JP2022053770A - Recording control device and recording control method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a recording control device and a recording control method that can record a useful content for grasping a situation of traffic trouble while suppressing an amount of recorded data.SOLUTION: A recording control device 100 includes a shooting data acquisition unit 110 that acquires shooting data from an imaging device 200, an event detection unit 130 that detects occurrence of an event, a shooting data analysis unit 120 that analyzes the shooting data and detects a predetermined object reflected in the shooting data, and a recording control unit 140 that stores first shooting data which is shooting data including a time point when the event occurs and second shooting data which is shooting data including a detection time point of the object within a predetermined range from the time point of event occurrence in association with each other, as event recording data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

The present invention relates to a recording control device and a recording control method.

Like a drive recorder, a technique for recording an image at the time when an event occurs as an event image is known. In such a technique, for example, when an event such as a traffic accident occurs, an image of a time zone before and after the event occurrence timing is recorded. A fixed value is generally used for the period of this time zone. However, it may not be possible to obtain useful content for grasping the situation of traffic troubles such as traffic accidents from images whose period is limited to a fixed value.

In this regard, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique of analyzing a period in which a moving image taken by a camera is moving by an image analysis processing means and using that period as a time zone of an event image.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-69987

According to the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, the period of the event video to be recorded can be dynamically set. However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, since the period in which the image is moving is set as the period of the event image, an appropriate event image cannot be recorded in a dynamic environment such as on a road. In other words, in a dynamic environment where cars and people pass by, and objects such as trees sway due to the wind, appropriate event images cannot be obtained, and useful content is recorded for understanding the situation of traffic troubles. It is not possible. Therefore, it is required to provide a technology capable of recording useful contents for grasping the situation of traffic trouble. In addition, in event recording, it is also required to efficiently use the limited storage capacity.

An object of the present invention is to provide a recording control device and a recording control method capable of recording useful contents for grasping a traffic trouble situation while suppressing the amount of recorded data.

The recording control device according to the first aspect is
A shooting data acquisition unit that acquires shooting data from the image pickup device,
An event detector that detects the occurrence of an event, and an event detector
A shooting data analysis unit that analyzes the shooting data and detects a predetermined object reflected in the shooting data, and a shooting data analysis unit.
An event is associated with the first shooting data, which is the shooting data including the time when the event occurs, and the second shooting data, which is the shooting data including the detection time of the object within a predetermined range from the time when the event occurs. It has a recording control unit that saves as recorded data.

In the recording control method according to the second aspect,
Acquire shooting data from the image pickup device and
Detects the occurrence of an event and
By analyzing the shooting data, a predetermined object reflected in the shooting data is detected.
An event is associated with the first shooting data, which is the shooting data including the time when the event occurs, and the second shooting data, which is the shooting data including the detection time of the object within a predetermined range from the time when the event occurs. Save as recorded data.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a recording control device and a recording control method capable of recording useful contents for grasping a traffic trouble situation while suppressing the amount of recorded data.

It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the structure of the recording system which concerns on embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the hardware composition of the recording control apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a schematic diagram explaining the event record which concerns on the comparative example. It is a schematic diagram explaining the storage of the event record data in an embodiment. It is a schematic diagram explaining the storage of the event record data in an embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the operation of the recording control apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a schematic diagram explaining the storage of the event record data in an embodiment. It is a schematic diagram explaining the storage of the event record data in an embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the operation of the recording control apparatus which concerns on embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following descriptions and drawings have been omitted or simplified as appropriate for the sake of clarification of the explanation. Further, in each drawing, the same elements are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations are omitted as necessary.

<Embodiment 1>
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the recording system 10 according to the embodiment. The recording system 10 includes a recording control device 100, an image pickup device 200, a recording unit 300, and an acceleration sensor 400.

In the present embodiment, the recording system 10 is, for example, a system mounted on a vehicle. In this case, the recording system 10 is also referred to as a drive recorder. The vehicle is, for example, an automobile traveling on four or more wheels, but may be a motorcycle.

The image pickup apparatus 200 is, for example, a camera. The image pickup apparatus 200 takes a picture of the periphery of the vehicle and generates shooting data which is data of the shot image. The image pickup device 200 may be, for example, a camera that shoots the front of the vehicle, a camera that shoots the rear of the vehicle, or a camera that shoots the side of the vehicle. Further, a plurality of image pickup devices 200 may be provided. Further, one image pickup device 200 may capture the omnidirectional image of the vehicle. The image pickup device 200 outputs the shooting data to the recording control device 100.

The recording unit 300 is a storage device for storing shooting data. The recording unit 300 includes, for example, a memory card including a flash memory, a non-volatile memory such as an SSD (Solid State Drive) or an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and a volatile memory of a DDR (Double-Data-Rate Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory). It is a storage device composed of. The recording unit 300 records the shooting data according to the control of the recording control device 100. The recording unit 300 may record audio data of audio collected by a microphone (not shown) included in the recording system 10 together with the shooting data. Further, in the present embodiment, the recording unit 300 is mounted on the vehicle together with the recording control device 100, but the recording unit 300 may be a device connected to the recording control device 100 by wireless communication. For example, the recording unit 300 may be a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or an external server.

The recording unit 300 has a normal recording unit 310 and an event recording unit 320. The normal recording unit 310 is composed of a non-volatile memory and a volatile memory, and temporarily stores the memory in the volatile memory and then records the memory in the non-volatile memory. The normal recording unit 310 records the shooting data so that it can be overwritten. That is, when the storage capacity is insufficient, the normal recording unit 310 can delete data in order from, for example, the oldest shooting data, and can store new shooting data in the vacant storage area as a result. The event recording unit 320 is composed of a non-volatile memory. The event recording unit 320 records the shooting data as event recording data. The event record data is shooting data related to the detected event, and is data for which overwriting is prohibited. That is, the event record data is not deleted even if the time elapses, unless the user intentionally performs a deletion operation or the like. The normal recording unit 310 may be a recording area predetermined as a storage area that can be overwritten, and the event recording unit 320 may be a recording area predetermined as a storage area that prohibits overwriting. However, such a provision may not be made in advance for the storage area. Overwriting may be prohibited by adding a flag indicating overwriting prohibition to the data for which overwriting is prohibited and storing the data. In this case, the recording unit 300 may share the non-volatile memory of the normal recording unit 310 and the non-volatile memory of the event recording unit 320.

The acceleration sensor 400 is, for example, a 3-axis acceleration sensor, and detects the acceleration of the vehicle. The accelerometer 400 is installed at an arbitrary location in the vehicle. The acceleration sensor 400 may be built in the recording control device 100. The acceleration sensor 400 detects the acceleration applied to the acceleration sensor 400, and supplies the detected acceleration to the event detection unit 130 of the recording control device 100. The acceleration sensor 400 may be a 1-axis or 2-axis acceleration sensor instead of the 3-axis acceleration sensor.

The recording control device 100 includes a shooting data acquisition unit 110, a shooting data analysis unit 120, an event detection unit 130, and a recording control unit 140. The processing of each component of the recording control device 100 may be realized, for example, by executing a program. In this case, the recording control device 100 has, for example, a hardware configuration as shown in FIG. 2, and the processor 150 reads the software (computer program) from the memory 151 and executes the software (computer program), so that the shooting data acquisition unit 110 , The shooting data analysis unit 120, the event detection unit 130, and the recording control unit 140.

The memory 151 is composed of, for example, a combination of a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory. The memory 151 is used to store software (computer program) including one or more instructions executed by the processor 150, data used for various processes of the recording control device 100, and the like.

The processor 150 may be, for example, a microprocessor, an MPU (Micro Processor Unit), a CPU (Central Processing Unit), or the like. The processor 150 may include a plurality of processors.

As shown in FIG. 2, the recording control device 100 may include a network interface 152 for communicating with other devices. The network interface 152 may include, for example, a network interface card (NIC).

As described above, the recording control device 100 may have a function as a computer.
In addition, the programs described above can be stored and supplied to a computer using various types of non-transitory computer readable medium. Non-temporary computer-readable media include various types of tangible storage media. Examples of non-temporary computer-readable media include magnetic recording media (eg, flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical recording media (eg, magneto-optical disks), CD-ROMs (Read Only Memory) CD-Rs, CDs. -R / W, including semiconductor memory (for example, mask ROM, PROM (Programmable ROM), EPROM (Erasable PROM), flash ROM, RAM (Random Access Memory)). The program may also be supplied to the computer by various types of temporary computer readable media. Examples of temporary computer readable media include electrical, optical, and electromagnetic waves. The temporary computer-readable medium can supply the program to the computer via a wired communication path such as an electric wire and an optical fiber, or a wireless communication path.

Hereinafter, the processing of the shooting data acquisition unit 110, the shooting data analysis unit 120, the event detection unit 130, and the recording control unit 140 will be described.

The shooting data acquisition unit 110 acquires shooting data from the image pickup apparatus 200. That is, the shooting data acquisition unit 110 acquires shooting data which is the data of the video shot by the image pickup apparatus 200.

The event detection unit 130 detects the occurrence of an event. In this embodiment, the event specifically means a traffic trouble. Traffic troubles include not only traffic accidents but also dangerous driving such as sudden stops and sudden starts. In the present embodiment, the event detection unit 130 acquires the acceleration of the vehicle on which the recording control device 100 is mounted from the acceleration sensor 400, and detects whether or not an event has occurred based on the acquired acceleration. Specifically, the event detection unit 130 determines that an event has occurred when an acceleration equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value is detected.

The event detection unit 130 may detect the occurrence of an event by another method. For example, it may be determined that an event has occurred when a switch (not shown) provided in the recording control device 100 or the like is operated. In this case, the user operates the switch when a traffic trouble occurs. In this case, the recording system 10 does not have to include the acceleration sensor 400. Further, instead of the acceleration sensor 400, the occurrence of an event may be detected based on vehicle control information such as sudden braking and sudden steering.

When the event detection unit 130 detects the occurrence of an event, the event detection unit 130 outputs an event recording instruction signal instructing the recording data to be saved as the event recording data to the recording control unit 140. The event recording instruction signal may include the time when the occurrence of the event is detected.

In order to save the scene in which a predetermined object is reflected as event recording data, the shooting data analysis unit 120 analyzes the shooting data and detects the predetermined object reflected in the shooting data. When there are a plurality of image pickup devices 200, the shooting data analysis unit 120 analyzes the shooting data of each image pickup device 200. When the photographing data analysis unit 120 detects a predetermined object, it notifies the recording control unit 140 of time information indicating at what time the object was captured in the video. When a plurality of predetermined objects are detected, the photographing data analysis unit 120 may notify the recording control unit 140 of time information indicating at what time the image was captured for each of the objects. good.

In this embodiment, the predetermined object is a vehicle license plate. In the present embodiment, not only the image at the time of the event occurrence but also the image showing the license plate of the vehicle is stored as the event recording data. This vehicle may be a vehicle on which a witness of a traffic trouble is on board, or a vehicle on which the other party of the traffic trouble is on board. Therefore, by storing the image of such a vehicle as event record data, it is possible to obtain a clue to identify the witness of the traffic trouble or the party of the traffic trouble. That is, it is possible to record useful contents for grasping the situation of traffic trouble.

The shooting data analysis unit 120 analyzes the shooting data by using a known image recognition process, and detects the license plate of the vehicle copied in the shooting data. The shooting data analysis unit 120 may detect a license plate having a size larger than a predetermined size in the video. Here, the predetermined size means, for example, a size that the license plate can be recognized by the photographing data analysis unit 120. When the license plate is shown in a predetermined size or larger, the vehicle with the license plate is a vehicle existing within a certain distance from the image pickup apparatus 200. Therefore, it is considered that such a vehicle is relatively likely to be a vehicle on which a party or a witness of a traffic trouble has boarded. Therefore, by detecting the license plate having a size larger than a predetermined size, it is possible to record more useful contents for grasping the situation of traffic trouble.

The shooting data analysis unit 120 may analyze the shooting data of the video shot before the event occurrence, or may analyze the shooting data of the video shot after the event occurrence time. And both may be analyzed.
In the present embodiment, the event recording instruction signal is also output to the shooting data analysis unit 120, and when the shooting data analysis unit 120 receives the event recording instruction signal, the shooting data analysis unit 120 analyzes the shooting data near the time when the event is detected. .. For example, the shooting data analysis unit 120 analyzes the shooting data for a predetermined analysis target period (for example, 10 minutes) starting from the event detection timing. This analysis target period is set to a value longer than the normal period (for example, 30 seconds) of the event recorded data. It is not necessary to set the analysis target period. However, in this case, the event recording data in which the vehicle photographed at a time significantly different from the event detection timing can be stored. That is, event record data showing a vehicle that is unlikely to be a vehicle on which a witness of a traffic trouble or a party of a traffic trouble has boarded can be stored.

The recording control unit 140 controls the recording unit 300 to record the shooting data of the video image taken by the image pickup apparatus 200. When there are a plurality of image pickup devices 200, the recording control unit 140 records the shooting data of each image pickup device 200.

When the event recording instruction signal is not output from the event detection unit 130, the recording control unit 140 continues to record the shooting data in the normal recording unit 310. That is, when the event is not detected, the recording control unit 140 records the shooting data acquired by the shooting data acquisition unit 110 in the normal recording unit 310 so as to be overwhelming. Continuing to record shooting data in such an overwriteable manner is referred to as loop recording or normal recording. Then, when the event recording instruction signal is output from the event detection unit 130, the recording control unit 140 records the shooting data in the event recording unit 320. That is, when an event is detected, the recording control unit 140 saves the shooting data including the image at the time of occurrence of the event as the event recording data. For example, the recording control unit 140 continues to record shooting data in a normal manner, that is, in a loop, regardless of the presence or absence of an event recording instruction signal, and when an event is detected, among the shooting data stored in the normal recording unit 310, an event The event recording data is saved by copying the shooting data for the period to be saved as the recording data to the event recording unit 320. At this time, copying may be performed from the volatile memory of the normal recording unit 310 to the event recording unit 320, or copying may be performed from the non-volatile memory of the normal recording unit 310 to the event recording unit 320. Saving the video as event recording data is referred to as event recording.

At the time of event recording, the recording control unit 140 adjusts the period of the video stored as the event recording data so that the period includes the time when the shooting data analysis unit 120 detects a predetermined object. For example, when the shooting data analysis unit 120 detects a license plate having a size larger than a predetermined size in the video, the recording control unit 140 has a period of the video stored as event recording data. The period is adjusted so as to include the detection time of the license plate that is displayed in a size larger than a predetermined size. The recording control unit 140 saves the video as event recording data based on the time information notified from the shooting data analysis unit 120, that is, the time information indicating at what time the predetermined object was captured in the video. Determine the time range of.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an event record according to a comparative example. Here, it is assumed that an event is detected at time t _E. In this case, in the event recording according to the comparative example, the shooting data in the period from the time t _P1 to the time t _P2 is stored as the event recording data. Here, the time t _P1 is a time at a time point advanced by a predetermined time P1 from the time t _E at which the event was detected. Further, the time t _P2 is a time when a predetermined time P2 has elapsed from the time t _E when the event was detected. Here, the predetermined times P1 and P2 are, for example, about several tens of seconds. When such event recording is performed, shooting data for a certain period, that is, a period defined as the sum of P1 and P2, is saved as event recording data. However, the shooting data during this period does not always contain useful contents for grasping the situation of traffic troubles.

On the other hand, as described above, in the present embodiment, the recording control unit 140 measures the period of the video stored as the event recording data so as to include the detection time point of a predetermined object such as a license plate. To adjust. Therefore, it is possible to save event record data including useful contents for grasping the situation of traffic trouble.

For example, when a predetermined object is detected by analyzing the shooting data of the video shot before the event occurs, the recording control unit 140 saves the event recording data as shown in FIG. The period of the video should include the time of detection of the object that was shown before the event occurred. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the storage of event record data in the present embodiment. Also in the example shown in FIG. 4, it is assumed that an event is detected at time t _E. That is, the event detection unit 130 detects an event at time _tE while the recording control unit 140 is performing normal recording, that is, loop recording. Further, it is assumed that the object is detected in the image at time t1, which is the time before the event occurs, by the analysis of the shooting data analysis unit ₁₂₀ . In this case, the recording control unit 140 stores, for example, the shooting data in the period from the time t ₁ to the above-mentioned time t _P2 as the event recording data. That is, the start point of the video of the event recording data is set to time t ₁ , and the end point is set to time t _P2 . The recording control unit 140 may set the start point to _a time point predetermined time before the time t1. Further, in FIG. 4, the time t ₁ at which the object is detected is before the time t _P1 , but may be the same as or after the time t _P1 .

By adjusting the starting point, the period of the video is adjusted so as to include the detection time of the predetermined object, so it is necessary to save the event record data including useful contents for grasping the situation of traffic trouble. Can be done. In particular, for example, by storing the event record data so as to include the detection time of the vehicle that is reflected before the occurrence of the event, it is possible to save the evidence video that identifies the cause of the traffic trouble.

Further, when a predetermined object is detected by analysis of the shooting data of the video shot after the event occurs, the recording control unit 140 saves the event recording data as shown in FIG. Make sure that the duration of the video includes the time of detection of the object that appears after the event occurs. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating the storage of event record data in the present embodiment. Also in the example shown in FIG. 5, it is assumed that an event is detected at time t _E. That is, the event detection unit 130 detects an event at time _tE while the recording control unit 140 is performing normal recording, that is, loop recording. Further, it is assumed that the object is detected in the image at _time t2, which is the time after the event occurs, by the analysis of the shooting data analysis unit 120. In this case, the recording control unit 140 stores, for example, the shooting data in the period from time t _P1 to time t ₂ described above as event recording data. That is, the start point of the video of the event recording data is set to time t _P1 , and the end point is set to time t ₂ . The recording control unit 140 may set the end point to a time point after a predetermined _time after the time t2. Further, in FIG. 5, the time t ₂ at which the object is detected may be later than the time t _P2 , but may be the same as or earlier than the time t _P2 .

By adjusting the end point, the period of the video is adjusted so as to include the detection time of the predetermined object, so event recording data including useful contents for grasping the situation of traffic trouble should be saved. Can be done. In particular, for example, by saving the event record data so as to include the detection time of the vehicle that appears after the occurrence of the event, it is possible to save the image that identifies the vehicle that has escaped after the traffic trouble. It is also useful for finding a person who has witnessed a situation such as a conflict between the parties that occurred after the event was detected.

It should be noted that the recording control unit 140 records the event recording data so as to include both the detection time point of the object reflected before the event occurrence and the detection time point of the object imaged after the event occurrence time. You may save it. That is, for example, event recording data including the above-mentioned video from time t ₁ to time t ₂ may be saved.

Next, an operation example of the recording control device 100 will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the recording control device 100. Hereinafter, an example of the operation of the recording control device 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

In step S100, the recording control unit 140 of the recording control device 100 starts normal recording. Normal recording is started when the engine of the vehicle equipped with the recording control device 100 is turned on, the power is turned on, or the like. That is, the recording control unit 140 continues to record the shooting data acquired by the shooting data acquisition unit 110 in the normal recording unit 310 while the vehicle is in operation.

Then, in step S101, the recording control unit 140 determines whether or not the event detection unit 130 has detected an event. If an event is detected, the process proceeds to step S102, and if no event is detected, the process proceeds to step S106.

In step S102, the shooting data analysis unit 120 analyzes the shooting data near the time when the event is detected. As described above, the shooting data analysis unit 120 may analyze the image of the period before the event detection timing, or may analyze the image of the period after the event detection timing, or analyze both of them. May be good.

In step S103, the recording control unit 140 determines whether or not the photographing data analysis unit 120 has detected a predetermined object. That is, the recording control unit 140 determines whether or not the time when the predetermined object is reflected in the video is specified by the photographing data analysis unit 120. If the time when the predetermined object appears in the image is specified, the process proceeds to step S104, and if not, the process proceeds to step S105.

In step S104, the recording control unit 140 adjusts the start point or the end point of the video of the event recording data according to the detection result by the photographing data analysis unit 120. That is, as described above, the recording control unit 140 adjusts the start point or the end point so that the period of the video stored as the event recording data includes the detection time point of the object. After step S104, the process proceeds to step S105.

In step S105, the recording control unit 140 stores the event recording data in the event recording unit 320. When the start point or the end point is adjusted in step S104, the recording control unit 140 determines the period of the video of the event recording data by using the start point or the end point. On the other hand, when the process of step S104 is skipped, that is, when No in step S103, the recording control unit 140 uses the start point and the end point specified by the predetermined times P1 and P2 described above. , Determine the video period of the event recording data. After step S105, the process proceeds to step S106.

In step S106, the recording control unit 140 determines whether or not an operation for ending normal recording, such as turning off the engine of the vehicle or turning off the power, has been performed. If the normal recording is not finished, the process returns to S101. On the other hand, when the operation for ending the normal recording is performed, the recording control unit 140 ends the normal recording.

The first embodiment has been described above. According to the present embodiment, the recording control unit 140 stores not only the image at the time of the event occurrence but also the image showing the license plate of the vehicle as event recording data. Therefore, the vehicle on which the witness of the traffic trouble is on board or the vehicle on which the other party of the traffic trouble is on board can be recorded as an image. Therefore, it is possible to record useful contents for grasping the situation of traffic trouble.

In the above-described embodiment, the license plate of the vehicle is detected as a predetermined object, but the vehicle itself may be detected as a predetermined object by analysis by image recognition processing. In addition, characteristic parts other than the license plate of the vehicle may be detected.

<Embodiment 2>
Next, the second embodiment will be described. Hereinafter, the points different from those of the first embodiment will be described, and the description of the same configuration and processing will be omitted as appropriate. The present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the photographing data analysis unit 120 detects a person as a predetermined object.

That is, in the present embodiment, the shooting data analysis unit 120 analyzes the shooting data by using a known image recognition process, and detects a person reflected in the shooting data. As a result, in the present embodiment, not only the image at the time of the event occurrence but also the image showing the person is saved as the event recording data. This person may be a witness to a traffic trouble or a partner in a traffic trouble. Therefore, by storing the image of such a person as event record data, it is possible to obtain a clue to identify the witness of the traffic trouble or the party of the traffic trouble. That is, it is possible to record useful contents for grasping the situation of traffic trouble.

The shooting data analysis unit 120 may detect the face of a person. By detecting the face of a person, it becomes easier to identify the person shown in the image, so that more useful content can be obtained for grasping the situation of traffic trouble.

The second embodiment has been described above. According to the present embodiment, the recording control unit 140 stores not only the image at the time of the event occurrence but also the image showing a person as event recording data. As a result, it is possible to record useful contents for grasping the situation of traffic trouble. It is also possible to combine the first embodiment and the second embodiment. That is, the license plates of a person and a vehicle may be detected as predetermined objects.

Although the first and second embodiments have been described above, the following modifications can be made to these embodiments.

For example, when the photographing data analysis unit 120 detects a plurality of predetermined objects and notifies the recording control unit 140 of time information indicating at what time the image was captured for each of the objects. , The recording control unit 140 may be controlled as follows. That is, in this case, the recording control unit 140 may adjust the period of the video stored as the event recording data so that the object includes a predetermined number or more. Here, this predetermined number is a number of 2 or more that can be arbitrarily set. By doing so, it is possible to store an image including a plurality of objects as event recording data. For example, when searching for a witness of a traffic trouble from the video of event record data, the number of objects corresponding to the number of license plate candidates of the witness or the vehicle that the witness may be on should be large. preferable. As described above, by storing an image containing a plurality of objects, it is possible to obtain a more useful image for grasping the situation of traffic trouble.

<Embodiment 3>
In the above-described embodiment, the recording control unit 140 stores a series of shooting data for a series of images including both the time when the event occurs and the time when the object is detected as event recording data. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the recording control unit 140 adjusts the period of the video stored as the event recording data so as to include the detection time of the object as follows. .. In the present embodiment, the recording control unit 140 is the first shooting data which is the shooting data including the time when the event occurs, and the second shooting data which includes the detection time of the object within a predetermined range from the time when the event occurs. Save as event record data in association with the shooting data of. Here, the predetermined range is, for example, the time from the occurrence of the event to the detection of the object or the distance described later. In the present embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, the recording control unit 140 has a first predetermined period of shooting data 20 including an event occurrence time point and a second predetermined period including an object detection time point. It is associated with the shooting data 21 and saved as event recording data. Here, the shooting data 20 corresponds to the above-mentioned first shooting data, and the shooting data 21 corresponds to the above-mentioned second shooting data.

In the example shown in FIG. 7, it is assumed that an event is detected at time t _E. Further, it is assumed that _an object is detected in the image at time t1. In this case, the recording control unit 140 stores the shooting data in the period from time t _P1 to time t _P2 and the shooting data in the period from time t _P3 to time t _P4 as event recording data. Here, the time t _P1 is a time at a time point advanced by a predetermined time P1 from the time t _E at which the event was detected. Further, the time t _P2 is a time when a predetermined time P2 has elapsed from the time t _E when the event was detected. Further, the time t _P3 is a time at a time point back from the time t ₁ by a predetermined time P3. Further, the time t _P4 is a time when _a predetermined time P4 has elapsed from the time t1. By creating the event recording data in this way, it is possible to save the shooting data during the period from time t _P4 to time t _P1 while saving both the image at the time of event occurrence and the image at the time of detecting the object. It can be omitted. Therefore, the consumption of the storage capacity can be suppressed. That is, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to record useful contents for grasping the situation of traffic trouble while suppressing the amount of recorded data. Note that FIG. 7 takes the detection of the object before the occurrence of the event as an example, but the same applies to the detection of the object after the occurrence of the event.

FIG. 7 shows an example when one object is detected, but when a plurality of objects are detected, a plurality of second photographing data corresponding to the detected objects are used as the first image. It may be saved as event recording data in association with shooting data. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of saving event record data when a plurality of objects are detected. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the event is detected at time t _E , and the object is detected at time t ₁ , t ₂ , and t ₃ , respectively. _In this case, the recording control unit 140 is detected at the shooting data 21a corresponding to the object detected at the _time t1, the shooting data 21b corresponding to the object detected at the time t2 _, and the time t3. The shooting data 21c corresponding to the object is associated with the shooting data 20 corresponding to the time when the event occurs, and these are stored as one event recording data. In this way, when a plurality of objects are detected, the recording control unit 140 stores the second shooting data corresponding to the detected objects and the first shooting data as event recording data in association with each other. You may.

In the example shown in FIG. 8, all the second shooting data corresponding to the detected object are associated with the first shooting data, but all the second shooting data are not necessarily the first shooting data. It does not have to be associated with the data. In this case, the second shooting data to be associated with the first shooting data may be selected in order of priority. That is, when a plurality of objects are detected, the recording control unit 140 together with a predetermined number of second imaging data selected according to the priority among the plurality of second imaging data corresponding to the detected objects. You may associate it with the first shooting data and save it as event recording data. For example, the recording control unit 140 may give a higher priority to the second shooting data corresponding to the object detected at a time closer to the time when the event occurs. That is, the recording control unit 140 may determine the priority order according to the detection time of the object. By doing so, it is possible to preferentially record a person who is more likely to have witnessed the event or a vehicle in which such a person is riding. Further, for example, the recording control unit 140 may give a higher priority to the second shooting data corresponding to a closer object. In this case, for example, the photographing data analysis unit 120 determines the distance to the object in addition to detecting the object. Further, when the detected object is a person's face, the recording control unit 140 may determine the priority order according to the direction of the detected face. In this case, for example, the shooting data analysis unit 120 determines the orientation of the detected face in addition to the detection of the face. Then, the recording control unit 140 refers to this determination result. For example, the recording control unit 140 may give a higher priority to the second shooting data at the time of detecting the face as the detected face faces the front. When facing the front with respect to the image pickup device 200, it is highly possible that the vehicle on which the image pickup device 200 is mounted is being viewed. Therefore, the person who is more likely to have witnessed the event can be preferentially recorded. Further, when the detected face is the front face, there is an advantage that it is easy to identify the person with the detected face.

By the way, in order to suppress the consumption of the storage capacity, the second captured data may be the following data. For example, the second captured data may be a still image at the time of detection of the object. That is, a still image of an image in which an object is detected may be saved as event recording data. Further, for example, the second shooting data may be a moving image having a lower frame rate than the first shooting data, or may be a moving image compressed with a compression rate higher than that of the first shooting data. .. As described above, as the second shooting data, the recording control unit 140 includes a still image, a moving image having a frame rate lower than that of the first shooting data, or a moving image compressed with a compression rate higher than that of the first shooting data. May be saved.

Next, an operation example of the recording control device 100 of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the recording control device 100 according to the present embodiment. The flowchart shown in FIG. 9 differs from the flowchart shown in FIG. 6 mainly in that step S104 is replaced with step S114. Hereinafter, the points different from the flowchart shown in FIG. 6 will be described.

In the flowchart shown in FIG. 9, when the photographing data analysis unit 120 detects a predetermined object (Yes in step S103), the process proceeds to step S114.

In step S114, the recording control unit 140 sets the first shooting data, which is the shooting data including the time when the event occurs, and the second shooting data, which is the shooting data including the detection time of the object, in a series of shooting data. Extract from. After step S114, the process proceeds to step S105.

When the process shifts from step S114 to step S105, in step S105, the recording control unit 140 associates the first shooting data extracted in step S114 with the second shooting data, and records these as one event. It is saved as data in the event recording unit 320. The shooting data may be associated by assigning a file name including a common name to each shooting data, or by saving the shooting data to be associated with each other in the same folder. .. Further, data close to the shooting time of the first shooting data may be associated and saved as the second shooting data.

On the other hand, when the process of step S114 is skipped, that is, when No in step S103, in step S105, the recording control unit 140 uses only the first shooting data as event recording data, and the event recording unit 320. Save to.

The third embodiment has been described above. According to the present embodiment, the recording control unit 140 generates one event recording data by associating the shooting data at the time of occurrence of the event with the shooting data at the time of detection of the object, which is different data. .. Therefore, it is possible to record useful contents for grasping the situation of traffic trouble while suppressing the amount of recorded data.

Although the first to third embodiments have been described above, the following modifications can be made to these embodiments.

In the above-described embodiment, the detection range of the object stored as the event record data is a predetermined period (for example, 10 minutes) starting from the event detection timing. That is, the detection range was a uniform time. However, this detection range may be defined by a distance starting from the position of the vehicle at the event detection timing. For example, the recording control unit 140 may save an image of an object existing within a predetermined distance (for example, 100 m) from the point where the event has occurred as event recording data. That is, the recording control unit 140 is based on the object detected from the shooting data during the period from the time when the vehicle exists at a position separated by a predetermined distance from the position of the vehicle at the time of the event occurrence to the time when the event occurs. Then, the event record data may be saved. Hereinafter, the "time point at which the vehicle exists at a position separated by a predetermined distance from the position of the vehicle at the time of occurrence of the event" will be referred to as a "range-defined time point". The above-mentioned range defining time point is, for example, a time point before the event occurs, but may be a time point after the event occurs. When the time range is specified before the event occurs, for example, the image of the object detected from the shooting data while the vehicle moves from the point 100 m before the event occurrence point to the event occurrence point is the event. It can be saved as recorded data. Similarly, when the time point for defining the range is the time point after the event occurs, for example, the image of the object detected from the shooting data while the vehicle moves 100 m from the event occurrence point is saved as event recording data. can do. Here, the specification at the time of specifying the range will be described. For example, when the recording control unit 140 has time-series data indicating the position information for each time of the vehicle, such as when the vehicle is equipped with GPS (Global Positioning System) in addition to the recording system 10, the following Specify the time point for specifying the range as follows. In this case, the recording control unit 140 specifies the range definition time point by referring to the time series data and specifying the time when the vehicle exists at a position separated by a predetermined distance from the position of the vehicle at the time of the event occurrence. do. In addition, the time point for defining the range may be specified by another method. For example, the recording control unit 140 may specify the range defining time point by using the speed information of the vehicle at the time of the event occurrence. In this case, the recording control unit 140 uses the speed of the vehicle at the time of the event occurrence and the predetermined distance described above, and the time point when the vehicle exists at a position separated by a predetermined distance from the position of the vehicle at the time of the event occurrence. You may specify the time point for defining the range by estimating. In this way, by saving the event record data based on the object detected from the shooting data during the period from the time when the range is specified to the time when the event occurs, the event record data focusing on the object around the event occurrence point. Can be created.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the shooting data analysis unit 120 analyzes the shooting data near the time when the event occurs after the event is detected, but the shooting data analysis unit 120 continues to analyze the shooting data in real time. May be. In this case, for example, the photographing data analysis unit 120 notifies the recording control unit 140 of time information indicating at what time in the video the object was captured each time the object was detected. Then, when the event is detected, the recording control unit 140 determines the period of the video of the event recording data based on the time information from the shooting data analysis unit 120.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the recording system 10 has been described as a system mounted on the vehicle, but the recording system 10 may not be mounted on the vehicle. For example, as the image pickup apparatus 200, a surveillance camera for photographing a road such as an intersection may be used. In this case, the accelerometer 400 is not required in the recording system 10, and instead, the event detection unit 130 detects the occurrence of an event by analyzing the shooting data by, for example, image recognition processing. For example, the occurrence of an event may be detected by analyzing the shooting data and detecting the collision between objects such as vehicles. Alternatively, the event detection unit 130 may analyze the sound near the road to be photographed by the image pickup apparatus 200 and detect the occurrence of the event. For example, the occurrence of an event may be detected by detecting a collision sound having a predetermined magnitude or more.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and the above-mentioned modifications thereof, and can be appropriately modified without departing from the spirit.

Some or all of the above embodiments may also be described, but not limited to:
(Appendix 1)
A shooting data acquisition unit that acquires shooting data from the image pickup device,
An event detector that detects the occurrence of an event, and an event detector
A shooting data analysis unit that analyzes the shooting data and detects a predetermined object reflected in the shooting data, and a shooting data analysis unit.
An event is associated with the first shooting data, which is the shooting data including the time when the event occurs, and the second shooting data, which is the shooting data including the detection time of the object within a predetermined range from the time when the event occurs. A recording control device having a recording control unit for storing as recorded data.
(Appendix 2)
When a plurality of the objects are detected, the recording control unit associates the second shooting data corresponding to the detected objects with the first shooting data and saves the event recording data. The recording control device according to Appendix 1.
(Appendix 3)
When a plurality of the objects are detected, the recording control unit has a predetermined number of the second photographs selected according to the priority among the plurality of second imaging data corresponding to the detected objects. The recording control device according to Appendix 1, wherein the data is associated with the first shooting data and stored as the event recording data.
(Appendix 4)
As the second shooting data, the recording control unit may use a still image, a moving image having a frame rate lower than that of the first shooting data, or a moving image compressed with a compression rate higher than that of the first shooting data. The recording control device according to any one of Supplementary note 1 to 3.
(Appendix 5)
The recording control unit refers to the object detected from the shooting data during the period from the time when the vehicle invades within a predetermined distance range from the position of the vehicle at the time of the occurrence of the event to the time when the event occurs. The recording control device according to any one of Supplementary note 1 to 4, which stores the event recording data based on the above.
(Appendix 6)
Acquire shooting data from the image pickup device and
Detects the occurrence of an event and
By analyzing the shooting data, a predetermined object reflected in the shooting data is detected.
An event is associated with the first shooting data, which is the shooting data including the time when the event occurs, and the second shooting data, which is the shooting data including the detection time of the object within a predetermined range from the time when the event occurs. Recording control method for saving as recorded data.
(Appendix 7)
The shooting data acquisition step to acquire the shooting data from the image pickup device, and
An event detection step that detects the occurrence of an event, and
A shooting data analysis step of analyzing the shooting data to detect a predetermined object reflected in the shooting data, and a shooting data analysis step.
An event is associated with the first shooting data, which is the shooting data including the time when the event occurs, and the second shooting data, which is the shooting data including the detection time of the object within a predetermined range from the time when the event occurs. A program that causes a computer to perform recording control steps and save as recorded data.

10 Recording system 20 Shooting data 21 Shooting data 100 Recording control device 110 Shooting data acquisition unit 120 Shooting data analysis unit 130 Event detection unit 140 Recording control unit 150 Processor 151 Memory 152 Network interface 200 Imaging device 300 Recording unit 310 Normal recording unit 320 Event Recording unit 400 Acceleration sensor

Claims (5)

A shooting data acquisition unit that acquires shooting data from the image pickup device,
An event detector that detects the occurrence of an event, and an event detector
A shooting data analysis unit that analyzes the shooting data and detects a predetermined object reflected in the shooting data, and a shooting data analysis unit.
An event is associated with the first shooting data, which is the shooting data including the time when the event occurs, and the second shooting data, which is the shooting data including the detection time of the object within a predetermined range from the time when the event occurs. A recording control device having a recording control unit for storing as recorded data. When a plurality of the objects are detected, the recording control unit associates the second shooting data corresponding to the detected objects with the first shooting data and saves the event recording data. The recording control device according to claim 1. When a plurality of the objects are detected, the recording control unit has a predetermined number of the second photographs selected according to the priority among the plurality of second imaging data corresponding to the detected objects. The recording control device according to claim 1, wherein the data is associated with the first shooting data and stored as the event recording data. As the second shooting data, the recording control unit may use a still image, a moving image having a frame rate lower than that of the first shooting data, or a moving image compressed at a compression rate higher than that of the first shooting data. The recording control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. Acquire shooting data from the image pickup device and
Detects the occurrence of an event and
By analyzing the shooting data, a predetermined object reflected in the shooting data is detected.
An event is associated with the first shooting data, which is the shooting data including the time when the event occurs, and the second shooting data, which is the shooting data including the detection time of the object within a predetermined range from the time when the event occurs. Recording control method for saving as recorded data.

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