JP7689230B2 - Management device, management method, management system, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a management device, a management method, a management system, and a program for managing data of devices associated with a mobile object.

Patent Document 1 discloses an image recording device, a so-called drive recorder, in which a camera is installed in a vehicle, and when an event occurs, the surroundings of the vehicle are photographed, and the captured images are verified after the fact. For example, it describes that when an event occurs and it is determined that the vehicle is traveling in a position where an object to be photographed is within the range of the camera, the object is photographed by the drive recorder camera.

Patent document 2 also discloses a management server that identifies target data that needs to be managed based on key information corresponding to an identifier and reservation information included in an access request sent from an administrator terminal, establishes a communication connection based on the communication status with the device and the reservation information, and transmits and receives target data corresponding to the access request.

JP 2017-098865 A JP 2019-215869 A

However, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 sets the image capture settings based on a specific position where the object being photographed falls within the range of the camera installed in the vehicle, and does not take into account the use of data other than images or the administrator's intentions regarding the purpose of using the captured data.

In addition, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 2 can identify data that needs to be managed based on the detection of various vehicle behaviors from among the target data, such as video images that are constantly stored in the memory unit of the drive recorder, and store the data in a management server. However, for data during time periods when various vehicle behaviors do not occur, new data constantly overwrites old data, and even if necessary data is available during that time period, the data you want to use cannot be properly acquired.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention aims to provide a management device, a management method, a management system, and a program that enable further data utilization by performing operations such as acquiring data stored in a device associated with a detection target according to detection conditions determined according to the purpose of using the data, for example to prevent traffic accidents and disasters.

The management device of the present invention is a management device for managing video data stored in a device installed in a mobile body, and includes a data processing unit that controls the device to acquire specific video data from the video data stored in the device from time to time based on detection criteria for video data to be acquired for a specific event, and a communication unit that communicates regarding the specific video data stored in the device.

This configuration makes it possible to identify a device associated with a detection target that satisfies the detection conditions and operation conditions according to the intended use of the data, obtain data, such as video, stored in that device, and execute and/or plan the required specified operations.

According to the present invention, from among the data to be acquired, such as video, which is stored moment by moment in the memory of a device under the management of multiple users, data that requires management can be identified based on detection conditions and operating conditions determined according to the manager's intended use, and processing such as data acquisition can be performed under the desired operating conditions.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a system configuration according to the present disclosure. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a management server. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a specific example of an area table 102. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a specific example of the area operation setting table 103. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a specific example of an area detection record table 104. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a specific example of a key information storage table 105. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a video clipping process. 11 is a diagram for explaining the movement of a vehicle 200 and an image extracted at that time. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a drive recorder 200a. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an operation when the administrator terminal 110 sets an area image operation for the management server 100. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram of an operation (pattern 1) when the management server 100 acquires video from the drive recorder 200a. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an operation performed when the administrator terminal 110 sets an area image operation for the management server 100 and the drive recorder 200a. FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram of an operation (pattern 2) when the management server 100 acquires video from the drive recorder 200a. FIG. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing a presetting process in pattern 3. 13 is a sequence diagram of an operation (pattern 3) when the management server 100 acquires video from the drive recorder 200a. FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram of an operation (pattern 4) when the management server 100 acquires video from the drive recorder 200a. FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a search screen of the administrator terminal 110. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a management server 100.

The embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. Whenever possible, the same parts are given the same reference numerals and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

Figure 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a video data management system captured by a drive recorder, which is an optimal embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the system of the present disclosure includes a management server 100 and a vehicle 200. The vehicle 200 is a moving body such as an automobile or a train, and is equipped with multiple devices. One of the multiple devices is equipped with a drive recorder 200a. The drive recorder 200a is a photographing device that photographs and stores still images or videos of a predetermined range inside and outside the vehicle 200 as the vehicle 200 moves. Note that, although a drive recorder disposed on a moving body such as a vehicle is exemplified in this embodiment, other detection targets may be detected as long as they are moving bodies, such as moving bodies such as ships or aircraft. In addition, the detection target may be a device (moving body) that can be wirelessly operated or autonomously moved, such as a drone. Note that in a drone, the subject to be photographed is not limited to the front or rear, and may be an image photographed in all directions of 360°.

Furthermore, although the detection target has been described as a device installed on a moving object, it is not limited to moving objects, and for example, the device to be communicated with may be a fixed camera installed in a specific location, in which case the detection target may be a person or another moving object, and the relative movement of the devices may not be coordinated and may be detected independently. Needless to say, it is not limited to only acquiring video data, but also includes plans including the execution of all operations expected in future data processing, such as data acquisition and control, acquisition reservation, transfer to image analysis processing, and operation plans based on the transfer results, as well as operation control at the video acquisition reservation time.

The management server 100 is a management server for managing data stored in the drive recorder 200a, which is one of the devices installed in each of the multiple vehicles 200. The management server 100 acquires from the drive recorder 200a images that satisfy the acquisition conditions set by the administrator terminal 110.

The vehicle 200 is assumed to be a commercial vehicle such as a transportation vehicle used by a transportation company, a bus used by a bus company, or a taxi used by a taxi company, and is used by the same company or business. The images to be captured differ depending on the company or business. The purpose of using the vehicle is not limited to business use, and may be applied to vehicles for end users of leasing companies or non-life insurance companies with which each has a contractual relationship, such as in the case of BtoBtoC, and may also be a vehicle for an individual that has a contractual relationship with a parking lot or temporarily uses the parking lot, without being limited to the contractual relationship. In short, the drive recorder 200a may be installed in a general personal drive recorder with the management program of the present invention (such as firmware including a management table in the drive recorder) to enable communication with the management server 100. It goes without saying that the drive recorder is not limited to a drive recorder, but may be installed in a moving object itself, such as a drone, or in a device associated with a moving object, that is, a device such as a smartphone owned by a person.

Next, the functional configuration of the management server 100 will be described. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the management server. As shown in FIG. 2, the management server 100 includes a data processing unit 101, an area table 102, an area operation setting table 103, an area detection record table 104, a video key information storage table 105, a video data table 106, and a communication unit 107.

The data processing unit 101 is a part that communicates with the drive recorder via the communication unit 107 to acquire video data that satisfies the area operation conditions, which are acquisition conditions stored in the area operation setting table 103, from among the video data stored in the drive recorder 200a. For example, it does not take into consideration the acquisition of camera video at locations where accidents frequently occur, and acquires video according to the vehicle's travel speed, type of location (highway, general road, unloading/pick-up and drop-off location, parking lot, etc.), camera installation position/shooting direction, and vehicle entry/exit purpose according to the administrator's criteria.

The area table 102 is a table that stores information about the areas to be acquired from video, and is made up of an area master area, an area area, and an area terminal setting area. A specific example is shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 3(a) shows a specific example of the area master area. As shown in the figure, the area master area stores information that associates an area master ID, an area master name, and the contents of the area master. The area master ID is an ID for identifying areas that meet certain conditions defined as an area master. The area master name is the name of the area master. The contents of the area master are, for example, contents that are common to the area IDs associated with the area master ID, so that the administrator or user who set the area master can later confirm the contents. As will be described later, the area master is, for example, a large area that bundles together small geographical areas for management, and is made up of at least one or more areas.

Note that the area master referred to here does not necessarily have to be in an inclusive relationship with the area that it constitutes, and an area master ID may be flexibly associated with multiple area IDs based on some management criteria, such as a common purpose for using data such as area video captured when detecting the area. Specifically, for example, for each managed area such as a toll road or train route, or a bus route station, interchange, bridge, junction, or bus stop, an area master ID may be assigned to each route, and an area ID may be assigned to each station or bus stop on the route and associated with each other in order to obtain area video data for the purpose of monitoring the safety of vehicles and people getting on and off.

It goes without saying that area master IDs and area IDs are not necessarily one-to-many, but may be managed in a many-to-one or many-to-many manner depending on the purpose of use of the video data captured in the target area. In short, it goes without saying that area IDs and area master IDs can be used flexibly to allow administrators to obtain the necessary video data, etc., and can be used to enable efficient settings, particularly when setting search conditions. It also goes without saying that in the area regions described below, the area master ID can be used to set and change the operating conditions of multiple area IDs all at once.

Figure 3 (b) shows a specific example of an area region. As shown in the figure, the area region stores information that associates an area master ID, an area ID, an area name, and an area range. The area master includes multiple areas. The area ID is an ID for identifying an area. The area name is the name of the area. The area range is information that defines the range, and is defined by coordinate information such as GPS information.

In addition to coordinate information that can be specified as an absolute position, location information that can be specified by combining it with other information as a relative position may also be used. In this embodiment, the area is literally defined and explained using location information as the starting point, but this is not necessarily limited to this. In addition to specifying an area using location information at the time of change using some information to be detected as the starting point, a detection range can be flexibly determined according to the purpose of using the data, and the area can be defined using indirectly derived location information at the time of detection.

Specifically, as explained in Patent Document 2, data such as dangerous behavior, caution behavior, stopping behavior at railroad crossings or stop positions, red light ignoring behavior, and speeding behavior can be acquired in advance from other devices, and areas where the safety of vehicles, etc. should be given special consideration can be autonomously or dominantly set by an administrator, and used for the area detection of the present invention and for the safety of other vehicles, etc., as a matter of course.

Furthermore, although not specified in the event video acquisition patent of Patent Document 2, maintenance event data for the vehicle itself, changes in data on surrounding vehicles such as tailgating and traffic jams, crosswinds, road icing, and obstacles on the road or route can be detected based on the analysis results of the forward video, or based on the results of a comparative analysis of front and rear video of a snow removal vehicle or cleaning vehicle, and it goes without saying that the detected position information can be used to set areas and detect areas for the safety of other vehicles, etc.

Figure 3 (c) shows the area terminal setting area. As shown in the figure, the area terminal setting area stores information that associates a device ID with an area ID. The device ID is an ID for identifying the drive recorder 200a, etc. This information may be used to obtain, from among the images of the drive recorder 200a indicated by the device ID, images captured when entering the area of the area ID.

It should be noted that, although the embodiment of the present invention is described as a drive recorder, it is not necessarily limited to a drive recorder installed in a vehicle, etc., and may be a moving body such as a vehicle, a ship or an aircraft, a device associated with a device that can be wirelessly operated or move autonomously, such as a drone, or a device such as a mobile terminal or smartphone carried by a person, and it goes without saying that it is not necessarily limited to a device connected to a camera. In addition, it goes without saying that a small device attached to a collar or belt, for example for the purpose of animal protection or breeding, may be capable of acquiring images seen from the pet's perspective and managing location information.

Furthermore, the device may be a fixed camera or an environmental sensor that is fixedly installed in a specific location, other than a moving object. In this case, it goes without saying that it is possible to detect the movement of a relatively associated moving object and obtain data, etc.

The area table 102 may store multiple areas (area IDs) that match the intended use of the video in association with an area master ID. Area operation conditions in the area operation setting table 103 may then be defined for each area master ID. This makes it possible to define area operation conditions for multiple areas using a single ID, the area master ID. For example, assume that multiple areas including bridges are associated with an area master ID. By associating the area master ID with the area operation conditions, video can be obtained for collectively observing the aging of bridges and the like.

The area operation setting table 103 is a part that stores area operation conditions, which are acquisition conditions for the video captured by the drive recorder 200a. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a specific example of the area operation setting table 103. As shown in the figure, the area operation setting table 103 stores information that associates the area ID, operation timing, video upload (operation type), target camera, video cut-out time, video upload count (upper limit number of operations), detection speed band, detection temperature band, and management notification. The area ID in the area operation setting table 103 corresponds to the detection condition, and the operation timing, video upload, target camera, video cut-out time, video upload count, detection speed band, detection temperature band, and management notification correspond to the operation condition. Of these, the video cut-out time corresponds to the operation reservation information. In addition, although not illustrated here, the time at which the video is acquired (detection time or operation time), that is, the operation reservation information, may be information related to some time. For example, to operate a fixed camera periodically, various sensors may be used to detect traffic volume, typhoons, or heavy rain, and the camera may be operated during the time period when the sensors detect the traffic volume, typhoons, or heavy rain, or the camera may be operated during the time period when the video analysis results that may cause some traffic accident or disaster are detected based on the results of transfer to image analysis processing. In addition, the video may be used to prevent traffic accidents and disasters based on the detection results expected by data processing. Note that the use of the video depends on the purpose of use, and various uses may be expected, and the status information of the detection target may broadly include sensor information related to the vehicle, such as vehicle speed, etc.

As mentioned above, the area ID may be the area master ID, and it is sufficient to set an action in at least one item. It goes without saying that the table configuration also allows you to set the action to be taken when an area is detected without having to itemize all items.

This area operation setting table 103 is set from the administrator terminal 110, and the operating conditions are set according to the intended use of the video that the administrator wishes to acquire.

The operation timing will be explained with reference to FIG. 7, which will be described later with respect to the video clipping process. It indicates whether to clip video of a predetermined time period starting from when the vehicle 200 entered the specified area (area IN), to clip video going back a predetermined time period starting from when the vehicle left the area (area OUT), or to clip video from when the vehicle entered until when the vehicle left the area (area IN-OUT).

In order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, the above-mentioned operation timing is described as an example of an area, but it is not necessarily limited to an area, and the detection criteria may be based on the purpose of use of data such as images to be acquired in a certain event, as described when managing the area master and areas. For example, it goes without saying that the detection criteria may be based on the detection of changes in maintenance event data of the vehicle itself, which is not specified in the event image acquisition patent of Patent Document 2, detection of changes in data related to the approach distance to the rear vehicle due to tailgating, traffic jams, etc., detection of crosswinds, road ice, obstacles on the road or route, etc. based on the analysis results of the forward image, detection based on the comparison analysis results of the front and rear images of a snow removal vehicle or cleaning vehicle, or other changes in data that can be detected by the vehicle or other moving body itself or the equipment associated with the moving body. In that case, a separate condition table is provided, similar to the tables called the area master area, area area, and area terminal setting area, and a condition name and a range that satisfies the condition are set, which are determined by other information rather than location information, and the detection conditions based on the information of the detection target will be described later, but it goes without saying that the detection conditions may also be determined by other information rather than location information.

The method of video upload is set so that video is acquired either by request from the administrator of the management server 100 (including acquisition request, access request, and acquisition reservation) or automatically by the management server 100. This video upload is used to determine whether or not video is acquired immediately. Note that although the explanation here focuses on uploading video data, it is not necessarily limited to video data, and it goes without saying that the upload of data relating to a moving body such as a vehicle or a device associated with a moving body, or the download of a control signal that specifies the operation of that device, may be used to operate the target device. In addition, regardless of whether the entity that determines the detection and operating conditions described below is the management server or the drive recorder, in the automatic processing, in addition to the drive recorder 200a sending immediate video data by setting the video upload and the management server 100 acquiring the video, it goes without saying that the management server 100 will automatically acquire video when an event such as dangerous behavior is detected, when communication with the drive recorder 200a is not possible, or when video acquisition is scheduled.

The target camera indicates the type of camera from which the image is to be acquired, for example, the image from the front camera, the image from the interior camera, or the image from both cameras. It is not limited to the front or the interior, and any number of cameras can be installed in any direction or position inside or outside the vehicle, and it goes without saying that the rear camera may be included. In that case, a method of acquiring images from a rear camera or a camera-equipped rearview mirror located outside the vehicle via a control device managed by the vehicle side may be adopted, and communication with related devices (cameras in this case) may be connected by some means such as short-range communication, and it goes without saying that there is no limitation. In the case of images, information identifying the target camera is useful, but it goes without saying that it is possible to detect which part of the wheel has a puncture, for example, from the vibration period of the vehicle when one wheel of the vehicle has a puncture, the amplitude of the vertical vibration, and the inclination of the vehicle based on the gyro data, and provide this as useful information to the administrator, etc. This is merely one example, and it goes without saying that abnormal information on the vehicle can enable the acquisition and detection of various image data, especially in relation to safe driving.

The video cut-out time indicates the time when the video to be acquired is cut out. The cut-out video is cut out starting from the operation timing. "Area ALL" may be set in this field. When "Area ALL" is set and the operation timing is set to "Area IN/OUT", this indicates that the video will be cut out from when the vehicle 200 enters the target area for video acquisition until it exits it.

In either case, it goes without saying that in order to reliably capture video scenes that are essential for the intended use of the video data, the extraction of the video may be started or ended a few seconds before or after the action timing.

The number of video uploads indicates the upper limit for the number of times video can be uploaded in one day. This is set because when observing the deterioration of roads and other structures over time, there is no point in uploading multiple times a day. When observing the deterioration of roads, tunnel walls, ceilings, bridges, etc. over time, it may be necessary to have a higher resolution video than the number of times the video is captured. In this case, depending on the installation location and specifications of the connected camera, it goes without saying that various operating conditions can be considered, such as installing the camera on the ceiling, wall, or road facing upward, sideways, or downward outside the vehicle, and moving the camera's imaging range parallel to the direction of vehicle movement, reducing the dynamic speed of the target image, and adopting a shooting method (zoom-in shooting) that improves resolution.

The detection speed range indicates the moving speed of the vehicle 200, which is a condition for acquiring an image. Images of the vehicle 200 moving within the speed range set here are acquired, and images of the vehicle 200 moving at speeds outside this speed range are not acquired. As explained in the above modified example, the detection is not necessarily limited to detecting the moving speed of equipment that moves together with a moving object such as a person or vehicle, but the speed at which a person appears in the imaging range may be detected by a fixed camera installed in a specific position, and it goes without saying that the detection speed may be detected by an aircraft such as a drone, a ship, or other equipment associated with a moving object, in addition to a vehicle.

The detection temperature range indicates, for example, one of the conditions for monitoring the effect on the subject of the image, such as food or animals placed on a vehicle or loading platform during transportation by a moving body, or a temperature range for setting some operating condition, such as the temperature of the engine or radiator, as the temperature of the detection subject for the purpose of safe driving of the vehicle, and does not necessarily have to be a condition. Note that in the above example, it goes without saying that the temperature range that serves as the operating condition differs for each monitored subject, such as food, animals, engine, radiator, etc., and it goes without saying that the image is not limited to being captured in a set temperature range.

Administrator notification is indicated by ON/OFF, and can be set to whether or not to notify the administrator when video is acquired. Administrator notification can be set to ON or OFF based on the purpose of use, such as when you want to send multiple videos at once, when there are a large number of areas to acquire, or when the administrator wants to distinguish between devices and data that meet the operating conditions with the highest priority.

The area detection record table 104 stores area detection information acquired from the drive recorder 200a, a moving object such as a vehicle to be detected, or a device such as a fixed camera installed in the area. FIG. 5 shows a specific example of the area detection record table 104. As shown in the figure, the area detection record table 104 stores the device ID, the area ID (or the area master ID, if necessary), the area IN date and time (or the area OUT date and time, if necessary), the speed, and the temperature. The device ID is the ID of the drive recorder 200a that took the image. The area ID is the ID of the area that took the image. The area IN date and time is the date and time when the vehicle 200 entered the area. The speed is the speed of the vehicle 200 at the time of taking the image. The temperature is the temperature at the time of taking the image by the drive recorder 200a. These pieces of information are information about the area at the time of taking the image or the status information of the vehicle 200.

The video key information storage table 105 is a table that stores key information for searching for video to be acquired, which is acquired from the drive recorder 200a. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a specific example. The video key information storage table 105 is generated by the data processing unit 101 by associating the device ID, area ID, area IN date and time (or area OUT date and time), speed, temperature, and whether or not video is acquired with the video ID of the cut-out video. In addition, the organization ID and the driver ID are retrieved based on a driver DB (not shown), or are recorded in an external memory as information detected by an IC card reader before driving. These pieces of information are linked to the device ID, and the device ID is linked to the vehicle. The driving area is derived from an area DB and area ID (not shown). The administrator terminal 110 can use this video key information storage table 105 to search for video using a video key. As with event video data, if an administrator later wishes to obtain a video to which a video key has been assigned, it goes without saying that an access request using this video key will be received and the target video data file will be transmitted.

The video data table 106 is a table that stores video captured by the drive recorder 200a. This video data table 106 stores a video ID and video data in association with each other. A video ID is assigned when a video is acquired by the management server 100. The video data table 106 is linked to the video key information storage table 105 by the video ID.

The communication unit 107 is the part that communicates with the drive recorder 200a.

Next, the functional configuration of the drive recorder 200a of the present disclosure is shown. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the drive recorder 200a. As shown in the figure, the drive recorder 200a includes a communication module 201, a GPS module 202, an IC card reader 203, a recording unit 204, a camera 205, a camera 206, a microphone 207, a speaker 208, a display unit 209, a G sensor 210, a control unit 211, a various behavior detection unit 212, a power supply/ignition input unit 213, a vehicle data input unit 214, and an I/O input unit 215.

The communication module 201 is the part that communicates with the management server 100, for example, by using a mobile communication network.

The GPS module 202 is a part that performs positioning. Note that the positioning configuration may be a method of performing proximity communication with various sensors other than GPS to determine the relative position depending on the surface size of the target area (GPS for a macro area with good visibility, and a positioning sensor for a micro area with poor visibility).

The IC card reader 203 is the part that reads the IC card.

The recording unit 204 is a part that records information in an external memory such as an SD card. In this disclosure, the images captured by the cameras 205 and 206 are recorded by the recording unit 204 in an external memory such as an SD card. The recording unit 204 records the position information of the vehicle 200 at that time along with the images. In addition, in patterns 2 to 4 described below, various tables equivalent to the area table 102, the area operation setting table 103, and the area detection record table 104 are stored in the external memory.

Camera 205 and camera 206 are parts that capture images. They capture still images or moving images. Camera 205 captures the direction in which vehicle 200 travels, and camera 206 captures the interior of vehicle 200. In addition, a rear camera for capturing images of the rear of the vehicle may be provided. Note that the installation position and number of cameras are not limited to those shown in the drawings and embodiments, and are not limited to the front or interior of the vehicle. Any number of cameras can be installed in any direction or position inside or outside the vehicle, and it goes without saying that a rear camera may be included. In that case, a method may be adopted in which images from a rear camera or a camera-equipped rearview mirror outside the vehicle are obtained via a control device managed by the vehicle side, and communication with related devices (in this case, the cameras) may be connected by some means such as close-proximity communication, and is not limited in any way.

The microphone 207 and speaker 208 are components that input and output sound.

The display unit 209 displays the setting information for the drive recorder 200a.

The G sensor 210 is a sensor that detects weight.

The control unit 211 controls the communication module 201 to the I/O input unit 215.

The various behavior detection unit 212 is a part that detects various behaviors of the vehicle 200. For example, the various behavior detection unit 212 is a part that detects various states based on the position information measured by the GPS module 202, the weight information detected by the G sensor 210, and the vehicle speed pulse and temperature input from the vehicle data input unit 214. For example, in patterns 2 to 4 described below, it detects whether the vehicle 200 has entered or left a specified area, or the state of that area (information about the vehicle itself, such as speed and steering wheel angular velocity, and information about the surrounding environment of the vehicle, such as temperature, etc.).

The power supply/ignition input unit 213 is an input unit for supplying power to the drive recorder 200a.

The vehicle data input unit 214 is a section for inputting vehicle data such as a vehicle speed pulse. For example, temperature is measured by a temperature sensor (not shown) and input via the vehicle data input unit 214.

The I/O input unit 215 is an interface for external devices. Therefore, it goes without saying that information regarding various sensors mounted on the vehicle may be acquired by communicating with a vehicle control device, etc.

The operation of the management server 100 and drive recorder 200a configured in this manner will be described below. Figure 10 is a sequence diagram showing the operation when the administrator terminal 110 sets an area table, which is an area definition and an image acquisition condition, in the management server 100.

The administrator terminal 110, according to the operation of the administrator, inputs information for creating an area master (including other area information and area terminal setting information) and transmits it to the management server 100 (S11). The management server 100 stores the area master information in the area table 102. The administrator terminal 110 also sets area operation conditions according to the operation of the administrator and transmits them to the management server 100 (S12). In the management server 100, the data processing unit 101 stores the received area operation conditions in the area operation setting table 103. Note that, although the explanation in this embodiment is given by taking an example in which the administrator sets the dominant operation conditions, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible to have the operation settings performed autonomously based on the information of the detection target.

As explained in Patent Document 2, specifically, data such as dangerous behavior, caution behavior, stopping behavior at railroad crossings or stop positions, red light ignoring behavior, and speeding behavior may be acquired in advance from other devices, and areas where the safety of the vehicle, etc., should be given more consideration may be autonomously or dominantly set by an administrator, and used for the area detection of the present invention and utilized for the safety of other vehicles, etc. Furthermore, it goes without saying that maintenance event data of the vehicle itself, changes in data on surrounding vehicles such as tailgating and traffic jams, crosswinds, road ice, and obstacles on the road or route, which are not specified in the event video acquisition patent of Patent Document 2, may be detected based on the analysis results of the forward video, or based on the comparative analysis results of front and rear videos of snow removal vehicles or cleaning vehicles, and the detected position information may be indirectly set as an area, used for area detection, and utilized for the safety of other vehicles, etc.

This area master information, etc., is set by the administrator, for example, based on the shooting locations of the images from the drive recorder 200a that one wishes to acquire. Examples of shooting locations of images one wishes to acquire include intersections where accidents frequently occur and school zones that receive many complaints. In addition, such locations may be defined as acquisition target areas in order to check for deterioration over time of roads, bridges, tunnels, etc.

In addition, railway operators may install a drive recorder 200a on trains to check the condition of forests and rivers along the railway line, and define such areas to use for checking the tracks and other facilities along the railway line, and for checking for river flooding.

In addition, for care providers or their users and their families, the pickup and drop-off locations and other locations can be set as the acquisition target areas in order to determine whether the users are being treated appropriately, and the camera types can be indoor cameras, rear cameras, or fixed cameras installed at the pickup and drop-off locations.

It can also be applied to the transportation of pets and race horses, and by defining the loading bay at the loading location and transportation time as the target area, it is possible to see whether loading/unloading and transportation are being handled appropriately. In addition, by defining any area on the transportation route, it is possible to see whether the transportation is being carried out appropriately from the perspective of the pet, rather than the vehicle, for example by taking into account sharp curves or steep slopes.

Other possibilities include setting areas for snow operators to understand the situation at the site and work progress, setting areas for highway operators to predict congestion, setting areas for general transport operators to load and unload cargo, and setting areas (as well as indoor cameras) for transport operators to check loading bays (to check for available space).

In addition, locations where accidents occur frequently, as well as other bridges, tunnels, and locations that are prone to deterioration over time, may be extracted, for example, from a separately prepared map database, and automatically defined based on their location information. For example, locations where accidents occur frequently are compiled into a database by the police, etc., and areas can be defined using this database. The age of bridges and tunnels is also compiled into a database by government agencies, etc., and information on bridges that have been built for a certain number of years may be extracted, and areas may be defined based on their locations.

Next, we will explain the operation when the management server 100 acquires video from the drive recorder 200a. Figure 11 is a sequence diagram showing a specific example (pattern 1) of this operation.

In the drive recorder 200a, when the engine of the vehicle 200 is started and power is supplied, the GPS module 202 starts acquiring location information (S201). The cameras 205 and 206 also start taking video, and the recording unit 204 starts recording the video (S202). The recorded video is recorded by the recording unit 204 in an external memory such as an SD card. The communication module 201 transmits location information to the management server 100 at a predetermined interval (S203). In addition to this location information, status information including vehicle speed, event detection video information, and sensor information such as temperature installed in various vehicles may also be transmitted.

In the management server 100, the data processing unit 101 acquires location information from the drive recorder 200a via the communication unit 107, and stores the device ID, location information, and time of the drive recorder 200a in a location information buffer (not shown) (S101). The data processing unit 101 refers to the acquired location information and the area table 102 to determine whether the vehicle has entered and/or exited the area for which video is to be acquired (S102). Note that if the vehicle 200 receives location information that indicates it is outside the area and then receives location information that indicates it is within the area, it can be determined that the vehicle 200 has entered the area. Conversely, if the vehicle 200 receives location information that indicates it has entered the area and then receives location information that indicates it is outside the area, it can be determined that the vehicle 200 has exited the area.

When it is determined that the vehicle 200 has entered and/or exited the acquisition target area (S102: Enter/Exit), the data processing unit 101 acquires the corresponding area ID from the area table 102. The data processing unit 101 refers to the area operation setting table 103 and determines whether the status information such as the vehicle speed received together with the position information matches the area operation conditions associated with the area (S103). That is, the data processing unit 101 determines whether the status information of the vehicle 200 satisfies the area operation conditions (status information such as a predetermined vehicle speed and a predetermined temperature). It also determines whether the number of video uploads has reached the upper limit. Whether the upper limit of the number of video uploads has been reached is determined based on the number of times the vehicle 200 has entered or exited the area. For example, in S102, the number of times the vehicle 200 has entered or exited each area is stored. The vehicle 200 of the drive recorder 200a that transmits the video may be the same or different. This area operation condition is an acquisition condition corresponding to the area ID defined in the area operation setting table 103.

The data processing unit 101 further determines whether the video that satisfies the area operation conditions is to be acquired immediately (S104). That is, the data processing unit 101 refers to the area operation setting table 103, and if the video upload information is set to automatic, it determines that the video is to be acquired immediately, and performs the immediate acquisition process.

If it is determined that the area is a target for immediate video acquisition, the data processing unit 101 transmits a video acquisition command to the drive recorder 200a (S105). This video acquisition command includes the operation timing (the timing of entering or leaving the area, etc.) and the video cut-out time. The operation timing and video cut-out time are extracted from the operation conditions in the area operation setting table 103 that correspond to the area ID acquired in S102.

In the drive recorder 200a, the control unit 211 performs a process of cutting out the video based on the video acquisition command, and transmits the cut-out video together with the device ID to the management server 100 (S204). The video captured by the drive recorder 200a includes location information and the like recorded at a predetermined timing. The control unit 211 performs a process of cutting out the video recorded in the external memory based on the operation timing and video cut-out time included in the video acquisition command.

In the management server 100, the data processing unit 101 assigns a video ID to the video transmitted from the drive recorder 200a and stores it in the video data table 106 (S106). The data processing unit 101 also stores the device ID transmitted together with the video in the area detection record table 104 in association with the area ID, area IN date and time, speed, and temperature (S106). The data processing unit 101 also retrieves key information for the video key information storage table 105 from the area detection record table 104 etc., and stores it in the video key information storage table 105 in association with the video ID of the previously acquired video (S106). The data processing unit 101 then determines whether or not an administrator notification is required (S107). The presence or absence of an administrator notification is set in the area operation setting table 103.

If it is determined that the image is necessary, the data processing unit 101 performs a process of notifying the administrator terminal 110 that the image has been acquired (S107: Yes). If it is not necessary, the process ends and the next location information is awaited.

If the answer to the question "no" in step S104 above is "immediate video acquisition," the data processing unit 101 acquires area detection information from the drive recorder 200a without acquiring video, and generates the area detection recording table 104 and the video key information storage table 105. At that time, the data processing unit 101 assigns a video ID to perform the acquisition at the time of the administrator's access request or at the date and time set in the operating conditions, just like the video acquisition data including key information related to the event video disclosed in Patent Document 2. Then, together with the periodic transmission of location information, the data processing unit 101 transmits information to the management server indicating that the video corresponding to the video ID has not yet been acquired.

If the answer is "No" in both steps S102 and S103, the process ends.

Here, the video cutout process S204 will be described. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the relationship between the operation timing and the video cutout process. As shown in the figure, the vehicle 200 moves from the area IN to the area OUT. Here, in the area operation command (S105) in FIG. 13, when it is specified to cut out from the area IN described in FIG. 4 backward, for example, when the operation timing: area IN and the video cutout time: 10 seconds are specified, the control unit 211 cuts out the video from the time 10 seconds before the detection time of the area IN to the detection time of the area IN from the video stored every moment in the external memory. Note that it is preferable to manage using the same time by using GPS time correction or the like so that there is no difference in the internal time of the management server 100 and the drive recorder 200a. It goes without saying that it is also possible to cut out the video for a time further before or after x seconds, taking into account the control delay and the time lag of the detection time. It goes without saying that it is not limited to 10 seconds, and can be determined arbitrarily by the administrator, etc.

The video, like the event video, is recorded moment by moment in the recording unit 204 of the drive recorder 200a, including at least the position information at the detection time. Therefore, the control unit 211 can specify the time when the entry and/or exit into the area was detected from the position information stored in S101 and the video cut-out time set in the area operation setting table, and cut out the video of the specified time period from the video recorded moment by moment. In addition, the drive recorder 200a periodically receives signals for specifying the position from a GPS or a sensor, etc., and can associate the position information with the video information. Therefore, it goes without saying that the drive recorder 200a can estimate the video going back to the required position based on the detected position information, based on known position information, and cut out the video based on multiple position information.

Note that there is not just one operation timing. It is set by the administrator depending on the purpose of using the video to be acquired. For example, if one wishes to see the driver's driving condition, a timing appropriate for that purpose is good. For example, video from the area IN or area OUT timing is good. If one wishes to see deterioration over time of roads, etc., video from area IN to area OUT is good. In addition, as explained above, it goes without saying that the detection criteria are not limited to the area, but can also be any information to be detected, such as the timing of the driver's dozing or looking away, which is detected as an event video. In that case, it goes without saying that environmental information about the vehicle that caused the driver to doze (for example, vehicle speed, distance between vehicles in front and behind, etc.) can also be acquired together with the video.

In addition, if the area operation command specifies that the image should be cut out going back from the area OUT, for example, if operation timing: area OUT and image cut-out time: 10 seconds are specified, the control unit 211 cuts out the image from the time 10 seconds before the detection time of the area OUT to the detection time of the area OUT from the image recorded moment by moment in the recording unit 204 of the drive recorder 200a. The cut-out position is specified in the same manner as above.

In this case too, it goes without saying that it is also possible to extract video footage from a time period x seconds before or after the event, taking into account control delays and detection time lags.

In addition, if the area operation command specifies that the video of all areas from area IN to area OUT is to be cut out, that is, if the operation timing: area IN/OUT and the video cut-out time: area ALL are specified, the control unit 211 cuts out the video of all areas from area IN to area OUT by referring to the storage time of the video stored moment by moment in the external memory. Note that, if the area operation setting table 103 specifies that the operation timing: area IN/OUT and the video cut-out time: 15 seconds, the data processing unit 101 generates an area operation command to synthesize the video data into 30 seconds of video data as video data including multiple timings of video to be acquired, from the time 15 seconds back from the time when area IN was detected to the time when area IN was detected, and from the time 15 seconds back from the time when area OUT was detected to the time when area OUT was detected. Note that it goes without saying that it is also possible to assign a video ID to each and manage them without synthesizing them.

In this way, it is possible to cut out the video immediately before entering an area, the video immediately before leaving an area, or the video while passing through an area. As described above, the length of the video to be cut out may be set to a fixed number of seconds, or the number of seconds may be set according to the driving speed, etc. For example, it may be set to 10 seconds up to 30 km/h and 5 seconds up to 60 km/h. Depending on the purpose of using the video, the faster the speed, the shorter the video to be cut out may be. It may also be dynamically set by the number of seconds of the difference between the area OUT time and the area IN time. The method of determining these cut-out times is set in the video cut-out time in the area operation setting table 103, and the cut-out time is calculated based on that. It goes without saying that the cut-out time may be determined based on various information in order to reliably obtain video scenes essential to the purpose of using the video data.

Figure 8 is a diagram for explaining the movement of the vehicle 200 and the images extracted at that time. Figure 8(a) shows images going back from area IN and from area OUT. Here, the image captured by the indoor camera 206 of the drive recorder 200a is specified as the image to be acquired.

As shown in the figure, if the area is set to a site such as a factory and the camera is set to an indoor camera, the management server 100 can acquire video of the driver when the vehicle 200 enters the site from the roadway. Similarly, the management server 100 can acquire video of the driver when the vehicle 200 leaves the site. By acquiring video in this way, the driver's driving condition can be understood.

Also, as shown in FIG. 8(b), video may be acquired to ascertain the deterioration of the road over time. In FIG. 8(b), a bridge is specified as the area, and the front camera 205 is set as the camera from which video is to be acquired. In FIG. 8(b), the management server 100 can acquire video of the entire area from area IN to area OUT.

These video clipping processes can also be applied to the modified examples (patterns 2 to 4) described below.

Next, the operation of the management server 100 and drive recorder 200a in a modified example of the present disclosure will be described. Figures 12 and 13 are sequence diagrams showing the processing in the modified example (pattern 2). The processing in pattern 2 differs from the processing in pattern 1 in that the drive recorder 200a detects entry and exit to an area, and transmits area detection information to the management server 100 based on the detection. For this reason, the area master definition processing is performed on the drive recorder 200a. Here, the different processing will be explained.

In FIG. 12, the administrator terminal 110 creates an area master and sets area operation conditions (S11, S12). The management server 100 stores the area operation conditions in the area operation setting table 103 (S13).

In addition, in the management server 100, the data processing unit 101 sends a write command for the area master information acquired by creating the area master to the drive recorder 200a (S14).

In the drive recorder 200a, the control unit 211 stores the area master information in the external memory by the recording unit 204 (S21). The external memory has a table equivalent to the area table 102 and stores the area information.

In this way, the drive recorder 200a can store area information indicating the area to be captured for video, and when the drive recorder 200a enters and/or exits the area to be captured, transmit the area detection information to the management server 100. The area detection information includes the device ID, area ID, area IN date and time (or area OUT date and time), speed, temperature, etc.

Next, the process of acquiring the image shown in pattern 2 will be described with reference to FIG. 13. Note that step S203a corresponds to S102 in FIG. 11, and the process content is the same. In the drive recorder 200a, location information acquisition and video recording are started (S201, S202), and the various behavior detection unit 212 judges whether the location information detected by the GPS module 202 is included in the range defined by the area master information stored in the external memory (corresponding to the area table 102) (S203a). If it is judged that the location information is included in the range, the control unit 211 transmits the area detection information to the management server 100 via the communication module 201 (S203b). The area detection information includes the device ID, the area ID, the area IN date and time (or the area OUT date and time), the vehicle speed, and the temperature. Note that, as in pattern 1, the location information is not limited to GPS.

In the management server 100, the data processing unit 101 judges whether the status information (speed, temperature, etc.) of the area detection information satisfies the area operation conditions corresponding to the area ID defined in the area operation setting table 103 (S103). If the data processing unit 101 judges that the area operation conditions are satisfied and that the conditions for immediate video acquisition are also satisfied, it sends an area operation command to the drive recorder 200a (S105). Thereafter, the processes of S106 to S107 and S204 are carried out.

In this way, the drive recorder 200a can automatically detect when the vehicle enters and/or exits a predetermined image acquisition target area, and transmit area detection information indicating this to the management server 100. The drive recorder 200a does not need to periodically transmit position information for area determination in order for the management server to perform area determination, and the management server 100 receives a notification when the vehicle enters the target area, reducing the load on the image acquisition process.

Next, we will explain pattern 3 in the video acquisition process. In pattern 3, the drive recorder 200a further determines whether the video satisfies the acquisition conditions.

Figure 14 is a sequence diagram showing the pre-setting process in pattern 3. As shown in Figure 14, when the management server 100 receives area master information and area operation conditions from the administrator terminal 110 (S11 and S12), it transmits a command to write the area master information and area operation conditions to the drive recorder 200a. In the drive recorder 200a, the communication module 201 receives it, and the control unit 211 stores it in the recording unit 204 such as an external memory (S21a). The external memory stores information equivalent to the area table 102 and the area operation setting table 103. This allows the drive recorder 200a to detect areas and determine area operation conditions.

In addition, the management server 100 may store all area operation conditions, or may store only the video upload information (indicating whether manual or automatic acquisition is to be performed) included in the area operation conditions in order to determine whether to perform the immediate video acquisition process.

Next, specific processing in pattern 3 will be described. Figure 15 is a sequence diagram showing this processing. As shown in the figure, steps S203a to S203b in drive recorder 200a are different processes. Therefore, the description will focus on this process. Note that steps S203a to S203c are processes equivalent to S102 to S103 in Figure 11, and the processing content is the same.

In the drive recorder 200a, location information acquisition and video recording are started (S201-S202), and the various behavior detection unit 212 detects entry into or exit from an area (S203a). The control unit 211 acquires area detection information including the area ID of the detected area, the area IN date and time (or the area OUT date and time, if necessary), and other status information such as vehicle speed and temperature.

Based on the area detection information, the control unit 211 determines whether the area operation conditions stored in the external memory are met (S203c). If they are not met, the process ends. If they are met, the control unit 211 transmits the area detection information via the communication module 201 (S203b).

In the management server 100, when the data processing unit 101 receives area video detection information, it determines whether the area is a target for immediate video acquisition based on the area ID, and performs a video acquisition request (S105), generates an area detection record table 104, stores the video data, generates a video key information storage table 105 (S106), and notifies the administrator (S107).

This allows the drive recorder 200a to detect areas and determine area operating conditions.

Next, the processing of pattern 4 will be described. Figure 16 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of pattern 4. In pattern 4, the presettings shown in Figure 14 are made. This pattern 4 differs from pattern 3 in that step S203d is performed in the drive recorder 200a.

In the drive recorder 200a, information corresponding to the area table 102 and the area operation setting table 103 is stored by presetting.

Then, the drive recorder 200a starts acquiring location information and recording video (S201, S202), and judges whether the vehicle has entered the area and whether the area operation conditions are met (S203c). If these judgements are "yes", the control unit 211 judges whether the video should be sent immediately (S203d). This is judged based on whether the video is sent manually or automatically by the administrator terminal 110.

When the control unit 211 determines that the video should be transmitted immediately, it cuts out the specified video from the video stored in the external memory based on the operation timing and video cut-out time set in the drive recorder 200a. The control unit 211 then transmits the cut-out video together with its area detection information using the communication module 201 (S204).

Then, in the management server 100, the data processing unit 101 acquires the cut-out video data and stores it in the video data table 106, and also acquires the area detection information and stores it in the area detection record table 104 (S106a). In addition, the video key information storage table 105 is generated. On the other hand, if the data processing unit 101 receives only the area detection information, it stores it in the area detection record table 104. When generating the video key information storage table 105, it is stored that the video has not been acquired.

Next, the video search process using the video key information storage table 105 will be described. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a search screen of the administrator terminal 110. The administrator can search for videos taken in the vehicle 200 by operating the administrator terminal 110. As shown in FIG. 17, the search screen is composed of a narrowing search condition setting section, a search button, a search list, and a video screen. As shown in FIG. 17, the administrator can search for videos using the organization ID, driver ID, equipment ID, area master ID, area ID, driving area, driving time zone, speed zone, and temperature zone as search keys. The administrator terminal 110 enables the search for videos by referring to the video key information storage table 105 of the management server 100.

Figure 18 is a hardware configuration diagram of the management server 100. The management server 100 shown in Figure 2 is physically configured as a computer system including one or more CPUs 11, RAM 12 and ROM 13 as main storage devices, input devices 14 such as a keyboard and mouse as input devices, output devices 15 such as a display, a communication module 16 as a data transmission/reception device such as a network card, and an auxiliary storage device 17 such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory, as shown in Figure 18. Each function in Figure 2 is realized by loading a specific computer software (program) onto the hardware such as the CPU 11 and RAM 12 shown in Figure 18, operating the input device 14, output device 15, and communication module 16 under the control of the CPU 11, and reading and writing data in the RAM 12 and the auxiliary storage device 17.

Next, the effects of the management server 100 and drive recorder 200a in the present disclosure will be described. The management system in the present disclosure includes the management server 100 and drive recorder 200a. This management system manages video (data) stored in the drive recorder 200a (device) among the devices installed in each of a plurality of vehicles 200 (mobile bodies). Here, the drive recorder 200a is the specific device, but it is not necessarily limited to the drive recorder 200a. Among all the devices with which the management server 100 communicates, the device that satisfies the detection conditions stored in the area region shown in Figures 3 (b) and (c) is the specific device.

If the moving object is a drone, it would be the drone's camera control device, and if the moving object is a person, it would be the smartphone that the person is carrying.

In addition to examples where the location information of the moving object and the device necessarily match, variations include examples where only the moving object moves, and various changes near the position of the fixed camera, such as a person or vehicle crossing the area captured by the fixed camera, can be set as detection conditions, in which case the fixed camera corresponds to a specific device.

This management system includes an area operation setting table 103 that stores, for each area ID, the image acquisition conditions (data acquisition conditions) including at least the operation timing of a moving object entering and/or exiting a target area specified based on one or more area IDs and location information, which are determined according to the purpose of using the image, and the data acquisition range (cut-out time) according to the operation timing.

The management system also includes a data processing unit that communicates with the drive recorder 200a (device) to acquire images (data) that satisfy image acquisition conditions (data acquisition conditions) from among the images (data) stored in the drive recorder 200a (device).

In patterns 1 and 2 of the present disclosure, the area operation setting table 103 is mainly provided in the management server 100, but as in patterns 3 and 4, the drive recorder 200a may be provided with the area operation setting table 103, and a management system may be constructed including the drive recorder 200a. This pattern is an implementation difference to allow for flexible response depending on the processing capabilities of the management server and the device, and the communication environment between the management server and the device, and while the difference in functionality is whether it is provided in the management server or in the device, it goes without saying that the management server can flexibly respond to the processing capabilities of the device and the functional differences between new and old terminals, and can compensate for the differences in capabilities and functions.

According to this disclosure, the management server 100 can acquire video from the drive recorder 200a based on video acquisition conditions including the operation timing when the vehicle 200 enters the target area for video acquisition and the video acquisition range (video cut-out time). The video acquisition conditions can be determined by the administrator's criteria according to the purpose of using the video. Thus, the administrator can acquire video according to the purpose of use. For example, images can be acquired based not only on the latitude and longitude of the subject to be captured and the drive recorder 200a, but also on the travel speed of the vehicle 200, the type of location to be captured (highway, general road, unloading and pick-up area, parking lot, etc.), the type of camera (front, interior), and the imaging pattern according to the purpose of the vehicle entering and exiting.

In the present disclosure, the area operation setting table 103 further stores the timing of image acquisition as an image acquisition condition (data acquisition condition). The data processing unit 101 further acquires data based on the acquisition timing. This acquisition timing is determined by whether the image from the drive recorder 200a is acquired automatically (i.e., whether it is acquired immediately after a notification is received (or it can be acquired after a predetermined time has passed)) or whether it is acquired manually by an administrator. Depending on the purpose of using the image, there may be cases where it is not necessary to automatically acquire the image immediately. Therefore, it is possible to set which method to use from the administrator's perspective.

The area operation setting table 103 further stores the camera type of the drive recorder 200a (equipment) as an image acquisition condition. This camera type indicates whether it is a front camera that captures the direction in which the vehicle 200 is traveling, or an interior camera that captures the interior of the vehicle. The data processing unit 101 acquires images captured by a camera that corresponds to the camera type of the drive recorder 200a (equipment).

Depending on the purpose of using the video, there may be cases where you want to manage video of the road in the direction in which the vehicle 200 is traveling (or has passed), or other video, or you may want to manage how the driver is driving. By setting the camera type as an acquisition condition, it becomes possible for the administrator to acquire video according to the purpose of use.

The area operation setting table 103 further stores, as an image acquisition condition (data acquisition condition), status information when the vehicle 200 (mobile body) acquires an image. The status information is, for example, the speed of the vehicle 200 and the temperature (indoor or outdoor) detected by a sensor of the vehicle 200. The data processing unit 101 further acquires data based on the status information.

Depending on the purpose of using the video, it may be necessary to obtain video according to the status information of the vehicle 200. For example, by obtaining video according to the speed of the vehicle 200, it is possible to understand the driving conditions of the driver according to that speed. Also, by obtaining video according to the temperature, it is possible to understand the transport status of an animal when it is being transported.

The area operation setting table 103 further stores an upper limit on the number of times that video can be acquired as a video acquisition condition. The data processing unit 101 acquires video based on the number of times that video can be acquired. Depending on the administrator's intended use of the video, multiple videos may not be required. In the present disclosure, video acquisition can be restricted.

In the management system disclosed herein, the data processing unit 101 receives area detection information, which is information related to the time of video acquisition, from the drive recorder 200a (device). Then, based on the area detection information, a key information table is generated for use in searching for the acquired video. For example, the area detection information is the date and time of entry into the area, the date and time of exit, the speed of the vehicle 200, and the temperature. By associating this information with the video as key information for use in the search, video search becomes possible. Note that this association can be performed in cases where video is not acquired immediately, for example, as long as it can be searched based on video key information including the area detection information, video ID, recording date and time, etc., and it goes without saying that the video data itself can be searched for and then a video acquisition request can be made.

The area table 102 stores multiple area IDs that match the intended use of the video (data) in association with an area master ID. The video acquisition conditions are set for each area master ID in the area operation setting table 103.

According to this disclosure, it is possible to set video acquisition conditions collectively for each area master ID.

In addition, in the management system disclosed herein, when the data processing unit 101 receives area detection information, which is information relating to the time of video acquisition, from the drive recorder 200a, it determines whether the drive recorder 200a has stored video that satisfies the acquisition conditions according to the area detection information.

According to this disclosure, when the drive recorder 200a is configured to perform area detection as shown in pattern 2 above, it is possible to use the area detection information to extract video that satisfies the acquisition conditions.

In addition, in this disclosure, the data processing unit 101 of the management server 100 transmits the operation timing and data acquisition range to the drive recorder 200a, thereby enabling the drive recorder 200a to perform video clipping processing and acquire the video.

According to this disclosure, it is possible to acquire video that satisfies acquisition conditions according to the control of the management server 100.

In the management system in the above pattern 1, the drive recorder 200a is equipped with a communication module 201 that periodically transmits the location information of the vehicle 200 to the management server 100.

The management server 100 includes a data processing unit 101 that detects entry into and/or exit from a target area for image acquisition based on an area table 102 including at least one area ID and coordinate information that specifies the target area for image acquisition, and the position information of the vehicle 200. This functions as an area detection unit. The management server 100 also includes an area operation setting table 103 that stores, for each area ID, data acquisition conditions that include at least an operation timing for the target area for image acquisition and an image acquisition range corresponding to the operation timing, which are determined according to the purpose of using the image. The data processing unit 101 communicates with the drive recorder 200a to acquire data that satisfies the data acquisition conditions from among the data stored in the drive recorder 200a.

In the disclosure of this pattern 1, the drive recorder 200a periodically transmits location information, so there is no need for the drive recorder 200a to perform area detection. This allows for a simple configuration.

In pattern 3, the control unit 211 in the drive recorder 200a functions as an area detection unit and detects entry and/or exit into the acquisition target area based on an area table (corresponding to area table 102) including at least one area ID and coordinate information that specifies the area to be acquired for the video, and the position information of the vehicle 200. The control unit 211 functions as an acquisition condition determination unit and determines whether the video acquisition conditions are met based on an area operation setting table (corresponding to area operation setting table 103) that stores, for each area ID, data acquisition conditions including at least the operation timing of the vehicle 200's entry and/or exit, determined according to the purpose of use of the video, and the data acquisition range (video cut-out time) according to the operation timing.

When the control unit 211 determines that the video acquisition conditions are met, the communication module 201 transmits the area detection information detected by the control unit 211 to the management server 100.

In the management server 100, when the data processing unit 101 acquires the area detection information, it communicates with the drive recorder 200a to acquire data that satisfies the image acquisition conditions from among the images stored in the drive recorder 200a.

In this disclosure according to pattern 3, the drive recorder 200a detects the area and determines the operating conditions. For this reason, it has tables equivalent to the area table 102 and the area operation setting table 103. According to this disclosure, by performing many processes on the drive recorder 200a side, the processing on the management server 100 side is simplified.

In addition to pattern 3, in pattern 4, the control unit 211 extracts from the external memory video that satisfies the data acquisition conditions based on an area operation setting table that stores, for each area ID, video acquisition conditions that include at least the operation timing of the vehicle entering and/or exiting the area 200, which is determined according to the purpose of using the video, and the data acquisition range (video cut-out time) corresponding to the operation timing.

In particular, when the vehicle is outside the range of the mobile phone network or GPS, such as in an underground parking lot, even if the management server 100 cannot determine the detection and operating conditions according to patterns 1 and 2, the drive recorder 200a detects the vehicle's position based on information from environmental sensors such as vehicle sensors, and determines whether the detection and operating conditions are met. When the communication module 201 automatically transmits video that satisfies the data acquisition conditions in real time according to the operating conditions, it stores the transmission to the management server 100 in a reservation information table on the drive recorder 200a side (not shown), and transmits it when communication becomes possible.

In addition, when the administrator manually transmits video data, upon receiving an access request (not shown), the drive recorder 200a transmits the video data in response to the access request. Even in areas with good visibility and GPS information reception, when precision is required for the location of the video to be acquired, for example, at driving skill spots at a driving school (S-curves, pulling alongside, pulling over, stopping positions, uphill stopping positions, etc.), there are limitations to detection based on GPS signals and the signal is susceptible to the effects of scrambled information. Even in such cases, if detection is performed based on relative positions, people seeking driver's licenses and driving instructors can check the results of their driving skills on video based on the acquired video.

According to this disclosure, most of the processing is performed on the drive recorder 200a side. This simplifies the processing on the management server 100.

In either case, the management server 100 may not be able to obtain data such as video due to some reason between the management server 100 and the drive recorder 200a, and sending the video data itself to the management server 100 may put a strain on communication traffic and incur communication costs. Therefore, in order to reduce the amount of data to be transmitted, the control unit 211 may send a video identifier and other information that serves as key information for the video data (e.g., location or time information) instead of sending the video data itself.

In this case, the video data of a specific area is managed and acquired by applying the relationship between the video key information storage table in FIG. 6, the vehicle management table 105 described in Patent Document 2, the vehicle management table 215 on the device side, and the embodiment described in the reservation information table 104. The following describes an embodiment disclosed in Patent Document 2 in which the vehicle management table is managed by the management server and the device side, and the management server later acquires the video based on the video key information.

First, the video identifier, key information of the video data, and the video file are recorded in the device-side vehicle management table 215 stored in the multiple devices under the user's control. After that, the multiple devices spontaneously send key information, etc. to the management server 100, or actively send key information, etc. in response to an access request from the management server 100, and the key information, etc. stored in the multiple devices is recorded in the vehicle management table 105 on the management server 100 side.

In order to distinguish the information in the vehicle management table 215 on the device side, the vehicle management table 105 on the management server 100 side needs the device identifier as a table item that does not exist in the vehicle management table 215. In this respect, the reservation information table in FIG. 3 of Patent Document 2 also has this in order to specify which video identifier of the multiple devices is to be reserved.

Meanwhile, video data linked to the video identifier is stored moment by moment in the video data storage area of the vehicle management table 215 on the device side, so in principle all the video data is available. However, in order to reduce the amount of data transmitted, the vehicle management table 105 on the management server 100 does not transmit the video data itself, but instead transmits the video identifier and other key information for the video data (e.g. location or time information). The video data is then transmitted based on specified conditions, and the acquisition status flag is updated to "acquired."

For this reason, in principle, no video data is available in the video data storage area of the vehicle management table 105. Therefore, in order to distinguish whether video data has been acquired or not, an acquisition status flag is required as a table item that does not exist in the vehicle management table 215, to distinguish between acquired, not acquired, reserved, and unavailable states.

In addition, in the video data storage area of the vehicle management table 215, video data linked to a video identifier is recorded regardless of whether communication with the management server 100 is possible, but in the video data storage area of the vehicle management table 105, if communication between the management server 100 and the target device is not possible, video data cannot be acquired. Therefore, in order to distinguish whether video data can be acquired or not, an acquisition availability flag is required as a table item that does not exist in the vehicle management table 215, and it distinguishes between a communication available and a communication unavailable state.

When making a request to access or play video data on the management screen of the administrator terminal 300 (described later), a list of key information and other information stored in multiple devices under management is displayed based on the vehicle management table 105, and the video acquisition status for each piece of key information and other information is iconized, allowing access or playback requests to be made easily by clicking on the icon. When acquisition is complete, the acquisition status flag is changed to "acquired," and the icon display on the management screen is also changed to "acquired."

The video list frame on the refined search condition setting screen in FIG. 17 also displays the recording date and time, vehicle name, status, and video acquisition status flag of the video extracted using refined search conditions such as (1) organization ID, (2) driver ID (can be name), (3) device ID, (4) area master ID, (5) area ID, (6) driving area, (7) driving time zone, (8) speed range, and (9) temperature range. By clicking on the video acquisition status, it is possible to easily request access to acquire data for video that has not yet been acquired.

Note that these inventions have been described with a focus on the management server 100 acquiring video data from the drive recorder 200a, but this invention is not limited to the management server 100 transmitting and receiving target data to equipment that collides with a vehicle or an aircraft, and it is possible to control, for example, an aircraft to move autonomously while avoiding obstacles, etc., based on real-time video acquired from the aircraft. It goes without saying that this makes it possible to detect the target area based on the detection conditions and operating conditions described above for the target data that needs to be transmitted and received between the management server and the target equipment, and to perform or plan the desired operation.

Needless to say, the invention can be used in a variety of other scenarios, and in such cases, the following terms used in the above explanation should be read as follows: "video data" as "target data," "acquire video" as "execute or plan the desired operation," "data transmission" as "data transmission or control of the target device," "acquisition process" as "acquisition or control process, or operation reservation," "area detection notification" as "detection notification," "acquisition target device" as "transmission/reception target device," and "acquisition reservation completion notification" as "transmission/reception reservation completion notification." Needless to say, the category of the invention is not limited to "management system," but can be easily adapted to detailed descriptions of the invention in the categories of "management device," "management method," or "program" that realizes these "management methods."

In the above embodiment, application examples in a drive recorder or drone mounted on a vehicle have been described, but the invention can also be applied to devices that take pictures using a camera, such as a smartphone. For example, when a user enters or leaves a specific area while holding a smartphone, the invention can be applied to the process of cutting out only the video captured in that area.

When applied to drones, this technology can be used for remote control in addition to image capture processing. For example, when a drone enters or leaves a specified area, it will perform a specified action. The specified action can be obstacle avoidance action based on analysis of the image captured by the drone's camera. By activating the image analysis function when entering a specified area, more detailed processing can be performed. Additionally, when using drones for delivery, this technology can also be used for recognition processing of delivery destinations.

100... Management server, 200... Vehicle, 200a... Drive recorder, 110... Administrator terminal, 101... Data processing unit, 102... Area table, 103... Area operation setting table, 104... Area detection record table, 105... Video key information storage table, 106... Video data table, 107... Communication unit.

Claims (8)

A management device for managing video data stored in a device disposed in a mobile object, comprising:
a data processing unit that controls the device to acquire specific video data from the video data stored in the device on the basis of a detection criterion for video data to be acquired in a specific event;
a communication unit that performs communication regarding the specific video data stored in the device. The management device according to claim 1, wherein the detection criteria for the video data to be acquired during the specific event are criteria for detecting a change in data that can be detected by the mobile object itself or a device associated with the mobile object. The management device according to claim 1, wherein the change in data detectable by the mobile body itself or a device associated with the mobile body includes a change in maintenance event data of the mobile body, a change in data related to the approach distance to another vehicle, a change in the analysis results of forward video, or a change resulting from a comparative analysis of front and rear video of a snow removal vehicle or cleaning vehicle. The management device according to claim 1, wherein the data processing unit extracts a predetermined range of video data as the specific video data by a video extraction process. The management device according to claim 4, wherein the data processing unit operates the device by transmitting at least one of an operation timing and/or a data acquisition range as the predetermined range to the device. The management device according to claim 1, wherein the data processing unit extracts the specific video data by either extracting video of a predetermined time period starting from when the moving object entered the designated range (area IN), extracting video of a predetermined time period going back from when the moving object left the designated range (area OUT), or extracting video of the period from when the moving object entered the designated range to when it left the designated range (area IN-OUT). A management method for managing video data stored in a device disposed in a mobile object, comprising:
Controlling the device so as to acquire specific video data from the video data stored in the device on the basis of a detection criterion for video data to be acquired in a specific event;
and performing communication regarding the specific video data stored in the device. A program that causes a processor to execute the processing of each unit of the management device described in any one of claims 1 to 6.