Determination device, vehicle control device, determination method and determination program

1. A determination device, comprising:

circuitry configured to:

first, extract a high-visibility area from a plurality of areas, the high-visibility area having a visibility state estimated to be higher than another area of the plurality of areas;

second, determine whether a vehicle exists in the high-visibility area;

third, only when the vehicle is determined to exist in the high-visibility area, determine that a predetermined attached matter is on a transparent member of the vehicle when an image recognition rate of first image information about a periphery of the vehicle is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold; and

send control information to the vehicle, the control information causing the vehicle to take action in response to determining that the predetermined attached matter is on the transparent member of the vehicle, wherein

the first image information is picked up through the transparent member by a first pickup device that is mounted on the vehicle,

the predetermined threshold hold is determined based upon second image information about a periphery of another vehicle that exists in the high-visibility area picked up by a second pickup device that is mounted on the other vehicle,

vehicles that are in a predetermined vehicle state adapted for being an object of a statistical process are selected,

the vehicles that are in the predetermined vehicle state adapted for being the object of the statistical process are vehicles corresponding to image information in which an image recognition rate is within a predetermined normal range, and

the visibility state in the high-visibility area is estimated from the second image information corresponding to each of the selected vehicles.

2. The determination device according to claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is configured to determine that the predetermined attached matter is on the transparent member when a degree of visibility of the periphery of the vehicle that is indicated by the first image information is above a predetermined standard, the predetermined standard being lower than a degree of the visibility of the periphery of the vehicle that is indicated by the second information.

3. The determination device according to claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is configured to determine that the predetermined attached matter is on the transparent member, when the image recognition rate of the first image information is above a predetermined standard, the predetermined standard being lower than an image recognition rate of to the second image information corresponding to each of a plurality of other vehicles in the high-visibility area.

4. A system comprising:

the determination device according to claim 1 ; and

a vehicle control device comprising circuitry configured to receive the control information, wherein:

the transparent member is a window that is provided on the vehicle such that an occupant is able to visually recognize an exterior of a vehicle cabin from an interior of the vehicle cabin, and

when the determination device determines that dew or frost, as the predetermined attached matter, is on the window, the circuitry of the vehicle control device is configured to at least one of: give a notice urging the occupant of the vehicle to perform an operation for causing an air conditioner of the vehicle to perform a predetermined action through a notification device of the vehicle and cause the air conditioner to perform the predetermined action.

5. The determination device according to claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is configured to extract multiple vehicles from the high-visibility area based upon vehicle relevant information acquired from a plurality of vehicles, the multiple vehicles including the vehicle and the plurality of other vehicles.

6. The determination device according to claim 1 , wherein the normal range is determined based on an image recognition rate corresponding to image information in which a periphery of a vehicle cannot be viewed or is hardly viewed due to frost or dew.

7. The determination device according to claim 1 , wherein, in a case where a number of the selected vehicles is predetermined number or less in a certain area, estimation of the visibility of the certain area is determined to be impossible.

8. The determination device according to claim 1 , wherein a future visibility state is predicted for at least one of the plurality of areas based on weather information.

9. A determination method that is executed by a determination device, the determination method comprising:

first, extracting a high-visibility area from a plurality of areas, the high-visibility area having a visibility state estimated to be higher than another area of the plurality of areas;

second, determining whether a vehicle exists in the high-visibility area;

third, only when the vehicle is determined to exist in the high-visibility area, determining that a predetermined attached matter is on a transparent member of the vehicle when an image recognition rate of first image information about a periphery of the vehicle is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold; and

sending control information to the vehicle, the control information causing the vehicle to take action in response to determining that the predetermined attached matter is on the transparent member of the vehicle, wherein

the first image information is picked up through the transparent member by a first pickup device that is mounted on the vehicle,

the predetermined threshold hold is determined based upon second image information about a periphery of another vehicle that exists in the high-visibility area picked up by a second pickup device that is mounted on the other vehicle,

vehicles that are in a predetermined vehicle state adapted for being an object of a statistical process are selected,

the vehicles that are in the predetermined vehicle state adapted for being the object of the statistical process are vehicles corresponding to image information in which an image recognition rate is within a predetermined normal range, and

the visibility state in the high-visibility area is estimated from the second image information corresponding to each of the selected vehicles.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a determination program that causes a determination device to execute a method comprising:

first, extracting a high-visibility area from a plurality of areas, the high-visibility area having a visibility state estimated to be higher than another area of the plurality of areas;

second, determining whether a vehicle exists in the high-visibility area;

third, only when the vehicle is determined to exist in the high-visibility area, determining that a predetermined attached matter is on a transparent member of the vehicle when an image recognition rate of first image information about a periphery of the vehicle is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold; and

sending control information to the vehicle, the control information causing the vehicle to take action in response to determining that the predetermined attached matter is on the transparent member of the vehicle, wherein

the first image information is picked up through the transparent member by a first pickup device that is mounted on the vehicle,

the predetermined threshold hold is determined based upon second image information about a periphery of another vehicle that exists in the high-visibility area picked up by a second pickup device that is mounted on the other vehicle,

vehicles that are in a predetermined vehicle state adapted for being an object of a statistical process are selected,

the vehicles that are in the predetermined vehicle state adapted for being the object of the statistical process are vehicles corresponding to image information in which an image recognition rate is within a predetermined normal range, and

the visibility state in the high-visibility area is estimated from the second image information corresponding to each of the selected vehicles.