JP7182121B2 - image acquisition system - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an image collection system and an in-vehicle device.

Conventionally, in-vehicle devices such as drive recorders collect image data (moving image data) captured by a camera mounted in the vehicle, and the collected image data is recorded in the memory inside the in-vehicle device or in a recording medium such as an SD card. It is Businesses such as transportation companies that use on-vehicle devices sometimes use an image collection system in which a management device that manages operation of a plurality of vehicles and on-vehicle devices mounted on each vehicle are communicably connected. FIG. 5 shows an example of a conventional image acquisition system. The image acquisition system of FIG. 5 is configured with an on-vehicle device mounted on a truck T, a wireless base station 8, a network 60, and a management device 150 installed in the business operator's office. The in-vehicle device records image data by "constant recording" or "trigger recording". "Continuous recording" is a mode in which image data is collected from the start (recording start) of the in-vehicle device to the end of recording. Also, "trigger recording" is a mode in which image data is collected when a predesignated location is reached or when a predesignated condition such as a shock is satisfied. In the image acquisition system shown in FIG. 5, image data recorded by the in-vehicle device at regular intervals or by trigger recording is transmitted to the management device 150 via the wireless base station 8 and the network 60 each time the data is recorded. be.

Image data is often used for investigations and searches by public offices, local governments, and the like. As a system that uses image data for crime prevention and surveillance, for example, in Patent Document 1, verification data obtained and registered from relevant parties and image information obtained from an on-vehicle camera that captures the situation outside the vehicle are biometrically authenticated. Alternatively, a system has been proposed in which matching is performed using character authentication and the results of matching are reported to relevant parties. In addition, Patent Document 2 has a recording device that records an image around the vehicle recorded by a camera and the position and time when the image was recorded, and receives an image provision request by radio broadcast when an accident or crime occurs. A system has been proposed which notifies the driver when a requested image matches a recorded image. Further, Patent Document 3 proposes a system in which a face image of a driver is photographed by an in-vehicle camera, information on the face image of the driver and position information of the vehicle are transmitted to a database, and utilized for person search.

JP 2017-211888 A JP 2011-180693 A JP 2014-232421 A

However, in the conventional image collection system, when image data recorded by the in-vehicle device is provided in response to a request for investigation cooperation or search cooperation from a client such as a public agency or a local government, the client always needs to record. Alternatively, it is necessary to check a huge amount of trigger-recorded image data and identify an image containing a person to be investigated or searched. It takes time and effort to identify a necessary image from a huge amount of image data. In addition, in order to record image data in an in-vehicle device, a certain amount of recording area, that is, a memory is required, and the in-vehicle device may become expensive.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances described above, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image collection system capable of immediately providing a required amount of image data collected by a vehicle-mounted camera.

In order to achieve the above object, an image acquisition system according to the present invention is characterized by the following (1) to ( 3 ).
(1) An image collection system comprising an in-vehicle device and a management device for managing a vehicle equipped with the in-vehicle device,
The management device
an input unit for inputting conditions defining characteristics of an image to be acquired together with a target area;
a transmission unit that transmits the condition and the target area to the in-vehicle device;
The in-vehicle device
a registration unit that registers the conditions and the target area transmitted from the management device;
an image collection unit that collects image data captured by an in-vehicle camera;
an image judgment unit for judging by image recognition whether or not the image data captured and collected in the target area satisfies the condition;
an image storage unit that acquires and stores image data determined to satisfy the conditions;
an image transmission unit that transmits the saved image data to a predetermined destination;
with
The conditions include a location condition that indicates the characteristics of a location and a person condition that indicates the characteristics of a person,
In the management device,
The transmitting unit transmits the condition and the target area to the vehicle installed in the vehicle running in the target area or the vehicle scheduled to head to the target area,
In the in-vehicle device,
The image determination unit determines whether or not the image data satisfies the location condition and the person condition when the vehicle equipped with the in-vehicle device reaches the target area. collection system.
( 2 ) The image collection system having the configuration of (1) above, wherein the transmission unit of the management device transmits provision destination information indicating the predetermined provision destination to the in-vehicle device.
( 3 ) The image collection system having the configuration of (1), wherein the image storage unit deletes image data determined by the image determination unit not to satisfy the conditions .

According to the image collection system having the above configuration (1), among the image data captured by the vehicle-mounted camera, only the images that are captured in the target area to be investigated and satisfy the conditions are transmitted to the predetermined provision destination. Therefore, only the images required by the recipient can be provided immediately.
For example, when information such as "Notification", "Breaking news", "Search request" is provided by public offices or local governments, or when "Investigation cooperation" or "Search cooperation" is requested, the administrator By inputting information about the person to be investigated or searched as a condition in the management device, the in-vehicle device acquires only the image data that satisfies the condition among the image data captured by the in-vehicle camera, and provides it as a predetermined sent to the destination. At this time, if a government office or the like, which is a requester for cooperating with an investigation, is registered as a predetermined provision destination in the in-vehicle device, image data that is highly likely to have been taken of the person being investigated can be sent to the requester. It can be sent directly in real time. Therefore, the client can check the required image in a short time.
In addition, since only necessary images are recorded in the in-vehicle device, the recording capacity of the in-vehicle device can be minimized, and the present image collection system can be realized with an inexpensive in-vehicle device.
Furthermore, according to the image collection system having the configuration ( 1 ) above, among the one or more vehicles managed by the management device, only the in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle that has reached the target area performs the image collection. can let Therefore, even if an administrator who receives a request for investigation, etc. from a public agency, etc., enters conditions related to image collection (conditions that define the characteristics of images to be acquired), the target area for investigation, etc. On-vehicle devices mounted on vehicles that will not pass can perform constant recording or trigger recording of image data captured by the on-board camera as usual.
According to the image collection system having the above configuration ( 2 ), even if the destination of image data is not registered in advance in the in-vehicle device, the in-vehicle device can acquire the destination information from the management device. image data can be sent directly to
According to the image collection system having the configuration ( 3 ) above, the image data that do not satisfy the conditions are deleted, so that the recording capacity (memory) can be saved .

According to the present invention, of the image data captured by the in-vehicle camera, only the images captured in the requested target area and satisfying the conditions are transmitted to the predetermined supply destination. Only images can be provided immediately.

The present invention has been briefly described above. Furthermore, the details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading the following detailed description of the invention (hereinafter referred to as "embodiment") with reference to the accompanying drawings. .

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example configuration of an image acquisition system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the flow of processing for registering information about images to be acquired in the image collection system in the management device. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the flow of image collection by the in-vehicle device. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a specific example of image acquisition. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional image acquisition system.

Specific embodiments relating to the present invention will be described below with reference to each drawing. The image collection system of this embodiment is introduced as equipment of business operators such as truck transportation companies and bus companies.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an image acquisition system 5 according to an embodiment of the invention. The image collection system 5 is mounted on a system for managing the operation status of vehicles such as trucks and buses, and is connected to an operation recording device (hereinafter referred to as an in-vehicle device) 10 via a network 60 to the in-vehicle device 10 . 10 and a management device 50 that manages the vehicle on which the device 10 is mounted. The management device 50 is an office PC installed in the company's head office or business office.

A network 60 is a network (packet communication network) such as the Internet, and is connected to a wireless base station 8 for wide area communication. In-vehicle device 10 is connected to network 60 via antenna 7 and radio base station 8 . A management device 50 is connected to the network 60 , and the network 60 relays data communication between the in-vehicle device 10 and the management device 50 . Communication between the in-vehicle device 10 and the radio base station 8 may be performed by a mobile communication network (mobile network) such as LTE (Long Term Evolution)/4G ((4th Generation)), or by a wireless LAN (Local Area Network).

The in-vehicle device 10 is mounted on a vehicle, and records operation data such as entry/exit time, travel distance, travel time, travel speed, over speed, over engine speed, sudden start, sudden acceleration, sudden deceleration, etc., and displays images. It is a digital tachograph with a camera function capable of imaging. The in-vehicle device 10 has a CPU 11 , a volatile memory 26 B, a non-volatile memory 26 A, a recording medium 18 , an audio section 19 , an input device 22 and a display section 27 .

The CPU 11 comprehensively controls each part of the in-vehicle device 10 . The nonvolatile memory 26A stores operation programs and the like executed by the CPU 11 . The volatile memory 26B is a semiconductor memory device from which data can be freely read and written by access from the CPU 11. FIG. Volatile memory 26B is used to temporarily hold various data handled by CPU 11 .

The recording medium 18 is an SD card or the like carried by the crew. The CPU 11 writes data such as operation data to a recording medium 18 connected to a card I/F (not shown). Normally, when the vehicle returns to the sales office, the crew saves the data on the recording medium 18 in the management device 50 .

The audio unit 19 has a built-in speaker and a buzzer, and emits sounds such as alarms. The input device 22 has operation keys and various buttons for inputting numbers and various functions. The display unit 27 is configured by an LCD (liquid crystal display) or the like, and displays communication and operation statuses as well as alarms and the like.

In addition, the in-vehicle device 10 includes a speed I/F 12A, an engine rotation I/F 12B, an external input I/F 13, a device interlocking unit 14, an analog input I/F 29, a GPS receiving unit 15, a camera I/F 16, and a monitor input I/F 28. , an external output I/F 30 and a wide area communication unit 24 .

A speed pulse from a vehicle speed sensor (not shown) that detects the speed of the vehicle is input to the speed I/F 12A. A rotation pulse from an engine rotation speed sensor (not shown) is input to the engine rotation I/F 12B. An external device (not shown) is connected to the external input I/F 13, and a signal from the external device is input. A device interlocking unit 14 receives a signal for interlocking with an optional in-vehicle device or another device.

The analog input I/F 29 receives signals from a temperature sensor (not shown) that detects the internal temperature of a freezer or the like, a fuel amount sensor (not shown) that detects the amount of fuel, and the like. The CPU 11 detects various operating states based on information input via these I/Fs. The GPS receiver 15 is connected to the GPS antenna 15a, receives signals transmitted from GPS satellites, and acquires time and current position (GPS position information).

A camera 23 is connected to the camera I/F 16 . The camera 23 is installed in the vehicle, photographs at least one of the surroundings of the vehicle and the inside of the vehicle, and generates moving image data every predetermined length of time (for example, 60 seconds). The predetermined length of time may be a fixed time such as 2 minutes or 4 minutes, or may be a time that can be arbitrarily set by the user of the in-vehicle device 10 . The camera 23 has an image sensor in which pixels such as 300,000 pixels, 1,000,000 pixels, and 2,000,000 pixels are arranged on an imaging surface that is imaged through a fisheye lens, for example. The image sensor may consist of a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) sensor or a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) sensor. Moving image data of images captured by the camera 23 are recorded in the volatile memory 26B and the recording medium 18 in chronological order.

In addition, a plurality of cameras 23 may be provided so as to be able to image not only the front of the vehicle, but also the rear, left side, and right side of the vehicle. It may be contained in the body. Therefore, the camera 23 can simultaneously capture not only the image in front of the vehicle, but also the image in the left-right direction and the image behind the vehicle. Moreover, the camera 23 can image the interior of the vehicle. Note that the camera 23 may be capable of capturing an image in an arbitrary angular direction (for example, a 45° direction), and may include an infrared camera so as to be able to capture images even at night in addition to capturing images of visible light. .

A monitor input I/F 28 receives input signals from an indoor monitor, a back monitor, and the like. The external output I/F 30 is connected to an external device (not shown) and outputs a signal to the external device. When the wide area communication unit 24 is connected to the wireless base station 8 via the antenna 7 and a mobile network (mobile communication network), the wide area communication unit 24 communicates with the management device 50 via a network 60 such as the Internet connected to the wireless base station 8 . communicate.

On the other hand, the management device 50 is composed of a general-purpose computer device and manages the operation status of the vehicle. The management device 50 has a CPU 31 , a communication section 32 , a display section 33 , a storage section 34 , an operation section 36 and a vehicle database (DB) 45 .

The CPU 31 comprehensively controls each section of the management device 50 . The communication unit 32 can communicate with the in-vehicle device 10 via the network 60 . The communication unit 32 can also be connected to other in-vehicle devices connected to the network 60, and can transmit and receive necessary data. The communication unit 32 functions as a transmission unit that transmits to the in-vehicle device 10 conditions that define characteristics of images to be acquired by the in-vehicle device 10 and target areas.

The display unit 33 displays an information input screen and the like in addition to the operation management screen. The storage unit 34 stores various programs such as system analysis software for displaying vehicle position information on a map. Further, the storage unit 34 stores programs and data necessary for causing the in-vehicle device 10 to collect images, and stores image data transmitted from the in-vehicle device 10 .

The operation unit 36 has a keyboard, a mouse, etc., and receives operations of the administrator of the management device 50 . The operation unit 36 functions as an input unit for inputting conditions defining characteristics of an image to be acquired by the in-vehicle device 10 together with a target area. A vehicle database (DB) 45 is a database for managing each vehicle equipped with the in-vehicle device 10 . The management items include running speed, distance, engine rotation speed, and GPS data (current vehicle position).

The operation of the image acquisition system 5 having the above configuration is shown. When a business operator that has introduced an image collection system 5 is requested to cooperate in an investigation or a search by a public office or a local government, the in-vehicle device 10 collects image data including a person to be investigated or searched. Consider an example.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the flow of processing for registering information about images to be acquired in the image collection system 5 in the management device 50. As shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a specific example of image acquisition. As shown in FIG. 4, information such as "notice", "preliminary report", and "search request" is provided from a client 70 such as a public office or a local government to a business operator that has introduced the image collection system 5. , "cooperation in investigation" or "cooperation in search", the administrator M of the business enters information according to the flow shown in FIG.

The manager M obtains information on image collection from the client 70 . The CPU 31 starts inputting information when the operation unit 36 of the management device 50 is operated (S1). As shown in FIG. 4, when the manager M obtains the "information" from the requester 70, the manager M inputs the information registration contents such as "information type", "information range", and "image provider". "Information type" is the type of person to be investigated or searched, such as "criminal", "missing person", and "lost child". "Information range" is a range (place) to be searched or investigated, such as "district", "downtown, building", "place without people", and "river". The "image provider" is the "address", "person in charge", etc. of the provider of the collected image. In step S1, the administrator M inputs the "address" and "name of the person in charge" of the client 70 side. Note that if the "image supply destination" is the same as the supply destination (address) specified in the previous image collection, the input may be omitted.

Next, the CPU 31 of the management device 50 determines to which of the "criminal", "lost child" and "missing person" the "information type" corresponds (S2). The CPU 31 stratifies the input method of the "range" according to the level of the "information". If the "information type" is "criminal" in step S2, the CPU 31 proceeds to step S3. When inputting the "information range", the administrator M first inputs whether the "information range" is "district" or "address/road" as "information range_1". (S3). In step S 3 , the manager M selects “location information” from the “information” obtained from the client 70 . A specific area designation method for inputting the "information range_1" is stratified according to the contents of the "position information". When "district" is input as "information range_1", the administrator M operates the operation unit 36 such as a mouse on the map displayed on the display unit 33 of the management device 50 to perform investigation and search. A circular range including the target area is specified (S4). In step S3, when "address/road" is input as "information range_1", the administrator M designates four points on the map displayed on the display unit 33 using the operation unit 36, and A range of a rectangle connecting the points is specified (S5). It should be noted that the designation of the range is not limited to a circle or a rectangle, and may be a polygon such as an ellipse or a triangle, for example.

After the range is specified in step S4 or step S5, the CPU 31 determines whether or not the factor (feature) of the target range (location) has been input by the administrator M as "information range_2" (S6 ). In step S 6 , the manager M selects factors related to “location” from the “information” obtained from the client 70 . The CPU 31 stratifies the necessary recognition methods according to the contents of the factor of "place". In step S6, if there is a "location" factor, the CPU 31 causes the manager M to input a recognition factor (location condition indicating the characteristics of the location) according to the content (S7). Specifically, the CPU 31 (1) recognizes that "large building" has been input as the presence or absence of a building, and (2) recognizes that "downtown" has been input as the number of people. (The subject of the investigation, etc. may be hidden), and (3) Recognizing that "river" has been input as another factor (the subject may be hidden. The input may be made to select either "and" or "or. After the factor is input in step S7, the CPU 31 proceeds to step S8. Also, in step S6, if there is no "place" factor, , the CPU 31 proceeds to step S8.

In step S8, the CPU 31 determines whether or not the information input by the administrator M has a factor (feature) of the target person. In step S8, the CPU 31 selects the factor of "image recognition" regarding the person from the information input by the administrator M. FIG. The CPU 31 stratifies the required recognition method according to the content of this factor. If there is a person factor in step S8, the CPU 31 causes the manager M to input a recognition factor (person condition indicating a person's characteristic) according to the content (S9). Specifically, the CPU 31 determines (1) physical features such as "tall" and "gender", (2) clothing features such as "color" and "shape", and (3) other features such as It recognizes that "hairstyle", "body type", "disability", etc. have been input. After the factor is input in step S9, the CPU 31 proceeds to step S10. Also, in step S8, if the "feature" is unknown, the process proceeds to step S10. In this manner, the CPU 31 recognizes the conditions that define the characteristics of the image to be acquired, which are necessary when causing the in-vehicle device 10 to acquire images.

In step S10, the CPU 31 refers to the vehicle database 45 and searches for a target vehicle. The target vehicle is a target area to be investigated or searched, that is, a vehicle operating in the area designated by "information range_1" or a vehicle scheduled to head to the target area. After the search process of step S10, the CPU 31 proceeds to step S23.

On the other hand, when it is determined in step S2 that the "information type" is "lost child", the CPU 31 proceeds to step S11. In step S11, the administrator M designates four points on the map displayed on the display unit 33 using the operation unit 36 to designate a rectangular range, thereby obtaining an "address・Enter "Road". The CPU 31 determines whether or not there is a factor related to "location" as "information range_2" (S12), and if yes, proceeds to step S13, otherwise proceeds to step S14. In step S13, the CPU 31 causes the manager M to input the factor (location condition) of the "location" as the "information range_2". Specifically, the CPU 31 inputs (1) “being alone” as the lack of people, and (2) “river” and “bridge” (possibility of falling) as others. Recognize that. After the factor is input in step S13, the CPU 31 proceeds to step S14. In step S14, the CPU 31 determines whether or not there is a factor (characteristic) of the target person, and if there is, the process proceeds to step S15, and if there is none, the process proceeds to step S10. In step S15, the CPU 31 causes the manager M to input the recognition factors relating to the person. Specifically, the CPU 31 determines (1) "short" and "gender" as physical characteristics, (2) "color" and "shape" as clothing characteristics, and (3) other characteristics. , it recognizes that "hairstyle", "body type", etc. have been input. After the factor is input in step S15, the CPU 31 proceeds to step S10. Also, in step S14, when the "feature" is unknown, the CPU 31 proceeds to step S10.

If it is determined in step S2 that the "information type" is "missing person", the CPU 31 proceeds to step S16. In step S16, when "information range_1" is input, the CPU 31 determines whether the "information range" is "district" or "address/road". Make M specify a circular range including the target district on the map (S17), and if it is "address/road", specify a square range including the target address/road on the map (S19). . Next, the CPU 31 determines whether or not a factor related to "place" has been input as "information range_2" (S18). . In step S20, the CPU 31 causes the manager M to input the factor (location condition) of the "location" as the "information range_2". Specifically, for the administrator M, (1) “I am alone” is input as the lack of people, and (2) “River” and “Bridge” (possibility of falling) are input as others. recognize that After the factor is input in step S20, the CPU 31 proceeds to step S21. In step S21, the CPU 31 determines whether there is a factor (feature) of the target person, and if there is, the process proceeds to step S22, and if the "feature" is unknown, the process proceeds to step S10. In step S22, the CPU 31 causes the manager M to input the recognition factor regarding the person. Specifically, the administrator M has (1) physical characteristics such as “tall” and “gender”, (2) clothing characteristics such as “color” and “shape”, and (3) other characteristics. , such as "hairstyle", "body type", "handicap", etc., are input. After the factor is input in step S22, the CPU 31 proceeds to step S10.

As a result of searching for the target vehicle in step S10, the CPU 31 determines whether or not there is a corresponding vehicle (S23). If the target vehicle exists, the CPU 31 proceeds to step S24, and if not, ends the process. In step S24, the CPU 31 acquires the latest vehicle data including information such as the current position of the vehicle T and the traveling speed from the in-vehicle device 10 mounted on the target vehicle T. FIG. Next, in step S25, the CPU 31 performs information registration and communication with the vehicle T. FIG. In accordance with instructions from the CPU 31, the communication unit 32 receives the area (designated position, target area) designated by the "information range_1" and the factors for determining the image regarding the "place" and "person" (conditions defining characteristics of the image to be acquired). ) to the in-vehicle device 10 . Information such as the “address” and “name of person in charge” of the client 70 to whom the image is provided is also transmitted to the in-vehicle device 10 in the same manner. After the process of step S25, the CPU 31 notifies the requester 70, who is the image provider, of the presence of the vehicle (S26), and ends the process.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the flow of image collection by the in-vehicle device 10. As shown in FIG. In response to a request from the management device 50, the in-vehicle device 10 mounted on the vehicle T in operation transmits the latest vehicle data including information such as the current position and traveling speed of the own vehicle T to the management device 50 (Fig. 2, step S24). Then, the in-vehicle device 10 waits until receiving information including the specified position and factors for image determination from the management device 50 (S32). "Information" includes conditions that define the characteristics of the target area and the image to be acquired (location conditions that indicate location characteristics and person conditions that indicate person characteristics), and "image provider". When "information" is received from the management device 50 by the wide area communication unit 24 (S32), the CPU 11 of the in-vehicle device 10 records and registers the received "information" in the volatile memory 26B (S33). In step S33, the CPU 11 causes the voice section 19 to output that the information has been registered and the recording mode has been changed. As a result, the driver of the vehicle T can recognize that the recording mode of the in-vehicle device 10 has been changed, and even if the image data is recorded at an unusual timing, the in-vehicle device 10 does not malfunction. can recognize In step S33, in the example shown in FIG. 4, the "information type" is "missing person", the "information range_1 (target area)" is "district (XX city)", and the "information range_2 (location condition)" is "Information" such as "the presence of buildings, downtown area (many people)" and "male, fat" as the "feature (character condition)" are registered.

After that, the CPU 11 collects image data captured by the camera 23 (S34). The collected image data is temporarily recorded in the volatile memory 26B. When the vehicle T reaches the specified position (S35), the CPU 11 performs image recognition on the image data captured and collected at the specified position, and the image data is used as a factor for image judgment (characteristics of the image to be acquired). (S36). If there is image data that satisfies the conditions (S37), the CPU 11 acquires the image data determined to satisfy the conditions and stores it in the volatile memory 26B (S38). Then, according to an instruction from the CPU 11, the wide area communication unit 24 transmits the saved image data to the address of the client 70 who is the destination (S40). On the other hand, if there is no image data determined to satisfy the conditions (S37), the CPU 11 deletes the image data (S39) and returns to step S34 to continue collecting image data. Recording capacity (memory) can be saved by deleting image data that does not satisfy the conditions. In the example shown in FIG. 4, when it is determined that the vehicle T has arrived at XX city based on the signal received from the GPS satellite 9, the CPU 11 performs image recognition on image data captured at the time of arrival. When the conditions of "with buildings, downtown area (many people)" and "male, fat" are satisfied, the CPU 11 stores the image data in the volatile memory 26B. Then, the saved image data satisfying the conditions is transmitted to the client 70 in real time. Therefore, since the client 70 can receive only the image data that he/she needs, the client 70 can confirm the image in a short time, which can be useful for investigation and search.

As described above, according to the embodiment of the image collection system and the in-vehicle device according to the present invention, among the image data captured by the in-vehicle camera, only the images captured in the target area for investigation etc. and satisfying the conditions are collected. is transmitted to a predetermined destination, only the images required by the destination can be provided in real time.

In the present embodiment, the case where information on image collection is provided by the client 70 has been described, but information provided by public information, paid services, company information of businesses that have introduced image collection systems, etc. may In this case, the collected image data may be transmitted to a destination designated by the management device 50 or may be stored in the management device 50 .

In addition, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. The above-described embodiments can be accompanied by various modifications and improvements within the technical scope of the present invention.

Here, the features of the embodiments of the image acquisition system and the in-vehicle device according to the present invention described above are briefly listed in [1] to [5] below.
[1] An image collection system (5) comprising an in-vehicle device (10) and a management device (50) for managing a vehicle equipped with the in-vehicle device,
The management device (50)
an input unit (operation unit 36) for inputting conditions defining characteristics of an image to be acquired together with a target area;
A transmission unit (communication unit 32) that transmits the condition and the target area to the in-vehicle device,
The in-vehicle device
a registration unit (CPU 11) that registers the conditions and the target area transmitted from the management device;
an image collection unit (CPU 11) that collects image data captured by an in-vehicle camera;
an image judgment unit (CPU 11) for judging by image recognition whether or not the image data captured and collected in the target area satisfies the conditions;
an image storage unit (CPU 11, volatile memory 26B) that acquires and stores image data determined to satisfy the conditions;
an image transmission unit (wide area communication unit 24) for transmitting the saved image data to a predetermined destination;
An image acquisition system comprising:
[2] The conditions include a place condition indicating the characteristics of a place and a person condition indicating the characteristics of a person,
In the management device,
The transmitting unit transmits the conditions and the target area to the vehicle-mounted device mounted on a vehicle that is currently operating in the target area or is scheduled to head to the target area (S25),
In the in-vehicle device,
When the vehicle equipped with the in-vehicle device reaches the target area (YES in S35), the image determination unit determines whether or not the image data satisfies the location condition and the person condition ( S36, S37)
An image collection system having the configuration of [1], characterized by:
[3] The transmission unit of the management device transmits provision destination information indicating the predetermined provision destination to the in-vehicle device (S25).
An image collection system having the configuration of [1], characterized by:
[4] The image storage unit deletes the image data determined by the image determination unit not to satisfy the conditions (S39).
An image collection system having the configuration of [1], characterized by:
[5] An in-vehicle device (10) mounted in a vehicle and capable of communicating with an external management device,
a registration unit (CPU 11) for registering the conditions defining the target area and the characteristics of the image to be acquired, which are transmitted from the management device;
an image collection unit (CPU 11) that collects image data captured by an in-vehicle camera;
an image judgment unit (CPU 11) for judging by image recognition whether or not the image data captured and collected in the target area satisfies the conditions;
an image storage unit (CPU 11, volatile memory 26B) that acquires and stores image data determined to satisfy the conditions;
an image transmission unit (wide area communication unit 24) for transmitting the saved image data to a predetermined destination;
An in-vehicle device comprising:

5 image acquisition system 8 wireless base station 9 satellite 10 in-vehicle device 11 CPU
12A Speed I/F
12B Engine rotation I/F
13 External input I/F
14 Device Interlocking Unit 15 GPS Receiving Unit 15a Antenna 16 Camera I/F
18 recording medium 19 audio unit 22 input device 23 camera 24 wide area communication unit 26A nonvolatile memory 26B volatile memory 27 display unit 28 monitor input I/F
29 Analog input I/F
30 External output I/F
31 CPUs
32 communication unit 33 display unit 34 storage unit 36 operation unit 45 vehicle database (DB)
50 Management device 60 Network 70 Client M Manager T Vehicle

Claims (3)

An image collection system comprising an in-vehicle device and a management device for managing a vehicle equipped with the in-vehicle device,
The management device
an input unit for inputting conditions defining characteristics of an image to be acquired together with a target area;
a transmission unit that transmits the condition and the target area to the in-vehicle device;
The in-vehicle device
a registration unit that registers the conditions and the target area transmitted from the management device;
an image collection unit that collects image data captured by an in-vehicle camera;
an image judgment unit for judging by image recognition whether or not the image data captured and collected in the target area satisfies the condition;
an image storage unit that acquires and stores image data determined to satisfy the conditions;
an image transmission unit that transmits the saved image data to a predetermined destination;
with
The conditions include a location condition that indicates the characteristics of a location and a person condition that indicates the characteristics of a person,
In the management device,
The transmitting unit transmits the condition and the target area to the vehicle installed in the vehicle running in the target area or the vehicle scheduled to head to the target area,
In the in-vehicle device,
The image determination unit determines whether or not the image data satisfies the location condition and the person condition when the vehicle equipped with the in-vehicle device reaches the target area. collection system. 2. The image collection system according to claim 1, wherein the transmission unit of the management device transmits provision destination information indicating the predetermined provision destination to the in-vehicle device. 2. The image collection system according to claim 1, wherein the image storage unit deletes image data determined by the image determination unit not to satisfy the conditions.

Images