JP2006193057A - Vehicle monitoring unit and room mirror apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a room mirror apparatus serving as a safety device for preventing doze of a driver behind the wheel as well as a drive recorder for a vehicle. <P>SOLUTION: When a person rides in an automobile 4, a front monitoring camera 7 of the room mirror apparatus 1 turns on, and photographing operation starts. When the automobile 4 starts to move, images photographed by the front monitoring camera 7 move. Based on that, a control unit 13 detects that the automobile 4 has started to move, and an in-vehicle monitoring camera 8 turns on, and photographing of the driver's face and the inside of the vehicle starts. The photographed images are successively stored in an image memory 12. During driving, the driver's face is always monitored by in-vehicle monitoring camera 8. When the driver's face facing downward or upward over a predetermined period of time or more is detected, the control unit 13 actuates a warning unit 15 to generate warning sound. Therefore, danger posed by doze behind the wheel can be prevented. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle monitoring unit that monitors a vehicle such as an automobile, and more particularly to a vehicle monitoring unit that monitors both outside and inside a vehicle. The present invention also relates to a vehicle rearview mirror device in which the vehicle monitoring unit is assembled.

  Many proposals have been made on drive recorders that can be used to verify automobile crashes. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes an apparatus that eliminates a blind spot in all directions of a vehicle and is excellent in safety confirmation. Patent Document 2 proposes a configuration in which a front monitoring camera is built in a rear view confirmation rearview mirror disposed in a vehicle. Patent Document 3 proposes an apparatus that can constantly update and record information taken outside the vehicle while the vehicle is running and store it in a memory so that video records from the time immediately before the accident to the occurrence of the accident can be left as evidence.

Further, as a proposal for promoting the driver's safety, Patent Document 4 discloses a device that senses the driver's drowsiness and emits an irritating odor when it is determined that he / she is dozing. Patent Document 5 discloses an apparatus for detecting biological information having an image calculation device that estimates biological information from an image signal of a face image by photographing a driver's face. Further, Patent Document 6 discloses an apparatus that can mount a fisheye lens at the lower end of a rearview mirror to photograph a scene inside and outside the vehicle and simultaneously photograph a driver's head.
JP-A-5-310078 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-76880 JP 2002-209173 A JP 2002-370559 A JP 2003-38494 A JP 2001-122163 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle monitoring unit that functions as a drive recorder for a vehicle and can also function as a safety device such as preventing a driver from falling asleep, and a vehicle in which the vehicle monitoring unit is assembled. It is to propose a room mirror device.

  In order to solve the above problems, a vehicle monitoring unit of the present invention includes a front monitoring camera that images the front of the vehicle, an in-vehicle monitoring camera that images the inside of the vehicle, a captured image of the front monitoring camera, and a captured image of the in-vehicle monitoring camera. An image storage unit for storing and holding an image, a unit case in which the front monitoring camera, the in-vehicle monitoring camera, and the image storage unit are assembled, and the unit case for attaching the unit case to a predetermined part in the vehicle It has the attachment part attached to this, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  Here, it is desirable to have a solar battery as a drive power supply. In this way, it is not necessary to pull out the power supply wiring from the vehicle body side and connect it to the vehicle monitoring unit. Therefore, it can be installed at any place in the vehicle. In addition, when an impact is applied to the vehicle and the mounting portion of the vehicle monitoring unit is detached from the vehicle body, the vehicle monitoring unit is suspended by wiring, and there is no adverse effect that the human body may be harmed. .

  When the vehicle monitoring unit of the present invention is attached to the upper end portion of the windshield, the solar cell light receiving panel may be disposed on the outer surface portion of the unit case that is exposed to external light through the windshield. .

  Next, in addition to the above-described configuration, the vehicle monitoring unit of the present invention includes an image determination unit that detects whether or not the vehicle driver is in a drowsy driving state based on a captured image of the in-vehicle monitoring camera, and the vehicle driver. When a drowsy driving state is detected, an alarm unit for generating an alarm is provided.

  In addition, the present invention includes an image identification unit for personal authentication that verifies whether or not the vehicle driver is a person registered in advance based on a photographed image of the in-vehicle monitoring camera, and verification is not possible. In some cases, an alarm unit for generating an alarm is included.

  Here, as the in-vehicle monitoring camera, a first monitoring camera with a small angle of view for photographing the face of the vehicle driver, and a second monitoring camera with a wide angle of view including a fish-eye lens capable of photographing the entire interior of the vehicle. You may arrange. In this case, the first monitoring camera with a small angle of view performs safe driving confirmation (presence of drowsiness driving), personal authentication, etc., and the second monitoring camera with a wide angle of view takes an image of the inside of the vehicle, Record this.

  Next, it can be set as the structure provided with the vehicle monitoring control part which switches on / off of the said vehicle monitoring camera based on the picked-up image of the said front monitoring camera. Moreover, it can also be set as the structure provided with the front monitoring control part which switches on / off of the said front monitoring camera based on the picked-up image of the said monitoring camera in a vehicle.

  On the other hand, the present invention is a room mirror device for confirming the rear visual field of a vehicle, and is characterized in that the vehicle monitoring unit having the above-described configuration is incorporated.

  The vehicle monitoring unit and the vehicle rearview mirror device of the present invention include a front monitoring camera for photographing the front outside the vehicle and an in-vehicle monitoring camera for photographing the inside of the vehicle. Therefore, when only a camera for surveillance outside the vehicle is provided as in the prior art, a necessary image is photographed and stored, compared to photographing inside and outside the vehicle using a wide-angle lens such as a single fisheye lens. be able to.

  In the present invention, a solar cell is provided, and it is not necessary to route power supply wiring. Therefore, the installation location can be arbitrarily selected, and when the vehicle is detached from the vehicle body due to an impact at the time of an accident or the like, it is not suspended by wiring or the like, which is desirable from the viewpoint of safety.

  Furthermore, by photographing the driver's face with the in-vehicle monitoring camera, it is possible to detect the driver's dozing operation, and based on this, an alarm or the like can be generated to prevent a dangerous driving state.

  Furthermore, on / off control of the other monitoring camera can be performed based on the acquired image of each monitoring camera. For example, after detecting that the movement of the vehicle is started based on the image of the front monitoring camera, it is possible to start photographing with the in-vehicle monitoring camera and perform a drowsy driving detection operation.

  Embodiments of a vehicle rearview mirror device to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing an automobile to which a room mirror device according to the present embodiment is attached, FIG. 2 is an external perspective view when the room mirror device is viewed from the driver side, and FIG. It is an external appearance perspective view at the time of seeing from diagonally forward.

  Referring to these drawings, the room mirror device 1 includes a horizontally long exterior case 2 and a room mirror 3 attached to a horizontally long rectangular opening 2 a formed in the exterior case 2. ing. A mounting portion 6 that integrally fixes the room mirror device 1 to the indoor upper center portion of the windshield 5 of the automobile 4 is integrally formed at an upper portion of the rear central portion of the exterior case 2.

  A circular opening 2b is formed in the lower part of the arcuate rear central portion of the outer case 2, and from here, the photographing lens 7a of the front monitoring camera 7 using a CCD or CMOS as a light receiving element is formed. Exposed. A circular opening 2c is also formed at one end of the outer case 2, that is, the end on the driver's seat side in the state of being attached to the automobile. From here, the inside of the vehicle using a CCD or CMOS as a light receiving element The photographing lens 8a of the monitoring camera 8 is exposed.

  In a state where the rearview mirror device 1 is attached to the windshield 5, the photographing lens 7a of the front monitoring camera 7 is set to face the front of the automobile. The photographing lens 7a of the front monitoring camera 7 has a wide left and right angle of view and a quasi-wide angle, and the vertical angle of view is narrowed so that the light receiving element of the camera is not easily affected by direct sunlight. It is configured as follows. On the other hand, the photographing lens 8a of the in-vehicle monitoring camera 8 is set so that the entire face of the driver is projected largely at the center of the screen.

  Here, the light receiving panel 9a of the built-in solar battery 9 is disposed on the arcuate back surface of the outer case 2 of this example. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the light receiving panel 9 a may be attached to a panel case 9 </ b> A that protrudes from the exterior case 2 instead of being disposed in the exterior case 2. Or as shown by a dotted line in FIG. 1, it is also possible to arrange | position to the upper end part of the windshield 5. FIG.

  Next, FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram showing a control system of the room mirror device 1. The captured images of the front monitoring camera 7 and the in-vehicle monitoring camera 8 are input to the image processing unit 11 and subjected to predetermined image processing after A / D conversion. The processed image data is stored in an image memory 12 such as an IC memory for each frame. The control unit 13 controls the driving of the cameras 7 and 8 based on the signal from the human sensor 14 and controls the operation of the image processing unit 11 and the image data storage operation. Further, when the driver's dozing operation state is detected, the alarm unit 15 is driven to generate an alarm.

  The driving power supply of the room mirror device 1 is a solar battery 9, and the electric power generated here is made a constant voltage in the constant voltage circuit 16 and supplied to each part. Further, it is stored in the secondary battery 18 through the charging circuit 17. When the amount of power generated by the solar battery 9 is small, power is supplied from the secondary battery 18 to each unit.

  An example of the operation of the room mirror device 1 configured as described above will be described. First, when a person enters the automobile, it is detected by the human sensor 14 of the room mirror device 1. When receiving the detection signal from the human sensor 14, the control unit 13 switches on the front monitoring camera 7 to start the photographing operation. When the vehicle starts to move, the image captured by the front monitoring sensor 7 moves. Based on this, the image processing unit 11 and the control unit 13 detect that the vehicle has started to move. When the control unit 13 detects that the automobile has started to move, it switches on the in-vehicle monitoring camera 8 and starts photographing the driver's face and the inside of the vehicle.

  Thereafter, the images taken by the cameras 7 and 8 are sequentially stored in the image memory 12. The image memory 12 always stores the latest fixed amount of image data. Therefore, after a certain amount of image data is accumulated, new image data is overwritten sequentially.

  While driving a car, the driver's face is constantly monitored by the in-vehicle monitoring camera 8, and when it is detected that the face is continuously facing downward or upward for a certain time or longer, control is performed. The unit 13 drives the alarm unit 14 to generate an alarm sound. Thereby, the danger by sleep driving can be prevented beforehand. The detection of the drowsy driving can be performed based on whether or not the eyeball of the driver's eyes is confirmed and the eyelid is in a closed state for a predetermined time or more.

  When the automobile stops, this is detected by the control unit 13 based on the photographed image of the front monitoring camera 7. When it is detected that the vehicle is stopped, the control unit 13 switches the in-vehicle monitoring camera 8 from the on state to the off state and stops the photographing. Further, when it is detected based on the output of the human sensor 15 that no one is in the vehicle, the front monitoring camera 7 is switched off.

  Instead, the in-vehicle monitoring camera 8 is kept on even after the car is stopped, and both the cameras 7 and 8 are turned off when the driver's face is not confirmed over a certain time in the photographed image. You may make it switch.

(Other embodiments)
Note that two or three or more cameras can be installed as in-vehicle monitoring cameras. In this case, one camera has a small angle of view, and the driver's face image can always be taken. Based on the image taken by this camera, the presence / absence of a snooze operation, driver authentication, etc. are performed. Just do it. The other camera is set to a wide angle, and an image of the entire interior of the vehicle is taken, and this image may be stored and held.

  Further, the image data of the cameras 7 and 8 may be transmitted and displayed on, for example, a car navigation monitor by a non-contact information transmitting means. Further, it may be displayed on the car navigation monitor so that the shooting positions of the cameras 7 and 8 can be adjusted.

  Next, in the above example, a safety function is provided to detect a drowsy driving using an in-vehicle monitoring camera, but the camera can also be used for crime prevention. In this case, one or both cameras may be kept in an operating state and monitored. Further, when an abnormality occurs, for example, an alarm to that effect may be transmitted to the mobile phone of the car owner.

  On the other hand, the above example is an example when the vehicle monitoring unit of the present invention is assembled to a rearview mirror. The vehicle monitoring unit of the present invention can be installed and used on a dashboard, for example. Moreover, it is also possible to attach to the front end portion of the ceiling surface instead of the windshield.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the motor vehicle with which the room mirror apparatus to which this invention was applied was attached. It is an external appearance perspective view at the time of seeing the room mirror device of Drawing 1 from the driver side. It is an external appearance perspective view at the time of seeing the room mirror apparatus of FIG. 1 from the front side. It is a perspective view which shows the example of the room mirror apparatus to which the solar cell is externally attached. It is a schematic block diagram of the control system of the room mirror apparatus of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Room mirror apparatus 2 Exterior case 3 Room mirror 4 Car 5 Windshield 6 Mounting part 7 Front monitoring camera 8 Car interior monitoring camera 9 Photovoltaic cell 9a Light receiving panel 9A Panel case 11 Image processing part 12 Image memory 13 Control part 14 Human sensor 15 Alarm section

Claims (14)

A front monitoring camera for photographing the front of the vehicle;
In-car surveillance camera that captures the interior of the car,
An image storage unit for storing and holding the captured image of the front monitoring camera and the captured image of the in-vehicle monitoring camera;
A unit case in which the front monitoring camera, the in-vehicle monitoring camera, and the image storage unit are assembled;
A vehicle monitoring unit comprising an attachment portion attached to the unit case in order to attach the unit case to a predetermined part in the vehicle. In claim 1,
A vehicle monitoring unit comprising a solar battery as a driving power source. In claim 2,
The vehicle monitoring unit, wherein a light receiving panel of the photovoltaic cell is disposed on an outer surface portion of the unit case. In any one of claims 1 to 3,
An image discriminating unit for detecting whether or not the vehicle driver is in a drowsy driving state based on a captured image of the in-vehicle monitoring camera;
A vehicle monitoring unit comprising: an alarm unit that generates an alarm when a drowsy driving state of a vehicle driver is detected. In any one of claims 1 to 3,
Based on the captured image of the in-vehicle monitoring camera, an image discriminating unit for personal authentication for collating whether or not the vehicle driver is a person registered in advance;
A vehicle monitoring unit comprising: an alarm unit that generates an alarm when verification cannot be performed. In any one of claims 1 to 3,
As the in-vehicle monitoring camera, a first monitoring camera with a small angle of view for photographing the face of the vehicle driver and a second monitoring camera with a wide angle of view including a fish-eye lens capable of photographing the entire interior of the vehicle are arranged. A vehicle monitoring unit characterized by comprising: In any one of claims 4 to 6,
A vehicle monitoring unit comprising an in-vehicle monitoring control unit for switching on / off of the in-vehicle monitoring camera based on a photographed image of the front monitoring camera. In any one of claims 4 to 6,
A vehicle monitoring unit comprising a front monitoring control unit that switches on and off the front monitoring camera based on a captured image of the in-vehicle monitoring camera. A room mirror device for confirming the rear view of a vehicle,
An exterior case,
The rearview mirror attached to this exterior case,
The vehicle monitoring unit according to claim 1 incorporated in the exterior case.
The outer case functions as the unit case,
A vehicle rearview mirror device, wherein the mounting portion is formed in the exterior case. In claim 9,
A vehicle rearview mirror device comprising a solar battery as a driving power source for the vehicle monitoring unit. In claim 9,
The vehicle rearview mirror device, wherein a light receiving panel of the solar battery is disposed on an outer surface portion of the outer case facing the windshield of the vehicle. In any one of claims 9 to 11,
An image discriminating unit for detecting whether or not the vehicle driver is in a drowsy driving state based on a captured image of the in-vehicle monitoring camera;
A vehicle room mirror device comprising: an alarm unit that generates an alarm when a drowsy driving state of a vehicle driver is detected. In claim 12,
An in-vehicle monitoring control unit that switches on / off of the in-vehicle monitoring camera based on a photographed image of the front monitoring camera. In claim 12,
A vehicle rearview mirror device comprising a front monitoring control unit that switches on and off the front monitoring camera based on a captured image of the in-vehicle monitoring camera.

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