MOBILE BODY, MOBILE BODY CONTROL METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a moving body, a method for switching driving modes, and a recording medium with which details of an event can be ascertained quickly and accurately with fewer personnel. [Solution] This moving body comprises: a camera; a movement means moving autonomously on the basis of information set in advance; a transmission means that, during movement by the movement means, transmits images taken by the camera to a predetermined control center; a determination means that determines whether or not an event appearing in an image from the camera conforms to a predetermined autonomous driving stop condition; and a control means for, in the case where an event conforming to the autonomous driving stop condition has occurred, shifting to an operating mode for staying at the location where the event occurred and continuing to take images and transmit the images to the control center.

Description

MOBILE BODY, METHOD FOR CONTROLLING MOBILE BODY, AND RECORDING MEDIUM

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a mobile object, a method for controlling a mobile object, and a recording medium.

[0002] Patent Literature 1 discloses a drone security system that can respond by dispatching security personnel to the scene of an abnormality such as an intrusion or fire. According to the document, the drone security system includes a drone equipped with a camera, a cloud server, and a security officer terminal. The drone transmits image data captured by the camera while flying a predetermined course to the cloud server. The cloud server analyzes the image data received from the drone using a video analysis means, and notifies the security officer terminal when it detects an intrusion into a predetermined area, a fire, smoke, a violent act, a fallen object, an object theft, illegal dumping, illegal dumped material, illegal parking, a person who has fallen, or a gesture indicating a need for rescue.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-180374

[0004] In the monitoring system exemplified in Patent Document 1, the video analysis means of the cloud server is configured to analyze image data received from a drone, which presents a problem in that it cannot handle cases where it is difficult to determine the situation based on the image data alone. In this regard, it is conceivable to send a notification and dispatch personnel when such images are obtained, but this poses a problem in that if the events to be detected are widespread, a significant amount of personnel resources would be required. Furthermore, there is a possibility that waiting for the dispatch of personnel to detect some detected events will result in missing the timing.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a mobile body, a method for controlling a mobile body, and a recording medium that enable the content of an incident to be grasped quickly and accurately with fewer personnel.

[0006] According to a first aspect, a mobile body is provided that includes a camera, a moving means for moving autonomously based on pre-set information, a transmission means for transmitting images captured by the camera to a predetermined control center while moving by the moving means, a determination means for determining whether an event captured in an image from the camera complies with predetermined conditions for stopping autonomous driving, and a control means for, when an event that complies with the conditions for stopping autonomous driving occurs, remaining at the location where the event occurred and transitioning to an operating mode in which images are continued to be captured and transmitted to the control center.

[0007] According to a second aspect, a method for controlling a mobile body is provided, the mobile body being equipped with a camera, a moving means for moving autonomously based on pre-set information, and a transmission means for transmitting images captured by the camera to a predetermined control center while moving by the moving means, the method determining whether an event captured in an image from the camera complies with predetermined conditions for stopping autonomous driving, and if an event that complies with the conditions for stopping autonomous driving occurs, the method remaining at the location where the event occurred and continuing to take images and transmit the images to the control center.

[0008] According to a third aspect, there is provided a recording medium having recorded thereon a program that causes a computer mounted on a mobile body equipped with a camera, a means for moving autonomously based on pre-set information, the camera, the means for moving autonomously based on pre-set information, and a transmission means for transmitting images captured by the camera to a predetermined control center while moving by the means for moving, to execute the following process: determining whether an event captured in an image from the camera complies with predetermined conditions for stopping autonomous driving; and, if an event that complies with the conditions for stopping autonomous driving occurs, remaining at the location where the event occurred and continuing to capture images and transmit the images to the control center.

[0009] According to the present disclosure, a mobile body, an operation mode switching method, and a recording medium are provided that allow the details of an incident to be grasped quickly and accurately with fewer personnel.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating the operation of an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an autonomously driven vehicle of the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining conditions under which an autonomously driven vehicle of the first embodiment of the present disclosure ceases autonomous driving. FIG. 6 is a flow diagram for explaining the operation of an autonomously driven vehicle of the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the operation of an autonomously driven vehicle of the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is another diagram for explaining the operation of an autonomously driven vehicle of the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of an autonomously driven vehicle of a second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of an autonomously driven vehicle of a third embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of an autonomously driven vehicle of a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 12 is another diagram for explaining the operation of a drone of a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a computer capable of functioning as a moving body of the present disclosure.

[0011] An overview of one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the reference numerals in this overview are provided for convenience of each element as an example to facilitate understanding, and are not intended to limit the present disclosure to the illustrated form. Furthermore, connecting lines between blocks in the drawings and the like referred to in the following description include both bidirectional and unidirectional lines. Unidirectional arrows are used to schematically indicate the flow of main signals (data) and do not exclude bidirectionality. A program is executed via a computer device, which includes, for example, a processor, a storage device, an input device, a communication interface, and, if necessary, a display device. Furthermore, this computer device is configured to be able to communicate with internal or external devices (including computers) via the communication interface, whether wired or wireless. Furthermore, ports or interfaces are present at the input / output connection points of each block in the drawings, but are not shown.

[0012] In one embodiment, the present disclosure can be realized in a mobile object 10 including a camera 11, a moving means 12, a transmitting means 13, a determining means 14, and a control means 15, as shown in FIG.

[0013] More specifically, the transportation means 12 is composed of various propulsion devices that function as transportation means for autonomously moving based on pre-set information, and a control device that controls the propulsion devices. The pre-set information may include, but is not limited to, various settings such as making the mobile body 10 move around a specified route or making the mobile body move around areas with a large number of people and cars.

[0014] The transmission means 13 transmits images captured by the camera 11 to a predetermined control center while the moving means 12 is moving. The camera 11, moving means 12, and transmission means 13 can be provided in an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) called a drone or an autonomous vehicle.

[0015] The determination means 14 determines whether or not an event captured in an image of the camera 11 satisfies a predetermined condition for terminating autonomous driving. For example, the determination means 14 determines whether or not a suspicious object is captured in an image captured by the camera 11, and notifies the control means 15 of the result.

[0016] When an event that satisfies the autonomous driving suspension condition occurs, the control means 15 stays at the location where the event occurred and transitions to an operation mode in which the vehicle 10 continues taking images and transmitting the images to the control center. For example, when the determination means 14 determines that a suspicious object is captured, the control means 15 controls the vehicle 10 to stay at the location where the event occurred and transitions to an operation mode in which the vehicle 10 continues taking images and transmitting the images to the control center.

[0017] 2 shows a method for controlling a moving body. The moving body 10 configured as described above operates as follows. As shown in FIG. 2, the moving body 10 analyzes images captured by the camera 11 at predetermined time intervals (step S01) and determines whether an event that meets a predetermined autonomous driving suspension condition has occurred (step S02). If it is determined that an event that meets the predetermined autonomous driving suspension condition has not occurred, the moving body 10 continues autonomous driving (No in step S02).

[0018] On the other hand, if it is determined that an event that meets the predetermined autonomous driving suspension condition has occurred, the mobile body 10 remains at the location where the event has occurred and transitions to an operation mode in which it continues taking images and transmitting the images to the control center (step S03). In this case, the mobile body 10 may also notify the control center of the type and content of the event that has occurred.

[0019] When the mobile object 10 transitions to the operation mode, it remains at the location where the event occurred and continues to take images and transmit the images to the control center. For example, if the mobile object 10 confirms the aforementioned suspicious object, it approaches the suspicious object, takes a photo of the suspicious object with the camera 11, and transmits the photo to the control center. A person in charge at the control center refers to the image transmitted from the mobile object 10 and checks the details. Furthermore, the mobile object 10 may transmit the photograph of the suspicious object taken to a party other than the control center as necessary.

[0020] As described above, according to the present disclosure, it is possible to quickly and accurately grasp the details of an incident with fewer personnel.

[0021] [First Embodiment] Next, a first embodiment in which a function for changing a driving mode according to a situation is added to an autonomously driven vehicle that travels autonomously and transmits images to a control center will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the first embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Fig. 3, the configuration includes one or more autonomously driven vehicles 100 and a control center 200 that receives images from the autonomously driven vehicles 100 and supports traffic control and monitoring operations.

[0022] 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an autonomous vehicle 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 4, the autonomous vehicle 100 includes a camera 101, a moving unit 102, a transmitting unit 103, a determining unit 104, and a control unit 105.

[0023] The transportation means 102 is a means for the automatically driven vehicle 100 to move autonomously based on pre-set information, and specifically comprises a plurality of wheels, motors that drive the wheels, a control device, etc.

[0024] The transmitting means 103 transmits the images taken by the camera 101 to the control center 200 while the moving means 102 is moving.

[0025] The determination means 104 determines whether or not an event captured in an image from the camera 101 meets predetermined autonomous driving termination conditions. Fig. 5 is a table showing the correspondence between conditions (autonomous driving termination conditions) under which the determination means 104 of the autonomous vehicle 100 terminates autonomous driving, the actions that the autonomous vehicle 100 takes by switching the operation mode when an event that meets each condition is detected, and the conditions for terminating the operation mode.

[0026] For example, when a suspicious vehicle is detected, the determination means 104 determines that an event that meets the autonomous driving suspension conditions has occurred. In this case, the autonomously driven vehicle 100 moves in front of the vehicle and takes a photograph. As a result, an image of the suspicious vehicle is transmitted to the control center 200. A person in charge at the control center 200 refers to the image received from the autonomously driven vehicle 100 to confirm whether or not a driver is present, record the license plate if necessary, and contact the relevant authorities. Similarly, when a vehicle involved in a traffic accident is detected, the determination means 104 determines that an event that meets the autonomous driving suspension conditions has occurred. In this case, the autonomously driven vehicle 100 remains at the scene of the traffic accident and photographs the accident situation and the rescue situation of the injured. As a result, an image of the scene after the traffic accident is transmitted to the control center 200. A person in charge at the control center 200 arranges for an ambulance and contacts the police.

[0027] Similarly, if a suspicious person is detected, the determination means 104 determines that an event that meets the autonomous driving suspension conditions has occurred. In this case, the autonomous vehicle 100 remains at the location where the suspicious person was detected and continues capturing images. This makes it possible to capture images of the surrounding area immediately after the suspicious person commits a crime, for example. Furthermore, if the suspicious person has other people involved or has been victimized, the autonomous vehicle 100 can capture images of the suspicious person's other people or the victimized person. These images are transmitted to the control center 200. A person in charge at the control center 200 can refer to the images and contact the police or a security company.

[0028] In this way, by determining the location to which autonomously driven vehicle 100 should move for each autonomous driving suspension condition, it becomes possible to transmit appropriate images to control center 200. Furthermore, in a more desirable form, the location to which autonomously driven vehicle 100 should move may be determined in more detail for each autonomous driving suspension condition. For example, when photographing a vehicle, specifying that the photograph should be taken from a predetermined distance ahead of the vehicle has the advantage of making it easier to recognize license plates and the like from the photographed image and facilitating management.

[0029] In the example of FIG. 5 , an end condition for the operation mode (second autonomous driving mode) in which the autonomous vehicle 100 remains at the scene and continues photographing and transmitting is defined for each autonomous driving termination condition. For example, if the aforementioned suspicious vehicle is detected, the autonomous vehicle 100 terminates the operation mode (second autonomous driving mode) in which the autonomous vehicle 100 remains at the scene and continues photographing and transmitting once photographing of the target vehicle is completed. Similarly, if a vehicle involved in a traffic accident is detected, the autonomous vehicle 100 terminates the operation mode (second autonomous driving mode) in which the autonomous vehicle 100 remains at the scene and continues photographing and transmitting once the arrival of an emergency vehicle such as a police or ambulance is confirmed. Similarly, if a suspicious person is detected, the autonomous vehicle 100 terminates the operation mode (second autonomous driving mode) in which the autonomous vehicle 100 remains at the scene and continues photographing and transmitting after a predetermined time has elapsed. In this way, by defining an end condition for each autonomous driving termination condition, the autonomous vehicle 100 can quickly return to the operation mode in which the autonomous vehicle 100 moves autonomously based on the previously set information.

[0030] The function of checking whether an event has occurred in the determination means 104 can use a method that is put into practical use in an anomaly detection system that uses AI (artificial intelligence) to detect abnormalities in a location captured by a camera. For example, a "suspicious vehicle," a "traffic accident," or a "suspicious person" can be detected from their external characteristics and movements.

[0031] When the determination means 104 determines that an event that satisfies the autonomous driving suspension condition has occurred, it notifies the control means 105 of the content of the event that has occurred.

[0032] When the control means 105 receives notification that an event that meets the autonomous driving suspension conditions has occurred, it transitions to an operation mode (second autonomous driving mode) in which it remains at the scene and continues taking images and transmitting the images to the control center 200 in accordance with the event that has occurred. Furthermore, when an end condition defined for each autonomous driving suspension condition is met, the control means 105 ends the operation mode (second autonomous driving mode) in which it remains at the scene and continues taking images and transmitting data, and returns to an operation mode in which it moves autonomously based on the pre-set information. Note that possible methods for the autonomously driven vehicle 100 to remain at the scene include pulling over to the shoulder of the road and stopping, or running onto the sidewalk and stopping.

[0033] Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the autonomously driven vehicle 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. The flowchart on the left side of Fig. 6 shows the operation of the autonomously driven vehicle 100 operating in the initial autonomous driving mode (first autonomous driving mode). First, the autonomously driven vehicle 100 analyzes images from the camera 101 at predetermined time intervals (step S101).

[0034] 5 has occurred (Yes in step S102), autonomous vehicle 100 stops the initial autonomous driving, stays at the scene, and transitions to an operation mode (second autonomous driving mode) in which it continues taking images and transmitting the images to control center 200 (step S103). On the other hand, if no event has occurred that meets the autonomous driving suspension conditions, autonomous vehicle 100 continues operation in the autonomous driving mode (No in step S102).

[0035] The flow chart on the right side of Figure 6 shows the operation of autonomous vehicle 100 operating in the second autonomous driving mode. If an end condition for the second autonomous driving mode is met, such as completion of collection of predetermined information, while operating in the second autonomous driving mode (Yes in step S201), autonomous vehicle 100 returns the driving mode to the initial autonomous driving mode (first autonomous driving mode) (step S202). Then, autonomous vehicle 100 resumes operation prior to the occurrence of the event that meets the autonomous driving suspension condition. Meanwhile, autonomous vehicle 100 continues operation in the second autonomous driving mode until an end condition for the second autonomous driving mode is met (No in step S201).

[0036] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the autonomous vehicle according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. Reference symbol R1 in FIG. 7 indicates the route of the autonomous vehicle 100 in the first autonomous driving mode. As shown in the upper part of FIG. 7 , assume that the autonomous vehicle 100 travels along the route R1 and discovers a suspicious vehicle when it arrives at point A. In this case, the autonomous vehicle 100 determines that an event that meets the conditions for terminating autonomous driving has occurred and transitions to an operating mode (second autonomous driving mode) in which the autonomous vehicle 100 remains at the scene and continues to capture and transmit images to the control center 200. Then, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 7 , the autonomous vehicle 100 drives around in front of the suspicious vehicle and captures and transmits images of the vehicle and license plate. A person in charge at the control center 200 refers to the images transmitted from the autonomous vehicle 100 and determines whether or not to take action against the suspicious vehicle and the content of the action. After collecting the necessary information, the autonomous vehicle 100 returns to the first autonomous driving mode and resumes traveling along the route R1.

[0037] FIG. 8 is another diagram illustrating the operation of the autonomous vehicle according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. In FIG. 8 , reference symbol R1 also indicates the route of the autonomous vehicle 100 in autonomous driving mode. As shown in the upper part of FIG. 8 , assume that the autonomous vehicle 100 travels along route R1 and encounters a traffic accident when it arrives at point B. In this case, the autonomous vehicle 100 determines that an event that meets the conditions for terminating autonomous driving has occurred, and transitions to an operating mode (second autonomous driving mode) in which the autonomous vehicle 100 remains at the scene and continues to capture images and transmit the images to the control center 200. Then, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 8 , the autonomous vehicle 100 stops near the traffic accident scene and captures and transmits images of the scene, including the status of rescue of injured persons. A person in charge at the control center 200 refers to the images transmitted from the autonomous vehicle 100 and determines whether or not to take action against the traffic accident and the content of the action. In addition, this image can be used at a later date to calculate the degree of fault in the traffic accident and as a record showing whether the assistance provided to the injured by the parties involved was appropriate. Meanwhile, after the arrival of the emergency vehicle, autonomous vehicle 100 returns to the first autonomous driving mode and resumes traveling along route R1.

[0038] FIG. 9 is another diagram illustrating the operation of the autonomous vehicle according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. In FIG. 9 , reference symbol R1 also indicates the route of the autonomous vehicle 100 in autonomous driving mode. As shown in the upper part of FIG. 9 , assume that the autonomous vehicle 100 travels along route R1 and discovers a suspicious individual when it arrives at point C. In this case, the autonomous vehicle 100 determines that an event that meets the autonomous driving termination condition has occurred and transitions to an operation mode (second autonomous driving mode) in which the autonomous vehicle 100 remains at the scene and continues capturing and transmitting images to the control center 200. Then, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 9 , the autonomous vehicle 100 stops near the location where the suspicious individual was discovered and continues capturing and transmitting images. A person in charge at the control center 200 refers to the images transmitted from the autonomous vehicle 100 and determines whether or not to take action against the suspicious individual and the content of the action. These images can also be used as evidence in police investigations or court cases at a later date. On the other hand, after the predetermined time has elapsed, the autonomous vehicle 100 returns to the first autonomous driving mode and resumes traveling along the route R1.

[0039] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to use an autonomously driving vehicle 100 as a means of staying at a location near the route of the autonomously driving vehicle 100 and understanding the details of the event. Furthermore, it is possible to reduce the number of times personnel are dispatched, as in the method described in the background art, and thus it is possible to dramatically reduce operational costs.

[0040] Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment in which an audio output function is added to an autonomously driven vehicle 100a will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an autonomously driven vehicle 100a according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. The difference from the first embodiment shown in Fig. 4 is that a speaker 106 is added to the autonomously driven vehicle 100a. Since the other configurations and operations are the same as those of the first embodiment, a description thereof will be omitted and the description will focus on the differences.

[0041] The speaker 106 is configured to be able to output pre-registered voices and alarm sounds.

[0042] According to this embodiment, for example, in the situations shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, it is possible to output voice or alarm sounds to alert nearby passersby and the like.

[0043] 11 , autonomously driven vehicle 100b may be equipped with a microphone 107 so that audio from autonomously driven vehicle 100b can be transmitted to control center 200. In this way, a person in charge at control center 200 can communicate with people at the scene and record audio at the scene.

[0044] [Fourth Embodiment] In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12 , an autonomous vehicle 100c may be equipped with a light-emitting device 108. A device capable of emitting high-brightness light, such as a light-emitting diode (LED) or a rotating light, can be suitably used as the light-emitting device 108. In this manner, the autonomous vehicle 100c can turn on the light-emitting device 108 in the second autonomous driving mode to alert people in the vicinity. For example, turning on the light-emitting device 108 in the situations shown in FIGS. 7 to 9 can alert the vehicle occupants that a parked vehicle has been detected and is being photographed.

[0045] Furthermore, in the second to fourth embodiments described above, it is also preferable to define different operation contents and termination conditions for the speaker 106 and the light-emitting device 108 for each autonomous driving suspension condition. By doing so, it is possible to implement warning operations according to the autonomous driving suspension conditions, such as sounding an alarm from the speaker 106 and approaching when a suspicious vehicle is discovered, and quietly capturing images without outputting audio when a traffic accident or suspicious person is discovered. Similarly, it is possible to implement warning operations according to the autonomous driving suspension conditions, such as emitting light when a suspicious vehicle or traffic accident is discovered, and quietly capturing images without emitting light when a suspicious person is discovered.

[0046] (Hardware Configuration) In each embodiment of the present disclosure, each component of each device represents a functional unit block. Some or all of the components of each device are realized by an arbitrary combination of an information processing device 900 and a program, for example, as shown in FIG. 14. FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing device 900 that realizes each component of each device. The information processing device 900 includes, as an example, the following configuration: - 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 the program 904 - Drive device 907 that reads and writes to a recording medium 906 - Communication interface 908 that connects to a communication network 909 - Input / output interface 910 that inputs and outputs data - Bus 911 that connects each component

[0047] Each component of each device in each embodiment is realized by the CPU 901 acquiring and executing a program 904 that realizes these functions. That is, the CPU 901 in FIG. 14 executes a program that determines whether an event that requires autonomous driving to be stopped has occurred and a program that switches to a driving mode, and performs processing to update each calculation parameter stored in the RAM 903, storage device 905, etc. The program 904 that realizes the function of each component of each device is, for example, stored in advance in the storage device 905 or ROM 902, and is read by the CPU 901 as needed. 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.

[0048] Furthermore, this program 904 can display the processing results, including intermediate states, at each stage as necessary on a display device, or can communicate with the outside via a communication interface. Furthermore, this program 904 can be recorded in a computer-readable (non-transitive) storage medium.

[0049] There are various variations in the method of realizing each device. For example, each device may be realized by any combination of a separate information processing device 900 and a program for each component. Furthermore, multiple components of each device may be realized by any combination of a single information processing device 900 and a program. That is, the first to fifth embodiments can be realized by a computer program that causes the processors installed in these devices to execute the above-described processes using their hardware.

[0050] In addition, some or all of the components of each device may be realized by other general-purpose or dedicated circuits, processors, etc., or a combination of these. These may be configured by a single chip, or by multiple chips connected via a bus.

[0051] Some or all of the components of each device may be realized by a combination of the above-mentioned circuits and programs.

[0052] When some or all of the components of each device are realized by multiple information processing devices, circuits, etc., the multiple information processing devices, circuits, etc. may be centrally or decentralized. For example, the information processing devices, circuits, etc. may be realized as a client-server system, a cloud computing system, or the like, in a form in which each device is connected via a communication network.

[0053] It should be noted that the above-described embodiments are preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to only the above-described embodiments. In other words, those skilled in the art can modify or substitute the above-described embodiments to construct various modified forms without departing from the gist of the present disclosure.

[0054] Furthermore, the features of the first to fourth embodiments described above can be combined to form other embodiments. For example, the second, third, and fourth embodiments can be combined to form an autonomous vehicle equipped with a voice output function, a call function, and a light-emitting function.

[0055] Furthermore, in the above-described first to fourth embodiments, examples have been described in which an autonomous vehicle is used as the mobile body. However, other mobile bodies, such as drones and robots with autonomous driving capabilities, can also be used. For example, a mobile body according to the present disclosure can be configured by adding the determination means and control means of the present disclosure to a drone that patrols along a predetermined patrol course and transmits images. For example, as shown in FIG. 13 , assume that a drone discovers a parked vehicle when it arrives at point A. In this case, the drone determines that an event that meets the conditions for terminating autonomous driving has occurred, remains at the scene, and continues taking images and transmitting the images to the control center (fifth embodiment).

[0056] A part or all of the above-described embodiments can be described as, but not limited to, the following supplementary notes.

[0057] [Supplementary Note 1] A mobile body comprising: a camera; a moving means for autonomously moving based on preset information; a transmitting means for transmitting images captured by the camera to a predetermined control center while moving by the moving means; a determining means for determining whether an event captured in the image of the camera meets predetermined autonomous driving suspension conditions; and a control means for, when an event meeting the autonomous driving suspension conditions occurs, transitioning to an operation mode in which the mobile body remains at the location where the event occurred and continues capturing images and transmitting the images to the control center. [Supplementary Note 2] The control means of the mobile body can be configured to move to a position specified for each autonomous driving suspension condition and continue transmitting images to the control center. [Supplementary Note 3] One of the positions specified for each autonomous driving suspension condition can be configured to be a position for photographing a target vehicle from a predetermined distance ahead. [Supplementary Note 4] The control means of the mobile body can be configured to terminate the operation mode based on a termination condition specified for each autonomous driving suspension condition. [Supplementary Note 5] The above-mentioned moving body may further include a speaker or a light-emitting device, and the control means may be configured to be able to implement a warning operation using the speaker or the light-emitting device by defining operation details for each of the autonomous driving suspension conditions. [Supplementary Note 6] A method for controlling a moving body, comprising: a camera, moving means for autonomously moving based on preset information, and transmission means for transmitting images captured by the camera to a predetermined control center while moving by the moving means; determining whether an event captured in an image by the camera meets predetermined autonomous driving suspension conditions; and, if an event that meets the autonomous driving suspension conditions occurs, remaining at the location where the event occurred, and continuing to capture images and transmit the images to the control center.[Supplementary Note 7] A recording medium having recorded thereon a program that causes a computer mounted on a mobile body equipped with a camera, a moving means for autonomously moving based on preset information, and a transmission means for transmitting images captured by the camera to a predetermined control center while the mobile means is moving, to execute the following processes: determining whether an event captured in an image from the camera meets predetermined autonomous driving suspension conditions; and, if an event that meets the autonomous driving suspension conditions occurs, remaining at the location where the event occurred and continuing to capture images and transmit the images to the control center. Note that the forms of Supplementary Notes 6 to 7 above can be expanded into the forms of Supplementary Notes 2 to 5, as with Supplementary Note 1.

[0058] The disclosures of the above-cited patent documents are incorporated herein by reference and may be used as the basis or part of this disclosure, as necessary. Modifications and adjustments of the embodiments and examples are possible within the scope of the entire disclosure (including the claims), and further based on the basic technical concepts thereof. Furthermore, various combinations and selections (including partial deletions) of various disclosed elements (including elements of each claim, each element of each embodiment or example, each element of each drawing, etc.) are possible within the scope of the disclosure of this document. In other words, this disclosure naturally includes various modifications and alterations that would be possible by a person skilled in the art in accordance with the entire disclosure, including the claims, and the technical concepts thereof. In particular, with regard to the numerical ranges described herein, any numerical value or subrange within that range should be construed as specifically described, even if not otherwise specified. Furthermore, the disclosures of the above-cited documents, when used in part or in whole in combination with the disclosures herein, as part of the disclosure of this document, in accordance with the spirit of this disclosure, are also deemed to be included in the disclosures of this application.

[0059] 10 Mobile object 11, 101 Camera 12, 102 Moving means 13, 103 Transmission means 14, 104 Determination means 15, 105 Control means 100, 100a to 100c Self-driving vehicle 106 Speaker 107 Microphone 108 Light-emitting device 900 Information processing device 901 CPU (Central Processing Unit) 902 ROM (Read Only Memory) 903 RAM (Random Access Memory) 904 Program 905 Storage device 906 Recording medium 907 Drive device 908 Communication interface 909 Communication network 910 Input / output interface 911 Bus R1 Circulation route

Claims

1. A camera and a means of transportation for autonomously moving based on pre-set information; a transmitting means for transmitting images captured by the camera to a predetermined control center while the vehicle is moving by the moving means; a determination means for determining whether an event captured in an image of the camera satisfies a predetermined autonomous driving termination condition; a control means for, when an event that satisfies the autonomous driving suspension condition occurs, transitioning to an operation mode in which the vehicle remains at the location where the event occurred and continues taking images and transmitting the images to the control center; A mobile body comprising:

2. the control means moves the position determined for each of the autonomous driving suspension conditions and continues transmitting images to the control center. The moving body of claim 1.

3. 3. The moving body according to claim 2, wherein one of the positions determined for each autonomous driving suspension condition is a position for photographing the target vehicle from a predetermined distance ahead.

4. the control means terminates the operation mode based on a termination condition defined for each of the autonomous driving termination conditions.

4. A moving body according to claim 1.

5. The moving object further includes a speaker or a light-emitting device, 4. The moving body according to claim 1, wherein the control means is configured to be able to perform a warning operation using the speaker or the light-emitting device by determining the operation content for each of the autonomous driving suspension conditions.

6. A mobile body comprising a camera, a moving means for autonomously moving based on preset information, and a transmitting means for transmitting an image taken by the camera to a predetermined control center while the moving means is moving, Determine whether or not an event captured in an image of the camera satisfies a predetermined autonomous driving termination condition; If an event that satisfies the autonomous driving suspension condition occurs, the vehicle remains at the location where the event occurred and continues taking images and transmitting the images to the control center. A method for controlling a moving object.

7. A computer mounted on a mobile body including a camera, a moving means for autonomously moving based on preset information, and a transmitting means for transmitting an image taken by the camera to a predetermined control center while the mobile means is moving, A process of determining whether an event captured in an image of the camera satisfies a predetermined autonomous driving termination condition; When an event that satisfies the autonomous driving stop condition occurs, a process of staying at the location where the event occurred and continuing to take images and transmit the images to the control center; A computer program that executes