JP7694797B2 - Image processing device, disaster prevention support system, image processing method, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image processing device, a disaster prevention support system, an image processing method, and a recording medium, and in particular to an image processing device, a disaster prevention support system, an image processing method, and a recording medium that processes in-vehicle camera images captured by an in-vehicle camera.

When a large-scale natural disaster such as an earthquake or torrential rain occurs, damage such as river flooding, landslides, and road flooding, sinkholes, and cracks can occur over a wide area. Monitoring centers in civil engineering offices, management offices, etc. monitor the occurrence of disasters within the monitored area based on surveillance footage captured by surveillance cameras installed around rivers.

Fixed surveillance cameras alone may not be able to fully grasp the damage situation in the monitored area. For example, when heavy rain causes inland flooding and floods urban areas, surveillance cameras installed around rivers will not be able to capture the urban areas.

Related technology involves repurposing footage captured by in-vehicle cameras such as dashcams and rearview cameras for purposes other than their original use, such as recording accidents.

Patent Document 1 discloses an in-vehicle camera system that provides video footage obtained from an in-vehicle camera (hereinafter referred to as in-vehicle camera video footage) for the purpose of on-site inspection of traffic accidents and crime prevention. According to the related technology described in Patent Document 1, if the in-vehicle camera video footage can be provided to a monitoring center that monitors the occurrence of disasters, the monitoring center can use the in-vehicle camera video footage to investigate the damage situation in the monitored area.

JP 2011-180693 A JP 2020-57203 A

In-vehicle camera footage may accidentally capture ordinary passersby. If in-vehicle camera footage is provided to a monitoring center as is using the related technology described in Patent Document 1, there is a risk that the privacy of others may be violated. There is a demand for technology that allows in-vehicle camera footage to be provided to third parties such as monitoring centers while respecting privacy.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a mechanism for providing vehicle camera footage to third parties while respecting privacy.

An image processing device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an acquisition means for acquiring dashcam image captured by an onboard camera mounted on a vehicle, a processing means for processing the acquired dashcam image to make it unclear except for a first portion if no disaster has occurred in the area in which the vehicle is located, and for processing the acquired dashcam image to make it unclear except for a second portion wider than the first portion if a disaster has occurred in the area in which the vehicle is located, and an output means for outputting the processed dashcam image.

In one aspect of the image processing method of the present invention, vehicle camera video captured by an onboard camera mounted on a vehicle is acquired, and if no disaster has occurred within the area in which the vehicle is located, the acquired vehicle camera video is processed to be unclear except for a first portion, whereas if a disaster has occurred within the area in which the vehicle is located, the acquired vehicle camera video is processed to be unclear except for a second portion wider than the first portion, and the processed vehicle camera video is output.

A recording medium according to one embodiment of the present invention stores a program for causing a computer to acquire dashcam footage captured by an onboard camera mounted on a vehicle, and if no disaster has occurred in the area in which the vehicle is located, to process the acquired dashcam footage to make it unclear except for a first portion, while if a disaster has occurred in the area in which the vehicle is located, to process the acquired dashcam footage to make it unclear except for a second portion that is wider than the first portion, and to output the processed dashcam footage.

A disaster prevention support system according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises an image processing device having an acquisition means for acquiring dashcam footage captured by an onboard camera mounted on a vehicle, a processing means for processing the acquired dashcam footage to make it unclear except for a first portion if no disaster has occurred in the area in which the vehicle is located, and for processing the acquired dashcam footage to make it unclear except for a second portion wider than the first portion if a disaster has occurred in the area in which the vehicle is located, an output means for outputting the processed dashcam footage, and a recording device in which the processed dashcam footage is saved.

According to one aspect of the present invention, vehicle camera footage can be provided to a third party while respecting privacy.

1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a disaster prevention support system including a video processing device according to any one of the first to third embodiments. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a video processing device according to a first embodiment. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the video processing device according to the first embodiment. 13A and 13B are schematic diagrams illustrating an example of an in-vehicle camera that is obscured except for a first portion. 13A and 13B are schematic diagrams illustrating an example of an in-vehicle camera that is obscured except for a second portion. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a video processing device according to a second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a video processing device according to a third embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a video processing device according to any one of the first to third embodiments.

Some embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the drawings.

(Disaster Prevention Support System 1)
An example of the configuration of a disaster prevention support system 1 including any one of the video processing devices 10, 20, and 30 according to the first to third embodiments will be described first with reference to Fig. 1. In Fig. 1, "video processing device 10 (20, 30)" refers to any one of the video processing devices 10, 20, and 30 according to the first to third embodiments.

As shown in FIG. 1, the disaster prevention support system 1 includes a drive recorder 100, a monitoring center 200, and a recording device 300. Each component of the disaster prevention support system 1 may be multiple.

The drive recorder 100 is mounted on a vehicle owned by a government agency or a local government. The vehicle patrols within a predetermined monitoring area. The monitoring area is designated based on an administrative district such as a prefecture or a city, town, or village. The vehicle is, for example, a patrol car or a public relations vehicle. The vehicle may be an emergency vehicle such as a fire engine or a specialized vehicle such as a road sweeper.

The drive recorder 100 includes an on-board camera 100A, a sensor device 100B, and a measuring device 100C. The on-board camera 100A typically captures the road on which the vehicle is traveling and its surroundings. The on-board camera image data obtained by the on-board camera 100A is transmitted from the drive recorder 100 to the image processing device 10 (20, 30) via the Internet. In one example, the on-board camera 100A may be a general video camera or an IoT camera.

The sensor device 100B detects the state of the environment around the vehicle. The sensor device 100B may be a millimeter wave sensor, an acceleration sensor, a GPS (Geographical Positioning System) sensor, an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), or other sensor that is generally installed in a vehicle. Furthermore, the sensor device 100B may include, for example, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a snow sensor, a light sensor, a water level sensor, a radiation sensor, or a gas detector, which are necessary for local governments and the like to analyze the damage situation in the event of a disaster.

The measuring device 100C is for measuring the state of the vehicle, such as a speedometer, a tachometer, and a fuel gauge. The measuring device 100C outputs an index (parameter) indicating the state of the vehicle based on the physical data obtained from the sensor device 100B. Specifically, the measuring device 100C measures the running state of the vehicle (i.e., whether the vehicle is running or not). Note that the disaster prevention support system 1 does not need to include the sensor device 100B and the measuring device 100C. In this case, the disaster prevention support system 1 is composed of the drive recorder 100, the monitoring center 200 described later, and the recording device 300 described later.

The monitoring center 200 is a facility such as a civil engineering office or management office that monitors the occurrence of disasters within a monitored area. A video monitor and an alarm (neither shown) are installed in the monitoring center 200. Processed vehicle camera footage is transferred to the monitoring center 200 from the video processing device 10 (20, 30). Processed vehicle camera footage is vehicle camera footage that has been processed to protect the privacy of members of the public who happen to be captured in the vehicle camera footage.

At the monitoring center 200, a monitor watches a video monitor while monitoring disaster-prone areas (i.e., rivers, forest roads, etc.) shown in the monitoring footage. The video monitor at the monitoring center 200 also displays processed vehicle-mounted camera footage received from the video processing device 10 (20, 30).

The recording device 300 receives vehicle camera images received by the image processing device 10 (20, 30) from the drive recorder 100. The recording device 300 also receives vehicle camera images processed by the image processing device 10 (20, 30) for privacy protection purposes. In the event of a disaster, the vehicle camera images processed by the image processing device 10 (20, 30) are provided to a third party such as the monitoring center 200.

In order to more reliably protect privacy, the provision of the processed vehicle camera video may be limited to only trusted third parties (e.g., local governments or government agencies). The video processing device 10 (20, 30) refers to a list prepared in advance and provides the processed vehicle camera video to the third parties listed on the list.

The recording device 300 can be replaced by a cloud-based file server. In this case, the disaster prevention support system 1 does not need to include the recording device 300.

The video processing devices 10, 20, and 30 will be described in embodiments 1 to 3 below.

[Embodiment 1]
The first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

(Video Processing Device 10)
The configuration of the video processing device 10 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the video processing device 10. As shown in Fig. 2, the video processing device 10 includes an acquisition unit 11, a processing unit 12, and an output unit 13.

The acquisition unit 11 acquires vehicle camera images captured by the vehicle camera 100A (Figure 1) mounted on the vehicle. The acquisition unit 11 is an example of an acquisition means.

In one example, the acquisition unit 11 acquires vehicle camera footage captured by the vehicle camera 100A from a drive recorder 100 (Figure 1) installed in the vehicle via the Internet.

In another example, the acquisition unit 11 searches for vehicles located within a monitored area, which is an area monitored for the occurrence of a disaster by the monitoring center 200 (Figure 1). The acquisition unit 11 then acquires vehicle-mounted camera footage captured by a vehicle found within the monitored area from the drive recorder 100 mounted on the vehicle. The acquisition unit 11 outputs the vehicle-mounted camera footage acquired from the drive recorder 100 to the processing unit 12.

When no disaster has occurred within the area in which the vehicle is present, the processing unit 12 processes the acquired on-board camera footage to make it unclear except for a first portion, whereas when a disaster has occurred within the area in which the vehicle is present, the processing unit 12 processes the acquired on-board camera footage to make it unclear except for a second portion that is larger than the first portion. The processing unit 12 is an example of a processing means. An example of a case in which a disaster has occurred within the area in which the vehicle is present is when the area is included in an area in which a weather warning or earthquake alert is issued.

In one example, the processing unit 12 receives vehicle camera footage captured by the vehicle camera 100A from the acquisition unit 11. The processing unit 12 processes the received vehicle camera footage.

First, the processing unit 12 determines the area in which the vehicle is located. For example, the processing unit 12 acquires location information of the vehicle. Then, the processing unit 12 determines the area in which the vehicle is located based on the acquired location information of the vehicle. Alternatively, the processing unit 12 may determine whether or not a disaster has occurred in the area in which the vehicle is located based on sensor data acquired from a sensor device 100B attached to the vehicle.

The processing unit 12 also determines whether a disaster has occurred within the area in which the vehicle is located. For example, the processing unit 12 acquires disaster prevention weather information. Then, based on the acquired disaster prevention weather information, the processing unit 12 determines whether a disaster has occurred within the area in which the vehicle is located. Disaster prevention weather information is forecasts and information related to weather, earthquakes, volcanoes, etc., such as weather warnings, weather advisories, or earthquake alerts.

Then, if no disaster has occurred in the area in which the vehicle is located, the processing unit 12 processes the on-board camera image to make it unclear except for the first portion. In one example, the first portion includes at least a part of the area in the on-board camera image that shows the road on which the vehicle is traveling.

On the other hand, when a disaster occurs in the area where the vehicle is present, the processing unit 12 processes the acquired vehicle-mounted camera image to make it unclear, except for a second portion that is wider than the first portion. In one example, the second portion includes at least a part of the area in the vehicle-mounted camera image in which the road on which the vehicle is traveling is shown, and includes an area wider than that. More comprehensively, the processing unit 12 changes the area to be processed in the vehicle-mounted camera image between normal times and disaster times. In the above example, the second portion being "wider" than the first portion is not limited to the meaning that the area of the area corresponding to the second portion in the processed vehicle-mounted camera image is wider than the area of the area corresponding to the first portion. In the processed vehicle-mounted camera image, the width of the area corresponding to the second portion (FIG. 5) may be longer than the width of the area corresponding to the first portion (FIG. 4), or the height of the area corresponding to the second portion (FIG. 5) may be higher than the height of the area corresponding to the first portion (FIG. 4). In other words, "wide" here may also mean comparing one-dimensional lengths.

In addition, the processing unit 12 may detect areas such as license plates of other vehicles and nameplates of houses from the onboard camera image and process these areas to make them unclear. Furthermore, the processing unit 12 may change the size of the second portion stepwise or continuously depending on the extent of damage caused by a disaster occurring in the area where the vehicle is located and the speed of the vehicle (embodiment 3).

During normal times, i.e., when no disaster has occurred within the area in which the vehicle is present, the processing unit 12 outputs the in-vehicle camera video, which has been processed to be unclear except for the first portion, to the output unit 13. On the other hand, during a disaster, i.e., when a disaster has occurred within the area in which the vehicle is present, the processing unit 12 outputs the in-vehicle camera video, which has been processed to be unclear except for the second portion, to the output unit 13.

The output unit 13 outputs the processed vehicle camera image. The output unit 13 is an example of an output means.

In one example, output unit 13 receives from processing unit 12 indistinctly processed dashcam footage excluding the first or second portion. During normal times, i.e., when no disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is present, output unit 13 outputs indistinctly processed dashcam footage excluding the first portion to recording device 300 (FIG. 1). On the other hand, during a disaster, i.e., when a disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is present, output unit 13 outputs indistinctly processed dashcam footage excluding the second portion to recording device 300.

During normal times, the recording device 300 stores vehicle camera footage that has been obscured except for a first portion. During a disaster, the recording device 300 stores vehicle camera footage that has been obscured except for a second portion. The vehicle camera footage that has been obscured except for the second portion and that has been stored in the recording device 300 may be provided to a third party, such as a local government carrying out rescue operations, as long as necessary.

The output unit 13 may output the processed vehicle camera image to a downstream processing function (not shown) that performs image analysis. The downstream processing function performs image analysis on the processed vehicle camera image to diagnose the condition of the road shown in the processed vehicle camera image. For example, the downstream processing function checks for cracks, depressions, or unevenness in the road surface.

(Operation of the video processing device 10)
The operation of the video processing device 10 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of processes executed by each unit of the video processing device 10.

As shown in FIG. 3, the acquisition unit 11 acquires vehicle camera footage captured by the vehicle camera 100A mounted on the vehicle from the drive recorder 100 (S1). The acquisition unit 11 outputs the vehicle camera footage acquired from the drive recorder 100 to the processing unit 12.

The processing unit 12 determines whether or not a disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is located based on disaster prevention weather information, etc. (S2). If a disaster has not occurred in the area where the vehicle is located (No in S2), the processing unit 12 processes the vehicle-mounted camera video acquired from the acquisition unit 11 to make it unclear, except for a first portion (S3A). The processing unit 12 then outputs the vehicle-mounted camera video, which has been processed to be unclear, except for the first portion, to the output unit 13.

On the other hand, if a disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is located (Yes in S2), the processing unit 12 processes the acquired vehicle-mounted camera image to make it unclear, except for a second portion that is wider than the first portion (S3B). The processing unit 12 then outputs the vehicle-mounted camera image that has been processed to be unclear, except for the second portion, to the output unit 13.

The output unit 13 outputs the vehicle-mounted camera image, which has been processed to be unclear except for the first part or the second part, to a recording device 300, etc. (S4).

This completes the operation of the video processing device 10 of this embodiment 1.

(An example of processed dashcam footage)
An example of a processed vehicle-mounted camera image will be described with reference to FIG. 4 and FIG.

Figure 4 shows a schematic example of an in-vehicle camera image that has been blurred except for a first portion. As shown in Figure 4, the first portion is the lower center portion of the in-vehicle camera image. The first portion corresponds to the area showing the front of the road on which the vehicle is traveling. Except for the first portion, the in-vehicle camera image has been blurred. Examples of blurring include mosaic processing, making the pixel values of adjacent pixels the same (blurring), and reducing the clarity of pixels (darkening).

Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram of an example of an in-vehicle camera that has been processed to be unclear except for the second portion. Comparing Figure 5 with Figure 4, the second portion shown in Figure 5 is wider than the first portion shown in Figure 4. As shown in Figure 5, the second portion extends from the lower center of the in-vehicle camera image to the lower peripheral portion of the in-vehicle camera image. The second portion includes not only the area showing the front of the road on which the vehicle is traveling, but also the area around the road on which the vehicle is traveling. Here, only the case where the width of the area corresponding to the second portion (Figure 5) in the processed in-vehicle camera image is longer than the width of the area corresponding to the first portion (Figure 4) is illustrated. However, in the processed in-vehicle camera image, the height of the area corresponding to the second portion may be higher than the height of the area corresponding to the first portion. In addition, in the processed in-vehicle camera image, the area of the area corresponding to the second portion (Figure 5) does not necessarily have to be larger than the area of the area corresponding to the first portion (Figure 4).

For example, if the vehicle is traveling on a road having multiple lanes, the first portion corresponds to the area of the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, while the second portion corresponds to the area of the lane in which the vehicle is traveling and the area of an adjacent lane. Alternatively, if the vehicle is traveling on a two-lane road, the first portion corresponds to the area of the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, while the second portion corresponds to the area of the lane in which the vehicle is traveling and the area of the opposite lane.

Under normal circumstances, the image processing device 10 outputs vehicle-mounted camera images (Figure 4) that have been blurred except for the lower center portion of the vehicle-mounted camera image. This effectively protects the privacy of ordinary people (e.g., pedestrians) who happen to be captured in the vehicle-mounted camera image.

In the event of a disaster, the image processing device 10 outputs in-vehicle camera imagery (FIG. 5) that has been processed to make the in-vehicle camera imagery unclear except for the lower central and peripheral portions of the imagery. This protects the privacy of ordinary people while making it easier for third parties (e.g., local governments) carrying out recovery activities to visually confirm the damage caused to roads and other areas from the processed in-vehicle camera imagery, and also makes it easier to detect overflows from drains and manholes, collapsed objects, and the like.

(Effects of this embodiment)
According to the configuration of this embodiment, the acquisition unit 11 acquires vehicle-mounted camera footage captured by a vehicle-mounted camera mounted on a vehicle. When no disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is present, the processing unit 12 processes the acquired vehicle-mounted camera footage to be unclear except for a first portion, while when a disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is present, the processing unit 12 processes the acquired vehicle-mounted camera footage to be unclear except for a second portion wider than the first portion. The output unit 13 outputs the processed vehicle-mounted camera footage. The second portion is wider than the first portion. Conversely, the narrow unclear portion means that the clear portion is wider. In the event of a disaster, a processed vehicle-mounted camera footage is output in which the unclear portion is narrower and the clear portion is wider than in normal times. This makes it possible to provide the vehicle-mounted camera footage obtained from the vehicle-mounted camera to a third party while taking privacy into consideration.

[Embodiment 2]
A second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

(Video Processing Device 20)
The configuration of the video processing device 20 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the video processing device 20. As shown in Fig. 6, the video processing device 20 includes an acquisition unit 11, a processing unit 12, and an output unit 13. The video processing device 20 further includes a provision unit 24.

The providing unit 24 provides the processed vehicle camera footage to the monitoring center 200 (Figure 1), which monitors the occurrence of disasters. The providing unit 24 is an example of a providing means.

In one example, the providing unit 24 receives from the processing unit 12 the dash-camera video that has been processed to be unclear except for the second portion. The providing unit 24 transmits the processed dash-camera video to the monitoring center 200 via the Internet.

In another example, the providing unit 24 receives a request for processed dashcam footage from the monitoring center 200. In response to the request from the monitoring center 200, the providing unit 24 acquires the dashcam footage, which has been processed to be unclear except for the second portion, from the recording device 300 (FIG. 1). The providing unit 24 transmits the processed dashcam footage to the monitoring center 200 via the Internet.

In addition, the providing unit 24 may also provide the vehicle camera image that has been processed to be unclear except for the first part to the monitoring center 200 upon request from the monitoring center 200.

At the monitoring center 200, the processed vehicle-mounted camera video provided by the providing unit 24 of the video processing device 20 is displayed on a video monitor (not shown). The monitoring person monitors the processed vehicle-mounted camera video while watching the video monitor.

(Operation of the video processing device 20)
The operation of the video processing device 20 according to the present embodiment 2 is common to the operation (FIG. 3) of the video processing device 10 according to the above-mentioned embodiment 1. In the present embodiment 2, the description of the above-mentioned embodiment 1 is cited, and the description of the operation of the video processing device 20 is omitted.

(Effects of this embodiment)
According to the configuration of this embodiment, the acquisition unit 11 acquires vehicle-mounted camera footage captured by a vehicle-mounted camera mounted on a vehicle. When no disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is present, the processing unit 12 processes the acquired vehicle-mounted camera footage to be unclear except for a first portion, while when a disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is present, the processing unit 12 processes the acquired vehicle-mounted camera footage to be unclear except for a second portion wider than the first portion. The output unit 13 outputs the processed vehicle-mounted camera footage. The second portion is wider than the first portion. Conversely, the narrow unclear portion means that the clear portion is wider. In the event of a disaster, a processed vehicle-mounted camera footage is output in which the unclear portion is narrower and the clear portion is wider than in normal times. This makes it possible to provide the vehicle-mounted camera footage obtained from the vehicle-mounted camera to a third party while taking privacy into consideration.

Furthermore, according to the configuration of this embodiment, the providing unit 24 provides the vehicle-mounted camera footage that has been obscured except for the second portion to the monitoring center 200 that monitors the occurrence of a disaster. The monitoring center 200 displays the processed vehicle-mounted camera footage. The monitoring executor monitors the damage situation from the processed vehicle-mounted camera footage while watching the video monitor. The vehicle-mounted camera footage that has been obscured except for the second portion can provide the monitoring executor with information for understanding the condition of roads, etc., while protecting the privacy of ordinary people, etc.

[Embodiment 3]
A third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 7. In the third embodiment, components that execute the same processes as those described in the first or second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the first or second embodiment, and descriptions of those components will be omitted.

In this embodiment 3, a configuration is described in which the width of the second portion in the processed vehicle-mounted camera image is changed stepwise or continuously.

(Video Processing Device 30)
The configuration of the video processing device 30 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the video processing device 30. As shown in Fig. 7, the video processing device 30 includes an acquisition unit 11, a processing unit 12', and an output unit 13. The processing unit 12' of the video processing device 30 is partially different from the processing unit 12 of the video processing devices 10 and 20 according to the first and second embodiments in the content of the processing it performs. The processing performed by the acquisition unit 11 will be described below.

If no disaster has occurred within the area in which the vehicle is present, the processing unit 12' processes the acquired vehicle-mounted camera image to make it unclear except for a first portion. On the other hand, if a disaster has occurred within the area in which the vehicle is present, the processing unit 12' processes the acquired vehicle-mounted camera image to make it unclear except for a second portion that is wider than the first portion.

In the latter case, i.e., when a disaster occurs within the area where the vehicle is located, the processing unit 12' further determines the extent of the damage caused by the disaster occurring within the area where the vehicle is located based on the disaster prevention weather information. The greater the damage caused by the disaster, the wider the second portion is made by the processing unit 12'. In other words, the greater the damage caused by the disaster, the narrower the area to be processed to be unclear in the on-board camera image is made by the processing unit 12'. As a result, the damaged condition of the road is clearly shown in the processed on-board camera image.

Alternatively, in the latter case, the acquisition unit 11 acquires driving information indicating the driving state of the vehicle from the measuring device 100C mounted on the vehicle, together with the on-board camera image. The driving information includes information indicating the vehicle speed. The acquisition unit 11 outputs the driving information indicating the driving state of the vehicle, together with the on-board camera image, to the processing unit 12'.

The processing unit 12' processes the acquired vehicle-mounted camera image to make it unclear, except for a second portion that is wider than the first portion. At this time, the processing unit 12' determines the vehicle speed based on the driving information received from the acquisition unit 11. The processing unit 12' then widens the second portion as the vehicle speed increases. In other words, the processing unit 12' narrows the area to be processed to be unclear in the vehicle-mounted camera image as the vehicle speed increases. When the vehicle speed is high, it is highly likely that the vehicle is traveling on a wide road. Therefore, the area to be processed to be unclear should be narrowed so that the entire damage situation of the wide road is clearly shown in the processed vehicle-mounted camera image.

Conversely, the processing unit 12' may narrow the second portion as the vehicle speed decreases. In particular, when the vehicle stops, the processing unit 12' may make the second portion coincide with the first portion. As long as the vehicle is stopped, no matter how wide the second portion that is not obscured is, the processed vehicle camera image will not provide any new information about the damage situation on the road, while there is a high possibility of violating the privacy of ordinary passersby.

(Operation of video processing device 30)
The operation of the video processing device 30 according to the present embodiment 3 is common to the operation (FIG. 3) of the video processing device 10 according to the above-mentioned embodiment 1. In the present embodiment 3, the description of the above-mentioned embodiment 1 is cited, and the description of the operation of the video processing device 30 is omitted.

(Effects of this embodiment)
According to the configuration of this embodiment, the acquisition unit 11 acquires vehicle-mounted camera footage captured by a vehicle-mounted camera mounted on a vehicle. When no disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is present, the processing unit 12' processes the acquired vehicle-mounted camera footage to be unclear except for a first portion, while when a disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is present, the processing unit 12' processes the acquired vehicle-mounted camera footage to be unclear except for a second portion wider than the first portion. The output unit 13 outputs the processed vehicle-mounted camera footage. The second portion is wider than the first portion. Conversely, the narrow unclear portion means that the clear portion is wider. In the event of a disaster, a processed vehicle-mounted camera footage is output in which the unclear portion is narrower and the clear portion is wider than in normal times. This makes it possible to provide the vehicle-mounted camera footage obtained from the vehicle-mounted camera to a third party while taking privacy into consideration.

Furthermore, according to the configuration of this embodiment, the processing unit 12' further determines the extent of damage caused by a disaster occurring within the area in which the vehicle is located based on disaster prevention weather information, and the greater the damage caused by the disaster, the wider the second portion is made.

Alternatively, the acquisition unit 11 acquires driving information indicating the driving state of the vehicle from the measuring device 100C mounted on the vehicle, along with the on-board camera image. The processing unit 12' determines the vehicle speed based on the driving information, and the higher the vehicle speed, the wider the second portion is made. This allows a third party, such as a local government, to obtain information necessary for recovery and rescue operations from the processed on-board camera image while protecting privacy.

(Hardware configuration)
Each of the components of the video processing devices 10, 20, and 30 described in the first to third embodiments is shown as a functional block. Some or all of these components are realized by an information processing device 900 as shown in Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing device 900.

As shown in FIG. 8, the information processing device 900 includes, as an example, the following configuration:

・CPU (Central Processing Unit) 901
・ROM (Read Only Memory) 902
・RAM (Random Access Memory) 903
Program 904 loaded into RAM 903
A storage device 905 for storing the program 904
A drive device 907 for reading and writing data from and to the recording medium 906
A communication interface 908 for connecting to a communication network 909
An input/output interface 910 for inputting and outputting data
A bus 911 connecting each component
Each of the components of the video processing devices 10, 20, and 30 described in the first to third embodiments is realized by the CPU 901 reading and executing a program 904 that realizes these functions. The program 904 that realizes the functions of each component is, for example, stored in advance in the storage device 905 or the ROM 902, and is loaded into the RAM 903 and executed by the CPU 901 as necessary. The program 904 may be supplied to the CPU 901 via the communication network 909, or may be stored in advance in the recording medium 906, and the drive device 907 may read out the program and supply it to the CPU 901.

According to the above configuration, the image processing devices 10, 20, and 30 described in the first to third embodiments are realized as hardware. Therefore, it is possible to achieve the same effects as those described in any of the first to third embodiments.

[Additional Notes]
One embodiment of the present invention can be described as follows, but is not limited to the following.

(Appendix 1)
An acquisition means for acquiring an on-board camera image captured by an on-board camera mounted on a vehicle;
a processing means for processing the acquired vehicle-mounted camera image to be unclear except for a first portion when no disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is present, and for processing the acquired vehicle-mounted camera image to be unclear except for a second portion wider than the first portion when a disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is present;
and an output means for outputting the processed vehicle-mounted camera image.

(Appendix 2)
The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the processing means acquires position information of the vehicle, and determines the area in which the vehicle is present based on the acquired position information of the vehicle.

(Appendix 3)
The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the processing means acquires disaster prevention weather information and determines whether a disaster has occurred within the area in which the vehicle is located based on the acquired disaster prevention weather information.

(Appendix 4)
The processing means is
Further determining the extent of damage caused by a disaster occurring within the area in which the vehicle is located based on the disaster prevention weather information;
The image processing device according to claim 3, wherein the larger the damage caused by the disaster, the wider the second portion is made.

(Appendix 5)
2. The image processing device according to claim 1, further comprising a providing unit for providing the vehicle-mounted camera image, which has been obscured except for the second portion, to a monitoring center that monitors occurrence of a disaster.

(Appendix 6)
The acquisition means includes:
Searching for vehicles located within a monitoring area, which is an area monitored for occurrence of a disaster by the monitoring center;
The image processing device according to claim 5, further comprising: acquiring the vehicle-mounted camera image captured by the vehicle found within the area to be monitored.

(Appendix 7)
The acquisition means acquires sensor data from a sensor device attached to the vehicle together with the vehicle-mounted camera image,
The image processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the processing means determines whether or not a disaster has occurred within the area in which the vehicle is located based on the sensor data acquired from the sensor device attached to the vehicle.

(Appendix 8)
The acquisition means acquires driving information indicating a driving state of the vehicle from a measuring device mounted on the vehicle together with the vehicle-mounted camera image,
The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the processing means determines a speed of the vehicle based on the driving information, and makes the second portion wider as the speed of the vehicle increases.

(Appendix 9)
The first portion includes at least a part of an area in the vehicle-mounted camera image that shows a road on which the vehicle is traveling,
2. The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the second portion includes at least a portion of an area in the vehicle-mounted camera image that shows a road on which the vehicle is traveling, and includes an area larger than that area.

(Appendix 10)
Acquire vehicle camera footage captured by a vehicle-mounted camera,
When no disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is present, the acquired vehicle-mounted camera image is obscured except for a first portion, whereas when a disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is present, the acquired vehicle-mounted camera image is obscured except for a second portion wider than the first portion;
and outputting the processed vehicle-mounted camera image.

(Appendix 11)
Acquiring an on-board camera image captured by an on-board camera mounted on a vehicle;
When no disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is present, the acquired vehicle-mounted camera image is obscured except for a first portion, whereas when a disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is present, the acquired vehicle-mounted camera image is obscured except for a second portion wider than the first portion;
and outputting the processed vehicle-mounted camera image.

(Appendix 12)
An acquisition means for acquiring an on-board camera image captured by an on-board camera mounted on a vehicle;
a processing means for processing the acquired vehicle-mounted camera image to be unclear except for a first portion when no disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is present, and for processing the acquired vehicle-mounted camera image to be unclear except for a second portion wider than the first portion when a disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is present;
a video processing device including an output means for outputting the processed vehicle-mounted camera video;
A disaster prevention support system comprising: a recording device for storing the processed vehicle-mounted camera video.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments (and examples), the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments (and examples). Various modifications that can be understood by a person skilled in the art can be made to the configurations and details of the above-mentioned embodiments (and examples) within the scope of the present invention.

The present invention can be used, for example, in an image processing device that performs image processing for privacy protection on in-vehicle camera images captured by an in-vehicle camera, and in a disaster prevention support system that, in the event of a disaster, checks for the presence or absence of flooding, sinkholes, cracks, etc. on roads based on in-vehicle camera images.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Disaster prevention support system 10 Image processing device 11 Acquisition unit 12 Processing unit 13 Output unit 20 Image processing device 30 Image processing device 100 Drive recorder 100A Vehicle-mounted camera 100B Sensor device 100C Measuring device 200 Monitoring center 300 Recording device

Claims (14)

An acquisition means for acquiring an on-board camera image captured by an on-board camera mounted on a vehicle;
a processing means for processing the acquired vehicle-mounted camera image to be unclear except for a first portion when no disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is present, and for processing the acquired vehicle-mounted camera image to be unclear except for a second portion wider than the first portion when a disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is present;
an output means for outputting the processed vehicle-mounted camera image ;
The processing means acquires disaster prevention weather information, and determines whether a disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is located based on the acquired disaster prevention weather information.
Image processing device. An acquisition means for acquiring an on-board camera image captured by an on-board camera mounted on a vehicle;
a processing means for processing the acquired vehicle-mounted camera image to be unclear except for a first portion when no disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is present, and for processing the acquired vehicle-mounted camera image to be unclear except for a second portion wider than the first portion when a disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is present;
an output means for outputting the processed vehicle-mounted camera image;
The acquisition means acquires driving information indicating a driving state of the vehicle from a measuring device mounted on the vehicle together with the vehicle-mounted camera image,
The processing means determines a speed of the vehicle based on the travel information, and widens the second portion as the speed of the vehicle increases.
Image processing device. The image processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the processing means acquires position information of the vehicle, and determines the area in which the vehicle is present based on the acquired position information of the vehicle. The image processing device according to claim 2 , wherein the processing means acquires disaster prevention weather information, and determines whether a disaster has occurred within the area in which the vehicle is located based on the acquired disaster prevention weather information . 3. The image processing device according to claim 1, further comprising: a providing unit that provides the vehicle-mounted camera image, which has been obscured except for the second portion, to a monitoring center that monitors occurrence of a disaster. The acquisition means acquires sensor data from a sensor device attached to the vehicle together with the vehicle-mounted camera image,
The image processing device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the processing means determines whether or not a disaster has occurred in the area in which the vehicle is located, based on the sensor data acquired from the sensor device attached to the vehicle . The acquisition means acquires driving information indicating a driving state of the vehicle from a measuring device mounted on the vehicle together with the vehicle-mounted camera image,
The image processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the processing means determines a speed of the vehicle based on the travel information, and widens the second portion as the vehicle speed increases. The first portion includes at least a part of an area in the vehicle-mounted camera image that shows a road on which the vehicle is traveling,
3 . The image processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the second portion includes at least a part of an area in the vehicle-mounted camera image that shows a road on which the vehicle is traveling, and includes an area larger than the area. The computer
Acquire vehicle camera footage captured by a vehicle-mounted camera,
When no disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is present, the acquired vehicle-mounted camera image is obscured except for a first portion, whereas when a disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is present, the acquired vehicle-mounted camera image is obscured except for a second portion wider than the first portion;
A video processing method for outputting the processed vehicle-mounted camera video,
The computer acquires disaster prevention weather information, and determines whether a disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is located based on the acquired disaster prevention weather information.
Image processing method. The computer
Acquire vehicle camera footage captured by a vehicle-mounted camera,
When no disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is present, the acquired vehicle-mounted camera image is obscured except for a first portion, whereas when a disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is present, the acquired vehicle-mounted camera image is obscured except for a second portion wider than the first portion;
A video processing method for outputting the processed vehicle-mounted camera video,
The computer acquires driving information indicating the driving state of the vehicle from a measuring device mounted on the vehicle together with the on-board camera image,
The computer determines a speed of the vehicle based on the driving information, and widens the second portion as the speed of the vehicle increases.
Image processing method. Acquiring an on-board camera image captured by an on-board camera mounted on a vehicle;
When no disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is present, the acquired vehicle-mounted camera image is obscured except for a first portion, whereas when a disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is present, the acquired vehicle-mounted camera image is obscured except for a second portion wider than the first portion;
and outputting the processed vehicle-mounted camera image.
acquiring disaster prevention weather information, and determining whether a disaster has occurred within the area in which the vehicle is located based on the acquired disaster prevention weather information;
A program for causing the computer to execute the above . Acquiring an on-board camera image captured by an on-board camera mounted on a vehicle;
When no disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is present, the acquired vehicle-mounted camera image is obscured except for a first portion, whereas when a disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is present, the acquired vehicle-mounted camera image is obscured except for a second portion wider than the first portion;
and outputting the processed vehicle-mounted camera image.
Acquiring driving information indicating a driving state of the vehicle from a measuring device mounted on the vehicle together with the vehicle-mounted camera image;
A speed of the vehicle is determined based on the travel information, and the second portion is made wider as the speed of the vehicle increases.
A program for causing the computer to execute the above. An acquisition means for acquiring an on-board camera image captured by an on-board camera mounted on a vehicle;
a processing means for processing the acquired vehicle-mounted camera image to be unclear except for a first portion when no disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is present, and for processing the acquired vehicle-mounted camera image to be unclear except for a second portion wider than the first portion when a disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is present;
a video processing device including an output means for outputting the processed vehicle-mounted camera video;
a recording device for storing the processed vehicle-mounted camera image ;
The processing means acquires disaster prevention weather information, and determines whether a disaster has occurred in the area where the vehicle is located based on the acquired disaster prevention weather information.
Disaster prevention support system. An acquisition means for acquiring an on-board camera image captured by an on-board camera mounted on a vehicle;
a processing means for processing the acquired vehicle-mounted camera image to be unclear except for a first portion when no disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is present, and for processing the acquired vehicle-mounted camera image to be unclear except for a second portion wider than the first portion when a disaster has occurred within the area where the vehicle is present;
and an output means for outputting the processed vehicle-mounted camera image.
A video processing device;
a recording device for storing the processed vehicle-mounted camera image;
The acquisition means acquires driving information indicating a driving state of the vehicle from a measuring device mounted on the vehicle together with the vehicle-mounted camera image,
The processing means determines a speed of the vehicle based on the travel information, and widens the second portion as the speed of the vehicle increases.
Disaster prevention support system.

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