Facility management device, facility management method, and recording medium

Abstract

One objective of the present disclosure is to provide a facility management device and the like that are capable of assisting in confirming the contact state between facilities and trees while suppressing the burden on administrators. A facility management device according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises: an acquisition means for acquiring a captured image of a road and image capture location information, which is information regarding the image capture point of the captured image; an identification means for identifying the presence or absence of a road facility around the image capture point of the captured image, on the basis of the image capture location information and road facility register information including registered location information, which is location information of registered road facilities; a detection means for detecting a road facility and a tree from a captured image in which the presence of the road facility has been identified; a determination means for determining a contact risk indicating the possibility of the tree coming into contact with the detected road facility, on the basis of a facility area, which is an area of the captured image that relates to the detected road facility, and a tree area, which is an area of the captured image that relates to the detected tree; and an output means for outputting the determined contact risk.

Description

Equipment management device, equipment management method, and recording medium

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an equipment management device, an equipment management method, and a recording medium.

[0002] Inspections may be performed to check for the occurrence of abnormalities in equipment such as utility poles installed around roads. Therefore, the administrator may visit the equipment and perform visual inspections.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a power transmission line inspection system that can automatically perform inspections of power transmission lines. Specifically, Patent Document 1 describes creating a three-dimensional image from an image and distance measurement data of an inspection location collected by an information collection system of an unmanned helicopter, processing the created three-dimensional image, and inspecting whether there is an abnormality in the power transmission line at the inspection location based on the processed three-dimensional image.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-265699

[0005] When a tree comes into contact with equipment, the likelihood of accidents such as damage, collapse, and fire of the equipment increases. Therefore, it is required to check the contact status of trees with the equipment. Here, the equipment to be managed may exist over a wide area or in a large quantity. Even in such cases, the administrator is required to check all the equipment.

[0006] One of the objectives of the present disclosure is to provide an equipment management device and the like that can support the confirmation of the contact status between equipment and trees while suppressing the burden on the administrator.

[0007] An equipment management device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: acquisition means for acquiring a photographed image of a road and a shooting location information which is information about the shooting location of the photographed image; identification means for identifying whether or not there is road equipment around the shooting location of the photographed image based on road equipment ledger information which includes registered location information which is location information of registered road equipment and the shooting location information; detection means for detecting road equipment and trees from the photographed image in which the presence of road equipment has been identified; determination means for determining a contact risk indicating the possibility of trees coming into contact with the detected road equipment based on an equipment area which is an area relating to the detected road equipment and a tree area which is an area relating to the detected trees in the photographed image; and output means for outputting the determined contact risk.

[0008] A facility management method according to one aspect of the present disclosure acquires a photographic image of a road and location information which is information about the location where the photographic image was taken; identifies the presence or absence of road facilities around the location where the photographic image was taken based on road facility ledger information which includes registered location information which is location information of registered road facilities and the location information; detects road facilities and trees from the photographic image in which the presence of road facilities has been identified; determines a contact risk indicating the possibility of trees coming into contact with the detected road facilities based on a facility area which is the area related to the detected road facilities and a tree area which is the area related to the detected trees in the photographic image; and outputs the determined contact risk.

[0009] A recording medium according to one aspect of the present disclosure stores a program that causes a computer to execute the following: a process of acquiring a photographed image of a road and a shooting location information which is information about the shooting location of the photographed image; a process of determining whether or not there are road facilities around the shooting location of the photographed image based on road facility ledger information which includes registered location information which is location information of registered road facilities and the shooting location information; a process of detecting road facilities and trees from the photographed image in which the presence of road facilities has been identified; a process of determining a contact risk indicating the possibility of trees coming into contact with the detected road facilities based on a facility area which is an area related to the detected road facilities and a tree area which is an area related to the detected trees in the photographed image; and a process of outputting the determined contact risk.

[0010] According to this disclosure, it is possible to support the confirmation of contact between equipment and trees while reducing the burden on administrators.

[0011] This is a schematic diagram showing an example of a configuration including the equipment management device of this disclosure. This is a first block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the equipment management device of this disclosure. This is a first flowchart explaining an example of the operation of the equipment management device of this disclosure. This is a second block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the equipment management device of this disclosure. This is a diagram showing an example of equipment management ledger information of this disclosure. This is a first diagram showing an example of a captured image of this disclosure. This is a first diagram showing an example of a detection result of this disclosure. This is a second diagram showing an example of a detection result of this disclosure. This is a diagram showing an example of contact risk management information of this disclosure. This is a first diagram showing an example of output information of this disclosure. This is a second diagram showing an example of output information of this disclosure. This is a third diagram showing an example of output information of this disclosure. This is a fourth diagram showing an example of output information of this disclosure. This is a second flowchart explaining an example of the operation of the equipment management device of this disclosure. This is a third diagram showing an example of a detection result of this disclosure. This is a second diagram showing an example of a captured image of this disclosure. This is a third diagram showing an example of a captured image of this disclosure. This is a third flowchart explaining an example of the operation of the equipment management device of this disclosure. This is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a computer device that implements the equipment management device of this disclosure.

[0012] Embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0013] <First Embodiment> An overview of the equipment management device of the first embodiment will be described.

[0014] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a configuration including an equipment management device. In the example shown in Figure 1, the equipment management device 100 may be connected to the image management server 200, the imaging device 300, and the terminal device 400 via a wireless or wired network. The equipment management device 100 may be able to communicate with other devices not shown. The equipment management device 100 is, for example, a server device, but is not limited to this example. The equipment management device 100 may be implemented as a cloud server. Furthermore, the equipment management device 100 may be constructed from multiple devices.

[0015] The imaging device 300 generates captured images by taking photographs. The captured images may be still images or moving images. The imaging device 300 photographs the road. In the example shown in Figure 1, the imaging device 300 is mounted on a moving vehicle. For example, the imaging device 300 may take photographs while the vehicle is moving along the road. The mounting examples of the imaging device 300 are not limited to this example.

[0016] When various facilities are installed around a road, these facilities will be visible in the captured images. Here, facilities installed around a road are referred to as road facilities. Road facilities include, for example, utility poles. Road facilities may also include power lines. Furthermore, road facilities are not limited to these examples and may include, for example, signs, billboards, traffic signals, and information boards.

[0017] The image management server 200 manages the captured images. For example, the image management server 200 acquires the captured images taken by the imaging device 300. The image management server 200 then stores the captured images. The image management server 200 may be implemented as a cloud server. Alternatively, the image management server 200 may be constructed using multiple devices.

[0018] The terminal device 400 is a device with an input / output interface that is operated by a person. The terminal device 400 may be a device operated by the manager of the road equipment to be managed. For example, the terminal device 400 is a personal computer, smartphone, and tablet terminal, but is not limited to these examples. The terminal device 400 is a device that can input information to the equipment management device 100 and output information output from the equipment management device 100.

[0019] An example of the equipment management device 100 in this disclosure is a device that acquires captured images of a road from an image management server 200 or a shooting device 300, and determines the risk of trees coming into contact with road facilities shown in the acquired captured images. The equipment management device 100 may output information regarding the determined contact risk to a terminal device 400.

[0020] Next, an example of the functional configuration of the equipment management device 100 will be described.

[0021] Figure 2 is a first block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of an equipment management device. The equipment management device 100 comprises an acquisition unit 110, a identification unit 120, a detection unit 130, a determination unit 140, and an output unit 150.

[0022] The acquisition unit 110 acquires the captured image taken by the imaging device 300. The imaging device 300, for example, is mounted on a mobile device to photograph the area around a road. In this case, the captured image will include the road. That is, the acquisition unit 110 acquires the captured image in which the road is photographed. In this case, the acquisition unit 110 may acquire the captured image from the imaging device 300 or from the image management server 200.

[0023] Furthermore, the acquisition unit 110 acquires information regarding the location where the captured image was taken. This information regarding the location where the captured image was taken is, for example, the position information of the imaging device 300 at the time the image was taken. The location where the captured image was taken may also be the position information of the mobile body on which the imaging device 300 is mounted. This information regarding the location where the captured image was taken is also referred to as the shooting location information. For example, the imaging device 300 may output both the captured image and the shooting location information.

[0024] The acquisition unit 110 may acquire the shooting location information along with the captured image. For example, the captured image and the shooting location information may be stored in association with each other in the image management server 200.

[0025] In this way, the acquisition unit 110 acquires a captured image of the road and location information, which is information about the location where the captured image was taken. The acquisition unit 110 is an example of an acquisition means.

[0026] The identification unit 120 determines whether or not road facilities exist around the shooting location of the captured image. Specifically, the identification unit 120 determines whether or not road facilities exist based on road facility ledger information and shooting location information. The road facility ledger information includes registered location information, which is the location information of registered road facilities. For example, the identification unit 120 may determine whether or not road facilities exist by determining whether the shooting location information is within a certain range of the registered location information. The identification method is not limited to this example.

[0027] In this way, the identification unit 120 identifies whether or not road facilities exist around the shooting location of the captured image, based on road facility ledger information which includes registered location information which is the location information of registered road facilities, and shooting location information. The identification unit 120 is an example of an identification means.

[0028] The detection unit 130 detects road facilities and trees from the captured image. Specifically, if the identification unit 120 identifies the presence of road facilities, the detection unit detects road facilities and trees from the captured image in which the presence of road facilities has been identified. The detection method may be a known image processing technique.

[0029] In this way, the detection unit 130 detects road facilities and trees from captured images in which the presence of road facilities has been identified. The detection unit 130 is an example of a detection means.

[0030] The determination unit 140 determines the contact risk based on the region relating to road equipment and the region relating to trees in the captured image. The contact risk indicates the possibility of trees coming into contact with road equipment. For example, the region relating to road equipment may be a partial region in the captured image that includes the detected road equipment. The region relating to the detected road equipment is also referred to as the equipment region. Similarly, the region relating to trees may be a partial region in the captured image that includes the detected trees. The region relating to the detected trees is also referred to as the tree region. For example, the determination unit 140 may determine the contact risk according to the proportion of the tree region included in the equipment region. Note that the determination method is not limited to this example.

[0031] In this way, the determination unit 140 determines the contact risk indicating the possibility of a tree coming into contact with the detected road equipment, based on the equipment area, which is the area related to the detected road equipment, and the tree area, which is the area related to the detected tree, in the captured image. The determination unit 140 is an example of a determination means.

[0032] The output unit 150 outputs the contact risk determined by the determination unit 140. For example, the output unit 150 outputs the determined contact risk to the terminal device 400. As a result, information regarding the contact risk may be displayed on the terminal device 400.

[0033] In this way, the output unit 150 outputs the determined contact risk. The output unit 150 is an example of an output means.

[0034] Next, an example of the operation of the equipment management device 100 will be explained using Figure 3. Figure 3 is a first flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the equipment management device 100. In this disclosure, each step of the flowchart is represented by a number assigned to each step, such as "S1".

[0035] The acquisition unit 110 acquires a captured image of the road and location information, which is information about the location where the captured image was taken (S1).

[0036] The identification unit 120 identifies whether or not road facilities exist around the shooting location of the captured image, based on the road facility ledger information which includes registered location information which is the location information of registered road facilities, and the shooting location information (S2).

[0037] The detection unit 130 detects road facilities and trees from the captured image in which the presence of road facilities has been identified (S3).

[0038] The determination unit 140 determines the contact risk indicating the possibility of trees coming into contact with the detected road equipment based on the equipment area, which is the area related to the detected road equipment, and the tree area, which is the area related to the detected trees, in the captured image (S4).

[0039] The output unit 150 outputs the determined contact risk (S5).

[0040] As described above, the equipment management device 100 of the first embodiment acquires a captured image of a road and shooting location information, which is information about the location where the captured image was taken. The equipment management device 100 also identifies the presence or absence of road equipment around the shooting location of the captured image based on road equipment ledger information, which includes registered location information, which is the location information of registered road equipment, and the shooting location information. The equipment management device 100 also detects road equipment and trees from the captured image in which the presence of road equipment has been identified. Furthermore, the equipment management device 100 determines the contact risk, which indicates the possibility of trees coming into contact with the detected road equipment, based on the equipment area, which is the area related to the detected road equipment, and the tree area, which is the area related to the detected trees, in the captured image. The equipment management device 100 then outputs the determined contact risk.

[0041] This allows the equipment management device 100 to provide the administrator with information on the possibility of trees contacting road equipment captured in the images. The administrator can then use the provided information to check the status of tree contact with road equipment.

[0042] The road facilities to be managed may exist over a wide area or in large quantities. Conducting a large number of various observation activities on all such road facilities may impose a burden on the manager. In addition, as a large number of various observation activities are carried out, the possibility that the collected data contains unnecessary data also increases. In contrast, the equipment management device 100 can determine the contact risk from the captured image. Further, as described above, the equipment management device 100 identifies the presence or absence of road facilities around the shooting location of the captured image. That is, since the equipment management device 100 can perform determination processing on the captured images where road facilities should be detected, various processes can be performed on the appropriate captured images for determination.

[0043] That is, the equipment management device 100 can assist in checking the contact situation between the equipment and the trees while suppressing the burden on the manager.

[0044] <Second Embodiment> Next, the equipment management device according to the second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, a further example related to the equipment management device 100 described in the first embodiment will be described. Note that the description of the content overlapping with the first embodiment will be partially omitted.

[0045] In the present embodiment, an example of determining the contact risk regarding a utility pole, which is an example of road facilities, in the equipment management device 100 will be described. However, the object for which the contact risk is determined is not limited to this example.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 1, the equipment management device 100 is communicably connected to an image management server 200, a photographing device 300, and a terminal device 400. In the present embodiment, the photographing device 300 is mounted on a moving body. The moving body is, for example, a vehicle such as an automobile. This is not limited to this example, and the moving body may be an aircraft such as a multicopter (also called a multi-rotor helicopter or multi-rotor, etc.). A multicopter without a person on board is sometimes called a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), a small unmanned aircraft, or a drone. In the present embodiment, an example where the moving body is a vehicle will be described.

[0047] The photographing device 300 may be, for example, an in-vehicle device such as a drive recorder. The photographing device 300 performs photographing while the moving body is traveling on the road. The photographing device 300 transmits the photographed image to the image management server 200. The photographing device 300 may sequentially transmit the photographed images to the image management server 200. Also, the photographing device 300 may perform positioning of its own position information. Specifically, the photographing device 300 acquires position information by receiving a positioning signal related to the position information. For example, the photographing device 300 may receive a signal transmitted from a positioning satellite of GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) such as a GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite, and acquire position information indicating its own position based on the received signal. The photographing device 300 may acquire the position information thus measured as photographing position information indicating the photographing point. The photographing device 300 transmits the photographing position information to the image management server 200. At this time, the photographing device 300 may transmit the photographing position information to the image management server 200 together with the corresponding photographed image.

[0048] Note that the photographing position information may be the position information of the moving body. In this case, the position information is measured by a positioning device for the position information mounted on the moving body. Then, the positioning device or the photographing device 300 may transmit the position information measured by the positioning device as the photographing position information.

[0049] Also, the photographing device 300 may transmit further information to the image management server 200. For example, the photographing device 300 may transmit the photographing date and time, photographing settings, identification information of the photographing device, etc. to the image management server 200.

[0050] The image management server 200 manages the information transmitted from the photographing device 300. For example, the image management server 200 stores the photographed image in association with the photographing position information. The image management server 200 may store further information in association with the photographed image.

[0051] Note that the method of storing captured images in the image management server 200 is not limited to this example. For example, captured images taken by the imaging device 300 may be stored in the memory of the imaging device 300. Then, the information obtained from that memory may be input to the image management server 200 via another device and stored there.

[0052] Figure 4 is a second block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of an equipment management device. As shown in Figure 4, the equipment management device 100 includes an acquisition unit 110, a identification unit 120, a detection unit 130, a determination unit 140, and an output unit 150. The equipment management device 100 may also include a registration unit 160. Furthermore, in the example of Figure 4, the equipment management device 100 includes a storage device 190. Multiple storage devices 190 may be provided, or they may be external devices capable of communicating with the equipment management device 100.

[0053] The acquisition unit 110 acquires the captured image and the corresponding shooting location information from the image management server 200. At this time, the acquisition unit 110 may also acquire the shooting date and time, shooting settings, the movement route of the moving object, the movement direction of the moving object, and identification information of the shooting device.

[0054] The acquisition unit 110 may acquire captured images for which contact risk has not been determined. In this case, the image management server 200 may associate a flag with each captured image indicating whether or not it was acquired by the acquisition unit 110. The acquisition unit 110 may then refer to this flag and acquire unacquired captured images. Alternatively, the acquisition unit 110 may acquire captured images taken during a specified period. For example, the acquisition unit 110 accepts input specifying a date and time from the terminal device 400. The acquisition unit 110 may then acquire captured images from the image management server 200 for which the specified date and time is the date and time of capture. Alternatively, the acquisition unit 110 may acquire captured images taken at shooting locations included within a specified range. For example, the acquisition unit 110 accepts input specifying a shooting location or range from the terminal device 400. The acquisition unit 110 may then acquire captured images from the image management server 200 corresponding to shooting location information indicating the specified shooting location or shooting locations within the specified range.

[0055] The method by which the acquisition unit 110 acquires captured images, etc., is not limited to this example. For example, the acquisition unit 110 may acquire captured images, etc., stored in the image management server 200 in the order in which they were stored.

[0056] The identification unit 120 identifies the presence or absence of road facilities around the shooting location of the captured image based on the shooting location information corresponding to the captured image and the road facilities ledger information. The road facilities ledger information is information that includes information about road facilities that has been registered in advance. The road facilities ledger is stored in the storage device 190.

[0057] Road equipment register information includes location information for each road equipment. More specifically, road equipment register information includes equipment identification information that identifies the road equipment and location information for the road equipment. Here, the location information for road equipment included in the road equipment register information is referred to as registered location information. Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of equipment management register information. In the example in Figure 5, information relating equipment identification information and registered location information is shown. Furthermore, in the example in Figure 5, information indicating the type of road equipment and information indicating the completion date of the road equipment are also related. The information included in road equipment register information is not limited to the example in Figure 5. For example, equipment management register information may include information indicating the vegetation around the road equipment. Information indicating vegetation may include, for example, information indicating the species of trees present around the road equipment.

[0058] The identification unit 120 searches for registered location information within a predetermined range, including the shooting location information, from the road equipment ledger information. The identification unit 120 identifies the presence of road equipment depending on whether the search yields a hit. In other words, the identification unit 120 identifies that road equipment exists around the shooting location of the image in which the search yields a hit. This indicates that there is a high probability that road equipment is captured in the image in which the search yields a hit. Furthermore, if the search yields no hit, the identification unit 120 identifies that there is no road equipment around the shooting location of the image in which the search yields no hit. This indicates that there is a low probability that road equipment is captured in the image in which the search yields no hit.

[0059] The method for setting a predetermined range, including the shooting location information, used by the identification unit 120 when searching for registered location information, can be implemented in various ways. For example, the identification unit 120 may set the predetermined range to be within a radius of x meters (where x is a real number) from the shooting location information. Alternatively, the identification unit 120 may set the predetermined range to be within x meters in the shooting direction from the shooting location information. In this case, the identification unit 120 may determine the shooting direction based on the movement route or direction of the moving object during shooting.

[0060] The detection unit 130 detects road facilities and trees from captured images in which the presence of road facilities has been identified. Figure 6 is the first figure showing an example of a captured image. In the example of Figure 6, the captured image shows a utility pole, which is an example of road facilities, and a tree. The detection unit 130 detects road facilities and trees from captured images such as the example shown in Figure 6.

[0061] The detection unit 130 sets up regions related to the detected road equipment and regions related to the detected trees. At this time, the detection unit 130 may superimpose the set regions onto the captured image. Figure 7 is a first diagram showing an example of the detection result. In the example of Figure 7, one of the sub-regions on the captured image that includes the road equipment is shown by a rectangle indicated by a dotted line. The region of this rectangle is an example of an equipment region. In this way, the detection unit 130 may superimpose a figure indicating an equipment region, such as one that includes the detected road equipment, onto the captured image.

[0062] Furthermore, in the example shown in Figure 7, four tree regions are indicated, which are areas related to trees. In this example, the tree regions are areas that show the outlines of trees, indicated by dotted lines. In this way, the detection unit 130 may superimpose the figures indicating the detected tree regions onto the captured image.

[0063] The detection method may be any known image processing technique. For example, the detection process may be performed using a machine learning model generated with images of road facilities and trees as training data.

[0064] There may be cases where no trees are present in the captured image. In this case, the detection unit 130 may detect only the road facilities. Furthermore, even if the presence of road facilities is identified, there may be cases where the road facilities cannot be detected. For example, if the entire road facility is hidden by trees within the field of view from the camera 300, the detection unit 130 cannot detect the road facilities from the captured image. In this case, the detection unit 130 may detect only the trees.

[0065] Furthermore, the detection unit 130 may perform further detection processing. For example, the detection unit 130 may detect the tree species of trees in the captured image. Examples of tree species include conifers, broad-leaved trees, bamboo, and climbing plants. For example, the tree species detection process may be performed using a learning model generated by machine learning with images of trees of each tree species as training data.

[0066] Furthermore, the detection unit 130 does not need to perform detection processing on captured images in which the presence of road facilities cannot be identified.

[0067] The determination unit 140 determines the contact risk based on the equipment area and the tree area in the captured image from which detection processing has been performed. The contact risk indicates the possibility of the tree coming into contact with the road equipment. Specifically, the determination unit 140 may determine the contact risk according to the proportion of the tree area included in the equipment area. For example, if the proportion of the tree area included in the equipment area is above a threshold, the determination unit 140 determines the contact risk to be "high". Alternatively, if the proportion of the tree area included in the equipment area is below a threshold, the determination unit 140 determines the contact risk to be "low". Note that the determination method is not limited to this example. For example, there may be three or more levels of contact risk. Also, the determination unit 140 may use the value of the proportion of the tree area included in the equipment area as the contact risk.

[0068] For example, suppose a determination process is performed on the detection result in Figure 7. In this case, the determination unit 140 identifies the area of ​​trees within the equipment area. In the example of Figure 7, there is no area of ​​trees within the equipment area. Therefore, the determination unit 140 determines that the risk of trees contacting the road equipment shown in the equipment area is "low".

[0069] Figure 8 is a second diagram showing an example of the detection result. Let's assume that a judgment process is performed on the detection result in Figure 8. In this example, the equipment area includes a tree area. The judgment unit 140 calculates the proportion of the tree area included in the equipment area. For example, suppose the calculated value is greater than or equal to a threshold. At this time, the judgment unit 140 determines that the risk of trees contacting the road equipment shown in the equipment area is "high".

[0070] Furthermore, if road facilities are not detected in a captured image in which their presence has been identified, the determination unit 140 may determine the risk of contact based on the tree area in the captured image. For example, the determination unit 140 may determine the risk of contact to be "high" if the proportion of the tree area in the captured image is equal to or greater than a threshold.

[0071] At this time, the determination unit 140 may determine the risk of contact based on the tree area in a portion of the captured image. Road facilities are often installed at the edge of the road. In other words, if the direction of movement of the moving object is considered as the front, the road facilities are often located on the right or left side of the road. That is, there is a high probability that the road facilities are located in the area to the left or right of the center of the captured image. Therefore, the determination unit 140 identifies whether the road facilities are located in the area to the left or right of the center of the captured image from the registered location information, the shooting location information, and the information regarding the direction of movement of the moving object. The information regarding the direction of movement of the moving object may indicate the direction of movement of the moving object or indicate the route of movement of the moving object. The determination unit 140 may then determine the risk of contact according to the proportion of the tree area included in the identified portion of the captured image.

[0072] The method for identifying a sub-region is not limited to this example. For example, the determination unit 140 detects a road from the captured image. The determination unit 140 may then identify a sub-region by determining whether the road facilities are located in the region to the left or to the right of the center of the road. Alternatively, the sub-region may be identified by the detection unit 130.

[0073] Thus, if the determination unit 140 identifies the presence of road facilities but does not detect them in the captured image, it may determine the risk of contact based on the proportion of the tree area to the captured image.

[0074] The registration unit 160 registers information indicating the determined contact risk. Specifically, contact risk management information is stored in the storage device 190. The contact risk management information includes information indicating the contact risk for each road facility. The registration unit 160 registers the information indicating the determined contact risk into the contact risk management information.

[0075] Figure 9 shows an example of contact risk management information. In the example in Figure 9, the contact risk management information includes information indicating the contact risk determined for road equipment whose equipment identification information is "001". Furthermore, this example shows information indicating the subject of the determination, the date and time of shooting, and the tree species. In addition, the example in Figure 9 also includes information indicating contact risk based on previously taken images. In other words, the contact risk management information includes information indicating the time-series contact risk for a specific road equipment. Note that the information included in the contact risk management information is not limited to this example.

[0076] The output unit 150 outputs the determined contact risk. More specifically, the output unit 150 displays the contact risk information, along with the information indicating the road equipment in question, on the terminal device 400. At this time, the output unit 150 may output information in which the contact risk information for the road equipment is superimposed on the location information of the road equipment on the map.

[0077] Figure 10 is the first diagram showing an example of output information. In the example in Figure 10, a management menu prompting input and a map are shown. Icons indicating the presence of road facilities are superimposed on the map at locations corresponding to the location information of the road facilities. Furthermore, the icons are shown in different ways depending on the contact risk. In the example in Figure 10, it is indicated that the contact risk for road facilities indicated by hatched icons has been determined to be "high". Thus, the output unit 150 may display icons corresponding to road facilities at locations corresponding to the location information of road facilities on the map, in a manner corresponding to the contact risk determined for said road facilities.

[0078] Furthermore, the icons also include information indicating the types of trees surrounding the road infrastructure. In the example shown in Figure 10, the icon with a triangle indicates that bamboo is present around the road infrastructure. The icon with a circle indicates that climbing plants are present around the road infrastructure. Thus, the output unit 150 may display the icons in a manner corresponding to the types of trees present around the road infrastructure.

[0079] Note that the display method is not limited to the example in Figure 10. The display method may be changed with information other than contact risk and tree species. Furthermore, the display method may be a combination of various shapes, colors, characters, and symbols.

[0080] Furthermore, the icons may be filtered and output according to user instructions. In the example in Figure 10, checkboxes for images of the area around the utility pole, contact risk, and tree species are shown. Images of the area around the utility pole refer to photographs showing road facilities. For example, if "Yes" is selected for images of the area around the utility pole and "No" is not selected, the output unit 150 may display only the icons corresponding to road facilities where images of the area around the utility pole exist. Also, for example, if "High" is selected for contact risk and "Low" is not selected, the output unit 150 may display only the icons corresponding to road facilities where the contact risk is determined to be "High". In this case, in the example in Figure 10, only the hatched icons are displayed, and the other icons are not displayed.

[0081] This is not an exhaustive example, and output may be provided in response to further instructions from the user. For example, the output unit 150 may output information using a date and time or period specified by the user. Specifically, suppose the user specifies a period. The output unit 150 may output information based on images taken during the specified period. In this case, the output unit 150 may output information indicating the contact risk determined by the images whose shooting date and time fall within the specified period. The output unit 150 may also output information indicating whether or not there are any images whose shooting date and time fall within the specified period.

[0082] Furthermore, the output unit 150 may output additional information by receiving operations on the icons. Figure 11 is a second diagram showing an example of output information. More specifically, Figure 11 is a diagram showing an example of output when an icon is selected by the user. When an icon is selected, information about the road equipment corresponding to the selected icon may be output. In the example of Figure 11, a photograph of the road equipment corresponding to the selected icon, the date and time of the photograph, and the contact risk are shown. In this case, a time-series of photographs and the contact risk may be shown.

[0083] Furthermore, in the example in Figure 11, the status of the road equipment corresponding to the selected icon is shown. The status indicates the status of actions taken regarding the road equipment, taking into account the risk of contact. A high risk of contact indicates that a tree is in contact with the road equipment, or there is a high probability that a tree is in contact with it. Therefore, the administrator needs to take action, such as pruning the tree. More specifically, the administrator checks the risk of contact, arranges for actions such as pruning the tree, and receives notification that the action has been taken or has been taken. The status shows the status of such actions taken regarding the road equipment. In the example in Figure 11, information that allows for status updates is shown. For example, the user selects "Taken" and selects the update button. This registers that actions such as tree pruning have been taken for the target road equipment. The status information for each road equipment may be included, for example, in the contact risk management information.

[0084] The output unit 150 may not only output information indicating the contact risk of road facilities within the area shown on the map, but may also output information indicating the contact risk of the road facilities under management in a list format. Figure 12 is a third figure showing an example of the output information. In the example of Figure 12, along with the display of the "Contact Risk List," information such as the determined contact risk and status for each road facility is displayed. In this case, information on all road facilities under the management of the administrator may be displayed in a list. Alternatively, information on road facilities may be displayed in order of highest contact risk.

[0085] Furthermore, the output unit 150 may output additional information as output information. Figure 13 is a fourth figure showing an example of output information. In the example of Figure 13, the amount of trees and the status are shown. The amount of trees may be the percentage of trees that appear in the captured image (image of the area around the utility pole), or the percentage of trees that are included in the equipment area of ​​the captured image. In the example of Figure 13, different types of icons are shown depending on the amount of trees. The amount of trees shown at this time may be the amount of trees in the most recent captured image, or the amount of trees in captured images taken during a period specified by the user. Also, in the example of Figure 13, different types of icons are shown depending on the status. For example, if the status is "arranged," the icon corresponding to the road equipment shows "!" (exclamation mark). The status shown at this time may be the latest status, or the status for a period specified by the user.

[0086] Note that the output information is not limited to the examples described above. The output information may include further information, and may be output in a display format different from the examples described above. For example, the output unit 150 may display icons in different display modes depending on the period from when action is taken on the road equipment until the risk of contact becomes "high".

[0087] Next, an example of the operation of the equipment management device 100 will be explained using Figure 14. Figure 14 is a second flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the equipment management device.

[0088] The acquisition unit 110 acquires the captured image and the shooting location information (S101). For example, the acquisition unit 110 acquires the captured image and the shooting location information corresponding to the captured image from the image management server 200. At this time, the acquisition unit 110 may also acquire the shooting date and time, shooting settings, the movement route of the moving object, the movement direction of the moving object, and identification information of the shooting device. Furthermore, the acquisition unit 110 may acquire multiple captured images and shooting location information.

[0089] The identification unit 120 identifies whether or not road facilities exist around the shooting location of the captured image (S102). Specifically, the identification unit 120 identifies whether or not road facilities exist around the shooting location based on the shooting location information corresponding to the acquired captured image and the road facilities ledger information.

[0090] If road facilities are not identified as existing ("No" in S103), the processing from S104 onwards does not need to be performed.

[0091] If the presence of road facilities is identified (Yes in S103), the detection unit 130 performs detection processing for road facilities and trees (S104). Specifically, the detection unit 130 detects road facilities and trees from the captured image in which the presence of road facilities has been identified.

[0092] If road equipment is detected (Yes in S105), the detection unit 130 sets an equipment area, which is the area related to the detected road equipment, and a tree area, which is the area related to the detected tree (S106).

[0093] The determination unit 140 determines the contact risk based on the equipment area and the tree area in the captured image that has undergone detection processing (S107). For example, the determination unit 140 determines the contact risk according to the proportion of the tree area included in the equipment area.

[0094] On the other hand, if no road facilities are detected (No in S105), the detection unit 130 sets a tree area (S110). Then, the determination unit 140 determines the contact risk based on the tree area in the captured image that has undergone detection processing (S111). For example, the determination unit 140 determines the contact risk according to the proportion of the tree area in the captured image.

[0095] If a contact risk is determined in the process of S107 or S111, the registration unit 160 registers information indicating the determined contact risk (S108). For example, the registration unit 160 associates the information indicating the determined contact risk with the equipment identification information and registers it in the contact risk management information.

[0096] The output unit 150 outputs output information including the determined contact risk (S109).

[0097] As described above, the equipment management device 100 of the second embodiment acquires a captured image of a road and shooting location information, which is information about the location where the captured image was taken. The equipment management device 100 also identifies the presence or absence of road equipment around the shooting location of the captured image based on road equipment ledger information, which includes registered location information, which is the location information of registered road equipment, and the shooting location information. The equipment management device 100 also detects road equipment and trees from the captured image in which the presence of road equipment has been identified. Furthermore, the equipment management device 100 determines the contact risk, which indicates the possibility of trees coming into contact with the detected road equipment, based on the equipment area, which is the area related to the detected road equipment, and the tree area, which is the area related to the detected trees, in the captured image. The equipment management device 100 then outputs the determined contact risk.

[0098] This allows the equipment management device 100 to provide the administrator with information on the possibility of trees contacting road equipment captured in the images. The administrator can then use the provided information to check the status of tree contact with road equipment.

[0099] Road infrastructure to be managed can be spread over a wide area or exist in large quantities. Performing various observation activities on all such road infrastructure can be burdensome for the administrator. Furthermore, as various observation activities are performed in large quantities, the possibility of unnecessary data being included in the collected data increases. In response to this, the infrastructure management device 100 can determine the risk of contact from captured images. Moreover, as described above, the infrastructure management device 100 identifies the presence or absence of road infrastructure around the point where the captured image was taken. In other words, since the infrastructure management device 100 can perform judgment processing on captured images in which road infrastructure should be detected, it can perform various processes on captured images that are appropriate for judgment.

[0100] In other words, the equipment management device 100 can help confirm the contact status between the equipment and trees while reducing the burden on the administrator.

[0101] Furthermore, if the presence of road facilities is identified, but the road facilities are not detected in the captured image, the equipment management device 100 may determine the risk of contact based on the proportion of the tree area to the captured image. Even if the captured image is taken at a shooting location where road facilities should be detected, if the road facilities are hidden by trees, there is a high probability that the road facilities cannot be detected. Even in such cases, the equipment management device 100 can identify the captured image in which road facilities should be detected. If a certain amount of trees are detected in such an image, there is a high probability that the road facilities are hidden by the trees. Therefore, the equipment management device 100 can determine the risk of contact from the area related to the trees.

[0102] In this case, the captured image may be an image taken by a camera mounted on a moving body moving on the road. The equipment management device 100 may acquire information regarding the direction of movement of the moving body when the captured image was taken. If the presence of road equipment is identified, but the road equipment is not detected in the captured image, the equipment management device 100 may determine the risk of contact based on the information regarding the direction of movement, the registered location information of the road equipment to be detected, and the ratio of the tree area to a portion of the captured image determined according to the shooting location information.

[0103] When the direction of movement of a moving object is considered as the front, road facilities are often located on the right or left side of the road. In other words, it is possible to identify a portion of the captured image where road facilities are likely to be present. Therefore, the facility management device 100 can identify a portion of the image where road facilities are likely to be present from the registered location information, the captured location information, and information regarding the direction of movement of the moving object. As a result, even if the presence of road facilities is identified but they are not detected in the captured image, the accuracy of determining the risk of contact can be further improved.

[0104] Furthermore, the equipment management device 100 may display icons corresponding to road facilities at locations on the map that correspond to the location information of the road facilities, in a manner that corresponds to the contact risk determined for those road facilities. This allows the equipment management device 100 to easily allow users to understand the contact risk determined for the road facilities.

[0105] [Modification 1] As shown in Figure 7, etc., equipment areas and tree areas are set in the detection process. The equipment area is a portion of the captured image within a predetermined range that includes the detected road equipment. The tree area is a portion of the captured image that includes the detected trees. The sizes of the equipment area and tree area may be changed according to various information.

[0106] For example, the size of the equipment area may be changed depending on the tree species. For instance, bamboo and climbing plants tend to grow faster than other trees such as conifers. In other words, if bamboo and climbing plants are present near road equipment, the risk of contact tends to be higher than if other trees were present. To put it another way, even if the proportion of the equipment area occupied by bamboo and climbing plants is the same as the proportion occupied by other trees, the risk of contact will differ.

[0107] Therefore, the detection unit 130 may change the equipment area according to the tree species detected from the captured image. Specifically, the detection unit 130 may set a larger equipment area when the tree species is bamboo or climbing plants compared to when the tree species is coniferous trees. This makes it possible to provide early notification of the risk of contact when trees are approaching road equipment.

[0108] Furthermore, the detection unit 130 may change the tree area depending on the tree species detected from the captured image. Specifically, the detection unit 130 may set a larger tree area when the tree species is bamboo or climbing plants compared to when the tree species is coniferous trees. This makes it easier to calculate a larger proportion of the tree area included in the equipment area when bamboo or climbing plants are present. In other words, when bamboo or climbing plants are present, the risk of contact is more likely to be determined to be high.

[0109] In this way, the equipment management device 100 determines the contact risk according to the proportion of the tree area included in the equipment area. At this time, the size of the equipment area and at least one of the tree area may be changed according to the species of the detected tree.

[0110] [Modification 2] In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the contact risk was determined according to the proportion of the tree area included in the equipment area. In this case, the contact risk may be determined according to the proportion of the tree area included in an area smaller than the equipment area.

[0111] When road infrastructure consists of utility poles, the likelihood of accidents such as fires occurring is higher when trees come into contact with components such as power lines and transformers compared to when trees come into contact with the poles. Therefore, the determination unit 140 may determine the contact risk according to the proportion of the tree area within the infrastructure area that is included in the area where components with a high risk of accident occurrence, such as power lines and transformers, are visible.

[0112] Figure 15 is a third figure showing an example of the detection result. In the example in Figure 15, the equipment area, the tree area, and the second equipment area are shown. In this example, the second equipment area is shown as a sub-area of ​​the equipment area. In utility poles, components with a high risk of accidents are often located at the top of the pole. Therefore, the determination unit 140 may designate the area within a predetermined range, including the upper end, of the equipment area as the second equipment area. In this case, the second equipment area is a smaller area than the equipment area. Also, the second equipment area does not necessarily have to be within the range of the equipment area.

[0113] The determination unit 140 may then determine the contact risk according to the proportion of the tree area included in the second equipment area. This allows the equipment management device 100 to determine the contact risk in a way that better reflects the height at which accidents occur, compared to simply determining the contact risk for the entire equipment area.

[0114] Thus, when the road infrastructure is a utility pole, the infrastructure management device 100 may determine the risk of contact based on the proportion of the tree area included in a region smaller than the infrastructure area, within a predetermined range including the upper end of the infrastructure area.

[0115] Furthermore, areas containing components with a high risk of accident occurrence may be detected from the captured image by the detection unit 130. In this case, the detection unit 130 may detect areas containing components with a high risk of accident occurrence using a learning model that has been trained with images containing components with a high risk of accident occurrence, such as power lines and transformers, and labels indicating that these components have a high risk of accident occurrence, as training data.

[0116] [Modification 3] If multiple road facilities are captured in the image, the facility management device 100 may determine the risk of contact for each of the multiple road facilities. In this case, the identification unit 120 may identify the multiple road facilities.

[0117] Furthermore, the detection unit 130 identifies the detected road equipment based on the shooting location information, equipment management ledger information, and information regarding the direction of movement. For example, the detection unit 130 calculates the distance between the shooting location and each identified road equipment based on the shooting location information and registered location information. In this case, the closer the distance between the shooting location and the road equipment, the larger the road equipment will appear in the captured image. Therefore, the detection unit 130 can identify the road equipment using the size of the road equipment shown in the captured image and the distance between the shooting location and the road equipment.

[0118] Furthermore, the detection unit 130 may identify road facilities in the captured image by using information regarding the direction of movement. By using the shooting location information, registered location information, and information regarding the direction of movement, it is possible to identify areas in the captured image where the identified road facilities are likely to be visible. Therefore, the detection unit 130 may identify road facilities in the captured image based on the shooting location information, registered location information, and information regarding the direction of movement.

[0119] The determination unit 140 may then determine the contact risk for each equipment area of ​​the identified road equipment.

[0120] <Third Embodiment> Next, a third embodiment of the equipment management device will be described. In the third embodiment, an example will be described in which the same road equipment is captured in multiple images. Note that some explanations will be omitted as they overlap with the first and second embodiments.

[0121] As shown in the example in Figure 1, when imaging is performed by an imaging device 300 mounted on a moving object, images are generated that are continuously captured while the moving object is moving along the road. In other words, images are generated that continuously capture the same road equipment. In the third embodiment, a contact risk determination process using the images generated in this way will be described.

[0122] The equipment management device 100 of the third embodiment may have a configuration similar to the functional configuration shown in Figure 4.

[0123] The acquisition unit 110 acquires captured images, etc., from the image management server 200. At this time, the acquisition unit 110 may acquire captured images taken continuously. For example, the acquisition unit 110 may acquire captured images whose shooting date and time fall within a predetermined period. The acquisition unit 110 may also acquire captured images taken continuously by a moving object traveling in one lane. The acquisition unit 110 may also acquire captured images taken continuously by a moving object traveling in the opposite lane of the said lane.

[0124] The identification unit 120 identifies whether or not road facilities exist around the shooting location of each of the multiple captured images. At this time, the identification unit 120 calculates the distance between the shooting location and the road facilities for each captured image. In addition, for captured images in which road facilities are identified as existing, the identification unit 120 also identifies the facility identification information of the existing road facilities.

[0125] Thus, the identification unit 120 may identify road facilities located around the shooting location of the captured image.

[0126] The detection unit 130 detects road facilities and trees in each of the multiple captured images in which road facilities have been identified as being present. At this time, the detection unit 130 may perform detection processing for each group of captured images in which the same road facilities have been identified. A group of captured images in which the same road facilities have been identified may include images taken continuously by a moving object traveling in one lane, or images taken continuously by a moving object traveling in the opposite lane of one lane.

[0127] The determination unit 140 determines the risk of contact. At this time, the determination unit 140 may determine the risk of contact with the identified road equipment using a group of captured images in which the same road equipment has been identified.

[0128] Specifically, the determination unit 140 may determine the risk of contact for images in which the road equipment is appropriately captured, from among a group of captured images identified as containing the same road equipment. An example of an image suitable for determining the risk of contact is an image in which the road equipment is prominently featured. Another example of an image suitable for determining the risk of contact is an image in which the entire road equipment is captured. Alternatively, an example of an image suitable for determining the risk of contact is an image in which a component of the road equipment that poses a high risk of causing an accident is captured. If the road equipment is a utility pole, it is preferable that the upper part of the utility pole, where power lines and transformers are located, is captured. Therefore, the determination unit 140 determines the risk of contact for images in the group of captured images that are suitable for determining the risk of contact.

[0129] For example, suppose the captured images shown in Figures 6, 16, and 17 are identified as representing the same road equipment. Figure 16 is a second figure showing an example of a captured image. Figure 17 is a third figure showing an example of a captured image. The distance from the shooting point to the road equipment is furthest for the image in Figure 6 and closest for the image in Figure 17. The image in Figure 17 was taken at the closest point to the road equipment. However, the image in Figure 17 only shows a part of the road equipment. In particular, the upper part of the road equipment is not shown. The images in Figures 6 and 16 show the entire road equipment. However, the road equipment shown in the image in Figure 6 is smaller than the road equipment shown in the image in Figure 16. Therefore, the determination unit 140 may determine the risk of contact with the image in Figure 16.

[0130] Thus, the determination unit 140 may determine the risk of contact based on the equipment area and the tree area in the image from among the multiple captured images in which the upper end of the detected road equipment is visible and the detected road equipment is shown most prominently.

[0131] This is not the only example of determining contact risk using a group of images in which identical road equipment has been identified. The determination unit 140 may determine the contact risk for each image in the group of images in which identical road equipment has been identified. The determination unit 140 may then use multiple determination results to determine the contact risk of the identified road equipment.

[0132] Specifically, the determination unit 140 may adopt the most frequent determination result as the contact risk of the identified road equipment. For example, suppose the contact risk is indicated in two stages: "high" and "low". In this case, if the number of times the contact risk is determined to be "high" is greater than the number of times it is determined to be "low", the determination unit 140 may determine that the contact risk of the identified road equipment is "high". If the contact risk is indicated numerically, the determination unit 140 may determine the average, median, or mode of the determined contact risks as the contact risk of the identified road equipment.

[0133] Thus, the determination unit 140 may determine the contact risk for each captured image and use multiple determination results to determine the contact risk to the identified road equipment.

[0134] Next, an example of the operation of the equipment management device 100 will be explained using Figure 18. Figure 18 is a third flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the equipment management device.

[0135] The acquisition unit 110 acquires multiple captured images, etc. (S201). For example, the acquisition unit 110 acquires captured images and corresponding shooting location information from the image management server 200. At this time, the acquisition unit 110 may also acquire the shooting date and time, shooting settings, the movement route of the moving object, the movement direction of the moving object, and identification information of the shooting device, etc.

[0136] The identification unit 120 identifies whether or not road facilities exist around the shooting location for each of the multiple captured images (S202). At this time, in the captured images in which road facilities are identified as existing, the identification unit 120 also identifies the facility identification information of the existing road facilities.

[0137] The detection unit 130 performs detection processing on the group of captured images that have been identified as containing the same road equipment (S203). Specifically, the detection unit 130 detects road equipment and trees in each of the captured images included in the group of captured images.

[0138] The determination unit 140 performs a determination process on the road equipment corresponding to the group of captured images (S204). At this time, the determination unit 140 may determine the contact risk for images in which the road equipment is properly captured from the group of captured images that have been identified as having the same road equipment. For example, the determination unit 140 selects an image from the group of captured images that is suitable for determining the contact risk. Next, the determination unit 140 performs a contact risk determination process on the selected image. In this case, the determination unit 140 may perform the processes in S105, S106, and S107, or the processes in S105, S110, and S111, on the selected image. The determination unit 140 may then determine the contact risk determined for the selected image as the contact risk of the road equipment corresponding to the group of captured images.

[0139] Furthermore, the determination unit 140 may determine the contact risk for each of the images included in the group of captured images in which the same road equipment has been identified. In this case, the determination unit 140 may perform the processes S105, S106, and S107, or the processes S105, S110, and S111, for each of the images included in the group of captured images. The determination unit 140 may then use the multiple determination results to determine the contact risk of the road equipment corresponding to the group of captured images.

[0140] The registration unit 160 registers information indicating the determined contact risk (S205). If the equipment management device 100 has not performed a determination process for each of the identified road equipment ("No" in S206), it may repeat the processes in S203 to S205.

[0141] The equipment management device 100 terminates processing when it has performed a determination process for each of the identified road equipment ("Yes" in S206). At this time, the output unit 150 may output output information that reflects the registered contact risk information.

[0142] In this way, the equipment management device 100 may identify road equipment present around the location where the captured image was taken. If the same road equipment is identified from multiple captured images, the equipment management device 100 may determine the risk of contact based on the equipment area and the tree area in the image from among the multiple captured images in which the upper edge of the detected road equipment is visible and the detected road equipment is shown most prominently.

[0143] Furthermore, if the equipment management device 100 identifies the presence of the same road equipment from multiple captured images, it may determine the contact risk for each captured image and use the multiple determination results to determine the contact risk for the identified road equipment.

[0144] Even if road infrastructure is visible in the captured image, if it is located far from the shooting point, it may be obscured by trees near the shooting point. In this case, even if the road infrastructure and the trees are not actually in contact, the contact risk may be judged as "high." Also, even if the road infrastructure is located close to the shooting point, only a part of it may be visible in the captured image. In this case, even if the road infrastructure and the trees are actually in contact, the contact risk may be judged as "low" because the contact point is not visible in the image. In other words, there is a possibility that the contact risk determination process may not be able to be performed appropriately. In contrast, the infrastructure management device 100 can have the above configuration, and therefore can appropriately determine the contact risk.

[0145] <Examples of Hardware Configuration of the Facility Management Device> The hardware constituting the facility management devices of the first, second, and third embodiments described above will now be explained. Figure 19 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the computer device constituting the facility management device in each embodiment. The computer device 90 realizes the facility management device and facility management method described in each embodiment and each modified example. For example, the facility management devices etc. described in each embodiment and each modified example may have the hardware configuration shown in Figure 19.

[0146] As shown in Figure 19, the computer device 90 includes a processor 91, RAM (Random Access Memory) 92, ROM (Read Only Memory) 93, storage device 94, input / output interface 95, bus 96, and drive device 97. Note that equipment management devices, etc., may be implemented using multiple electrical circuits.

[0147] The storage device 94 stores a program (computer program) 98. The processor 91 executes the program 98 of the equipment management device using the RAM 92. Specifically, for example, the program 98 includes a program that causes a computer to execute the processes shown in Figures 3, 14, and 18. The functions of each component of the equipment management device are realized in response to the processor 91 executing the program 98. The program 98 may also be stored in the ROM 93. Alternatively, the program 98 may be recorded on the recording medium 80 and read using the drive device 97, or transmitted to the computer device 90 from an external device (not shown) via a network (not shown).

[0148] The input / output interface 95 exchanges data with peripheral devices (keyboard, mouse, display device, etc.) 99. The input / output interface 95 functions as a means of acquiring or outputting data. The bus 96 connects each component.

[0149] Furthermore, there are various variations in how facility management systems are implemented. For example, each component included in a facility management system can be implemented as a dedicated device. Also, each facility management system can be implemented based on a combination of multiple devices.

[0150] The processing method for recording a program to realize each configuration in the function of each embodiment on a recording medium, reading the program recorded on the recording medium as code, and executing it on a computer is also included in the scope of each embodiment. In other words, a computer-readable recording medium is also included in the scope of each embodiment. Furthermore, the recording medium on which the above-mentioned program is recorded, and the program itself, are also included in each embodiment.

[0151] The recording medium in question is, but is not limited to, a floppy disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD (Compact Disc)-ROM, magnetic tape, non-volatile memory card, or ROM. Furthermore, the programs recorded on the recording medium are not limited to programs that perform processing independently, but also include programs that operate on the OS (Operating System) in cooperation with other software and the functions of expansion boards to perform processing, and these are also included in the scope of each embodiment.

[0152] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Various modifications to the structure and details of the present invention can be made, as can be understood by those skilled in the art within the scope of the present invention.

[0153] Furthermore, the above embodiments and modifications can be combined as appropriate.

[0154] <Note> Some or all of the above embodiments may also be described as follows, but are not limited to the following.

[0155] [Note 1] An equipment management device comprising: an acquisition means for acquiring a photographed image of a road and a shooting location information which is information about the shooting location of the photographed image; an identification means for identifying the presence or absence of road equipment around the shooting location of the photographed image based on road equipment ledger information which includes registered location information which is location information of registered road equipment and the shooting location information; a detection means for detecting road equipment and trees from the photographed image in which the presence of road equipment has been identified; a determination means for determining a contact risk indicating the possibility of trees coming into contact with the detected road equipment based on an equipment area which is an area related to the detected road equipment and a tree area which is an area related to the detected trees in the photographed image; and an output means for outputting the determined contact risk.

[0156] [Note 2] In cases where the presence of road facilities is identified, and road facilities are not detected in the captured image, the determination means determines the contact risk based on the proportion of the tree area to the captured image, as described in Note 1, for the facility management device.

[0157] [Note 3] The equipment management device as described in Note 2, wherein the captured image is an image taken by a camera mounted on a moving body moving on a road, the acquisition means acquires information regarding the direction of movement of the moving body when the captured image was taken, and the determination means determines the contact risk based on the ratio of the tree area to a portion of the captured image determined according to the information regarding the direction of movement, the registered location information of the road equipment to be detected, and the shooting location information.

[0158] [Note 4] The equipment management device according to Note 1 or 2, wherein the determination means determines the contact risk according to the proportion of the tree area included in the equipment area, and the size of the equipment area and at least one of the tree area are changed according to the species of the detected tree.

[0159] [Note 5] The equipment management device according to any one of Notes 1 to 4, wherein the identification means identifies road equipment present around the shooting location of the captured image, and if the same road equipment is identified from a plurality of captured images, the determination means determines the contact risk based on the equipment area and the tree area in the image from the plurality of captured images in which the upper end of the detected road equipment is shown and the detected road equipment is shown most prominently.

[0160] [Note 6] The equipment management device according to any one of Notes 1 to 4, wherein the identification means identifies road equipment located around the shooting location of the captured image, and if the same road equipment is identified from a plurality of captured images, the determination means determines the contact risk for each captured image and determines the contact risk for the identified road equipment using a plurality of determination results.

[0161] [Note 7] The equipment management device according to any one of Notes 1 to 6, wherein the output means displays an icon corresponding to the road equipment at a position corresponding to the location information of the road equipment on a map, in a manner corresponding to the contact risk determined for the road equipment.

[0162] [Note 8] The equipment management device according to any one of Notes 1 to 7, wherein the road equipment is a utility pole, and the determination means determines the contact risk based on the proportion of the tree area included in an area smaller than the equipment area, within a predetermined range including the upper end of the equipment area.

[0163] [Note 9] An equipment management method comprising: acquiring a photographic image of a road and location information which is information about the location where the photographic image was taken; identifying the presence or absence of road equipment around the location where the photographic image was taken based on road equipment ledger information which includes registered location information which is location information of registered road equipment and the location information; detecting road equipment and trees from the photographic image in which the presence of road equipment has been identified; determining a contact risk indicating the possibility of trees coming into contact with the detected road equipment based on an equipment area which is the area related to the detected road equipment and a tree area which is the area related to the detected trees in the photographic image; and outputting the determined contact risk.

[0164] [Note 10] A recording medium that stores a program that causes a computer to execute the following: a process of acquiring a photographed image of a road and location information which is information about the location where the photographed image was taken; a process of determining whether or not there are road facilities around the location where the photographed image was taken, based on road facility ledger information which includes registered location information which is location information of registered road facilities and the location information; a process of detecting road facilities and trees from the photographed image in which the presence of road facilities has been identified; a process of determining a contact risk indicating the possibility of trees coming into contact with the detected road facilities, based on a facility area which is an area related to the detected road facilities and a tree area which is an area related to the detected trees in the photographed image; and a process of outputting the determined contact risk.

[0165] Furthermore, some or all of the configurations described in Appendices 2 to 8, which are dependent on Appendice 1 above, may also be dependent on Appendices 9 and 10 in the same way as those described in Appendices 2 to 8. Moreover, within the scope that does not depart from each of the embodiments described above, some or all of the configurations described as appendices may also be dependent on various hardware, software, various recording means for recording software, or systems.

[0166] 100 Equipment management device 110 Acquisition unit 120 Identification unit 130 Detection unit 140 Judgment unit 150 Output unit 160 Registration unit 190 Storage device 200 Image management server 300 Shooting device 400 Terminal device

Claims

1. An equipment management device comprising: an acquisition means for acquiring a photographed image of a road and a shooting location information which is information about the shooting location of the photographed image; an identification means for identifying the presence or absence of road equipment around the shooting location of the photographed image based on road equipment ledger information which includes registered location information which is location information of registered road equipment and the shooting location information; a detection means for detecting road equipment and trees from the photographed image in which the presence of road equipment has been identified; a determination means for determining a contact risk indicating the possibility of trees contacting the detected road equipment based on an equipment area which is an area related to the detected road equipment and a tree area which is an area related to the detected trees in the photographed image; and an output means for outputting the determined contact risk.

2. If the presence of road facilities is identified, and the road facilities are not detected in the captured image, the determination means determines the contact risk based on the ratio of the tree area to the captured image, as described in claim 1.

3. The equipment management device according to claim 2, wherein the captured image is an image taken by a camera mounted on a moving body moving on a road, the acquisition means acquires information regarding the direction of movement of the moving body when the captured image was taken, and the determination means determines the contact risk based on the ratio of the tree area to a portion of the captured image determined according to the information regarding the direction of movement, the registered location information of the road equipment to be detected, and the shooting location information.

4. The equipment management device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the determination means determines the contact risk according to the proportion of the tree area included in the equipment area, and the size of the equipment area and at least one of the tree area are changed according to the species of the detected tree.

5. The equipment management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the identification means identifies road equipment present in the vicinity of the shooting location of the captured image, and if the same road equipment is identified from a plurality of the captured images, the determination means determines the contact risk based on the equipment area and the tree area in the image from the plurality of captured images in which the upper end of the detected road equipment is shown and the detected road equipment is shown most prominently.

6. The equipment management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the identification means identifies road equipment present in the vicinity of the shooting location of the captured image, and if the same road equipment is identified from a plurality of the captured images, the determination means determines the contact risk for each of the captured images and determines the contact risk for the identified road equipment using a plurality of determination results.

7. The equipment management device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the output means displays an icon corresponding to the road equipment at a position corresponding to the location information of the road equipment on a map, in a manner corresponding to the contact risk determined for the road equipment.

8. The equipment management device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the road equipment is a utility pole, and the determination means determines the contact risk based on the proportion of the tree area included in an area smaller than the equipment area, within a predetermined range including the upper end of the equipment area.

9. A facility management method comprising: acquiring a photographic image of a road and location information which is information about the location where the photographic image was taken; identifying the presence or absence of road facilities around the location where the photographic image was taken based on road facility ledger information which includes registered location information which is location information of registered road facilities and the location information; detecting road facilities and trees from the photographic image in which the presence of road facilities has been identified; determining a contact risk indicating the possibility of trees contacting the detected road facilities based on a facility area which is the area related to the detected road facilities and a tree area which is the area related to the detected trees in the photographic image; and outputting the determined contact risk.

10. A recording medium that stores a program that causes a computer to execute the following: a process of acquiring a photographed image of a road and location information which is information about the location where the photographed image was taken; a process of determining whether or not there are road facilities around the location where the photographed image was taken, based on road facility ledger information which includes registered location information which is location information of registered road facilities and the location information; a process of detecting road facilities and trees from the photographed image in which the presence of road facilities has been identified; a process of determining a contact risk indicating the possibility of trees coming into contact with the detected road facilities, based on a facility area which is an area related to the detected road facilities and a tree area which is an area related to the detected trees in the photographed image; and a process of outputting the determined contact risk.

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