wider than the first portion thereof. Output the processed in-vehicle camera video. Video processing method.

[0095] (Appendix 11) Obtain the in-vehicle camera video captured by an in-vehicle camera mounted on a vehicle, When no disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is located, obscurely process the acquired in-vehicle camera video except for a first portion thereof, while when a disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is located, obscurely process the acquired in-vehicle camera video except for a second portion wider than the first portion thereof, Output the processed in-vehicle camera video, A non-transitory recording medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute the above.

[0096] (Appendix 12) An acquisition means for acquiring the in-vehicle camera video captured by an in-vehicle camera mounted on a vehicle, A processing means for obscurely processing the acquired in-vehicle camera video except for a first portion thereof when no disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is located, while obscurely processing the acquired in-vehicle camera video except for a second portion wider than the first portion thereof when a disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is located, An output means for outputting the processed in-vehicle camera video, A video processing apparatus, A recording apparatus for storing the processed in-vehicle camera video, A disaster prevention support system.

[0097] The present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments (and examples), but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments (and examples). Various changes that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configurations and details of the above embodiments (and examples) within the scope of the present invention.

Industrial Applicability

[0098] The present invention can be used, for example, in a video processing apparatus that performs video processing for privacy protection on in-vehicle camera images captured by an in-vehicle camera mounted on a vehicle, and in a disaster prevention support system that inspects the presence or absence of road flooding, subsidence, cracks, etc. based on in-vehicle camera images during a disaster.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0099] 1 Disaster prevention support system 10 Video processing apparatus 11 Acquisition unit 12 Processing unit 13 Output unit 20 Video processing apparatus 30 Video processing apparatus 100 Drive recorder 100A In-vehicle camera 100B Sensor device 100C Measuring device 200 Monitoring center 300 Recording device

Claims

1. An acquisition means for acquiring an in-vehicle camera image captured by an in-vehicle camera mounted on a vehicle; When no disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is located, while obscurely processing the acquired in-vehicle camera image excluding a first portion, when a disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is located, in the acquired in-vehicle camera image, an obscure processing means for obscurely processing the image excluding a second portion wider than the first portion; An output means for outputting the processed in-vehicle camera image, The processing means acquires disaster prevention weather information and determines whether a disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is located based on the acquired disaster prevention weather information. An image processing device.

2. An acquisition means for acquiring an in-vehicle camera image captured by an in-vehicle camera mounted on a vehicle; When no disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is located, while obscurely processing the acquired in-vehicle camera image excluding a first portion, when a disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is located, in the acquired in-vehicle camera image, an obscure processing means for obscurely processing the image excluding a second portion wider than the first portion; An output means for outputting the processed in-vehicle camera image, The acquisition means acquires driving information indicating the driving state of the vehicle from measuring equipment mounted on the vehicle together with the in-vehicle camera image. The processing means determines the speed of the vehicle based on the driving information, and the higher the speed of the vehicle, the wider the second portion. An image processing device.

3. The processing means acquires the position information of the vehicle and determines the area where the vehicle is located based on the acquired position information of the vehicle. The image processing device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that. Claim 4: The processing means acquires disaster prevention weather information, and based on the acquired disaster prevention weather information, determines whether a disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is located. The video processing apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that.

5. The vehicle-mounted camera video that is processed unclearly except for the second part is further provided with a providing means for providing it to a monitoring center that monitors the occurrence of disasters. The video processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that.

6. The acquisition means acquires sensor data from a sensor device attached to the vehicle together with the vehicle-mounted camera video. The processing means determines whether a disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is located based on the sensor data acquired from the sensor device attached to the vehicle. The video processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that.

7. The acquisition means acquires driving information indicating the driving state of the vehicle from a measuring device mounted on the vehicle together with the vehicle-mounted camera video. The processing means determines the speed of the vehicle based on the driving information, and the higher the speed of the vehicle, the wider the second part. The video processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that.

8. The first part includes at least a part of the area where the road on which the vehicle travels is reflected in the vehicle-mounted camera video. The second part includes at least a part of the area where the road on which the vehicle travels is reflected in the vehicle-mounted camera video and an area wider than that. The video processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that.

9. A computer Acquires vehicle-mounted camera video captured by a vehicle-mounted camera mounted on a vehicle. When no disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is located, while making the part other than the first part in the acquired in-vehicle camera video unclear, when a disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is located, in the acquired in-vehicle camera video, make the part other than the second part wider than the first part unclear. An image processing method for outputting the processed in-vehicle camera video. The computer acquires disaster prevention weather information and determines whether a disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is located based on the acquired disaster prevention weather information. Image processing method.

10. The computer Acquires the in-vehicle camera video captured by the in-vehicle camera mounted on the vehicle. When no disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is located, while making the part other than the first part in the acquired in-vehicle camera video unclear, when a disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is located, in the acquired in-vehicle camera video, make the part other than the second part wider than the first part unclear. An image processing method for outputting the processed in-vehicle camera video. The computer acquires driving information indicating the driving state of the vehicle from the measuring device mounted on the vehicle together with the in-vehicle camera video. The computer determines the speed of the vehicle based on the driving information, and the higher the speed of the vehicle, the wider the second part. Image processing method.

11. Acquire the in-vehicle camera video captured by the in-vehicle camera mounted on the vehicle. When no disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is located, while making the part other than the first part in the acquired in-vehicle camera video unclear, when a disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is located, in the acquired in-vehicle camera video, make the part other than the second part wider than the first part unclear. A program for causing a computer to output the processed in-vehicle camera video, comprising: acquiring disaster prevention weather information and determining whether a disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is located based on the acquired disaster prevention weather information A program for causing the computer to execute the above.

12. A program for causing a computer to execute: acquiring in-vehicle camera video captured by an in-vehicle camera mounted on a vehicle; when no disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is located, obscurely processing the acquired in-vehicle camera video except for a first portion thereof, and when a disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is located, obscurely processing the acquired in-vehicle camera video except for a second portion wider than the first portion; outputting the processed in-vehicle camera video. acquiring driving information indicating the driving state of the vehicle from a measuring device mounted on the vehicle together with the in-vehicle camera video; determining the speed of the vehicle based on the driving information, and widening the second portion as the speed of the vehicle is higher. A program for causing the computer to execute the above.

13. an acquisition means for acquiring in-vehicle camera video captured by an in-vehicle camera mounted on a vehicle; a processing means for, when no disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is located, obscurely processing the acquired in-vehicle camera video except for a first portion thereof, and when a disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is located, obscurely processing the acquired in-vehicle camera video except for a second portion wider than the first portion; an output means for outputting the processed in-vehicle camera video; a video processing device; and a recording device for storing the processed in-vehicle camera video. The processing means acquires disaster prevention weather information and determines whether a disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is located based on the acquired disaster prevention weather information. Disaster prevention support system.

14. An acquisition means for acquiring an in-vehicle camera image captured by an in-vehicle camera mounted on a vehicle, When no disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is located, the acquired in-vehicle camera image is processed to be unclear except for a first part, while when a disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is located, in the acquired in-vehicle camera image, the image is processed to be unclear except for a second part that is wider than the first part; a processing means, An output means for outputting the processed in-vehicle camera image, An image processing device, A recording device for storing the processed in-vehicle camera image, The acquisition means acquires driving information indicating the driving state of the vehicle from a measuring device mounted on the vehicle together with the in-vehicle camera image, The processing means determines the speed of the vehicle based on the driving information, and the higher the speed of the vehicle, the wider the second part is. Disaster prevention support system.

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