JP7658736B2 - Information processing device - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to an information processing device that records images.

Patent document 1 discloses the creation of a virtual landscape image based on the shooting positions of multiple images.

JP 2013-240059 A JP 2019-086372 A

The purpose of this disclosure is to record images taken from outside a vehicle while the user is driving.

The information processing device according to the present disclosure includes:
An information processing device installed in a mobile body,
acquiring vehicle photography request information from a center;
When the vehicle is found by a camera installed on the moving object based on the photography request information, photographing the vehicle by the camera;
and uploading images of the vehicle to the center.

According to this disclosure, it is possible for a user to record images taken from outside a vehicle while driving.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a configuration of an information processing system. 4 is a time chart showing an example of the operation of the information processing system. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of imaging request information.

One aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing device installed in a moving body, the information processing device including a control unit that acquires image capture request information for a vehicle from a center, and when the vehicle is discovered by a camera installed in the moving body based on the image capture request information, captures an image of the vehicle with the camera, and uploads the captured image of the vehicle to the center.

The moving body is an automobile, a drone, a motorcycle, etc. The vehicle is an automobile, a motorcycle, etc. The vehicle photography request information includes at least one of vehicle information (vehicle number, model, color, etc.), photography permission information (whether photography is permitted, the period during which photography is permitted, etc.), photography conditions (photography direction, photography location, telephoto, no backlight, the positional relationship between tourist attractions and the vehicle, etc.), etc. The camera is a camera used in a drive recorder, etc. The center is an information processing server, etc., and the information processing device is a computer built into the drive recorder, etc.

For example, when a driver of a vehicle (target vehicle) uploads (registers) image capture request information to the center, the center notifies the mobile body of the image capture request information. The information processing device of the mobile body discovers the target vehicle using a camera installed in the mobile body based on the image capture request information notified from the center. For example, the information processing device constantly captures video with a camera, and detects a vehicle that matches vehicle information such as a vehicle number from the captured video as a target vehicle. When the information processing device discovers the target vehicle, it uploads an image of the target vehicle to the center. The information processing device may capture an image of the target vehicle in response to the discovery of the target vehicle, or may extract an image of the target vehicle from the captured video. The image of the target vehicle may be a video or a still image. Note that if the image capture request information includes image capture conditions, the information processing device may upload an image of the target vehicle (an image that satisfies the image capture conditions) to the center in response to the discovery of the target vehicle and the satisfaction of the image capture conditions. After the images of the target vehicle are uploaded to the center, the driver of the target vehicle can download the images of the target vehicle from the center at any time they like and enjoy them.

In the present disclosure, an information processing device installed on a moving object other than the target vehicle finds the target vehicle, photographs the target vehicle, and uploads images of the target vehicle based on photography request information for the target vehicle. In this way, images photographed from outside the target vehicle while it is being driven can be saved as memorable images for the driver of the target vehicle, etc. Of course, images photographed from outside the target vehicle when it is not being driven can also be saved as memorable images.

Specific embodiments of the present disclosure are described below with reference to the drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the matters described in this embodiment are not intended to limit the technical scope of the invention to those matters.

<Embodiment>
[System Overview]
1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing system 1 according to this embodiment. The information processing system 1 includes a moving body 100, a target vehicle 200, and a center 300. The moving body 100 and the center 300 are connected to each other by a network N1. Similarly, the target vehicle 200 and the center 300 are connected to each other by the network N1. There is no particular limit to the number of moving bodies that can be connected to the center 300 and the number of vehicles that can be connected to the center 300.

The target vehicle 200 (specifically, an information processing device installed in the target vehicle 200) uploads the image capture request information of the target vehicle 200 to the center 300 in response to an instruction from the driver of the target vehicle 200 or the like. Note that the image capture request information of the target vehicle 200 may be uploaded from a device separate from the target vehicle 200, such as a smartphone, tablet terminal, or personal computer.

The mobile object 100 has an information processing device 110 and a camera 120. The information processing device 110 is a computer equipped with a processor 101, a main memory unit 102, an auxiliary memory unit 103, and a communication unit 104. The processor 101 reads a program stored in the auxiliary memory unit 103 into the main memory unit 102 and executes it, thereby realizing the functions as a control unit described below. However, some or all of the functions below may be realized by a dedicated hardware device.

The information processing device 110 acquires image capture request information of the target vehicle 200 from the center 300 using the communication unit 104, and discovers the target vehicle 200 with the camera 120 based on the acquired image capture request information. When the information processing device 110 discovers the target vehicle 200, it uploads an image of the target vehicle 200 to the center 300.

The target vehicle 200 (specifically, an information processing device installed in the target vehicle 200) downloads images of the target vehicle 200 from the center 300 in response to instructions from the driver of the target vehicle 200 or the like. Note that a device separate from the target vehicle 200, such as a smartphone, tablet terminal, or personal computer, may download the images of the target vehicle 200. The device that uploads the photography request information and the device that downloads the images of the target vehicle 200 may be the same or different.

[Processing content]
Fig. 2 is a time chart showing an example of the operation of the information processing system 1. In the operation of Fig. 2, the processing performed by the information processing device 110 of the moving body 100 is realized by the processor 101 (controller) executing a program, but for the sake of simplicity, the description of the processor 101 is omitted and it is described as being executed by the moving body 100.

In step S101, the target vehicle 200 uploads the image capture request information of the target vehicle 200 to the center 300 in response to an instruction from the driver of the target vehicle 200 or the like. FIG. 3(A) is a diagram showing an example of the image capture request information. In FIG. 3(A), the image capture request information is the vehicle number of the target vehicle 200.

In step S102, the center 300 notifies the mobile body 100 of the image capture request information uploaded in step S101.

In step S103, the mobile body 100 performs a process of discovering the target vehicle 200 with the camera 120 based on the image capture request information notified in step S102. For example, the mobile body 100 constantly captures video with the camera 120, and analyzes the captured video so that a vehicle matching the image capture request information (vehicle number) in FIG. 3(A) is detected as the target vehicle 200. The mobile body 100 repeats this process until it discovers the target vehicle 200 (step S103: NO). Then, when the mobile body 100 discovers the target vehicle 200 (step S103: YES), the process proceeds to step S104.

In step S104, the moving body 100 captures an image of the target vehicle 200 with the camera 120.

In step S105, the mobile body 100 uploads the image captured in step S104 (image of the target vehicle 200) to the center 300.

Here, the image of the target vehicle 200 is a still image, and when the mobile body 100 acquires the image capture request information, it repeats the processing of steps S103 to S105. If the repetition cycle of the processing of steps S103 to S105 is short, a large number of similar images (a large number of images captured at approximately the same timing) may be uploaded as images of the target vehicle 200. To prevent this, it is possible to not capture an image of the target vehicle 200 (step S104) for a predetermined time (e.g., 3 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, etc.) after capturing an image of the target vehicle 200.

In step S106, the target vehicle 200 downloads images of the target vehicle 200 from the center 300 in response to instructions from the driver of the target vehicle 200, etc.

The photographing request information uploaded in step S101 is not limited to the information shown in FIG. 3A. For example, the photographing request information shown in FIG. 3B may be uploaded.
The photographing request information in (B) includes, in addition to the vehicle number, information indicating the photographing permission period from December 30, 2020 to January 3, 2021, and information indicating the photographing conditions of "front" and "not backlit." When using the photographing request information in FIG. 3(B), the moving body 100 may photograph a target vehicle 200 that faces forward and is not backlit, upon discovering such a target vehicle 200 during the photographing permission period from December 30, 2020 to January 3, 2021.

[Advantageous Effects of the Present Embodiment]
In this embodiment, an information processing device 110 installed in a moving body 100 different from the target vehicle 200 discovers the target vehicle 200, photographs the target vehicle 200, and uploads images of the target vehicle 200 based on photography request information of the target vehicle 200. In this way, an image photographed from outside the target vehicle 200 while it is being driven can be saved as a memorable image for the driver of the target vehicle 200, etc. Of course, an image photographed from outside the target vehicle 200 when it is not being driven can also be saved as a memorable image.

<Other embodiments>
The above embodiment is merely an example, and the present disclosure may be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the processes and means described in the present disclosure may be freely combined and implemented as long as no technical contradiction occurs.

In addition, a process described as being performed by one device may be shared and executed by multiple devices. Or, a process described as being performed by different devices may be executed by one device. In a computer system, the hardware configuration (server configuration) by which each function is realized can be flexibly changed.

The present disclosure can also be realized by supplying a computer program that implements the functions described in the above embodiments to a computer, and having one or more processors of the computer read and execute the program. Such a computer program may be provided to the computer by a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that can be connected to the system bus of the computer, or may be provided to the computer via a network. Non-transitory computer-readable storage media include, for example, any type of disk, such as a magnetic disk (floppy disk, hard disk drive (HDD), etc.), an optical disk (CD-ROM, DVD disk, Blu-ray disk, etc.), a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), an EPROM, an EEPROM, a magnetic card, a flash memory, an optical card, or any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions.

1: Information processing system 100: Mobile body 110: Information processing device 120: Camera 101: Processor 102: Main memory unit 103: Auxiliary memory unit 104: Communication unit 200: Target vehicle 300: Center

Claims (1)

An information processing device installed in a mobile body,
acquiring, from a center, image capture request information for a vehicle, the image capture request information including information indicating image capture conditions that the vehicle is facing forward and is not backlit;
When the vehicle is found to be facing forward and not backlit by a camera installed on the moving body based on the photographing request information, photographing the vehicle facing forward and not backlit by the camera;
and uploading to the center an image of the vehicle facing forward and not being backlit .

Images