JP2019166699A - Information processing device and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To prevent an occurrence of a failure due to shortage of storage capacity of a storage device for storing information in a case where a communication failure occurs with an external device as a transmission destination of the information collected by a collection device.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus 10A receives collected data collected by a collection device such as a microphone 12A, and transmits the collected data to a server 16. When communication between the image forming apparatus 10A and the server 16 is unavailable, the collected data received from the collection device is stored in the image forming apparatus 10A with the data size of the collected data limited. After the communication becomes available, the collected data stored in the image forming apparatus 10A is sent to the server 16.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and a program.

  In some cases, the image forming apparatus acquires information from one or more devices (collecting devices) that collect information, such as a camera and a microphone, and transmits the information to an external device. An example of the external device is an analysis server. The analysis server analyzes the information sent from the image forming apparatus and outputs the analysis result to the image forming apparatus or another apparatus. In such a system, a failure may occur in communication between the image forming apparatus and the external apparatus, and a situation may occur in which information collected by the collection apparatus is not transmitted from the image forming apparatus to the external apparatus. .

  Patent Document 1 describes a cloud relay server that mediates information between an image forming apparatus and a cloud system. The cloud relay server acquires information to be stored in the cloud system from the image forming apparatus, and stores the information to be stored in the temporary storage unit when communication with the cloud system is impossible.

JP 2013-25387 A

  By the way, when a communication failure occurs between the image forming device and the external device, the image forming device temporarily stores information acquired from the collection device in the storage device, and after the communication failure is resolved, It is conceivable to transmit information stored in the storage device to an external device. Generally, a storage device is mounted on an image forming apparatus, but the storage device normally stores data generated by image forming processing by the image forming apparatus or data to which image forming processing is to be applied. Assigned to store. Therefore, even if the information acquired from the collection device is temporarily stored in the storage device, the storage capacity allocated to the temporary storage is limited in the storage device. Accordingly, it is conceivable that as the communication failure time becomes longer, the free space in the temporary storage area decreases, and as a result, the free space becomes insufficient and a failure such as interruption of information collection occurs. This also applies to a situation where a device other than the image forming device, such as a relay device, collects information from the collection device and transmits it to an external device.

  The object of the present invention is to prevent a failure caused by a shortage of storage capacity of a storage device for storing information when a communication failure occurs with an external device that is a transmission destination of information collected by the collection device. It is to prevent the occurrence.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, a receiving unit that receives information collected by the collecting device from a collecting device that collects information, and an external device communicate with the receiving unit, and the information received by the receiving unit is transmitted to the external device. Transmitting means, storage control means for storing information received by the receiving means in the storage means, and restriction means for limiting the amount of information stored in the storage means when communication with the external device is impossible The transmission unit is an information processing device that transmits information stored in the storage unit to the external device after communication with the external device is enabled.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the restriction means restricts an amount of information by applying a compression process to the information.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the restricting unit increases the compression rate in the compression processing in accordance with a decrease in the free space of the storage unit. .

  The invention according to claim 4 is the information processing apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the restricting unit performs compression processing using a higher compression rate for a larger amount of information. .

  The invention according to claim 5 is the information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the restricting means restricts an amount of information using an analysis of information.

  The invention according to claim 6 is characterized in that the limiting means does not store information in which the detection level of a specific event obtained from the result of the analysis is equal to or less than a threshold value in the storage means. Information processing apparatus.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, when information whose contents overlap each other is collected by a plurality of collecting devices, the restricting means is configured to provide information on the overlapping portions of one of the plurality of collecting devices. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein only the information collected by the collection apparatus is stored in the storage unit.

  The invention according to claim 8 is an apparatus in which the external device applies analysis processing to information transmitted to the external device by the transmission unit, and the restriction unit includes information received by the reception unit. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the analysis process is applied to the storage unit, and the information to which the analysis process is applied is not stored in the storage unit.

  The invention according to claim 9 is characterized in that the limiting means limits the amount of information by reducing the number of collection devices from which the receiving means obtains information. It is a processing device.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the information processing method according to the ninth aspect, the restricting unit stops receiving information from the collecting device determined based on a positional relationship between the collecting devices. Device.

  According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the information processing apparatus according to the ninth aspect, the restricting unit stops receiving information from a collection device that collects information that does not satisfy a predetermined condition. Device.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, when information is collected from the same or overlapping information collection areas by a plurality of collection devices of the same type, the restricting means is configured to at least one of the plurality of collection devices. The reception of information from a collection device other than the at least one collection device among the plurality of collection devices is stopped without stopping reception of information from the collection device. Information processing apparatus.

  According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the limiting means preferentially stops receiving information from a collecting device that collects a larger amount of information than a collecting device that collects a smaller amount of information. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9.

  The invention described in claim 14 further includes image forming means for executing image forming processing, and the storage means stores data to which the image forming processing is applied and data generated by the image forming processing. A first storage unit that stores at least one of the data, and a second storage unit that stores information received by the reception unit, and when the communication with the external device is impossible, the storage control The means stores the information received by the receiving means in the second storage means, and the limiting means limits the amount of the information. It is an information processing apparatus as described in.

  According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, when the free capacity of the first storage means exceeds a threshold, the limiting means reduces the storage capacity of the first storage means, and the second storage means is reduced by the reduced amount. The information processing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the storage capacity of the information processing apparatus is increased.

  According to a sixteenth aspect of the invention, the restricting unit changes the content of the image forming process so that the amount of data stored in the first storage unit is smaller. It is an information processing apparatus as described in.

  According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, the limiting unit is limited in accordance with a combination of the contents of the image forming process executed by the image forming unit and the information collected by the collecting device at the time of execution. The information processing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the information is determined.

  According to an eighteenth aspect of the present invention, a computer communicates with a receiving device that receives information collected by the collecting device from a collecting device that collects information and an external device, and the information received by the receiving device is transmitted to the external device. Transmitting means for transmitting to, storage control means for storing the information received by the receiving means in the storage means, and limiting means for limiting the amount of information stored in the storage means when communication with the external device is impossible The transmission unit is a program that transmits information stored in the storage unit to the external device after communication with the external device is enabled.

  According to the first, fifth, and 18th aspects of the present invention, when a communication failure occurs with an external device that is a transmission destination of information collected by the collection device, a storage device for storing the information is stored. Occurrence of a failure due to insufficient storage capacity can be prevented.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the time required until the free capacity of the storage device becomes insufficient becomes longer than when compression processing is not performed.

  According to the third and fourth aspects of the present invention, the time required for the storage device to run out of free space becomes longer than when a fixed compression rate is used.

  According to the inventions described in claims 6, 7, and 8, it takes a longer time for the storage device to run out of free space than when all the information is stored in the storage device.

  According to the ninth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth aspects of the present invention, the time required for the storage device to run out of free space becomes longer than when the number of collecting devices is not reduced.

  According to the fourteenth and seventeenth aspects of the present invention, in a device provided with a storage device for storing data relating to image forming processing, the storage capacity of the storage device for storing information collected by the collection device is insufficient. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of a failure due to.

  According to the fifteenth aspect of the present invention, compared to the case where the storage capacity of the storage device for storing the information received from the collection device is kept constant, the time taken until the storage device has insufficient free space Becomes longer.

  According to the sixteenth aspect of the present invention, the time required for the storage device to run out of free space becomes longer than when the content of the image forming process is not changed.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the information processing system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus. It is a figure which shows the compression rate according to free capacity. It is a figure which shows the compression rate according to the kind of collection apparatus. It is a figure which shows the compression rate according to the importance. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of an image forming apparatus and a collection device. It is a figure which shows the imaging | photography area | region of a camera.

  An information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 shows an example of an information processing system according to this embodiment.

  As an example, the information processing system according to the present embodiment includes one or more image forming apparatuses as information processing apparatuses, one or more collection apparatuses that collect data (information), and one or more image apparatuses as external apparatuses. A server and one or more terminal devices. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the information processing system includes, as examples, image forming apparatuses 10A and 10B as information processing apparatuses, microphones 12A to 12F as collection apparatuses, cameras 14A to 14F as collection apparatuses, and servers as external apparatuses. 16 and the terminal device 18. These numbers are merely examples, and image processing apparatuses, collection devices, servers, and terminal devices other than these numbers may be included in the information processing system.

  The image forming apparatuses 10A and 10B, the server 16, and the terminal device 18 have a function of communicating with each other via a communication path N such as a network. The communication may be wireless communication or wired communication. An IP network such as the Internet may be used as the communication path N. Of course, the image forming apparatuses 10 </ b> A and 10 </ b> B, the server 16, and the terminal device 18 may communicate with other apparatuses via different communication paths without using the communication path N, or directly with other apparatuses. You may communicate.

  Communication is established between the image forming apparatuses 10A and 10B and each collecting apparatus. Communication between the image forming apparatuses 10A and 10B and each collecting apparatus may be wireless communication or wired communication. As the wireless communication, for example, near field wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), RFID (Radio Frequency Identifier), NFC (Near Field Communication), or the like is used. Of course, infrared communication, visible light communication, Wi-Fi (registered trademark) communication, or the like may be used as other wireless communication.

  The image forming apparatuses 10A and 10B are apparatuses having at least one image forming function among a print function, a scan function, a copy function, and a facsimile function. The image forming apparatuses 10 </ b> A and 10 </ b> B are configured to acquire data (information) collected by each collecting apparatus from each collecting apparatus and communicate the data to the server 16 by communicating with each collecting apparatus. Yes. Hereinafter, data collected by the collection device is referred to as “collected data”. Further, the image forming apparatuses 10 </ b> A and 10 </ b> B may transmit data related to the user and image processing (hereinafter referred to as “process data”) to the server 16. The processing data includes, for example, data relating to a user who has logged into the own device, data relating to document data and image data processed by the own device, and the like. Specifically, the processing data is generated by identification information (for example, user ID) of a user who has logged into the image forming apparatus, identification information (for example, name) of a printed file, telephone number of a facsimile transmission source, and scanning. Image data and the like.

  The collection device is a device that collects data (information). The microphones 12A to 12F as the collecting devices are sound collecting devices having a function of collecting sound. The cameras 14 </ b> A to 14 </ b> F as collection devices are photographing devices having a function of photographing a moving image.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 10A communicates with the microphones 12A, 12B, and 12C, and acquires audio data (an example of collected data) collected by each of the microphones 12A, 12B, and 12C from each microphone. To do. Further, the image forming apparatus 10A communicates with the cameras 14A, 14B, and 14C to acquire moving image data (an example of collected data) captured by the cameras 14A, 14B, and 14C from each camera.

  Similarly, the image forming apparatus 10 </ b> B communicates with the microphones 12 </ b> D, 12 </ b> E, and 12 </ b> F to acquire audio data (an example of collected data) collected by the microphones 12 </ b> D, 12 </ b> E, and 12 </ b> F from each microphone. Further, the image forming apparatus 10B acquires moving image data (an example of collected data) captured by each of the cameras 14D, 14E, and 14F from each camera by communicating with the cameras 14D, 14E, and 14F.

  The microphone and the camera are merely examples of the collecting device, and the image forming apparatuses 10A and 10B may acquire the collected data (information) from a collecting device other than the microphone and the camera. As a collecting device, for example, various sensing devices (for example, temperature sensor, humidity sensor, infrared sensor, voltage sensor, current sensor, etc.), general household appliances (for example, refrigerator, microwave oven, rice cooker, coffee maker, cleaning) Machines, washing machines, air conditioners, lighting devices, watches, etc.), sphygmomanometers, thermometers, heart rate meters, robots, smartphones, mobile phones, PCs (personal computers), wearable terminals (arm-watch type terminals, wristband type terminals) , Glasses-type terminal, etc.) may be used. Also, a device called a so-called IoT (Internet of Things) device may be used as the collection device.

  Different types of collection devices may be connected to each image forming apparatus, or different numbers of collection devices may be connected to each image forming apparatus.

  The server 16 is an apparatus that applies analysis processing to data (collected data and processing data) sent from the image forming apparatuses 10A and 10B. For example, the server 16 extracts the character string from the voice data by applying the voice recognition process to the voice data as the collected data, and the processing data (for example, image data generated by scanning). You may perform the process which extracts a character string, the process which totals the number of words contained in the extracted character string over a predetermined period, etc. For example, when a word that appears frequently in audio data but appears infrequently in processing data is extracted, an analysis result is obtained that the work related to the word is not well documented.

  The terminal device 18 is a PC, a tablet PC, a smartphone, a mobile phone, or the like. The terminal device 18 may acquire analysis result data from the server 16 and display the analysis result on a display device. As the analysis result, for example, a list of tasks requiring documentation may be displayed. By doing so, the analysis result is provided to the user.

  Note that the image forming apparatuses 10 </ b> A and 10 </ b> B may transmit data to an external device other than the server 16 (for example, a device that stores data collected by the collecting device, the terminal device 18, or the like). When the terminal device 18 is not used, the terminal device 18 may not be included in the information processing system.

  In the following description, when it is not necessary to distinguish between the image forming apparatuses 10A and 10B, these are collectively referred to as “image forming apparatus 10”. Similarly, when there is no need to distinguish between the microphones 12A to 12F, these are collectively referred to as “microphone 12”. Further, when it is not necessary to distinguish between the cameras 14A to 14F, these are collectively referred to as “camera 14”.

  In the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus 10 receives collected data from each collecting apparatus and transmits the collected data to the server 16. When a communication failure occurs between the image forming apparatus 10 and the server 16 and communication between the image forming apparatus 10 and the server 16 becomes impossible, the image forming apparatus 10 stores the collected data in the storage device. After the communication failure is resolved (after communication is restored), the collected data stored in the storage device is transmitted to the server 16. The collected data transmitted to the server 16 is deleted from the storage device. The communication failure between the image forming apparatus 10 and the server 16 is, for example, a communication failure caused by a failure of a communication facility of a telecommunications carrier, a communication failure caused by a failure of the server 16, or the like. Of course, a communication failure caused by a cause other than these is also included in the category of the communication failure concept according to the present embodiment.

  The image forming apparatus 10 is installed in, for example, an office, a building, a store, a room, a library, a public institution, an educational institution, or the like. Of course, the image forming apparatus 10 may be installed in a place other than these.

  Hereinafter, the information processing system according to the present embodiment will be described in detail.

  With reference to FIG. 2, the configuration of the image forming apparatus 10 as an information processing apparatus will be described in detail. Note that the image forming apparatuses 10A and 10B have the same configuration.

  The first communication unit 20 is a communication interface that communicates with the microphone 12 and the camera 14 as a collection device. The first communication unit 20 may be a communication interface having a wireless communication function or a communication interface having a wired communication function. The first communication unit 20 receives audio data as collected data from the microphone 12 using, for example, short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth or other wireless communication (for example, Wi-Fi communication), and the like from the camera 14. Receive image data as collected data. The first communication unit 20 corresponds to an example of a receiving unit.

  The second communication unit 22 is a communication interface that communicates with an external device such as the server 16. The second communication unit 22 may be a communication interface having a wireless communication function or a communication interface having a wired communication function. For example, the second communication unit 22 transmits the collection data and the processing data received from each collection device by the first communication unit 20 to the server 16 via the communication path N. The second communication unit 22 corresponds to an example of a transmission unit.

  The UI unit 24 is a user interface and includes a display unit and an operation unit. The display unit is a display device such as a liquid crystal display. The operation unit is, for example, an input device such as a touch panel or a keyboard.

  The image forming unit 26 is configured to execute an image forming process. The image forming unit 26 is configured to execute at least one of printing, scanning, copying, and facsimile as image forming processing, for example. By executing printing, an image (including characters and graphics) is formed (printed) on a recording medium such as paper. By executing the scan, the document is read and image data is generated. By executing copying, the original is read, and an image generated thereby is formed on the recording medium. As facsimile processing, reception and transmission of facsimile data are performed.

  The storage unit 28 is a storage device such as a hard disk or a memory. The storage unit 28 includes, for example, a main storage unit 30 and a sub storage unit 32.

  The main storage unit 30 is a storage device (storage device assigned to store processing data) for storing processing data. The main storage unit 30 stores, for example, processing data, image data generated by scanning, image data scheduled to be printed, and the like. In addition, various data, various programs, information indicating addresses of other devices, history information, and the like are stored in the main storage unit 30. The main storage unit 30 corresponds to an example of a first storage unit.

  The secondary storage unit 32 is a storage device (a storage device assigned to store collected data) for storing the collected data received by the first communication unit 20. The secondary storage unit 32 corresponds to an example of a second storage unit.

  The main storage unit 30 is assigned a storage capacity larger than the storage capacity assigned to the sub storage unit 32. For example, when the total storage capacity of the storage unit 28 is 160 GB, 95% of the total storage capacity (152 GB) is allocated to the main storage unit 30, and 5% of the total storage capacity is allocated to the secondary storage unit 32. % Capacity (8 GB) is allocated. As described above, the storage capacity of the storage unit 28 is mainly assigned to storage of data (processing data and the like) other than the collected data.

  The control unit 34 is configured to control the operation of each unit of the image forming apparatus 10. The control unit 34, for example, controls communication by the first communication unit 20 and the second communication unit 22, notification of information via the UI unit 24 (for example, information display or voice output), and input via the UI unit 24. The received information is received, the image forming process is controlled by the image forming unit 26, and the like. In addition, the control unit 34 is configured to detect a communication failure that has occurred between the image forming apparatus 10 and the server 16 and the elimination of the communication failure (communication recovery). A well-known technique is used for detecting a communication failure and its elimination. For example, after the image forming apparatus 10 transmits data to the server 16, if the response to the transmission is not sent from the server 16 to the image forming apparatus 10, the control unit 34 recognizes that a communication failure has occurred. To do. If a response is sent from the server 16 to the image forming apparatus 10 after a communication failure has occurred, the control unit 34 recognizes that the communication failure has been resolved. Of course, a communication failure or its resolution may be detected by other methods. The control unit 34 includes a storage control unit 36 and a limiting unit 38.

  The storage control unit 36 is configured to store the collected data received from each collection device by the first communication unit 20 in the secondary storage unit 32. For example, when a communication failure occurs between the image forming apparatus 10 and the server 16 and communication between the second communication unit 22 and the server 16 becomes impossible, the storage control unit 36 causes the server 16 to The collected data that has not been transmitted is stored in the secondary storage unit 32. For example, the storage control unit 36 causes the secondary storage unit 32 to store the collection data received from each collection device by the first communication unit 20 during a period in which communication is not possible. If no communication failure has occurred between the image forming apparatus 10 and the server 16 and communication between the second communication unit 22 and the server 16 is possible, the storage control unit 36 stores the collected data as a secondary storage. It is not stored in the unit 32. Of course, even when communication between the second communication unit 22 and the server 16 is possible, the storage control unit 36 may store the collected data in the sub storage unit 32.

  When a communication failure occurs between the image forming apparatus 10 and the server 16 and communication between the second communication unit 22 and the server 16 becomes impossible, the restricting unit 38 is controlled by the storage control unit 36. It is configured to limit the amount of collected data (information amount) stored in the storage unit 32. The limiter 38 may limit the amount of data by applying processing to the collected data itself, or limit the amount of data by reducing the number of collection devices from which the first communication unit 20 acquires the collected data. May be. The storage control unit 36 stores the collected data with the limited data amount in the sub storage unit 32.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the image forming apparatus 10A will be described as the operation of the image forming apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment. The operation of the image forming apparatus 10B is the same as the operation of the image forming apparatus 10A.

  The first communication unit 20 receives audio data from each of the microphones 12A, 12B, and 12C, and receives moving image data from each of the cameras 14A, 14B, and 14C. When no communication failure has occurred between the image forming apparatus 10 </ b> A and the server 16 and communication between the second communication unit 22 and the server 16 is possible, the second communication unit 22 is connected to the first communication unit 20. The collected data (audio data and moving image data) received by is transmitted to the server 16. Further, the second communication unit 22 may transmit the processing data to the server 16. In the server 16, analysis processing is applied to collected data (voice data and moving image data) and processing data. When communication between the second communication unit 22 and the server 16 is possible, the storage control unit 36 does not store the collected data (audio data and moving image data) received by the first communication unit 20 in the sub storage unit 32. . As described above, the image forming apparatus 10 </ b> A sequentially transmits the collected data received from each collecting apparatus to the server 16.

  When a communication failure occurs between the image forming apparatus 10 </ b> A and the server 16 and communication between the second communication unit 22 and the server 16 is impossible, the collected data is not transmitted from the image forming apparatus 10 </ b> A to the server 16. In this case, the restriction unit 38 restricts the amount of collected data (audio data and moving image data) received by the first communication unit 20 during a period in which communication is impossible, and the storage control unit 36 restricts the data amount. The collected data is stored in the secondary storage unit 32.

  After the communication failure between the image forming apparatus 10 </ b> A and the server 16 is resolved (after the communication is restored), the second communication unit 22 transmits the collected data stored in the sub storage unit 32 to the server 16. In this way, the collected data that has not been transmitted to the server 16 during the communication failure period is transmitted to the server 16. The storage control unit 36 deletes the collected data transmitted to the server 16 from the secondary storage unit 32. The storage control unit 36 may overwrite and save the collected data received when the next communication failure occurs without deleting the collected data from the secondary storage unit 32. Further, the second communication unit 22 transmits the collected data received by the first communication unit 20 to the server 16 after the communication failure is resolved. In the server 16, analysis processing may be applied to the collected data sent from the image forming apparatus 10A.

  As described above, it is assumed that the storage capacity allocated to the secondary storage unit 32 is 8 GB. For example, consider the case where the image forming apparatus 10A collects 128 kbps audio data (audio data with a bit rate compressed to 128 kbps) from each of the 10 microphones 12. That is, the image forming apparatus 10 </ b> A collects audio data from each microphone 12 whose bit rate is compressed to 128 kpbs by each microphone 12. In this case, when a communication failure occurs between the image forming apparatus 10A and the server 16 and the audio data is stored in the secondary storage unit 32, 14.6 hours have elapsed since the communication failure occurred. , The entire storage capacity of 8 GB is used, and the audio data is not stored in the secondary storage unit 32. That is, voice data collection is interrupted. As a result, the voice data collected during the interruption period is not sent to the server 16, and the voice data is not analyzed and the analysis result is not provided to the user.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the restriction unit 38 collects data (for example, audio data and moving image data) received by the first communication unit 20 during a period in which communication between the image forming apparatus 10A and the server 16 is not possible. The storage control unit 36 causes the secondary storage unit 32 to store the collected data with the limited data amount. By doing so, compared to the case where the collected data is stored in the secondary storage unit 32 without limiting the amount of data, the time taken for the storage capacity of the secondary storage unit 32 to become insufficient becomes longer and, as a result, longer. Collected data collected over time is stored in the secondary storage unit 32.

  In the above example, audio data and moving image data are cited as examples of collected data. However, the amount of data for other collected data (for example, data measured by various sensing devices) is also included. Is limited. The same applies to the following description.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment relating to processing for limiting the data amount will be described in detail.

Example 1
Example 1 will be described below. In the first embodiment, when a communication failure occurs between the image forming apparatus 10 </ b> A and the server 16, the restriction unit 38 restricts the data amount by applying a restriction process to the collected data itself. The restriction process is a compression process. The restriction unit 38 restricts the data amount by applying a compression process as a restriction process to the collected data received by the first communication unit 20 from each collection device. For example, the limiting unit 38 reduces the bit rate of collected data. For example, the limiting unit 38 compresses the bit rate of the audio data received from each of the microphones 12A, 12B, and 12C from 128 kbps to 64 kbps. In the present embodiment, since each audio data is already compressed into data having a bit rate of 128 kbps in each microphone 12, the compression processing performed by the restriction unit 38 corresponds to recompression processing. Of course, the compression process may not be performed in each microphone 12. As the compression process, for example, an irreversible compression process such as MP3 may be used, or a reversible compression process may be used. The storage control unit 36 causes the sub storage unit 32 to store the audio data compressed by the restriction unit 38 (audio data compressed to 64 kbps). After the communication failure is resolved, the audio data stored in the secondary storage unit 32 is transmitted to the server 16.

  Similarly, the restricting unit 38 applies compression processing to moving image data received from each of the cameras 14A, 14B, and 14C. For example, the limiting unit 38 reduces the bit rate of moving image data. The restricting unit 38 may reduce the frame rate (fps) of the moving image data (decimation process). For example, when the frame rate of moving image data sent from each of the cameras 14A, 14B, and 14C is 60 (fps), the limiting unit 38 changes the frame rate of moving image data from 60 (fps) to 30 (fps). ). The storage control unit 36 stores the moving image data compressed by the restriction unit 38 in the sub storage unit 32. After the communication failure is resolved, the moving image data stored in the secondary storage unit 32 is transmitted to the server 16.

  According to the first embodiment, since the volume of collected data is reduced by performing the compression process, the secondary storage is compared with the case where the collected data received by the first communication unit 20 is stored in the secondary storage unit 32 as it is. It takes a long time until the storage capacity of the unit 32 becomes insufficient. As a result, even if a communication failure has occurred over a longer time, the collected data collected is stored in the secondary storage unit 32. Although the quality of each collected data is reduced by the lossy compression process, the influence on the analysis or the like is small as compared with the case where the collection of the collected data is interrupted.

  Note that when the compression process is executed by the restriction unit 38, the load (for example, the load on the CPU) of the image forming apparatus 10A is higher than when the compression process is not executed, and the image forming process by the image forming unit 26 is not performed. It may take longer to complete. Therefore, when no communication failure has occurred, it is preferable to transmit the collected data to the server 16 without performing compression processing.

  The compression rate (bit rate or frame rate) may be changed by a user or an administrator.

(Example 2)
Example 2 will be described below. In the second embodiment, when a communication failure occurs between the image forming apparatus 10 </ b> A and the server 16, restriction processing is performed in each collection device. For example, the restriction unit 38 transmits instruction information indicating an instruction to execute the compression process to each collection device (microphones 12A, 12B, 12C, cameras 14A, 14B, 14C).

  For example, each of the microphones 12A, 12B, and 12C compresses the bit rate of the audio data collected by the own device to 64 kbps in accordance with the compression processing execution instruction. The first communication unit 20 receives the audio data thus compressed from each of the microphones 12A, 12B, and 12C, and the storage control unit 36 receives the audio data received by the first communication unit 20 as the sub storage unit 32. Remember me. After the communication failure is resolved, the audio data stored in the secondary storage unit 32 is transmitted to the server 16.

  Similarly, the cameras 14A, 14B, and 14C also compress moving image data captured by the own device (for example, lower the bit rate and frame rate). The first communication unit 20 receives the moving image data compressed as described above from each of the cameras 14A, 14B, and 14C, and the storage control unit 36 receives the moving image data received by the first communication unit 20 as a sub storage unit. 32. After the communication failure is resolved, the moving image data stored in the secondary storage unit 32 is transmitted to the server 16.

  As described above, even when the compression processing is executed by the collection device, the capacity of the collected data is reduced, so that the collected data is stored in the secondary storage unit 32 for a longer time as in the first embodiment.

  If it is impossible to set the compression rate (for example, bit rate or frame rate) in each collection device, the image forming apparatus 10A may perform compression processing.

Example 3
Example 3 will be described below. In the third embodiment, when a communication failure occurs between the image forming apparatus 10 </ b> A and the server 16, the restricting unit 38 executes the compression process by changing the compression rate according to the free capacity of the secondary storage unit 32. . For example, the limiting unit 38 increases the compression rate in accordance with a decrease in the free capacity of the secondary storage unit 32.

  Example 3 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 shows a table indicating the compression rate according to the free capacity. In this table, information indicating the free capacity X (%) of the secondary storage unit 32 and information indicating the compression rate are associated with each other. As the free space X (%) decreases, a higher compression rate (for example, a relatively low bit rate or frame rate) is associated.

  For example, when the free space X (%) exceeds 50% (X> 50%), a relatively low compression rate is used. When the collected data is audio data or moving image data, for example, the restriction unit 38 compresses the bit rate of the audio data or moving image data from 128 kbps to a bit rate corresponding to the compression rate (for example, 64 kbps). The restriction unit 38 may compress the frame rate of the moving image data from 60 fps to a frame rate (for example, 30 fps) corresponding to the compression rate.

  When the free space X (%) is 50% or less and exceeds 20% (50% ≧ X> 20%), an intermediate compression ratio is used. For example, a lower bit rate or frame rate is used as compared with a case where the free capacity X (%) exceeds 50%. When the collected data is audio data or moving image data, for example, the restriction unit 38 compresses the bit rate of the audio data or moving image data from 128 kbps to a bit rate (for example, 32 kbps) corresponding to the compression rate. The restriction unit 38 may compress the frame rate of the moving image data from 60 fps to a frame rate corresponding to the compression rate (for example, 20 fps).

  When the free space X (%) is 20% or less (20% ≧ X), a relatively high compression rate is used. For example, a lower bit rate or frame rate is used compared to a case where the free space X (%) is 50% or less and exceeds 20%. When the collected data is audio data or moving image data, for example, the limiting unit 38 compresses the bit rate of the audio data or moving image data from 128 kbps to a bit rate (for example, 16 kbps) corresponding to the compression rate. The restriction unit 38 may compress the frame rate of the moving image data to a frame rate (for example, 10 fps) corresponding to the compression rate.

  The storage control unit 36 stores the collected data (audio data, moving image data, etc.) compressed by the restriction unit 38 in the sub storage unit 32. After the communication failure is resolved, the collected data stored in the secondary storage unit 32 is transmitted to the server 16.

  According to the third embodiment, even when the free capacity of the secondary storage unit 32 is reduced, the secondary storage unit 32 is increased by increasing the compression rate in accordance with the reduction, compared to the case where a certain compression rate is used. As a result, the time taken for the storage capacity to become short becomes longer, and as a result, the collected data collected over a longer time is stored in the secondary storage unit 32. Although the quality of each collected data is further lowered by increasing the compression rate, the influence on the analysis or the like is small as compared with the case where collection of the collected data is interrupted. In addition, the influence on the analysis or the like is small even when compared with a case where a constant high compression ratio is used.

  In the above example, the free space X and the compression rate are divided into three levels (three levels), but the free space X and the compression rate may be further divided into two levels. . These may be changed by a user or an administrator.

Example 4
Hereinafter, Example 4 will be described. In the fourth embodiment, when a communication failure occurs between the image forming apparatus 10 </ b> A and the server 16, the restriction unit 38 changes the compression rate according to the type of collected data and executes the compression process. For example, the limiting unit 38 compresses the collected data with a larger data amount at a higher compression rate. In general, when compared with the amount of data per unit time, the amount of moving image data is larger than the amount of audio data. Therefore, the restricting unit 38 compresses the image data at a higher compression rate than the compression rate for the audio data. For example, the audio data is compressed at a compression rate of 50%, so that the bit rate is converted from 128 kbps to 64 kbps. Further, the moving image data is compressed at a compression rate of 25%, so that the bit rate is converted from 8 Mbps to 2 Mbps.

  In addition, the restriction unit 38 may change the compression rate according to the type of collection device. FIG. 4 shows a table indicating the compression rate according to the type of collection device. Since the amount of moving image data collected by the camera is relatively large, a relatively high compression rate is associated with the camera. Since the amount of audio data collected by the microphone is about the middle, the middle compression rate is associated with the microphone. The intermediate compression rate is a compression rate lower than the above-described relatively high compression rate. Since the amount of temperature data collected by the temperature sensor is relatively small, a relatively low compression rate is associated with the temperature sensor. A relatively low compression rate is a compression rate lower than an intermediate compression rate. Alternatively, since the data amount of the temperature data is very small with respect to the storage capacity, the temperature data may not be compressed.

  According to the fourth embodiment, the collected data with a larger amount of data is compressed at a higher compression rate. Therefore, compared to a case where a constant compression rate is used without changing the compression rate according to the type of data or the type of collection device. The amount of data reduction increases, and the collected data collected over a longer time is stored in the secondary storage unit 32.

(Example 5)
Example 5 will be described below. In the fifth embodiment, when a communication failure occurs between the image forming apparatus 10 </ b> A and the server 16, the restriction unit 38 changes the compression rate according to the importance of the collected data and the importance of the collection apparatus, and performs compression processing. Execute. For example, the limiting unit 38 compresses the collected data with higher importance at a lower compression rate. Further, the limiting unit 38 compresses the collected data collected from the collection device having the higher importance with a lower compression rate.

  Example 5 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 shows a table indicating the compression rate according to the importance. For example, the importance of the microphone 12A and the camera 14A is high, and compression processing is applied to audio data collected by the microphone 12A and moving image data collected by the camera 14A according to a low compression rate. The importance of the microphone 12B and the camera 14B is medium, and the compression processing is applied to the audio data collected by the microphone 12B and the moving image data collected by the camera 14B according to the medium compression rate. The importance of the microphone 12C and the camera 14C is low, and compression processing is applied to audio data collected by the microphone 12C and moving image data collected by the camera 14C according to a high compression rate. Note that the importance of each collection device may be changed by a user, an administrator, or the like. The importance level may be determined according to the urgency level of each collection device.

  For example, since the surveillance camera is assumed to be a collection device having higher importance than other cameras, the importance of the surveillance camera is set to a value higher than the importance of other cameras. Therefore, the compression rate for the moving image data collected by the surveillance camera is set to a value lower than the compression rate for the moving image data collected by the other cameras.

  According to the fifth embodiment, compared to a case where a constant compression rate is used without changing the compression rate, a decrease in the quality of the collected data collected by the collection device with higher importance is suppressed. As a result, a better analysis result can be obtained from the collected data collected by the more important collection device.

  Note that the importance of each collection device may be determined by comparing different types of collection devices. For example, when the camera 14A is more important than the microphone 12A, the importance of the camera 14A may be set to a value higher than the importance of the microphone 12A.

(Example 6)
Example 6 will be described below. In the sixth embodiment, when a communication failure occurs between the image forming apparatus 10 </ b> A and the server 16, the restriction unit 38 restricts the amount of collected data by using analysis on the collected data.

  For example, the restriction unit 38 analyzes the collected data, and does not store the collected data in which the detection level of the specific event obtained from the analysis result is equal to or less than the threshold value in the secondary storage unit 32. By doing so, the storage area of the secondary storage unit 32 is not used by the amount of the collected data, so that it takes a long time before the capacity of the secondary storage unit 32 becomes insufficient. Note that the threshold value is a predetermined value and may be changed by a user, an administrator, or the like. The storage control unit 36 causes the secondary storage unit 32 to store the collected data whose detection level exceeds the threshold value.

  A specific example will be described. The specific event is, for example, sound generation, and the detection level is a sound level (volume). That is, when the sound level (sound volume) obtained from the sound data is equal to or less than the threshold value, the restriction unit 38 does not store the sound data in the sub storage unit 32. More specifically, the limiting unit 38 does not store the audio data collected in the time zone when the audio level is equal to or lower than the threshold value in the sub storage unit 32. By doing so, since the storage area of the secondary storage unit 32 is not used for the audio data, it takes a long time until the capacity of the secondary storage unit 32 becomes insufficient. The storage control unit 36 causes the sub storage unit 32 to store the audio data collected in the time zone in which the audio level exceeds the threshold value.

  As another example, the specific event is person detection, and the detection level is the number of person detections. That is, the restriction unit 38 detects a person from the moving image data by applying image processing for detecting the person to the moving image data. For example, when the number of person detections is less than or equal to the threshold value, the restriction unit 38 does not store the moving image data in the sub storage unit 32. More specifically, the restricting unit 38 does not store moving image data collected during a time zone when no person is detected, that is, moving image data not representing a person, in the sub storage unit 32. The limiting unit 38 may not store the moving image data in which the number of detections of the person per unit time is equal to or less than the threshold in the sub storage unit 32. By doing so, since the storage area of the secondary storage unit 32 is not used for the moving image data, it takes a long time until the capacity of the secondary storage unit 32 becomes insufficient. It should be noted that the number of suspicious person detections may be used as the number of person detections. The storage control unit 36 causes the secondary storage unit 32 to store moving image data whose number of detections exceeds the threshold value.

(Example 7)
Hereinafter, Example 7 will be described. In the seventh embodiment, similarly to the sixth embodiment, when a communication failure occurs between the image forming apparatus 10 </ b> A and the server 16, the restriction unit 38 restricts the amount of collected data by using analysis on the collected data. To do.

  For example, when collected data whose contents overlap each other is collected by a plurality of collecting devices, the restricting unit 38 collects the collected data collected by one collecting device among the plurality of collecting devices. Are stored in the secondary storage unit 32, and collected data other than the one collection device is not stored in the secondary storage unit 32. This prevents a plurality of overlapping collection data from being stored in the secondary storage unit 32, so that the storage area of the secondary storage unit 32 is not used for the collected data. As a result, as compared with the case where all the collected data is stored in the secondary storage unit 32, the time required until the storage capacity of the secondary storage unit 32 becomes insufficient becomes longer.

  A specific example will be described. For example, when voice data having voice waveforms similar to each other are collected by the plurality of microphones 12, the limiting unit 38 is one microphone among the plurality of microphones 12 in the time zone when the voice waveforms are collected. Only the audio data collected by the microphone 12 is stored in the secondary storage unit 32, and the audio data collected by the other microphones 12 among the plurality of microphones 12 is not stored in the secondary storage unit 32. For example, if the difference between the sound waveforms is equal to or less than the threshold value, the sound data is recognized as sound data similar to each other. Of course, a similar determination may be made by another method (a known technique). The category of similar concepts includes the same. For example, when voice data having a voice waveform similar to each other is collected by the microphones 12A and 12B, the restricting unit 38 is one of the microphones 12A and 12B in the time zone when the voice waveforms are collected. Is stored in the secondary storage unit 32, and the voice data collected by the other microphone is not stored in the secondary storage unit 32.

  As another example, when moving image data similar to each other is collected by a plurality of cameras 14, the restricting unit 38 is one camera among the plurality of cameras 14 in the time zone when the image data is collected. Only the moving image data collected by the camera 14 is stored in the secondary storage unit 32, and the moving image data collected by the other cameras 14 in the plurality of cameras 14 is not stored in the secondary storage unit 32. For example, if the difference between the moving images is equal to or smaller than the threshold value, the moving image data is recognized as similar moving image data. Of course, a similar determination may be made by another method (a known technique). For example, when moving image data similar to each other is collected by the cameras 14A and 14B, the restricting unit 38 collects either the camera 14A or the camera 14B in the time zone when the moving image data is collected. The stored moving image data is stored in the sub storage unit 32, and the moving image data collected by the other camera is not stored in the sub storage unit 32.

  When the collection data whose contents overlap each other is collected by a plurality of collection devices installed at positions adjacent to each other, the restriction unit 38 determines that the plurality of collections for the overlapping portions. Only the collected data collected by one of the collection devices may be stored in the secondary storage unit 32. For example, in the case where the distance between two collection devices is equal to or less than the threshold value, and the collected data having the same contents are collected by the two collection devices, the two collections for the duplicate portions Only the collected data collected by one of the devices is stored in the secondary storage unit 32. To explain with a specific example, the distance between the microphone 12A and the microphone 12B is equal to or smaller than the threshold (when the microphones 12A and 12B are devices adjacent to each other), and the microphones 12A and 12B When voice data having a similar voice waveform is collected, the restricting unit 38 stores the voice data collected by one of the microphones 12A and 12B in the time zone when the voice waveform is collected. 32. Note that position information indicating the position of each collecting apparatus is stored in advance in the storage unit 28 of the image forming apparatus 10A. The position information may be stored in an external device such as the server 16, and the restriction unit 38 may acquire the position information from the external device.

(Example 8)
Example 8 will be described below. In the eighth embodiment, similarly to the sixth embodiment, when a communication failure occurs between the image forming apparatus 10 </ b> A and the server 16, the restriction unit 38 restricts the amount of collected data by using analysis on the collected data. To do.

  For example, the restriction unit 38 has a function of executing analysis processing similar to that of the server 16. The restriction unit 38 applies analysis processing similar to that of the server 16 to the collected data received by the first communication unit 20, and does not store the collected data to which the analysis processing is applied in the secondary storage unit 32. For example, the restriction unit 38 stores information indicating the analysis result in the sub storage unit 32. After the communication failure is resolved, the second communication unit 22 may transmit information indicating the analysis result to the server 16 or to the terminal device 18.

  Usually, the data amount of information indicating the analysis result is small compared to the data amount of collected data to be analyzed. Therefore, by executing the analysis process in the image forming apparatus 10A and not storing the collected data in the secondary storage unit 32, the amount of data is reduced while the analysis result is obtained.

  For example, the restriction unit 38 applies voice recognition processing, character recognition processing, or the like to voice data, and applies image recognition processing, character recognition processing, or the like to moving image data. For example, information indicating a character string is generated by the analysis processing on the voice data. Usually, since the data amount of the information indicating the character string is smaller than the data amount of the original audio data, the information indicating the character string is stored in the sub storage unit 32 without storing the audio data in the sub storage unit 32. Thus, the amount of data is reduced as compared with the case where the audio data is stored in the sub storage unit 32. In addition, for example, information indicating a character string or a still image taken at a timing when a specific event occurs is generated by analysis processing on moving image data. Usually, since the data amount of these information is smaller than the data amount of the original moving image data, by storing the information in the sub storage unit 32 without storing the moving image data in the sub storage unit 32, Compared with the case where moving image data is stored in the secondary storage unit 32, the amount of data is reduced.

  In the state where the collected data is stored in the secondary storage unit 32, when the free capacity of the secondary storage unit 32 is equal to or less than the threshold, the limiting unit 38 executes the process according to the eighth embodiment, Information indicating the analysis result may be stored in the secondary storage unit 32, and the original collected data may be deleted from the secondary storage unit 32.

  Comparing the sixth, seventh, and eighth embodiments described above, the process according to the sixth embodiment is a process in which the load on the image forming apparatus 10 </ b> A (for example, the load on the CPU) is relatively low. The process of the image forming apparatus 10A is an intermediate process, and the process according to the eighth embodiment is a process in which the load of the image forming apparatus 10A is relatively high. The restricting unit 38 may execute the process according to any one of the sixth, seventh, and eighth embodiments according to the load of the image forming apparatus 10A. For example, when the load on the image forming apparatus 10A is relatively high (for example, when the image forming apparatus 10A is executing print processing of image data with a large capacity), the limiting unit 38 performs processing according to the sixth embodiment. Execute. Further, when the load on the image forming apparatus 10 </ b> A is intermediate, the limiting unit 38 executes processing according to the seventh embodiment. When the load on the image forming apparatus 10 </ b> A is relatively low, the restricting unit 38 executes the process according to the eighth embodiment. Of course, the restricting unit 38 may execute the processing according to the sixth embodiment when the load on the image forming apparatus 10A is intermediate, or when the load on the image forming apparatus 10A is relatively low. The processing according to 6 or Example 7 may be executed.

  In addition, the restricting unit 38 is a time zone in which the image forming apparatus 10A is assumed not to operate (for example, a time zone in which the image forming apparatus 10A is assumed not to perform image forming processing) (for example, at night), Any of the sixth, seventh, and eighth embodiments may be executed during a time period in which the load on the image forming apparatus 10A is equal to or less than the threshold value. In this case, the restriction unit 38 stores the collected data collected in a time zone other than the time zone in the sub storage unit 32, and executes any one of the sixth, seventh, and eighth examples in the above time zone. . In the sixth embodiment, the restricting unit 38 deletes the collected data collected in the time zone where the detection level is equal to or less than the threshold from the secondary storage unit 32. In the seventh embodiment, the restriction unit 38 stores one collection data among a plurality of collection data whose contents overlap each other in the secondary storage unit 32 and deletes the other collection data from the secondary storage unit 32. In the eighth embodiment, the restriction unit 38 stores the analysis result in the secondary storage unit 32 and deletes the original collected data from the secondary storage unit 32.

Example 9
Hereinafter, Example 9 will be described. In the ninth embodiment, when a communication failure occurs between the image forming apparatus 10 </ b> A and the server 16, the limiting unit 38 reduces the number of collection devices from which the first communication unit 20 receives the collected data, thereby collecting the collected data. Limit the amount of

  In the ninth embodiment, the limiting unit 38 stops receiving collection data from a predetermined collection device. Hereinafter, the collection device in which the reception of the collected data by the first communication unit 20 is stopped is referred to as a “collection device to be stopped”. The first communication unit 20 receives collection data from a collection device other than the collection device to be stopped without receiving collection data from the collection device to be stopped in accordance with a stop instruction from the restriction unit 38. The storage control unit 36 causes the secondary storage unit 32 to store collection data received from a collection device other than the collection device to be stopped. To explain with a specific example, the restricting unit 38 stops receiving the collected data from the microphone 12C and the camera 14C. By doing so, the amount of collected data stored in the secondary storage unit 32 is reduced, so that it takes time until the capacity of the secondary storage unit 32 becomes insufficient as compared with the case of receiving collected data from all the collection devices. Becomes longer.

  The collection device to be stopped may be specified by a user, an administrator, or the like, or may be changed.

  The restricting unit 38 may stop collecting collected data from other collecting devices without stopping collecting data from at least one of the collecting devices of the same type. Explaining with a specific example, the restricting unit 38 does not stop the reception of audio data from at least one of the microphones 12A, 12B, and 12C (for example, the microphone 12A), and the audio data from the microphones 12B and 12C. Stop receiving. The restricting unit 38 stops receiving moving image data from the camera 14A without stopping receiving moving image data from at least one of the cameras 14A, 14B, and 14C (for example, the camera 14A). In this way, at least one collection data is collected for each type of collection device.

(Example 10)
Example 10 will be described below. In the tenth embodiment, when a communication failure occurs between the image forming apparatus 10 </ b> A and the server 16, the limiting unit 38 receives the collected data according to the free capacity of the secondary storage unit 32. Change the number of collectors. For example, the limiting unit 38 reduces the number in accordance with the decrease in the free capacity of the secondary storage unit 32. That is, the limiting unit 38 increases the number of collection devices to be stopped as the free capacity of the secondary storage unit 32 decreases.

  Specifically, when the free capacity of the secondary storage unit 32 is 80% or more, the restricting unit 38 sets the decrease number of the collection device to “0”, the free capacity is less than 80%, and 50 If the percentage is greater than or equal to%, the collection device reduction number is set to “2”, and if the free space is less than 50%, the collection device reduction number is set to “4”. These numerical values are only examples.

  The restricting unit 38 may stop the reception of the collected data from the predetermined collection device, or does not stop the reception of the collected data from at least one of the plurality of collection devices of the same type. In addition, collection of collected data from other collection devices may be stopped.

  According to the tenth embodiment, even when the free capacity of the secondary storage unit 32 decreases, the time taken until the capacity of the secondary storage unit 32 becomes insufficient as compared with the case where the number of collection devices is not changed. become longer.

(Example 11)
Example 11 will be described below. In Example 11, when a communication failure occurs between the image forming apparatus 10 </ b> A and the server 16, the limiting unit 38 stops receiving collection data from the collection apparatus determined based on the positional relationship between the collection apparatuses. To do. That is, the limiting unit 38 determines the collection device to be stopped based on the positional relationship between the collection devices.

  For example, the restricting unit 38 determines one collecting device of two collecting devices of the same type adjacent to each other as a collecting device to be stopped, and stops receiving collected data from the one collecting device. More specifically, when the distance between two collection devices of the same type is less than or equal to the threshold value, the limiting unit 38 defines one collection device of the two collection devices as a collection device to be stopped, and the 1 Stop collecting data from one collector. The threshold value may be determined in advance or may be changed by a user, an administrator, or the like. The collection device to be stopped may be determined in advance, may be changed by a user, an administrator, or the like, may be determined based on the distance from the image forming apparatus 10A, or the collection device It may be determined based on the performance of

  Two collection devices of the same type adjacent to each other are more likely to collect collection data similar to each other than other collection devices that do not have such a positional relationship. Therefore, even if one of the two collection devices is determined as a collection device to be stopped and the collection data from the one collection device is not received, such a positional relationship is maintained. It is considered that the influence on the analysis or the like is small as compared with the case where the collected data is not received from the other collecting apparatus. Therefore, by determining one of the two collection devices as a collection device to be stopped, the amount of data is reduced while suppressing the influence on analysis or the like.

  Hereinafter, the eleventh embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 shows the positional relationship between the image forming apparatus 10A and the collecting apparatuses (for example, microphones 12A, 12B, and 12C).

  For example, it is assumed that the distance Lab between the microphone 12A and the microphone 12B is equal to or less than the threshold value. In this case, the restriction unit 38 stops receiving audio data from either the microphone 12A or the microphone 12B. The storage control unit 36 stores the audio data received from the other microphone in the sub storage unit 32.

  When the microphone 12A is determined in advance as a collection device to be stopped, the restriction unit 38 stops receiving the audio data from the microphone 12A, and the storage control unit 36 receives the audio data from the microphone 12B. Remember me.

  As another example, the limiting unit 38 may determine a collection device to be stopped based on the positional relationship between each collection device and the image forming apparatus 10A. For example, it is assumed that the distance La between the image forming apparatus 10A and the microphone 12A is shorter than the distance Lb between the image forming apparatus 10A and the microphone 12B. In this case, the restricting unit 38 may determine the microphone 12A installed at a position closer to the image forming apparatus 10A as a collection device to be stopped, or the microphone 12B installed at a position farther from the image forming apparatus 10A. May be defined as a collection device to be stopped.

  Since the distance Lac between the microphone 12C and the microphone 12A and the distance Lbc between the microphone 12C and the microphone 12B exceed the threshold, the microphone 12C is not adjacent to any of the microphones 12A and 12B. It is a collecting device. Therefore, the limiting unit 38 does not determine the microphone 12C as a collection device to be stopped, and the storage control unit 36 stores the collected data received from the microphone 12C in the sub storage unit 32.

  As for the collection device other than the microphone (for example, a camera or the like), the collection device to be stopped is determined as described above.

Example 12
Hereinafter, Example 12 will be described. In the twelfth embodiment, the restricting unit 38 determines a collection device to be stopped based on the positional relationship between the image forming apparatus 10A and each collection device. For example, the restricting unit 38 may define a collection device whose distance to the image forming apparatus 10A exceeds a threshold as a collection device to be stopped. The threshold value may be determined in advance or may be changed by a user, an administrator, or the like. Referring to FIG. 6, the distance between the microphone 12A and the image forming apparatus 10A is La, the distance between the microphone 12B and the image forming apparatus 10A is Lb, and the microphone 12C and the image forming apparatus 10A. The distance between is Lc. The distances La and Lb are equal to or smaller than the threshold value, and the distance Lc exceeds the threshold value. In this case, the restriction unit 38 determines the microphone 12C as a collection device to be stopped, and stops receiving audio data from the microphone 12C. The storage control unit 36 stores the audio data received from each of the microphones 12 </ b> A and 12 </ b> B in the sub storage unit 32.

  As for the collection device other than the microphone (for example, a camera or the like), the collection device to be stopped is determined as described above.

  Collected data collected by a collecting device (a collecting device whose distance to the image forming device 10A is equal to or less than a threshold) installed around the image forming device 10A is related to the image forming device 10A. There is a possibility that the degree of importance is higher or the utility value is higher than the collected data collected by the collecting device that is not installed around 10A. According to the twelfth embodiment, the amount of data is reduced while storing such collected data in the secondary storage unit 32.

  Of course, the restricting unit 38 determines a collection device (for example, the microphones 12A and 12B) whose distance to the image forming apparatus 10A is equal to or less than the threshold as a collection target to be stopped, and the distance to the image forming apparatus 10A is the threshold. Collected data may be received from more than a collection device (for example, the microphone 12C). Such a setting may be changed by a user, an administrator, or the like. For example, the collection device to be stopped may be determined according to the use of the collected data.

(Example 13)
Example 13 will be described below. In the thirteenth embodiment, when a communication failure occurs between the image forming apparatus 10 </ b> A and the server 16, the restricting unit 38 sets a collection device that collects collected data that does not satisfy a predetermined condition as a collection device to be stopped. And stop receiving collected data from the collecting device.

  For example, the restricting unit 38 receives the collected data from the collecting device that has collected the important collected data, and stops receiving the collected data from the collecting device that has not collected the important collected data. The restricting unit 38 uses, for example, past analysis results from the server 16 and the image forming apparatus 10A to collect a collection device that collects important collection data and a collection device that does not collect important collection data. Identify. The important collected data includes, for example, voice data including a specific voice waveform, voice data whose voice level (volume) exceeds a threshold, voice data whose length of time when the voice level is equal to or less than the threshold, Moving image data representing a specific person (for example, a suspicious person). These conditions correspond to an example of the predetermined conditions. A microphone that collects such audio data or a camera that collects such moving image data is importantly defined as a collecting device that collects the collected data, and other collecting devices collect important collected data. Not defined as a collection device.

  A specific example will be described. For example, when the microphone 12A collects voice data including a specific voice waveform and the microphones 12B and 12C do not collect voice data including a specific voice waveform, the limiting unit 38 stops the microphones 12B and 12C. Determine as the target collection device. The first communication unit 20 receives audio data from the microphone 12A and does not receive audio data from the microphones 12B and 12C. The storage control unit 36 stores the audio data received from the microphone 12 </ b> A in the sub storage unit 32.

  According to the thirteenth embodiment, the amount of data is reduced while the collection data satisfying a predetermined condition as important collection data is stored in the secondary storage unit 32.

(Example 14)
Example 14 will be described below. In the fourth embodiment, when a communication failure occurs between the image forming apparatus 10 </ b> A and the server 16, when collected data is collected from the same or overlapping data collection areas by a plurality of collection devices of the same type, The restricting unit 38 does not stop reception of collected data from at least one collecting device among the plurality of collecting devices, and from the collecting devices other than the at least one collecting device in the plurality of collecting devices. Stop receiving collected data.

  Example 14 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 shows an example of the shooting area of the camera. Each imaging area corresponds to an example of a data collection area. For example, the camera 14 </ b> A generates moving image data by shooting the shooting area 40. The camera 14B generates moving image data by shooting the shooting area 42 (area indicated by a broken line). The camera 14 </ b> C generates moving image data by shooting the shooting area 44. The shooting areas 40 and 42 partially overlap each other, and the shooting area 44 does not overlap with other shooting areas. In this case, the restricting unit 38 determines one of the cameras 14A and 14B as a collection device to be stopped. For example, it is assumed that the camera 14A is determined as a collection device to be stopped. In this case, the first communication unit 20 receives the moving image data from each of the cameras 14B and 14C, and the storage control unit 36 stores the moving image data received from each of the cameras 14B and 14C in the sub storage unit 32. Let

  When the imaging regions of the cameras 14A and 14B overlap all or partly, the overlapping portions are imaged by the cameras 14A and 14B, respectively. According to the fourteenth embodiment, the moving image data of such overlapping portions is not stored in the sub storage unit 32, so that the data amount is reduced. The same applies to a collecting device other than the camera (for example, a microphone).

(Example 15)
Example 15 will be described below. In the fifteenth embodiment, when a communication failure occurs between the image forming apparatus 10 </ b> A and the server 16, the limiting unit 38 collects a larger amount of data than a collection device that collects a smaller amount of collected data. Reception of collected data from a collecting device that collects data is preferentially stopped. For example, since the data amount of moving image data is generally larger than the data amount of audio data, the restricting unit 38 stops receiving moving image data from the camera 14 and receives audio data from the microphone 12.

  According to the fifteenth embodiment, since reception of collected data from a collecting device that collects a larger amount of collected data is preferentially stopped, compared to the case where a collecting device to be stopped is determined regardless of the data amount. The amount of data is reduced more effectively.

  The restricting unit 38 may not stop receiving collected data from at least one collecting device for each type of collecting device. For example, the restricting unit 38 does not stop receiving audio data from at least one microphone 12 and does not stop receiving moving image data from at least one camera 14. In this way, each type of collected data is collected.

  Further, the number of collection devices to be stopped may be determined for each type of collection device. For example, the number of collection devices that collect collected data with a larger amount of data is larger than the number of collection devices that collect collected data with a smaller amount of data. For example, the restricting unit 38 may define two cameras 14 as stop collection devices and one microphone 12 as a stop collection device.

  In Examples 10-15, the first communication unit 20 also receives the collected data from the collection device to be stopped, and the limiting unit 38 deletes the collected data without storing it in the secondary storage unit 32. May be. In this case, the same effect as in Example 10-15 can be obtained.

(Example 16)
Hereinafter, Example 16 will be described. In the sixteenth embodiment, the restriction unit 38 determines a time zone (reception time zone) in which the first communication unit 20 receives the collected data from each collection device. When a communication failure occurs between the image forming apparatus 10 </ b> A and the server 16, the first communication unit 20 receives the collected data from each collection device during the reception time period, and during the other time periods, Does not receive collected data from the collector. As a reception time zone, a time zone in which collected data needs to be collected is set.

  The reception time zone may be determined in advance, for example. For example, when the present embodiment is applied to an office, the restricting unit 38 determines a working time zone in the office as a reception time zone. By doing so, the collected data collected by each collecting device during a time zone in which it is assumed that there is a person in the office is received by the first communication unit 20 and stored in the secondary storage unit 32. On the other hand, the collected data collected by each collecting device during a time zone in which it is assumed that there is no person in the office is not received by the first communication unit 20 and is not stored in the secondary storage unit 32.

  As another example, the reception time zone may be determined by cooperation with a management system that manages a schedule or the like. For example, the restriction unit 38 cooperates with an attendance management system that manages the attendance of a person working in the office or an attendance management system that manages the presence or absence of a person in the office, so that the time when the person is in the office. A time zone where no people are present is identified, and a time zone where people are present in the office is determined as a reception time zone. By doing so, the collected data collected by each collecting device during a time zone in which it is assumed that there is no person in the office is not stored in the secondary storage unit 32.

  According to the sixteenth embodiment, the collected data collected in the reception time zone is stored in the secondary storage unit 32, and the collected data collected in other time zones is not stored in the secondary storage unit 32. Is reduced.

  Note that a time zone other than the working time zone or a time zone in which there are no people may be determined as the reception time zone. For example, as a security measure in a building or office, such a time zone is set as a reception time zone, which is useful for crime prevention. Thus, the reception time zone may be determined according to the application.

  The restricting unit 38 may cause each collecting device to collect the collected data in the reception time zone, and stop collecting the collected data by each collecting device in the other time zones. By doing so, in the time zone other than the reception time zone, the first communication unit 20 does not receive the collected data from each collecting device, so the data amount is reduced accordingly.

(Example 17)
Hereinafter, Example 17 will be described. In the seventeenth embodiment, when a communication failure occurs between the image forming apparatus 10 </ b> A and the server 16, the restricting unit 38 distributes the collected data received by the first communication unit 20 to other image forming apparatuses that can communicate. And memorize it. For example, when communication between the image forming apparatus 10A and the image forming apparatus 10B is possible, the restriction unit 38 of the image forming apparatus 10A transmits the collected data to the image forming apparatus 10B, and is provided in the image forming apparatus 10B. Stored in the secondary storage unit 32. The limiting unit 38 may transmit the collected data to a device other than the image forming device (for example, the terminal device 18 or the like) as long as it can communicate with the image forming device 10A. For example, by collecting and storing collected data in five image forming apparatuses, the amount of collected data stored in one image becomes 1/5.

  The restriction unit 38 may transmit the collected data to an image forming apparatus having a larger free space in the secondary storage unit 32 and store the collected data in the secondary storage unit 32 of the image forming apparatus.

(Example 18)
Hereinafter, Example 18 will be described. In the eighteenth embodiment, the restricting unit 38 collects the time period in which the collected data is stored in the secondary storage unit 32 and the collected data stored in the secondary storage unit 32 based on the user login information to the image forming apparatus 10A. A collection device may be specified. For example, when a communication failure occurs between the image forming apparatus 10 </ b> A and the server 16, the storage control unit 36 is installed near the seat of the user who has logged into the image forming apparatus 10 </ b> A under the control of the restriction unit 38. The collected data received from the collection device (for example, the microphone 12 or the camera 14) is stored in the secondary storage unit 32 and received from the collection device installed near the seat of the user who is not logged in to the image forming apparatus 10A. The collected data is not stored in the secondary storage unit 32. The storage control unit 36 stores the collected data collected by the collection device within a predetermined time from the time when the user logs in to the image forming apparatus 10A in the secondary storage unit 32, and is collected outside that time. The collected data may not be stored in the secondary storage unit 32.

  Collected data (for example, voice data and moving image data) regarding a user who has not logged in to the image forming apparatus 10A is estimated to be data having a relatively low utility value in analysis. By not storing such collected data in the secondary storage unit 32, the amount of data is reduced.

(Example 19)
Hereinafter, Example 19 will be described. In the nineteenth embodiment, when a communication failure occurs between the image forming apparatus 10 </ b> A and the server 16, when the free capacity of the main storage unit 30 exceeds the threshold value, the limiting unit 38 stores the storage capacity of the main storage unit 30. (Storage capacity allocated to the main storage unit 30) is reduced, and the storage capacity of the secondary storage unit 32 (storage capacity allocated to the secondary storage unit 32) is increased by the reduced amount.

  A specific example will be described. It is assumed that the total storage capacity of the main storage unit 30 is 152 GB and the total storage capacity of the sub storage unit 32 is 8 GB. For example, when the free capacity of the main storage unit 30 exceeds 100 GB as a threshold, the limiting unit 38 decreases the storage capacity of the main storage unit 30 by 1 GB and increases the sub storage unit 32 by 1 GB. By doing so, when there is a margin in the free capacity of the main storage unit 30, the corresponding storage capacity is used for storing collected data.

  When the free capacity of the main storage unit 30 exceeds the first threshold (for example, 100 GB) and the free capacity of the secondary storage unit 32 becomes equal to or less than the second threshold (for example, 7 GB), the limiting unit 38 The storage capacity of the storage unit 30 may be reduced, and the storage capacity of the secondary storage unit 32 may be increased by the reduced amount. In this way, the collected data collected over a longer time is stored in the secondary storage unit 32 while suppressing or preventing the influence on the image forming process.

  The first threshold value is determined as a ratio (for example, 80%) to the total storage capacity of the main storage unit 30, and the second threshold value is determined as a ratio (for example, 20%) to the total storage capacity of the secondary storage unit 32. May be.

  The process of increasing the storage capacity of the secondary storage unit 32 is a temporary process. For example, when the free capacity of the secondary storage unit 32 exceeds the second threshold, the restriction unit 38 returns the total storage capacity of each of the main storage unit 30 and the secondary storage unit 32 to the original capacity.

  As another example, when the number of unprocessed jobs (the number of image processes to be executed) received by the image forming apparatus 10A is equal to or less than a threshold value, the limiting unit 38 reduces the storage capacity of the main storage unit 30 and reduces it. Accordingly, the storage capacity of the secondary storage unit 32 may be increased. Data relating to jobs (for example, image data and control data) is stored in the main storage unit 30. If the number of jobs is equal to or less than a threshold value, it is estimated that there is room in the free capacity of the main storage unit 30. Therefore, the collected data collected over a longer time is stored in the secondary storage unit 32 while suppressing or preventing the influence on the image forming process (job processing) by performing the above processing in that case. .

(Example 20)
Hereinafter, Example 20 will be described. In the twentieth embodiment, when a communication failure occurs between the image forming apparatus 10 </ b> A and the server 16, the restriction unit 38 is configured so that the capacity of data (for example, processing data) stored in the main storage unit 30 becomes smaller. Then, the content of the image forming process by the image forming unit 26 is changed. That is, the restricting unit 38 restricts the image forming function. In addition, similarly to the nineteenth embodiment, the limiting unit 38 reduces the storage capacity of the main storage unit 30 and increases the storage capacity of the sub storage unit 32 by the reduced amount. If the capacity of the data stored in the main storage unit 30 is reduced, there is a margin in the free capacity of the main storage unit 30 correspondingly. Therefore, even if the storage capacity of the main storage unit 30 is reduced and the storage capacity of the secondary storage unit 32 is increased, the collected data collected over a longer period of time is suppressed or prevented while affecting the main storage unit 30. Stored in the storage unit 32. In this way, when a communication failure occurs, by collecting only the amount of processing data, it is possible to collect the collected data without changing the amount of collected data compared to before the occurrence of the communication failure.

  A specific example will be described. For example, the limiting unit 38 limits the capacity of scan data (image data generated by scanning) that can be stored in the main storage unit 30 by one user, and stores the data up to that time if the capacity exceeds a threshold value. The transmitted scan data is transmitted to the terminal device, the transmitted scan data is deleted from the main storage unit 30, and then the remaining scans are executed. Thereby, since the free capacity of the main storage unit 30 increases, even if the storage capacity of the main storage unit 30 is allocated to the secondary storage unit 32, the influence on the main storage unit 30 is suppressed or prevented.

  When the image forming process for storing the image data generated by the scan in the main storage unit 30 is set, the restricting unit 38 changes the storage destination of the image data to a device other than the image forming apparatus 10A. Further, the restriction unit 38 may change the content of the image forming process to a process of transferring the image data to an apparatus other than the image forming apparatus 10A by e-mail or other methods. By doing so, no image data is stored in the main storage unit 30, so that the free capacity of the main storage unit 30 increases compared to the case where the image data is stored in the main storage unit 30. As a result, even if the storage capacity of the main storage unit 30 is allocated to the secondary storage unit 32, the influence on the main storage unit 30 is suppressed or prevented.

  When an image forming process in which image data generated by scanning is stored in the main storage unit 30 is set, after the image data is extracted from the main storage unit 30, the restriction unit 38 stores the image data in the main storage unit 30. You may delete from the memory | storage part 30. FIG. Also in this case, the free space of the main storage unit 30 increases due to the deletion. In addition, a period for storing image data in the main storage unit 30 is determined, and the limit unit 38 may delete the image data from the main storage unit 30 after the period has elapsed.

(Example 21)
Hereinafter, Example 21 will be described. In the twenty-first embodiment, the restricting unit 38 stores data in the secondary storage unit 32 according to the combination of the contents of the image forming process executed by the image forming unit 26 and the collected data collected by the collecting device at the time of execution. Determine the collected data that will be limited.

  A specific example will be described. For example, the restriction unit 38 extracts a word group from the image data by applying a character recognition process to the image data generated by the scan. Next, the restriction unit 38 extracts a word group from each voice data by applying voice recognition processing to the voice data collected by each of the microphones 12A, 12B, and 12C when the scan is executed. To do. The restricting unit 38 determines voice data from which a word group that is wholly or partially matched with the word group extracted from the image data is extracted as collected data to be stored in the sub storage unit 32. When a communication failure occurs between the image forming apparatus 10 </ b> A and the server 16, the storage control unit 36 stores the audio data in the sub storage unit 32. The storage control unit 36 may store the audio data in the sub storage unit 32 when the matching ratio exceeds the threshold value. On the other hand, the restricting unit 38 determines the audio data from which the word group that does not match the word group extracted from the image data is extracted as the collected data that is not stored in the sub storage unit 32. In this case, the storage control unit 36 does not store the audio data in the sub storage unit 32. Note that when printing or copying is executed instead of scanning, a word group may be extracted from image data or document data to be printed or copied, and processing similar to the above may be executed. By performing the above processing, audio data estimated to be related to data (image data, document data, etc.) subjected to image forming processing such as scanning is stored in the secondary storage unit 32, and related to the data. Sound data that is not estimated is not stored in the sub storage unit 32. Thereby, the amount of data is reduced while the audio data estimated to be related to the data subjected to the image forming process is stored in the secondary storage unit 32.

  As another example, the number of prints performed by the image forming unit 26 exceeds a threshold value, and a word related to paper (for example, indicates a shortage of paper) from voice data collected when the print is performed. When the character string is extracted, the restriction unit 38 determines the voice data as the collected data to be stored in the sub storage unit 32. When a communication failure occurs between the image forming apparatus 10 </ b> A and the server 16, the storage control unit 36 stores the audio data in the sub storage unit 32 and does not store the other audio data in the sub storage unit 32. By doing so, the audio data estimated to be related to the number of prints exceeding the threshold value is stored in the secondary storage unit 32, and the audio data not estimated to be related to the print is not stored in the secondary storage unit 32. Thereby, the amount of data is reduced while the audio data estimated to be related to the image forming process is stored in the secondary storage unit 32.

  As another example, when the user logs in to the image forming apparatus 10A outside a predetermined time (unexpected time), the restriction unit 38 stores the collected data collected at the unexpected time as a secondary storage. This is determined as collected data to be stored in the unit 32. When a communication failure occurs between the image forming apparatus 10 </ b> A and the server 16, the storage control unit 36 stores the collected data in the secondary storage unit 32 and does not store other collected data in the secondary storage unit 32. For example, the unexpected time is a time when no overtime is scheduled. The collected data collected at that time may be stored in the secondary storage unit 32, and the collected data may be used for unexpected overtime analysis. Further, since the collected data collected at other times is not stored in the secondary storage unit 32, the amount of data is reduced.

  As another example, when the number of prints or the number of copies within a predetermined period exceeds a threshold, the restricting unit 38 displays the moving image data representing the user who instructed the print or copy, The moving image data representing the sheet output by copying is defined as collected data to be stored in the sub storage unit 32. When a communication failure occurs between the image forming apparatus 10 </ b> A and the server 16, the storage control unit 36 stores the image data in the sub storage unit 32 and does not store other image data in the sub storage unit 32. For example, the user and the paper are tracked by the monitoring camera, and moving image data representing the state is stored in the sub storage unit 32. For example, the moving image data may be used for analysis of a user who gives an instruction for printing or copying, or may be used for confirming the whereabouts of a sheet. Further, since collected data other than the moving image data is not stored in the sub storage unit 32, the data amount is reduced.

  At least two of the above embodiments may be combined.

(Other examples)
When a communication failure occurs between the image forming apparatus 10A and the server 16, the control unit 34 of the image forming apparatus 10A transmits information indicating that the communication failure has occurred to the terminal device 18 registered in advance. May be.

  When the free capacity of the secondary storage unit 32 runs out (when it becomes zero), the storage control unit 36 overwrites and saves the collected data newly received by the first communication unit 20 in the secondary storage unit 32. Good. For example, the oldest collected data may be overwritten by new collected data in order. As another example, the storage control unit 36 may temporarily store the collected data in the main storage unit 30, or the limiting unit 38 may stop receiving the collected data by the first communication unit 20. Good.

(Other embodiments)
A relay apparatus other than the image forming apparatus 10 may receive the collected data from the collecting apparatus and transmit it to the external apparatus. In this case, the relay device includes at least the first communication unit 20, the second communication unit 22, the UI unit 24, the storage unit 28 (including the main storage unit 30 and the sub storage unit 32), and the control unit 34 (storage). Including a control unit 36 and a limiting unit 38). For example, image data, music data, or the like provided via the UI unit 24 may be stored in the main storage unit 30 or data acquired via a communication path such as the Internet may be stored. . For example, the relay device may be a so-called smart speaker having a speaker and a communication function, or may be a device having a communication function but not a speaker function. The relay device, for example, as collected data, user's physical information (for example, heart rate and blood pressure values), information obtained from home appliances (for example, information on the set temperature of the air conditioner, information indicating power consumption, etc.) ) Etc. may be received from each collection device, and the collected data may be transmitted to an external device such as a server. When a communication failure occurs between the relay device and the external device, the collected data is stored in the secondary storage unit 32 in a state where the data amount is limited, as in the above-described embodiment, and after the communication failure is resolved, The collected data stored in the secondary storage unit 32 is transmitted to the external device.

  The image forming apparatus 10 is realized by cooperation of hardware and software as an example. Specifically, the image forming apparatus 10 includes one or more processors such as a CPU (not shown). The function of each unit of the image forming apparatus 10 is realized by the one or more processors reading and executing a program stored in a storage device (not shown). The program is stored in the storage device via a recording medium such as a CD or DVD, or via a communication path such as a network. As another example, each unit of the image forming apparatus 10 may be realized by hardware resources such as a processor, an electronic circuit, and an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). In the realization, a device such as a memory may be used. As another example, each unit of the image forming apparatus 10 may be realized by a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or the like.

10A, 10B Image forming apparatus, 12A-12F microphone, 14A-14F camera, 16 server, 18 terminal device, 20 first communication unit, 22 second communication unit, 30 main storage unit, 32 secondary storage unit, 36 storage control unit 38 Limiting part.

Claims (18)

Receiving means for receiving information collected by the collecting device from a collecting device for collecting information;
Transmitting means for communicating with an external device and transmitting information received by the receiving means to the external device;
Storage control means for storing in the storage means the information received by the receiving means;
When communication with the external device is impossible, a limiting unit that limits the amount of information stored in the storage unit;
Have
The transmission unit transmits information stored in the storage unit to the external device after communication with the external device is enabled.
Information processing device. The limiting means limits the amount of information by applying a compression process to the information;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1. The limiting unit increases the compression rate in the compression process according to the decrease in the free capacity of the storage unit.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 2. The restricting means performs compression processing using a higher compression rate for a larger amount of information.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the information processing apparatus is an information processing apparatus. The limiting means limits the amount of information using an analysis of the information;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1. The limiting means does not store information in which the detection level of a specific event obtained from the analysis result is equal to or less than a threshold value in the storage means.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 5. When information whose contents overlap each other is collected by a plurality of collecting devices, the restricting means only obtains information collected by one collecting device among the plurality of collecting devices. Storing in the storage means;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 5. The external device is a device that applies analysis processing to information transmitted to the external device by the transmission unit;
The restriction unit applies the analysis process to the information received by the reception unit, and does not store the information to which the analysis process is applied in the storage unit.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 5. The limiting unit limits the amount of information by reducing the number of collection devices from which the receiving unit acquires information.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1. The limiting means stops receiving information from the collection device determined based on the positional relationship of each collection device;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 9. The restriction means stops receiving information from a collection device that collects information that does not satisfy a predetermined condition;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 9. When information is collected from the same or overlapping information collection areas by a plurality of collection devices of the same type, the restriction unit stops receiving information from at least one collection device among the collection devices Without receiving information from a collection device other than the at least one collection device of the plurality of collection devices,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 9. The limiting means preferentially stops receiving information from a collection device that collects a larger amount of information than a collection device that collects a smaller amount of information.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 9. An image forming unit that executes image forming processing;
The storage means
First storage means for storing at least one of data to which the image forming process is applied and data generated by the image forming process;
Second storage means for storing information received by the receiving means;
Have
When communication with the external device is impossible, the storage control unit stores the information received by the receiving unit in the second storage unit, and the limiting unit limits the amount of the information.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus is an information processing apparatus. The limiting means reduces the storage capacity of the first storage means when the free capacity of the first storage means exceeds a threshold, and increases the storage capacity of the second storage means by the reduced amount.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 14. The restricting unit changes the content of the image forming process so that the amount of data stored in the first storage unit is smaller;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 14. The restricting unit determines information to be restricted according to a combination of the contents of the image forming process executed by the image forming unit and the information collected by the collecting device at the time of execution.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 14. Computer
Receiving means for receiving information collected by the collection device from a collection device for collecting information;
Transmitting means for communicating with an external device and transmitting information received by the receiving means to the external device;
Storage control means for storing in the storage means the information received by the receiving means;
Limiting means for limiting the amount of information stored in the storage means when communication with the external device is impossible;
Function as
The transmission unit transmits information stored in the storage unit to the external device after communication with the external device is enabled.
program.

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