JP7694345B2 - Information processing device and information processing method - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to video sharing services.

Technology has been proposed for sharing in-vehicle video captured by a drive recorder among multiple users. In this regard, Patent Document 1 discloses a system for sharing video captured by a first vehicle with a user of a second vehicle.

JP 2019-106097 A

The purpose of this disclosure is to improve convenience for vehicle users.

A first aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing device having a control unit that executes the following operations: acquiring evaluation information, which is information regarding evaluation actions taken by a second user on a video that was captured by an in-vehicle camera and uploaded to a video sharing service by a first user; and generating a driving route for a specified vehicle based on the evaluation information.

A second aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing device having a control unit that executes the following operations: acquiring evaluation information, which is information regarding an evaluation action taken by a second user on a video that was captured by an in-vehicle camera and uploaded to a video sharing service by a first user; and evaluating at least a portion of a driving route that corresponds to the video, based on the timing at which the evaluation action was taken on the timeline of the video.

A third aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing method including the steps of acquiring evaluation information, which is information regarding evaluation actions taken by a second user on a video that was captured by an in-vehicle camera and uploaded to a video sharing service by a first user, and generating a driving route for a specified vehicle based on the evaluation information.

A fourth aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing method including the steps of acquiring evaluation information, which is information regarding an evaluation action taken by a second user on a video that was captured by an in-vehicle camera and uploaded to a video sharing service by a first user, and evaluating at least a portion of a driving route that corresponds to the video based on the timing at which the evaluation action was taken on the timeline of the video.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is a program for causing a computer to execute the above-mentioned information processing method, or a computer-readable storage medium that non-temporarily stores the program.

This disclosure can improve convenience for vehicle users.

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of a video sharing system. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing components of a drive recorder 100. 2 is a diagram for explaining data stored in the drive recorder 100; FIG. 2 shows components of a user terminal 200. 2 is a diagram for explaining a video editing function provided by a user terminal 200. 4 is a diagram for explaining drive recorder data generated by a user terminal 200. FIG. 3 shows components of a server device 300. An example of a video sharing service screen. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a route corresponding to an in-vehicle video. 3 shows an example of a video database stored in the server device 300. 3 shows an example of an evaluation database stored in the server device 300. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a road segment. 4 is a flowchart of a process executed by the drive recorder 100. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing the process of uploading dashcam data. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing a process for evaluating an in-vehicle video. 5 is a flowchart of a process for updating a map database in the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing a process in which the server device 300 generates a route. 10 is a flowchart of a process for updating a map database in the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the results of the processing performed in step S45. 13 shows an example of a video database according to the third embodiment. 13 shows an example of a map database according to the third embodiment.

Conventionally, to extract video from a dashcam, it was necessary to copy the files via media such as a memory card. However, in recent years, many dashcams that allow wireless connections have been sold. This makes it easier to share recorded videos with others (for example, by uploading them to a video sharing site). In the following explanation, videos captured by in-vehicle cameras such as dashcams will be referred to as in-vehicle videos.

When multiple in-vehicle videos are made public, it becomes possible, for example, to preview a driving route in advance, thereby improving convenience for users who drive automobiles.
The information processing device according to the present disclosure further improves user convenience by utilizing evaluations given by third parties to in-vehicle videos.

An information processing device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is characterized in that it acquires evaluation information, which is information regarding evaluation actions taken by a second user with respect to a video that was captured by an in-vehicle camera and uploaded to a video sharing service by a first user.

The rating information is information on the rating action taken by the second user on the uploaded in-vehicle video. The rating action is an action for rating the in-vehicle video, and is typically the action of pressing a button for rating (e.g., a like button). The rating information may include information for identifying the target in-vehicle video, as well as the content of the rating (high rating, low rating, or score).

An information processing device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is characterized in that it evaluates at least a portion of the driving route corresponding to the video based on the timing at which the evaluation action was performed on the timeline of the video.

The evaluation information may include information (e.g., timestamp information) regarding the timing of the evaluation action on the video timeline. In this manner, it is possible to identify which point (or road section) was evaluated. This makes it possible to pinpoint evaluations of points and road sections included in a route. In addition, by integrating evaluations submitted by multiple users, it becomes possible to assign an overall evaluation value to a specific point or road section.

Moreover, the information processing device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is characterized in that it generates a driving route for a predetermined vehicle based on the evaluation information.
The generated driving route may be presented to a third user. By generating a driving route that passes through points or road sections with higher evaluation values, it is possible to present a route that provides a higher level of satisfaction to the third user.

Specific embodiments of the present disclosure are described below with reference to the drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the hardware configuration, module configuration, functional configuration, etc. described in each embodiment are not intended to limit the technical scope of the disclosure to only those.

First Embodiment
An overview of a video sharing system according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
The video sharing system according to the present embodiment is a system used by a first user, a second user, and a third user. The first user is a user who shoots in-vehicle videos and uploads them to the server device 300. The first user is associated with a drive recorder 100 and a user terminal 200, and the first user uploads the in-vehicle videos using the user terminal 200.
The second user is a user who watches the in-vehicle video uploaded by the first user. The second user can perform an action of giving a rating to the uploaded in-vehicle video (for example, by pressing a like button) (hereinafter, a rating action).
The third user is a user who receives a route generated by the server device 300 using the result of the evaluation made by the second user. At least a user terminal 200 is associated with the third user.

The drive recorder 100 is a device that is installed in a vehicle and captures moving images. The drive recorder 100 continuously captures moving images while the vehicle is traveling and stores the captured images in a storage device.
The user terminal 200 is a mobile terminal used by a user associated with a vehicle. The user terminal 200 has a function of connecting to the drive recorder 100 and acquiring the in-vehicle video. The user terminal 200 can connect to the drive recorder 100 by wireless connection and acquire the in-vehicle video. The user terminal 200 also has a function of uploading the acquired in-vehicle video to the server device 300.
Furthermore, the user terminal 200 has a function of performing route search by accessing the server device 300. A first user can upload an in-vehicle video by using the user terminal 200, and a third user can perform route search by using the user terminal 200.

The server device 300 is a server device that provides a video sharing service and a route search service. The server device 300 can store and publish in-vehicle videos uploaded by the user terminal 200 owned by the first user. The server device 300 may be configured to be able to execute a web service for sharing in-vehicle videos. A second user can view in-vehicle videos uploaded by multiple first users by accessing the web service.
The server device 300 is also configured to be able to acquire an evaluation of the in-vehicle video made by the second user. When the second user performs an evaluation action on a specific in-vehicle video, the server device 300 acquires the content of the evaluation and stores it in association with the in-vehicle video. Furthermore, the server device 300 assigns an evaluation value to a point (or a road segment) on the route corresponding to the in-vehicle video based on the evaluation made by the second user.

Furthermore, the server device 300 calculates a route to be provided to the third user based on the evaluation values assigned to multiple points (or road segments). For example, the server device 300 generates a route that passes through more popular (highly rated) road segments and provides it to the third user. This makes it possible to provide a driving route that can further increase user satisfaction.

The drive recorder 100, the user terminal 200, and the server device 300 will each be explained in detail.

The drive recorder 100 is a device that is installed in a vehicle and captures in-vehicle video. The drive recorder 100 is fixed to the vehicle with a camera facing the front, receives power from the vehicle, captures video at all times, and records the obtained video data in a storage device.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the system configuration of the drive recorder 100. As shown in FIG.
The drive recorder 100 is configured to include a control unit 101 , a storage unit 102 , a communication unit 103 , an input/output unit 104 , a camera 105 , a position information acquisition unit 106 , and an acceleration sensor 107 .

The control unit 101 is a calculation device that controls the drive recorder 100. The control unit 101 can be realized by a calculation processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit).
During operation, the control unit 101 executes a function of taking video via the camera 105 (described later) and storing the obtained data in the storage unit 102. In addition, the control unit 101 executes a function of transferring the stored data to the user terminal 200 based on an instruction from the user terminal 200.

The storage unit 102 is a memory device including a main storage device and an auxiliary storage device. The auxiliary storage device stores an operating system (OS), various programs, various tables, etc., and the programs stored therein can be loaded into the main storage device and executed to realize various functions that meet specific purposes, as described below.
The primary storage device may include a random access memory (RAM) or a read only memory (ROM). The secondary storage device may include an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM) or a hard disk drive (HDD). The secondary storage device may also include a removable medium, i.e., a portable recording medium.

The storage unit 102 stores data generated by the control unit 101 .
Here, a description will be given of the data stored in the storage unit 102. Fig. 3A is a diagram illustrating the structure of the data generated by the control unit 101 and stored in the storage unit 102.
In the following description, the term "trip" is used to indicate a unit of travel from when the vehicle's system power is turned on to when the system power is turned off.
When the system power of the vehicle is turned on, the control unit 101 generates a storage area (e.g., a folder, a directory, etc.) corresponding to a new trip. The generated data is stored in the storage area until the system power of the vehicle is turned off.

While the drive recorder 100 is energized, the control unit 101 shoots video via the camera 105 and stores the obtained data (video data) in the storage unit 102. The video data is stored in file units. There is an upper limit (e.g., 1 minute or 5 minutes) on the length of the video corresponding to one file, and when the upper limit is exceeded, a new file is generated. Note that if the storage capacity is insufficient, the control unit 101 deletes the oldest file to secure free space and then continues shooting.
Furthermore, the control unit 101 acquires vehicle position information via the position information acquisition unit 106 at a predetermined cycle (for example, once every second) and stores the acquired position information as position information data.
The video data and the location information data are stored for each trip, as shown in Fig. 3. By storing both the video data and the location information data, it becomes possible to identify the traveling location of the vehicle after the fact.

The communication unit 103 is a wireless communication interface for connecting the drive recorder 100 to a network. The communication unit 103 is configured to be able to communicate with the user terminal 200 using a communication standard such as wireless LAN or Bluetooth (registered trademark).

The input/output unit 104 is a unit that accepts input operations performed by the user and presents information to the user. The input/output unit 104 is configured to have, for example, a liquid crystal display, a touch panel display, and hardware switches.

The camera 105 is an optical unit that includes an image sensor for capturing images.
The position information acquisition unit 106 calculates position information based on a positioning signal transmitted from a positioning satellite (also referred to as a GNSS satellite). The position information acquisition unit 106 may include an antenna that receives radio waves transmitted from the GNSS satellite.
The acceleration sensor 107 is a sensor that measures the acceleration applied to the device. The measurement result is supplied to the control unit 101, and the control unit 101 can thereby determine that an impact has been applied to the vehicle.

Next, the user terminal 200 will be described.
The user terminal 200 is a computer used by a user associated with a vehicle. The user can download videos from the drive recorder 100 via the user terminal 200 and upload the videos to a video sharing service provided by the server device 300. The user can also request a route search from the server device 300 via the user terminal 200. The user terminal 200 is, for example, a personal computer, a smartphone, a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a personal information terminal, or the like.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the system configuration of the user terminal 200. As shown in FIG.
The user terminal 200 includes a control unit 201 , a storage unit 202 , a communication unit 203 , and an input/output unit 204 .

The control unit 201 is a calculation device that manages the control performed by the user terminal 200. The control unit 201 can be realized by a calculation processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit).
The control unit 201 executes a function of accessing the server device 300 and interacting with the server device 300. This function may be realized by a web browser running on the user terminal 200 or dedicated application software.
In this embodiment, the control unit 201 is configured to be able to execute application software for interacting with the server device 300 .

The control unit 201 is configured to have two functional modules: an upload unit 2011 and a route guidance unit 2012. Each functional module may be realized by causing a CPU to execute a stored program.

The upload unit 2011 acquires video data from the drive recorder 100 and uploads it to the server device 300 .
Specifically, it provides (1) a function for cutting and editing a video based on data stored in the drive recorder 100, and (2) a function for uploading the video after cutting to the server device 300.

Each function will be explained in turn.
The upload unit 2011 presents the driving route to the user based on the data stored in the drive recorder 100, and accepts the designation of the range for cut editing. As described with reference to FIG. 3, the drive recorder 100 stores video data and position information data associated with each trip. The upload unit 2011 can generate a user interface showing the driving route based on these data, and perform cut editing of the video. FIG. 5 shows an example of a user interface screen output when performing cut editing.

When the user specifies the range of the trip and video, the corresponding range is cut out and data to be transmitted to the server device 300 is generated.
6 is a diagram for explaining data generated by the upload unit 2011. Here, the set of data to be transmitted to the server device 300 is referred to as dashcam data. The dashcam data includes video data after cut editing and location information data corresponding to the video data. The location information data includes timestamp information after cut editing. By associating these two, the server device 300 can obtain location information corresponding to any time point (timestamp) on the timeline of the in-vehicle video.

The route guidance unit 2012 requests the server device 300 to search for a route. The route guidance unit 2012 accepts the starting point and destination specified by the user, and requests the server device 300 to generate a route connecting the starting point and the destination. The route guidance unit 2012 also receives the generated route from the server device 300 and outputs it via the input/output unit 204.

The storage unit 202 is composed of a main storage device and an auxiliary storage device. The main storage device is a memory in which the programs executed by the control unit 201 and the data used by the programs are expanded. The auxiliary storage device is a device in which the programs executed by the control unit 201 and the data used by the programs are stored. The auxiliary storage device may store the programs executed by the control unit 201 packaged as applications. It may also store an operating system for executing these applications. The programs stored in the auxiliary storage device are loaded into the main storage device and executed by the control unit 201, thereby performing the processing described below.

The primary storage device may include a random access memory (RAM) or a read only memory (ROM). The secondary storage device may include an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM) or a hard disk drive (HDD). The secondary storage device may also include a removable medium, i.e., a portable recording medium.

The communication unit 203 is a wireless communication interface for connecting the user terminal 200 to a network. The communication unit 203 is configured to be able to communicate with the drive recorder 100 and the server device 300 via, for example, a wireless LAN or a mobile communication service such as 3G, LTE, or 5G. The communication unit 203 may have both a communication interface for communicating with the drive recorder 100 and a communication interface for communicating with the server device 300. The former may be a communication interface that uses short-range wireless communication or the like, and the latter may be a communication interface that uses mobile communication or the like.

The input/output unit 204 is a unit that accepts input operations performed by the user and presents information to the user. In this embodiment, it is made up of a single touch panel display. In other words, it is made up of a liquid crystal display and its control means, and a touch panel and its control means.

Next, the server device 300 will be described.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing in detail the components of the server device 300 included in the video sharing system according to this embodiment.

The server device 300 is a server device that provides a service (video sharing service) in which videos uploaded from the user terminal 200 are shared among a plurality of users.
The server device 300 also has a function of performing route search based on the evaluation of the in-vehicle video on the video sharing service. Specific processing will be described later.

The server device 300 can be configured as a general-purpose computer. That is, the server device 300 can be configured as a computer having a processor such as a CPU or GPU, a main memory such as a RAM or ROM, and an auxiliary memory such as an EPROM, a hard disk drive, or a removable media. The auxiliary memory stores an operating system (OS), various programs, various tables, etc., and the programs stored therein are loaded into the working area of the main memory and executed. By controlling each component through the execution of the programs, each function that matches a specific purpose, as described below, can be realized. However, some or all of the functions may be realized by hardware circuits such as ASICs and FPGAs.

In this embodiment, the server device 300 may be configured to be capable of executing a software server for interacting with the user terminal 200. In this case, for example, the user terminal 200 can input and output information by accessing a service using a browser or dedicated application software.

The server device 300 is configured to include a control unit 301 , a storage unit 302 , and a communication unit 303 .
The control unit 301 is a calculation device that manages the control performed by the server device 300. The control unit 301 can be realized by a calculation processing device such as a CPU.
The control unit 301 is configured to have two functional modules: a video management unit 3011 and a path generation unit 3012. Each functional module may be realized by causing a CPU to execute a stored program.

The video management unit 3011 provides a video sharing service. Specifically, the video management unit 3011 executes a process of accepting uploads of in-vehicle videos from the user terminal 200 used by the first user, and a process of publishing the uploaded in-vehicle videos. FIG. 8 is an example of a screen provided in the video sharing service. As shown in the figure, the screen is provided with a part (reference symbol 801) for searching for in-vehicle videos, a part (reference symbol 802) for evaluating the in-vehicle videos, a playback controller, an area for outputting related videos, and the like.

The video management unit 3011 acquires the dashcam data generated by the user terminal 200. As described with reference to Fig. 6, the dashcam data includes video data after cut editing and position information data corresponding to the video data. This makes it possible to associate the elapsed time (timestamp) on the timeline with the position information.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a driving route associated with a certain in-vehicle video. In the illustrated example, S means the start point of the in-vehicle video, and G means the end point of the in-vehicle video. By associating the elapsed time on the timeline with the position information, it becomes possible for the server device 300 to grasp the driving route corresponding to the in-vehicle video. Note that map information as shown in the figure may be output on the playback screen of the in-vehicle video.

In addition, the video management unit 3011 acquires the evaluation made by the second user for the in-vehicle video, and assigns an evaluation to the points (or road segments) on the route based on the evaluation. As described above, since the timeline of the in-vehicle video is associated with location information, it is possible to identify the points (road segments) corresponding to the timing of the evaluation action based on "where on the timeline the evaluation action was performed." In the example of FIG. 9, the black circles represent the points where high evaluations were performed.
By carrying out such processing, the video management unit 3011 can accumulate information such as which points (road segments) on the route were highly rated.

The route generation unit 3012 searches for a route connecting a departure point and a destination based on a request from the user terminal 200, and provides the generated route to the user terminal 200. Route search can be performed using known methods. The route generation unit 3012 also refers to the ratings given by the video management unit 3011 and generates a route that passes through more popular points (road segments).

Returning to FIG.
The storage unit 302 includes a main storage device and an auxiliary storage device. The main storage device is a memory in which the programs executed by the control unit 301 and data used by the control programs are expanded. The auxiliary storage device is a device in which the programs executed by the control unit 301 and data used by the control programs are stored.

The storage unit 302 is configured to include a video database 302A, an evaluation database 302B, and a map database 302C.
The video database 302A is a database that stores in-vehicle videos uploaded from the user terminal 200. The video database 302A includes additional data related to the in-vehicle videos in addition to the dashcam data described with reference to Fig. 6 .
10 is an example of data stored in the video database 302A. The video database 302A stores the ID of the user who uploaded the in-vehicle video, the ID of the video assigned by the server device 300, the upload date of the in-vehicle video, the title and summary text of the in-vehicle video input by the first user, etc. The video database 302A also stores dashcam data, i.e., video data and location information data (shown by dotted lines).

The evaluation database 302B is a database that stores the contents of evaluations made by the second user to the in-vehicle video. Fig. 11 is an example of the evaluation database 302B. The evaluation database 302B includes fields for recording the ID of the user who made the evaluation on the in-vehicle video, information on the date and time of the evaluation, the ID of the target in-vehicle video, the evaluation contents, a timestamp, and the like.
Examples of the content of the evaluation include, but are not limited to, "high rating" and "low rating". For example, when the evaluation can be performed by a score or a number of stars, a numerical value may be stored in the evaluation content field. The timestamp records the timing when the second user performed the evaluation (e.g., pressed the evaluation button). In this example, the number of seconds from the start of playback on the timeline of the in-vehicle video is recorded. For example, if the second user presses the evaluation button 30 seconds after the start of playback of the in-vehicle video, "0:00:30" is recorded in the timestamp.

The map database 302C is a database that stores road maps. The road maps include definitions of road segments. A road segment is a unit section obtained by dividing a road into a predetermined length. FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining road segments. The dotted lines in the diagram represent road segments.
Each of the road segments is associated with an evaluation value (described later) calculated by the server device. The evaluation database 302B records the timing of evaluations on the timeline of the in-vehicle video, while the map database 302C records, for each road segment, an evaluation value calculated by integrating evaluations made by multiple users. The evaluation value corresponding to each road segment is periodically updated to reflect the contents of the evaluation database 302B.

Returning to FIG.
The communication unit 303 is a communication interface for connecting the server device 300 to a network. The communication unit 303 includes, for example, a network interface board and a wireless communication interface for wireless communication.

The configurations shown in Figures 2, 4, and 7 are merely examples, and all or part of the functions shown may be executed using specially designed circuits. Programs may also be stored or executed using a combination of main storage devices and auxiliary storage devices other than those shown.

Next, the processes executed by each device included in the video sharing system will be described in detail.
13 is a flowchart of a process executed by the drive recorder 100. The illustrated process is repeatedly executed by the control unit 101 while power is being supplied to the drive recorder 100.

In step S11, the control unit 101 shoots a video using the camera 105. In this step, the control unit 101 records the video signal output from the camera 105 in a file as video data. As described with reference to FIG. 3, the file is divided into files of a predetermined length. If the storage area of the storage unit 102 is insufficient, files are overwritten starting from the oldest file. Also, in this step, the control unit 101 periodically acquires location information via the location information acquisition unit 106, and records the acquired location information in the location information data (see FIG. 3).

In step S12, the control unit 101 determines whether a protection trigger has occurred. For example, a protection trigger occurs when an impact is detected by the acceleration sensor 107, or when the user presses the save button provided on the drive recorder body. In this case, the process transitions to step S13, and the control unit 101 moves the file currently being recorded to a protected area. A protected area is an area where files are not automatically overwritten. This makes it possible to protect files that record important scenes. If a protection trigger has not occurred, the process returns to step S11, and recording continues.

Next, the process of uploading the in-vehicle video captured by the drive recorder 100 to the server device 300 will be described. FIG. 14 is a sequence diagram of the process executed by the drive recorder 100, the user terminal 200, and the server device 300 in this process.

First, the user terminal 200 establishes a connection with the drive recorder 100. The connection can be established, for example, by ad-hoc wireless communication.
When the connection is established, the drive recorder 100 acquires recorded video information for each trip (step S21). Examples of the video information include a collection of shooting date and time, location information, etc. The acquired video information is transmitted to the user terminal 200.

In step S22, the user terminal 200 outputs a user interface for cutting and editing the in-vehicle video based on the video information. In this step, a user interface screen such as that shown in FIG. 5 is output, and the user uses the user interface screen to cut and edit the in-vehicle video. The user, for example, specifies a trip, and then specifies the start point and end point of the route corresponding to the specified trip. This allows the user to cut the in-vehicle video of the section desired by the user. Note that when the user specifies a point on the route on the user terminal 200, the drive recorder 100 may provide a preview screen of the video corresponding to that point.

The cut editing instruction is transmitted to the drive recorder 100, and the drive recorder 100 cuts the video data in accordance with the instruction (step S23). The control unit 101 adds a time stamp corresponding to the video data after the cut to the position information data, and generates the drive recorder data. The generated drive recorder data is transmitted to the user terminal 200.
Next, in step S24, the user terminal 200 acquires additional information. The additional information is additional information for explaining the in-vehicle video. The additional information includes, for example, the title of the in-vehicle video, a sentence describing the summary, a tag for search, and the like. These pieces of information may be input by the user. The dashcam data and the additional information are transmitted to the server device 300.
In step S25, the server device 300 (video management unit 3011) stores the uploaded dashcam data and additional information in the video database 302A and makes the video public. This allows the second user to search for and view the in-vehicle video.

In this embodiment, the second user accesses the video sharing service using a web browser running on a general-purpose computer such as a personal computer, smartphone, or tablet terminal.

Next, a process when a second user evaluates an in-vehicle video will be described.
FIG. 15 is a sequence diagram of a process carried out between the computer used by the second user and the server device 300. As shown in FIG.
When the second user accesses the video sharing service provided by the server device 300 using a computer, the server device 300 provides a user interface screen for searching for in-vehicle videos. This allows the second user to search for a desired in-vehicle video. The search may be performed by a keyword or by specifying a route, waypoints, etc. When the second user selects a desired in-vehicle video, the server device 300 generates a user interface screen including a video player and starts playing the in-vehicle video.

When the second user performs an action (rating behavior) to rate the in-vehicle video during playback of the in-vehicle video (step S31), data representing the content of the rating is transmitted to the server device 300. An example of the action is pressing an icon (a high rating icon or a low rating icon) indicated by reference numeral 802 in Fig. 8. The data includes the content of the rating (e.g., "high rating", "low rating", etc.) and information regarding the timing of the rating (e.g., timestamp information).
In step S32, the server device 300 (video management unit 3011) updates the evaluation database 302B based on the received data. Specifically, the video management unit 3011 records in the evaluation database 302B the ID of the second user who performed the evaluation, the date and time when the evaluation was performed, the ID of the target in-vehicle video, the content of the evaluation, and a time stamp.

The video management unit 3011 of the server device 300 calculates an evaluation value corresponding to each of a plurality of road segments based on the accumulated data at the timing when a predetermined amount of data is accumulated in the evaluation database 302B, and updates the map database 302C. Fig. 16 is a flowchart of this process. This process is executed at a predetermined cycle.

First, in step S41, unprocessed records are extracted from the records recorded in the evaluation database 302B. Here, each record recorded in the evaluation database 302B is referred to as evaluation data.
The processes of steps S42 and S43 are repeatedly executed for each of the extracted evaluation data.
In step S42, the road segment to be evaluated is identified. In this step, first, the video database 302A is searched using the video ID and timestamp included in the evaluation data as keys. As a result, position information (e.g., latitude, longitude) of the point corresponding to the timing of the evaluation is obtained. Next, the road segment is identified based on the obtained position information. The position information may be associated with the road segment by using the map database 302C.
In this embodiment, an evaluation value is assigned to each road segment, but the evaluation may be performed on a mesh or the like.

In step S43, the evaluation included in the evaluation data is quantified and replaced with an evaluation value. For example, if the evaluation is expressed as a number of stars, this may be replaced with a value. Also, if the evaluation is expressed as a "high evaluation (positive evaluation)" or "low evaluation (negative evaluation)", these may be quantified.
The road segment and the combination of the calculated evaluation value for that road segment are temporarily stored.
When all evaluation data to be processed has been processed, the process proceeds to step S44.

In step S44, the map database 302C is updated based on the evaluation value obtained in step S43. Specifically, the evaluation value obtained in step S43 is used to modify the evaluation values already recorded for multiple road segments. The evaluation value for each road segment may be a weighted average of evaluation values corresponding to evaluations made by multiple users. The weights used to calculate the weighted average may be determined based on the activity level of the user. For example, a larger weight may be given to a user who has made more evaluations. The weights may also be determined based on the date on which the evaluation was made. For example, a larger weight may be given to a user who has made fewer days since the date of the evaluation. Conversely, the older the evaluation, the smaller the weight may be.

By the process described above, evaluation values are assigned to the multiple road segments included in the map data. The assigned evaluation value increases as the number of positive evaluations increases, so it can be said to represent the popularity of each road segment.

Next, a process in which the route generating unit 3012 of the server device 300 generates a route based on the evaluation values stored in the map database 302C will be described. FIG 17 is a flowchart of this process.
First, in step S51, the user terminal 200 (route guidance unit 2012) accepts a designation of a departure point and a destination from a user (third user). In this step, the route guidance unit 2012 may generate a user interface screen using stored map data and provide it to the user. The designated departure point and destination are transmitted to the server device 300 (route generation unit 3012).

Next, in step S52, the route generating unit 3012 generates a plurality of route candidates (hereinafter, route candidates) connecting the departure point and the destination. The route candidates can be generated by a known method.
Next, in step S53, the route with the highest evaluation is selected from the multiple route candidates. The route selection can be performed, for example, by the following method.
(1) Identify multiple road segments included in the multiple generated route candidates; (2) Add up the evaluation values assigned to the multiple road segments and obtain the average; (3) Select the route candidate with the highest average evaluation value. Note that the above method is just an example, and other methods can be adopted. For example, a route candidate may be selected based on the maximum evaluation value assigned to multiple road segments, or based on the total evaluation value assigned to multiple road segments. In this case, a route that passes through a road segment with a higher evaluation value may be selected. The determined route is transmitted to the user terminal 200 and presented to the user.
In this step, a plurality of route candidates may be transmitted to the user terminal 200 so that the user can select one of them. In this case, evaluation values associated with the route candidates and information on points to be passed through may be output at the same time.

As described above, the server device 300 according to the first embodiment acquires an evaluation made by a second user for a vehicle-mounted video uploaded by a first user, and assigns evaluation values to multiple road segments based on the timing of the evaluation. This makes it possible to generate a route that passes through more popular road segments and propose it to a third user.

Second Embodiment
In the first embodiment, the evaluation values are assigned to the road segments based on the evaluation behavior of the second user on the in-vehicle video. However, in such a configuration, an inappropriate evaluation value may be assigned.
For example, if a vehicle-mounted video contains a traffic accident or traffic trouble, the location where such an event occurred may be evaluated. Since such evaluation is unrelated to the vehicle's driving environment, it is preferable not to use it in calculating the evaluation value.

In general, vehicle-mounted videos that include positive elements, such as beautiful scenery, tend to receive high ratings. On the other hand, vehicle-mounted videos that include negative elements, such as traffic accidents, may receive not only high ratings but also low ratings. Therefore, in this embodiment, when a video has received a predetermined number or more negative ratings, the server device 300 excludes at least some of the ratings given to the video and assigns an evaluation value to the road segment.

Figure 18 is a flowchart of the process in the second embodiment in which the video management unit 3011 calculates the evaluation value for each of multiple road segments and updates the map database 302C. The process of steps S41 to S43 is the same as in the first embodiment, so a description is omitted.

In the second embodiment, when the processing for the multiple pieces of evaluation data extracted from the evaluation database is completed, in step S45, the video management unit 3011 executes the following processing.
(1) The evaluation data processed in steps S42 to S43 are grouped for each in-vehicle video. (2) The evaluations made for the same in-vehicle video are grouped for each road segment. (3) The variance of the evaluation is calculated for each road segment. For example, a high evaluation is replaced with 1 point and a low evaluation with -1 point, and the variance is calculated. If the evaluation is based on points, the variance of the points is calculated. FIG. 19 is a diagram for explaining the results of the processing performed in step S45.

If the variance of the evaluations obtained here is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (e.g., 1.0), it means that the evaluations of the corresponding road segment in the video are divided. In the illustrated example, this corresponds to road segment A. In this case, the process proceeds to step S46, and the evaluations of the corresponding in-vehicle video for the corresponding road segment are excluded, and the map database 302C is updated. If the variance of the evaluations is below the predetermined value, the map database 302C is updated (step S44) in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

In this embodiment, the variance of the ratings is calculated for each road segment, but the calculation does not have to be performed for each road segment. In addition, it may be possible to determine whether the ratings are split within the same vehicle-mounted video using an index other than the variance. For example, it may be determined whether the ratio of the number of low ratings to the number of high ratings for a certain video is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

With this configuration, if a road segment has both high and low ratings, the ratings made for that road segment can be excluded. In other words, even if a particular vehicle-mounted video contains negative scenes, the impact of this can be minimized.

Third Embodiment
In the first and second embodiments, evaluation values are simply assigned to a plurality of road segments. However, the evaluation of a road segment may change depending on the driving environment (time of day, season, weather, etc.). For example, a road segment that is highly rated in fine weather is not necessarily highly rated in snowfall. In the third embodiment, to address this, an evaluation value is assigned to each of a plurality of preset driving environments, and route search is performed taking the driving environment into consideration.

Examples of the driving environment include time periods (morning, afternoon, evening, night, late night), seasons (spring, summer, fall, winter), and weather (sunny, cloudy, rainy, snowy, foggy, etc.). In this embodiment, data (environmental data) representing these driving environments is added to the dashcam data and stored in the server device 300. The driving environment may be specified by the user when uploading the video, or may be generated by the server device 300 based on information acquired from an external device (e.g., a server device that provides weather information).
For example, data on the weather on the day of shooting may be obtained from an external device based on the date and time information and location information included in the dashcam data, and the obtained information may be stored in the video database 302A. Fig. 20 shows an example of data stored in the video database 302A in the third embodiment.

In the third embodiment, as shown in Fig. 21, a map database is provided for each predefined driving environment, and the server device 300 calculates an evaluation value for each driving environment. For example, the server device 300 executes the process shown in Fig. 16 for each of a plurality of predefined driving environments, and updates the corresponding map database.
In addition, when performing a route search, the driving environment to be used (in other words, the environment when the third user drives the vehicle) is identified, and the processing shown in Figure 17 is performed using a corresponding map database.
This makes it possible to generate an appropriate route taking into account the driving environment.

(Modification)
The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and the present disclosure can be modified and implemented as appropriate without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.
For example, the processes and means described in this disclosure can be freely combined and implemented as long as no technical contradiction occurs.

In addition, in the description of the embodiment, the first user, the second user, and the third user are described separately, but each user does not necessarily have to be a different person.

In the description of the embodiment, the road segment to be evaluated was determined based on the timing at which the second user performed the evaluation action, but the evaluation target may be the entire route corresponding to the in-vehicle video. Also, the evaluation target may be all road segments included in the corresponding route. In this case, in step S43 of FIG. 16, evaluation values corresponding to all road segments may be determined uniformly. Also, in this case, it is not necessary to specify the timing at which the second user performed the evaluation action.

In the description of the embodiment, the server device 300 searches for a route connecting the departure point and destination specified by the third user, but if a route to be provided to the third user can be generated, it is not necessary to search for a route connecting two points. For example, the server device 300 may execute a service to extract highly rated points (or road segments) within a specified area and provide the third user with a recommended driving route that passes through the extracted points, etc.

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

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

Reference Signs List 100: Drive recorder 101, 201, 301: Control unit 102, 202, 302: Storage unit 103, 203, 303: Communication unit 104, 204: Input/output unit 105: Camera 106: Position information acquisition unit 107: Acceleration sensor 200: User terminal 300: Server device

Claims (19)

Acquiring evaluation information, which is information regarding an evaluation action taken by a second user on a video that was shot by an in-vehicle camera and uploaded to a video sharing service by a first user;
generating a predetermined vehicle travel route based on the evaluation information;
A control unit that executes
The evaluation information includes information regarding a timing at which the second user performed an evaluation action on a timeline of the video.
Information processing device. The control unit further generates an interface screen for allowing the second user to view the video.
The information processing device according to claim 1 . The video is associated with a driving route,
The control unit evaluates at least a portion of the travel route corresponding to the video based on a timing at which the second user performed the evaluation action.
3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2 . The video is associated with a travel location for each timestamp.
The information processing device according to claim 3 . the control unit assigns an evaluation value to a first road section corresponding to a timing at which the second user performed the evaluation action;
5. The information processing device according to claim 3 . The evaluation behavior is either a behavior of making a positive evaluation or a behavior of making a negative evaluation,
The control unit determines the evaluation value based on the content of the evaluation.
The information processing device according to claim 5 . When a video has been negatively evaluated a predetermined number of times or more, the control unit excludes at least a portion of the evaluations given to the video and assigns the evaluation value.
The information processing device according to claim 6 . The control unit generates a travel route to be proposed to a third user based on the assigned evaluation value.
The information processing device according to claim 5 . The control unit acquires a departure point and a destination from the third user,
generating a route including a road section with a higher evaluation value from among a plurality of routes connecting the departure point and the destination;
The information processing device according to claim 8 . Acquiring evaluation information, which is information regarding an evaluation action taken by a second user on a video that was shot by an in-vehicle camera and uploaded to a video sharing service by a first user;
evaluating at least a portion of a travel route corresponding to the video based on a timing at which the evaluation action was performed on a timeline of the video;
An information processing device having a control unit that executes the above. generating an interface screen for allowing the second user to view the video;
The information processing device according to claim 10 . The video is associated with a travel location for each timestamp.
12. The information processing device according to claim 10 or 11 . the control unit assigns an evaluation value to a first road section corresponding to a timing at which the second user performed the evaluation action;
The information processing device according to claim 10 . The evaluation behavior is either a behavior of making a positive evaluation or a behavior of making a negative evaluation,
The control unit determines the evaluation value based on the content of the evaluation.
The information processing device according to claim 13 . When a video has been negatively evaluated a predetermined number of times or more, the control unit excludes at least a portion of the evaluations given to the video and assigns the evaluation value.
The information processing device according to claim 14 . The control unit generates a travel route to be proposed to a third user based on the assigned evaluation value.
The information processing device according to claim 13 . The control unit acquires a departure point and a destination from the third user,
generating a route including a road section with a higher evaluation value from among a plurality of routes connecting the departure point and the destination;
The information processing device according to claim 16 . acquiring evaluation information, which is information regarding an evaluation action taken by a second user on a video that was shot by an in-vehicle camera and uploaded to a video hosting service by a first user;
generating a driving route for a predetermined vehicle based on the evaluation information;
Including ,
The evaluation information includes information regarding a timing at which the second user performed an evaluation action on a timeline of the video.
Information processing methods. acquiring evaluation information, which is information regarding an evaluation action taken by a second user on a video that was shot by an in-vehicle camera and uploaded to a video hosting service by a first user;
evaluating at least a portion of a travel route corresponding to the video based on a timing of the evaluation action on a timeline of the video;
An information processing method comprising:

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