JP2020080544A - Image recording apparatus for vehicle, reproduction apparatus, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To display an image according to the intention of a driver simply by driving by the driver.SOLUTION: In a camera image display process in a drive recorder, when an image signal is inputted to an image signal from a rear view camera 13, an image to be displayed on a display device 16 is switched to an image from the rear view camera 13, and when an image signal is not inputted to an image signal from the rear view camera 13, an image to be displayed on the display device 16 is switched to an image displayed before switching to the image from the rear view camera 13.EFFECT: By only putting a shift position back by the driver, an image photographed by the rear view camera 13 is displayed on the display device 16, and the driver can confirm a situation behind the vehicle by looking at the display device 16.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a video recording device for vehicles and the like.

  A drive recorder that stores vehicle status information (front image, vehicle speed, sudden acceleration/deceleration, etc.) before and after the occurrence of an automobile accident will provide useful information for verification in the event of an automobile collision. In particular, it is widely installed in transportation vehicles such as trucks and commercial vehicles such as taxis and buses, and is also being installed in general vehicles.

This drive recorder can store a front image and a driving data indicating a driver's driving operation (brake operation, turn signal operation, traveling route, etc.) situation during a certain period before and after the occurrence of an accident or sudden braking. It is composed. To briefly explain the configuration for storing video data, a CCD camera or the like constantly captures an image of the vehicle and surroundings from the driver's viewpoint (field of view), and the captured image is stored in a temporary storage memory such as a ring buffer. Remember. The images stored in the temporary storage memory are sequentially updated to the latest one, and the past image data is retained for the set time. On the other hand, the drive recorder is equipped with a sensor that detects an accident such as an acceleration sensor, or an impact that occurs during sudden braking/steering. If the output value of the sensor exceeds the threshold value, the threshold value is exceeded (impact detection). The image of the previous certain period is read from the temporary storage memory and stored in the non-volatile memory (SD memory card, etc.), and after the time when the threshold value is exceeded, the image of the CCD camera or the like captured thereafter is directly or non-volatilely stored in the non-volatile memory. It is provided with a function of storing images before and after impact for a predetermined time and the traveling data and the like in a non-volatile memory (SD card) by storing them via a temporary storage memory.

When an accident occurs, it is possible to clearly prove the legitimacy of the driver based on the vehicle status information (video etc.) of the own vehicle stored in the non-volatile memory. This type of drive recorder is disclosed, for example, in Patent Document 1 and the like.

JP, 2006-321423, A

Some drive recorders of this type have a function of reproducing and displaying a recorded image of the surroundings of a vehicle on a display means such as a monitor. Further, there is one having a function of acquiring a video around the vehicle and displaying the acquired video on the display means. Which one of these images is to be displayed on the display device needs to be instructed by a remote controller or a switch. Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult for the driver to switch to a desired image during driving operation.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides (1) a vehicle state and a plurality of vehicle peripheral images, and the acquired vehicle state and a plurality of vehicle peripheral images are temporally synchronized as reproducible data. In a vehicle video recording device for recording on a recording means, a video to be preferentially output to a display means is determined and output from among the plurality of vehicle peripheral videos based on the operation state of the vehicle by a driver. It is characterized by performing control.

With such a configuration, the image to be output is preferentially determined and output to the display unit based on the operation state of the vehicle by the driver, so that the driver needs to switch the image with the remote control or the switch along with the driving operation. There is no.

The image around the vehicle may be an image outside the vehicle or an image inside the vehicle (for example, inside the vehicle).

  (2) In particular, the operating state of the vehicle by the driver may be a driving state indicating the direction in which the driver is trying to drive the vehicle. By doing so, an image in the direction in which the driver is about to travel will be output, and an appropriate image according to the driver's intention will be displayed at an appropriate timing. For example, the configurations shown in (8) and (9) described later are preferable.

  (3) Control for providing a video generation unit for generating a video output to the display unit, and for the video generated by the video generation unit, a video to be preferentially output to the display unit is determined and output. An image showing a setting item relating to the vehicle, an image showing the vehicle state recorded in the recording means, at least one image of the acquired vehicle peripheral images, and at least one image recorded in the recording means. The control for determining and outputting the video which includes at least one of the reproduced video and is preferentially output to the display unit is a control for switching to only the video, and a predetermined video being superimposed on the video. At least one of control for switching to a combined video, control for displaying the video in a larger size than other video, and control for displaying the video in the central portion of the display means than the other video is preferable.

  (4) On the premise of the configuration of (3), the video generation means is configured to generate a video to be output to the display means by executing a program by a computer, and further by executing the program by the computer. Even if the image cannot be generated, when a signal of the image to be preferentially output to the display means is detected, a hardware for performing control to output the relevant image with priority over other images. It is good to have clothing.

When the function of generating an image is realized by executing the program by the computer, for example, because the computer is in the process of starting up or the processing load of the computer is high, the image of the image is executed by executing the program by the computer. It may be in a state where generation is not possible. In such a case, it is difficult to output a video that immediately reflects the operation state of the vehicle by the driver by executing the program by the computer. However, with such a configuration, when the hardware detects a signal of an image to be output preferentially to the display unit, the image is output with priority over other images. It is possible to immediately reflect the operation state of the vehicle by, and display the image to be output with priority to the display means.

  (5) Based on the operation state of the vehicle by the driver, the control for deciding and outputting the image to be preferentially output to the display means is performed when the image signal of the image to be preferentially output is input, A device for outputting the video to the display means, and for a device for outputting the video signal of the video to be preferentially output when the operation state of the vehicle by the driver is not in a predetermined operation state. When the driver's operation state of the vehicle becomes a predetermined operation state without supplying power, power may be supplied to the device that outputs the video signal of the video to be preferentially output.

With such a configuration, when the driver's operation state of the vehicle is not in a predetermined operation state, the video signal of the video to be preferentially output is not output, and the video is not displayed on the display unit. .. On the other hand, when the operation state of the vehicle by the driver reaches a predetermined operation state, the image signal of the image to be preferentially output is output and the image is displayed on the display means.

  (6) A plurality of video input terminals for inputting the plurality of vehicle peripheral images are provided, and the video input terminal of the video to be preferentially output to the display means is different from the video input terminals of other videos. Good shape. By doing so, it becomes easy to know which image input terminal should be connected to the image pickup means (for example, camera) of the image to be output with priority.

  (7) Assuming the configuration of (6), the video input terminal of the video output preferentially to the display means and the video input terminal of the other video are arranged in the same plane of the housing. However, it is advisable to provide an insertion port for the recording medium that constitutes the recording means on the surface facing the surface on which these video input terminals are provided. With this configuration, the cables connected to the video input terminal do not get in the way when the recording medium is inserted into or removed from the insertion port. In addition, when inserting or removing the recording medium into or from the insertion port, the problem that the cables connected to the video input terminal are hooked and pulled out is unlikely to occur.

  (8) At least one of the plurality of vehicle peripheral images is a vehicle rear image, and when the shift position is in the back as an operation state of the vehicle by the driver, the vehicle rear image is displayed more than other images. Also, it is preferable that the control is performed so as to give priority to output. With this configuration, the driver can check the situation at the rear of the vehicle by looking at the display means simply by turning the shift position to the back position.

  (9) At least one of the plurality of vehicle surroundings images is a vehicle right side image, and at least one of the plurality of vehicle surroundings images is a vehicle left side image, which is a predetermined operation state of the vehicle by the driver. When the right turn signal is output at a speed equal to or lower than the vehicle speed, the control for outputting the right side image of the vehicle with priority over the other images is performed, and the vehicle operation state by the driver is equal to or lower than a predetermined vehicle speed. When the left turn signal is output in this state, it is preferable that the left side video image of the vehicle is controlled to be output with priority over other video images.

By doing this, for example, when exiting from the parking lot to the left or right, or when trying to turn at an intersection with poor visibility, the vicinity of the vehicle in the direction in which the turn signal is output at a speed equal to or lower than the predetermined vehicle speed The video will be displayed on the display means. Therefore, the driver can easily check the image around the vehicle in that direction without performing a special operation for display in such a situation requiring caution. On the other hand, when the vehicle speed exceeds a predetermined value, even if the turn signal is output, the vehicle peripheral image in the direction in which the turn signal is output is not displayed on the display means. Therefore, the driver does not feel annoyed by the display of the vehicle peripheral image on the display means while traveling at a speed equal to or higher than the predetermined vehicle speed, and the driver's attention is not distracted.

  (10) It is preferable to have a function of issuing an alarm when a person is included in the image output preferentially to the display means. With this, it is possible to easily and immediately take the avoidance action such as stopping the vehicle when the alarm is issued. Further, the driver can easily confirm whether the object of the alarm is the avoidance target or the like by simply looking at the display means when the alarm is issued without performing any special operation. For example, when a person is shown in the side camera image with the turn signal in the direction of turning out, an alarm is issued, or when a person is shown in the back camera image when the back position is shown, an alarm is issued. It is good to let them know.

  (11) A collision detection unit that detects a state corresponding to a vehicle collision is provided, and the acquired vehicle state and the plurality of vehicle peripheral images are acquired regardless of the image output to the display unit. The recording on the recording means may be performed when a collision is detected by the collision detection means. By doing so, it is possible to reliably record a plurality of vehicle surroundings images at the time of a collision.

  (12) Regardless of the image output to the display unit, the acquired vehicle state and the plurality of vehicle peripheral images may be recorded in the recording unit. By doing so, it is possible to reliably record a plurality of vehicle surroundings images at the time of a collision.

  (13) A collision detection unit that detects a state corresponding to a collision of a vehicle is provided, and when the collision is detected by the collision detection unit, the image output to the display unit is given priority and the recording unit is provided. May be recorded. By doing so, it is possible to reliably record an image in which the moment of collision is likely to be recorded. In particular, according to the configuration based on the configuration of (2), it is possible to record an image in the direction in which the driver intends to drive the vehicle, so that an excellent effect is exhibited.

  (14) When a video to be preferentially output to the display means is determined from among the plurality of vehicle peripheral videos based on the operation state of the vehicle by the driver, recording in the recording means is performed as the reproducible data. It may be configured to perform. For example, based on the configuration of (9), when the speed of the vehicle is slower than a predetermined value and the turn signal is output, the video of the side camera is displayed on the indoor monitor, and the video is output from the turn signal. It may be performed at the same timing.

  (15) When reproducing the data of the vehicle peripheral image recorded in the recording means, it is preferable to have a function of reversing the reproduced image horizontally or vertically. In this way, even if the camera for photographing the image around the vehicle is installed upside down, the image can be reproduced in the correct direction. Further, for example, a video image captured by a rear view camera that outputs a video signal of a horizontally-reversed video image can be horizontally reversed and reproduced.

(16) It is preferable that the operation state of the vehicle by the driver, the acquired vehicle state, and a plurality of vehicle surrounding images are temporally synchronized and recorded in the recording means as reproducible data. For example, by recording what the shift position is as the operation state of the vehicle by the driver, the engine is being braked on a downhill that was hit during the back, the vehicle is stopped, the vehicle is in neutral or parking. (ECO operation)
I understand.

  (17) Information indicating an image that is preferentially output to the display unit, a vehicle operation state by the driver, the acquired vehicle state, and a plurality of vehicle surrounding images, and data that can be reproduced in time synchronization. It is advisable to record the data in the recording means.

  (18) A reproducing device for reproducing the data recorded in the recording means by the vehicle image recording device according to (1) to (17), wherein the vehicle peripheral image data recorded in the recording means is recorded. At the time of reproduction, it is preferable to have a function of reversing the reproduced video horizontally or vertically and reproducing. The reproducing device may be mainly installed outside the vehicle such as a personal computer, or may be configured as a function of a navigation device installed inside the vehicle.

(19) A reproducing device for reproducing the data recorded in the recording means by the vehicle video recording device described in (17), wherein the reproducing means gives priority to output of the image, and It is preferable to perform a predetermined display showing the video output preferentially to the display means from the plurality of video images around the vehicle being reproduced. By doing so, it is possible to easily grasp which image was displayed on the display means when the image is reproduced later by the reproducing device.
(20) It can be configured as a program for causing a computer to realize the function as the reproducing device described in (18) or (19).

  According to the present invention, the driver does not need to perform a special operation such as switching the image with a remote controller or a switch together with the driving operation, and simply performing the driving operation causes the display unit to display the image according to the driver's intention. be able to.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the drive recorder which is one suitable embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the main unit of a drive recorder, and the connection relation of each part. It is a perspective view showing the front and back of the main unit of a drive recorder. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a method of inserting the memory card into the main unit and an example of mounting the main unit to the vehicle. It is a figure which shows the attachment state to the vehicle of a front view camera. It is a figure which shows the example of attachment of an additional camera, and the structure of a camera. It is a figure which shows the attachment state to a vehicle of a rear view camera, and a photography range. It is a figure which shows the power supply method etc. to a rear view camera. It is a figure which shows the structure of a remote control, and the example of the attachment position to a vehicle. It is a figure which shows the example of the display content which displays the image of a camera on a display apparatus. It is a figure which shows the example of the display content displayed on a display device at the time of reproduction|regeneration. It is a display example of a reproduction screen.

1 to 9 are diagrams showing the configuration of a drive recorder as a vehicle video recording apparatus as a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram, and FIG. 2 is a device configuration diagram.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a main unit 1 (hereinafter also referred to as a main body) including a control unit 10, a remote controller 11, a GPS unit 12, a rear view camera 13, and an extension unit connected to the control unit 10 of the main unit 1. The camera 14 includes a front-view camera 15, a display device 16, a built-in microphone 17, an external microphone 18, a memory card slot 19, an acceleration sensor 20, and a speaker 21.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3A, etc., an AV output terminal 16b, which is a terminal for outputting a video signal and an audio signal to the display device 16, and an external microphone 18 are provided on the front surface of the main unit 1. When the microphone terminal 18b which is a terminal for inputting an audio signal, the SD card slot 19b (corresponding to the memory card slot 19 of FIG. 1), and the SD card 2 (see FIG. 4A) are inserted into the SD card slot 19b. And a slide lever 19c for locking and fixing the SD card. The slide lever 19c is for locking the SD card 2 when the SD card 2 is inserted. As shown in FIG. 4A, the slide lever 19c is moved to the left side to insert the SD card 2 into the SD card slot 19b. Then, when the hand is released from the slide lever 19c, the slide lever 19c returns to the original position (FIG. 4A) to lock the SD card 2.

As shown in FIG. 3B, a vehicle signal connection terminal 40b, a remote control connection terminal 11b, a GPS unit connection terminal 12b, and a rear view camera connection terminal 13b are provided on the back surface (the surface facing the front surface) of the main unit 1. And an additional camera connection terminal 14b and a front view camera connection terminal 15b, which are respectively connected to the control unit 10. Further, an opening is provided on the upper surface of the main unit, and the built-in microphone 17 connected to the control unit 10 is provided in the opening.

As shown in FIG. 2, each of these terminals is connected to each corresponding connector, and is connected to each corresponding device (each part) via a cord (cable) connected to each connector. That is, the control unit 10 is connected to the display device 16 via the AV output connector 16a connected to the AV output terminal 16b, and is connected to the external microphone 18 via the microphone connector 18a connected to the microphone terminal 18b. Further, the control unit 10 controls the brake signal line 33 of the vehicle, the left turn signal line 32 of the vehicle, the right turn signal line 31 of the vehicle, and the vehicle speed signal line of the vehicle via the vehicle signal connection connector 40a connected to the vehicle signal connection terminal 40b. 30, the ground wire of the vehicle, and the ACC power supply of the vehicle. Further, the control unit 10 is connected to the remote controller 11 via the remote controller connecting connector 11a connected to the remote controller connecting terminal 11b, and is connected to the GPS unit 12 via the GPS unit connecting connector 12a connected to the GPS unit connecting terminal 12b. , Is connected to the rear view camera 13 via the rear view camera connection connector 13a connected to the rear view camera connection terminal 13b, and is connected to the extension camera 14 via the extension camera connection connector 14a connected to the extension camera connection terminal 14b. It is connected to the front view camera 15 via a front view camera connection connector 15a connected to the view camera connection terminal 15b. The front-view camera connection terminal 15b and the additional camera connection terminal 14b are mini-pin jacks, and the rear-view camera connection terminal 13b is an RCA terminal, and both have different shapes.

The main unit 1 is installed in the vehicle. For example, as shown in FIG. 4(b), at a position near the driver's seat where the driver can easily take out the SD card 2, and at a position where the cables connected to the above-mentioned terminals do not interfere with the driving operation. Install. For example, as shown in FIG. 4B, the bottom surface is attached and fixed to the center console at the front left position of the driver's seat or the under cover of the instrument panel by using the double-faced tape. At this time, the front side of the main body faces the right side of FIG. 4B, and the rear side of the main body faces the left side.

The front view camera 15 is a camera for photographing the front of the vehicle, and outputs an NTSC signal as a video signal of the captured video. As shown in FIG. 5, the front view camera 15 is fixed to the windshield inside the vehicle with double-sided tape so that the lens faces the traveling direction as a direction for photographing the front of the vehicle. The fixed position is a position within 20% of the entire windshield from the upper part of the windshield in the vehicle compartment (range indicated by reference sign d in the figure). The power of the front view camera 15 is supplied from the control unit 10.

  The additional camera 14 is a camera that can be attached to an arbitrary position to capture a video image around the vehicle, and outputs an NTSC signal as a video signal of the captured video image. For example, as shown in FIG. 6A, the interior direction (the direction from the windshield toward the rear of the vehicle) is oriented as a shooting direction, and the interior windshield is fixed to the windshield with double-sided tape. The power of the additional camera 14 is supplied from the control unit 10.

  As shown in FIG. 6B, the extension camera 14 has a normal image mode in which the captured image is output as it is and a mirror image mode in which the captured image is horizontally inverted and output, and the setting for setting the mode is performed. The switch 14s is provided. The additional camera 14 switches between the normal image mode and the mirror image mode according to the state of the setting switch 14s and outputs a corresponding video signal. For example, the normal image mode may be set when shooting the vehicle front direction, and the mirror image mode may be set when shooting the indoor direction or the vehicle rear direction.

The rear view camera 13 is a camera for photographing the rear of the vehicle, and outputs an NTSC signal as a video signal of the captured video. The rear view camera 13 is installed, for example, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, near the license plate outside the back door of the vehicle. The angle of view captured by the rear view camera 13 is shown in FIGS. FIG. 7C is a diagram showing a state in which the vehicle is viewed from the upper surface side of the vehicle, and shows an angle of view in the left-right direction when displayed on the display device 16, and the angle of view is the left-right direction with respect to the shooting direction. It is 60 degrees (120 degrees in total). FIG. 7D is a diagram showing a state where the vehicle is viewed from the side surface of the vehicle, and shows an angle of view in the vertical direction when displayed on the display device 16, and the angle of view is with respect to the shooting direction. It is 43 degrees to the left and right (86 degrees in total).

Wiring for the power supply of the rear view camera 13 and wiring for the video signal from the rear view camera 13 will be described with reference to FIG. The power of the rear view camera 13 is supplied from the positive side wiring 93 of the reverse lamp of the vehicle. That is, the positive side wiring 93 of the reverse lamp and the power supply line 81 are connected by the electro tap 80, and are connected to the power supply line of the rear view camera 13 via the power supply line 81 and the fuse 82. The positive side wiring 93 of the reverse lamp of the vehicle is connected to one end of the reverse lamp and one end of the back position switch 92 of the shift lever. The other end of the reverse lamp 94 is the negative terminal of the battery and the other end of the back position switch 92. Are respectively connected to the positive terminals of the battery. The ground wire 83 has one end connected to an existing unpainted screw of the vehicle and the other end connected to the ground line of the rear view camera 13, and the unpainted screw of the vehicle is a negative terminal of the battery 91. It is connected to the. The back position switch 92 of the vehicle is configured to be turned on when the shift lever is in the back position and turned off when the shift lever is not in the back position. As a result, while the shift lever is in the back position, current flows through the plus wiring 93 of the reverse lamp of the vehicle, and the reverse lamp 94 is turned on. At this time, power is supplied from the electro tap 83 to the rear view camera 13 via the power line 81 and the fuse 82. The rear view camera 13 outputs a video signal while power is supplied. This video signal is input to the control unit 10 via the rear view camera connection connector 13a connected to the rear view camera connection terminal 13b. On the other hand, while the shift lever is in a state other than the back position, no current flows through the positive side wiring 93 of the reverse lamp of the vehicle, the reverse lamp 94 is extinguished, and power is not supplied to the rear view camera 13. .. As a result, while the shift lever is in a state other than the back position, no video signal is output from the rear view camera 13, and no video signal is input from the rear view camera 13 to the control unit 10.

  The GPS unit 12 is installed at the front position of the dashboard, receives a GPS signal, obtains the current position from the received GPS signal, and obtains position information (longitude, latitude) of the obtained current position in NMEA format data. To the control unit 10.

As shown in FIG. 9A, the remote controller 11 includes a first button 11p, a second button 11q, a third button 11r, a first lamp 11x, and a second lamp 12y. As shown in three installation patterns in FIG. 9B, the back surface is attached and fixed using a double-sided tape at a position where the driver can easily operate, such as a center console or an under cover of an instrument panel.
The display device 16 is a liquid crystal monitor for inputting and displaying an NTSC signal such as a car navigation system or a car television.

The acceleration sensor 20 is provided inside the main unit 1 and is connected to the control unit 10. After fixing the main unit 1 to the vehicle (for example, after fixing as shown in FIG. 4B), the control unit 10 causes the remote control 11 to simultaneously press both the first button 11p and the second button 11q for 2 seconds or more. If it is detected, the initial setting is performed. In this initial setting, the vehicle is moved straight forward and backward, and the acceleration sensor 20 detects the direction of acceleration generated when the vehicle is moved forward and backward, and the three axes (x axis, y axis, z axis) of the acceleration sensor 20 and the vehicle are detected. The acceleration sensor 20 outputs a value with the longitudinal direction of the vehicle as the X-axis, the lateral direction of the vehicle as the Y-axis, and the vertical direction of the vehicle as the Z-axis. This is a setting process for setting. The forward direction is the positive direction of the X axis, the left direction is the positive direction of the Y axis, and the upward direction is the positive direction of the Z axis. As such an initial setting method, a known method can be used.
The speaker 21 is provided inside the main unit 1 and is connected to the control unit 10.

  The control unit 10 includes a microcomputer including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, a flash memory, various peripheral circuits, an interface, etc., and is connected to each unit described with reference to FIG. 1 via an interface for inputting or outputting a signal. ing. When the ACC of the vehicle is turned on, the control unit 10 is supplied with power and starts operating. The control unit 10 expands the OS and the application program recorded in the flash memory on the RAM by the boot loader recorded on the ROM, and executes the OS and the application program on the RAM to perform various processes described below. It is executed to realize various functions. The OS is a multitasking OS, and realizes parallel processing by switching and executing various application programs.

  After power is turned on, the control unit 10 acquires the memory state of the vehicle such as NMEA data from the GPS unit 12, the acceleration sensor 20, the brake lamp line 33, the left turn signal line 32, and the right turn signal line 31 at any time after the power is turned on. A data/signal state recording process is performed on the memory card 2 mounted in the card slot 19 at a predetermined time interval (for example, 30 times per second) to record these data and signal states in a file.

In addition, the control unit 10 acquires the images of the front view camera 15, the rear view camera 13, and the extension camera 14 as a plurality of vehicle peripheral images and displays the images on the display device 10, and a data/signal state recording process. A video/audio recording process is performed in which the vehicle state to be recorded and the vehicle peripheral image to be recorded are temporally synchronized and recorded as reproducible data in the memory card 2.

  The control unit 10 includes, as a peripheral circuit, a video capture circuit that captures the NTSC signals from the front-view camera 15, the rear-view camera 13, and the additional camera 14 into the RAM as video data. In addition, the control unit 10 includes a video memory (VRAM) or the like as a peripheral circuit, and the drawing data drawn in the video memory is output as an NTSC signal to the display device 16 via an electronic switch described later. A generation circuit is provided.

  After the power is turned on, the control unit 10 transfers the captured video data to the video memory and performs a camera video display process for displaying the video data on the display device 16 as needed. The camera image display process is a process of outputting the image of the front view camera 15 to the display device 16 as a default process. Further, in the camera image display processing, when the pressing of the first button 11p of the remote controller 11 is detected, the image transferred to the video memory and displayed on the display device 16 is displayed in the front view camera 15, the additional camera 14, the rear view camera. The process of switching the order of 13 images is performed. For example, when the driver presses the first button 11p twice after starting the present device and the shift position is in the back position, as shown in FIG. 10, the image is taken by the rear view camera 13. The video is displayed in the display area 16a of the display device 16. In the camera image display process, when the image signal is input to the rear view camera 13, the image transferred to the video memory and displayed on the display device 16 is switched to the image from the rear view camera 13. When the video signal is not input to the video signal from the rear view camera 13, a process of switching the video to be transferred to the video memory and displayed on the display device 16 to the video before switching to the video from the rear view camera 13 is performed.

By doing so, the driver simply displays the image captured by the rear view camera 13 in the display area 16a of the display device 16 as shown in FIG. The situation of can be confirmed by looking at the display device 16. As described above, the control unit 10 determines and outputs the image to be output with priority to the display device 16 based on the operation state of the vehicle by the driver, so that the driver switches the image with the remote controller 11 along with the driving operation. There is no need to output an image in the direction in which the vehicle will be driven, and an appropriate image in accordance with the driver's intention will be displayed at an appropriate timing.

  In the video/audio recording process, after the power is turned on, the audio acquired from the built-in microphone 17 and the audio data acquired from the external microphone 18 are recorded together with the respective video data captured by the front view camera 15, the rear view camera 13, and the additional camera 14. It is a process to do. For each of the video data of the front-view camera 15, the video data of the rear-view camera 13, and the video data of the additional camera 14, the audio data acquired from the built-in microphone 17 is the left channel, and the audio data acquired from the external microphone 18 is the right channel. As a result, it is encoded in the MPEG format and recorded in three files.

The file name of the signal state file recorded by the data/signal state recording process and the file names of the three MPEG files recorded by the video/audio recording process are set in each process from the real-time clock (clock) provided as a peripheral circuit of the microcomputer. Records using the date and time when the file was recorded. Therefore, by reading the date and time of this file name, it is possible to specify the position of the data of each file recorded at the same date and time. Therefore, it is possible to perform a reproduction process of reproducing these files while synchronizing them in time. The recording of these files is completed when the supply of ACC power to the main body is cut off. The control unit 18 is equipped with a backup power supply having a battery for operating the control unit 18 and each connected unit for a time (5 seconds) necessary for ending recording of a file when the ACC power supply is cut off. When the cutoff of the ACC power supply is detected, the OS notifies the recording process, and the recording end process of all files is executed. Therefore, each recording file is generated between the power-on by ACCON of the vehicle and the power-off by ACCOFF.

  When the long press of the second button 11q of the remote controller 11 (continuous press for 2 seconds or more) is detected, the control unit 10 reproduces the video and audio of the front view camera 15 from the beginning of the currently recorded MPEG file. Start a playback process (start a so-called chasing playback that plays while recording). For a certain time (5 seconds) from the start of the reproduction process, as shown in FIG. 11, the operation help 82, the camera information 85 of the reproduction image, the reproduction state 84, and the reproduction image date/time 83 are displayed in an overlapping manner on the reproduction image 81. .. These displays are performed for a predetermined time (3 seconds) even when the pressing of any button of the remote controller 11 is detected during the reproduction process.

  The operation help 82 indicates what kind of processing is performed when any button on the remote controller 11 is pressed. As shown in FIG. 11, it shows the correspondence between the button position and the processing contents of the remote controller 11 in the state where the remote controller 11 in FIG. 9 is rotated clockwise by 45 degrees, and when the button shown in black in the figure is pressed , Indicates that the process described in the character on the right side of it is executed. For example, the button shown in black in the schematic view of the remote controller 11 on the left side of the portion where "Play/Stop/Slow" is drawn in FIG. 11 corresponds to the second button 11q, and only the second button 11q is pressed. It is shown that the screen display processing (that is, the reproduction processing content of the control unit 10) is switched in the order of reproduction→stop→slow every time the is detected. The current state of the screen display process is displayed in the reproduction state 84 such as "reproducing", "stopped", or "throwing". In addition, information indicating which camera is the camera that recorded the currently reproduced video is displayed as camera information 85. The camera information 85 is “CAM1” when the image of the file recorded by the front view camera 15 is displayed, “CAM2” when the image of the file recorded by the additional camera 14 is displayed, and the file recorded by the rear view camera 13. "REAR" is displayed while the image of is displayed. The playback video date and time 83 is an area for displaying the date and time of the video of the file being displayed, and the recording date and time of the file head acquired from the file name and the recording date and time of the currently displayed frame based on the frame information of the file. Is displayed in search of.

When only the pressing of the first button 11p is detected during the reproduction process, the file to be reproduced is switched, and the video is reproduced from the frame having the same date and time as the frame currently being reproduced. By doing so, even if there is a change in the file to be played back, the video that is temporally continuous is displayed. As a result, the reproduced video date/time 83 is also continuously advanced even if the file to be reproduced is switched.
If only the third button 11r is pressed during the reproduction process, the reproduction process is ended and the camera image display process is executed (reproduction end).

  When the simultaneous pressing of the second button 11q and the third button 11r is detected during the reproduction process, the file itself to be reproduced is switched from the file currently being reproduced to the one old file. That is, referring to the file name, the file recorded immediately before the file currently being reproduced is specified from the date and time included in the file name, and the video is reproduced from the beginning of the file. If there is no file older than the file currently being reproduced, the file currently being reproduced is reproduced from the beginning.

  When the simultaneous pressing of the first button 11p and the second button 11q is detected during the reproduction process, the file itself to be reproduced is switched from the file being currently reproduced to a new file. That is, referring to the file name, the file recorded after the file currently being reproduced is specified from the date and time included in the file name, and the video is reproduced from the beginning of the file. If there is no newer file than the file currently being reproduced, the file currently being reproduced is reproduced from the beginning.

As described above, by operating the remote controller 11, the images of the front-view camera 15, the additional camera 14, and the rear-view camera 13 are switched to display the desired current image on the display device 16, or the front-view camera 15 and the additional camera 14 are displayed. , The video captured by the rear view camera 13 and already recorded in the memory card 2 is reproduced, and the remote controller 11 is operated to switch the reproduced video of the front view camera 15, the additional camera 14, and the rear view camera 13 to obtain a desired past. The image of can be displayed on the display device 16. The control unit 10 performs control to switch only at least any one of the vehicle surroundings images thus acquired or at least any one of the images recorded in the memory card 2 to the reproduced image.

  In the present embodiment, the control unit 10 controls the switching of only at least any one of the acquired vehicle peripheral images and at least any one of the images recorded in the memory card 2 to the reproduced image. However, the control unit 10 further determines the video to be output preferentially to the display device 16 and displays the video showing the setting items related to the control and the vehicle state recorded in the memory card 2. You may make it display a video. Further, the control for deciding and outputting the video to be preferentially output to the display device 16 is the control for switching to only the video, but the control for switching to the video in which the predetermined video is superimposed on the video, At least one of the control of displaying the video in a larger size than the other video and the control of displaying the video in the central portion of the display device 16 than the other video may be performed.

  According to the processing of the present embodiment, regardless of the image output to the display device 16, the acquired vehicle state and the plurality of vehicle peripheral images acquired from the front view camera 15, the rear view camera 13, and the additional camera 14 are displayed. Is recorded on the memory card 2. By doing so, it is possible to reliably record a plurality of vehicle surroundings images at the time of a collision.

In the present embodiment, the image is constantly recorded from ACCON to ACCOFF, but the continuous recording is not performed or the continuous recording is performed while the acceleration sensor 20 is used to change the state corresponding to the collision of the vehicle. If detected, regardless of the image output to the display device 16, the vehicle state and the image around the vehicle acquired from the front view camera 15, the rear view camera 13, and the additional camera 14 are recorded in the memory card 2. It may be configured. By doing so, it is possible to reliably record a plurality of vehicle surroundings images at the time of a collision. Further, when a collision is detected, the image output to the display device 16 may be preferentially recorded in the memory card 2. By doing so, it is possible to reliably record an image in which the moment of collision is likely to be recorded.

  In the present embodiment, the image of the rear view camera 15 that captures the rear of the vehicle is recorded, but the present invention is not limited to this, and any image may be recorded. Further, as the operation state of the vehicle, an arbitrary state may be acquired and recorded. For example, a side camera for acquiring a vehicle right side image and a vehicle left side image are respectively provided, and the control unit 10 is connected to the in-vehicle LAN and the driver's operation state of the vehicle is from a packet flowing through the in-vehicle LAN to a predetermined vehicle speed or lower (for example, In the state of 10 km/h or less), when it is detected that the right turn signal is output, the right side image of the vehicle is controlled so as to be output with priority over the other images, while the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than a predetermined vehicle speed (for example, 10 km or less). /H) or less), when it is detected that the left turn signal has been output, it is preferable to perform a control to output the vehicle left image in priority to other images. By doing this, for example, when exiting the parking lot in either direction to the left or right, or when trying to turn at an intersection with poor visibility, the vehicle surroundings in the direction in which the turn signal is output at a predetermined vehicle speed or less The video will be displayed on the display device 16. Therefore, the driver can easily check the vehicle peripheral image in that direction by looking at the display device 16 in such a situation requiring caution without performing a special operation for display. On the other hand, when the vehicle speed exceeds a predetermined value, even if the turn signal is output, the vehicle peripheral image in the direction in which the turn signal is output is not displayed on the display device 16. Therefore, the driver does not feel annoyed by the display of the vehicle peripheral image while the vehicle is traveling at a speed equal to or higher than a predetermined vehicle speed, and the driver is not distracted. In addition, the control unit 10 determines, as a reproducible data, a memory card as reproducible data when a video to be preferentially output to the display device 16 is determined from a plurality of vehicle peripheral videos based on the operation state of the vehicle by the driver. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which recording for 2 is performed. For example, when the speed of the vehicle is slower than a predetermined value and the turn signal is output, the image of the side camera may be displayed on the indoor monitor, and the recording may be performed at the time when the turn signal is output. ..

When reproducing the data of the vehicle peripheral image recorded in the memory card 2, it is preferable to have a function of reversing the reproduced image horizontally or vertically. In this way, even if the camera for photographing the image around the vehicle is installed upside down, the image can be reproduced in the correct direction. Further, for example, a video image captured by a rear view camera that outputs a video signal of a horizontally-reversed video image can be horizontally reversed and reproduced.

It should be noted that it is preferable to record the operation state of the vehicle by the driver, the acquired vehicle state, and a plurality of vehicle surrounding images in the memory card 2 as reproducible data in time synchronization. For example, by recording what the shift position is as the operation state of the vehicle by the driver, the engine is being braked on a downhill that was hit during the back, the vehicle is stopped, the vehicle is in neutral or parking. (ECO operation) etc. can be understood. The information indicating the image output preferentially to the display device 16, the operation state of the vehicle by the driver, the acquired vehicle state, and the plurality of vehicle surrounding images are temporally synchronized and can be reproduced as data that can be stored in the memory. It is preferable to perform a recording process on the card 2.

  In this embodiment, the camera image display processing is performed by executing the program by the computer and the output image is generated. However, even if the image cannot be generated by executing the program by the computer, the display device 16 can be used. In contrast, when a signal of an image to be output with priority is detected, it is preferable to include hardware for performing control to output the image with priority over other images. That is, the control unit 10 is hardware that performs control to output the image of the rear view camera 13 with priority over the image of the front view camera 15 and the image of the additional camera 14 when the shift position is in the back position. The control unit 10 includes a certain electronic switch (video signal selector). A video signal line from the rear view camera 13 and an output line from the video generation circuit of the control unit 10 are connected to the electronic switch, and the electronic switch inputs the video signal to the video signal from the rear view camera 13. If the video signal from the rear-view camera 13 is output to the display device 16 when the video signal is not input to the video signal from the rear-view camera 13, the output from the video generation circuit is output to the display device 16. Output to. Also, a signal indicating whether or not the video signal from the rear view camera 13 is input is output to the microcomputer provided in the control unit 18, and the video signal is added to the video signal from the rear view camera 13 during the reproduction process described above. When the input signal is detected, the reproduction process is temporarily stopped. With the configuration shown in FIG. 8, while the shift lever is in a state other than the back position, the video signal from the rear view camera 13 is not input to the electronic switch of the control unit 10, and the shift lever is in the back position. While in the state, the video signal from the rear view camera 13 is input to the electronic switch of the control unit 10.

In this way, the driver can immediately check the situation behind the vehicle by looking at the display device 16 simply by shifting the shift position to the back. As described above, the control unit 10 determines and outputs the image to be output with priority to the display device 16 based on the operation state of the vehicle by the driver, so that the driver switches the image with the remote controller 11 along with the driving operation. There is no need to output an image in the direction in which the vehicle will be driven, and an appropriate image in accordance with the driver's intention will be displayed at an appropriate timing. Since the camera image display processing is realized by executing the program by the microcomputer, the camera image display processing may be performed, for example, because the OS is being started by the microcomputer or the processing load of the microcomputer is high. In some cases, it may not be possible to generate an image. In such a case, it is difficult to immediately reflect the operation state of the vehicle by the driver and output the image of the rear view camera 13 by the camera image display processing. However, when the signal of the image from the rear view camera 13 is detected by the electronic switch (hardware), the image from the rear view camera 13 is output with priority over other images. Can be immediately reflected, and the image from the rear view camera 13 can be displayed on the display device 16.

Further, whether or not a person is included in the image preferentially output to the display device 16 like the image of the rear view camera 13 is subjected to pattern matching processing with respect to the image data acquired from the rear view camera 13 of the control unit 10. It is advisable to perform a process of issuing an alarm sound from the speaker 21 when the judgment is made and the pattern corresponding to the person is matched. By doing so, it is possible to easily and immediately take an avoidance action such as stopping the vehicle when the alarm sounds. Further, the driver can easily check whether the object of the alarm is the avoidance target or the like by simply looking at the display device 16 when the alarm sounds, without performing any special operation. .. For example, when a person is shown in the image of the side camera in the direction in which the turn signal is being output, an alarm is sounded, or when a person is shown in the image of the back camera when the back position is shown, an alarm is issued. It is good to let you know by sound.

  In this embodiment, the rear-view camera connection terminal 13b, which is an input terminal of a rear-view video which is a video output preferentially to the display device 16, is an RCA terminal, while the front-view camera is a video input terminal of another video. The connection terminal 15b and the additional camera connection terminal 14b have different shapes as mini pin jacks. In this way, it is easy to know which video input terminal should be connected to the camera (rear view camera 13) for the video to be output with priority. The rear-view camera connection terminal 13b, the front-view camera connection terminal 15b, and the additional camera connection terminal 14b are arranged in the rear surface of the main unit 1, and are the main unit that is the surface facing the surface on which these video input terminals are provided. A memory card slot 19 which is an insertion slot for the memory card 2 is provided on the front surface of the memory card 1. In this way, when the memory card 2 is inserted into the memory card slot 19 or taken out from the memory card slot 19, the cables connected to the video input terminal do not get in the way. Further, when inserting the memory card 2 into the memory card slot 19 or removing it from the memory card slot 19, the problem that the cables connected to the video input terminal are caught and pulled out is unlikely to occur.

The data recorded in the memory card 2 can be reproduced by taking out the memory card 2 from the memory card slot 19, inserting it in the personal computer, and using a program on the personal computer. The viewer screen 100 as shown in FIG. 12, for example, is displayed by the processing by the program on the personal computer. As shown in FIG. 12, the viewer screen 100 has a menu bar 101, a display area 102, a display switching button 103, a volume knob 104, a speed display 105, a brake blinker display 106, an acceleration display 107, a latitude/longitude display 108, and display operation buttons. 109, an acceleration sensor graph 110, a date/time display 111, a map 112, and a playlist list 113.

  The display area 102 includes a front view camera video playback area 102a, an additional camera video playback area 102b, and a rear view camera video playback area 102c. When the data of the vehicle peripheral image of the front view camera/extension camera/rear view camera recorded on the memory card 2 is reproduced, it has a function of reversing the reproduced image horizontally or vertically. Right-clicking on the front-view camera video playback area 102a, the additional camera video playback area 102b, and the rear-view camera video playback area 102c switches the playback video in the order of left-right inversion, up-down inversion, left-right up-down inversion, and no inversion.

In addition, based on the above-described information indicating the image output preferentially to the display device 16, a predetermined image indicating the image preferentially output to the display device 16 is selected from the plurality of vehicle peripheral images being reproduced. It is advisable to adopt a configuration for displaying. By doing so, it is possible to easily grasp which image was displayed on the display device 16 later when the image is reproduced by a reproducing device such as a personal computer. For example, the start date and time and the end date and time when the image from the rear view camera is input are recorded, and the outer frame portion of the rear view camera image reproduction area 102c is highlighted while the image on the date and time is being reproduced. ..

Note that the viewer screen 100 is a screen displayed on a personal computer, but may be output to a screen of a navigation device or the like installed in the vehicle or may be output to the display device 16, for example.

  Although the present invention has been described with reference to the examples, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. The examples described in the above embodiments may be combined in any combination, and various changes or improvements may be added. Further, the claims, the background art, the problem to be solved by the invention, and the description of means for solving the problem are appropriately applied to each embodiment, and the technical common sense of a person skilled in the art is applied to the embodiment. be able to.

2 memory card 10 control unit 11 remote control 12 GPS unit 13 rear view camera 14 additional camera 15 front view camera 16 display device 17 built-in microphone 18 external microphone 19 memory card slot 20 acceleration sensor 21 speaker

Claims (3)

  Based on the operation state of the vehicle by the driver, it has a function of determining and outputting the image to be output preferentially to the display means from the plurality of vehicle surrounding images,
  When a predetermined vehicle operation is detected, the display means is provided with a function of switching the image to be output preferentially,
  When the speed of the vehicle exceeds a predetermined speed, a function of not performing the switching even if the predetermined vehicle operation is detected is provided.
  A device for vehicles characterized by:   A function for issuing an alarm when a person is included in an image output preferentially to the display means is provided.
  The vehicle device according to claim 1, wherein:   A program for causing a computer to realize the functions of the vehicle device according to claim 1.