Photographic image exchange system, imaging device, and photographic image exchange method

• US 10,306,188 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2015
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Kawamura, Tamotsu, Shigeno, Kotaro, Akiyama, Hiroshi, Negoro, Masaki, Matsuo, Yoshinori, Sugimoto, Naoki, Clark, Dennis, Moon, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Harvey, David E
• Application Number:
  US15/317,389
• Publication Number:
  US 20170208294A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,449 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0175 by photographing vehicles, e.g. when violating traffic rules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/188 Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253

Abstract

A photographic image exchange system includes an imaging device having an imager that performs imaging, a communicator that performs communication with a server, and a controller that controls the communicator such that an image that includes a registered target among images captured by the imager is transmitted to the server, and the server provides the image received from the imaging device to a device used by a user who is related to the registration.

Claims

1. A photographic image exchange system comprising:

an imaging device provided in a first vehicle that has a first registered target and that is used by a first user; and

a server that provides an image to a second user device that is used by a second user who uses a second vehicle having a second registered target,

wherein the imaging device includes;

an imager that performs imaging;

a communicator that performs communication with the server; and

a controller that performs control in authentication process such that the imager performs imaging when the first vehicle is authenticated, and controls the communicator in photographic image transmission process such that the image captured by the imager is transmitted to the server when the controller determines that the second registered target is registered in the server to approve transmission of the image; and

wherein the second user performs an input operation to the second user device or another device other than the second user device, and the controller switches whether the image related to the second registered target of the second vehicle is imaged or not based on the input operation performed by the second user,

wherein the authentication process includes;

transmitting information related to the first registered target to the server;

receiving a response from the server that is sent in reply to the transmission of the first registered target; and

determining whether the first vehicle is authenticated or not on the basis of the response that is received from the server,

wherein the photographic image transmission process includes;

transmitting information related to the second registered target to the server;

receiving a response from the server that is sent in reply to the transmission of the information related to the second registered target; and

determining whether the second registered target is registered in the server to approve transmission of the image related to the second registered target on the basis of the response that is received from the server.

2. The photographic image exchange system according to claim 1,

wherein the imager images a vicinity of the first vehicle,

wherein the controller controls the communicator such that, among images captured by the imager, an image that includes the second vehicle that is registered in advance is transmitted to the server.

3. The photographic image exchange system according to claim 2, wherein the controller determines whether or not the second vehicle is present in the vicinity of the first vehicle based on information acquired by the communicator from the server, and controls the communicator such that the image that includes the second vehicle is transmitted to the server when the second vehicle is determined to be present in the vicinity of the vehicle.

4. The photographic image exchange system according to claim 2, wherein the controller determines whether or not the second vehicle is included in an image captured by the imager by analyzing the image captured by the imager, and controls the communicator such that the image captured by the imager is transmitted to the server when the second vehicle is determined to be included in the image.

5. The photographic image exchange system according to claim 2,

wherein the imaging device transmits identification information of the second vehicle that is registered in advance to the server along with the image that includes the second vehicle, and

wherein the server holds association information of the identification information of the second vehicle with destination address information of the device used by the second user who is related to the second vehicle that is registered in advance, and transmits the image received from the imaging device to the second user device used by the second user using the destination address information of the second user device corresponding to the identification information of the second vehicle received from the imaging device.

6. The photographic image exchange system according to claim 1,

wherein the imaging device is provided in a first user device held by a first person, and

wherein the controller controls the communicator such that, among images captured by the imager, an image that includes the second user that is registered in advance is transmitted to the server.

7. The photographic image exchange system according to claim 6, wherein the controller determines whether or not the second user that is registered in advance is present in the vicinity of the imaging device based on information acquired by the communicator from the server, and controls the communicator such that the image that includes the second user is transmitted to the server when the second user is determined to be present in the vicinity of the imaging device.

8. The photographic image exchange system according to claim 6, wherein the controller determines whether or not the second user that is registered in advance is included in an image captured by the imager by analyzing the image captured by the imager, and controls the communicator such that the image captured by the imager is transmitted to the server when the second user is determined to be included in the image.

9. The photographic image exchange system according to claim 6,

wherein the imaging device transmits identification information of the second user to the server along with the image that includes the second user, and

wherein the server holds association information of identification information of the second user with destination address information of the second terminal device used by the second user that is registered in advance, and transmits the image received from the imaging device to the second terminal device used by the second user using the destination address information of the second terminal device corresponding to the identification information of the second user received from the imaging device.

10. A photographic image exchange system comprising:

an imaging device provided in a first vehicle that is used by a first user; and

a server that provides an image to a second user device that is used by a second user who uses a second vehicle,

wherein the imaging device includes;

an imager that is mounted in the first vehicle and images a vicinity of the first vehicle,

a communicator that performs communication with the server, and

a controller that causes imaging by the imager to start when it is confirmed that the second vehicle that is registered in advance to approve the transmission of an image including the second vehicle is present in a vicinity of the first vehicle through inter-vehicle communication, and controls the communicator such that, among images captured by the imager, an image that includes the second vehicle that is registered in advance is transmitted to the server through wireless communication that is different from the inter-vehicle communication; and

wherein in the inter-vehicle communication, the controller confirms whether the second vehicle that is registered in advance is present in a vicinity of the first vehicle by transmitting an inquiry signal to the second vehicle and receiving a response signal sent in reply to the inquiry signal.

11. A photographic image exchange system comprising:

an imaging device; and

a server that provides an image to a second terminal device that is used by a second user,

wherein the imaging device includes;

an imager that is provided in a first terminal device held by a first user and performs imaging,

a communicator that performs communication with the server, and

a controller that controls the communicator such that, among images captured by the imager, an image that includes the second user that is registered in advance is transmitted to the server, and causes imaging by the imager to start when it is confirmed that the second user that is registered in advance to approve transmission of an image including the second user is present in a vicinity of the imaging device through communication between the imaging device and the second terminal device used by the second user.

12. An imaging device provided in a first vehicle that has a first registered target and that is used by a first user, comprising:

an imager that performs imaging when the first vehicle is authenticated in authentication process;

a communicator that performs communication with a server that provides an image to a second user device that is used by a second user who uses a second vehicle having a second registered target; and

a controller that performs control in authentication process such that the imager performs imaging when the first vehicle is authenticated, and controls the communicator in photographic image transmission process such that the image captured by the imager is transmitted to the server when the controller determines that the second registered target is registered in the server to approve transmission of the image,

wherein the second user performs an input operation to second user device or another device other than the second user device, and the controller switches whether the image related to the second registered target corresponding to the second user is imaged or not based on the input operation performed by the second user,

wherein the authentication process includes;

transmitting the first registered target to the server;

receiving a response from the server that is sent in reply to the transmission of the first registered target; and

determining whether the first vehicle is authenticated or not on the basis of the response that is received from the server,

wherein the photographic image transmission process includes;

transmitting information related to the second registered target to the server;

receiving a response from the server that is sent in reply to the transmission of the information related to the second registered target; and

determining whether the second registered target is registered in the server to approve transmission of the image related to the second registered target on the basis of the response that is received from the server.

13. A photographic image exchange method performed by an imaging device provided in a first device used by a first user corresponding to a first registered target, the photographic image exchange method comprising:

performing imaging when the first device is authenticated in authentication process;

determining whether or not a second registered target that is registered in advance is included in an image obtained by performing the imaging;

providing, in photographic image transmission process, the image obtained by performing the imaging to a second device used by a second user corresponding to the second registered target when it is determined that the second registered target is registered to approve transmission of the image; and

allowing the second user to perform an input operation to the second device or another device other than the second device, and switching whether the image related to the second registered target corresponding to the second user is provided to the second device or not based on the input operation performed by the second user

wherein the authentication process includes;

transmitting the first registered target to the server;

receiving a response from the server that is sent in reply to the transmission of the first registered target; and

determining whether the first device is authenticated or not on the basis of the response that is received from the server,

wherein the photographic image transmission process includes;

transmitting information related to the second registered target to the server;

receiving a response from the server that is sent in reply to the transmission of the information related to the second registered target; and

determining whether the second registered target is registered in the server to approve transmission of the image related to the second registered target on the basis of the response that is received from the server.