Output Device

Abstract

To ensure higher safety compared with the case of outputting the degree of safety calculated only from the brightness of a road.SOLUTION: An output device includes: an acquisition unit for acquiring satellite images in which a target area is photographed and event information on events occurring in the target area; and an output unit for outputting roads whose degree of safety calculated on the basis of the satellite images and event information is less than a threshold, among roads in the target area.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to output devices. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an information processing device. This information processing device acquires an image taken from the air of an area including one or more candidate routes from a departure point to a destination, with the aim of presenting route brightness to pedestrians and the like. The information processing device then divides the acquired image into multiple image regions, and outputs the brightness of each region in association with each candidate route. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-015460 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The information processing device disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that it cannot ensure road safety compared to when a safety level is output that takes into account factors other than road brightness.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above facts, and aims to provide an output device that can ensure higher road safety compared to when outputting a safety level calculated from road brightness alone. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The output device according to the first aspect includes an acquisition unit that acquires satellite images of a target area and event information relating to events that have occurred in the target area, and an output unit that outputs roads in the target area whose safety level calculated based on the satellite images and the event information is below a threshold.

[0007] In the output device according to the first aspect, the acquisition unit acquires satellite images of a target area and event information relating to an event that occurred in the target area, and the output unit outputs roads in the target area whose safety level calculated based on the satellite images and the event information is below a threshold. The output device according to the first aspect can ensure higher safety compared to when a safety level calculated based only on road brightness is output.

[0008] The output device of the second aspect is the output device of the first aspect, wherein the output unit outputs roads whose crime prevention safety level calculated based on the brightness of the road at night and crime information regarding crimes that have occurred on the road is below the threshold.

[0009] According to the output device according to the second aspect, higher safety can be ensured from the viewpoint of crime prevention.

[0010] The output device of the third aspect is the output device of the first or second aspect, and outputs roads whose safety level, taking into account a traffic safety level calculated based on accident information regarding vehicles traveling on the road and traffic accidents that have occurred on the road, is less than the threshold value.

[0011] According to the output device according to the third aspect, higher safety can be ensured from the viewpoint of traffic safety.

[0012] An output device according to a fourth aspect is an output device according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the output unit outputs roads for which the sum of a crime prevention safety level calculated based on the brightness of the road at night and crime information relating to crimes that have occurred on the road, and a traffic safety level calculated based on accident information relating to vehicles traveling on the road and traffic accidents that have occurred on the road, is less than the threshold value.

[0013] According to the output device of the fourth aspect, higher safety can be ensured from the viewpoint of crime prevention and traffic safety.

[0014] An output device according to a fifth aspect is an output device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the output unit outputs a recommendation not to walk on the road where the safety level is below the threshold.

[0015] According to the output device of the fifth aspect, it is possible to ensure higher safety compared to when no output is given recommending not to walk on roads where the safety level is below the threshold. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to the present disclosure, higher safety can be ensured compared to when a safety level calculated from only the brightness of the road is output. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of an output system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a user terminal according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a center server according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a CPU in a center server according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of an output process according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] As shown in Fig. 1, the output system 100 of this embodiment includes a satellite server 10, a center server 20, and a user terminal 30. The center server 20 is an example of an output device. The number of user terminals 30 included in the output system 100 is not limited to the number shown in Fig. 1. The satellite server 10, the center server 20, and the user terminal 30 are connected to each other via a network CN1.

[0019] The satellite server 10 stores satellite images, which are images of the ground taken from the sky by artificial satellites, aircraft, etc. Specifically, the satellite server 10 stores the satellite images in association with the time when the satellite images were taken and the area where the satellite images were taken.

[0020] (user terminal) The user terminal 30 is a terminal such as a smartphone or a computer owned by a user.

[0021] 2, the user terminal 30 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 30A, a read-only memory (ROM) 30B, a random access memory (RAM) 30C, an input unit 30E, a display unit 30F, and a communication interface (I / F) 30G. The CPU 30A, ROM 30B, RAM 30C, input unit 30E, display unit 30F, and communication I / F 30G are connected to each other via an internal bus 30H so that they can communicate with each other. In addition to the ROM 30B, the user terminal 30 may also include a non-volatile memory such as an SD card.

[0022] The CPU 30A is a central processing unit that executes various programs and controls various parts. That is, the CPU 30A reads out programs from the ROM 30B and executes the programs using the RAM 30C as a working area.

[0023] The ROM 30B stores various programs and various data. The RAM 30C serves as a working area for temporarily storing programs or data.

[0024] The input unit 30E is, for example, a keyboard, a push-button numeric keypad, a touchpad, or the like, and is used to input various types of information with the user's fingers.

[0025] The display unit 30F is, for example, a liquid crystal display, and displays various types of information. The display unit 30F may be provided as a touch display that also serves as the input unit 30E.

[0026] The communication I / F 20G is an interface for connecting to the network CN1.

[0027] (Center server) 3, the center server 20 includes a CPU 20A, a ROM 20B, a RAM 20C, and a communication I / F 20G. The CPU 20A, the ROM 20B, the RAM 20C, and the communication I / F 20G are connected to each other via an internal bus 20H so that they can communicate with each other. Note that the center server 20 may also include a memory such as a storage device in addition to the ROM 20B.

[0028] The CPU 20A is a central processing unit that executes various programs and controls each part. That is, the CPU 20A reads out a program from the ROM 20B and executes the program using the RAM 20C as a work area.

[0029] The ROM 20B stores various programs and various data. The RAM 20C temporarily stores programs or data as a working area.

[0030] In this embodiment, the ROM 20B stores an output program and an event database.

[0031] The output program is a program for realizing each function that the center server 20 has.

[0032] The event database stores crime information related to crimes and accident information related to traffic accidents. In this embodiment, the event database stores, as crime information, information identifying a crime (e.g., a name) and information identifying a road on which the crime occurred (e.g., a name or an address). The event database also stores, as accident information, information identifying a traffic accident and information identifying a road on which the traffic accident occurred. However, this is not a limitation. The event database may store only one of crime information and accident information. Furthermore, the crime information may include information identifying a crime, information identifying a road on which the crime occurred, and the date and time of the crime. Furthermore, the accident information may include information identifying a traffic accident, information identifying a road on which the traffic accident occurred, and the date and time of the traffic accident. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a sidewalk is used as the road. However, this is not a limitation. The road may include a roadway in addition to a sidewalk.

[0033] The communication I / F 20G is an interface for connecting to the network CN1.

[0034] Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of CPU 20A. As shown in Fig. 4, CPU 20A has a reception unit 200, an acquisition unit 210, a calculation unit 220, and an output unit 230. Each functional configuration is realized by CPU 20A reading and executing an output program stored in ROM 20B.

[0035] The reception unit 200 receives the target area. In this embodiment, the reception unit 200 receives the target area from the user terminal 30 via the communication I / F 20G.

[0036] The reception unit 200 also receives a safety threshold. The safety threshold is a safety threshold for determining whether or not the output unit 230, which will be described later, outputs roads in the target area (hereinafter simply referred to as "roads"). In this embodiment, the reception unit 200 receives the safety threshold from the user terminal 30 via the communication I / F 20G. However, this is not limiting. For example, the reception unit 200 may receive the safety threshold from an administrator of the center server 20, for example. The reception unit 200 may also receive one of a plurality of safety ranks, and set the threshold corresponding to the received rank as the safety threshold.

[0037] The reception unit 200 may further receive at least one of a target date and a target time. In this case, the reception unit 200 receives at least one of a target date and a target time from the user terminal 30 via the communication I / F 20G.

[0038] The acquisition unit 210 has a function of acquiring satellite images (hereinafter simply referred to as "satellite images") of a target area. Specifically, the acquisition unit 210 acquires satellite images from the satellite server 10 via the communication I / F 20G. The acquisition unit 210 acquires at least one satellite image taken at night. In other words, the acquisition unit 210 does not need to acquire satellite images taken during the day. In this embodiment, the nighttime period is from 6:00 PM to 4:00 AM the following morning. However, this is not a limitation. The nighttime period may be a time period accepted from the user terminal 30, such as from sunset to sunrise the following morning.

[0039] In this embodiment, the acquisition unit 210 transmits the target area received by the reception unit 200 to the satellite server 10. The satellite server 10 then transmits at least one satellite image of the target area captured at night. As a result, the acquisition unit 210 acquires at least one satellite image captured at night.

[0040] When the receiving unit 200 receives a target date, the acquiring unit 210 acquires satellite images captured on a date related to the target date. For example, the acquiring unit 210 acquires satellite images captured on a date on which at least one of the day of the week and the time period is the same as the target date. The time period is, for example, one week before or after the same date as the target date. For example, if the target date is Tuesday, August 15, 2023, the acquiring unit 210 acquires at least one of satellite images captured on Tuesday and satellite images captured from August 8, 2022 to August 22, 2022. The time period may be two weeks before or after the same date as the target date, or one month before or after the same date as the target date. The date on which the acquiring unit 210 acquires satellite images captured on the same day of the week as the target date, the same time period as the target date, or the same day of the week and time period as the target date may be predetermined by the user terminal 30 or by an administrator of the center server 20.

[0041] The acquisition unit 210 may also acquire satellite images of the target area captured on a date that is the same as the target date in at least one of whether it is a holiday and when it is the same. Whether it is a holiday indicates whether it is a Saturday, Sunday, or a public holiday. For example, if the target date is August 15, 2023 (Tuesday), the target date is not a holiday. Therefore, the acquisition unit 210 acquires at least one of satellite images captured on weekdays, such as Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday, and satellite images captured between August 8, 2022 and August 22, 2022.

[0042] Furthermore, when the reception unit 200 receives a target time, the acquisition unit 210 acquires satellite images captured in the same time period as the target time received by the reception unit 200. In this case, the acquisition unit 210 acquires satellite images captured in the same time period as the target time, rather than satellite images captured at night. The time period is, for example, 30 minutes before and after the target time received by the reception unit 200. For example, when the target time is 1:00 PM, the acquisition unit 210 acquires satellite images captured from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM. Note that the time period may be one hour before or three hours before or after the target time received by the reception unit 200, for example.

[0043] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the acquisition unit 210 has a function of acquiring event information related to events that have occurred in the target area. In this embodiment, crime information related to the target area and accident information related to the target area are applied as the event information. However, this is not limited to this example. Only one of the crime information related to the target area and the accident information related to the target area may be applied as the event information. Specifically, the acquisition unit 210 acquires the crime information related to the target area and the accident information related to the target area from the event database.

[0044] In addition, when the reception unit 200 receives the target date, the acquisition unit 210 acquires crime information regarding crimes that occurred in the target area on a date that has at least one of the same day of the week and time as the target date, and accident information regarding traffic accidents that occurred in the target area on that date.

[0045] In addition, when the receiving unit 200 receives the target time, the acquiring unit 210 acquires crime information regarding crimes that occurred in the target area during the same time period as the target time, and accident information regarding traffic accidents that occurred in the target area during that time period.

[0046] The calculation unit 220 calculates the safety level based on the satellite image and the event information. In this embodiment, a safety level that takes into account the crime prevention safety level and the traffic safety level is applied as the safety level. Specifically, a total safety level that is the sum of the crime prevention safety level and the traffic safety level is applied as the safety level. However, this is not limited to this example. Only one of the crime prevention safety level and the traffic safety level may be applied as the safety level.

[0047] In this embodiment, the calculation unit 220 calculates the crime prevention safety level based on the brightness of a road at night and crime information related to crimes that have occurred on the road. Specifically, the calculation unit 220 extracts road areas from the satellite image captured at night and acquired by the acquisition unit 210 using a method such as edge tracking. The calculation unit 220 then calculates the illuminance in each road area. The calculation unit 220 then calculates an evaluation value for the brightness of each road from the calculated illuminance. For example, the calculation unit 220 assigns a brightness evaluation value to each road that is determined in proportion to the magnitude of the illuminance.

[0048] The calculation unit 220 also assigns an evaluation value for the crime information to each road. In this embodiment, the calculation unit 220 assigns a value of 0 to roads on which a crime has occurred, and assigns the same evaluation value to roads on which no crime has occurred. However, this is not limiting. For example, the calculation unit 220 may assign an evaluation value for the crime information to each road that is determined inversely proportional to the severity of the sentence for the crime that has occurred. Furthermore, instead of the evaluation value for the crime information, the calculation unit 220 may apply an evaluation value for information regarding whether or not there is someone on the road who can be called for help in the event of a crime, such as the police or a store.

[0049] The calculation unit 220 then calculates the sum of the road brightness evaluation value and the crime information evaluation value as the crime prevention safety level. However, this is not limiting. The calculation unit 220 may apply, as the crime prevention safety level, the average value of the road brightness evaluation value and the crime information evaluation value, or may apply a weighted sum or average value such that either the road brightness evaluation value or the crime information evaluation value is prioritized.

[0050] Furthermore, the calculation unit 220 calculates the traffic safety level based on accident information related to vehicles traveling on the road and traffic accidents that have occurred on the road. Specifically, the calculation unit 220 extracts road areas from satellite images using an edge tracking method or the like. Here, if the acquisition unit 210 acquires only satellite images taken at night, the calculation unit 220 extracts road areas from the satellite images taken at night. On the other hand, if the acquisition unit 210 also acquires satellite images taken at times other than night, the calculation unit 220 may extract road areas from the satellite images taken at times other than night.

[0051] The calculation unit 220 then extracts the front and rear surfaces of vehicles from the extracted road area and calculates the number of vehicles traveling on the road. The calculation unit 220 then calculates a vehicle evaluation value for each road from the calculated number of vehicles. For example, the calculation unit 220 assigns a vehicle evaluation value to each road that is determined in inverse proportion to the number of vehicles. However, this is not a limitation. The calculation unit 220 may also calculate a vehicle evaluation value for each road from the average size or speed of vehicles traveling on the road. In this case, the calculation unit 220 assigns a vehicle evaluation value to each road that is determined in inverse proportion to the average size or speed of vehicles.

[0052] The calculation unit 220 also assigns an evaluation value of the accident information to each road. In this embodiment, the calculation unit 220 assigns a value of 0 to roads on which a traffic accident has occurred, and assigns the same evaluation value to roads on which no traffic accident has occurred. However, the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, the calculation unit 220 may assign a lower evaluation value of the accident information to each road if the traffic accident is a personal injury accident compared to a property damage accident. The calculation unit 220 may also assign an evaluation value of the accident information to each road that is determined in inverse proportion to the length of time required for treatment for victims of the traffic accident. The calculation unit 220 may also apply an evaluation value of information regarding whether there are facilities, such as police or hospitals, that can respond when a traffic accident occurs, instead of the evaluation value of the accident information.

[0053] Then, the calculation unit 220 calculates the sum of the evaluation value of the vehicle and the evaluation value of the accident information as the traffic safety level. However, this is not limited to this example. The calculation unit 220 may apply, as the traffic safety level, the average value of the evaluation value of the vehicle and the evaluation value of the accident, or may apply a weighted sum or average value such that either the evaluation value of the vehicle or the evaluation value of the accident information is prioritized.

[0054] The output unit 230 has a function of outputting roads in the target area whose safety level is below a threshold. That is, the output unit 230 outputs roads whose safety level calculated by the calculation unit 220 is below the threshold accepted by the acceptance unit 200. In this embodiment, the output unit 230 outputs roads whose safety level is below the threshold to the user terminal 30. Note that the output unit 230 may change the threshold based on the time of year or the time period. Furthermore, the output unit 230 may output all safety levels for each road, regardless of whether the safety level is below the threshold.

[0055] The output unit 230 also has a function of outputting a recommendation not to walk on roads whose safety level is below a threshold. However, this is not limited to this example. The output unit 230 may output a recommendation to walk on roads whose safety level is equal to or higher than a threshold, or may output a recommendation to not drive a vehicle on roads whose safety level is below a threshold.

[0056] Next, the flow of the output process for outputting roads whose safety level is below the threshold will be described with reference to Fig. 5. The output process is performed by the CPU 20A reading out an output program from the ROM 20B, expanding it in the RAM 20C, and executing it.

[0057] 5, the CPU 20A waits until it receives a target area. Specifically, the CPU 20A waits until it receives a target area from the user terminal 30. When the CPU 20A receives the target area (step S100: YES), the CPU 20A proceeds to step S101.

[0058] In step S101, the CPU 20A waits until it receives a threshold value. Specifically, the CPU 20A waits until it receives a threshold value from the user terminal 30. When the CPU 20A receives the threshold value (step S101: YES), the process proceeds to step S102.

[0059] In step S102, the CPU 20A transmits to the satellite server 10 the target area received in step S100.

[0060] In step S103, the CPU 20A acquires a satellite image from the satellite server 10. Specifically, the CPU 20A acquires at least one satellite image of the target area taken at night.

[0061] In step S104, the CPU 20A acquires crime information. Specifically, the CPU 20A acquires crime information related to the target area from the event database.

[0062] In step S105, the CPU 20A calculates the crime prevention safety level. Specifically, the CPU 20A calculates the sum of the evaluation value of the brightness of the road in the satellite image taken at night and the evaluation value of the crime information related to the crimes that occurred on the road.

[0063] In step S106, the CPU 20A acquires accident information. Specifically, the CPU 20A acquires accident information relating to the target area from the event database.

[0064] In step S107, the CPU 20A calculates the traffic safety level. Specifically, the CPU 20A calculates the sum of the evaluation value of the vehicles traveling on the roads shown in the satellite image and the evaluation value of the accident information related to traffic accidents that have occurred on the roads.

[0065] In step S108, the CPU 20A calculates a total security level. Specifically, the CPU 20A calculates the sum of the crime prevention security level calculated in step S105 and the crime prevention security level calculated in step S107.

[0066] In step S109, CPU 20A determines whether there is a road whose total safety level is less than the threshold value received in step S101. If there is a road whose total safety level is less than the threshold value received in step S101 (step S109: YES), CPU 20A proceeds to step S110. On the other hand, if there is no road whose total safety level is less than the threshold value received in step S101 (step S109: NO), CPU 20A ends this output process.

[0067] In step S110, CPU 20A outputs to user terminal 30 roads whose total safety level is less than the threshold value received in step S101.

[0068] In step S111, CPU 20A outputs a recommendation notice to user terminal 30, and ends this output process. Specifically, CPU 20A outputs to user terminal 30 a recommendation not to walk on roads whose total safety level is less than the threshold value received in step S101, and ends this output process.

[0069] [remarks] In the above embodiment, the center server 20 configured separately from the user terminal 30 is used as the output device. However, this is not limiting. A device built into the user terminal 30 may also be used as the output device.

[0070] In the above embodiment, satellite images are stored in the satellite server 10, which is configured separately from the center server 20. However, this is not limiting. Satellite images may be stored in a storage device such as the ROM 20B or storage included in the center server 20.

[0071] In the above embodiment, the center server 20 calculates the safety level. However, this is not limiting. A device other than the center server 20 may calculate the safety level. In this case, the center server 20 outputs the safety level calculated by the device other than the center server 20.

[0072] Furthermore, the processing performed by the CPU after reading the software (program) in the above-described embodiments may be performed by various processors other than the CPU. Examples of such processors include programmable logic devices (PLDs) (such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs)) whose circuit configuration can be changed after fabrication, and dedicated electrical circuits such as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) that are processors with circuit configurations specifically designed to perform specific processing. The above-described processing may be performed by one of these various processors, or by a combination of two or more processors of the same or different types (e.g., multiple FPGAs, or a combination of a CPU and an FPGA). The hardware structure of these various processors is, more specifically, an electrical circuit that combines circuit elements such as semiconductor devices.

[0073] In the above embodiment, the programs are pre-stored (installed) in ROM, but the present invention is not limited to this. The programs may be provided in a form recorded on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), a DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disc Read Only Memory), or a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory. The programs may also be downloaded from an external device via a network.

[0074] The processing flow described in the above embodiment is also an example, and unnecessary steps may be deleted, new steps may be added, or the processing order may be changed within the scope of the gist of the invention.

[0075] Furthermore, the configurations of the satellite server 10, the center server 20, and the user terminal 30 described in the above embodiment are merely examples, and may be changed according to the situation within the scope of the spirit of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0076] 20 Center server (output device) 210 Acquisition Department 230 Output section

Claims

1. an acquisition unit that acquires satellite images of a target area and event information relating to events that have occurred in the target area; an output unit that outputs roads in the target area whose safety level calculated based on the satellite image and the event information is less than a threshold; Equipped with the acquisition unit acquires, as the event information, crime information regarding crimes that have occurred in the target area; the output unit outputs, as the roads having a safety level below the threshold, roads having a crime prevention safety level below the threshold calculated based on an evaluation value of brightness of the roads shown in the satellite image and an evaluation value of the crime information; The output unit further outputs, as the roads with a safety level below the threshold, roads with a safety level below the threshold calculated based on an evaluation value of the brightness of the roads shown in the satellite image and an evaluation value of information regarding whether there are people on the road who can be called for help in the event of a crime.

2. The acquisition unit further acquires, as the event information, accident information regarding traffic accidents that have occurred in the target area, The output unit further outputs, as the roads with a safety level below a threshold, roads with a traffic safety level below a threshold calculated based on an evaluation value of vehicles traveling on the roads shown in the satellite image and an evaluation value of the accident information; 2. The output device according to claim 1, wherein the output unit further outputs, as the roads having a safety level below a threshold, roads having a safety level below a threshold calculated based on an evaluation value of the brightness of the roads shown in the satellite image and an evaluation value of information regarding whether or not there are facilities available to respond in the event of a traffic accident.

3. The output device according to claim 2 , wherein the output unit further outputs, as the roads for which the safety level is less than the threshold, roads for which the sum of the crime prevention safety level and the traffic safety level is less than a threshold.

4. The output device according to claim 1 , wherein the output unit outputs a recommendation to avoid walking on the road where the safety level is less than the threshold value.

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