JP7704582B2 - IMAGE SHARING DEVICE, IMAGE SHARING METHOD, AND PROGRAM - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image sharing device, an image sharing method, and a program.

Currently, a system known as VICS (Vehicle Information and Communication System) (registered trademark) is available that provides traffic congestion information to vehicles traveling on roads. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that provides voice guidance based on acquired VICS information.

JP 2017-045377 A

By referring to VICS information, users who are driving a car can grasp the length of a traffic jam and the level of congestion. However, it is difficult for users to grasp the actual traffic situation, such as whether the traffic is moving or has come to a complete halt, using VICS information alone.

Therefore, the present invention aims to provide technology that allows users to more accurately grasp traffic congestion conditions.

An image sharing device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a storage unit that stores congestion management information that manages the locations of consecutive congestion on a road and image information that manages congestion images captured of the congestion, a receiving unit that receives from a user device location information indicating the current location of the user device and congestion images captured by the user device, and a transmitting unit that transmits to the user device a congestion image captured by another user device of a congestion corresponding to the current location of the user device based on the congestion management information and the image information.

The present invention provides technology that allows users to more accurately grasp traffic congestion conditions.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system configuration of an image sharing system. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which a traffic congestion image is shared between users. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of an image sharing device and an in-vehicle device. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional block configuration of an image sharing device. FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a user management DB. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of congestion information. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a traffic jam image DB. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional block configuration of an in-vehicle device. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure performed by the image sharing device. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure performed by an in-vehicle device. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display.

The embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. In each drawing, the same reference numerals are used to denote the same or similar configurations.

<System Configuration>
1 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration of an image sharing system 1. The image sharing system 1 includes an image sharing device 10 and one or more in-vehicle devices 20. The image sharing device 10 and the in-vehicle devices 20 are connected via a communication network N and can communicate with each other.

The image sharing device 10 acquires traffic congestion information provided by VICS or a third party, and manages locations on roads where continuous congestion occurs based on the acquired traffic congestion information. The image sharing device 10 also enables traffic congestion images taken by a user (driver)'s in-vehicle device 20 to be shared among multiple users. The image sharing device 10 may be configured from one or multiple physical servers, or may be configured using a virtual server that operates on a hypervisor, or may be configured using a cloud server. The image sharing device 10 may be an example of an information processing device.

The in-vehicle device 20 transmits traffic congestion images captured by a camera mounted on or connected to the in-vehicle device 20 to the image sharing device 10. The in-vehicle device 20 is, for example, a drive recorder, digital mirror, and car navigation system mounted on the vehicle, a smartphone, tablet terminal, mobile phone, etc. used by a user (driver, etc.) in the vehicle. The in-vehicle device 20 also displays the traffic congestion images received from the image sharing device 10 on a display provided in the in-vehicle device 20. The in-vehicle device 20 or a vehicle equipped with the in-vehicle device 20 may be an example of a user device.

Figure 2 is a diagram showing how traffic jam images are shared between users. For example, assume that a traffic jam occurs in a specific traffic jam section of road R. As shown in Figure 2, the in-vehicle device 20 of a vehicle traveling in the traffic jam uploads a traffic jam image captured by a camera to the image sharing device 10. In addition, a user who wishes to refer to the traffic jam image downloads the traffic jam image captured by the in-vehicle device 20 of another vehicle from the image sharing device 10 and displays it on the display of the in-vehicle device 20 of the user's vehicle. This allows, for example, a user of a vehicle (e.g., vehicle V7) traveling behind the traffic jam to know the extent of the traffic jam (whether the traffic is moving or completely stopped, etc.) by referring to the traffic jam image captured by the in-vehicle device 20 of another vehicle (e.g., vehicle V3) in the traffic jam.

In this embodiment, when a user wants to refer to a traffic jam image, the user provides the traffic jam image captured by the user's in-vehicle device 20 to the image sharing device 10. In addition, the user who provided the traffic jam image can refer to traffic jam images captured by other users' in-vehicle devices 20.

In addition, in this embodiment, if a user has the authority to refer to a traffic jam image, the traffic jam image may be able to be referred to without being provided. The authority to refer to a traffic jam image may be granted to a user, for example, in a case where a traffic jam image is provided in order to refer to the traffic jam image, but the traffic jam image cannot be referred to because the traffic jam image has not been uploaded to the image sharing device 10. Hereinafter, the right to refer to a traffic jam image is referred to as the "right to refer."

The reference right also specifies the number of times the traffic congestion image can be referenced (number of reference rights). For example, a user with three reference rights can reference the traffic congestion image three times. Note that, no matter how many times the traffic congestion image is referenced within the same traffic congestion section, it may be treated as having been referenced once. Also, if the traffic congestion image cannot be referenced because it has not been uploaded to the image sharing device 10, the user may be granted a predetermined number of reference rights (e.g., one or two times). Also, the reference right may be purchaseable by paying a predetermined amount (e.g., 100 yen per reference right).

In addition, in this embodiment, the "traffic jam image" may include not only a still image but also a moving image. Furthermore, the moving image may be a moving image of a predetermined time length (for example, a moving image of about 10 seconds).

<Hardware Configuration>
3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the image sharing device 10 and the in-vehicle device 20. The image sharing device 10 and the in-vehicle device 20 each include a processor 11 such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a graphical processing unit (GPU), a storage device 12 such as a memory, a hard disk drive (HDD) and/or a solid state drive (SSD), a communication interface (IF) 13 for wired or wireless communication, an input device 14 for accepting various inputs, and an output device 15 for outputting information. The input device 14 is, for example, a keyboard, a touch panel, a camera (photographing device), a sensor, a mouse, and/or a microphone. The output device 15 is, for example, a display, a touch panel, and/or a speaker.

<Function block configuration>
(Image sharing device)
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a functional block configuration of the image sharing device 10. The image sharing device 10 includes a memory unit 100, a receiving unit 101, a storage unit 102, a transmission unit 103, and an authority management unit 104. The memory unit 100 can be realized by using a storage device 12 provided in the image sharing device 10. The receiving unit 101, the storage unit 102, the transmission unit 103, and the authority management unit 104 can be realized by the processor 11 of the image sharing device 10 executing a program stored in the storage device 12. The program can be stored in a storage medium. The storage medium storing the program may be a non-transitory computer readable storage medium. The non-transitory storage medium is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a storage medium such as a USB memory or a CD-ROM.

The storage unit 100 stores a user management DB 100a that manages users who share images. The storage unit 100 also stores traffic congestion information 100b (traffic congestion management information) that manages the locations of continuous traffic congestion on roads, and a traffic congestion image DB 100c (image information) that manages captured images of traffic congestion.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of the user management DB 100a. "User ID" is an identifier that uniquely identifies a user who uses the image sharing device 10. "Current location" is information indicating the current location of the in-vehicle device 20 used by the user. The current location of the in-vehicle device 20 may be expressed, for example, by latitude and longitude, or by a road link. "Number of reference rights" indicates the number of reference rights that the user has to refer to traffic congestion images. Furthermore, when expressed by road links, in order to more accurately express the location of the in-vehicle device 20, in addition to the identifier of the road link, information indicating the distance from the link end may be added.

Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of the traffic congestion information 100b. The "traffic congestion ID" is an identifier that uniquely identifies continuous traffic congestion on a road. Note that continuous traffic congestion on a road means one consolidated traffic congestion section on the road (for example, the traffic congestion section in Figure 2). Even if the same road is interrupted, it does not fall under "continuous traffic congestion on a road". The criteria for determining that traffic congestion is interrupted are arbitrary, but it may be determined that traffic congestion is interrupted when a non-congested section on the same road continues for a predetermined distance (for example, 5 km). For example, assume that there are two traffic congestions on road X, between the 10 km point and the 15 km point and between the 30 km point and the 40 km point. In this case, one traffic congestion ID (for example, ID = A) is assigned to the traffic congestion between the 10 km point and the 15 km point, and one traffic congestion ID (for example, ID = B) is assigned to the traffic congestion between the 30 km point and the 40 km point. "Congested road information" is information that indicates the location of continuous congestion on a road. Congested road information may be expressed, for example, as the ID of a road link used in map data or the VICS ID used in VICS.

Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of the traffic jam image DB 100c. "Traffic jam image ID" is information for uniquely identifying a traffic jam image in the traffic jam image DB 100c. A different traffic jam image ID is assigned each time a traffic jam image is uploaded. "Traffic jam ID" is the same as the traffic jam ID in the traffic jam information 100b. "Providing user ID" indicates the user ID of the user who provided the traffic jam image. "Traffic jam image data" stores image data provided by the in-vehicle device 20. "Photographing location" stores data indicating the location (e.g. latitude and longitude) where the traffic jam image was photographed. "Receiving date and time" indicates the date and time when the image sharing device 10 received the traffic jam image data from the in-vehicle device 20.

The receiving unit 101 receives from the in-vehicle device 20 location information indicating the current location of the in-vehicle device 20 and traffic congestion images captured by the in-vehicle device 20.

The storage unit 102 stores the traffic jam image captured by the in-vehicle device 20 received by the receiving unit 101 in the traffic jam image DB 100c in association with the traffic jam at the current position of the in-vehicle device 20. More specifically, the storage unit 102 refers to the "congested road information" in the traffic jam information 100b and checks whether the current position of the in-vehicle device 20 (i.e., the current position where the user is traveling) is included in a continuous traffic jam. If included, the storage unit 102 obtains the traffic jam ID of the traffic jam corresponding to the current position of the in-vehicle device 20 from the "congested road information" in the traffic jam information 100b, and stores the traffic jam ID and the traffic jam image in association with each other in the traffic jam image DB 100c.

Based on the traffic congestion information 100b and the traffic congestion image DB 100c, the transmission unit 103 transmits to the in-vehicle device 20 a traffic congestion image captured by another in-vehicle device 20 mounted on another vehicle, of a traffic congestion corresponding to the current position of the in-vehicle device 20. In addition, when the reception unit 101 receives a traffic congestion image captured by another in-vehicle device 20, or when the user using the in-vehicle device 20 has the right to view the traffic congestion image, the transmission unit 103 may transmit to the in-vehicle device 20 a traffic congestion image captured of a traffic congestion corresponding to the current position of the in-vehicle device 20.

The authority management unit 104 manages the "reference rights" of the user who uses the in-vehicle device 20 by referring to and updating the user management DB 100a. In addition, when the reception unit 101 receives a traffic jam image captured by the in-vehicle device 20 and there is no traffic jam image that can be provided to the in-vehicle device 20, the authority management unit 104 may increase the reference rights of the user who uses the in-vehicle device 20 by a predetermined number (for example, increase the number of reference rights by 1).

In addition, when a user using the in-vehicle device 20 has a reference right and the receiving unit 101 does not receive a traffic congestion image captured by the in-vehicle device 20, but transmits a traffic congestion image captured of a traffic congestion corresponding to the current position of the in-vehicle device 20, the authority management unit 104 may reduce the reference right of the user using the in-vehicle device 20 by a predetermined number (for example, subtract one from the number of reference rights).

(In-vehicle device)
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a functional block configuration of the in-vehicle device 20. The in-vehicle device 20 includes a storage unit 200, a position reporting unit 201, an image capturing unit 202, a transmission unit 203, a reception unit 204, a display control unit 205, and an operation reception unit 206. The storage unit 200 can be realized by using the storage unit 12 provided in the in-vehicle device 20. The position reporting unit 201, the image capturing unit 202, the transmission unit 203, the reception unit 204, the display control unit 205, and the operation reception unit 206 can be realized by the processor 11 of the in-vehicle device 20 executing a program stored in the storage unit 12. The program can be stored in a storage medium. The storage medium storing the program may be a computer-readable non-transient storage medium. The non-transient storage medium is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a storage medium such as a USB memory or a CD-ROM.

The storage unit 200 stores image data downloaded from the image sharing device 10 and image data captured by the image capture unit 202.

The position reporting unit 201 transmits information indicating the current position of the in-vehicle device 20, which is measured using a GPS, a vehicle speed sensor, a gyro sensor, etc., provided in the in-vehicle device 20, to the image sharing device 10. The photographing unit 202 uses a camera to photograph images of the surroundings (e.g., the front) of the in-vehicle device 20, and stores the photographed images in the memory unit 200.

The transmission unit 203 transmits information indicating the current position of the in-vehicle device 20 and captured images (traffic jam images) to the image sharing device 10.

The receiving unit 204 receives traffic congestion images, etc. from the image sharing device 10.

The display control unit 205 displays the traffic congestion image received from the image sharing device 10 on the display.

The operation reception unit 206 receives various operation instructions from the user, such as instructions to receive traffic congestion images and whether or not to provide traffic congestion images.

<Processing Procedure>
Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure performed by the image sharing device 10. In the following description, it is assumed that the user management DB 100a, the traffic congestion information 100b, and the traffic congestion image DB 100c store the data shown in Figs. 5, 6, and 7, respectively.

In step S101, the receiver 101 receives a request to transmit a traffic congestion image from the in-vehicle device 20. The transmission request includes a user ID.

In step S102, the authority management unit 104 refers to the user management DB 100a and checks the number of reference authorities of the user ID received in step S101. If the number of reference authorities is 1 or more, the process proceeds to step S107 . If the number of reference authorities is zero, the process proceeds to step S103.

In step S103, the transmission unit 103 transmits a notification to the in-vehicle device 20 that the user does not have permission to view. Next, the reception unit 101 receives information from the in-vehicle device 20 indicating that the user either permits or does not permit the provision of the captured traffic jam images. If the reception unit 101 receives information that permits the provision of traffic jam images, the process proceeds to step S104, and if the reception unit 101 receives information that does not permit the provision of traffic jam images, the process ends.

In step S104, the receiving unit 101 receives from the vehicle-mounted device 20 a traffic jam image captured by the vehicle-mounted device 20 and information indicating the current position of the vehicle-mounted device 20. The storage unit 102 matches the congested road information in the traffic jam information 100b with the current position of the vehicle-mounted device 20, and searches for the traffic jam ID of the traffic jam in which the vehicle-mounted device 20 is caught. The storage unit 102 also associates the searched traffic jam ID, the user ID, the image data of the received traffic jam image, the date and time when the image data was received, and the newly generated traffic jam image ID, and stores them in the traffic jam image DB 100c.

In step S105, the transmission unit 103 refers to the traffic jam image DB 100c, and searches for traffic jam image data (i.e., traffic jam images uploaded by other users) of records having the traffic jam ID of the traffic jam in which the in-vehicle device 20 is caught, searched for in step S104, and in which the providing user ID is different from the user ID received in step S101. If the traffic jam image data does not exist, the process proceeds to step S106, and if the traffic jam image data exists, the process proceeds to step S109.

In step S106, the authority management unit 104 adds a predetermined number of reference authorities to the number of reference authorities of the user. In addition, the transmission unit 103 transmits a message to the in-vehicle device 20 indicating that the reference authority is being granted. The predetermined number to be added may be 1, or may be set so that a larger number is added as the resolution of the traffic congestion image received in step S104 is higher.

In step S107, the transmission unit 103 refers to the traffic jam image DB 100c, and searches for the presence or absence of traffic jam image data (i.e., traffic jam images uploaded by other users) in records having the traffic jam ID of the traffic jam in which the in-vehicle device 20 is caught, and in which the providing user ID is different from the user ID received in step S101. If the traffic jam image data does not exist, the process ends, and if the traffic jam image data exists, the process proceeds to step S108.

In step S108, the authority management unit 104 subtracts a predetermined number of reference authorities from the number of reference authorities of the user. The predetermined number to be subtracted may be 1, or may be determined so that the higher the resolution of the traffic congestion image transmitted to the in-vehicle device 20, the larger the number to be subtracted.

In step S109, the transmission unit 103 transmits the traffic congestion image data searched in the processing procedure of step S105 or step S107 to the in-vehicle device 20. In addition, if multiple traffic congestion image data are searched in the processing procedure of step S105 or step S107, the transmission unit 103 may transmit a traffic congestion image data list (for example, a list indicating the shooting position or a list of thumbnails, etc.) to the in-vehicle device 20 to allow the user to select a traffic congestion image, and transmit the traffic congestion image data selected by the user to the in-vehicle device 20. As another example, when multiple traffic congestion image data are searched, the transmission unit 103 may select one of the traffic congestion image data based on the time when the traffic congestion image was uploaded, the positional relationship between the position where the traffic congestion image data was uploaded and the in-vehicle device 20, the resolution of the traffic congestion image data, etc., and transmit it to the in-vehicle device 20. For example, when multiple traffic congestion image data are searched, the transmission unit 103 may select the traffic congestion image data with the most recent upload time, the traffic congestion image data whose upload position is on a road in the traveling direction of the in-vehicle device 20, or the traffic congestion image data with the highest resolution, and transmit it to the in-vehicle device 20.

In step S110, the transmission unit 103 repeats the processing procedure of step S109 until the in-vehicle device 20 (the vehicle equipped with the in-vehicle device 20) leaves the traffic jam or the in-vehicle device 20 requests that the transmission of the traffic jam image be stopped. When the in-vehicle device 20 leaves the traffic jam or the in-vehicle device 20 requests that the transmission of the traffic jam image be stopped, the processing ends. Note that after the processing procedure of step S101, the reception unit 101 may periodically receive the current position from the in-vehicle device 20. In addition, the transmission unit 103 may periodically match the congested road information of the traffic jam information 100b with the current position of the in-vehicle device 20 to detect that the in-vehicle device 20 has left the traffic jam.

In the above-described processing procedure, the transmission unit 103 may search for a traffic jam image by replacing the "traffic jam ID of the traffic jam in which the in-vehicle device 20 is caught" in the processing procedure of steps S105 and S107 with the "traffic jam ID of the traffic jam occurring within a predetermined range (e.g., a radius of 10 km) from the current position of the in-vehicle device 20." In other words, the transmission unit 103 may be capable of transmitting to the in-vehicle device 20 a traffic jam image of a traffic jam occurring within a predetermined range from the current position of the in-vehicle device 20 in addition to a traffic jam image of a traffic jam in which the in-vehicle device 20 is currently caught. In this case, since a large number of traffic jam images may be searched for, a traffic jam image data list (e.g., a list showing the shooting positions or a list of thumbnails) may be transmitted to the in-vehicle device 20 to allow the user to select traffic jam image data, and the traffic jam image data selected by the user may be transmitted to the in-vehicle device 20.

Figure 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure performed by the in-vehicle device 20. In the following explanation, it is assumed that the data shown in Figures 5, 6, and 7 are stored in the user management DB 100a, traffic congestion information 100b, and traffic congestion image DB 100c, respectively.

In step S201, when the transmission unit 203 receives a request from a user to view a traffic congestion image (screen D10 in FIG. 11), the transmission unit 203 transmits a request to transmit the traffic congestion image, including the user ID, to the image sharing device 10.

If the number of reference authorities for the user is zero in step S202, the receiving unit 204 receives a notification from the image sharing device 10 that the user does not have reference authorities. If the notification is received, the process proceeds to step S205; if not, the process proceeds to step S203.

In step S203, the receiving unit 204 determines whether or not a traffic jam image or a screen for accepting the selection of a traffic jam image has been received from the image sharing device 10. If not, the process ends. If received, the process proceeds to step S204.

In step S204, the display control unit 205 displays the received traffic congestion image on the display (screen D14 in FIG. 11). If a screen for selecting a traffic congestion image has been received, the display control unit 112 displays the screen for selecting a traffic congestion image on the display (screen D13 in FIG. 11). Next, the transmission unit 203 notifies the image sharing device 10 of the selection result of the traffic congestion image accepted from the user, and the reception unit 204 receives the traffic congestion image selected by the user from the image sharing device 10. The display control unit 205 displays the received traffic congestion image on the display (screen D14 in FIG. 11).

In step S205, the display control unit 205 displays on the display a screen indicating that there is no access authority and accepting the choice of whether or not to allow the provision of the captured traffic congestion image (screen D11 in FIG. 11). If the operation reception unit 206 receives an instruction from the user to allow the provision of the captured traffic congestion image, the operation proceeds to step S206. If the operation reception unit 206 receives an instruction from the user to not allow the provision of the captured traffic congestion image, the transmission unit 203 transmits a notification to the image sharing device 10 that the provision of the traffic congestion image is not allowed, and ends the process.

In step S206, the transmitting unit 203 transmits a notification to the image sharing device 10 that the provision of the captured traffic jam image is permitted. Next, the receiving unit 204 receives either a traffic jam image (or a screen that accepts the selection of a traffic jam image) or a message indicating that reference authority is being granted. If a traffic jam image (or a screen that accepts the selection of a traffic jam image) is received, the process proceeds to step S204, and if a message indicating that reference authority is being granted is received, the process proceeds to step S207. Note that a case in which a message indicating that reference authority is being granted is received refers to a case in which no traffic jam image that can be transmitted to the in-vehicle device 20 exists in the processing procedure of step S105 in FIG. 9.

In step S207, the display control unit 205 displays a message on the display indicating that viewing authority is being granted (screen D12 in FIG. 11).

<Modification>
In the processing procedure of steps S105 and S109 in Fig. 9, the transmission unit 103 may refer to the traffic jam image DB 100c, and search for traffic jam image data of a record having a traffic jam ID of the traffic jam in which the in-vehicle device 20 is caught, searched for in step S104, in which the provided user ID is different from the user ID received in step S101, and further, the presence or absence of a traffic jam image taken by an in-vehicle device 20 traveling at least ahead of the in-vehicle device 20 along the traveling direction on the road on which the in-vehicle device 20 is traveling. Also, in the processing procedure of step S109, the transmission unit 103 may transmit a traffic jam image taken by an in-vehicle device 20 traveling at least ahead of the in-vehicle device 20. This allows the user to more accurately grasp the state of the traffic jam.

A traffic jam image managed by the image sharing device 10 may be associated with a predetermined value. The predetermined value associated with the traffic jam image may differ depending on the type of vehicle that captured the image. For example, a traffic jam image captured from a higher position, such as a truck or bus, may be set to have a higher value. Furthermore, when referencing a traffic jam image with a high value, a large number of reference rights may be deducted, or the image may be made available by paying a predetermined fee (e.g., a monetary amount).

The image displayed on the in-vehicle device 20 may be a video captured in real time by another in-vehicle device 20, such as a live camera.

The receiving unit 101 of the image sharing device 10 may be configured to repeatedly receive traffic congestion images from the vehicle-mounted device 20 at a predetermined interval (e.g., 1-minute intervals, 5-minute intervals, 10-minute intervals, etc.) while the current position of the vehicle-mounted device 20 is on a road corresponding to the same congestion ID. In addition, the transmitting unit 103 of the image sharing device 10 may be configured to instruct the vehicle-mounted device 20 to stop transmitting traffic congestion images when the current position of the vehicle-mounted device 20 moves away from the road corresponding to the same congestion ID.

In the processing procedure of step S102 in FIG. 9, if a user who has a reference authority wishes to upload a traffic jam image without using the reference authority, the image sharing device 10 may proceed from step S102 to step S103.

The reference authority may be associated with the range in which traffic congestion images can be referenced and the type of traffic congestion images that can be referenced. For example, reference authority to reference traffic congestion images within a 30 km radius of the vehicle's position, authority to reference only low-resolution traffic congestion images, or authority to reference high-resolution traffic congestion images may be defined.

<Summary>
According to the embodiment described above, a user who is traveling on a congested road can refer to the traffic congestion image captured by another user's in-vehicle device 20. This allows the user to grasp the traffic congestion situation more accurately.

The above-described embodiments are intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The flow charts, sequences, elements included in the embodiments, and their arrangements, materials, conditions, shapes, sizes, etc., described in the embodiments are not limited to those exemplified, and may be modified as appropriate. In addition, configurations shown in different embodiments may be partially substituted or combined.

1...Image sharing system, 10...Image sharing device, 11...Processor, 12...Storage device, 13...Communication IF, 14...Input device, 15...Output device, 20...In-vehicle device, 100...Memory unit, 100a...User management DB, 100b...Traffic congestion information, 100c...Traffic congestion image DB, 101...Receiving unit, 102...Storage unit, 103...Transmitting unit, 104...Authority management unit, 200...Memory unit, 201...Position reporting unit, 202...Photographing unit, 203...Transmitting unit, 204...Receiving unit, 205...Display control unit, 206...Operation reception unit

Claims (5)

a storage unit for storing congestion management information for managing locations of continuous congestion on a road and image information for managing images of the congestion;
an authority management unit that manages the number of reference rights of a user who uses a user device to reference congestion information;
A receiving unit that receives, from the user device, location information indicating a current location of the user device and a traffic congestion image captured by the user device;
a storage unit that stores a traffic congestion image captured by the user device and received by the receiving unit in the image information in association with a traffic congestion at a current location of the user device;
A transmission unit that transmits to the user device a traffic congestion image captured by another user device of a traffic congestion corresponding to a current location of the user device based on the number of reference rights of a user using the user device, the traffic congestion management information, and the image information;
having
The transmission unit transmits a traffic congestion image captured by the user device when the reception unit receives the traffic congestion image captured by the user device, or when the number of the reference rights of the user who uses the user device is 1 or more.
Image sharing device. the authority management unit receives a traffic congestion image captured by the user device at the receiving unit, and when there is no traffic congestion image that can be provided to the user device, increases the number of the reference rights of the user who uses the user device.
The image sharing device according to claim 1 . the authority management unit, when the number of the reference rights of the user using the user device is 1 or more, and when the receiving unit does not receive a traffic image captured by the user device but transmits a traffic image captured of a traffic jam corresponding to a current location of the user device, reduces the number of the reference rights of the user using the user device.
3. The image sharing device according to claim 1 or 2 . An image sharing method performed by an image sharing device, comprising:
storing, in a storage unit, congestion management information for managing locations of continuous congestion on a road and image information for managing images of the congestion;
managing the number of reference rights of a user who uses a user device to reference congestion information;
receiving, from the user device, location information indicating a current location of the user device and a traffic congestion image captured by the user device;
storing the traffic congestion image captured by the user device received in the receiving step in the image information in association with the traffic congestion at a current location of the user device;
A step of transmitting, to the user device, a traffic congestion image captured by another user device of a traffic congestion corresponding to a current location of the user device based on the number of reference rights of the user using the user device, the traffic congestion management information, and the image information;
Including,
The transmitting step transmits a traffic congestion image corresponding to a current location of the user device when the traffic congestion image captured by the user device is received in the receiving step or when the number of the reference rights of the user who uses the user device is 1 or more.
How to share images. On the computer,
storing, in a storage unit, congestion management information for managing locations of continuous congestion on a road and image information for managing images of the congestion;
managing the number of reference rights of a user who uses a user device to reference congestion information;
receiving, from the user device, location information indicating a current location of the user device and a traffic congestion image captured by the user device;
storing the traffic congestion image captured by the user device received in the receiving step in the image information in association with the traffic congestion at a current location of the user device;
A step of transmitting, to the user device, a traffic congestion image captured by another user device of a traffic congestion corresponding to a current location of the user device based on the number of reference rights of the user using the user device, the traffic congestion management information, and the image information;
Run the command ,
The transmitting step transmits a traffic congestion image corresponding to a current location of the user device when the traffic congestion image captured by the user device is received in the receiving step or when the number of the reference rights of the user who uses the user device is 1 or more.
program.

Images