JP7128723B2 - Image management device, road surface information management system, vehicle, program, and image management method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image management device, a road surface information management system, a vehicle, a program, and an image management method.

A technology is known in which an in-vehicle terminal transmits road information (for example, road surface pavement, etc.) about a road on which a vehicle is traveling to a server (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
[Prior art documents]
[Patent Literature]
[Patent Document 1] JP 2015-184183 A

Storing all the image data acquired during driving in the server wastes the resources of the server and communication network.

In a first aspect of the present invention, an image manager is provided. The image management device described above includes, for example, a storage determination unit that determines an image to be stored from among a plurality of images captured by an imaging unit that captures an image of the exterior of a mobile object. The above-described image management device includes, for example, a condition determination unit that determines conditions for determining images to be saved. In the image management device described above, the imaging unit is mounted, for example, on a mobile object. In the image management device described above, the storage determination unit determines images to be stored, for example, according to the conditions determined by the condition determination unit. In the image management device described above, the condition determination unit has, for example, a speed information acquisition unit that acquires speed information indicating the speed of the moving object. In the above-described image management device, the condition determination unit may, for example, set the conditions for determining images to be stored as: (i) after one image is determined to be stored, the next image to be stored is: Conditions regarding the time interval until determination, and (ii) Conditions regarding the distance traveled by the moving body after one image is determined to be stored until the next image to be stored is determined and a space condition determination unit that determines at least one of the above based on the speed of the moving body.

In the image management device described above, the image management device may include a distance information acquisition unit that acquires distance information indicating the distance between the moving body and an object existing in the moving direction of the moving body. In the image management device described above, the condition determination unit sets the condition that the image is not captured when the distance indicated by the distance information is smaller than a predetermined value as a condition for determining the image to be stored. It may have a distance condition determining unit for determining.

In the above image management device, the mobile object may be a vehicle. In the image management device described above, the object existing in the moving direction of the moving object may be another vehicle existing in front of the moving object. In the image management device described above, each of the plurality of vehicles may be assigned a unique vehicle identification number. In the image management device described above, the condition determining unit sets a condition that, when a vehicle identification number assigned to another vehicle included in an image captured by the imaging unit is recognized, the image is not subject to storage. It may have an image condition determination unit that determines the condition for determining the image to be.

In a second aspect of the invention, an image manager is provided. The image management device described above includes, for example, a storage determination unit that determines an image to be stored from among a plurality of images captured by an imaging unit that captures an image of the exterior of a mobile object. The image management device described above includes, for example, a distance information acquisition unit that acquires distance information indicating the distance between the moving body and an object existing in the moving direction of the moving body. In the image management device described above, the imaging unit is mounted, for example, on a mobile object. In the image management device described above, the storage determining unit determines that an image captured by the imaging unit when the distance indicated by the distance information is smaller than a predetermined value is not subject to storage.

In the above image management device, the mobile object may be a vehicle. In the image management device described above, the object existing in the moving direction of the moving object may be another vehicle existing in front of the moving object. In the image management device described above, each of the plurality of vehicles may be assigned a unique vehicle identification number. In the image management device described above, the distance information may be information indicating that a vehicle identification number assigned to another vehicle included in the image captured by the imaging unit has been recognized. In the image management device described above, the storage determination unit may determine that the distance indicated by the distance information is smaller than a predetermined value when the vehicle identification number assigned to another vehicle is recognized.

In the first aspect and the second aspect, when the vehicle identification number given to another vehicle included in the image captured by the imaging unit is recognized, the recognized vehicle identification number There may be an identification number storage unit that decides to store the number. The image management device described above may include an identification number transmission unit that transmits information including the vehicle identification number determined to be stored to the vehicle information collection device that collects vehicle identification numbers. The above image management device may include an image transmission unit that transmits information including image data of images to be stored to the image information collection device that collects images.

In a third aspect of the invention, a vehicle is provided. The vehicle described above includes, for example, the image management device according to the first aspect or the second aspect described above.

A fourth aspect of the present invention provides a road surface information management system. The above road surface information management system includes, for example, the image management device according to the above first aspect or second aspect. The road surface information management system described above includes, for example, an image information collection device that collects image data of images to be stored from a plurality of image management devices. In the road surface information management system described above, for example, images to be stored include images of roads. In the road surface information management system described above, for example, the image information collection device analyzes images to be stored and generates road surface information regarding the state of the road surface.

In a fifth aspect of the invention, a program is provided. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing the above program may be provided. The program may be a program for causing a computer to function as the image management apparatus according to the first aspect or the second aspect. The program may be a program for causing a computer to execute the information processing method in the image management apparatus according to the first aspect or the second aspect.

In a sixth aspect of the invention, an image management method is provided. In the image management method described above, for example, the computer is mounted on a moving body, and includes a storage determination step of determining an image to be stored from among a plurality of images captured by an imaging unit that captures an image of the exterior of the moving body. may have The image management method described above may include, for example, a condition determination step in which the computer determines conditions for determining images to be saved. The condition determination stage includes, for example, a speed information acquisition stage in which the computer acquires speed information indicating the speed of the moving object. In the condition determination stage, for example, the computer determines the conditions for determining the images to be stored by: (i) after one image is determined to be stored, until the next image to be stored is determined; and (ii) a condition related to the distance that the moving object moves after one image is determined to be stored until the next image to be stored is determined. , including an interval condition determination step that is determined based on the velocity of the moving body. The storage determination stage includes, for example, a stage in which the computer determines images to be stored according to the conditions determined in the condition determination stage.

In a seventh aspect of the invention, an image management method is provided. In the image management method described above, for example, the computer is mounted on a moving body, and includes a storage determination step of determining an image to be stored from among a plurality of images captured by an imaging unit that captures an image of the exterior of the moving body. have. The image management method described above has, for example, a distance information acquiring step in which the computer acquires distance information indicating the distance between the moving body and an object existing in the moving direction of the moving body. In the image management method described above, the storage determination step is, for example, a step in which the computer determines that an image captured by the imaging unit when the distance indicated by the distance information is smaller than a predetermined value is not subject to storage. including.

It should be noted that the above summary of the invention does not list all the necessary features of the invention. Subcombinations of these feature groups can also be inventions.

An example of the system configuration of the management system 100 is schematically shown. An example of the internal configuration of the management server 110 is shown schematically. An example of the internal configuration of vehicle 120 is shown schematically. An example of the internal configuration of the image manager 124 is shown schematically. An example of the internal configuration of the storage condition determination unit 420 is shown schematically. An example of information processing in the image management unit 124 is schematically shown. An example of information processing in the interval condition determination unit 524 is schematically shown. An example of information processing in the interval condition determination unit 524 is schematically shown. 1 schematically shows an example of an image captured by an exterior imaging unit 122 of a vehicle 120. FIG.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Also, not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential for the solution of the invention. In addition, in the drawings, the same or similar parts may be denoted by the same reference numerals to omit redundant description.

[Overview of management system 100]
FIG. 1 schematically shows an example of a system configuration of a management system 100. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the management system 100 includes a management server 110 and vehicles 120 . The management system 100 may include a communication terminal 140 used by a user of the management system 100. FIG. In this embodiment, the vehicle 120 has an exterior imaging unit 122 , an image management unit 124 and a license plate 126 .

The management system 100 may be an example of a road surface information management system. The management server 110 may be an example of an image information gathering device and a vehicle information gathering device. Vehicle 120 may be an example of an image manager and vehicle. Vehicle 120 may be an example of a mobile object. The vehicle exterior imaging unit 122 may be an example of an imaging unit. The image manager 124 may be an example of an image manager.

In this embodiment, the management server 110 and the vehicle 120 can exchange information with each other via the communication network 10 . Information may be transmitted and received between the management server 110 and the communication terminal 140 via the communication network 10 . Vehicle 120 and communication terminal 140 may transmit and receive information via communication network 10 .

In this embodiment, the communication network 10 may be a wired communication transmission line, a wireless communication transmission line, or a combination of a wireless communication transmission line and a wired communication transmission line. . Communication network 10 may include wireless packet communication networks, the Internet, P2P networks, leased lines, VPNs, power line communication lines, and the like. The communication network 10 may include (i) a mobile communication network such as a mobile phone network, and (ii) a wireless MAN (for example, WiMAX (registered trademark)), a wireless LAN (for example, WiFi (registered trademark)). ), Bluetooth (registered trademark), Zigbee (registered trademark), NFC (Near Field Communication), and other wireless communication networks.

In this embodiment, the management server 110 collects images. More specifically, the management server 110 collects information (sometimes referred to as image information) on images captured by the vehicle-external imaging units 122 mounted on one or more vehicles 120 . The image information may include image data of the image, may include information indicating at least one of the position and time at which the image was captured, and arbitrary information recognized by analyzing the image. may contain.

When the collected images include images of roads, the management server 110 may analyze the collected images to generate road surface information regarding the condition of the road surface. The management server 110 detects at least one of deterioration of the road surface, presence/absence or degree of freezing of the road surface, and presence/absence or degree of wetting or flooding of the road surface, for example, based on the road surface information.

In this embodiment, the management server 110 collects various types of information (sometimes referred to as vehicle information) regarding one or more vehicles 120 . The vehicle information may include a vehicle identification number assigned to the vehicle 120 and information indicating at least one of the position and time when the vehicle identification number was captured.

In this embodiment, the vehicle identification number is identification information for identifying each of a plurality of vehicles. A unique vehicle identification number is assigned to each of the plurality of vehicles. The vehicle identification number may be identification information consisting of letters, numbers, symbols, and combinations thereof. An automobile registration number is exemplified as the vehicle identification number. In this embodiment, the vehicle identification number of each vehicle is indicated on the license plate 126 attached to the vehicle.

Management server 110 may generate information indicating the movement history of vehicle 120 identified by a specific vehicle identification number in response to a request from communication terminal 140, for example. Management server 110 may transmit information indicating movement history to communication terminal 140 as a response to the above request. The management server 110 can use the movement history to detect the position or movement history of, for example, a stolen vehicle or a vehicle without vehicle inspection.

In this embodiment, the vehicle 120 captures an image outside the vehicle while traveling. The vehicle 120 transmits image data of images that meet specific conditions among the captured images to the management server 110 . On the other hand, the vehicle 120 does not transmit image data of images that do not meet the above conditions to the management server 110 . The vehicle 120 may discard image data for images that do not meet the above conditions at appropriate times.

The management server 110 can use the transmitted image to detect, for example, (i) unevenness of the road surface, (ii) deterioration of the road surface, and (iii) marking lines or road markings on the road surface. . The management server 110 uses the transmitted image to evaluate, for example, (i) unevenness of the road surface, (ii) deterioration of the road surface, and (iii) the state of marking lines or road markings on the road surface. can be done.

Examples of the vehicle 120 include an automobile and a motorcycle. Motorcycles include (i) bikes, (ii) tricycles, (iii) Segways (registered trademark), kickboards (registered trademark) with power units, and skateboards with power units. A two-wheeled vehicle etc. are illustrated.

In this embodiment, the vehicle exterior imaging unit 122 is mounted on the vehicle 120 . The vehicle exterior imaging unit 122 captures an image of the exterior of the vehicle 120 . Vehicle 120 outputs the image data of the captured image to image manager 124 .

In this embodiment, the image management unit 124 manages image data of images captured by the vehicle exterior imaging unit 122 . In one embodiment, the image management unit 124 divides the image captured by the vehicle exterior imaging unit 122 into an image to be stored (sometimes referred to as a storage target) and an image to be discarded (referred to as a discard target). There may be cases where it is On the other hand, the image management unit 124 discards the image data of the image to be discarded without transmitting it to the management server 110 .

In another embodiment, the image management unit 124 analyzes at least a portion of the image captured by the exterior imaging unit 122 to determine whether the vehicle identification number is recognized. When the vehicle identification number is recognized in the image, the image management unit 124 sends the vehicle information including the vehicle identification number and at least one of the position and time when the image was captured to the management server. 110. Details of the image management unit 124 will be described later.

In this embodiment, the communication terminal 140 only needs to be able to exchange information with at least one of the management server 110 and the vehicle 120, and the details are not particularly limited. Examples of the communication terminal 140 include a personal computer and a mobile terminal. Examples of mobile terminals include mobile phones, smart phones, PDAs, tablets, notebook or laptop computers, wearable computers, and the like.

Communication terminal 140 may support one or more communication schemes. Examples of communication methods include a mobile communication method, a wireless MAN method, a wireless LAN method, a wireless PAN method, and the like. Examples of mobile communication systems include the GSM (registered trademark) system, the 3G system, the LTE system, the 4G system, and the 5G system. WiMAX (registered trademark) is exemplified as a wireless MAN system. WiFi (registered trademark) is exemplified as a wireless LAN system. Wireless PAN systems include Bluetooth (registered trademark), Zigbee (registered trademark), NFC (Near Field Communication), and the like.

[Specific configuration of each part of management system 100]
Each part of the management system 100 may be realized by hardware, software, or both hardware and software. At least part of each part of the management system 100 may be realized by a single server or may be realized by a plurality of servers. At least part of each part of the management system 100 may be implemented on a virtual machine or a cloud system. At least part of each unit of the management system 100 may be realized by a personal computer or a mobile terminal. Examples of mobile terminals include mobile phones, smart phones, PDAs, tablets, notebook or laptop computers, wearable computers, and the like. Each part of the management system 100 may store information using distributed ledger technology or distributed networks such as blockchain.

When at least part of the components that make up the management system 100 are implemented by software, the components implemented by the software define operations related to the components in an information processing device with a general configuration. It may be realized by starting a program. The above information processing device includes, for example, (i) a data processing device having a processor such as a CPU and GPU, a ROM, a RAM, a communication interface, and the like; and (ii) a keyboard, touch panel, camera, microphone, various sensors, and a GPS receiver. (iii) an output device such as a display device, a speaker, and a vibration device; and (iv) a storage device (including an external storage device) such as a memory and an HDD.

In the information processing device described above, the data processing device or the storage device may store a program. The above program may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium. The program is executed by the processor to cause the information processing apparatus to perform operations specified by the program.

The program may be stored in a computer-readable medium such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, memory, hard disk, etc., or may be stored in a storage device connected to a network. The program may be installed on a computer forming at least part of the management system 100 from a computer-readable medium or network-connected storage device. By executing the program, the computer may function as at least part of each part of the management system 100 .

A program that causes a computer to function as at least part of each section of management system 100 may include a module that defines the operation of each section of management system 100 . These programs or modules act on the data processing device, input device, output device, storage device, etc., to cause the computer to function as each part of the management system 100, or to cause the computer to execute the information processing method in each part of the management system 100. or

The information processing described in the program functions as concrete means in which software related to the program and various hardware resources of the management system 100 cooperate with each other when the program is read into the computer. Then, the management system 100 corresponding to the purpose of use of the computer in this embodiment is constructed by the above specific means realizing the calculation or processing of information according to the purpose of use of the computer.

The above program may be a program for causing a computer to function as management system 100 or image management section 124 . The above program may be a program for causing a computer to execute the information processing method in the management system 100 or the image management section 124 .

In one embodiment, the information processing method may be an image management method. The image management method described above has, for example, a storage determination step of determining an image to be stored from among a plurality of images captured by an imaging unit that is mounted on a mobile object and captures an image of the exterior of the mobile object. The image management method described above has, for example, a condition determination step of determining conditions for determining images to be saved.

In the image management method described above, the condition determination step may include a speed information acquisition step of acquiring speed information indicating the speed of the moving object. In the image management method described above, the condition determination step includes the following conditions for determining images to be stored: (i) after one image is determined to be stored, the next image to be stored is determined; and (ii) the distance that the moving object moves after one image is determined to be stored until the next image to be stored is determined. It may include an interval condition determination step in which one is determined based on the speed of the moving body. In the image management method described above, the storing determination step may include determining the images to be stored according to the conditions determined by the condition determination unit.

In another embodiment, the above information processing method may be an image management method. The image management method described above has, for example, a storage determination step of determining an image to be stored from among a plurality of images captured by an imaging unit that is mounted on a mobile object and captures an image of the exterior of the mobile object. The image management method described above has, for example, a distance information obtaining step of obtaining distance information indicating the distance between the moving body and an object existing in the moving direction of the moving body. In the image management method described above, the storage determination step may include a step of determining that an image captured by the imaging unit when the distance indicated by the distance information is smaller than a predetermined value is not subject to storage.

[Overview of each part of the management server 110]
FIG. 2 schematically shows an example of the internal configuration of the management server 110. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the management server 110 includes a road surface management server 220 and a vehicle management server 240 . In this embodiment, the road surface management server 220 has a road surface information management section 222 and a road surface information storage section 224 . In this embodiment, the vehicle management server 240 has a vehicle information management section 242 and a vehicle information storage section 244 .

The road surface management server 220 may be an example of an image information collection device. Vehicle management server 240 may be an example of a vehicle information collection device.

In this embodiment, the road surface management server 220 manages image information. The road surface information management unit 222 receives image information including image data of images to be stored from the image management units 124 of one or more vehicles 120 . The road surface information management section 222 manages the above image information. For example, the road surface information management unit 222 assigns an appropriate index to the image information and stores it in the road surface information storage unit 224 . This facilitates storage, retrieval, analysis, etc. of image information.

For example, when the image to be stored includes an image of a road, the road surface information management unit 222 analyzes the image to be stored and generates road surface information regarding the condition of the road surface. The road surface conditions include (i) the presence or absence of unevenness on the road surface or its state, (ii) the presence or absence of reflections on the road surface or its state, and (iii) the presence or absence of lane markings or road markings arranged on the road surface or their state. etc. are exemplified. The unevenness of the road surface is exemplified by undulation of the road surface, depression of the road surface, cracks in the road surface, and the like.

The road surface information management unit 222 may detect at least one of deterioration of the road surface, freezing of the road surface, and wetting or flooding of the road surface based on the road surface information. The extent of at least one of road deterioration, road icing, and road wetting or flooding may be assessed. For example, the road surface information management unit 222 may assign appropriate indexes to road surface information, detection results, or evaluation results and store them in the road surface information storage unit 224 .

For example, the road surface information management unit 222 evaluates the deterioration state of the road surface based on the unevenness of the road surface. The road surface information management unit 222 may evaluate the state of deterioration of the road surface based on the state of unevenness of the road surface and the state of the division lines or road markings arranged on the road surface. As a result of the above evaluation, when it is determined that the state of deterioration of the road surface is worse than the predetermined state, the road surface information management section 222 may detect the deterioration of the road surface.

For example, the road surface information management unit 222 detects at least one of frozen road surface and wet or flooded road surface based on the state of reflection of the road surface. The road surface information management unit 222 may determine the degree of at least one of road surface freezing and road surface wetness or flooding based on the reflection state of the road surface.

As a result, the road surface information management unit 222 can specify, for example, the positions of uneven road surfaces, deteriorated road surfaces, lane markings, road markings, and the like. The road surface information management unit 222 identifies locations where caution is required for vehicle traffic, locations where vehicle traffic should be prohibited, locations where restoration work is required, locations where road surface repair is required, and lane markings or road markings that require repair. It is possible to specify the position of such a point. In addition, the road surface information management unit 222 can determine the priority of repair of the road surface, lane markings or road markings, the priority of restoration work, and the like.

In this embodiment, the vehicle management server 240 manages vehicle information. The vehicle information manager 242 receives vehicle information from the image managers 124 of one or more vehicles 120, including vehicle identification numbers recognized in images captured in each vehicle. The vehicle information management unit 242 manages the above vehicle information. For example, the vehicle information management unit 242 assigns an appropriate index to the vehicle information and stores it in the vehicle information storage unit 244 . This facilitates storage, retrieval, and analysis of vehicle information.

For example, in response to a search request from communication terminal 140, vehicle information management unit 242 generates the movement history of vehicle 120 identified by the vehicle identification number included in the search request. The vehicle information management unit 242 may transmit the information indicating the movement history to the communication terminal 140 as a response to the request.

More specifically, first, vehicle information management unit 242 acquires the vehicle identification number of vehicle 120 to be searched from communication terminal 140 . Next, the vehicle information management unit 242 refers to a database storing movement histories of a plurality of vehicles 120, and extracts information indicating the movement history of the vehicle 120 to be searched. After that, the vehicle information management unit 242 transmits information indicating the nearest position of the vehicle 120 to be searched or information indicating the movement history of the vehicle to the communication terminal 140 . Examples of the vehicle 120 to be searched include a stolen vehicle, a non-inspected vehicle, and an acquaintance's vehicle.

In this embodiment, the road surface management server 220 and the vehicle management server 240 may be physically or logically different servers. The vehicle management server 240 does not contain image data, or stores less image data in number or capacity than the road surface management server 220 . Therefore, the data processing load on the vehicle management server 240 is smaller than the data processing load on the road surface management server 220 . As a result, the vehicle management server 240 can quickly perform processes such as searching for the movement history of a specific vehicle 120, detecting theft of the vehicle 120, and searching for the position or movement history of a stolen vehicle or an empty vehicle. can be executed.

[Overview of Each Part of Vehicle 120]
FIG. 3 schematically shows an example of the internal configuration of vehicle 120. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the vehicle 120 includes an exterior imaging unit 122, an image management unit 124, a GPS signal reception unit 322, a driving state detection unit 324, a drive unit 330, a communication unit 340, and a control unit 350. Prepare. In this embodiment, the control unit 350 has an input/output control unit 352 , a vehicle control unit 354 and a communication control unit 356 .

In this embodiment, the GPS signal receiver 322 receives GPS signals. The GPS signal receiver 322 may generate position information indicating the position of the vehicle 120 based on the received GPS signals.

In this embodiment, the running state detection unit 324 detects the running state of the vehicle 120 based on the output of any internal sensor or any external sensor provided on the vehicle 120 . The running state of the vehicle 120 includes speed, acceleration, inclination, vibration, noise, operation status of the driving unit 330, occurrence status of abnormality, current position, moving route, temperature of the outside air, humidity of the outside air, pressure of the outside air, and internal space. temperature, internal space humidity, internal space pressure, relative position with surrounding objects, relative speed with surrounding objects, presence or absence or degree of traffic congestion, continuous driving time, presence or absence or frequency of sudden acceleration, presence or absence of sudden deceleration Or frequency etc. are illustrated. The running state of the vehicle 120 may be an example of the moving state of the moving object.

In this embodiment, the driving section 330 drives the vehicle 120 . Drive unit 330 may drive vehicle 120 in accordance with a command from control unit 350 . Drive unit 330 may generate power with an internal combustion engine, or may generate power with an electric motor. The drive unit 330 may include at least one of an automatic safety device and an automatic driving device. Drive unit 330 may include not only equipment directly required to drive vehicle 120 but also various incidental equipment. Examples of incidental equipment include security equipment, seat adjustment equipment, lock management equipment, window opening/closing equipment, lighting equipment, air conditioning equipment, navigation equipment, audio equipment, video equipment, and the like.

In this embodiment, the communication unit 340 transmits and receives information between the vehicle 120 and the management server 110 via the communication network 10 . The communication unit 340 may support one or more communication schemes.

In this embodiment, the control section 350 controls each section of the vehicle 120 . For example, the control unit 350 inputs at least one of image data of an image captured by the vehicle exterior imaging unit 122, position information generated by the GPS signal receiving unit 322, and information indicating the driving state detected by the driving state detection unit 324. accept. Also, the control unit 350 transfers the input image data to the image management unit 124 .

In this embodiment, the input/output control unit 352 controls input/output of information in the vehicle 120 . In this embodiment, the input/output control unit 352 controls the vehicle exterior imaging unit 122 , the image management unit 124 , the GPS signal reception unit 322 , and the running state detection unit 324 . The input/output control unit 352 may control other types of input devices and/or output devices (not shown).

In this embodiment, the vehicle controller 354 controls the operation of the vehicle 120 . Vehicle control section 354 may control the operation of drive section 330 . For example, the vehicle control unit 354 acquires information output by the running state detection unit 324 . Vehicle control unit 354 controls the operation of drive unit 330 based on the information output from running state detection unit 324 .

In this embodiment, the communication control unit 356 controls communication between the vehicle 120 and external devices. The communication control section 356 may control the operation of the communication section 340 . The communication control section 356 may be a communication interface. The communication control unit 356 may support one or more communication schemes. The communication control section 356 may detect or monitor the state of communication between the management server 110 and the vehicle 120 . The communication control unit 356 may generate communication information indicating the communication state based on the above detection or monitoring results.

Examples of the communication information include information regarding availability of communication, radio wave conditions, communication quality, types of communication methods, types of communication carriers, and the like. Radio wave conditions include radio wave reception level, radio wave intensity, RSCP (Received Signal Code Power), CID (Cell ID), and the like. Examples of communication quality include communication speed, throughput of data communication, latency of data communication, and the like.

[Overview of Each Unit of Image Management Unit 124]
Details of the image manager 124 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. FIG. 4 schematically shows an example of the internal configuration of the image manager 124. As shown in FIG. FIG. 5 schematically shows an example of the internal configuration of the storage condition determining section 420. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4, in this embodiment, the image management unit 124 includes a storage condition determination unit 420, a storage time determination unit 432, an inter-vehicle distance determination unit 434, an image extraction unit 440, and an image analysis unit 450. , an accompanying information acquisition unit 460 , a vehicle information transmission unit 472 , and an image information transmission unit 474 . As shown in FIG. 5 , in this embodiment, the storage condition determination section 420 includes a speed information acquisition section 522 , an interval condition determination section 524 , a distance condition determination section 526 and an image condition determination section 528 .

The storage condition determination unit 420 may be an example of a condition determination unit, a speed information acquisition unit, an interval condition determination unit, a distance condition determination unit, and an image condition determination unit. The storage time determination unit 432 may be an example of a storage determination unit. The inter-vehicle distance determination unit 434 may be an example of a storage determination unit and a distance information acquisition unit. The image analysis unit 450 may be an example of a storage determination unit and an identification number storage unit. The vehicle information transmitter 472 may be an example of an identification number transmitter. The image information transmission section 474 may be an example of an image transmission section.

In this embodiment, the storage condition determination unit 420 determines conditions for determining images to be stored or candidates for such images. The storage condition determination unit 420 determines, for example, temporal or geographical conditions for images to be stored or candidates for storage. The temporal or geographical condition may be a condition related to the image capturing time or image capturing position.

The storage condition determining unit 420 determines a condition for determining whether or not to store an image based on, for example, the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle 120 and another vehicle existing in the vicinity of the vehicle 120 . The conditions for determining whether an image needs to be saved are: (i) an image is analyzed, and a vehicle 120 ( The condition that the image is not subject to storage when the vehicle identification number of the subject vehicle is recognized, (ii) the image is analyzed and the number of the subject vehicle A condition that the image is not to be saved when the plate 126 is recognized, and (iii) analyzing the image and determining the size of the subject vehicle or part of the subject vehicle in the image are determined in advance. An example is a condition that the image is not to be saved when the condition described above is satisfied.

Examples of the part of the subject vehicle are parts or patterns whose size is determined by laws, regulations, or commercial practices. Examples of the above parts include a license plate and a vehicle inspection mark. Examples of the pattern include a vehicle identification number on a license plate, characters or symbols on a vehicle inspection mark, and the like. As the above-mentioned predetermined conditions, (i) the ratio of the size of the image of the subject vehicle or part of the subject vehicle to the size of the entire image captured by the vehicle exterior imaging unit 122 is higher than a predetermined value. and (ii) the condition that the size of the subject vehicle or a partial image of the subject vehicle is larger than a predetermined size.

Storage condition determination unit 420 outputs information indicating the determined conditions to at least one of storage time determination unit 432 , inter-vehicle distance determination unit 434 , and image analysis unit 450 . For example, storage condition determination section 420 outputs the conditions determined by interval condition determination section 524 shown in FIG. Storage condition determination unit 420 may output the condition determined by distance condition determination unit 526 shown in FIG. Storage condition determination section 420 may output the conditions determined by image condition determination section 528 shown in FIG. 5 to image analysis section 450 . Details of the storage condition determination unit 420 will be described later.

[(a) An example of factors that determine storage targets based on temporal or geographical conditions]
In the present embodiment, the storage time determination unit 432 determines an image that is a candidate for storage from among the plurality of images captured by the exterior imaging unit 122 . For example, the storage timing determination unit 432 determines images that are candidates for storage by determining the timing for executing processing for at least temporarily storing the images on the vehicle 120 side. The storage time determination unit 432 may determine images that are candidates for storage based on the time when the images were captured. The storage time determination unit 432 may determine the image that is a candidate for storage based on the imaging position of the image.

The storage time determination unit 432 determines images that are candidates for storage according to the conditions determined by the storage condition determination unit 420, for example. The storage time determination unit 432 may determine images that are candidates for storage according to conditions determined by the interval condition determination unit 524 of the storage condition determination unit 420 . The storage time determining section 432 may output information for specifying the image determined as a storage target candidate to the image extracting section 440 . The information for specifying the image determined as the candidate for storage includes information indicating the imaging time of the image that is the candidate for storage, a signal indicating that the time to execute the image storage processing has arrived, and the image storage processing. Examples include instructions for executing

[(a-1) An example of a procedure for determining storage targets based on temporal conditions]
In one embodiment, the storage time determination unit 432 first acquires information indicating the temporal conditions of images to be stored or candidates for storage from the storage condition determination unit 420 . Next, the storage time determination unit 432 determines whether the above temporal conditions are met. For example, the save time determination unit 432 determines whether the time at which the image was captured satisfies the above temporal conditions. For example, when it is determined that the imaging time of the image satisfies the above temporal condition (that is, when the temporal condition is satisfied), the storage time determination unit 432 sets the above image as a storage candidate. to decide. Thus, the storage time determination unit 432 can determine images that are candidates for storage.

More specifically, first, the save time determination unit 432 acquires information indicating the condition regarding the temporal interval for saving images from the interval condition determination unit 524 of the save condition determination unit 420 . The above time interval is determined based on, for example, settings related to the imaging interval of images that are candidates for storage and the traveling speed of the vehicle 120 .

For example, if the above setting requires at least temporary storage of images taken at 25 m intervals, the condition regarding the time interval is 1 image per second when the running speed is 90 km/h or less It indicates that the image is saved at intervals of 180 km/h, and the image is saved at intervals of 2 images per second when the running speed is more than 90 km/h and 270 km/h. h indicates that images are saved at intervals of 3 images per second, and images are saved at intervals of 4 images per second when the running speed exceeds 270 km/h and is 360 km/h. The details of the conditions regarding the above time interval will be described later.

Next, the storage time determination unit 432 acquires information indicating the current time or information indicating the elapsed time from the imaging time of the image determined to be a candidate for storage immediately before. The storage time determination unit 432 determines whether the current time or the elapsed time satisfies the condition regarding the time interval, and determines images that are candidates for storage based on the determination result. do.

For example, the storage time determination unit 432 determines that an image captured at a time that satisfies the condition regarding the time interval is a candidate for storage. The storage time determination unit 432 outputs information indicating the imaging time of the image that is a candidate for storage to the image extraction unit 440, for example. Further, when the elapsed time satisfies the condition related to the time interval, the storage time determination unit 432 outputs a signal indicating that the execution time of the image storage processing has arrived, or executes the image storage processing. You may output the command for doing to the image extraction part 440. FIG. As a result, an image captured at appropriate timing is stored at least temporarily on the vehicle 120 side.

[(a-2) An example of a procedure for determining storage targets based on geographical conditions]
In another embodiment, the storage time determination unit 432 first acquires information indicating the geographical conditions of images that are candidates for storage from the storage condition determination unit 420 . Next, the retention period determination unit 432 determines whether the above geographical conditions are met. For example, the save time determination unit 432 determines whether the image capturing position satisfies the geographical conditions described above. For example, when it is determined that the imaging position of the image satisfies the above geographical conditions (that is, when the geographical conditions are satisfied), the storage time determination unit 432 selects the above image as a storage candidate. to decide. Thus, the storage time determination unit 432 can determine images that are candidates for storage.

More specifically, first, the storage time determination unit 432 acquires information indicating conditions regarding geographical intervals for storing images from the interval condition determination unit 524 of the storage condition determination unit 420 . The above geographical intervals are determined, for example, based on settings relating to imaging intervals of images that are candidates for storage. For example, the above setting requires at least temporary storage of images taken at 25 m intervals. The above geographic intervals may be determined based on settings for location coordinates of locations or regions where images are to be saved. The details of the conditions regarding the above geographical intervals will be described later.

Next, the storage time determination unit 432 acquires information indicating the current position of the vehicle 120 or information indicating the distance traveled from the imaging position of the image determined to be a candidate for storage immediately before. The storage time determination unit 432 determines whether the current position or the movement distance satisfies the conditions regarding the geographical distance, and determines images that are candidates for storage based on the determination result. do.

For example, the storage time determination unit 432 determines that an image captured at a position where the current position or the movement distance satisfies the condition regarding the geographical distance is a candidate for storage. Note that the save time determination unit 432 determines whether the current time or the elapsed time from the immediately preceding imaging time satisfies the above-described conditions regarding the time interval, thereby determining whether the current position or It may be determined whether the distance traveled satisfies the condition regarding the geographical distance described above.

For example, the storage time determination unit 432 extracts the information indicating the time at which the vehicle 120 passed the position satisfying the condition regarding the geographical distance as the information indicating the imaging time of the image that is a candidate for storage. Output to unit 440 . In addition, when the elapsed time satisfies the condition regarding the geographical interval, the storage time determination unit 432 outputs a signal indicating that the execution time of the image storage processing has arrived, or executes the image storage processing. You may output the command for doing to the image extraction part 440. FIG. As a result, an image captured at appropriate timing is stored at least temporarily on the vehicle 120 side.

[(b) An example of an element that determines a storage target based on the inter-vehicle distance to another vehicle]
In the present embodiment, the vehicle-to-vehicle distance determination unit 434 determines an image to be stored or a candidate image from among the plurality of images captured by the vehicle exterior imaging unit 122 . The inter-vehicle distance determination unit 434 determines an image to be stored or a candidate image according to the conditions determined by the storage condition determination unit 420, for example. The inter-vehicle distance determination unit 434 may output to the image extraction unit 440 information for specifying an image to be stored or a candidate image.

For example, inter-vehicle distance determination unit 434 acquires distance information indicating the distance between vehicle 120 and an object existing in the moving direction of vehicle 120 . An object existing in the moving direction of vehicle 120 may be another vehicle existing in front of vehicle 120 . An object existing in the moving direction of vehicle 120 may be a vehicle traveling in the same lane as vehicle 120 . The object existing in the moving direction of the vehicle 120 may be a vehicle traveling in a traffic lane in the same direction as the traffic lane of the vehicle 120 but different from the traffic lane of the vehicle 120 . An object existing in the moving direction of the vehicle 120 may be an oncoming vehicle. For example, the inter-vehicle distance determination unit 434 uses a distance sensor provided on the vehicle 120 to acquire information indicating the inter-vehicle distance to the vehicle ahead. The inter-vehicle distance determination unit 434 determines whether or not the distance indicated by the distance information satisfies the condition determined by the distance condition determination unit 526, and based on the determination result, selects an image to be stored or a candidate for it. You can decide.

For example, the distance condition determination unit 526 determines a condition that defines the relationship between the image to be stored and the distance indicated by the distance information as a condition for determining the image to be stored. In this case, inter-vehicle distance determining section 434 determines an image captured during a period in which the distance indicated by the distance information satisfies the condition determined by distance condition determining section 526 as a storage target. The inter-vehicle distance determination unit 434 may determine that an image captured during a period in which the distance indicated by the distance information does not satisfy the condition determined by the distance condition determination unit 526 is not subject to storage. The condition that defines the relationship between the image to be stored and the distance indicated by the distance information may be a condition that the distance indicated by the distance information is greater than a predetermined value.

Note that in another embodiment, the distance condition determination unit 526 may determine a condition that defines the relationship between an image that is not to be saved and the distance indicated by the distance information. In this case, the inter-vehicle distance determination unit 434 may determine an image captured during a period in which the distance indicated by the distance information does not satisfy the condition determined by the distance condition determination unit 526 as a storage target.

In the present embodiment, the image extraction unit 440 acquires information for specifying an image to be stored or a candidate image from at least one of the storage time determination unit 432 and the inter-vehicle distance determination unit 434 . The image extraction unit 440 extracts image data of an image to be stored or a candidate for the image from among the image data of a plurality of images captured by the exterior imaging unit 122 . The image extraction section 440 may output the extracted image data to the image analysis section 450 .

In one embodiment, the extracted image data is output to image analysis section 450 . In other embodiments, the extracted image data is temporarily stored, for example, in image extractor 440 . The length of the period during which the image data is stored in the image extraction unit 440 may be one month or less, two weeks or less, one week or less, or three days or less. 2 days or less, 1 day or less, 12 hours or less, or 6 hours or less.

[(c) An example of elements for determining storage targets based on image analysis results]
In this embodiment, the image analysis unit 450 determines an image to be stored from among the plurality of images captured by the vehicle exterior imaging unit 122 . The image analysis unit 450 determines images to be stored according to the conditions determined by the storage condition determination unit 420, for example. The image analysis section 450 may determine images to be saved according to the conditions determined by the image condition determination section 528 .

The image analysis unit 450 may extract the image data of the image to be stored from among the image data of the plurality of images captured by the exterior imaging unit 122 based on the determination result. The image analysis section 450 may output the extracted image data to the image information transmission section 474 .

In this embodiment, the image analysis unit 450 analyzes (i) each of the image data of the plurality of images captured by the exterior imaging unit 122, or (ii) each of the image data extracted by the image extraction unit 440. , determines whether or not one or more vehicle identification numbers are included in the image represented by each image data. The one or more vehicle identification numbers included in the image may be vehicle identification numbers assigned to the subject vehicle. The subject vehicle described above may be another vehicle existing in front of the vehicle 120 . The subject vehicle described above may be a vehicle that travels in the same lane as the vehicle 120 . The subject vehicle described above may be a vehicle that travels in a lane in the same direction as the lane in which the vehicle 120 travels, but in a lane that is different from the lane in which the vehicle 120 travels.

In one embodiment, if the vehicle identification number is recognized, the image analyzer 450 determines that the vehicle identification number is included in the image. In another embodiment, (i) the size of the character or symbol image that constitutes the vehicle identification number, or (ii) the ratio of the size of the character or symbol image to the overall image size, If it is larger than the predetermined value, image analysis section 450 determines that the vehicle identification number is included in the image.

If it is determined that the image contains a vehicle identification number, the image analysis unit 450 may decide not to save the image. In this case (especially when one or more vehicle identification numbers are recognized in the image), the image analysis unit 450 may decide to store the one or more vehicle identification numbers in the management server 110. . Also, the image analysis section 450 may output information indicating the recognized vehicle identification number to the vehicle information transmission section 472 .

On the other hand, if it is determined that the vehicle identification number is not included in the image, the image analysis unit 450 may decide to store the image in the management server 110 . Also, the image analysis section 450 may output the image data of the image to the vehicle information transmission section 472 .

The image analysis unit 450 analyzes (i) each of the image data of the plurality of images captured by the exterior imaging unit 122, or (ii) each of the image data extracted by the image extraction unit 440, and based on each image data, It may be determined whether a particular type of component located on the subject vehicle is identified in the represented image. Examples of the above parts include a license plate and a vehicle inspection mark. For example, (i) the size of the image of the component in the image, or (ii) the ratio of the size of the image of the component to the size of the entire image is larger than a predetermined value. , the image analysis unit 450 determines that the component is discriminated in the image.

If it is determined that the part is identified in the image, the image analysis unit 450 may decide not to save the image. In this case, the image analysis unit 450 may recognize one or more vehicle identification numbers included in the image. Also, the image analysis unit 450 may decide to store the recognized vehicle identification number in the management server 110 . The image analysis section 450 may output information indicating the recognized vehicle identification number to the vehicle information transmission section 472 .

On the other hand, if it is determined that the image does not include the image of the component, the image analysis unit 450 may decide to save the image. Also, the image analysis section 450 may output the image data of the image to the vehicle information transmission section 472 .

In this embodiment, the accompanying information acquisition unit 460 acquires accompanying information indicating at least one of the position and time at which the image was captured. The accompanying information acquisition unit 460 acquires information indicating the position where the image was captured from the GPS signal reception unit 322, for example. The incidental information acquisition unit 460 acquires information indicating the time when the image was captured, for example, from the vehicle exterior imaging unit 122 .

Accompanying information acquisition section 460 associates information indicating at least one of the position and time at which the image containing the vehicle identification number output by image analysis section 450 to vehicle information transmission section 472 was captured with the identification information of the image data. may be attached and output to the vehicle information transmission unit 472 . The accompanying information acquisition unit 460 associates information indicating at least one of the position and time when the image of the image data output by the image analysis unit 450 to the image information transmission unit 474 was captured with the identification information of the image data, You may output to the image information transmission part 474. FIG.

In this embodiment, the vehicle information transmission section 472 acquires information indicating the vehicle identification number from the image analysis section 450 . The vehicle information transmission unit 472 acquires accompanying information corresponding to the vehicle identification number from the accompanying information acquisition unit 460 . The accompanying information includes information indicating the position and time when the image was captured. Vehicle information transmission unit 472 generates vehicle information including information indicating the vehicle identification number and accompanying information. The vehicle information transmission section 472 may transmit the generated vehicle information to the vehicle management server 240 .

In this embodiment, the image information transmission section 474 acquires image data from the image analysis section 450 . The image information transmitting section 474 acquires accompanying information corresponding to the image data from the accompanying information acquiring section 460 . The accompanying information includes information indicating the position and time when the image was captured. The image information transmission unit 474 generates image information including image data and accompanying information. The image information transmission section 474 may transmit the generated image information to the road surface management server 220 .

The image information transmission unit 474 may generate image information including image data, accompanying data, and vibration data obtained by an acceleration sensor installed on the vehicle 120 . Thereby, the road surface information management unit 222 can estimate the state of the road surface using the vibration data.

As described above, FIG. 5 schematically shows an example of the internal configuration of storage condition determining section 420. As shown in FIG. Details of the storage condition determining unit 420 according to one embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

In this embodiment, the speed information acquisition unit 522 acquires speed information indicating the speed of the vehicle 120, for example. The speed information acquisition unit 522 may acquire speed information indicating the speed of the vehicle 120 from the running state detection unit 324 . The speed information acquisition unit 522 outputs speed information indicating the speed of the vehicle 120 to the interval condition determination unit 524, for example.

In the present embodiment, the interval condition determination unit 524 determines, for example, a condition related to the timing at which images are saved, which is a condition related to temporal or geographical intervals. The interval condition determination unit 524 sets the following conditions for determining images to be stored or candidates for storage: (i) after one image is determined as a storage target or candidate for storage, Conditions related to the time interval until an image is determined, and (ii) after one image is determined as a storage target or its candidate, until the next storage target or its candidate image is determined At least one of the conditions related to the distance traveled by the moving object may be determined based on the speed of the vehicle 120 .

The temporal or geographical interval defines the timing at which an image to be stored or a candidate image is extracted or clipped from the image data continuously output from the exterior imaging unit 122 . The temporal or geographic spacing may be determined based on the speed of vehicle 120 . It may vary continuously according to the speed of the vehicle 120 or may vary stepwise according to the speed of the vehicle 120 . In one embodiment, the time interval is determined such that the faster the vehicle 120, the shorter the interval. In another embodiment, the geographical distance is determined to be constant regardless of vehicle 120 speed.

The temporal or geographical interval is determined by (i) the speed of the vehicle 120, (ii) the specifications or performance of the external imaging unit 122, (iii) the specifications or performance of the external imaging unit 122 of the vehicle 120 traveling nearby, and (iv (v) weather conditions in the location or area where the image is captured; and (vi) time of day during which the image is captured. good. The temporal or geographical intervals may vary continuously or in steps.

For example, the better the resolution of the vehicle exterior imaging unit 122 of the own vehicle, the longer the temporal or geographical interval. For example, the better the resolution of the external imaging units 122 of other vehicles running in the vicinity of the own vehicle, the longer the temporal or geographical interval with respect to the own vehicle. For example, the lower the resolution of the external imaging units 122 of other vehicles traveling in the vicinity of the own vehicle, the shorter the temporal or geographical interval with respect to the own vehicle. For example, the worse the weather conditions and the less visibility, the shorter the temporal or geographical interval. For example, during times of poor visibility, the temporal or geographical intervals are shorter. For example, the greater the number of other vehicles traveling in the vicinity of the subject vehicle, the longer the temporal or geographical interval.

The interval condition determining unit 524 determines the specifications or performance of the vehicle exterior imaging unit 122, the specifications or performance of the vehicle exterior imaging unit 122 of the vehicle 120 traveling in the vicinity, the position where the image is captured or the traffic volume in the area, and the position where the image is captured. Alternatively, information on at least one of the weather conditions in the area and the time period during which the image is captured is acquired from the management server 110, for example. The interval condition determination unit 524 may acquire information indicating temporal or geographical intervals from the management server 110 .

[Example of procedure for determining geographical intervals]
A geographical interval for determining images to be stored is determined, for example, according to the following procedure. According to one embodiment, first, assuming that the exterior imager 122 is properly positioned and oriented, the resolution of the exterior imager 122 and the characters of the vehicle identification number on a typical license plate 126, or Based on the size of the symbol and the size of the symbol, a distance (sometimes referred to as an effective range) at which the vehicle-exterior imaging unit 122 can capture an image from which the vehicle identification number can be determined is determined. As the effective range of the vehicle-exterior imaging unit 122, a value of a typical effective range of a commercially available vehicle-mounted camera may be used.

Next, the degree of image overlap in the first and second images that are stored in succession is determined. The geographic spacing is then determined based on the effective range of the exterior imaging unit 122 and the degree of overlap of the images.

For the purpose of simplifying the explanation, it is assumed that the effective range of the vehicle exterior imaging unit 122 is 50 m and the traveling speed of the vehicle 120 is constant. Here, for example, in the first image and the second image that are stored consecutively, it is decided to overlap the images by 25m. In this case, half of the images are duplicated. That is, the lower half image of the first image and the upper half image of the second image match. In this case, the above geographical distance would be 25m. Similarly, if the images are overlapped by 40m, the bottom 4/5ths of the first image will match the top 4/5ths of the second image. In this case, the above geographical distance would be 10m.

According to another embodiment, the above geographical intervals are determined based on settings for the location coordinates of the locations or regions where the images are to be saved. For example, the above settings include location coordinates for multiple locations where images should be saved. The above geographic interval is calculated as the distance between two position coordinates. The geographical interval is calculated as the distance between two adjacent position coordinates on the travel route of vehicle 120 . The travel route of the vehicle 120 is specified by the user of the vehicle 120, for example.

In the present embodiment, the effective range of the vehicle exterior imaging unit 122 is determined based on the distance at which the size of the characters or symbols of the vehicle identification number on the typical license plate 126 can be determined. However, the method of determining the effective range of the vehicle exterior imaging unit 122 is not limited to this embodiment. The effective range of the vehicle exterior imaging unit 122 may be determined based on the size of an arbitrary determination target.

In another embodiment, the effective range of the vehicle exterior imaging unit 122 is determined based on the resolution of the vehicle exterior imaging unit 122 and the size of the unevenness of the road surface to be detected. For example, when unevenness with a side length of at least 5 cm or more is to be detected, the effective range of the vehicle exterior imaging unit 122 is to use the vehicle exterior imaging unit 122 to determine an object with a side length of 5 cm. determined as the distance that can be

[An example of the procedure for determining the time interval]
A time interval for determining images to be stored is determined, for example, according to the following procedure. First, according to the procedure described above, geographical intervals are determined for determining images to be stored or candidates for storage. Next, the current running speed of vehicle 120 is measured. Next, the temporal interval is determined based on the geographical interval and the travel speed of the vehicle 120 . The above temporal interval may be determined in consideration of the frame rate of the vehicle exterior imaging unit 122 . As the frame rate of the vehicle-external imaging unit 122, a typical frame rate value of a commercially available vehicle-mounted camera may be used.

For the purpose of simplifying the explanation, it is assumed that the above geographical interval is 25 m and the frame rate of the vehicle exterior imaging unit 122 is 30 [f/sec or fps]. In this case, as a condition regarding the time interval, for example, when the traveling speed of the vehicle 120 is 90 km/h or less, it is determined to store images at intervals of one image per second. That is, it is decided to save the image every 30 frames.

Similarly, when the traveling speed of the vehicle 120 is more than 90 km/h and 180 km/h, it is determined to save images at an interval of two images per second. That is, it is decided to save an image every 15 frames. When the traveling speed of the vehicle 120 is over 180 km/h and 270 km/h, it is decided to store images at intervals of 3 images per second. In other words, it is decided to save the image every 10 frames.

On the other hand, when the running speed is more than 270 km/h and 360 km/h, it is decided to store images at an interval of 4 frames per second. In this case, it may be decided to save an image every 8 frames, or it may be decided to save an image every 7 frames.

In the present embodiment, the distance condition determination unit 526 sets, for example, the condition that the image is not captured during a period in which the distance indicated by the distance information is smaller than a predetermined value, as a condition for determining the image to be stored. Decide as a condition. The distance condition determination unit 526 may determine the condition that the image is captured during a period in which the distance indicated by the distance information is greater than a predetermined value, as the condition for determining the image to be saved. .

The above-mentioned predetermined values are (i) the speed of the vehicle 120, (ii) the specifications or performance of the exterior imaging unit 122 that captures images, and (iii) the specifications or performance of the exterior imaging unit 122 of the vehicle 120 traveling nearby. based on at least one of performance, (iv) weather conditions in the location or area where the image is taken, (v) time of day the image is taken, and (vi) traffic in the location or area where the image is taken. may be determined by The above predetermined value may vary continuously or in steps.

When the inter-vehicle distance to the vehicle 120 ahead is small, most of the image is occupied by the image of the vehicle 120 ahead, and the amount of information about the road is small. Therefore, the value of transmitting to the road surface information management unit 222 is low. On the other hand, when the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle 120 is small, the vehicle identification number can be read with high accuracy. By determining the distance condition as described above, the data capacity and communication capacity can be efficiently used.

In the present embodiment, the image condition determination unit 528 sets a condition that, for example, when the vehicle identification number of the subject vehicle is recognized in the image captured by the exterior imaging unit 122, the image is not subject to storage. It is determined as a condition for determining the image to be. For example, when the vehicle identification number of the vehicle in front is recognized in the image captured by the exterior imaging unit 122 of the specific vehicle 120, the inter-vehicle distance between the specific vehicle 120 and the vehicle in front is relatively small. Probability is high. Therefore, the value of transmitting to the road surface information management unit 222 is low. Therefore, by determining the distance condition as described above, it is possible to efficiently use the data capacity and the communication capacity.

In this embodiment, the storage condition determination unit 420, the storage time determination unit 432, and the inter-vehicle distance determination unit 434 are arranged in the vehicle 120 as an example. The details of the inter-vehicle distance determination unit 434 have been described. However, the storage condition determination unit 420, the storage timing determination unit 432, and the inter-vehicle distance determination unit 434 are not limited to this embodiment. In another embodiment, at least part of the functions of the storage condition determination unit 420 may be arranged in the management server 110. FIG. For example, at least one of the interval condition determination unit 524 and the distance condition determination unit 526 may be arranged in the management server 110 . In another embodiment, at least part of the functions of the retention period determination unit 432 may be arranged in the management server 110 . In another embodiment, at least part of the functions of inter-vehicle distance determination unit 434 may be arranged in management server 110 .

In this embodiment, the inter-vehicle distance determination unit 434 acquires information indicating the distance to the vehicle in front from a sensor arranged on the vehicle 120, and the inter-vehicle distance determination unit 434 determines the distance based on the distance indicated by the distance information. , the details of the image management unit 124 have been described, taking as an example the case of determining an image to be saved. Further, in the present embodiment, the details of the image management unit 124 have been described by exemplifying the case where the image analysis unit 450 analyzes images and determines images to be stored. However, the image manager 124 is not limited to this embodiment.

In another embodiment, the distance information may be information indicating that a vehicle identification number assigned to another vehicle has been recognized in the image captured by the vehicle exterior imaging unit 122 . In this case, for example, the image analysis unit 450 (i) analyzes the image, and (ii) stores information indicating whether or not a vehicle identification number assigned to another vehicle has been recognized in the image, based on the inter-vehicle distance. Output to determination unit 434 . The inter-vehicle distance determination unit 434 may determine that the distance indicated by the distance information is smaller than a predetermined value when the vehicle identification number assigned to another vehicle is recognized.

The distance information may be information indicating that the license plate 126 placed on another vehicle has been recognized in the image captured by the exterior imaging unit 122 . In this case, for example, the image analysis unit 450 (i) analyzes the image, and (ii) stores information indicating whether or not the license plate 126 placed on another vehicle has been recognized in the image, based on the inter-vehicle distance. Output to determination unit 434 . Inter-vehicle distance determination unit 434 may determine that the distance indicated by the distance information is smaller than a predetermined value when license plate 126 placed on another vehicle is recognized.

The distance information may be information indicating that the size of the subject vehicle or a partial image of the subject vehicle in the image captured by the vehicle exterior imaging unit 122 satisfies a predetermined condition. In this case, for example, the image analysis unit 450 (i) analyzes the image, and (ii) the size of the subject vehicle or part of the subject vehicle in the image satisfies a predetermined condition. information indicating whether or not is output to inter-vehicle distance determination unit 434 . If the size of the image satisfies the predetermined condition, the inter-vehicle distance determination unit 434 may determine that the distance indicated by the distance information is smaller than a predetermined value. The predetermined conditions include (i) the ratio of the size of the image of the subject vehicle or part of the subject vehicle to the size of the entire image being greater than a predetermined value; ) a condition that the size of the image of the subject vehicle or part of the subject vehicle is larger than a predetermined size.

Details of information processing in the image management unit 124 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6, 7, 8, and 9. FIG. Specifically, an example of a series of information processing in the image management unit 124 will be described with reference to FIG. 7 and 8, an example of a process in which the interval condition determination unit 524 determines an imaging interval (sometimes referred to as imaging frequency) of images that are candidates for storage will be described. With reference to FIG. 9, an example of a process of distinguishing an image saved in the management server 110 from an image discarded without being saved in the management server 110 by the image analysis unit 450 will be described.

FIG. 6 schematically shows an example of information processing in the image management unit 124. As shown in FIG. In one embodiment, the information processing shown in FIG. 6 is repeated at predetermined intervals. The period described above may vary according to the running speed of the vehicle 120 . In another embodiment, the information processing shown in FIG. 6 is executed, for example, each time a frame image forming a moving image is captured.

According to the present embodiment, first, in S622 (the step may be abbreviated as S), the speed information acquisition unit 522 acquires information indicating the running speed of the vehicle 120 . Next, in S<b>624 , the interval condition determination unit 524 determines temporal or geographical intervals for image storage according to the running speed of the vehicle 120 .

In one embodiment, when the exterior imaging unit 122 captures still images, the interval condition determination unit 524 determines the interval or frequency at which the exterior imaging unit 122 captures still images. In another embodiment, when the image capturing unit 122 outside the vehicle captures a moving image, the interval condition determining unit 524 selects the frame images captured by the image extracting unit 440 in a unit time and outputs them to the image analyzing unit 450. Determine the interval or frequency of sampling the frame images to be processed.

More specifically, the interval condition determining unit 524 determines temporal or geographical intervals for capturing still images or extracting frame images (sometimes referred to as image sampling) according to the following procedure, for example. to decide. The temporal interval at which the image is sampled may be the elapsed time between two consecutive sampling times. The geographical interval at which the images are sampled may be the distance between two consecutive sampling locations. The temporal interval at which the image is sampled may be an example of a condition regarding the sampling time of the image. The geographical interval at which the images are sampled may be an example of a condition regarding the sampling location of the images.

First, the interval condition determination unit 524 acquires a target value for the distance between two consecutive sampling positions. The interval condition determining unit 524 may acquire information indicating the above target values from an appropriate storage device (not shown) provided in the vehicle 120 or from the management server 110 . The interval condition determination unit 524 may determine the target value based on the specifications or performance of the vehicle exterior imaging unit 122 mounted on the vehicle 120 . The interval condition determination unit 524 may analyze the image captured by the vehicle exterior imaging unit 122 to determine the target value.

The target value of the distance between two consecutive sampling positions is, for example, (i) the value of the effective range of the exterior imaging unit 122 mounted on the vehicle 120, or the typical effective range of a commercially available vehicle-mounted camera. and (ii) a target value for the degree of image overlap in two consecutively sampled images. A target value for the degree of overlap of the images may specify that at least a portion of the subject of the two images overlaps or that the subjects of the two images do not overlap.

The interval condition determination unit 524 may acquire information indicating the effective range of the vehicle exterior imaging unit 122 from an appropriate storage device (not shown) provided in the vehicle 120 or from the management server 110 . The interval condition determination unit 524 may analyze the image captured by the vehicle exterior imaging unit 122 and estimate the effective range of the vehicle exterior imaging unit 122 . Spacing condition determination unit 524 may obtain information indicating a target value for the degree of image overlap from a suitable storage device (not shown) provided on vehicle 120 or from management server 110 .

For the purpose of facilitating understanding of the information processing in the interval condition determination unit 524, the interval condition determination unit 524 uses the specific example shown in FIG. An example of a procedure for determining a target value for the distance between two consecutive sampling locations such that a portion of the area corresponding to the effective range of the unit 122 overlaps will be described. In the example shown in FIG. 7, location L72 and location L74 indicate two consecutive sampling locations. Time T72 indicates the time when vehicle 120 passed position L72. Time T74 indicates the time when vehicle 120 passed position L74.

In the specific example shown in FIG. 7, the image captured when vehicle 120 passes position L72 includes an image of area 720 on the road surface. The area 720 may be an area corresponding to the effective range of the vehicle exterior imaging unit 122 arranged at the position L72. Similarly, the image captured when vehicle 120 passes position L74 includes an image of area 740 on the road surface. The area 740 may be an area corresponding to the effective range of the vehicle exterior imaging unit 122 arranged at the position L74.

In the specific example shown in FIG. 7, the effective range of the vehicle exterior imaging unit 122 is 50 m. In addition, the interval condition determination unit 524 determines the distance between two consecutive sampling positions so that 50% of the area corresponding to the effective range of the vehicle exterior imaging unit 122 overlaps between the two consecutively sampled images. determine target values for

The interval condition determination unit 524 determines, for example, (i) the effective range ER [m] of the vehicle exterior imaging unit 122 and (ii) an image corresponding to the effective range of the vehicle exterior imaging unit 122 in two images sampled continuously. and the overlap ratio DR [%], the target value _LT for the distance between two consecutive sampling positions is calculated based on the following formula (1).
[Formula 1]
L _T [m] = ER [m] × (100-DR [%]) / 100

According to Equation 1, in the example shown in FIG. 7, the target value _LT for the distance between two consecutive sampling locations is 25 m. In this case, the distance between position L72 and position L74 is 25 m, and one image is sampled each time vehicle 120 travels 25 m. Further, of the area 720 of the road surface imaged when the vehicle 120 passes the position L72, an area 722 that occupies 50% of the front side in the traveling direction of the vehicle 120 and an area 722 that is imaged when the vehicle 120 passes the position L74. A region 744 that occupies 50% on the rear side in the direction of travel of the vehicle 120 in the region 740 of the road surface that has been formed may be substantially the same region. As a result, for example, even on a road with relatively little traffic, the image of the road surface can be uniformly sampled using a single vehicle 120 .

Next, interval condition determining section 524 determines a target value for the elapsed time between two consecutive sampling times. For example, the interval condition determination unit 524 acquires information indicating the traveling speed of the vehicle 120 from sensors arranged on the vehicle 120 . Further, the interval condition determination unit 524 determines a target value for the elapsed time between two successive sampling times based on the target value for the distance between two successive sampling positions and the traveling speed of the vehicle 120. do.

The interval condition determination unit 524 uses, for example, (i) a target value L _T [m] for the distance between two consecutive sampling positions and (ii) the running speed v [m/s] of the vehicle 120 to , determines the target value _TT for the elapsed time between two consecutive sampling times based on the following equation (2).
[Formula 2]
_TT [s] = _LT [m]/v [m/s]

The interval condition determination unit 524 may determine the target value _TT regarding the elapsed time between two consecutive sampling times so that the target value _FT [sheets/s] of the sampling frequency is an integer. Note that the sampling frequency target value _FT may be the reciprocal of the target value _TT regarding the elapsed time between two consecutive sampling times.

For example, as shown in FIG. 8, when the running speed 822 of the vehicle 120 fluctuates, (i) the vehicle 120 changes the distance corresponding to the effective range of the exterior imaging unit 122 (50 m in the specific example of FIG. 7). and (ii) a time required 826 for the vehicle 120 to travel a target value L _T for the distance between two consecutive sampling locations (25 m in the example of FIG. 7). also fluctuate.

In one embodiment, the interval condition determiner 524 determines the required time 826 as the target value _TT for the elapsed time between two consecutive sampling times. For example, in the specific example shown in FIG. 7, when the traveling speed of the vehicle 120 is 60 km/h, the interval condition determination unit 524 sets the target value _TT regarding the elapsed time between two consecutive sampling times to 1 .5 seconds. When the traveling speed of vehicle 120 is 90 km/h, interval condition determination unit 524 determines the target value _TT for the elapsed time between two successive sampling times to be 1 second.

In another embodiment, the interval condition determination unit 524 first calculates a sampling frequency 828 [sheets/s] at the travel speed as the reciprocal of the required time 826 corresponding to the travel speed of the vehicle 120 . Next, the interval condition determining unit 524 determines the target value _FT [sheets/s] of the sampling frequency 828 by rounding up the decimal point of the calculated value of the sampling frequency 828 [sheets/s]. Next, the interval condition determination unit 524 determines the reciprocal of the target value F _T [sheets/s] of the sampling frequency 828 as the target value T _T regarding the elapsed time between two successive sampling times.

For example, in the specific example shown in FIG. 7, when the traveling speed [km/h] of the vehicle 120 is more than 0 and 90 or less, the sampling frequency target value _FT [sheets/s] is 1. At this time, the interval condition determination unit 524 determines the target value _TT regarding the elapsed time between two consecutive sampling times to be 1 second. Further, when the running speed [km/h] of the vehicle 120 is more than 90 and 180 or less, the sampling frequency target value _FT [sheets/s] is 2. At this time, the interval condition determination unit 524 determines the target value _TT regarding the elapsed time between two consecutive sampling times to be 0.5 seconds.

Next, in S626, the save time determination unit 432 determines whether the current time or current position is the time or position to save the image. If it is determined that the current time or current position is not the time or position at which the image is sampled (NO in S626), in S628 the save time determination unit 432 determines whether the image captured at the current time or current position sampling is unnecessary, and the process ends.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the current time or current position is the time or position for saving the image (YES in S626), the image extracting unit 440 identifies an image that is a candidate for saving, and The image data is output to the image analysis section 450 . After that, the process proceeds to S660. Also, the processing of S622 and S624 may be repeated to determine the next sampling time or sampling position. The timing at which the information processing shown in FIG. 6 is executed next may be determined based on the next sampling timing or the next sampling timing.

According to this embodiment, the processes of S642 to S648 are executed in parallel with the processes of S622 to S628. In S642, the inter-vehicle distance determination unit 434 measures the inter-vehicle distance to the vehicle 120 in front. In S646, it is determined whether or not the inter-vehicle distance is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold.

If the inter-vehicle distance is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value (YES in S646), then in S648 the inter-vehicle distance determination unit 434 determines that the image captured at the current time does not need to be saved, and performs processing. exit. On the other hand, if the inter-vehicle distance is not equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value (NO in S646), the image extraction unit 440 identifies an image to be saved, and outputs the image data of the image to the image analysis unit 450. . After that, the process proceeds to S660.

Note that in another embodiment, if the inter-vehicle distance is not equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value (NO in S646), the process may proceed to S626. In still another embodiment, if the inter-vehicle distance is not equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value (NO in S646), the process may proceed to S682.

Next, in S660, the image analysis unit 450 determines whether or not the vehicle identification numbers assigned to the license plates 126 of one or more vehicles 120 are recognized in the image extracted by the image extraction unit 440. If the vehicle identification number in the image is recognized (YES in S660), the image analysis unit 450 determines in S672 that the image is not subject to storage in the road surface management server 220. FIG. Also, in S<b>674 , the image analysis unit 450 decides to save the vehicle identification number and outputs the vehicle identification number to the vehicle information transmission unit 472 . After that, the vehicle information transmission unit 472 transmits the vehicle information including the vehicle identification number to the vehicle management server 240, and the process ends.

On the other hand, if the vehicle identification number in the image is not recognized (NO in S660), the image analysis unit 450 determines in S682 that the image is to be stored in the road surface management server 220, and the image of the image is The data is output to the image information transmission section 474 . After that, the image information transmission unit 474 transmits the image information including the above image data to the road surface management server 220, and the process ends.

FIG. 9 schematically shows an example of an image captured by the vehicle exterior imaging unit 122 of the vehicle 120. As shown in FIG. Using the specific example shown in FIG. 9, in S660 of the information processing method described with reference to FIG. The details of the process for determining are described.

In this embodiment, the vehicle exterior imaging unit 122 of the vehicle 120 captures a plurality of frame images per second, and one frame image is sampled per second. In addition, in FIG. 9, the triangle mark indicates the timing at which the frame image is sampled. Image 902 shows the image sampled at time T92, and image 904 shows the image sampled at time T94. In image 902 and image 904 , dotted line 910 indicates the area within the effective range of image pickup unit 122 outside the vehicle. Lines 930 indicate road division lines.

In image 902 , preceding vehicle 920 traveling in the same lane as vehicle 120 is traveling outside the effective range of vehicle exterior imaging section 122 . Therefore, image analysis unit 450 cannot recognize the vehicle identification number assigned to license plate 926 of preceding vehicle 920 . Therefore, the image analysis unit 450 determines that the image 902 is to be stored in the road surface management server 220 . The image analysis unit 450 also outputs the image data of the image 902 to the image information transmission unit 474 .

On the other hand, in the image 904 , a preceding vehicle 920 traveling in the same lane as the vehicle 120 is traveling within the effective range of the exterior imaging section 122 . Therefore, the image analysis unit 450 can recognize the vehicle identification number provided on the license plate 926 of the preceding vehicle 920 unless the weather conditions are bad.

As shown in FIG. 9 , according to this embodiment, the image analysis unit 450 can recognize the vehicle identification number assigned to the license plate 926 of the preceding vehicle 920 . Therefore, the image analysis unit 450 determines that the image 904 is not subject to storage in the road surface management server 220 . On the other hand, image analysis unit 450 determines that the vehicle identification number of preceding vehicle 920 is to be stored in vehicle management server 240 . Therefore, while discarding the image data of image 904 , image analysis unit 450 outputs information indicating the vehicle identification number of preceding vehicle 920 reflected in image 904 to vehicle information transmission unit 472 .

According to this embodiment, an image with a large road surface area, such as the image 902 , is transmitted to the management server 110 , while an image with a small road surface area, such as the image 904 , is not transmitted to the management server 110 . Thereby, resources of the communication network 10 and the management server 110 can be efficiently used. Also, even if the road surface area is small like the image 904, when the vehicle identification number of the preceding vehicle 920 is recognized in the image, information indicating the vehicle identification number is transmitted to the management server 110. be done. Thereby, the image captured by the vehicle 120 can be effectively used.

Although the present invention has been described above using the embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements can be made to the above embodiments. In addition, matters described with respect to a specific embodiment can be applied to other embodiments as long as they are not technically inconsistent. It is clear from the description of the scope of claims that forms with such modifications or improvements can also be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

The execution order of each process such as actions, procedures, steps, and stages in the devices, systems, programs, and methods shown in the claims, the specification, and the drawings is particularly "before", "before etc., and it should be noted that they can be implemented in any order unless the output of the previous process is used in the subsequent process. Regarding the operation flow in the claims, the specification, and the drawings, even if the description is made using "first," "next," etc. for the sake of convenience, it means that it is essential to carry out in this order. not a thing

10 communication network, 100 management system, 110 management server, 120 vehicle, 122 vehicle exterior imaging unit, 124 image management unit, 126 license plate, 140 communication terminal, 220 road surface management server, 222 road surface information management unit, 224 road surface information storage unit, 240 vehicle management server, 242 vehicle information management unit, 244 vehicle information storage unit, 322 GPS signal reception unit, 324 running state detection unit, 330 drive unit, 340 communication unit, 350 control unit, 352 input/output control unit, 354 vehicle control Unit 356 Communication control unit 420 Storage condition determination unit 432 Storage time determination unit 434 Inter-vehicle distance determination unit 440 Image extraction unit 450 Image analysis unit 460 Accompanying information acquisition unit 472 Vehicle information transmission unit 474 Image information Transmission unit 522 Speed information acquisition unit 524 Interval condition determination unit 526 Distance condition determination unit 528 Image condition determination unit 720 Area 722 Area 740 Area 744 Area 822 Running speed 824 Required time 826 Required time , 828 sampling frequency, 902 image, 904 image, 910 dotted line, 920 preceding vehicle, 926 license plate

Claims (14)

a storage determining unit mounted on a moving body and configured to determine an image to be stored from among a plurality of images captured by an imaging unit that captures an external state of the moving body;
a condition determination unit that determines a condition for determining the image to be saved;
with
the moving body is a vehicle,
The condition determination unit
a speed information acquisition unit that acquires speed information indicating the speed of the moving body;
The conditions for determining the image to be stored include (i) a condition related to the time interval from when one image is determined to be stored until the next image to be stored is determined, and ( ii) setting at least one of the conditions related to the distance traveled by the moving object after one image is determined to be stored until the next image to be stored is determined based on the speed of the moving object; an interval condition determining unit determined by
an image analysis unit that determines whether or not the image captured by the imaging unit includes a vehicle identification number assigned to another vehicle existing in front of the moving object;
an image condition determination unit that determines, as a condition for determining the image to be stored, a condition that the image determined by the image analysis unit to include the vehicle identification number is not to be stored;
has
The storage determination unit determines the image to be stored according to the conditions determined by the condition determination unit;
Image management device. a storage determining unit mounted on a moving body and configured to determine an image to be stored from among a plurality of images captured by an imaging unit that captures an external state of the moving body;
a condition determination unit that determines a condition for determining the image to be saved;
a distance information acquisition unit that acquires distance information indicating a distance between the moving body and an object existing in a moving direction of the moving body;
with
The condition determination unit
a speed information acquisition unit that acquires speed information indicating the speed of the moving body;
The conditions for determining the image to be stored include (i) a condition related to the time interval from when one image is determined to be stored until the next image to be stored is determined, and ( ii) setting at least one of the conditions related to the distance traveled by the moving object after one image is determined to be stored until the next image to be stored is determined based on the speed of the moving object; an interval condition determining unit determined by
a distance condition determination unit that determines, as a condition for determining the image to be stored, a condition that the image is not captured when the distance indicated by the distance information is smaller than a predetermined value;
has
The storage determination unit determines the image to be stored according to the conditions determined by the condition determination unit;
Image management device. the moving body is a vehicle,
the object existing in the moving direction of the moving object is another vehicle existing in front of the moving object;
Each of the multiple vehicles is assigned a unique vehicle identification number,
The condition determination unit further
The condition for determining the image to be stored is that the image is not to be stored when the vehicle identification number assigned to the other vehicle included in the image captured by the imaging unit is recognized. an image condition determination unit that determines conditions;
having
3. The image management device according to claim 2. a storage determining unit mounted on a moving body and configured to determine an image to be stored from among a plurality of images captured by an imaging unit that captures an external state of the moving body;
a distance information acquisition unit that acquires distance information indicating a distance between the moving body and an object existing in a moving direction of the moving body;
with
The storage determination unit determines that an image captured by the imaging unit when the distance indicated by the distance information is smaller than a predetermined value is not subject to storage.
Image management device. the moving body is a vehicle,
the object existing in the moving direction of the moving object is another vehicle existing in front of the moving object;
Each of the multiple vehicles is assigned a unique vehicle identification number,
The distance information is information indicating that the vehicle identification number assigned to the other vehicle included in the image captured by the imaging unit has been recognized,
When the vehicle identification number assigned to the other vehicle is recognized, the storage determination unit determines that the distance indicated by the distance information is smaller than the predetermined value.
5. The image management device according to claim 4. an identification number storage unit that, when a vehicle identification number assigned to the other vehicle included in the image captured by the imaging unit is recognized, determines to store the recognized vehicle identification number;
further comprising
6. The image management device according to claim 3 or 5. an identification number transmitting unit that transmits information including the vehicle identification number determined to be stored to a vehicle information collection device that collects vehicle identification numbers;
further comprising
7. The image management device according to claim 6. an image transmission unit that transmits information including image data of the image to be stored to an image information collection device that collects the image;
further comprising
The image management device according to any one of claims 1 to 7. Equipped with the image management device according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
vehicle. an image management device according to any one of claims 1 to 8;
an image information collection device that collects image data of the images to be stored from the plurality of image management devices;
with
the image to be stored includes an image of a road,
The image information collection device analyzes the image to be stored and generates road surface information regarding the state of the road surface.
Road information management system. A program for causing a computer to function as the image management apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8. a storage determination step of determining an image to be stored from among a plurality of images captured by an imaging device , the computer being mounted on a mobile body and capturing an image of the exterior of the mobile body;
a condition determination step in which the computer determines conditions for determining the image to be stored;
has
the moving body is a vehicle,
The condition determination step includes:
a speed information obtaining step in which the computer obtains speed information indicating the speed of the moving object;
The conditions for the computer to determine the images to be stored include: (i) a time interval from when one image is determined to be stored to when the next image to be stored is determined; and (ii) setting at least one of the conditions related to the distance that the moving object moves after one image is determined to be stored until the next image to be stored is determined to the moving object an interval condition determination step that determines based on the speed of
an image analysis step in which the computer determines whether or not the image captured by the imaging device includes a vehicle identification number assigned to another vehicle existing in front of the moving object;
an image condition determination step of determining, as a condition for determining the image to be stored, a condition that the image determined to include the vehicle identification number in the image analysis step is not to be stored;
including
The storage determination step includes a step of determining the image to be stored according to the conditions determined in the condition determination step,
Image management method. a storage determination step of determining an image to be stored from among a plurality of images captured by an imaging device, the computer being mounted on a mobile body and capturing an image of the exterior of the mobile body;
a condition determination step in which the computer determines conditions for determining the image to be stored;
a distance information acquiring step in which the computer acquires distance information indicating a distance between the moving body and an object existing in a moving direction of the moving body;
has
The condition determination step includes:
a speed information obtaining step in which the computer obtains speed information indicating the speed of the moving body;
The conditions for the computer to determine the images to be stored include: (i) a time interval from when one image is determined to be stored to when the next image to be stored is determined; and (ii) setting at least one of the conditions related to the distance that the moving object moves after one image is determined to be stored until the next image to be stored is determined to the moving object an interval condition determination step that determines based on the speed of
A distance condition determination step of determining, as a condition for determining the image to be stored, that the computer is not an image captured when the distance indicated by the distance information is smaller than a predetermined value. When,
including
The storage determination step includes a step of determining the image to be stored according to the conditions determined in the condition determination step,
Image management method. a storage determination step of determining an image to be stored from among a plurality of images captured by an imaging device , the computer being mounted on a mobile body and capturing an image of the exterior of the mobile body;
a distance information acquiring step in which the computer acquires distance information indicating a distance between the moving body and an object existing in a moving direction of the moving body;
has
The storage determination step includes determining, by the computer, that the image captured by the imaging device when the distance indicated by the distance information is smaller than a predetermined value is not subject to storage.
Image management method.

Images