JP2022154366A - Vehicle image collection system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a vehicle image collection system capable of selectively collecting, from a vehicle, an image useful for an administrator who captured the content of an event that has occurred from among images captured in a vehicle traveling on a road.SOLUTION: A vehicle image collection system is configured that when determining that an event has occurred in the vicinity of a vehicle 5, the vehicle image collection system sets a length of an image to be collected from the vehicle based on a distance from an event occurrence position to the vehicle 5, and collects from the vehicle 5 an image having a set length including a timing at which it is determined that the event has occurred in the vicinity of the vehicle 5.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle image collection system for collecting images captured in a vehicle.

When some event such as an accident, falling object, broken vehicle, etc. occurs on the road or its surroundings, the road condition at the location where the event occurred is reported to the administrator (for example, the police if it is an accident, the road management if it is a falling object) It is important for the dealer, road service provider if the car is broken down, to confirm and analyze it.

In recent years, the number of vehicles equipped with means for capturing images of the surroundings, such as drive recorders, has increased, and it has been proposed to check and analyze the above road conditions using the images captured by these vehicles. . For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-98105 discloses that when an information center detects an accident, the information about the accident is notified to vehicles located around the location of the accident at the time the accident occurred. After receiving the information, the vehicle extracts images of the surroundings of the vehicle at the time and before and after the accident and transmits them to the information center, which analyzes the accident based on the images collected from the vehicle. technology has been proposed.

JP 2012-98105 (pages 8-10)

In the above Patent Document 1, the information center collects fixed-length (for example, 1 minute) images including the time of the accident and the time before and after the accident from all the vehicles located around the place where the accident occurred at the time of the accident. ing. However, assuming that the vehicle is traveling on the road at a normal speed, only a small part of the above 1-minute video image related to the accident was captured when the vehicle passed through the location where the accident occurred. Most of the other images have nothing to do with the accident. Collecting such images, most of which have nothing to do with the accident, has caused an increase in communication load.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems in the prior art. Among the images captured by vehicles traveling on the road, the present invention selects and selects images that are useful for the manager who captured the content of the event that occurred. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle image collection system capable of collecting images from a vehicle.

In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle image collection system according to the present invention is a vehicle image collection system that collects images captured by a vehicle traveling on a road and equipped with image capturing means for capturing images outside the vehicle. An event occurrence determination means for determining that an event has occurred in the vicinity of the vehicle, and a distance estimation unit for estimating the distance from the event occurrence position to the vehicle when it is determined that an event has occurred in the vicinity of the vehicle. video time setting means for setting the length of video to be collected from the vehicle based on the distance from the event occurrence position to the vehicle; and the setting including the timing at which the event is determined to have occurred around the vehicle. and a video collection means for collecting a video of the specified length from the vehicle.
An "event" is an event that occurs on or around a road and requires some kind of monitoring, situation confirmation, and analysis by a third party other than the person concerned. For example, an accident, a broken-down vehicle, a dangerous vehicle, a suspicious person, a suspicious object, a vehicle prohibited from parking, waiting at a taxi stand, a traffic jam, and the occurrence of tailgating.

According to the vehicle image collection system having the above configuration, the length of the image collected from the vehicle is set based on the distance from the event occurrence position to the vehicle. can be set to a required length, and it becomes possible for the administrator who captured the content of the event that occurred to select and collect useful images from the vehicle. As a result, it is possible to reduce the amount of communication associated with video collection.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a vehicle image collection system according to an embodiment; FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle image collection system according to this embodiment; FIG. It is the figure which showed an example of the probe information memorize|stored in probe information DB. It is the figure which showed an example of the image information memorize|stored in image information DB. It is the figure which showed an example of the event registration information memorize|stored in event registration information DB. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing a control system of the navigation device according to this embodiment; FIG. It is the figure which showed the storage aspect of the video information imaged with the cameras. 4 is a flowchart of a video collection processing program according to the embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of sound input to a microphone; FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a threshold value for determining that tailgate driving has occurred; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing images to be collected when the occurrence of an event is detected; 10 is a flowchart of a sub-processing program of video time setting processing; FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the relationship between the sound pressure of sound input to a microphone and the length of a video to be collected. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between deceleration of a vehicle and the length of video to be collected. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the relationship between the distance to a vehicle behind that is expected to be tailgating and the length of an image to be collected.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A vehicle image collection system according to the present invention will be described in detail below based on a specific embodiment with reference to the drawings. First, a schematic configuration of a vehicle image collection system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a vehicle image collecting system 1 according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle image collection system 1 according to this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle image collection system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a server device (vehicle image collection device) 3 provided in an information management center 2, and an imaging means for imaging the surroundings while traveling on a road. a vehicle 5 with a camera 4 . Also, the server device 3 and the vehicle 5 are configured to be able to transmit and receive electronic data to and from each other via a communication network 6 . In this embodiment, it is basically assumed that there are a plurality of vehicles 5 included in the vehicle image collection system 1, but implementation is possible even if there is only one vehicle. Also, the vehicles 5 may be limited to specific vehicles (for example, official vehicles, taxis), or may include a wide range of general vehicles.

Here, the vehicle image collection system 1 according to this embodiment constitutes a so-called probe car system. Here, the probe car system is a system that collects information using the vehicle 5 as a sensor. Specifically, the vehicle 5 transmits speed data, the operation status of each system such as steering operation, shift position, etc. to the information management center 2 via a communication device pre-installed in the vehicle 5 together with GPS position information. , a system that reuses the collected data as various information on the center side.

Then, the server device 3 provided in the information management center 2 appropriately collects and accumulates probe information (material information) including the current time and current position from each vehicle 5 traveling all over the country, and from the accumulated probe information It is an information management server that generates various types of support information (for example, accident information, traffic jam information, travel time, etc.), distributes the generated support information to the navigation device 7, and performs various processes using the support information. Furthermore, in this embodiment, when a specific event such as an accident occurs, the server device 3 also collects from the vehicle 5 video information captured by the camera 4 corresponding to the time and location of the event. . Then, based on the collected video information, the road conditions of the road where the event occurred are checked and analyzed.

As described above, the purpose of this embodiment is to check and analyze the road conditions of the road on which the event occurred using the image information collected from the vehicle by the server device 3. Therefore, the information management center 2 For example, the police, road management companies, road service companies, etc. correspond to this. Alternatively, the information management center 2 may be an institution different from these, and may transfer the confirmation results and analysis results of road conditions to the police, road management companies, road service companies, and the like.

On the other hand, the vehicle 5 is a means of transportation for traveling on the road with a passenger on board, and basically includes a camera 4 as imaging means for imaging the surroundings and a navigation device 7 as a communication (guidance) terminal. have. The vehicle 5 may be a vehicle capable of traveling by automatic operation.

The camera 4 is a camera using a solid-state imaging device such as a CCD, for example, and is used as a drive recorder for the vehicle 5 . It is attached to the rear side of the rearview mirror or the front bumper of the vehicle, and basically constantly captures images of the surrounding environment in front of the vehicle while the vehicle is running. In addition, the image information captured by the camera 4 is divided at predetermined time intervals (for example, 30-second intervals), and further linked to the imaged location and the imaged time, recorded in the memory card 8, and when necessary, the server device as probe information. 3.

The memory card 8 for storing image information captured by the camera 4 is mounted on the camera 4 and sequentially stores and saves the image information captured by the camera 4, but the amount of stored data is limited to a predetermined upper limit (for example, 64 GB), when a new image is captured, the oldest image information is automatically deleted in order. Then, new video information is stored in the empty area generated by the deletion. The storage medium for storing the image information of the camera 4 may be other than the memory card 8. For example, a flash memory built into the camera 4 may be used, or the storage medium (memory or hard disk) of the navigation device 7 may be used for storage. can be Alternatively, it may be stored in an external server (online storage).

On the other hand, the navigation device 7 is mounted on the vehicle 5, and displays a map around the vehicle position based on the stored map data, displays the current position of the vehicle on the map image, It is an in-vehicle device that guides movement along the route. In addition, the navigation device 7 is equipped with communication means for connecting to the communication network 6, identifies the current position of the vehicle using GPS and various sensors, and probes information identifying the current position along with the current time at predetermined time intervals. It is transmitted to the server device 3 as information. In addition to the current position, the traveling direction, traveling link, vehicle speed, yaw rate, etc. may also be identified and transmitted as probe information. Furthermore, when it is detected that some event has occurred around the vehicle 5, video information captured by the camera 4 and stored in the memory card 8 or the like is also transmitted to the server device 3 as probe information. Instead of the navigation device 7, for example, another vehicle-mounted device provided in the vehicle 5 or a vehicle control ECU that controls the vehicle 5 may be used as a subject that transmits the probe information.

The communication network 6 includes a large number of base stations located all over the country and communication companies that manage and control each base station. It is configured by connecting Here, the base station has a transceiver (transmitter/receiver) for communicating with the vehicle 5 and an antenna. While the base station performs wireless communication between communication companies, the base station serves as the terminal of the communication network 6 and relays the communication of the vehicle 5 within the radio wave range (cell) of the base station to the server device 3. have a role.

Next, the configuration of the server device 3 included in the vehicle image collection system 1 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the server device 3 includes a server control unit 11, a probe information DB 12 as information recording means connected to the server control unit 11, a video information DB 13, an event registration information DB 14, and a server-side map DB 15. , and a center communication device 16 .

The server control unit 11 is a control unit (MCU, MPU, etc.) that controls the entire server device 3, and is used as a working memory when the CPU 21 as an arithmetic unit and a control unit and the CPU 21 performs various kinds of arithmetic processing. A RAM 22, a control program, a ROM 23 in which a video collection processing program (FIG. 8) described later, etc. are recorded, and an internal storage device such as a flash memory 24 in which a program read out from the ROM 23 is stored. The server control unit 11 has various means as a processing algorithm together with a control unit of the navigation device 7, which will be described later. For example, the image collection means collects from the vehicle 5 images of a set length including the timing at which it is determined that an event has occurred in the vicinity of the vehicle 5 .

The probe information DB 12 is storage means for cumulatively storing probe information (excluding video information) collected from each vehicle 5 traveling all over the country. In this embodiment, as the probe information collected from the vehicle 5, (a) the date and time and (b) the area code of the area where the vehicle 5 travels at that date and time, (c) the link where the vehicle 5 travels, (d) traveling direction of the vehicle 5 (forward or reverse), (e) traveling distance from the start point (end point) of the link, (f) vehicle speed of the vehicle 5, and (g) yaw rate of the vehicle 5 are included.

The "link start point" and "link end point" are attributes set for both ends (nodes) of the link independently of the traveling direction of the vehicle. The traveling direction of the vehicle is defined as "forward direction" when entering the link from the starting point of the link and exiting from the terminal point of the link, and "reverse direction" when entering the link from the terminal point of the link and exiting from the starting point of the link.

The probe information indicates the location where the vehicle 5 was located during past travel, the time when the vehicle was located at that location, and the behavior of the vehicle at that location, that is, the travel history of the vehicle. However, the probe information does not necessarily include all the information related to the above (a) to (g), and information other than (a) to (g) (for example, brake operation amount, acceleration, deceleration, even the rear vehicle distance, etc.). Further, as the information indicating the position of the vehicle, coordinates (latitude and longitude) may be used instead of the distance traveled from the start point (end point) of the link. Further, as probe information, video information captured by the camera 4 when a predetermined condition is satisfied is also collected from the vehicle 5, and the video information is stored in the video information DB 13, which will be described later.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of probe information stored in the probe information DB 12. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the probe information includes a vehicle ID that identifies the vehicle that is the transmission source, and information related to (a) to (g) above. For example, probe information shown in FIG. It is stored in .80 that the vehicle stopped at a point 40 m away from the starting point of the link. On the other hand, it is stored that the vehicle 5 with ID "B" traveled about 55 km in the opposite direction of the link with ID "100002" in the area code "11". Similarly, other probe information is also stored. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the probe information is collected from the vehicle at 200 msec intervals, but the probe information collection interval may be shorter or longer than the 200 msec interval.

The image information DB 13 is storage means for storing image information collected from each vehicle 5 traveling all over the country. In the present embodiment, when the vehicle 5 detects that some event has occurred in the surroundings as described later, images captured by the camera 4 are collected from the vehicle 5 that has detected the occurrence of the event. Also, the length of video to be collected (video time) is set based on the distance from the event occurrence position to the vehicle. For example, it is appropriately selected from 90 seconds, 150 seconds, and 210 seconds. The video information collected from the vehicle 5 and stored in the video information DB 13 is video information in which the content of the event that occurred may have been captured.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of video information stored in the video information DB 13. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the image information includes a vehicle ID that identifies the vehicle 5 that captured the image, the date and time when the image was captured, the area code of the area where the vehicle 5 traveled when the image was captured, Links along which the vehicle 5 travels when the video is captured and the traveling direction (forward direction or reverse direction) of the vehicle 5 when the video is captured are linked and stored in the video information DB 13 .

For example, in the example shown in FIG. 4, a vehicle with ID "D" is traveling in the forward direction on links with IDs "100121" and "100122" in area code "11" at 10:11 on March 2nd. Image information captured during 90 seconds from :30 to 10:13:00 is stored. In addition, the vehicle with ID "G" is running in the forward direction on the links with IDs "100121" and "100122", which are also in the area code "11", from 10:11:30 to 10:00 on March 2: Video information captured during 150 seconds up to 14:00 is stored. Other video information is also stored in the same manner. Then, the administrator of the server device 3 confirms and analyzes the road conditions of the road where the event occurred based on the image information stored in the image information DB 13 .

On the other hand, the event registration information DB 14 is storage means in which information relating to events occurring on roads or around roads is registered. Here, the events registered in the event registration information DB 14 include, for example, accidents, falling objects, occurrence of broken-down vehicles, occurrence of dangerous vehicles, occurrence of traffic jams, and occurrence of tailgating. The registration is based on the information provided by the vehicle 5 that detected the occurrence. However, the information may be registered based on the operation of the administrator instead of the information provided from the vehicle 5 that has detected the occurrence of the event.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of event registration information stored in the event registration information DB 14. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the event registration information includes information specifying the date and time when the event occurred, the area code of the area where the event occurred, the link where the event occurred, and the progress of the road corresponding to the position where the event occurred. The direction (whether it occurred in the lane corresponding to the forward direction or the lane corresponding to the reverse direction), the coordinates (latitude and longitude) of the location where the event occurred, the vehicle that detected the event, and the event including registration factors. Here, as will be described later, the vehicle 5 has (a) a sound pressure in a predetermined frequency band of sound input to a microphone provided in the vehicle 5 equal to or greater than a threshold, and (b) deceleration equal to or greater than the threshold occurs in the vehicle 5, ( c) It is determined that an event has occurred in the vicinity of the vehicle 5 when either of the following conditions is satisfied: that the distance from the vehicle 5 to the vehicle behind is less than the threshold value and continues for a certain period of time or longer. The “registration factor of event” stores which of the conditions (a) to (c) above is satisfied for the event to be registered (in some cases, more than one condition is satisfied).

However, it is not necessary to register all the above information in the event registration information DB 14, and for example, only the date and time when the event occurred and the coordinates of the position may be registered. Also, if the type of event (for example, the occurrence of an accident, a falling object, or a broken-down vehicle) can be specified, information specifying the type of event may be included.

For example, in the example shown in FIG. 5, at 10:12:15 on March 2nd, ID "D ” indicates that there is an event in which the vehicle satisfies the above conditions (a) and (b) and is registered. In addition, at 22:45:13 on March 2 at the point (x2, y2) in the opposite direction of the link with ID "200051" in area code "21", the vehicle with ID "H" ( This indicates that there is an event registered that satisfies the condition a). In addition, at 8:11:20 on March 3 at the point (x3, y3) in the opposite direction of the link with ID "200102" in area code "22", the vehicle with ID "R" ( It indicates that there is an event registered that satisfies the condition of c). Other event registration information is also stored in the same manner. Based on the information registered in the event registration information DB 14, the server device 3 manages events occurring on the road.

On the other hand, the server-side map DB 15 is storage means for storing server-side map information, which is the latest version of map information registered based on input data or input operations from the outside. Here, the server-side map information is composed of various information necessary for route search, route guidance, and map display, including road networks. For example, network data including nodes and links indicating a road network, link data relating to roads (links), node data relating to node points, intersection data relating to each intersection, point data relating to points such as facilities, map display for displaying maps data, search data for searching for routes, search data for searching for points, and the like.

The center communication device 16 is a communication device for communicating with the vehicle 5 or an external traffic information center such as a VICS (registered trademark: Vehicle Information and Communication System) center via the communication network 6 . In this embodiment, probe information, image information, and the like are transmitted and received to and from each vehicle 5 via the center communication device 16 .

Next, a schematic configuration of the navigation device 7 mounted on the vehicle 5 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the navigation device 7 according to this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 6, the navigation device 7 according to the present embodiment includes a current position detection unit 31 that detects the current position of the vehicle in which the navigation device 7 is mounted, a data recording unit 32 that records various data, A navigation ECU 33 that performs various arithmetic processes based on input information, an operation unit 34 that receives operations from the user, a liquid crystal display 35 that displays a map of the vehicle's surroundings and traffic information to the user, and a route. It has a speaker 36 for outputting voice guidance regarding guidance, a DVD drive 37 for reading a DVD as a storage medium, and a communication module 38 for communicating with information centers such as the information management center 2 and the VICS center. The navigation device 7 is also connected to various sensors, a microphone 42 and a camera 4 mounted on the vehicle 5 via an in-vehicle network such as CAN. The sensors mounted on the vehicle 5 include, for example, a vehicle speed sensor 39, an acceleration sensor 40, and a distance measuring sensor 41.

Each component of the navigation device 7 will be described in order below.
The current position detection unit 31 includes a GPS 43, a yaw rate sensor 44, etc., and is capable of detecting the current position, direction, etc. of the vehicle. Further, by obtaining the detection results of the vehicle speed sensor 39 and other various sensors installed in the vehicle, it is possible to detect the current vehicle position, direction, etc. with higher accuracy.

The data recording unit 32 reads a hard disk (not shown) as an external storage device and a recording medium, a map information DB 45, a travel history DB 46, and predetermined programs recorded in the hard disk, and stores predetermined data in the hard disk. and a recording head (not shown) which is a driver for writing. Note that the data recording unit 32 may be configured by a flash memory, a memory card, or an optical disk such as a CD or DVD instead of the hard disk. Further, the map information DB 45 and the travel history DB 46 may be stored in an external server, and the navigation device 7 may acquire them through communication.

Here, the map information DB 45 includes, for example, link data related to roads (links), node data related to node points, search data used for processing related to search and change of routes, facility data related to facilities, maps for displaying maps, and so on. This is storage means for storing display data, intersection data for each intersection, search data for searching for points, and the like.

Further, the travel history DB 46 is storage means that accumulates and stores travel information (vehicle behavior) of the vehicle 5 . In this embodiment, the travel information stored in the travel history DB 46 particularly includes the detection results of various sensors such as the vehicle speed sensor 39, acceleration sensor 40, distance sensor 41, GPS 43, yaw rate sensor 44, and the like. The travel information stored in the travel history DB 46 is transmitted as needed to the server device 3 as probe information.

On the other hand, a navigation ECU (electronic control unit) 33 is an electronic control unit that controls the entire navigation device 7, and includes a CPU 51 as an arithmetic device and a control device, and a working memory when the CPU 51 performs various arithmetic processing. A RAM 52 that stores route data and the like when a route is searched, a ROM 53 that stores a control program, a video collection processing program (FIG. 8) described later, etc., and a ROM 53 that reads out It has an internal storage device such as a flash memory 54 for storing programs. The navigation ECU 33 has various means as processing algorithms together with the server control unit 11 described above. For example, the event occurrence determination means determines that an event has occurred around the vehicle 5 . The distance estimating means estimates the distance from the event occurrence position to the vehicle 5 when it is determined that the event has occurred in the vicinity of the vehicle 5 . The image time setting means sets the length of the image collected from the vehicle 5 based on the distance from the event occurrence position to the vehicle 5 .

The operation unit 34 is operated when inputting a departure point as a travel start point and a destination as a travel end point, and is composed of a plurality of operation switches (not shown) such as various keys and buttons. Then, the navigation ECU 33 performs control to execute various corresponding operations based on switch signals output by pressing of each switch or the like. The operation unit 34 can also be configured by a touch panel provided on the front surface of the liquid crystal display 35 . It can also be composed of a microphone and a voice recognition device.

In addition, the liquid crystal display 35 displays a map image including roads, traffic information, operation guidance, operation menu, key guidance, guidance information along the guidance route (planned driving route), news, weather forecast, time, mail, TV Programs, etc. are displayed. A HUD or HMD may be used instead of the liquid crystal display 35 .

In addition, the speaker 36 outputs voice guidance for driving along a guidance route (planned driving route) and traffic information guidance based on instructions from the navigation ECU 33 .

Also, the DVD drive 37 is a drive capable of reading data recorded on recording media such as DVDs and CDs. Then, based on the read data, music and video are reproduced, the map information DB 45 is updated, and so on. A card slot for reading and writing a memory card may be provided instead of the DVD drive 37 .

The communication module 38 is a communication device for receiving traffic information and the like transmitted from a traffic information center such as a VICS center and other external centers, and corresponds to, for example, a mobile phone or a DCM. It also includes a vehicle-to-vehicle communication device that communicates between vehicles and a road-to-vehicle communication device that communicates with a roadside unit. It is also used for transmitting/receiving probe information and a video request instruction (to be described later) to/from the server device 3 .

The vehicle speed sensor 39 is a sensor for detecting the moving distance and speed of the vehicle, generates a pulse according to the rotation of the driving wheels of the vehicle, and outputs the pulse signal to the navigation ECU 33 . Then, the navigation ECU 33 calculates the vehicle speed and travel distance by counting the generated pulses.

The acceleration sensor 40 is a sensor for detecting acceleration occurring in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle (direction parallel to the traveling direction of the vehicle), and for example, a capacitance sensor is used. In addition to the front-rear direction of the vehicle, the acceleration occurring in the left-right direction (the direction intersecting with the traveling direction of the vehicle) may also be included in the detection targets. Particularly in this embodiment, by measuring the deceleration generated in the vehicle by the acceleration sensor 40, the occurrence of an event around the vehicle 5 and the distance to the event occurrence position are detected.

Further, the distance measuring sensor 41 is attached, for example, near the rear bumper of the vehicle 5, and is set so as to detect the surrounding environment behind the vehicle, in particular. As the distance measuring sensor 41, various devices such as an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a depth camera, a stereo camera, etc., which can detect the distance and direction to an object located behind are used. In this embodiment, it is particularly used to detect the distance to the vehicle behind.

The microphone 42 is arranged on the outer side surface of the vehicle body of the vehicle 5 and is a microphone for inputting sounds generated outside the vehicle. In particular, in this embodiment, by measuring the sound pressure (that is, the volume of sound) of the sound input to the microphone 42, the occurrence of an event around the vehicle 5 and the distance to the location where the event occurred can be detected. .

On the other hand, the camera 4 is a camera using a solid-state imaging device such as a CCD, as described above, and is used as a drive recorder for the vehicle 5 . Further, the image information captured by the camera 4 is segmented at predetermined time intervals (for example, 30-second intervals) as shown in FIG. , are linked and stored in the memory card 8 . For example, in the example shown in FIG. 7, "Video A" extends from a point 15.5 m away from the starting point of the link with ID "100001" in the area code "11" to 33.4 m from the starting point of the link with ID "100002". It is stored that the video was captured while moving to a distant point, and that the date and time of capturing was between 9:00:30 and 9:00:59 on March 2nd. Also, "Image B" moves from a point 35.5 m away from the starting point of the link with ID "100002" in area code "11" to a point 13.4 m away from the starting point of the link with ID "100003". It is stored that the image was captured during the period from 9:01:00 to 9:01:29 on March 2nd. Other video information is stored in the memory card 8 in the same manner.

When the vehicle 5 detects that some event has occurred in the vicinity of the vehicle 5, the image information stored in the memory card 8 is extracted as probe information with a predetermined length including the timing of detecting the occurrence of the event. is transmitted to the server device 3 via the navigation device 7 as the data. Also, the length of video to be transmitted (video time) is set based on the distance from the event occurrence position to the vehicle. For example, it is appropriately selected from 90 seconds, 150 seconds, and 210 seconds. For example, if 90 seconds is selected, 3 consecutive segments (30 seconds×3=90 seconds) of video are transmitted. Also, when a new image is captured when the amount of data stored in the memory card 8 reaches a predetermined upper limit (for example, 64 GB), the old image information is automatically deleted in order. Then, new video information is stored in the empty area generated by the deletion.

In the example shown in FIG. 7, the video information captured by the camera 4 is divided and stored at intervals of 30 seconds, but the division intervals may be longer or shorter than 30 seconds. Also, the video information may be classified in units of traveling distance (for example, in units of 300 m) instead of in units of time. Also, as the information indicating the point where the image was taken, coordinates (latitude and longitude) may be used instead of the distance traveled from the start point (end point) of the link.

Next, an image collection processing program executed by the server device 3 and the navigation device 7 constituting the vehicle image collection system 1 having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a video collection processing program according to this embodiment. Here, the video collection processing program is repeatedly executed at predetermined time intervals (for example, 200 msec intervals) after the ACC power supply (accessory power supply) of the vehicle is turned on, and when an event occurs around the vehicle 5, the camera 4 This is a program for the server device 3 to collect the image information captured by , as probe information. 8 and 12 below are stored in the RAM 22 and ROM 23 provided in the server device 3 or the RAM 52 and ROM 53 provided in the navigation device 7, and are executed by the CPU 21 or CPU 51. be done.

First, the video collection processing program executed in the navigation device 7 will be described.
In step (hereinafter abbreviated as S) 1, the CPU 51 acquires the detection results of various sensors such as the vehicle speed sensor 39, the acceleration sensor 40, the distance measuring sensor 41, etc. via CAN or the like. In addition, the measurement results obtained by measuring the sound pressure [dB] for each frequency [Hz] of the sound outside the vehicle input to the microphone 42 are also acquired. The acquisition of the information in S1 is repeated at intervals of 200 msec while the ACC power is ON.

Next, in S2, the CPU 51 identifies the highest sound pressure value in a preset specific frequency band for the sound input to the microphone 42 among the information acquired in S1, and is greater than or equal to the threshold value. In addition, the "specific frequency band" is set to a range that includes the frequency corresponding to the collision sound that generally occurs at the time of an accident (collision sound between cars, collision sound between a car and an obstacle). ] is set to a value larger than the sound (engine sound and tire sound) generated during normal running of the vehicle. For example, when sound as shown in FIG. 9 is input to the microphone 42, it is determined whether or not the highest sound pressure W in the specific frequency band is equal to or higher than the threshold. If the specified sound pressure value is greater than or equal to the threshold, it is estimated that an accident or an event corresponding thereto has occurred around the vehicle 5 .

Subsequently, in S3, the CPU 51 determines whether or not the deceleration (backward acceleration) of the vehicle 5 is equal to or greater than a threshold based on the information acquired in S1. The deceleration may be the deceleration currently occurring, the average deceleration within a certain past period (for example, within 5 seconds), or the maximum deceleration within a certain past period (for example, within 5 seconds). It is good as Also, the "threshold" is set to a level of deceleration (eg, 0.2 G) that does not occur during normal driving (eg, stopping at a red light, turning left or right, etc.). If the deceleration of the vehicle is equal to or greater than the threshold, it is presumed that an accident, dangerous vehicle, broken vehicle, falling object, or similar event has occurred around the vehicle 5 .

Next, in S4, the CPU 51 determines whether or not the distance from the host vehicle to the vehicle behind is less than a threshold value for a certain period of time or longer, based on the information acquired in S1. The "threshold value" is determined by the speed of the own vehicle, and as shown in FIG. 10, the higher the speed of the own vehicle, the longer the threshold value is set. For example, vehicle speed [km]×1 is set as threshold [m]. However, when the vehicle speed of the own vehicle is less than a predetermined lower limit speed v0 (for example, 20 km/h), the determination in S4 is not performed (it is assumed that tailgate driving is not being performed). Also, the "fixed period of time" can be changed as appropriate, but is set to 30 seconds, for example. If the distance from the own vehicle to the vehicle behind is less than the threshold value and has continued for a certain period of time or longer, it is estimated that tailgate driving has occurred around the vehicle 5 as an event.

After that, in S5, the CPU 51 determines whether or not at least one determination condition is satisfied in the determination processing performed in S2 to S4, that is, whether or not some event has occurred in the vicinity of the vehicle.

Then, when it is determined that at least one or more determination conditions are satisfied in the determination processing performed in S2 to S4 (S5: YES), that is, when it is determined that some event has occurred in the vicinity of the vehicle, Move to S6. On the other hand, when it is determined that none of the determination conditions are satisfied (S5: NO), that is, when it is determined that no event has occurred in the vicinity of the vehicle, the image information captured by the camera 4 is It ends without transmitting to the server device 3 .

In S6, the CPU 51 performs video time setting processing (FIG. 12), which will be described later. The video time setting process is a process of setting the video time (video length) to be transmitted to the server device 3 based on the distance from the event occurrence position to the vehicle. For example, it is selected from 90 seconds, 150 seconds, and 210 seconds.

Next, in S<b>7 , the CPU 51 reads the video information currently stored in the memory card 8 and extracts the video information to be transmitted to the server device 3 . Here, the video information extracted in S7 is video information of the length set in S6, including the timing at which the event occurred. It should be noted that the timing at which an event occurs is the timing at which one of the determination conditions of S2 to S4 is satisfied.

Here, as described above, the image information captured by the camera 4 is divided into sections at predetermined time intervals (for example, 30-second intervals), and each section is stored in association with the location where the image was taken and the time at which the image was taken ( 7), only the video information of the corresponding section is extracted at S7. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, an image A captured while traveling near point a, an image B captured while traveling near point b, and an image captured while traveling near point c C, image D captured while traveling near point d, image E captured while traveling near point e, image F captured while traveling near point f, and point g A case where a video image G captured while traveling in the vicinity is stored in the memory card 8 will be described as an example. When the occurrence of an event is detected at point d in such a situation where the image is captured, and the image time is set to 90 seconds, image D including the timing at which the event occurred is first extracted, and then image D is extracted. Image C and image E captured before and after D are extracted. Also, when the occurrence of an event is detected at point d and the video time is set to 150 seconds, video D including the timing at which the event occurred is first extracted, and then video B captured before and after video D is extracted. , image C, image E, and image F are extracted. Also, when the occurrence of an event is detected at point d and the image time is set to 210 seconds, image D including the timing at which the event occurred is first extracted, and then image A captured before and after image D is extracted. . . . C and images E to G are extracted. The video information extracted in S7 is video information that may have captured the content of the event.

In the example shown in FIG. 11, images before and after the event occurrence timing are extracted.

After that, in S8, the CPU 51 transmits the video information extracted in S7 to the server device 3 as probe information together with a "vehicle ID" that identifies the vehicle of the transmission source. In addition, the date and time when the video was captured, the area code of the area where the vehicle 5 was traveling when the video was captured, the link where the vehicle 5 was traveling when the video was captured, the traveling direction of the vehicle 5 when the video was captured (correct direction or reverse direction) is also transmitted together with the video information.

Furthermore, in S8, the CPU 51 also transmits event information related to the events detected in S2 to S5 to the server device 3 as well. The event information includes information specifying the date and time when the event occurred (the date and time when the conditions of S2 to S4 were satisfied), the area code of the area where the event occurred, the link where the event occurred, and the location where the event occurred. The traveling direction of the road corresponding to the (whether it occurred in the lane corresponding to the forward direction or the lane corresponding to the reverse direction), the coordinates (latitude and longitude) of the location where the event occurred, and the event registration factor ( which condition among S2 to S4 is met). After that, the video collection processing program is terminated.

In the present embodiment, the processing of S1 to S8 is performed by the navigation device 7, but may be performed by another vehicle-mounted device provided in the vehicle 5 or by a vehicle control ECU.

Next, a video collection processing program executed by the server device 3 will be described.
First, in S11, the CPU 21 determines whether or not there is transmission of video information and event information from each vehicle 5 traveling across the country. The video information is transmitted from the vehicle 5 in which it is determined that an event has occurred in the surrounding area as described above, and is image information of the surroundings of the vehicle captured by the camera 4 during a predetermined period including the timing at which the event occurred.

If it is determined that the image information and the event information are to be transmitted (S11: YES), the transmitted image information and event information are received (S12). Then, the CPU 21 cumulatively stores the received image information in the image information DB 13 (S13). Also, the event information is stored in the event registration information DB 14, and the event is registered.

After that, the server device 3 confirms and analyzes the road conditions of the road where the event occurred based on the video information stored in the video information DB 13 and the event information stored in the event registration information DB 14 . For example, if the event is an accident, based on the video information of the scene of the accident, we can confirm the circumstances of the accident, determine the lanes that should be closed due to the accident, analyze the causes of the accident, and identify fault. conduct. The confirmation and analysis of these road conditions may be performed by an administrator who visually recognizes the video information, or may be determined by the server device 3 by performing image processing on the video information.

When confirming and analyzing the road conditions, the video information collected from the vehicle may be displayed on the display provided in the server device 3 . Specifically, an icon is displayed on the display together with a map image at the registered event point, and when the administrator designates the icon, a window is displayed on the display. The window displays a list of images collected from the vehicle so far in response to events specified by the administrator. Furthermore, when the administrator operates the displayed video, the content of the video can be viewed.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the video information and the event information are not transmitted (S11: NO), the video collection processing program is terminated.

Next, sub-processing of the video time setting processing executed in S6 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a flow chart of a sub-processing program of video time setting processing.

First, in S21, the CPU 51 determines whether or not the conditions in the determination processing of S2 are satisfied, that is, whether or not the highest sound pressure value in the specific frequency band is equal to or greater than the threshold.

Then, when it is determined that the condition is satisfied in the determination process of S2, that is, the value of the highest sound pressure in the specific frequency band is equal to or greater than the threshold value (S21: YES), the process proceeds to S22. On the other hand, if it is determined that the condition is not satisfied in the determination process of S2, ie, the highest sound pressure value in the specific frequency band is less than the threshold value (S21: NO), the process proceeds to S25.

In S22, the CPU 51 further determines whether or not the conditions in the determination processing of S3 are satisfied, that is, whether or not the deceleration (backward acceleration) of the vehicle 5 is greater than or equal to a threshold value.

Then, when the condition is satisfied in the determination process of S3, that is, when it is determined that the deceleration (rearward acceleration) occurring in the vehicle 5 is equal to or greater than the threshold value (S22: YES), the process proceeds to S23. On the other hand, if it is determined that the condition is not satisfied in the determination process of S3, that is, the deceleration (rearward acceleration) occurring in the vehicle 5 is less than the threshold value (S22: NO), the process proceeds to S24. Transition.

In S23, the CPU 51 selects the longer one of the "video time selected based on the sound pressure of the sound input to the microphone 42" and the "video time selected based on the deceleration occurring in the vehicle". It is set as the video time (video length) to be transmitted to the device 3 .

Here, the "video time selected based on the sound pressure of the sound input to the microphone 42" is the highest sound pressure (hereinafter referred to as 90 seconds, 150 seconds, and 210 seconds are selected based on the value of maximum sound pressure. Basically, the larger the value of the maximum sound pressure, the shorter the video time is selected. For example, if the maximum sound pressure is greater than or equal to the threshold and less than x1, 210 seconds is selected. If the maximum sound pressure is greater than or equal to x1 and less than x2, 150 seconds is selected. If the maximum sound pressure is greater than or equal to x2, 90 seconds is selected. Here, the value of the maximum sound pressure suggests the distance from the position where the event, which is the source of the sound, to the vehicle 5, and the distance from the position where the event occurred to the vehicle 5 can be estimated from the maximum sound pressure. . If the value of the maximum sound pressure is large, it is predicted that the distance from the event occurrence position to the vehicle 5 is short. can be included. On the other hand, when the value of the maximum sound pressure is small, it is predicted that the vehicle 5 is far from the location where the event occurred. Video information of the content of the event cannot be included. Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, the larger the maximum sound pressure value, the shorter the video time is selected.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 14, the "image time selected based on the deceleration of the vehicle" is 90 seconds, 150 seconds, 150 seconds, Selected from 210 seconds. Basically, the larger the deceleration value, the shorter the video time is selected. For example, if the deceleration is greater than or equal to the threshold and less than x3, 210 seconds is selected. If the deceleration is greater than or equal to x3 and less than x4, 150 seconds is selected. If the deceleration is x4 or greater, 90 seconds is selected. Here, the deceleration indicates the distance from the occurrence position of the event that causes the deceleration to the vehicle 5, and the deceleration can be used to estimate the distance from the occurrence position of the event to the vehicle 5. If the deceleration is large, the distance from the location where the event occurs to the vehicle 5 is predicted to be short. It can contain video information. On the other hand, when the deceleration is small, it is predicted that the vehicle 5 is far from the location where the event occurred. cannot include video information captured by Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, the larger the deceleration value, the shorter the video time is selected.

On the other hand, in S24, the CPU 51 selects the "video time selected based on the sound pressure of the sound input to the microphone 42 (see FIG. 13)" as the video time (video length) to be transmitted to the server device 3. set. After that, the process proceeds to S7.

Further, in S25, the CPU 51 determines whether or not the conditions in the determination processing of S3 are satisfied, that is, whether or not the deceleration (backward acceleration) occurring in the vehicle 5 is equal to or greater than a threshold value.

Then, when the condition is satisfied in the determination process of S3, that is, when it is determined that the deceleration (rearward acceleration) occurring in the vehicle 5 is equal to or greater than the threshold value (S25: YES), the process proceeds to S26. On the other hand, if it is determined that the condition is not satisfied in the determination process of S3, that is, the deceleration (rearward acceleration) occurring in the vehicle 5 is less than the threshold value (S25: NO), the process proceeds to S27. Transition.

In S<b>26 , the CPU 51 sets the “video time selected based on the deceleration of the vehicle (see FIG. 14 )” as the video time (video length) to be transmitted to the server device 3 . After that, the process proceeds to S7.

On the other hand, in S27, the CPU 51 determines whether or not the conditions in the determination processing of S4 are satisfied, that is, whether or not the distance from the host vehicle to the vehicle behind is less than the threshold value, and whether or not the condition has continued for a certain time or longer.

Then, when it is determined that the condition is satisfied in the determination process of S4, that is, the state in which the distance from the host vehicle to the vehicle behind is less than the threshold has continued for a certain period of time or longer (S27: YES), Move to S28. On the other hand, if it is determined that the condition is not satisfied in the determination process of S4, that is, the state in which the distance from the host vehicle to the vehicle behind is less than the threshold has not continued for a certain period of time or longer (S27: NO). moves to S29.

In S28, the CPU 51 transmits the video time (video length) to the server device 3, which is selected based on the distance from the own vehicle to the rear vehicle that is estimated to be driving tailgate. set as

Here, as shown in FIG. 15, the "video time selected based on the distance from the own vehicle to the rear vehicle estimated to be driving tailgate" is assumed to continue for a predetermined time or more in S4. The time is selected from 90 seconds, 150 seconds, and 210 seconds based on the determined average value or minimum value of the distance from the host vehicle to the vehicle behind (hereinafter referred to as determination distance). Basically, if the vehicle speed is the same, the shorter the judgment distance is, the longer the video time is selected. Specifically, the determination distance is compared with a first distance and a second distance determined by the speed of the host vehicle, and if the determination distance is less than the threshold value and equal to or greater than the first distance, 90 seconds is selected. Also, if the determination distance is less than the first distance and equal to or greater than the second distance, 150 seconds is selected. Also, if the determination distance is less than the second distance, 210 seconds is selected. The first distance is smaller than the threshold, and the second distance is smaller than the first distance. For example, if vehicle speed [km]×1 is the threshold [m], vehicle speed [km]×0. m], and vehicle speed [km]×0.6 is the second distance [m]. Here, the determination distance corresponds to the distance from the position at which the tailgate driving, which is an event, occurs to the vehicle 5 . If the judgment distance is short, it is predicted that the distance from the position where tailgate driving occurs to the vehicle 5 is short, that is, the more malicious tailgate driving is being performed. Increase the length of video to be sent. On the other hand, if the judgment distance is long, it is predicted that the distance from the position where tailgating occurs to the vehicle 5 is long, that is, it is predicted that highly malicious tailgating is not being performed. be as short as possible. Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15, if the vehicle speed is the same, the shorter the judgment distance, the longer the video time is selected.

On the other hand, in S29, the CPU 51 sets the video time (video length) to be transmitted to the server device 3 to a standard time (for example, 210 seconds). After that, the process proceeds to S7. In the present embodiment, it is determined that an event has occurred in the vicinity of the vehicle only when it is determined that at least one or more determination conditions are satisfied in the determination processing performed in steps S2 to S4 (S5: YES). Since the subsequent processes are executed, the process of S29 is basically not performed, but for example, the occurrence of an event is determined under conditions other than the determination process performed in S2 to S4 (for example, camera image recognition). The process of S29 is effective when video information is transmitted based on a request from the server device 3 regardless of whether or not an event has occurred.

As described in detail above, in the vehicle image collection system 1, the server device 3, the navigation device 7, and the computer programs executed by the server device 3 and the navigation device 7 according to the present embodiment, an event occurs in the vicinity of the vehicle 5. (S2 to S5), the length of the image to be collected from the vehicle is set based on the distance from the event occurrence position to the vehicle 5 (S23, S24, S26, S28). Images of a set length including the timing at which the event is determined to have occurred are collected from the vehicle (S12, S13). It is possible to carefully select and collect useful images from the vehicle for the administrator who captured the content of the event. As a result, it is possible to reduce the amount of communication associated with video collection.
Also, the shorter the distance from the event occurrence position to the vehicle 5, the shorter the length of the image collected from the vehicle 5 is set (S23, S24, S26). In the case where it is possible to include an image obtained by capturing the content of the image, it is possible to reduce the amount of communication associated with image collection by shortening the length of the image to be collected.
In addition, the vehicle 5 is equipped with a microphone 42 for inputting sound generated outside the vehicle, and when the sound pressure of the sound input to the microphone 42 exceeds a threshold, it is determined that an event has occurred around the vehicle 5. , the distance from the event occurrence position to the vehicle is estimated based on the sound pressure of the sound input to the microphone 42 (S23, S24). , the distance to the vehicle can be estimated.
Also, the deceleration of the vehicle is obtained (S1), and when the deceleration of the vehicle exceeds a threshold value, it is determined that an event has occurred, and the event is generated based on the magnitude of the deceleration of the vehicle. Since the distance from the position to the vehicle is estimated (S23, S26), it is possible to estimate the occurrence of an event and the distance from the position where the event occurs to the vehicle using the deceleration that has occurred in the vehicle.
In addition, the distance from the vehicle to the vehicle behind is acquired (S1), and if the distance from the vehicle to the vehicle behind continues to be less than a threshold for a certain period of time or longer, it is determined that an event has occurred, and the distance from the vehicle to the vehicle behind is determined. Since the distance is estimated as the distance from the event occurrence position to the vehicle (S28), the occurrence of tailgate driving as an event and the distance from the occurrence position of tailgate driving to the vehicle are estimated using the distance from the vehicle to the rear vehicle. It becomes possible to

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and of course various improvements and modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention.
For example, in the present embodiment, a probe car system using probe information is used to collect video information from a plurality of vehicles traveling all over the country, but the probe car system is not essential. For example, it is possible to collect video information from one vehicle that has detected the occurrence of an event.

Also, in the present embodiment, the occurrence of an event is detected on the vehicle side, but the server device 3 may detect the occurrence of an event. In that case, for example, the server device 3 collects detection values of various sensors from each vehicle together with current position information as probe information, and detects the occurrence of an event based on the collected probe information (S2 to S5). is. Moreover, it is also possible for the server device 3 to set the length of video information to be collected from each vehicle (S6) based on the probe information collected from each vehicle.

Further, instead of automatically registering the occurrence of an event on the system side, the administrator of the server device 3 may manually register the event. For example, when there is information about an accident, the administrator can use a terminal to input the location and time of the accident and register the input information in the event registration information DB 14 . Furthermore, in that case, it is possible to transmit a video request signal from the server device 3 to vehicles located in the vicinity of the registered event occurrence position. The following processing may be performed.

In this embodiment, the shorter the distance from the event occurrence position to the vehicle 5, the shorter the length of the image collected from the vehicle 5 is set (S23, S24, S26). The shorter the distance from the vehicle 5 to the vehicle 5, the longer the length of the image collected from the vehicle 5 may be set. For example, it can be inferred that a vehicle near the location where the event occurred can image the content of the event in more detail with the camera 4, so collecting a long video from such a vehicle enables more accurate analysis of the event. becomes.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the collection of probe information including the current position and current time from the vehicle 5 and the collection of video information are performed by the same server device, but the probe information including the current position and current time from the vehicle 5 The server device for collecting video information and the server device for collecting video information may be different servers.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 vehicle image collection system 2 information management center 3 server device 4 camera 5 vehicle 7 navigation device 11 server control unit 12 probe information DB 13 image information DB 14 ... event registration information DB, 33 ... navigation ECU, 39 ... vehicle speed sensor, 40 ... acceleration sensor, 41 ... ranging sensor, 42 ... microphone

Claims (5)

A vehicle image collection system for collecting images captured by a vehicle traveling on a road and equipped with image capturing means for capturing images outside the vehicle,
event occurrence determination means for determining that an event has occurred in the vicinity of the vehicle;
distance estimating means for estimating the distance from the position where the event occurred to the vehicle when it is determined that the event has occurred in the vicinity of the vehicle;
video time setting means for setting the length of video to be collected from the vehicle based on the distance from the event occurrence position to the vehicle;
A vehicle image collection system, comprising image collection means for collecting, from the vehicle, the image of the set length including the timing at which it is determined that an event has occurred in the vicinity of the vehicle. 2. The vehicle image collection system according to claim 1, wherein said image time setting means sets the length of the image collected from the vehicle to be shorter as the distance from the event occurrence position to the vehicle is shorter. The vehicle is equipped with a microphone for inputting sounds generated outside the vehicle,
The event occurrence determination means determines that an event has occurred in the vicinity of the vehicle when the sound pressure of the sound input to the microphone exceeds a threshold value,
3. The vehicle image acquisition system according to claim 1, wherein said distance estimating means estimates the distance from said event occurrence position to said vehicle based on the sound pressure of the sound input to said microphone. A deceleration acquisition means for acquiring deceleration generated in the vehicle,
The event occurrence determination means determines that an event has occurred when deceleration equal to or greater than a threshold occurs in the vehicle,
3. The vehicle image collection system according to claim 1, wherein said distance estimating means estimates the distance from said event occurrence position to said vehicle based on the magnitude of deceleration occurring in said vehicle. The event is tailgate driving performed from the rear vehicle,
An inter-vehicle distance acquisition means for acquiring the distance from the vehicle to the rear vehicle,
The event occurrence determination means determines that an event has occurred when the distance from the vehicle to the rear vehicle continues to be less than a threshold for a predetermined time or longer,
2. The vehicle video collection system according to claim 1, wherein said distance estimating means estimates the distance from the vehicle to said rear vehicle as the distance from said event occurrence position to said vehicle.

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